Recently in my screenwriting class we studied long form television and looked at several examples. We first watched the pilot episode of BREAKING BAD which is really a twist of a story. The characters side characters in the pilot are not two dimensional in any way. That's what great about television. In a movie, it's sometimes common for some characters to feel two dimensional because there is a limited running time and an act structure to follow where everything has to be wrapped up in the end. The long span of television episodes are much like chapters in a novel and we can get to know the characters better. Each chapter brings new and interesting information revealed in clever ways and the main character's situation changes. Another Pilot episode we watched in class this semester during our long form study was the first episode of true detective. Woody Harrelson and Matthew McCaunaughey work together to solve several unsolved murders in a non-linear style. The director made it as intense and dramatic as possible using graphic production design, camera movement, and music. One of our assignments was to come up with three long form television ideas and pitch them to the class.
No comments:
Post a Comment