Killer Serial: What Writers Can Learn From True Detective Season 1

Go to www.squarespace.com/localscrip... to get 10% off a website or domain!!!
PATREON:
patreon.com/Local187?...
CONSULTING SIGNUP:
www.lsnarrativeconsulting.com
CONTENTS:
00:00 HBO: “I need a detective“ true:
2:56 episode 1
6:07 on pilots
9:28 episode 2
10:41 episode 3
11:42 episode 4
13:16 episode 5
15:48 episode 6
16:47 enneagr*m mentioned
18:28 more episode 6
20:29 episode 7
21:22 episode 8
23:45 roight then, wot was all that about
27:58 Squarespace (sponsored segment)
29:28 the tv compass
30:44 bottom left quadrant
33:34 the halfpipe
36:02 on writing family subplots
41:24 character-centric episodes
42:28 location-centric episodes
43:10 serial-episodic hybrids
44:46 on padding and efficiency
49:19 patrons + outro
MOVIE EDIT:
drive.google.com/file/d/1LNbT...

[@localscriptman]

Ok but how do we feel about Night Country? ❄

[@zionleach3001]

How do I balance action and horror? Without making it a action story with monsters.

[@localscriptman]

@@zionleach3001 imo action should be used only when absolutely necessary. Barry does this very well. Don’t build your story around action setpieces. When you find yourself about to write an action scene, ask “is there ANY other way this would logically go?”

[@zionleach3001]

@@localscriptman Thanks. I've been looking at Resident Evil (video games) & Dog Soldiers for inspiration. The atmosphere is like that of a horror movie. But the characters aren't completely helpless, and they both have fast paced action.

[@VeniVidiPerii]

Waiting for someone to say Night Country is worthwhile, but I do like the sound of the setup

[@DOOMsword7]

First episode of Night Country was good imo! I don’t ‘get’ what Jodi Foster’s character is up to (which is intriguing) but Kali Reis has the beginning of a solid arc (a classic ‘can’t let that one case go’). The vibes are spooky and interesting. Some of the effects work is a little rough, but the sets are great! More ambitious than S3 and there is no WAY it’ll be as bad as S2. Unless they really Dont deliver on the central mystery.

[@mike_sauce]

Imagine being a channel so good that you have people (me) literally binging an entire season just to better watch your stuff.

[@localscriptman]

Thank you, means a lot!

[@acolourfuldreamer]

Omg same

[@christopherowen3090]

Literally binge watched the first season of True Detective because I saw he dropped this video and I wanted all the context. It’s now one of my favorite shows

[@THEKOOLDALE]

It’s one of my favorite shows, thoughts?

[@TomVCunningham]

He did you a favour, didn't he? It's one of the greatest shows ever made.

[@teacup5921]

I sometimes give my mom your advice on structure when she's tutoring English students without telling her that you're a random film student and not an entire group of scholars and it's gone good so far.

[@localscriptman]

Not even a film student, my major was media & marketing 💀 I’m afraid I’m deeply underqualified

[@teacup5921]

That works too 👍 whatever is funniest if I tell her

[@zachariusd]

@@localscriptman That's probably why you're good.

[@elisabete8351]

​​​@@localscriptman ​No, you are not underqualified! I'm a serious series fan, just the good one's, lol, and I watched True Detective when it aired, and it wowed me! I couldn't wait for the next episode! Season 1 was a superb show in many aspects, one of the best ever, and I can say you are top on everything that matters, including the techniques, I ended up learning a lot with you and an preparing myself to watch it again! Oh, btw I'm 61, so I've been watching series long before you were born😅 (I guess). Believe me, it shows your good character being humble but you are great on it, so earn it! Thank you very much for giving us this amazing work of yours! Congrats! Now I'm gonna watch all your other videos!

