Crafting a Limited Series for Television (On Demand)
About this On Demand Course
This is an On Demand course that was developed from existing live online library content. On Demand courses allow you to watch video lectures at your own pace, with curated resources and other materials to support your work. You can begin taking this course at any time.
Every story has its own natural gravity. While some are meant for the brief, intense spark of a feature film and others for the sprawling world-building of a multi-season series, the limited series offers a unique creative sweet spot. It provides the canvas to paint a deeply immersive, emotionally complex world, but with the narrative discipline of a definitive ending. It’s like a “novel for television” where every scene matters because the clock is ticking.
In this On Demand course, veteran filmmaker Ron Nyswaner will guide you through the process of crafting short-form prestige television. Nyswaner is the Oscar-nominated screenwriter of Philadelphia and a writer/producer on such successful series as Homeland and Ray Donovan. In this course, Nyswaner draws upon his work on two limited series projects:
- Fellow Travelers, which earned Nyswaner a Peabody award and Emmy nomination
- Murder on Middle Beach, a four-part documentary series for HBO
This course builds upon a previous Sundance Collab Master Class and features exclusive insights and conversations with established writers and showrunners from Dying for Sex, Jane the Virgin, Little Fires Everywhere, and more. Using real-world examples, Nyswaner will reveal the core pillars of a compelling limited series.
In this course, you will learn:
- The role of the showrunner from development to post-production
- Narrative approaches to episodic writing
- How to create narrative drama from personal stories
- The eight elements of a good story
- A scene-for-scene breakdown of the pilot of Fellow Travelers
- How to create an effective TV pitch
Who this course is for: This course is ideal for aspiring television writers, producers, and/or showrunners looking to learn more about the limited series format.
Additional Benefits: Your enrollment includes a workbook and access to additional videos from Sundance Collab's Video Library.
View the Outline tab for more details on the course.
On Demand CourseAccessibility
Sundance Collab provides accommodations and support services to participants with disabilities. Accommodations and services are designed to meet the needs of each participant. Submit our Request Accessibility Support form to arrange for services.
Outline
Topics covered include:
- Course Overview
- Development Process
- Role of the Showrunner
Topics covered include:
- Narrative Drama from True Stories
- Adapting Personal Stories
- Elements of Good Story
Topics covered include:
- Storytelling Frameworks
- Pilot Analysis
Topics covered include:
- Crafting Your Concept
- Developing Your Pitch, Building Your Career
- Next Steps in Your TV Writing Journey
Instructor
Ron Nyswaner
Ron Nyswaner is the creator/executive producer of the acclaimed limited series, Fellow Travelers. Other television credits: Ray Donovan, Homeland; the HBO true crime series, Murder On Middle Beach and the MSNBC documentary feature, Loan Wolves. Feature screenplays: Philadelphia, My Policeman, Soldier's Girl, The Painted Veil, Freeheld, Mrs. Soffel, and Smithereens. He produced and directed the documentary feature She's The Best Thing In It that premiered at the 2015 SXSW Film Festival; is the author of Blue Days Black Nights: A Memoir Of Desire.
Awards include nominations for Academy, Emmy, BAFTA, Writers Guild, Golden Globe, and Spirit Awards, winning the National Board of Review’s Best Adapted Screenplay Award, a Peabody Award, two GLAAD Awards, and the Writers Guild of America East’s Walter Bernstein Award that honors writers “who have demonstrated with creativity, grace, and bravery, a willingness to confront social injustice in the face of adversity.”
FAQ
Sundance Collab’s On Demand courses provide flexibility to learn on your own time, whenever you’re ready. On Demand courses do not provide you with feedback on your work, but they do provide suggested activities and curated resources.
Participants will receive a Certificate of Completion for all of the On Demand courses and the certificate will include the name associated with your Collab account.
You can find any courses that you are enrolled in or have already completed in the profile section of your Collab account under “Courses.”
Sundance Collab provides accommodations and support services to participants with disabilities. Please contact us at (435) 776-7790 or email us at accessibility@sundance.org to ask any questions or to discuss your specific needs.