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

as he’d envisioned it long before.
    J. Michael Straczynski, creator of Babylon 5 , is said to have written all five years of his series while he was on the staff of a Star Trek , so Babylon 5 was finished before he ever proposed it. But don’t try that at home, folks.
    Short of writing 100 episodes, the worst you risk is another unsold script. If it’s written well, a pilot can serve as a writing sample along with any other screenplays or episodes. And as soon as you have clout (or know someone who does), you can take it off your shelf.
    For more about writing a pilot, see the “Spotlight On Writing Your Pilot Script” between Chapters Four and Five .
    (3) Write a “Backdoor Pilot”
    A backdoor pilot is a two-hour movie, and might be a clever way to propel a series. The game involves writing a pilot that masquerades as a movie, and, in fact, works as a closed story. But the seeds of subsequent tales and promising character developments are embedded in a situation that could easily spring many episodes.
    You could offer it as a screenplay and be thunderstruck when someone else observes that it could lead to a series. Or you could come clean with your intentions up front. Depends on who you’re dealing with, but you certainly should tell an agent what you have in mind. Another compromise is the “limited series” (which used to be called “miniseries”). That’s longer than a movie but less of a commitment than a full season, usually running six to eight hours over several weeks. If the movie (or limited series) does well, you have a great shot at the series. Either the backdoor pilot or the “partial order” gives a network a chance to hedge the bet. And if it doesn’t go to series, you still have a movie script.
    (4) Create a Presentation Reel
    A showrunner once invited me to his office to discuss a series that had suddenly landed in his lap. He didn’t have a clue about it, he said uneasily; it was loosely based on a hit movie and had been sold as a series on the basis of a 15-minute reel made by one of the movie’s producers who didn’t have time to do the show. So the newly anointed executive producer was hastily interviewing writers to find the series. The problem was that 15 minutes of “possible scenes” using the movie producer’s actor friends (who would not be in the actual series either) didn’t add up. Not that the 15 minutes weren’t cinematic — they were beautifully atmospheric — but the group in the office were TV writers looking for the kinds of elements I’ve told you about: a) springboards suggesting where stories would come from; b) characters with potential for long arcs; c) some sort of quest or motor for the star. The reel turned out to be sort of a Rorschach test: everyone came up with a different show… which meant no show at all, finally.
    Even if you’re not a Hollywood movie producer who can sell a series off a few scenes, a reel might be helpful if used cleverly. Think of the dog-and-pony show, and imagine an executive in his office. It’s 4 PM and he’s been taking pitches every 20 minutes since his breakfast meeting at 8 AM. You walk in with a DVD. He might wake up for that.
    If you want to try, here are some tips:
    Be careful it doesn’t scream student film. You know: the long zoom toward the doorknob, which is ever so beautifully lit, and the reflective moments laden with symbolism. Often, student films aim at film festivals where their art is appreciated. In television, which moves faster, those same qualities may come off as indulgent. So make sure your reel looks professional and suits the medium.
    Keep it short enough so you have time to pitch before or after the film, including the set-up time. You may have only 15 minutes, total, in the meeting.
    Do pitch the show. The reel is only eye-candy. Unlike the movie producer, you’re not going to get away with not knowing how the series is going to work.
    Have fun. Creative, original filmmaking can be an