How do I write a series outline?

Death Bean

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I'm entering this competition where you have to send in the first ten pages of a sixty-minute script with series potential, and you have to include a series outline which is your 'vision' for 'how the series should develop'. The problem is, I don't know exactly what they want or how to lay it out. I do have ideas for further episodes, but do they want just a vague idea of what's going to happen, or an episode-by-episode synopsis? Or is that up to me? Should I set it out in blocky paragraphs, like an ongoing story, or under headings such as Episode 2, Episode 3, etc? I just want to make a really good job of this, 'cause I love my script (already written) and I don't want to scupper its chances with a shoddy or unsuitable outline. Any advice would be grreat!

{ P.S. Hope you don't think I'm cheeky, coming back to the forum after all this time just to ask a question... now that I think about it, y'all probably never noticed I was gone ;) }
 

dpaterso

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Heh, welcome back. :) Chris recently posted a link to the Red Planet news in the screenwriting competitions thread.

There's a link in the tips thread that takes you to an interesting collection of old TV series scripts and bibles, http://tvwriting.googlepages.com/

I don't know if you're old enough :) to remember Press Gang, but this and other Brit series are worth a read just to get an idea of the depth of detail writers provide... where is it... ah, http://leethomson.myzen.co.uk/Press_Gang/Press_Gang_Bible.pdf

I'm not suggesting you need to go this far. I'd probably provide a page worth of single-spaced synopses for 6 episodes just to show the idea has legs. I'd give each episode its own bold title (that reflects theme & content, as with the Press Gang example) rather than meaningless numbering, but that's just me.

Yeah, I might have a go again this year for a laugh.

-Derek
 
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