Screenwriting 101: Where to start and how to do it?

I've been sitting on this idea for a comedy series based on true events for quite a while now.
Here’s what I’m wondering about:

1. Do I just walk into a studio like Netflix or HBO, pitch the concept, and let them handle the actual scriptwriting based on my premise?
2. Or if they actually bite, am I expected to write the whole thing myself? (How does that process even work? 🤷)
3. Should I just write the pilot first and then try to shop it around?
4. And honestly, what kind of money are we talking about here?

I know my way around this stuff a little bit... I actually spent some time writing sketches for a show produced externally for NBC.

My guess? Having someone else handle the script just isn't really an option, at least not when you're working through production companies. So, you're looking at either writing it all yourself or hunting down someone who’s a bit more seasoned at the craft.

After that, you're looking at negotiating with a production house and filming a pilot episode—assuming they think your pitch actually holds water—just so you have something to shop around to the major networks. I'm honestly not 100% sure who picks up the tab for the pilot production costs; I assume it's all part of the fine print in the contract, but who knows?

As for the money, it's all up for negotiation. In my experience, the payouts are decent enough, but don't expect to win the lottery overnight.

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Look, I can't exactly distill the entire art of screenwriting into three quick sentences. It’s not rocket science, though. You can always find a pro to walk you through it, and once you see a few actual scripts, the required format will start to click for you.

If there's one thing I've learned from being in the trenches, it's that when employees lose their spark and production houses start cutting corners to save a buck, the humor in the writing is usually the first thing to suffer.😢

Chris Mitchell11 said:I know my way around this stuff a little bit... I actually spent some time writing sketches for a show produced externally for NBC.

My guess? Having someone else handle the script just isn't really an option, at least not when you're working through production companies. So, you're looking at either writing it all yourself or hunting down someone who’s a bit more seasoned at the craft.

After that, you're looking at negotiating with a production house and filming a pilot episode—assuming they think your pitch actually holds water—just so you have something to shop around to the major networks. I'm honestly not 100% sure who picks up the tab for the pilot production costs; I assume it's all part of the fine print in the contract, but who knows?

As for the money, it's all up for negotiation. In my experience, the payouts are decent enough, but don't expect to win the lottery overnight.

---

Look, I can't exactly distill the entire art of screenwriting into three quick sentences. It’s not rocket science, though. You can always find a pro to walk you through it, and once you see a few actual scripts, the required format will start to click for you.

If there's one thing I've learned from being in the trenches, it's that when employees lose their spark and production houses start cutting corners to save a buck, the humor in the writing is usually the first thing to suffer.😢

Thanks for the quick reply.
Roughly how much are we talking about here? And if a series gets picked up for syndication or sold overseas, do I get a cut?
How much detail goes into a character profile? For instance, I know exactly how a character should act, but I have no idea how to actually put that down on paper. 🤷
Does the writer usually show up on set during filming?

Charles Ramos7 said:Thanks for the quick reply.
Roughly how much are we talking about here? And if a series gets picked up for syndication or sold overseas, do I get a cut?
How much detail goes into a character profile? For instance, I know exactly how a character should act, but I have no idea how to actually put that down on paper. 🤷
Does the writer usually show up on set during filming?

1) Regarding the money... look, all I can tell you for sure is what I personally made, and honestly, I'd rather not post specific numbers publicly here.
2) As for reruns or syndication deals, I really wouldn't know. I didn't negotiate any of those terms myself, and frankly, I don't make a career out of this—it was more of a side gig for me.
3) In the script, before the action actually starts, you describe things like what the characters are wearing or how the room is laid out. (And just a heads-up, shooting outdoors is always way more expensive than a studio setup, and a scene with two actors is much cheaper than one with thirty, etc.) I didn't really write long character studies; I mostly just added little notes or cues alongside the dialogue when needed.
4) Most of the time—whenever my other work wasn't getting in the way—I did show up on set. Beyond the actual filming, there's also the process of meeting with actors to help them run lines. I'm not sure what the standard industry rule is, though; I suppose it all comes down to whatever you sign in your contract. In our case, we were a small crew and we were assigned a director, so I figured it was better if I was there to guide the actors on the intended vibe rather than leaving them to guess. 🙂

Chris Mitchell11 said:1) Regarding the money... look, all I can tell you for sure is what I personally made, and honestly, I'd rather not post specific numbers publicly here.
2) As for reruns or syndication deals, I really wouldn't know. I didn't negotiate any of those terms myself, and frankly, I don't make a career out of this—it was more of a side gig for me.
3) In the script, before the action actually starts, you describe things like what the characters are wearing or how the room is laid out. (And just a heads-up, shooting outdoors is always way more expensive than a studio setup, and a scene with two actors is much cheaper than one with thirty, etc.) I didn't really write long character studies; I mostly just added little notes or cues alongside the dialogue when needed.
4) Most of the time—whenever my other work wasn't getting in the way—I did show up on set. Beyond the actual filming, there's also the process of meeting with actors to help them run lines. I'm not sure what the standard industry rule is, though; I suppose it all comes down to whatever you sign in your contract. In our case, we were a small crew and we were assigned a director, so I figured it was better if I was there to guide the actors on the intended vibe rather than leaving them to guess. 🙂

But honestly, I think that’s the real secret to making a series work. 😕

Here’s what I’m struggling with: say my protagonist needs to have the exact look of Ljubomir Kerekeš in the movie "how to start a war on my island." How do you actually write that down and convey that specific vibe to someone—like a director 😕—if they haven't seen the film? 🤷

How someone does this on a professional level? Honestly, I couldn't tell you. For me, it was always just a side hustle, something I juggled alongside my day job—which, by the way, had absolutely nothing to do with this field—so I don't have any formal training in this kind of thing.

