[Vicki McWilliams]

SUBJECT: Vickie McWilliams’ “Moab” Pitch

What I a learned from this assignment is:

I had to remember and use my Series logline to stay focus on the story for the pitch. I have written longline for the pilot, the series and for each perspective episode.

GENRE: Sci-Fi (Action)

TITLE: Moab (Pilot Title: “Moab: The Embarkation”)

HIGH CONCEPT: After Earth’s subterranean communities start to reach capacity and safety, an engineer and geneticists with many secrets accompany a selected group to their new homes in a deep underwater city (aka Moab) that they designed and where all their lives will have new and unexpected challenges and dangers.

TRANSFORMATIONAL JOURNEY: By the end of season one, the engineer and geneticists will find their high morals and ethics that have been focused on saving and protecting the many (the community) being tested and compromised to save and protect only their own two children.

OPPOSITIONS: Another geneticists and former colleague (aka Antagonist) that stole her research is unexpectedly allowed to join the Moab community with his team. His goal is to find out what the couple is hiding and to continue his human genetic engineering experiments on the Moab.

[Vicki McWilliams]

I am Vickie McWilliams.

1. I have written five pilots, a few features and shorts.

2. I hope class will provide new techniques that I I can add to to my tool kit for me to improve my rewrite knowledge, skills and abilities.

3. Hmmmmm! I have to think about this one

.

[Vicki McWilliams]

I, Vickie McWilliams, agree to the terms of this agreement

[Vicki McWilliams]

Vicki’s Key Business Decisions

What I learned doing this assignment is how to focus on what the producers expect me to bring to the table about my own projects. I also feel now that I can focus how to interact and communicate with them about the projects they bring to the table. The really great thing that I am starting to understand is how to bring my own experience in participating in on TV/Film concept meeting, location meetings, tech scouts, and production meetings into this process. I am replaying all the questions and discussion directors, producers and executive bring to the table regarding characters, concepts, budget, etc.

1. Give us the decisions that are in your current Binge Worthy TV High Concept pilot script:

Genre – Murder Mystery

Title – “Pursue and Adapt”

Concept – The Homicide Detective division investigates murders that are not so straight forward (in most cases people they know) and lead them into the inner workings of a New Mexico city that is called a village located just 20 minutes from the big City of Albuquerque and with just as many bodies piling up.

Audience – Male (40%) and Female (60%) – Ages (20% between 18-29: 80% over 30)

Budget (Pilot) – $6 – $9 Million per Episode (Season 1 – Eight Episodes – $48 – $72 million)

Lead Characters:

· Trecie Hubbard, Chicago Undercover Detective

· Emil Tucrow, Los Tuenos Detective Sergeant Homicide Division

Journey / Character Arc for Season 1:

· Trecie Hubbard – A lone wolf must learn how to run with the pack (adapt) to solve a murder and catch the murder.

· Emil Tucrow – A by-the-book detective must learn to use the blurred-line strategies to get the job done (pursue) and solve a murder and trust a stranger with his life.

Opening / Ending:

· Opening (Pilot and Season 1) – Gabe Valdez (17) is murdered on his birthday bring his Godmother, Chicago undercover detective, Trecie Hubbard, back home to solve his murder in her own way.

· Ending (Season 1) – Gabe Valdez’s murderer caught, Trecie reluctantly joins the Detective Division and becomes Tucrow’s new partner.

2. Tell us which of those decisions you could improve to make your script more marketable?

· Get the budget closer to $6 million per episode

· Work on the concept to make it more TV Binge Worthy using my course materials

· Work on the concept more for the hook. What makes this team different? What makes the homicides unique/different? What makes this pilot different?

• This reply was modified 4 years ago by  Vicki McWilliams.
• This reply was modified 4 years ago by  Vicki McWilliams.

[Vicki McWilliams]

Vicki’s Specialty – Murder Mystery

What I learned is how important it was to learn about the tropes first so I could recognize them in the pilots.

My Specialty is Murder Crime (Subgenre – Murder Mystery)

_______________________________________________________________________________

TV Show: Line of Duty (British Series)

Pilot: A Disastrous Affair

Genre: Crime (subgenre: Drama, Mystery)

These are the Mystery Tropes I looked for in the TV Pilots: (I need to type in my notes and outline).

