The essential element to ‘Drop The Pilot’ was to develop the pilot for a TV show in the setting of a prototypical writers’ room. As a class, we learnt about the industry-standards (including formatting and vocabulary) and the overall writing process, from building a world/hub form the ground up to differentiating character voice. During this time, we were often placed into smaller groups which would eventually bring each element together, producing the hypothetic show, Behind Bars.

For one of our assignments in which we were split into smaller groups, we each focused on one element of a pitch deck. Particularly the group that focused on ‘Tone and Style’ had a very thought-out and clear presentation. Within their presentation, they gave real life comparisons, such as BeDevil (1993) and The Castle (1997), illustrating the atmosphere of our show. Similarly, as our show happens to have a large barrel, they gave examples of Australia’s iconic big things, such as ‘The Big Strawberry’. Stand-out in their presentation was their creation of a Spotify playlist, including songs from David Bowie to Coldplay, to Talking Heads. I think this really brought together the tone of Behind Bars in an in incredibly unique way.

Another stand-out presentation, was that of the ‘Characters’ group. In their presentation they wrote character profiles, traits, and arcs, and even gave real life comparisons to each character. For example, Jamie Lee Curtis and Michelle Yeoh were used visuals for Shaz and Paddy, our main pair of hooligans.

Much like many other studios (couldn’t pick one), I think ‘Drop The Pilot’ focused mostly on the importance working in collaborative groups and will ultimately help myself and others in the big open world that is ‘media’. And, initially, the group-work in this studio was daunting and did seem like ‘the ultimate group-work nightmare’, but as our show developed and we started bouncing-off each others’ ideas, wasn’t quite so nightmarish. As afore mentioned, I think this studio really shows the importance and ability of teamwork and collaboration, because even in doubts that we wouldn’t end up with a finished pilot, everyone (I think) chipped in to produce a clever, comedic, and unique TV show pilot. Moreover, I think this studio was successful in answering its question(s): How do teams of ‘staff writers’ develop episodic screen stories from concept to pilot script? And what can these processes teach us about narrative structure, collaboration and series worth bingeing?

The semester just gone has been a particularly enjoyable one, largely due to the ‘Drop the Pilot’ studio, which focused on creating a hypothetical television show and learning the process of being in a writer’s room. Together students were tasked to devise a television series and mimic the industry standard approach to creating and collaborating through its conception of characters, location and script.

Our class group pitch decks, proved to be a very engaging and valuable lesson for myself and others, as it summated everything we had done previously as a class, whilst finalising certain aspects that still had to be decided upon. The group for tone and style conducted a terrific presentation, despite it being a challenging brief. I thought their creation of a tonal playlist to suit the show’s overall style was a unique and well-thought-out aspect, that gave me good clarity of the style of the show. In addition, the group used found footage from real movies to mirror similar scenes in our own, all reflecting the chosen style for the visual aspect of our series. I found this to be a great help when devising my own script as it was a constant reminder for myself to stick to the devised tone and style. Looking back, this group’s presentation had a profound impact on my own writing style, and also found me a great playlist next time I find myself near a country pub.

Despite only having to conceive a third of the pilot’s script, having the episode layout presented to us was a very helpful and enjoyable presentation, as it summated all the storylines that we had worked hard on. The episodic outline group did a terrific job in presenting synopsises and the storylines that each episode would have, and did a great job in their timing of when to reveal certain details kept from the audience. As this show most likely won’t go to air in its entirety, it was still nice listening through the presentation, as it showed us how far we’ve come as a group. The group no doubt filled multiple key concerns of the course through its presentation of character arcs, and storylines that are a vital part of developing of episodic series.

‘From Idea to Earbuds’, is a studio that centers around the idea of creating a podcast that covers a multitude of young voices, and is somewhat about revealing personal experiences. ‘Waving the Red Flag’, was the first installation of this studio’s work that I listened to, and focused on the experiences of young people dating. Each group member gave individual stories about their own dating experiences, a somewhat relatable tale for many listeners. These stories of their personal dating experiences were littered with moments of external commentary from group members, as well as added effects that created a soundscape to accompany tales of first dates, and intimate moments. As a key concern for the ‘From Idea to Earbuds’, studio was to create a meaningful connection between producers, hosts, and listeners, I thought this group did a great job in executing a podcast that was relatable for many. With the addition of non-diegetic sound effects that immersed the listener into the story world, I can comfortably say that I was engaged and felt a somewhat connection between the presenters and myself. Due to this, I thought this group executed their final product in a good way, and ticked multiple studio briefs in the process.

The second podcast that I came across was named ‘Leap of Faith’, an audio story about different people’s first-time experiences, that range from driving, mental health, and stand-up comedy. I thought this group’s signposting at the start of their podcast was really effective, as it gave myself a clear outline and structure of what to expect. This is a typical podcasting trope that is seen in many different industry works and helps to fill the brief concerned with creating a distinctive podcast narrative. Like the previous work, ‘Leap of Faith’ did an impressive job of implementing sound and music to accompany the presenters relaying their stories. The way in which they implemented this was particularly effective, as they paused the music when wanting to emphasise an important point of their story, as well as using music to transition between different monologues. This helped to engage and further immerse myself in the stories they were telling, as well as gave a certain overall structure to their work. In all, I think this group used a great range of technical features to create an overall work that I enjoyed thoroughly, and I think they fulfilled their brief strongly.

