Why is writing important to a TV show?
Hey guys, I'm back from my fall break and ready to talk about the behind-the-scenes of TV writing and the 2007 writers' strike.
Have you ever thought about why you like certain shows or movies? Did you realize that good acting, storylines, and dialogue are the result of good writing? This is the job of the writers.
The differences writing for TV vs film
Writing for a TV show is entirely different from writing for a move for several reasons. For one, a TV show has several different narrative stories and plot points with many beginnings, middles, and endings that contribute to the overall story across a whole season. This is similar to a film except that in a film, there is a precise beginning, middle, and ending, all wrapped up in two hours.
Because TV show scripts don't have to be tied up in a nice little bow by the end of an episode, they can leave cliffhangers throughout the series or develop characters or plots over time, allowing the TV writers to focus more on their dialogue than on aspects of movie making like the art of cinematography.
Some of my personal favorite tv writers
Over the years of watching TV shows and learning more about how they are created and what happens behind-the-scenes, I have identified some of my favorite TV writers.
I specifically enjoy writers that have left me amazed and wishing that I was a part of the writing team or had written a specific scene. For example, writers can simply analyze the world around them, and through their writing, can comment on the injustices and inequities in the world and provide possible solutions. Shows like Scandal, Grey’s Anatomy, and Abbott Elementary are good examples of this.
One writer that I admire is Shonda Rhimes creator of Grey's Anatomy, Scandal, and Bridgeton. I have always appreciated her way of writing about society in her stories, particularly in Scandal and Grey’s Anatomy. She has an impressive ability to analyze current problems in the world and create character and plot lines to bring to light those problems.
In shows like Grey's Anatomy her writing creatively comments on these issues through her use of unique 3-dimensional characters with plot lines that viewers can see themselves in.
Quinta Brunson, who first burst onto the television screen with her new show Abbott Elementary last year made me realize how impactful a TV writer can be with quick wit and knack for timing.
The unique aspect of her writing is that she uses it to inspire and bring joy to her audience when they watch the show, especially since the show deals with an underprivileged community. In each episode, the overall tone remains the same, as each scene is well thought out and thought-provoking.
Through Quinta Brunson’s writing the show emphasizes the importance of teachers, recognizing that they are unsung heroes who often lack the resources to do their jobs proficiently. However, she highlights how they are creative and resilient, and that they persevere through the challenges to make a positive difference in their student's lives.
Clearly, the job of the writers is important for many reasons. It tells the story through characters and can be used to bring to light issues in society. Without writing and dialogue there would be no show, which is why the 2007 writers' strike was so important. At the time, streaming and online content, such as Internet downloads, were still relatively new.
The Writers Guild of America went on strike in 2007 to fight for compensation in cases where the content was created and shot using labor, but the companies never paid their workers and writers due to their desire to see if this new media would be successful and last.
After 100 days of picketing and negotiating, the strike ended with an agreement that allowed streaming companies, like Hulu and Netflix, to hire writers within the union and pay them a percentage of distribution rights.
This agreement established more protection for workers and writers, and it showed production companies that if there is a new form of entertainment media, that it is important to create contracts and adapt to the new media whether or not that media becomes successful.
This week, we examined call writing for TV show is different in writing or a movie in the 2007 writers strike Next week, we will examine impact that streaming on me industry.
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