Anna Henry's TV Pilot Lab (March 2021) : Welcome! by Anna Marton Henry

Hi Anna and everyone, I’m still puzzled by budgeting questions. What’s more expensive: 1) to have an ensemble cast of 5 main characters in each episode or 2) two main characters plus three recurring in each episode, or 3) two main characters plus three guests in each episode,? In all three scenarios, 5 people speak but in the third scenario, three of the actors are new in each episode. Would there be a difference in budget cost?

I think it's ok not to worry about this too much right now. The answer is that regulars cost the most, then recurrings, and finally guests, but this is NOT a good way to decide on the type of show to write! I cannot emphasize this point enough! The cast depends on the type of show you have. If your show is serialized, it will have more regular cast and fewer guests. If it's episodic, it will have more guests. Choosing one over the other isn't a budget question, it's a question of the type of show you are writing. My point on the cast being expensive is that when you have five series regulars and 15 other speaking parts in your pilot, none of whom are really important or developed characters, we start to question if you really need all of them. You want to give sufficient screen-time to your main characters for us to get to know them and emotionally connect with them. You want to give screen-time to your key supporting characters so we can understand their relationships with the leads. Obviously your pilot may need some incidental characters purely for plot, but notice that pilots really try to limit these or make sure they are utilized to maximum effect. If there is a way for your main character to have a conversation with a key supporting character or to have the same conversation with a waiter we'll never see again, choose the key supporting character - it's not just a question of budget, it's a question of developing your characters in the pilot. Does this help clarify?

Thanks, Anna for a detailed explanation. It helps!

Thank you Anna, I've been enjoying the class! Jacqueline

Can't find a link for our 1-on-1 mtg today.

Thanks very much for your lectures and consultations, Anna! Not only you're generous with your personal time, but also, you put your heart into your teaching. It's clear that you don't take teaching as chores. Instead, you go far and beyond to share your knowledge and skills with us, making sure we learn well. You care about your students acquiring the skills that could make our lives better! Thanks!

And that's reciprocal, seeing the teacher working hard to teach, the students also feel the desire to work hard to learn :-)

So, I have a couple of questions:

1) I'm a bit confused about the part "be careful about getting in and out flashbacks" you talked about in your lecture. Could you please show how would you script the following:

1st scene: Jim comes to work and sees a new woman Ann in the office (he doesn't speak yet, just walks in and sees her sitting at her desk, she turns her head towards him).

2nd scene (flashback): He realizes he saw her yesterday singing in the bar.

3d scene: In the office, Jim walks toward Ann and says: "How are you?"

2) for script formatting, with tons of material available on google, is there any particular source/guidance you prefer us to follow?

Thanks!

1. There needs to be some hookup between the scene prior to the flashback and the flashback itself so the viewer understands we've gone back in time. In this case, the flashback is a memory. Memories are triggered by something we see or hear, so in this case the sight of Ann herself is triggering Jim's memory. There are several ways to do this - imagine watching the sequence. For example, you might go from Ann turning to Jim, then to Jim standing in a bar, then Ann singing from his POV, then back to Jim in the office. There are other ways too. The key issue is really when you're cutting to a flashback that's not a memory - there needs to be some logical connection between the scene before, the flashback, and the scene after, so it's clear that the flashback is not the next moment in time. As you watch shows, be conscious of looking at the ways writers make it clear you're watching a flashback. For example, Lupin has a whole B-Story in flashbacks. There is a sound effect utilized to go into them, and the flashbacks have an entirely different visual style / muted color scheme so you always know when you're in that storyline. That works for that show - something else might work for yours.

   2. I recommend getting a book on screenplay format. There is an industry standard format, so it's not a matter of preference. A lot of people praise The Screenwriter's Bible or The Hollywood Standard. Both are good.

Thank you Anna

Thanks Anna for explanation. That makes sense!

Ana, Loved your masterclass about tv structure, thanks. Im asking....ok, we know a tv pilot structure, but before we write it, we need to know all the story of our show, almost the whole of it...which is the main structure of the show? I mean, like STC, each episode its going to be a beat or something? Whats the big structure?

Loved the class! I have a question - you discussed the inciting incident in Maisel as Midge's discovery that Joel has stolen his routine. This changes her POV and sets her on her journey. That said, it also feels like an Act 1 Act Out in some ways. Can you provide a bit more detail on the difference between these two components of a successful pilot? Thanks!

Hi Anna! I loved your tv structure webinar. I'm in the development stages of my show and have a question about research. To learn more about my protagonist's job, I sent an email to an expert through their company's website, but didn't receive a response. I found it difficult with my other projects to get assistance. Do you have any suggestions?

Hi Anna: I just listened to your webinar on creating a pitch document and thought it was brilliant. Thank you for all the great information and for presenting it in a clear and concise manner.