Free Writing the TV Drama Series 3rd Edition: How to Succeed as a Professional Writer in TV by Pamela Douglas

used in different ways throughout filmmaking. “Format” may refer to a film stock or camera lens, to the way a script is laid out on a page, or even a genre or franchise. In this context it means a series proposal. Though a format isn’t an exact process, certain components are advisable because you’ll be asked about them in meetings anyway. In reality, most formats aren’t even written except as notes for a network pitch. But I suggest you write everything, for now, to clarify your show for yourself and a production company. Lay it out this way:
    Cover page: Find a title that grabs attention and suggests the tone of the show (funny, scary, dramatic, provocative, comforting, whatever). The title will probably change; think of it as a toe in a doorway. Underneath, identify the franchise or general category (e.g., teen drama, comedy-drama, political thriller, sci-fi…). If it’s based on something (book, play, movie, cartoon) you’d better say so, but make sure you have clear rights to the underlying work. Your credit is “Written By” or “Created By” and that goes on a separate line. Place your contact information at the bottom of the page. If you’re represented by an agent or manager, of course, the cover is done by their office and your agent will be the contact.
    Do register the completed format with the Writers Guild (specifics on that are in the Appendix). But do not put your WGA registration number on the cover — it’s tacky. Also don’t include any dates or draft numbers. Every draft you deliver is the first, untrammeled and never before revealed to human eyes — or that’s what you’d like the producer to think. (No one wants something that’s been rejected or gathering dust.)
    On the top of Page One, write a “Log Line.” You’ve encountered that term in screenwriting classes, but did you know it originated in television? For decades, television station owners have been required by the FCC to keep a log of everything they broadcast. These had to fit on a line, like “Lassie finds lost boy.” Then TV Guide and newspapers began printing short episode summaries like this one from Joan of Arcadia : “Joan learns the downside of vanity when God asks her to take a cosmetics class.”
    Soon the promotional tag found its way to movie posters, as in: “Tom Cruise stars as Nathan Algren, a heroic American military officer hired by the Emperor of Japan to train the country’s first army. After being captured by his Samurai enemies, Algren becomes unexpectedly inspired by their way of life and fights to defend what he has come to love.” Or, for a simpler example: “The women of Stepford have a secret.” Before long, either full log lines (like the one from The Last Samurai ) or “hooks” (like the one from The Stepford Wives ) became necessary to pitch films, episodes, and series, not merely to log them or advertise.
    A log line for a series may be less specific than the story summaries you’ll use for individual episodes. The goal is to orient a listener (yes, listener, not reader) to your project, to catch an executive’s attention. “MTV Cops” is a famous log line for Miami Vice from an era when MTV was new and hot. Grey’s Anatomy , on the heels of the success of Sex and the City , was described as “Sex and the Surgery.” When he was first presenting The O.C ., Josh Schwartz knew the Fox network was looking for an updated Beverly Hills 90210 , so he pitched his show as “90210 on the beach in Orange County,” and later admitted that was a Trojan horse to set up a far more nuanced show.
    Once your log line sizzles, take the first couple of pages of your format for an Overview. This is not a summary of the pilot (a common mistake), but an introduction to the world and the quest of the whole series, including location, style, tone, context, and, most of all, characters. Though full characterizations come later, the main cast must be mentioned up front. Use brief tags like “a