Television 1960's; Catch Up Work

Please turn in your homework (Chapter 6: Part 2 - TV & Cable) today.

Period 7:

Please watch the episode: "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" from The Twilight Zone (1963, season 5). As we watch, look at the television script. Please note that the script is not formatted in the correct television script format. More on that later.

30 minute television episodes were generally divided into 3 acts (beginning, middle, end) with short advertisement breaks (commercials!)

See the handout on TV script structure. Keep this sheet, as we will be using it throughout this unit.

Structure in a typical tv show:

• Beginning (Act 1)
• Prologue or teaser* (*a short scene that introduces the inciting incident)
• The main titles & intro.
• Status quo & the introduction of the first problem (exposition/rising action)
• Introduction of the subplot
• Act 1 will end with a complication or crisis for one of the protagonists or storylines
• Introducing a deadline into your narrative is called a "time-lock" in script writing
• Middle (Act 2)
• Development of the plot (rising action/crisis)
• Development of the subplot (rising action/crisis)--a subplot usually comments on the main plot in a different way (theme & variation). It also can be used to highlight a minor character or theme
• A turning point (crisis) where the story takes an unexpected turn is dealt with in the second act
• Act II usually ends with a dark moment for the protagonist--who now knows what they need to do (epiphany/enlightenment) to overcome their problem (in a mystery, for example, the detective figures out who the killer is and must confront the criminal, etc.)
• End (Act 3)
• Resolution of the subplot
• An enlightenment (if it did not occur in Act 2) for the protagonist (in a mystery, for example, the detective figures out who the killer is and must confront the criminal, etc.)
• Climax (protagonist and antagonist meet or fight to resolve the problem)
• Resolution (return to status quo)

Period 8:

For those who need to complete their podcasts, please do so now. If you need a good model or sample of what your podcast should sound like, take a listen to Maddy & Tali's episode. This is an excellent example of this project.

If you are done with your project please upload your podcast to Youtube and send me the URL link in the comment section of this post. Your podcasts are late (they were due last class), but if you do not finish them today, please complete on your own time.

If you are done, please make sure you are caught up on your homework/classwork for this course, and work on your new homework or watch a few clips from 1960's television shows:

The Andy Griffith Show (1960-1968)
Bewitched (1964-1972)
Gilligan's Island (1964-1967)
Mr. Ed (1961-1966)
Bonanza (1959-1973)
The Wild, Wild West (1965-1969)
The Flintstones (1960-1966)
Lost in Space (1965-1968)
Star Trek (1966-1969)

HOMEWORK: Please read the article on Star Trek and the script/episode: "What Little Girls Are Made Of" by Robert Bloch.