If I were stepping into that situation myself, I’d keep it simple—dead simple. In the description (you know, where you lay out the training requirements and all that), I would literally just write: "The lead character should look like Ljubomir Kerekeš in that classic film *How the War Started on My Island*." Sure, you could technically describe those physical traits using a bunch of adjectives, but why bother? It’s much better to just say it in a way that everyone understands immediately.

I haven't a clue what the communication dynamic is like on other sets, but in my experience, I was talking directly to the actors. That meant if they had questions about what I wrote, I could just pull them aside and walk them through the details in person.

I’d say just try writing a single script first and see how it feels. Don't go in expecting much—there are endless ideas out there, but way more actual scripts being written, and filming doesn't happen nearly as often as you'd think. Plus, it's pretty obvious you don't have any connections in that industry yet.
I remember hearing about a series on a streaming platform where writers were making maybe $100 to $150 per episode, but then there was one on a major network like NBC where they were pulling in $1,000. Honestly, the pay fluctuates wildly depending on the network, the production studio, or just how big the project is overall...
From what I've seen, the writer usually isn't even on set during production, and you don't get any kind of royalties when episodes get reruns.

Alexander James15 said:I’d say just try writing a single script first and see how it feels. Don't go in expecting much—there are endless ideas out there, but way more actual scripts being written, and filming doesn't happen nearly as often as you'd think. Plus, it's pretty obvious you don't have any connections in that industry yet.
I remember hearing about a series on a streaming platform where writers were making maybe $100 to $150 per episode, but then there was one on a major network like NBC where they were pulling in $1,000. Honestly, the pay fluctuates wildly depending on the network, the production studio, or just how big the project is overall...
From what I've seen, the writer usually isn't even on set during production, and you don't get any kind of royalties when episodes get reruns.

😲😲😲 At those rates, you might be better off just collecting plastic bottles for recycling...🙂

Yeah, honestly, it’s all about how you frame it to get your foot in the door. You basically tell them, "Look, I’m [Name], I wrote thirty-two episodes of that Netflix series starring those big-name actors for a studio like Disney." You just don't mention the paycheck.
It sounds a whole lot more professional than saying, "Hi, I'm [Name]... I wrote some script once in a while."

That kind of mindset works if I were planning on making this my lifelong career. Right now, I’ve just got this one product that I really need to move.
It’s not even about working for peanuts or nothing at all—it’s more that if the series actually takes off, I’d want a piece of the action via some percentage.

Sure, but you won't actually see a percentage cut because that just makes things way too messy for the client. A percentage of what, exactly? You’ve got the network broadcasting the show, which is one corporation; then there's the production studio owned by a completely different company; meanwhile, the actors and directors are on the payroll of a third entity; and don't even get me started on the equipment rentals and tech crews being handled by a fourth outfit...
It doesn't happen every single time, but usually, you're looking at a tangled web of different players. There are multiple revenue streams involved, some kickbacks under the table, and a whole lot of moving parts.

Alexander James15 said:Sure, but you won't actually see a percentage cut because that just makes things way too messy for the client. A percentage of what, exactly? You’ve got the network broadcasting the show, which is one corporation; then there's the production studio owned by a completely different company; meanwhile, the actors and directors are on the payroll of a third entity; and don't even get me started on the equipment rentals and tech crews being handled by a fourth outfit...
It doesn't happen every single time, but usually, you're looking at a tangled web of different players. There are multiple revenue streams involved, some kickbacks under the table, and a whole lot of moving parts.

A percentage of the profits, obviously. For instance, if an independent production company filmed this and paid me a small fee, I’d want a cut if they happened to sell it to NBC. Or if they sold it over in Mexico. Even if they sold the licensing rights for a local remake somewhere else, I should get a piece of that. If NBC decides to run reruns later on, I'd want my share there too...

If you actually pull the trigger on writing that, I could probably get you an intro to a major production studio here in LA.

To be honest, though, my experience with them hasn't been exactly stellar... 🙂 so I’m not entirely sure if it's the best move for you, but hey, when you're starting from zero, it’s one way to get a foot in the door. 🙂

Charles Ramos7 said:A percentage of the profits, obviously. For instance, if an independent production company filmed this and paid me a small fee, I’d want a cut if they happened to sell it to NBC. Or if they sold it over in Mexico. Even if they sold the licensing rights for a local remake somewhere else, I should get a piece of that. If NBC decides to run reruns later on, I'd want my share there too...

Profit sharing, sure... but a TV series isn't like buying a washing machine where you just say: "I bought this for $0.97, sold it for $1.25, sold one unit, so profit equals $0.33." It’s not that simple.

Television networks can also pay out part of the deal in kind. They might give a production company, say, four minutes of ad space during the show's run. Then that company hires a marketing agency to sell those spots. You also have product placement and special promotional tie-ins—think along the lines of how brands like Coca-Cola or Verizon handle things.
Basically, the income and expenses for a TV series are a massive headache. No one is going to make their own life harder by trying to bake complex percentage calculations into every single contract just for you. If you manage to sell a script, you’ll likely sell it for a fixed, pre-negotiated amount. Good luck..