TV Script writing

I'm thinking of entering a screenplay contest and I want to write a teleplays. I have been doing a little research and have a few questions which I am sure somebody here can help me with.

I have read from a few sources to get a copy of an actual script for the show because each one is slightly different? Do I really need to do this to write for the contest? I cannot find any free scripts online and I don't want to pay $12 to $15 for one.

Can anyone recommend a good book on the subject of writing for television?

At the beginning of the show there is a little opening is that called the teaser or a tag?

Thanks

Cathy

Lots of TV scripts available online. Here's one place to start...

http://www.simplyscripts.com/tv.html (find scripts that are in PDF)

Do a Google search for "television writing" and "writing for TV" and you'll come up with a bunch of things. Also go to The Writers Store site and Amazon.com and search there. You'll find a good selection of books.

The opening scene (usually a minute or two in length) is the teaser.

Good luck!

Message edited by: The Working Screenwriter on Oct 25, 2009 1:19 PM

Here's another great resource for TV Scripts.

http://tvwriting.googlepages.com/index

www.twiztv.com is the best site to find free tv scripts.

The problem with Twiz is that a lot of the episodes are not the actual scripts but are transcripts, meaning that someone watched the show and wrote down all the dialogue and their own descriptions of the action.

Thanks for the replies. They are all very helpful.

I'll check out the websites. I am looking for a particular show which I have not found for free.

I should still be able to copyright the script because although the show belongs to someone already this script is mine? I can also register it with the WGA?

Did you do a google search? There's tons of script sites, some good, some lousy. Try Scriptorama. As for the teaser. That's prior to the show and appears before the first big run of ads. A teaser is usually 10 to 12 seconds, at least it was on the last show I worked on. You want to set the tone but not give anything away, get the viewer excited and ready to watch.

I did Google and only found transcripts of the show I am writing about. I do have the dvd's so i have lots of shows to watch.

I am looking for NCIS scripts. I have found some on ebay and one other website where I can buy them. But I am not sure if I specifically need to see an actual script. I have found a general script that describes all the parts of what goes where and all that.

The professionals say one page of script is about 45 seconds of air time for teleplay. Is that right?

If you're looking for formatting software, it's a good idea to get Final Draft. It's a great investment because it'll take care of formatting for you, whether it be tv, film or text. And many places only accept scripts in FD so it's a pretty good investment. There are torrents on the net where you can download it for free and get a key-gen and code crack but I preferred to buy my copy and not worry about copyright issues, viruses. Besides, it's good to support the folks who've put together such a helpful program.

Right now I am using an open source text writer (like MS Word) So it isn't exactly correctly formatted but at least i am getting some stuff down.But I plan on buying Final Draft. I have been going back and forth between the various programs and i think Final Draft is the best one.

Cathy wrote:
Right now I am using an open source text writer (like MS Word) So it isn't exactly correctly formatted but at least i am getting some stuff down.But I plan on buying Final Draft. I have been going back and forth between the various programs and i think Final Draft is the best one.

I use Celtx which is free and I think is better than Final Draft. I can't believe I never heard about it until this year.

As a matter of fact, Celtx is NOT suitable to write teleplay. However, it is a pretty good software (also FREE) for beginner to have a taste of writing real screenplay.

Go to http://www.celtx.com and download it. Since most competition accept PDF, using celtx is good for you at that point of time.

Same as a feature script, one page is for ONE MINUTE airtime.