TV Writing: Core Elements (On Demand)
About this On Demand Course
This is an On Demand course. On Demand courses allow you to watch pre-recorded lectures at your own pace, with curated resources and other materials to support your work. You can begin taking this course at any time.
This course does not offer feedback on your work. If you would like feedback from a Sundance Collab Advisor and to network with other writers, consider taking TV Writing: Core Elements (Self-paced).
In order to serve more of the Sundance Collab community, we developed this On Demand course from existing self-paced course content. By doing so, we are able to offer TV Writing: Core Elements (On Demand) at a price that allows more people to benefit from the course content.
Create an outline for your episodic TV pilot idea in eight weeks with an accomplished TV writer as your guide. In this introductory level on demand course, you will take this important first step for your original pilot script and learn a set of tools to help you ask the important questions of every scene and character that will get you past "stuck" when writing future episodes.
Along the way you will:
- find your most effective creative writing process.
- develop and hone your characters.
- learn how character drives plot.
- be able to identify three-act structure and have it be the backbone of your pilot.
- identify A/B/C stories and break story in your own pilot.
- create the tableau and tone for your pilot.
- write your beat sheet.
- develop your beat sheet into an outline.
- understand how to receive notes and approach a rewrite.
- identify a longer story arc for your series.
This course is ideal for:
- television writers with an idea for a series or pilot who could use help with structure, world building, and character development.
- creatives new to TV writing who want structured direction for crafting their project with a flexible schedule for completing weekly lectures and exercises.
View the Outline tab for more details on the course.
All course videos are closed-captioned. For other accommodations and support services, please email us at accessibility@sundance.org.
On Demand CourseOutline
Topics covered include:
- Introduction to TV Writing: Core Elements
- What makes a great pilot?
- Finding your creative process
Topics covered include:
- What is character?
- Analysis of character: Walter White from Breaking Bad
- The interior monologue
Topics covered include:
- How character drives plot
- Introduction to structure
- Three act structure in practice
Topics covered include:
- A/B/C stories
- Breaking story and beat sheets
Topics covered include:
- Establish your tone
- Understanding tableau
- Developing a visual system/visual grammar
- Using voiceover
Topics covered include:
- Writing an outline
- Writing a good scene
- Creating a satisfying sequence
Topics covered include:
- Revisiting your outline with a checklist to help you rewrite
Topics covered include:
- How to take notes
- Writing is rewriting
- Developing long story arcs
Team
Angela LaManna
Instructor
Angela LaManna grew up in Syracuse, New York. She was an English major at The University of Texas at Austin, where she took courses in creative writing for fiction, poetry and screenwriting.
She worked in the nonprofit sector as well as a story producer for reality TV before she landed her first television gig as the showrunner’s assistant on HANNIBAL. She sold her first script that same year to A&E. Her credits include CHANNEL ZERO, MARVEL’S THE PUNISHER, the upcoming British limited series BEHIND HER EYES for Netflix and THE HAUNTING OF BLY MANOR (THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE season two).
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.