During the incredible Drop the Pilot studio, I was very fortunate to be a small part of an incredible writer’s room for our show, Behind Bars. With the Writer’s Strike and the threat of AI looming over our heads for majority of the semester, it was so unbelievably exciting and reassuring to experience such a high-level of creativity amongst a group of people. It was great seeing everyone grow more confident as time went on, and never being afraid to share ideas. Personally, I feel as though I gained a ton of confidence in my writing, and my willingness to share my ideas with a group. Do I still cringe when I hear my writing read aloud? Absolutely. But at least I have reached a point where I’m happy for it to be heard!

I was unfortunately absent during the group presentations for the pitch deck, so I had to attack that solo. I love collaboration so it was slightly daunting at first, but it actually ended up being really freeing. I explored the tone and style of our show, and I had so much fun fully realising the show in my head and then expressing those ideas. One idea I’m particularly proud of is using the fictional town of Radiator Springs as influence for our own isolated town of Barrel. When it came to writing the pilot, I found that I really thrived when writing for the character of Boss. I just found there to be a lot of possibilities with her mysterious character. Learning to format a script correctly was also so satisfying. It felt really professional, which I strangely think motivated me even more!

This was an unbelievable studio that I enjoyed every minute of. Believe it or not, it actually had me excited to come into uni every week. I am so eager to continue with TV writing long into the future, and it is because of this studio! And I’m sure every (if any) writer’s room that I am a part of in the future, will be just as friendly and fun as this one…right? 

Throughout the 12 week-studio, Drop the Pilot, I was lucky enough to be in on the action of our prototypical writers’ room. From workshopping beat sheets to an episode of Friends, to fleshing out the world and characters of our very own series Behind Bars (credit to Matt for the name), we’ve come a long way as student screenwriters. I put an unpleasant label on my head as a Twin Peaks fan very early on (should’ve kept it to myself), but with that label came some weird yet useful ideas to contribute to the project.

I feel that a soundtrack can either make or break a TV show, so Jamie and I put together a great playlist compiled of songs that aid in the tone and style of Behind Bars. I kind of just went nuts on his laptop and added Jonathan Richman (for the American Western style), Crowded House (pub rock), Amyl and the Sniffers and L7 (tough girl music, what better way to introduce Boss), Talking Heads and The Swingers (perfect for a road trip), David Bowie’s song ‘Cat People (Putting Out Fire)’ for his lyrics “putting out fire with gasoline,” a great season finale track, etc.

In our pitch deck, we suggested coupling the American Western with daggy Australian pop culture (The Castle 1997) and landmarks of abnormally large objects. The Big Barrel isn’t really something new, as big fruit and animals in statue form in Australia are often signs that you’re well out of the city, and I think that’s great because it’s familiar to our audience. A prison disguised as a pub, however, is not a concept that gets thrown around often in television, so we were successful in creating something that sets us apart from other series.

Stayci led us to the world of a writer’s delight. Drafting and refining a series concept – back to front – with the opinions and nuances that 27 collaboraters bring to the process was a testament to this semesters’ ‘Drop The Pilot’. The ultimate creation was to write one-third of the ‘Behind Bars’ series’ pilot episode. To be interchanged with the creation of my peers to produce multiple (potential) whole pilot episodes. Behind Bars’ is a dramatic comedy, set in rural Victoria with a banging soundtrack and a rehabilitation/bar hybrid as the main establishment throughout.

I enjoyed this course for its continuing success in pushing me out of my comfort zone. I enrolled in the course with an interest in writing and getting to know my own writing style – with help, learning through my peers. The collaboration was particularly enjoyable because I was surrounded by extremely passionate, creative and talented people. In the pitch-deck, my group were assigned the role of giving the series ‘Tone and Style’ where I worked with Jamie, Phillip and Amy.

I am taking a lot with me on my way out, this semester. A confidence in my creative writing and a deep respect for scriptwriting. It’s many nuances and processes; beat sheet, scene writing, creating a whole world of character, their hub, choosing a genre, a name, a concept (at large) and all from scratch. So, first and foremost, I thank Stayci for her relentless efforts and patience with us and she took us on the journey, and of course, the wonderful minds that made it happen. Such a great course.

Title: Pilot has been dropped

Drop the Pilot, was a studio which consisted students to re-create a writers room environment as well as to create and develop a tv show from scratch. Throughout the semester I worked on and contributed to many things, leading to the outcome of the show. I created and worked on character posters to present visuals, as well as a script for the final assignment.

