SMST216-05B Television

1. SMST216-05B Television Week 37: Writing for television

2. Writing for television is determined by: The structures of television (eg competitive channels; schedule etc) The purpose of television (eg delivering audiences to advertisers) The television audience (domestic and differentiated) The codes and conventions of television (including narrative codes)

3. I. Narrative in television Television is the principal storyteller in contemporary American society � American television is as saturated in narrative as a sponge in a swimming pool (Sarah Kozloff, 1992) �as is the case in all television saturated societies? Television � still remains our primary storyteller, able to address the greatest number of people at any one time. (Lealand & Martin, 2001)

4. Narrative in television ..is shaped and governed by narrative codes, such as Roland Barthes� (1974) 3 stage �hermeneutic code�;

5. Barthes� hermeneutic code.1[adapted from Casey et al (2002)] The enigma: the question(s) around the narrative eg who did it? Will they be discovered? (crime drama--CSI) Who will win? By how many points? (sport) How will this character react to a particular piece of news? How will a relationship between two characters develop? (serial drama)

6. Barthes� hermeneutic code.2 The delay: once our interest in an enigma is aroused (when begin to care about a character eg Lost, or relationships become more complex), that interest can be magnified or sustained by a sequence that delays the moment of resolution. Such delays or suspension of resolution, creates an important source of narrative pleasure for viewers. Indeed, an enigma that is quickly resolved loses its power as we have no time to invest in it.

7. Barthes� hermeneutic code.3 The resolution: having experienced the curiosity of the enigma and the teasing pleasure of the delay, the resolution gives further pleasure through the final satisfaction of our curiosity ie Who did it? Who won? Who gets to live happily ever after? How is the villain punished? [cf. The Law of Compensation] Soap operas, with their extensive time-lines and evolution of character, provide a continuous interplay of resolution and enigma--few resolutions will be final, in order to keep a series of storylines open (eg the return of evil Robyn in Shortland Street)

8. Another way of explaining television narrative � The classical 3-part structure establishing the problem (equilibrium) elaboration of the problem - disruption and complication (disequilibrium) resolution (equilibrium) A satisfying story has a beginning, a muddle and an end (Philip Larkin)

9. The 3-part structure is also shaped and governed by .. scheduled disruptions to the narrative eg ad breaks (up to 6 minutes in a 30 minute ep) continuity devices eg lead-in (recap, Last time on �. from previous episode; teasers; lead-out to next episode (cliff-hangers; previews, Next time on �) such narrative elements sustain and retain viewer attention and engagement

10. Narrative: series and serials (1) Television narratives can be grouped into two major styles of story-telling: series indicates a television programme where each episode has a different story or topic, even though settings, main characters or performers remain the same eg CSI, Lost, Desperate Housewives, The Bill, The Simpsons, ER

11. Narrative: series and serials (2) Serial indicates a television programme where developing narratives unfold across a sequence of linked episodes eg Shortland Street, Coronation Street Note: as previously noted, the distinction between series and serial is often blurred by the increasing seriality across television narratives eg the continuing mystery (enigma) of the death (suicide?) of the unseen narrator in Desperate Housewives; the unexplained myseries in Lost.

12. Further characteristics of the series Episodic closure, but main characters will return in the following week Single/pair of characters and main plot, with possible sub-plots Compresses time (eg ellipsis,; stretched time; flash-back; flash-forward, or foreshadowing) Action-oriented, with events taking place in public settings

13. Further characteristics of the serial No narrative closure, or suspended for considerable periods Multiple characters and plots Often observes actual time Dialogue driven; problems develop and resolved through talk and interaction Tend to be centred on domestic or professional settings

14. Watch an episode of Hill Street Blues side by side with any major drama from the preceding decades--Starsky and Hutch, for instance--and the structural transformation will jump out at you. Where once a couple of simple narrative threads sufficed, now there could be as many as 10 distinct strands to each strand. [now] The Sopranos routinely follows a dozen distinct threads over the course of an episode, with more than 20 recurring characters � And every single thread builds on events from previous episodes, and continues on through the rest of the season and beyond. Sarah Baxter, �Everything bad is good for you�, Sunday Star Times, May 8 2005 [on Steven Johnson (2005), Everything Bad is Good For You] video

