#network tv structure

[floralmotif]

This is the sort of outline/breakdown thingy I did for an episode of the Flash as research for a spec. The spec itself is currently being worked on and will take the place of that research ep pretty soon. The structure of Flash episodes is pretty formulaic as is normal for shows like it. You could pretty much layer the episodes on top of each other and place the same pegs without knowing what the characters are saying and be in the ballpark of where those elements would be. This is the kind of show that’s great for a spec(other than serial being hard) in terms of structure. As long as you know where things are meant to be placed roughly, you can build situations that fit those marks. It makes structure easy but it can turn into box checking and can come at the price of other good things. Sadly the 6 act structure is hard to work with when it comes to pacing and other narrative qualities. Writers are expected to have a hook at the end of each act (when the top peg color changes) but it means narrative stupid can occur and loss of tension or arbitrary stakes are added.

A spec script is a highly structural, restrictive episode of a tv show that is sent to an agent for circulation with no pay or hope of airing in the hopes of getting a job as a writer or writing assistant. They’re basically highly restrictive, arc-plot light fan fiction that aims to capture the feel and characters of a currently airing (usually in its 2nd-5th season) show. A spec cannot resolve overarching conflict, it can’t be a finale or a setup for a larger plot and it generally can’t change too many elements (there are specs that do to an extent, called “off book” specs but they’re risky) They’re basically a case/problem of the week episode.

Each act is separated by a new color pin at the top. So act one is purple, act two is green, then blue, back to purple, then green and act six is blue.

The side pins are which plot(s) is primarily addressed in the scene as set up, reminders and resolution. This set was for Flash 1.06. I have a few others but decided to see if s1 kept the same structure as the later ones. When it did, I thought it was interesting, so have how I breakdown research for specs I guess.

Hopefully the pegs are at least distinct. Sorry if they aren’t. My phone doesn’t like... things. I basically peg them off with whatever is the most prominent or whatever plays a large part in the scene. There’s often more than one, which is usually good. Too bad the dialog in this show struggles to support the elements cleanly much of the time. They’re there at least.

Clear is CPlot The plot surrounding the specific episode Pink is BPlot The character relationships. In this case, between Iris, Eddie and Barry. A little bit with other characters too but BPlot usually focuses on the “love interest” if there is one. Black is APlot The overarching plot of the show/season

More below:

Yellow is the question of the ep and its resolution.  Red is basically anything that serves the theme of the ep/show directly. Technically everything should in some way but red is when those things get direct buildup, reminder or some sort of resolution. Yellow is my indicator for apparent setup/resolution for thematic elements in an episode.

This formula is actually fairly consistent for shows like this one. The placement of elements aren’t always the same but they’re usually not far off because the show only has 42 minutes, has to keep the audiences attention and theoretically has to keep things moving forward in every scene.  Network drama shows usually have 31-32 scenes depending on the kind of show they are. I don’t really encounter shows with less but the Blacklist is one. It seems to trust its audience to allow for quiet a little more but there’s still maybe 29 or 30 instead of 31-32 so not much difference. 

I’m not actually sure how SPN falls into this yet. I did research a spec for fun a while back but I only analyzed one episode. Unfortunately, because SPN is an older show, it’s not considered viable to spec. I did it for an ep and sort of wrote out an outline for a spec for fun but I didn’t finish it because I didn’t have time. I liked it though. I’ll probably come back to it as a fanfic someday. 

This is how I would like to analyze season 12 but unfortunately, doing this for episodes takes a long time. I basically have a bunch of cards and I watch an episode once, watch it again and write down what happens in the scene and on the back, what’s addressed(which plot, thematic elements etc). I do this for every scene. Then I watch it again to check my work. It takes a very long time so I usually only do it for 1-3 episodes a show. The rest of my research I try to do with the show’s wiki. 

I do have the cards set from that research for a spec but it was only for one ep so I don’t have a comparison. I might do it for another ep just to have something to compare to when I try and break down the season. In general though, I’ll probably just be taking highly technical notes. A similar reasoning but different method. I’ll try to be as thorough as possible, but I don’t have time to go all out on it.

Anyway, hopefully when I have time to do it, I’ll be able to pull something at least somewhat accurate out of my research of SPN. I just thought I’d share this with you guys before I took it down since I find this stuff interesting and maybe some of you will too. It’s kind of rough and I have more notes on the backs of the cards about foreshadowing but this is a basic visual I use. I need more peg colors, really.