Half-Hour TV I

This course teaches you how to create an airtight story and outline--the critical first step in writing a strong half-hour comedy script of an existing series and a process that makes writing your script much easier, faster and more successful.

You begin by learning how to pinpoint what makes any half-hour comedy show tick, studying the appeal and quirkiness of the main characters and identifying the unique spin shows put on their stories.

You then focus on your own script for a current show, finding the story and identifying the comedy in it, learning how to pitch it and creating a workable outline from which to write.

Instruction also covers the "need to know" business aspects of the half-hour show, such as the current use of spec scripts to get jobs and the basics of how a comedy writer works on staff, how freelance writers move onto staff, how a writing staff is structured and how writers work collaboratively "in the room." All student projects must focus on current shows from a list provided by the instructor; no pilots.