TV Formula 101: Building an Engine For Your Show (PT117)

Alex and Nick discuss why TV formulas still matter and how to build a successful TV engine for your pilot and show. What is a TV engine? Why is a "formula" a necessary ingredient for a sustainable TV series? What are some ways serialized and character-based series use formulas to their advantage? How do you generate a sustainable and compelling engine for your show? How do you express that formula in a script? Plus, we launch our Patreon page and are hosting a mixer to celebrate! The Paper Team regenerates... SHOWNOTES Announcements 1 - Paper Team is now on Patreon! You can support us starting as little as $2/month and get exclusive TV writing advice in exchange, including cheat sheets and bonus episodes. Join us at https://www.patreon.com/paperteam 2 - To celebrate the launch, we're having a free mixer! Join us Saturday, January 19 at the Harlowe Bar in West Hollywood. The event starts at 5PM and runs all evening. More information available at http://paperteam.co/mixer Content Announcements: Patreon launch and Mixer details (00:26) 1 - Why formulas are still important in TV (03:39) 2 - How to generate a TV engine (09:09) 3 - Common questions and problems (22:44) Takeaways and Next Week On (26:34) Links TV Pilot 101 (PT30) TV Pilot 201: Keeping the Reader Interested (PT84) Day Break Act Breaks (PT15) Weaving Storylines: A/B/C Stories (PT53) Special thanks to Alex Switzky for helping us edit this episode and everyone else who supported us this year. You can find Paper Team on Twitter: Alex - @TVCalling Nick - @_njwatson If you have any questions, comments or feedback, you can e-mail us: [email protected]