[@hazelbooth]

I always interpreted Marty saying “we got ours” not as him being truly content with letting the other Tuttle cultists off, but rather a reaction to being welcomed back into the structure and order he’s lost, walked away from, or been unsure of his place in during his rogue quest with Russ, the law through the arrests by the cops and them thanking him, his family by Maggie and his daughters visiting him, his friendship with Rust, he derives much of his identity from the systems he’s a part of, and while there is a part of him driven absolutely by justice, such as when he executes Ledoux or goes rogue with Rust, I think the return to normalcy, which he craves, pushes him to accept that there will be some who get off, even if he’s not happy about it, a return in a small sense to his adherence to “chain of command” in the earlier episodes, when he didn’t understand why Rust kept going after Tuttle. He says that not because he believes that’s moral, but out of a sense of self-preservation, not wanting to risk the sense of normalcy that solving the case has brought, choosing his family and friendship with Rust over the job, the hunt for evil, and by saying that, is trying in some way to encourage Rust to do the same. A moral compromise for the sake of being a “family man” in some sense again, being viewed as someone stopping the bad men from the door.

[@jac1207]

or the more simpler point, made more apparent by him stating "that's not how the world works". They're literally just 2 state investigators assigned to a homicide. They're not part of some big task force (they fought hard to avoid the whole serial killings to go to a task force) and ultimately, the whale the 2 detectives were hunting was the killer of the girl in the first scene of the series. Them uncovering a big tangled conspiracy plot that reaches up to some of the highest powers in state and federal government is only the bonus. But again, it's way out of their scope to handle, and ultimately, they did get their original suspect. They're not rescuing the world, they're not stopping some high powered politician, they're not single-handedly halting sex trafficking trade, they are 2 detectives from state police hunting for a homicide suspect who turned out to be a serial killer. That serial killer being a part of something much bigger was never really going to be in their jurisdiction.

[@onemoreminute0543]

45:27 Very true. In my writing, I've often come to scenes where I'm trying to find 'something for the characters to do' often by resorting to worldbuilding/lore to fill the pages. Issue was that then, for some reason I couldn't put my finger on, I lost motivation and interest to continue the story even though it was meant to be some cool lore that was relevant to the plot. It was only then that I realised my issue was that there was lack of character focus, development, and testing of their beliefs. So then I doused all that lore and worldbuilding in emotional connection that would resonate with my main character and give further insight into his worldview and mindset.

[@OfficialArkoMotions]

I'm not even kidding, this is the best writing channel out there. My writing was pretty stagnate for a while, but I've improved so much after watching your videos, keep up the brilliant work!

[@localscriptman]

Good to hear & thank you 🫡

[@samojedanneuron8247]

This channel really does just give you knowledge on how to do stuff without doing to much of 'should' and 'shouldn't'. Very pragmatic, gives you the tools and let's you go bonkers

[@helicoptergovroomvroom4360]

I swear the only thing I don't like about your videos is that everytime I watch them I just want to pause and start writing again lol, great vid as always!

[@pepsicorpse8104]

I feel like this goes without saying, but this really is one of your best videos ever and you continue to improve your content with each video. There may not be a singular huge essay style message here, but you can boil down, teach and visualize information so well brother inspirational. keep it up

[@localscriptman]

Yeah I’m very proud of this one, especially the second half. Thank you so much for your support!

[@MichaelVavor]

you're noot really a 'pepsicorpse'

[@steadyrow]

i just blew through the whole thing at your recommendation. I knew the writing was genius when marty asked rust, "do you ever wonder if you're a bad man" and rust responds with "no, I don't wonder, the world needs bad men". To me, this nuance separates good from great. Marty didn't ask Rust if whether it was okay for Marty to be who he is with the terrible things he's done, but that was the question in his heart and the one Rust chose to answer. That's how people really communicate, they constantly ask the wrong questions but still get the answer they need to hear. Too often we get stuck writing ping pong scripts.

[@kdrecords4562]

I think my favorite moment in your abridged feature film edit is at 1:33:14. The whole Rust/Marty fight is basically condensed to Marty being thrown into the truck. I laughed so hard.

[@chrismoore950]

The dracula flow jump scare was everything

[@Occamsarc]

The way episode 4 ended shook me. I had to pause and go back. I could not believe that it was one take

[@kwasibrew8072]

As someone who tried for so long to make prose work and just couldn’t crack it, discovering you channel was the push that made me realize screenwriting and filmmaking was really what I was trying to do all along. Perfect time for this to drop while I’m going on my regularly scheduled background video binging.

