WRITING A TV
DRAMA SCRIPT
BREAKING BAD
Written and Produced by: Vince Gilligan
Relatively brief written pitch of a story, intended to be
dramatized as a motion for film or tv.
Highlights the most important events and characters.
TREATMENT Usually written and formatted in layman’s term, with no
highfalutin words.
10 – 40 Pages
Used as a selling tool to market your story to
producers.
• Often called one-pager
• A summary of your story cramped in one
page.
SYNOPSIS
Both Synopsis and Treatment could be used
as a selling tool.
The difference is that the synopsis
usually comes first in the selling
process, then the treatment comes later,
• One sentence that explains the entirety
of the film’s/series’ plot.
• Usually contains the central conflict of
the story.
A bullied adult man turns to making meth
to provide for his family before he dies
LOGLINE of cancer.
An eleven-year-old orphan believes his
luck has turned around when he is
summoned to attend a prestigious school
for young witches and wizards and
develops his own latent magical powers,
but soon must fight for his life when he
learns that he is destined to defeat the
evil wizard who killed his parents.
It keeps your story focused and
organized.
Why is Logline
important?:
You can use this as a tool to ask
people if the story you’ll be writing
is interesting or is only interesting to
you.
Exposé
• The entirety of your story in 3-10 pages.
WRITING A COMPELLING PILOT EPISODE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDy7mN_eY4Q
Theme
Plot
Characters
Conflict
Setting
ELEMENTS OF
A TV DRAMA Dialogue
/FILM SCRIPT
THEME
• A theme is a central unifying concept that envelopes the plot,
characters, conflict, setting and dialogue.
GENRE VS. THEME
A genre is the term for any category of literature based on a
distinctive stylistic criteria. A theme is what a specific story is
about.
Example: Coraline
Genre – Dark Fantasy and Horror
Theme – Family, Courage, Fear, Home, Versions of Reality, Identity,
Dissatisfaction, Choices
PLOT
• A brief explanation of your story, cramped in a paragraph
or two.
• This contains the main characters and the incident which
should lead to the character’s next action.
Example:
All looks lost for the Rebellion against the Empire as
they learn of the existence of a new super weapon, the
Death Star. Once a possible weakness in its construction is
uncovered, the Rebel Alliance must set out on a desperate
mission to steal the plans for the Death Star. The future
of the entire galaxy now rests upon its success.
CHARACTER/S
• Set of living / non living
things that changes
emotionally / physically /
mentally as the story takes
place.
• The main reason why the story
exists in the first place.
• The driving force of a
script.
• Create a background for your character
• Give your character strengths and
weaknesses
• Create nervous ticks for your character
A GUIDE TO • Avoid making a “perfect” character
A GOOD • Give your character realistic motives
• Give them a unique feature
CHARACTER
• Develop a wide variety of character
DEVELOPMENT personalities
• Create an impact of your character’s
past
• Give each character a unique voice
• Create a diverse character cast
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYgw0i0HvMI
CONFLICT
• A conflict in a story is the struggle between two opposing forces.
• Our characters must then confront these conflicts in order for the story to take
place and progress.
• It is also the indication in which the character/s is undergoing character
development.
Kinds of Conflict:
1. Man vs. Man
2. Man vs. Nature
3. Man vs. God
4. Man vs. Himself
DEVELOPING CONFLICTS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Q5dnnb0KKg
SETTING
• This is where the story takes place
• Indicates not only the PLACE and specific LOCATION, but also TIME and
SPACE.
• This is important as the setting establishes the mood and defines how your
character lives.
Example:
As Katrina lifts her cup of coffee, she looks around their family balcony
facing the shining waters of the bay just 500 meters away from their home.
The sun is peeking from the horizon, the air is cold, and the palm trees are
singing with the wind. Just before she takes her first sip, her smartphone
rings – indicating another day in which she forgot to sleep.
DIALOGUE
• A dialogue is a communication using oral speech
between two or more fictional characters.
• Indicates the character’s morals, personality, and
even weaknesses and strengths.
Example:
Martin is holding his breath. Walking down the
hallway, he approaches his mom, holding his broken
laptop which was brought just 2 days ago.
Martin: Mom, I.. There’s something wrong with the
laptop.
Beth: I’m not paying for your bullshit anymore
Martin. Pay for it or get the hell out of my house.
Martin: Ok boomer.
HOW SHOULD THE CHARACTERS TALK?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpK5dXw0WzI
Know yourselves better, to write better.
Stories that are too spoon-fed leaves too little in the imagination.
CELTX INTRODUCTION
Things to note when writing a Script
The ACTION must always be in PRESENT TENSE.
We must also take note to write the SPECIFIC ACTION.
When mentioning the character’s name for the first time, it must
all be in capital letters.
Example:
KATRINA is staring at the people while sitting on a wooden bench
in a park where trees are abundant. The sun is getting low, and
the families are now folding their red and white blankets, while
the joggers speed away holding their water bottles. Katrina
sighed deeply as she teared up. Pain is seen on her face,
gripping the sides of the bench she is sitting on.
“Natatae ako, Shet.” She whispered quietly
WRITING WORKSHOP
Using CELTX, write a 3 page short story about your deepest desires.
DIALOGUE could either be English or Filipino.
But the ACTION should always be in English.
