15 Beats for TV?

Kugar13 · Cub Joined: 02 Jul 2009 Posts: 6

Hello all,

I was wondering if there was a beat format (like the 15 beats for film) for a 22 min TV program, specifically a sitcom.

Any help would be most appreciated.

Thanks!

Rachel T. · Ocelot Joined: 15 Jan 2008 Posts: 768 Location: Michigan

The same beats still work regardless of the story's length. It's just a question of cutting down how many pages (or sentances, if you're really going short) are in and between each beat.

There used to be a website floating around where you could enter how long your story was and it would calculate what page each beat should be on, but I don't know where it went to. Anybody?

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crazrick · Liger Joined: 28 Mar 2008 Posts: 655

you can find a basic beat-calculator here:
http://www.rareform.com/screenplay-editor/beats.php

for this result:

For a screenplay of 22 pages, your structure should be close to:

Opening Image: pg 1
Establish Theme: pgs 1 - 1
Setup: pgs 1 - 2
Inciting Incident: 2
Debate - Half Commitment: pgs 2 - 5
Turn to Act II: 5
Subplot intro by: pg 6
Fun - Games - Puzzles: pgs 6 - 11
Tentpole - Midpoint - Reversal: pg 11
Enemy Closes In: pgs 11 - 15
Low Point: pg 15
Darkest Decision: pgs 15 - 17
Turn to Act III: pg 17
Finale - Confrontation: pgs 17 - 21
Aftermath: pgs 21 - 22
Final Image: pg 22

as I understand it, the Turns into New Acts are 'commercial breaks' for TV, and there might also be a break after the Set-Up beat, so you do Opening Image, Establish Theme of the episode, commercial, finish the Set-Up, Inciting Incident, Debate, Commercial Break before Act 2, etc etc...

the screenwriting software I use (Movie Magic Screenwriter) has Templates for quite a few TV show scripts. Maybe other software has similar templates? or I'd suggest finding TV sit-com scripts most like what you are trying to write, see how they do it, then borrow/steal/kill their format and structure for your own evil purposes! Twisted Evil

good luck! and
write on!
Cool

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Kugar13 · Cub Joined: 02 Jul 2009 Posts: 6

WOW! Thanks for the super fast response! Much appreciated!!!!

Kugar13 · Cub Joined: 02 Jul 2009 Posts: 6

Is it ok to use the beats for a TV sitcom (22min)? I read that sitcom uses a different flow to story telling, but I prefer what is presented by Save the Cat.

Thanks!

Rachel T. · Ocelot Joined: 15 Jan 2008 Posts: 768 Location: Michigan

Yeah, from what I've seen and heard, Blake's BS2 is pretty much universal. The best way to check, though, is like Rick said: just get some scripts and break them down yourself. I can't think of any shows that routinely mess with it, though. Sometimes they get a "crazy script elf" show that plays around with the rules on purpose, but not often.

_________________
Don't be afraid to admit that inside you is a seething, fiery core of ambition and lust for success that would appall Napoleon.
-Russell Galen

auntieant · Tiger Joined: 11 Oct 2008 Posts: 189

I can't remember where I read it, but hour-long TV drama in the U.S. breaks down into 4 acts whereas half-hour comedy is 2 specific acts but with complications matching the beats - but the beats can be closer together, eg, all is lost and break into three could occur within the same scene. As someone said, it's for commercials. But I think STC structure works best and most clearly in the hour-long format -

Setup= tease (then sometimes a commercial)
Break into two (first reversal) = commercial
Midpoint reversal = commercial
All is lost = commercial.

Four convenient parts, all split by reversals of the characters' fortunes. Shows like Prison Break and are the clearest examples of this (not so much Lost - it's there but I think it's harder to analyse).

Re 22 minutes of screentime, sitcoms also tend to be structured in terms of timing in that the first half of the show takes place over a longer period of time, (eg two days setting up a party with increasing complications) and the second half much shorter, all the setups from part one paying off(eg, the disasterous party itself). Not a universal rule, although 99% of the time, part two is a shorter period of time than part one, and only plays out in the same time period if the story takes place in roughly real-time. Two and Half Men and Fraiser are the best examples I can think of.

Kugar13 · Cub Joined: 02 Jul 2009 Posts: 6

Thanks for the help guys/gals! Much appreciated! =)

Mike Rinaldi · Liger Joined: 19 Nov 2007 Posts: 1810 Location: California

Beats are the generally the same, but the act structure is different for television. An hour program I think is 7 acts, not sure if a half hour is 3 or 4. Television isn't my thing.

Check out Ken Levine's blog for starters. He's a sitcom genius. (MASH, Cheers, etc.)

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