[@Im.myfuture]

Your videos have encouraged me to go back to that sort of golden age of serialized TV (The Wire, True Detective, and others like it), but not only for new pieces of content to consume mindlessly and never actually get to writing my own work, but instead subjects to analyze what made them so compelling in the first place for the purpose of applicable improvement. It’s been refreshing, to say the least, a YTer objectively critiquing media in this way. Can’t wait to see how you grow, and hope to work with ya brother!

[@voidsword8095]

Man, your channel is a treasure trove. Even though I'm writing a novel and not a screenplay, I'm still learning a lot from your videos.

[@Fred_Berg]

I still can’t believe the whole projects side-quest sequence.

[@fndalves]

on a quick glance, I thought the title of this videos was "Serial Killer That Writes Can Learn From True Detective Season 1"

[@localscriptman]

That too

[@yonatanhoresh2695]

This is one of my favourite videos of yours (and the competition is tough) As someone who's working on a series proposition, it's got some great additions to the toolbox, and even tools you don't end up picking up still make you re-examine your existing tools and develop a deeper understanding of your own writing Your work is excellent!

[@localscriptman]

Big thank you, glad you got some value out of it!

[@coomstick]

Damn good video, a lot to chew on. This might be the best video on True Detective S1 that I've seen. The halfpipe analogy puts a lot of puzzle pieces together for me. I agree, True Detective S1 is one of the best templates for a serialized tv show and it honestly hasn't been topped imo. It's stuck with me for a decade. But yeah, really good job man. Looking forward to what you've got cookin up next

[@localscriptman]

Thx coomstick

[@IronShinsDicello]

I think Maggies leaving the circle moment was sleeping with Rust so that the cycle of infidelity with Marty would be broken and they would be seperated permanently.

[@onemoreminute0543]

Oh yeah. Time to learn some more useful lessons! Your videos never cease to educate me.

[@localscriptman]

I hope I can be of service

[@debrachambers1304]

I loved the time is s flat circle paper man skateboard outro to a degree that I can't quite explain the reason for.

[@reno9821]

Been meaning to watch this show for ages. This was the final push I needed and I'm very grateful I did before watching the video. Great follow up immediately after finishing the season.

[@PalaceDude]

Rust: "Marty is a flat circle." Marty: "I want you to stop saying odd shit!"

[@chriswho4232]

I forgot to comment on this when it dropped, but it's a fantastic deep-dive on a piece of work that really deserves it... I kinda want to leave a more eloquent review here, but I think i'll just keep it short and sweet; these videos are such a good time, and I always walk away from them having learned something new. Doesn't get much better than that.

[@robotempire]

I have watched this season maybe half a dozen times. I have longed to get closer to it & understand why it works for me to the degree it does. Finally someone (you) has scratched that itch. Thank you

[@onemoreminute0543]

This might just be one of my new favourite videos from you. When it comes to storytelling, I tend to find structure the most fascinating component of it, as that's the skeletal structure of the plot and the road through which characters transform.

[@localscriptman]

Yeah it’s like 75% of the battle for me

[@custardpanda6209]

Damn, what a video. This is immensely insightful and helps me loads with learning and understanding writing/media - Thanks LocalScriptMan, keep up the great work!

[@DOOMsword7]

I love when I can tell you’re telling us stuff as soon as you figure it out. It’s exhilarating! Yeah I genuinely get excited when you upload. As a character focused pantser I don’t work even remotely the same way you do but I still have to wrangle my stories into shape after I write it and your insight into structure is hella valuable.

[@grantmcdonald27]

Literally just finished True Detective S1 yesterday and the universe blesses me with this video

[@byrdfeathers3552]

Man that Dracula Flow line came out like a jump scare and I loved it lol

[@Yensnor]

This is the best storytelling video i've seen i think. It's clear and concise, plus i love true detective. You quantified and laid it out brilliantly, i learned a lot. Saved to rewatch later as i'm writing. Thank you so much for this, great resources!

[@shereenwu]

As usual, brilliant stuff!! You helped me reignite my passion for writing and I’m really grateful for how high quality your videos are. Cheers to your growth!

[@VeniVidiPerii]

I have to pee, but I'm just going to wait 52 minutes

[@Sevaerg]

The Everest analogy is especially elegant. This is beautifully crafted, thoughtful work.

