CW 09 — In the Writers' Room: Start Your TV Pilot Script
Quarter: Fall
Instructor(s): Adam Tobin
Date(s): Sep 28
Class Recording Available: No
Class Meeting Day: Saturday
Grade Restriction: NGR only; no credit/letter grade
Class Meeting Time: 10:00 am—4:00 pm (PT)
Tuition: $305
Refund Deadline: Sep 21
Unit(s): 0
Enrollment Limit: 18
Status: Closed
Quarter: Fall
Day: Saturday
Duration: 1 day
Time: 10:00 am—4:00 pm (PT)
Date(s): Sep 28
Unit(s): 0
Tuition: $305
Refund Deadline: Sep 21
Instructor(s): Adam Tobin
Grade Restriction: NGR only; no credit/letter grade
Enrollment Limit: 18
Recording Available: No
Status: Closed
From Abbott Elementary to Succession, The Bear to The Diplomat, some of the most compelling storytelling done today is on television. But what does “television” mean when traditional networks battle Netflix, Amazon, Apple, and TikTok? How do you wrangle an idea into a series? What exactly is needed from a pilot, and how does it sustain and evolve over seasons? This course will introduce you to the form and content of writing for television. We will discuss the different forms of TV series—comedy vs. drama, hour vs. half-hour, commercial vs. streaming, single-camera vs. multicam, serial vs. episodic—and see how those decisions affect your dramatic material. We will explore the “franchise” of a series, and thereby develop your own idea. We will also cover basic storytelling concepts that underpin any good filmed story: character, goal, flaw, structure. And we will discuss how an idea works its way through the entertainment business to get on-screen, giving context to the recent strikes in Los Angeles. Short writing exercises will be interspersed among lectures, clips, and discussion. Whether you’re a TV addict or an experienced writer, you'll get a taste of what it means to be “in the writers’ room.”
ADAM TOBIN
Senior Lecturer, Film and Media Studies, Stanford
Adam Tobin is a screenwriter and playwright. He created the series About a Girl and Best Friend’s Date for Viacom’s TeenNick (formerly The N channel) and received an Emmy for his work on Cash Cab. Tobin also wrote the script and lyrics for She Persisted, The Musical, a New York Times Critic's Pick, based on Chelsea Clinton’s book. He has taught story seminars at DreamWorks Animation, Blue Sky Studios, and Aardman Animations. Tobin received an MFA from the USC School of Cinematic Arts. Textbooks for this course:
There are no required textbooks; however, some fee-based online readings may be assigned.