Writing 2530A/B Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Downton Abbey, Macguffin, Homicide

• School: Western University
• Department: Writing
• Course: Writing 2530A/B
• Professor: Michael Arntfield

Document Summary

Week 6: the bulk of unscripted series are on cable, unscripted don"t usually have pilots, pilots are more for networks. Hybrid pilots: some pilots (usually more bold or experimental story types) employ some combination of both, usually through flashbacks or multiple timelines, westworld, the walking dead, breaking bad, this is us, friday night lights, the good wife. One pager practice: only the logline and the tagline have headers, log line should tie into the title, avoid shooting too broadly, go specialty channels, does it reflect current taste, do your proposed channels match the concept. In synopsis: hit three to five key points, that blend description with vision, success of others series, digital component, distinguish the subgenre: call out the deficiencies of existing shows, don"t address limitations or risks. Logline: a twist on the conventional cooking competition show, these judges have no credentials whatsoever; but, what they lack in culinary training they make up for in appetite.