• Play-fair Whodunnit
• Great Detectives
• Absence of Evidence
• Beneath Suspicion
• Driving Question
• Eagle-Eye Detective
• Evidence Scavenger Hunt
• Eureka Moment/Epiphany
• Everyone is a Suspect
• Hidden in Plain Sight
• Hidden Villain
• Important Character
• Important Evidence
• Mistaken for Evidence
• Murder POV
• Never One Murder
• Never Suicide
• Notable Non Sequitur
• Chekhov’s Gun/Foreshadowing
• Red Herring
• Rewind, Replay, Repeat!
• *** Reverse Whodunit ***
• Saying Too Much
• Shell Game
• The Stack Out
• The Stranger Behind the Mask
• The Summation
• That Mysterious Thing

__________________________________________________________________________

2nd Pilot:

TV Show: Vera (British Series)

Pilot: Hidden Depths

Genre: Crime (subgenre: Drama, Mystery)

What I learned is how important it was to learn about the tropes first so I could recognize them in the pilots. Now, I also have questions about other things that showed up in both series too. It was also good to see the differences between the two type of series (i.e., serial and episodic).

These are the Mystery Tropes I looked for in the TV Pilots: (I need to type in my notes and outline).

• Play-fair Whodunnit
• Great Detectives
• Absence of Evidence
• Beneath Suspicion
• Driving Question
• Eagle-Eye Detective
• Evidence Scavenger Hunt
• Eureka Moment/Epiphany
• Everyone is a Suspect
• Hidden in Plain Sight
• Hidden Villain
• Important Character
• Important Evidence
• Mistaken for Evidence
• Murder POV
• Never One Murder
• Never Suicide
• Notable Non Sequitur
• Chekhov’s Gun/Foreshadowing
• Red Herring
• Rewind, Replay, Repeat!
• *** Reverse Whodunit ***
• Saying Too Much
• Shell Game
• The Stack Out
• The Stranger Behind the Mask
• The Summation
• That Mysterious Thing

[Vicki McWilliams]

Vicki’s Credibility is Going Up!

What I learned during this assignments is:

1. I need to work on my visual, public creditability as a screenwriter across various social media.

2. Build my creditability among TV/Feature professionals.

3. I need to credit strong writing samples…focus on my rewrites in the Month of May.

Make a list of possible things you can do to increase your credibility in the future.

a) Finish rewrites and get paid coverage on feature and pilot.

b) Submit Pilot into creditable contest in May.

c) Compile a list of 2021 contests.

1. Based upon the Credibility Model in this lesson, fill in the Credibility Checklist to show us your current credibility.

1. Your Writing Sample

– ‘Recommend’ from Coverage – None

– Delivers on the genre in a strong way – Getting There!

– Delivers on the business decisions – ???

2. Screenwriting Accomplishments

– Contest wins – None – Entering Pilot in Contest in May 2021

– Smaller deals (options, sales, writing assignments) – None

– Larger deals – None

– Movies produced – Associate Producers on Independent Feature

3. The Google factor

Google your name. How many items on the first page show you as a professional

screenwriter? Ten (10)

Buzz posts, interviews, news reports, etc..

4. Your Network

How many producers are in your network? 15+

How many Connections do you have who are connected to producers? 10+

5. Education specific to screenwriting

– Degree in film or screenwriting – None

– Master Screenwriter Certificate program at ScreenwritingU – Yes, not completed.

Two college courses completed. Other ScreenwriterU courses. Online workshops.

6. Borrowed Credibility

– Represented by an agent or manager – No

– Working with a producer – No

– Connected to a star – Yes

– Connected to a funding source – Maybe

7. IMDB CREDITS

Go to [url=”http://imdb.com/”]http://IMDB.com[/url] and search your name. What

credits show up there for you?

>> Art Department (24 credits) – missing current credit

>> Production Manage (7 credits)

>> Additional Credits – Production Coordinator (3 credits) – missing three (3)

credits

>> Second Unit Director or Assistant Director (1 credit)

>> Producer (1 Credit)

8. Other forms of credibility that is related to screenwriting:

– Novels published – No

– Producer or director experience – Two (2) IMDB credits

– Experience working with agencies, production companies, film festivals, etc.. –

Working as an IATSE Local 480 member since 2006 – Experience with Production

Company Executives.

[End of Assignment Submission]

[Vicki McWilliams]

Vicki’s Projects and Insights

The two projects that I am bringing into our class are:

1. Courier of Powers (Working Title) – Fantasy/Action/Adventure – Finished Feature – First Draft – Budget: Over $100 Million

2. Pursuit & Adapt – Drama – Finished TV Pilot – First Draft – Budget: Under $1 Million.

What I learned from the teleconference was:

A) The importance of having and maintaining communication during the entire writing assignment.

B) Make sure I am writing to the target/goal of my client. I have giving them what they want and not what I think they want or I want.

C) To be flexible when acquiring my first writing assignment and use it as a stepping stone.

[Vicki McWilliams]

Hi! I am Vicki (she). I have written one pilot, two shorts, four features, a too many training video scripts to count, and have four features in various stages. I am an introvert that works in an extrovert world twelve hours a day. I have the Producer contacts. Now, I want to know how to interact with them to get paid assignments from them. Also, going through the 2020 Covid year has made realize what I want to being doing full-time when I finish this show in December…. Writing…