Comparing TV And Movie Writing - Pamela Douglas

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Pamela Douglas is an award-winning writer with numerous credits in television drama. The Fourth Edition of her book Writing the TV Drama Series (2018) has been adopted by network mentoring programs, and foreign language editions have been published in Germany, Italy, China, Spain and used around the globe. She is also author of the 2015 book The Future of Television: Your Guide to Creating TV in the New World.
She has been honored with the prestigious Humanitas Prize for "Between Mother and Daughter" (CBS), an original drama. Multiple Emmy and Writers Guild nominations and awards from American Women in Radio and Television went to other dramas she wrote. She was a creator of the PBS series Ghostwriter, Story Editor of the Emmy-winning CBS series, Frank's Place and wrote for A Year in the Life, and Star Trek: The Next Generation. She has also been a member of the Board of Directors of the Writers Guild of America, west. At the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts she is a professor in the screenwriting division where she specializes in television.
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#writing #television #movies

[@tikiman1323]

I love books and TV is more like a book. You have more time, more depth, and can deliver unusual ideas to broader audience. In TV character change is more realistic. It's slower and sometimes after long struggle change doesn't come at all. At least not all aspects change. And it's relatable and understandable when audience spend more time with characters.

[@MysterianFilmGroup]

I like Ms. Douglas's perspective and how effortlessly she described the subdivisions of cinema entertainment.

[@sometimesommelier4373]

The interviewer is very good. Patient, with a beautiful use of space.

[@ravibalkissoon8851]

Pamela is absolutely spot on about Atlanta - their output in each 30m episode this season has been quite outstanding. Fleabag and Better Call Saul as well exhibits how much subtlety and nuance over long form story telling has superseded what independent film used to be.

[@nobody-wk6ej]

Makes me want to try writing a 10 episode adult animated series, honestly....

[@janinebrittanica4314]

I respect quality serial television. It's wildly popular. I personally prefer films because its less of a time commitment. And the characters of feature films are more powerful and immortalized to me because you don't learn very much about them. Imagine The Breakfast Club as a series- doable, and possibly intriguing, but those characters are demystified in the process of fleshing them out. I also can't stand how series writers add convoluted plot points and twists seemingly just to stretch a season or because the creators don't know if the series is going to be cancelled.

[@starbright6579]

I love movies better to because you don't know when your show will be cancelled. For instance I turned my story into a feature because I want Hispanic actors and with a full Latino cast my TV show wouldn't last after the first season because I seen every tv series that involves Latino actors the show gets cancelled after the first season. I must 🙏 I'm black but most of my characters are Puerto Ricans, Mexicans, and Cubans.

[@sashs8461]

Agree. This 100%. With features you can have an epic told and wrapped up with a bow in a few hours. I appreciate shows but I'm ultimately over the time commitment, we're coming out of a pandemic and lifing again. Ain't got time for that! Also found I preferred shows more when I was a teen as the time thing was literally less of an issue due to not having a life bahahaha I like your take on keeping the main characters with some mystique due to not fleshing them out more. This is smart, so true!

[@renegademax]

Best interview I've seen. Informative, invaluable information. Thank you.

[@batman5224]

I would say film and television have strengths and weaknesses. Obviously, having more time, characterization is deeper in television. When a character dies in a TV series, you care more than when they die in a movie. There’s also greater opportunities for world building. With that being said, the storytelling in television tends to be less coherent. In a TV show, you have multiple writing voices that often conflict with one another. Unlike film, you don’t have a single creative vision or force driving the story. Since TV shows can often go on for years, there also usually isn’t a clear idea for how the story is going to end, which is why many series finales are disappointing.

[@sinamos3945]

My old teacher. 🤣🤣🤣

[@jakiyahcabell]

i love the way she articulated this!

[@clintoreilly]

Deep. Also surprising. Pamela's insight seeped into my mind. Thanks Karen.

[@laartist86]

It was such a wonderful surprise to see you Pam!!! You were great!

[@debrachambers1304]

I (with no experience in da industry) have the impression that it's currently easier to get an original idea made in TV than in movies, where barely any spec scripts are made. Which is odd, because a full TV show is going to cost more than a movie telling a similar type of story.

[@MythopoeicNavid]

I'd also point out that in terms of audiences, a streaming or TV audience is much more patient and willing to sit through an experimental episode or scenes that are slower. When Daredevil first came out, one of the discourses going around for its structure was how it allowed for a slower, novel-like pacing (with entire scenes of two characters just sitting in a place and talking for a large portion of the episode). That was impossible to do on the Marvel films. But even HBO Original shows, that's there as well (so basically the old mini-series format?)

[@mark4163]

I respectfully disagree with her comments. True, the quality of writing for movies has been lacking, but I still prefer a well told movie within 2 hours than a series. My problem with a series is that they often lack a satisfying conclusion. Stories start strong but fizzles out by the second or third season. I want a good story with a solid conclusion.

[@niarobinson9757]

thats a good point actually. touched by an angel does a good job of that. so does succession

[@sibusisoboemah]

Very insightful! Television/series is the future!

[@kenrickbautista6141]

I plan on making TV shows. Yeah, I want to be a television screenwriter and producer. Don't get me wrong, I *love* movies, but I'm afraid it would suck horribly if I were to ever make one.

[@civilwarfare101]

I feel movies have their own specific appeal even though my attention span is so low that I have hard time sitting through them now, the sense that you get a complete story when you go into them is why I like them. With TV shows, while they are better for telling a long term story, so many of them go on for way too long or just cancelled way too fast. Movies don't have this problem which is why I dislike cinematic universes so much, so many spin offs and set ups for stories that aren't even that intricate or even interesting.

[@mojo6112]

I would love to hear more about TV. It is the future, and one could say it has been for some time

[@FrancisGo.]

I love 'Atlanta'.

[@youtubeme7195]

Tim Minear said the same thing 15 years ago. paraphrase, but he explained how he produced directed and wrote his own story 20 or so times a year. In film you are kinda locked in. I think the Instapundit podcast with Tim is still available.

[@brvndxxxn]

Pamela is so beautiful!

[@theonicommittee8402]

🌹

[@omniframe8612]

5:18 this is what annoys me, because when average people blame writers for bullshit its like…what do you mean? We were never involved 😂

[@seanmccormick1412]

Tv writing is too easy. It's for people who like to take their time. Which there is nothing wrong with that.