WRITING 1 HOUR TV SERIES & EPISODES

For creating an original series and pilot script OR for writing a sample script for an existing 1 hour TV series Rewrite Checklists

copyrighted, 2005

WRITING TV SITCOMS

For creating an original pilot and pilot script or for writing a sample script for an existing sitcom series

copyrighted, 2005

Joke Mechanics

Class 1: TV Genres, Brainstorming Tips, Series Premise, Universal Appeal, Series Central Idea & Hook, and Series Themes Class 2: Creating TV Characters, Character Backstory, Character Traits, and Character Tags Class 3: Story Premise, Story Central Idea, Story Basics, Graphing, TV Outline Road Map, 14 Plot Gimmicks, Elements Which Affect Plot, Rules of a Particular TV World, and TV Bible (Treatment for Original Series) Class 4: Act 1 (Teaser, Catalyst, 1st Major Plot Point) & Act 2 (obstacles, ticking clocks, and episode mid plot point) Class 5: Act 3 (Road of No Return plot point) & Act 4 (Climax, Resolution, and Cliffhanger) & Outline Checklist & Scenes (Construction, Rules, and Oblique Scenes) Class 6: Dialog (Dialog Style, Dialog Rules, Dialog Devices, and Dialog Signposts) Class 7: TV Prose & The Rewrite (Prose Signposts, Checklists for Structure, Character, Dialog, and Prose)

At Home Course: CD is $25.00 U.S. dollars plus S&H (CD runs in MicroSoft Powerpoint or Viewpoint). You will also need to purchase Gardner's Guide to Television Scriptwriting: The Writer's Road Map for your textbook. Online Course: Comes with CD and handouts. You set your own pace, but must complete course within 6 months. Fee is $265.00 U.S. dollars. You will also need to purchase Gardner's Guide to Television Scriptwriting: The Writer's Road Map for your textbook. Seminars: Contact Marilyn Webber to set up a seminar or class at your local university, college, film school, or writer's group. Fee to be negotiated.

Class 1: Popular Sitcom Genres, Brainstorming Tips, Universal Appeal, Series Central Idea & Hook, and Story Central Question Class 2: Creating TV Characters, 20 Popular Sitcom Character Types, Character Backstory, Character Traits, the Character Trinity and Arc, and Character Tags & Tics Class 3: 32 Popular Comedic Catalysts & Complications, Springboards, Story Central Idea, Story Road Flags, Graphing, Class 4: Plot Intro, Sitcom Outline Road Map, Elements Which Affect Plot, Rules of a Particular TV World, and Falling Rocks & Ticking Clocks Class 5: The Teaser & Act 1 (Catalyst, Green Light, and Story Signposts) and Act 2 (The Midpoint, Climax, & Cliffhanger) and the End Tag (Resolution) and Structure Checklist Class 6: Comedy Cones ( 18 Comedic Devices for Adding Humor to Your Script) and Scenes (Construction, Rules, and Oblique & Witty Scenes) Class 7: Joke Mechanics (The Setup, The Punchline, & 9 Types of Jokes) and Dialog (Style, Rules, 22 Dialog Devices, and Dialog Signposts) Class 8: Sitcom Prose (Prose Signposts) & The Rewrite (Checklists for Structure, Character, Scene, Dialog, Comedy, Jokes, and Prose)

At Home Course: CD is $25.00 U.S. dollars plus S&H (CD runs in MicroSoft Powerpoint or Viewpoint). You will also need to purchase Gardner's Guide to TV Sitcom Writing: The Writer's Road Map for your textbook. Online Course: Comes with CD and handouts. You set your own pace, but must complete course within 6 months. Fee is $235.00 U.S. dollars. You will also need to purchase Gardner's Guide to TV Sitcom Writing: The Writer's Road Map for your textbook. Seminars: Contact Marilyn Webber to set up a seminar or class at your local university, college, film school, or writer's group. Fee to be negotiated.

Using these course guidelines, Marilyn Webber has created and pitched two series which she sold to networks (One 1 Hour series and one 1/2 hour series).

To order a writing course, go to the contact button on any of these webpages. In the subject heading, please specify which course you are interested in taking (screenwriting, TV - 1 hour or Sitcom, animation - cartoons or features) and what format you want (at home, online, seminar).