Learn from a top TV executive who has taught for Netflix!

Get excerpts for how tone is described in 4 TV pitch decks + a "200 Words to Describe Tone" cheat sheet

What is your “Special Sauce”? Let’s talk about Tone! What is it, how to create it, how to pitch it, and how it will elevate the way you write scripts.

When it comes to learning about writing a script or a pitch, books, classes and labs focus largely on concept, world, structure, conflict, characters, and story / season arcs. These elements are obviously vital to writing a clear pitch or a competent script, but to really stand out from the crowd, to set yourself apart as both a creator and writer, you need to consider something more subtle yet perhaps even more important: tone. Tone is the “special sauce” of your project, what sets it apart from every other similar pitch and script. Concepts seem to be “in the water,” the same types of stories crop up in batches simultaneously because of ideas that are in the zeitgeist, in public consciousness, in everyday experience. What differentiates them? Why do shows in the same genre end up on ABC or Hulu or Max? Why do different producers and directors gravitate to different pitches within the same genre? The answer has to do with tone.

What is tone? Why is it important? How do you communicate it in your pitch? How do you create it in your script? Tone feels like an elusive abstraction, but fundamentally it is your approach to the concept, characters and story. Sometimes referred to as “mood,” it determines how the audience will feel watching your show or film. It’s important because it’s ultimately the way to separate yourself from other writers not only in terms of the type of project you are creating, but also in terms of your skill and expertise as a writer. Simply put, being able to create and maintain a specific tone is the hallmark of an expert writer.

Consider this: Modern Family, Schitt’s Creek, This Is Us, Downton Abbey, Succession, Ozark and Peaky Blinders are all about family dynamics. If you look closely, some of these shows have similar characters. Even some of the worlds have commonalities. But when you think about them, they FEEL radically different from each other. That feeling is tone.

In this webinar you will learn how to identify the tone of your project, how to describe it in a pitch, and techniques for creating and maintaining tone in a script. Exploring this next-level element of screenwriting is producer, script consultant and educator Anna Henry. Anna comes from a background in television development (Nickelodeon, CBS, ABC) and literary management. As a manager and consultant, her clients have worked on shows at virtually every broadcast, cable and streaming television network, and have set up projects at Amazon, Starz, HBO, Hulu, Sony, Fox, among others. Anna is excited to share her vast wealth of knowledge on the craft and business of screenwriting and pitching exclusively with the Stage 32 community.

In this information-packed webinar you will learn how to approach your own pitch and script with tone in mind. You will learn about the elements that set the tone of a project, including visual and emotional content, realism, visual style, music, pacing, and humor. You will receive vocabulary and techniques to help you describe tone in a pitch, as well as guidance on how to best use comps. You will also learn how to make deliberate creative choices to set tone in your script as you craft each scene.

There will be a Q&A with Anna where you’ll be able to ask her specific questions on your work and receive her guidance on how to best approach the tone of your project.

PLUS! Anna will provide you with:

• Excerpts of how tone is described in 4 TV show pitch deck examples
• "200 Words to Describe Tone" cheat sheet

Praise for Anna:

This was my first Stage 32 webinar, and it exceeded my expectations, both in terms of quality (and quantity) of information and overall value. Anna was personable, knowledgeable, and organized. The slide deck was helpful, and her overall presentation hit all the key topics. Anna and Stage32 delivered the goods.

- John R.

What a thoughtful, thorough and inspiring webinar. It's clear that Anna Henry put an enormous amount of work into this presentation. Not only was the content there, but the structure was also superb. I feel educated and inspired to go back to my own work and do better than what I thought was my best. What could possibly be better than that! Thank you Anna for your genius and your generosity.

- Crispin L.

"Comprehensive, insightful. Combined a lot of material I had heard snippets of on character, world dev, etc. but artfully stitched together in one presentation."

-James F.

"It was amazing, enlightening - completely. I learned soooo much - especially as a feature writer who's been asked to turn a feature script into a pilot!! Thank you soooooo much."

-Kristin G.

What Influences the Tone of Your Project?

• Genre
• Characters
• World
• Themes

Why Does Tone Matter?

• Know your audience
• Know your buyers

What Creative Elements Determine the Tone of Your Project?

• Dark vs. Light
• Grounded vs. World-building / Stylized
• Visual style & soundscape
• Pacing
• Dialogue
• Humor

How do you Indicate Tone in Your Pitch?

• The Writing style of pitch
• A tone section
• Images

How do you Write a Tone Section for Your Pitch?

• Common buzzwords
• Going beyond adjectives
• The music
• Placement

What About Comps?

• Pros and cons of comps
• The trap of “this meets that”
• Selecting Comps

How Do You Set and Maintain Tone in a Script?

• Where to set tone within a script
• Making deliberate choices
• Thinking visually
• Drawing from real life
• Drawing on creative influences
• Setting scenes and writing action lines
• Writing emotion
• Pacing and scenes
• Dialogue and humor

Solving Tone Problems:

• “Tricky” or combination tones
• Conflicts between story structure and tone

Q&A with Anna

All levels of screenwriters (advanced, intermediate and beginner) looking to improve their screenwriting and pitching skills.

All levels of producers (advanced, intermediate and beginner) looking to craft impactful pitches that communicate a unique project.

All levels of directors (advanced, intermediate and beginner) looking to understand how writers think about tone in order to translate tone from the page to the screen.

Praise for Anna:

This was my first Stage 32 webinar, and it exceeded my expectations, both in terms of quality (and quantity) of information and overall value. Anna was personable, knowledgeable, and organized. The slide deck was helpful, and her overall presentation hit all the key topics. Anna and Stage32 delivered the goods.

- John R.

What a thoughtful, thorough and inspiring webinar. It's clear that Anna Henry put an enormous amount of work into this presentation. Not only was the content there, but the structure was also superb. I feel educated and inspired to go back to my own work and do better than what I thought was my best. What could possibly be better than that! Thank you Anna for your genius and your generosity.

- Crispin L.

"Comprehensive, insightful. Combined a lot of material I had heard snippets of on character, world dev, etc. but artfully stitched together in one presentation."

-James F.

"It was amazing, enlightening - completely. I learned soooo much - especially as a feature writer who's been asked to turn a feature script into a pilot!! Thank you soooooo much."

-Kristin G.