[@nathanjones8667]

Oh my goodness. What a treat to discover this on the 2nd half of a two hour journey. I am truly delighted by my discovery. Finding a terrific channel is really just the best.

[@localscriptman]

Thank you!

[@onemoreminute0543]

Okay, this is absolutely fantastic. I can see how the three act structure can be observed through these 8 episodes, which gives a great guide for how to view and show plot progression.

[@jc_scott]

Another incredible and helpful video! Thanks for making these. I always look forward to watching these while working on my comics.

[@fizzipop]

already loving it, glad you’re making videos like this 💙

[@dado8467]

The video starts with "The fragrance of dark coffee" in the background. I'm sold.

[@hikki1253]

I just want to say that this channel inspires me a lot and helps me grow as a writer, thanks to our local script man for these incredible video essays

[@ashleyboone3675]

So I'm working on an interactive fiction novel, and will be releasing it sort of on a chapter to chapter basis and this video(so far, only halfway through) is so valuable. The episode to episode format has a lot of overlap and studying screenplays has taught me a lot about how to get information across in the most natural and efficient way. Anyways, point is, thanks for the work you put into these videos, I love them

[@localscriptman]

Interactive whoa, sounds daunting, glad I could help!

[@ashleyboone3675]

@@localscriptman There are alot of moving parts so to speak 😅

[@onemoreminute0543]

Interactive fiction novel? Damn, that sounds unique as hell!

[@Ariceres]

Sound interesting, hope you get it all done!

[@tinygrove7623]

i think marty being ok at the end isn’t him being happy they didn’t catch everyone but rather content with what he has, as you said he has learned to let go of control and be vulnerable, while it may not have been executed perfectly i do like the idea that while they didn’t get everyone, “we got ours” and not just the material threat of the bad guys, but there personal and emotional demons have been vanquished as well, marty gets to be with his family again and gets recognition from the two cops, he gets to see “the safety net” and rhust learns to hope and be open, he looks away from the abyss, both of their mistakes and pains still happened, nothing can change that, but they can move on and grow, the cycle has ended for them, and they have broken out the circle, to connect this with the final saying about the starts, while the sun will always set eventually, the night is still illuminated by stars.

[@tuxedo_stormtrooper]

It's criminal that this channel gets so few attention for its quality you deserve at least 1mil in subs

[@localscriptman]

Yeah this video isn’t doing as well as I’d hoped, but it’s ok my growth has already been astronomical. Just gotta try some new strategies

[@fastmovingvolcanomatter]

0:45 This is the last place I expected to get a blast of K.R.I.T., but I am absolutely here for it

[@TheRealBatCave]

Could u do this for season 4? I do not know much about writing but ur insight would be cool 2 see, especially comparing the writing of the 2 seasons

[@VEX1NS]

ive been in the whole writing stuff for around 6 months now, your videos have really helped! despite never entering film school i have helped film students fix their rejected projects which i think is pretty funny working on my first feature length movie now, i plan to get it animated so i may have to look into the consulting when im done 👀

[@RATZGobbler]

I like how you’re demystifying the creative process. No sarcasm I swear. Your writing can’t become a capital A “Art” if you don’t treat it like a craft. There’s rules for storytelling for a reason and you can only break them, seemingly, when you understand why they are there.

[@azellebahadory936]

He hardly ever refers to real movies/shows as examples - but when he does, the ones he chooses are always top quality.

[@D-Lott]

Every episode you publish is like a wizard in a cave, giving me the right weapon. setting me on my journey. So impressed keep up the stellar work.

[@filipsperl]

Just watched the first season for the first time last week. Excited to see this analysis!

[@billusher2265]

23:10 this makes sense for Marty’s development, you can argue him letting go of his controlling nature made him more mellow and willing to accept they can’t catch them all

[@sabersight908]

ah what a treat :P another video from the best hidden gem YT channel ever, which is my best source for "how to write" in my recent new writing journey to make "good" media content and detective stuff is gonna be great to learn and study for my animated series im planning, about a detective in a cosmic horror Victorian era world discovering magic is real, i'd like to see some insight on mystery to how to slowly reveal something and keep it in the dark or just keep it in the dark the whole time

[@hjfs8906]

My new definitive video for True Detective. Been waiting on one like this.

