Writing the 1-Hour TV Drama

The big opportunity for screenwriters has shifted dramatically from film to television, and there is no better way to get in the game than to have written a professional, bulletproof one-hour pilot script!

The television market demands far richer, deeper characters, darker dilemmas, more complex storylines, conflicts, and time-shifts. Learn what makes an idea “work,” create memorable characters, and learn key tips and techniques on outlining, story mapping, writing a bullet proof pilot script, and more.

This carefully curated bundle of 10 digital products includes the following OnDemand Webinars on writing a 1-Hour TV Drama, led by experienced instructors and screenwriters such as Peter Russell, Daniel P. Calvisi, and Erik Bork.

Story Mapping the Complete First Season of a Television Series (OnDemand Webinar) Using case studies from well-known series on cable and streaming networks, best-selling author and professional Story Analyst Daniel Calvisi will break down how to map out a complete first season using his Story Maps method, using examples from current and classic series to show the process in action. The many shows cited will include BETTER CALL SAUL, I’M DYING UP HERE, OZARK, MINDHUNTER, SMILF, ATLANTA and BARRY. Breaking down their pilots and subsequent episodes will reveal structural patterns and best practices that you can use to aid your own writing. ($39.99 value)

10 Steps to Developing a Killer TV Pilot (OnDemand Webinar) There are hundreds pilot scripts circulating in Hollywood.  Most of them will never be produced or even be able to be used as a great writing sample. Knowing the critical elements that all agents, managers and executives are looking for in a pilot script will help you to be taken seriously and get the traction needed to launch a successful television writing career. ($39.99 value)

Advanced Plot Construction: Developing and Outlining Your Story (OnDemand Webinar) Once you’ve sketched out your story idea, it’s time to develop and outline it. This is the craft of plot construction and Jeff Kitchen has been teaching it for over twenty years now. His three-step process, Sequence, Proposition, Plot is so effective at this that development executives at all the major Hollywood studios (to whom he's taught it) consistently say it's the most advanced development tool in the film industry. Not only is it a remarkably powerful outlining process, but it helps tighten and dramatize the material as you develop it, by focusing on cause and effect as well as conflict. ($39.99 value)

The Structure of a Tragic Drama TV Show (OnDemand Webinar) In this OnDemand webinar, you'll learn how to build characters who contain tragic flaws but also the potential for redemption (a key element for Hollywood tragedy.) You'll see how to build the right 'arc' for these characters, and you'll also see what causes the tragedy to be either noble or just...well, a tragic failure! Both can work well in a cinematic story. Which one will you choose for your story? Get help in making that critical choice in this OnDemand webinar. ($39.99 value)

The Secret to Creating Characters That Bring a TV Pilot to Life (OnDemand Webinar) This presentation explores the least-understood aspect of creating the memorable protagonist – how to build a set of supporting characters that will allow you to explore every aspect of your lead’s soul. Because while we may immediately think of Don Draper when we hear the Mad Men theme music, we only understand who he is because of his interactions with Peggy Olson and Pete Campbell, with Betty and Sally. We’ll learn how to create supporting characters that do more than support – that can allow you to create a pilot script worthy of your lead. ($39.99 value)

Structuring the Bulletproof One Hour Pilot Script (OnDemand Webinar) Pilot season used to be just a few months each year.  Now thanks to cable, the Internet, and channels such as Netflix, pilot season never ends. In this OnDemand webinar, award-winning television producer, screenwriter, and author Jeffrey Alan Schechter will show you how to structure the bulletproof one hour pilot script, teaching you a system you can use immediately to make your scripts professional and memorable. ($39.00 value)

The One Hour Drama: How to Structure An Episode In Detail (OnDemand Webinar) Learning how to construct the 28 beat of all great TV drama and how they fit into a four-act structure is the vital workhorse of nearly all hour story writer's rooms. Peter introduces you to that world in this OnDemand webinar and takes you through how some of the greatest TV writers have created the very best stories using this form. But these secrets and forms don't often get taught in school. Using big recent hits like MR. ROBOT, STRANGER THINGS, PEAKY BLINDERS, Peter teaches you by vivid example just how hit hour-long drama works. ($39.99 value)

First Ten Pages of Your Drama Pilot In this OnDemand webinar, Peter Russell shows you, using script and video examples from stories like SNEAKY PETE, OZARK, MR. ROBOT, OA, STRANGER THINGS, TRUE DETECTIVE, RAY DONOVAN, and others, just how the first ten pages of a pilot can go off like a bomb in your audience's mind, hooking them for the next hour (and entire season and entire run). Peter also shows you how to wrap these devices in the form of a TV beat that also grabs the audience. ($39.99 value)

Write Great TV Scenes: Learn the Secrets of the TV 'BEAT' (OnDemand Webinar) Each TV Beat lasts from one to five minutes. It's the whole 'escalator' of suspense in TV story. Understanding how each of these Beats work will make your script grab the audience hard, and keep them watching. This OnDemand webinar will show you the secrets that help the very best TV writers bring explosive power to their Beats. 'Do the Beat and do the show!' The OnDemand webinar will be using examples from great current TV shows (like STRANGER THINGS, MR. ROBOT, PEAKY BLINDERS, THIS IS US, GOLIATH, MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE, and many more)($39.99 value)

Creating Pitch Packages That Will Sell Your TV and Film Projects (OnDemand Webinar) A pitch package is the very best of your verbal pitch captured on the page, often with conceptual visuals. Flawlessly executed, it can either secure you that elusive pitch meeting or serve as a brilliant follow-up tool that will carry your passion all the way up the ladder to close the deal. As meticulous, creative and tonally specific as loglines but encompassing the structure and themes of the entire project, pitch packages condense your conceptual material into marketing ad copy. ($39.99 value) 

The Writers Store does not offer any refunds this bundle. All sales are final.