Television: Essential Beginnings
Television: Essential Beginnings
Learn the basics of writing for television in this exercise-based workshop for absolute beginners.
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What you can learn.
About This Course
This course demystifies the crucial first step of understanding the craft of writing for television, making it an ideal starting point for aspiring television writers. You learn the fundamentals of how to develop and write a television episode in both one-hour and half-hour formats. Using examples, you also learn the building blocks of television structure, the differences between the formats and techniques to organize and convey your ideas to kickstart the writing process. By the end of the course, you gain a better understanding of television writing and be fully prepared for the next course in the sequence, either SCRIPT X 421.3 - One-Hour TV I or SCRIPT X 421.1 - Half-Hour TV I, where you learn how to write a spec episode of an existing series.
Winter 2026 Schedule
No meeting February 16.
Enrollment limited to 15 students; early enrollment advised. Visitors not permitted. Internet access required.
This course is held via video teleconference. Instructors use Zoom to offer live class meetings at the designated class meeting time. Students must be present at the course meeting time as each student’s final grade may include scores for participation. Please inform your instructor if you will miss a class meeting. You are responsible for any class information you missed. We suggest you arrange with a fellow classmate to share their notes when feasible.