Introduction: Journal of a Nobody Screenwriter #1

The Project

Hey guys, I'm new here. I'm an aspiring television writer based in Sussex in the UK, and I've decided to do an experimental blog project. Having spent the last few years writing as a hobby, it feels like it's time to make the jump from amateur to professional. I've created a science fiction comedy series called 'Deep Black Sky' which I'm trying to get picked up by TV studios. I'll be sharing the journey along the way in the hope that it might be useful for anyone else trying to get a film or television project off the ground. I'm aiming to be as transparent as possible, without giving any spoilers. So to begin, let me tell you a little about the show by paraphrasing from my series outline:

It follows the adventures of Gibson Wallace, a hapless and naive man who just wants a peaceful life and an enjoyable sightseeing vacation in space. Unfortunately, the universe is about to end– and this might even be an improvement on his holiday experience.

When he becomes trapped on a mining platform run by criminals, he is forced into an impoverished existence among murderers and extortionists. But it isn't long before things take a turn for the worse, and an ancient evil is released from a ruin buried deep beneath the station. Gibson soon finds himself set on a course that will pit him against mobsters, androids, governments, and alien-zombie-demons, as he tries to survive in a dangerous galaxy.

It's important when summarising your show to be as brief, yet concise, as possible. You need to explain what it is, and where it's going. Most great pitches have a sense of irony. To reflect this I created my protagonist to be the kind of guy who seeks a quiet life and then placed him in an extremely dangerous and stressful situation. The form the irony takes will depend on your story.

Getting off the ground.

My first series is almost finished. I've outlined six episodes, and completed screenplays for four of them. Recently I sent a series outline and pilot to a UK production company, and submitted a pilot to an international studio.

Typically, it takes around two and a half forevers for a production company to respond, so we won't stop there. I'll be sending pilot scripts out to different companies and seeing what kind of responses I get, documenting any changes to my strategy in order to figure out what works the best. You won't need to have a whole series fully written, as most production companies will want to put every series through a writers room before filming begins, but you will at least need one fully scripted episode and the more you have beyond that, the better.

One thing to realize is there's no need for your pilot script to be an origin story. I sent episode one to the UK production company as a pilot, but with hindsight I realize this wasn't a great decision. You should always send your strongest episode, which for DBS is currently episode three. So I sent episode three as the pilot to the international studio.

Moving Forward

As with all food, the first bite is with the eye. I have a well-structured series outline that I use as a "one-sheet"; a simple, page-long description of the show's premise with brief summaries of each episode. The next step I should take in regards to getting the show out there is to find an artist to draw me some conceptual designs. I'll need a logo, and because it's a science fiction story, some designs for the starships, aliens, and important locations. It's unlikely that these will be used in the final production, but it always helps to demonstrate that you have a solid idea and you're taking it seriously.

At the moment I'm in the process of storyboarding episode five, and once I've finished I'll post an article about how to create a strong outline for an episode.

Other Articles

I'll also be writing about writing. That is, the craft of creating a good story, as I understand it. I'm by no means an expert but I've put a lot of time into learning the skills and I'm starting to develop genuine confidence in those skills. I'd like to share what I've learned with others who might appreciate it.

Additionally, I'll be posting music I've made on dsound and videos on dtube. I prefer quality over quantity so I won't post every day, but when I do I should have something good for you.

Copyrighted scripts for Deep Black Sky following the above outlines exist.
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