If you want to get hired by a TV show, you’ll need to write a great spec script for that show.
In this article, we’ll get some great advice from screenwriting instructor John Trudy who will explain some of the do’s and don’ts when it comes to writing a great TV spec script.
Content Is Key
To get hired on a TV show you will definitely need to write a great spec script to showcase your talents and your work.
A lot of screenwriters believe that their greatest obstacle to making it in the TV industry is to get their work read. Of course, you do need to get your screenplay into the hands of an agent or TV producers, but, according to Trudy, this isn’t a screenwriter’s greatest obstacle. A screenwriters greatest obstacle is to write a great script that follows the rules of the TV show they are writing for.
Learn Your Craft
This is where it becomes crucially important to learn the craft of screenwriting, be it for film or television—you need to know your medium.
If your main goal is to get hired by a show that is already in production, then your writing voice will need to be able to blend seamlessly with the show you are pitching to.
A TV show’s producers will be looking at a couple of things when they read your script.
Follow The Rules Of The Show
This is one of the first things a producer will be looking for. That is, can you, as a screenwriter, follow the rules of the show you’re writing for.
For example, if the show doesn’t do cliffhangers and you write a cliffhanger into your script, the producer will instantly know that you don’t understand the rules of the show.
If you’re writing a screenplay for a comedy show, it is important that you can make people laugh and tell jokes. But this isn’t the most important thing.
By far the most important thing is that you can tell a good story that works for that show. If a TV producer can see this in your script, then they can always add the jokes in later.
Story Comes First
According to Trudy, your spec script is your calling card that makes all the difference between success and failure in this industry.Therefore, you have to intimately understand and love the TV show you are writing spec scripts for.
*Liz Fairbanks has worked as a reader, development assistant, and talent agent in Los Angeles over the last seven years. Liz loves traveling, reading and yoga. Liz also works as a freelance consultant for Script Mailer (a company that connects screenwriters with agents and producers in Hollywood).