[@erin3830]

binged the entire season for this!

[@veronicatorres87376]

Goran this is great physical comedy of you

[@johnstevens7232]

Have a good day guys

[@localscriptman]

All guys will have a good day, I will make sure of this

[@aweeladdie]

25:20 The 'energy' is the rate of change in your second graph

[@themutupoguy]

When I take a walk after watching your videos, I get a breakthrough in my storytelling process

[@KUREHA3D]

you are my comfort tuber lol

[@EmptyKingdoms]

I question where on that scale Ghost in the Shell: Stand-Alone Complex would fall, because it is an animated series with an ensemble, but a clear leader, it has an overarching plot, but some episodes are disconnected from the main story. It would be, by my guess, almost in the middle, but leaning a little upwards (solo protagonist), since the leader has more screen time than the rest of the crew. Especially the serial episodes do deserve an analysis, it is such a magnificent little series (albeit it doesn't come close to the marvellous, outstanding two films).

[@anaatanasiu1613]

I was having a bad week, kept checking your account for updates. Today I got lucky, thank you

[@nolanvernon2822]

42:40 - Succession also really likes to do location-specific episodes

[@Halberddent]

I spotted Local at 3 AM on the "David Attenborough Dracula Flow 3" video

[@localscriptman]

This shit ain’t nothin to me man

[@marcpaters0n]

The only writing channel worth watching. The. Only. One.

[@YaVladosickKokosik]

Great work my man!!!

[@onemoreminute0543]

37:56 For some reason my mind immediately went to Carmela Soprano from the Sopranos even though the clip was from the Godfather lol

[@someguy7819]

From everything ive watched from you it seems like the worst thing a story can do is meander like an ameoba. Stagnant, no stakes, things happen just to happen, characters with no real impact, etc.

[@localscriptman]

Yeah that about sums it up, but maybe someday someone will drop an amoebacore story that changes my mind

[@Onezy05]

He's back!

[@RedCulture49]

This was amazing! That was spot on. Love that show!!

[@thefriendlydefault9684]

Amazing as always

[@DeadManVlog]

Excellent content

[@thebettybassettproduction2458]

Best analysis ever!

[@TM-nc2lf]

Good breakdown ❤

[@hayleyhistorynerd2211]

"I'm basically the Michael Jordan of reductionism."-- Lucas I chuckled most heartily, but it's so true also it's why I love your writing advise so much. By my nature I'm not a: speedy, efficient, or a comprehending of the passage of time person, so I've been really nervous about the quickly approaching need to do a first self edit my novel, but your advise really helps me feel better. I'm looking forward to trying your techniques to really get to the core of the key components of my story. You're so good at breaking down the elements that are central to how a story is doing something well. This video is a fantastic example right off the bat you break down that True Detective has two plotlines, two character arcs, and three relationships. It's so helpful to start from having those core pieces, it makes the overall story and what it's doing so much more digestible, just chef's kiss! I also really love how you plotted out the relationships, character arcs, and plotlines. I'm actually excited about the idea of looking at parting out the relationships, character arcs and plotlines of my novel. Doing this first draft is great, but the story feels like such a big thing and it's been written over multiple years at this point, so visually showing my self the key components plotted out on the graph feels like it will be so helpful to get a lay of the land and a plan of attack for the editing. Also the character halfpipe is genius! I've read and listened to discussions of characters shifting throughout the story, if it's not an arc though, it's usually in the form of moral alignment of the character. Say a hero becomes an anti-hero or a villain an anti-villain. I haven't actually seen the shift in a character's use by the author or involvement in the events of the story discussed, that is fascinating! Thank-you for the hard work and another great video Lucas! I will definitely be make to this video to try these techniques. Hayley ^_^

[@battlebunny88]

Ohhh I think I have to try that graph thing out. It's pretty. It's pretty informative. I like it.

[@bajes328]

I mean, you could say "we got ours" is a part of him letting go of his need for control.

[@alcoholicgoat]

Woody Harrelson's "skullf*ck" line sounds like a bar from Dracula Flow. Time truly is a flat circle Great video btw

[@temporalloop]

great video on a great season of TV 👍🏽 also you should watch Black Sails, if you haven't already

[@The_Fallen.Era.]