15. Narrative structure is found in all television genres eg television sport -prologue (the build-up) -conflict (and pauses) -resolution -epilogue (post-match analysis) - anticipation of the next event with a familiar set of characters and codes: heroes/villain(s)/narrators/spectators (live and TV)/re-plays/music/entertainments

16. Narrative in television news The news �story� or �item�, customarily 55-60 sec long Constructed as �mini-narratives�, of cause-and-effect In cases of conflict, usually only two POVs provided, to minimise ambiguity or complexity Scripted stories narrated by a visible or absent (V/0) narrator (autocue), often assisted on-location reporter Stories fall into familiar patterns of story-telling (law & order; crime; politics; health issues) Visuals lead, supplemented by dialogue News bulletins follow familiar patterns (convention) eg lead stories (Headlines)--usually 3, with a local emphasis; secondary stories; economic news; sport; weather; recaps

17. II. Narrative in Television: The Process of Writing Writing for television entails a strict observance of television�s codes and conventions (including narrative codes) A television series is alm ost never the product of one writer locked in a room, banging out pages. It just doesn�t work that way. Steven Bocho You�re writing as part of a team---often with five or six other writers. And you�re laboring within strict formulas for the show�s characters and plots Ricard Toscan

18. In television, writers rule [but] I believe we have to get back to the kind of entertainment where the audience is saying, �What�s going to happen next?� We�ve lost a lot of that�it�s all asbout the audience knowing exactly what�s going to happen next, and not being unsettled. David Chase, creator of The Sopranos (2001)

19. The process of writing American television (1) [from Chad Gervich, Beginners Guide to Writing for Television, www.pilotproject.tv/beginners_guide.html]] Television production companies hire writers to develop material for networks Production companies make two kinds of deals with writer -development deals, to develop a single programme idea -overall deals, which bind the writer�s output to a studio or network 3. New TV shows begins with the development season (July-Nov), when writers pitch shows to studios and production companies. Executives rarely meet first-time TV writers (unless they have had film successes) 4. Production companies also hire writers to work on ideas conceived in-house. 5. Studios and production houses then work with writers, to perfect pitches to networks, who rarely buy completed scripts. Instead, they buy concepts, which allow network input in the development of programmes.

20. The process of writing American television (2) 6. From up to 1000 pitches, networks usually buy 50 to 75 concepts, or script commitments. 7. Writers then develop scripts for networks. From these scripts, 15 to 20 pilot programmes are shot. Scripts that don�t get made can be on-sold. 8. In the following May, the networks announce their new season�s line-up to [this also happens in NZ]

21. The process of writing American television (3) 9. Between April-June, successful pilots hire staff writers for the upcoming season, with up to 10 writers per series. 10. There is a hierarchy in the production process: Executive Producer Co-executive Producer Supervising Producer Producer Co-Producer Executive Story Editor Story Editor Staff Writer

22. In all circumstances, television writing is a collaborative venture For example, those involved in producing serial drama eg Shortland Street, Home and Away, Coronation Street) include: writer(s)-single, duo or teams story-liners dialogue writers script consultants continuity specialist advisors producer(s) director (s) editors (on-line and off-line) programme standards

23. Writing for television in other countries In Britain, for example, the process of writing for television is less formal and structured than the US process. There are more independent writers, and possibly more opportunities for new writers (see www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/) The situation is similar in NZ, with writers working across genres, and switching between TV, film and theatre projects. Leading TV writers in NZ include Tom Scott, James Griffin--and the production team of bro�Town

24. bro�Town In 1998 [David Fane, Shimpal Lelisi, Oscar Kightley, Mario Gaoa], pooled their rebellious sense of humour and formed the Naked Samoans � against the odds, bro�Town received $1.45 million from NZ On Air, the remainder coming from private investors and product placement. Producer Elizabeth Mitchell also brought on board script doctors James Griffin and Dave Armstrong, and started production company Firehorse Films with respected animators Ant Sang and Maka Makatoa on the drawing boards. �Really going to town�, Weekend Herald 27/8/05