I was able to create a somewhat accurate representation of the character posters because as a class, we were able to give these characters dimensions which are different from each other. But what also helped me in creating these posters were suggesting similar archetypes of these characters from other shows. Even the background I thought was very fitting, because in the pilot episode, Josh drives towards Barrel and almost hits a Koala and him driving towards Barrel I just imagine a big straight empty road like this one.

Overall, I was able to gain an insight of a writer’s room as well as it’s process in making a show and episode from scratch. I was able to gain more collaborative and communication skills which will be helpful to me in the future in the field of media. I also learnt how to using screen writing software and the terminologies related to screen writing.

This semester in the Drop the Pilot studio:

27 of us were tasked with sharing our ideas in a mock writer’s room in the hopes it would lead to the creation of a TV show pilot.

We first familiarized ourselves with screen writing terms. Learning these terms meant we could create our world and characters using the correct language. During the semester we often used voting in combination with discussion to make sure everyone’s ideas were considered. Through this process we collectively came up with the idea of a bar/prison for the main hub of our show and named the show ‘Behind Bars’. As a group of 27 we made decisions about each character in the show as well as the details of the world and even plot points.

We were then split into groups and created pitch decks that had more detail about each element of the show such as the characters, world, episode plots ect. My group worked on characters. I was tasked with creating a profile and fan casting for the characters, Shaz & Patty and Brayden. I found this task simple. As a class we had already collectively put so much work into the characters that I only had a few things to make executive decisions about. We then presented these pitch decks to the whole class.

After the pitch deck presentations each group received feedback and we talked about all the executive decisions made as a class and either agreed with them or challenged them. We decided as a group we had done enough work to write a pilot script of our show Behind Bars. Individually we each wrote a section of the script. This task was again simple for me as we had made all the important decisions together as a class.

The fact the pitch deck and script were easy for me to create is proof of the hard work we did collaboratively as a class to create the show, meaning the goal of the studio was successfully completed. In this studio I learnt how key collaboration is to the creative process and to the idea process. I don’t think our final products would have been so well thought out and entertaining without input from all of us. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this studio and creating our show ‘Behind Bars’.

Our journey in TV writing begun with decisions around genre, setting, and format. We opted for a prison drama, set in an Australian country town drawing inspiration from the rural upbringing of one of our classmates. Our choices then led us to create an eight-episode series with 40-minute episodes, tailored for streaming platforms.

The concept for our series, now known as “Behind Bars,” took shape as we envisioned the lives of inmates working in a prison bar appropriately named “Bottom of the Barrel”, after it’s town’s name “Barrel.” Josh, our protagonist, portrayed the fish-out-of-water, a young entrepreneur from the city who finds himself working behind the bars of this prison pub.

In our writers’ room, the creative process started to flow as we begun learning to storyline, craft beat sheets, and scene breakdowns. We also embarked on the task of character development and world-building; the latter was the topic assigned to my group for the pitch deck presentation.

The pitch deck served as an all-encompassing overview of our series, intended for potential channels, streaming platforms, or investors. My group’s responsibility was to provide a detailed look at the hub of our world and the broader setting of our country town.

With the groundwork laid, it was time for us to learn, and get to work on the screenwriting phase of our pilot episode. After a crash course in the software and conventions, each of us was tasked with writing a section of the pilot episode.

This course has been an enjoyable, collaborative, and sweeping taste of what it is like to be in a TV writing room. Learning to write more succinctly and use words wisely has been a skill I will take forward. Having such a number of minds working together on a fictional world created a nature of collaboration was engaging in its entertainment and excitement. Overall, I am happy with and proud of our classes work on the series outline and pilot, I think we have created something original, fun, and something that could resonate with the real world.

We’ve spent the last 12 weeks in a writers’ room of 29 people, which is about three times the size of what I though it’d be. But our size turned out to be our strength; using our individual experiences and ideas, we combined to chip in and create a story that is so compelling and full of heart. For our pitch deck, I decided to join the group in charge of introducing our show. This involved explaining the show’s format, audience, logline, and story. It was our job to set the tone for the show, which we did rather well, I think.
For our final work, we were given an exciting opportunity to complete a draft script of a section of the pilot individually. I decided to take on creating a version of the first segment, which involved introducing the beloved characters Josh and Mercedes, as well as a handful of the Behind Bars supporting cast. I found myself rereading my script at multiple points to ensure I was creating a start to a pilot that would grab my attention as an audience member. I ended up jumping the gun quite early, finishing my first draft script before we could finalise the scenes as a collective – which I maintain I did not know we were going to do. With a sigh and maybe like, one tear rolling down my cheek, I set off to work on my drastically changed second draft, trying as hard as I could to infuse this new script with my renewed grasp on our characters and the now more rigid plot structure.
I absolutely loved the feeling of getting into the swing of a script; every single epiphany I reached in creating the dialogue felt so satisfying. The most meaningful thing I got out of this final work was the feedback I received; the learning moments during the workshopping of my script were so invaluable and have allowed me to make sense of what a good script should look and read like. I’d like to Drop the Pilot for you— well at least, drop a screenshot or two of my script for the first section of Behind Bars’ pilot.