THANK YOU THIS HELPS

[@beno1441]

A master of your craft good sir

[@najjaman]

I love your work man

[@jaywalmoose9623]

Hey, does anyone know the song at 49:19? I didn't see it in the description, or any of the comments While I'm here, I hope the kind of directness in these videos becomes more common on youtube, or even outside of it

[@localscriptman]

It is just a little thingy I made for this video

[@lukem726]

really glad you critiqued the ending episodes a little bit because most people get so caught up with how good the first 6 were that they overlook the flaws of the last two

[@CubensisEnjoyer]

I literally binged this series just 2 days ago when you uploaded. This video was how I found out that I somehow completely skipped Episode 5 😭

[@TheCuteChikorita]

That's super interesting, did your brain just not register there potentially being a lot of information skipped over? From a writing perspective that's really valuable, what made the ending of ep 4 and the start of ep 6 do that made you not feel out of the loop?

[@jonathankey6444]

I was like, “Please, God, let local post by now!” I typed your name in and, BOOM, ONE HOUR AGO

[@povarensky]

Been delaying "True detective" watch for a few years, but because of this video's beginning i literally watched it in one night😂

[@dunkeshon2309]

Your videos are peak, as well as sound design and music, respect

[@Ariceres]

What are your thoughts on DARK? Would you do a video on it?

[@localscriptman]

Perhaps, I do really like it. I just don’t know what I’d talk about

[@zyncclan2022]

Made my Friday I love local script man woooooooo yeaaaaa

[@ItsPoet]

Never heard of this show, write sparingly, and yet have never clicked a video faster

[@TomVCunningham]

So, did you watch the show?

[@zapp770]

Hi there, ive seen your recent apperance on schnees channel where you talked about kishotenketsu. I would be very interested in a more in depth comparison between eastern and western storytelling philosophies, as I could not find anything in depth about this topic. Are there any plans for a video on that?

[@localscriptman]

Hmm in truth I don’t know enough, but it’s certainly on the table. Just needs more research

[@zapp770]

Ok thanks for the answer. Its quite Impressive how much you answer to comments. To me your one of the very best writing youtubers out there, just by how condensed you get everything across.

[@localscriptman]

@@zapp770 Thank you, I try

[@CottageOnChickenLegs]

I feel the movie length format works best on stories that focus on a moment in time. Something that only happens over a couple of days and is resolved. The Nice Guys only covers a couple of days and works in feature length format. Where as True Detective covers decades.

[@Denmosocial]

Hey mate you do consulting or script reviews anymore?

[@localscriptman]

I do, my site is linked at the bottom of this video’s description

[@mavg.]

Happy New Year

[@enoXiwame]

New localscriptman banger released🔥🔥🔥 You sort of touched on this here, but your video on Rogue One [rip] really helped me realize that if I'm ever approaching the role my characters have in the plot as "making sure I'm giving them enough to do," that's a sign to double check how necessary they even are. I do have very bad memory (adhd gang) so I don't remember all the critiques, but do you think Andor (if you've watched it) retroactively addressed any of them/will you make a video on it?

[@localscriptman]

I refuse to pay for Disney+ so I haven’t seen it

[@enoXiwame]

@@localscriptman So do I Huh who said that

[@DanSarbz]

Great video! Are you making one about the writing in true detective night country? I love the show but a lot of people have criticized the writing.

[@mathewhayner4743]

The Local Script Man strikes again 🔥

[@clemenza2832]

Great video. Your technical approach to giving writing advice is very helpful to me. I hope this isn’t too off-topic, but I wonder how you would type the Adventure Time cast’s respective enneagram

[@localscriptman]

I think Finn is a 7 and Jake is a 9

[@clemenza2832]

@@localscriptman think they’re a sx/so and a sx/sp respectively too. I also think BMO is a type 7 sx/so, Marceline’s a 4 sx/sp (though you can make a case she’s a 7 in the earlier seasons), Simon’s a 2 or a 6 sx/sp, and I think Bubblegum is a type 6 so/sx.

[@onemoreminute0543]

Feeling spoiled tonight. First this new banger of a video, and then a new Oversimplified video. What greater fruits could a man wish for in his life?