Calling Card Script: What Is It?
The calling card script is exactly that: just as a salesman would leave his calling card when attempting to obtain business, so anyone with ambitions to be a script writer will give this script to the important people.
It is important to bear in mind that when starting out, no script writer has any form of credibility, and no one apart from their friends and family know who they are. The good thing about this, is that the people who hire scriptwriters don't particularly care, either. Their only concern is if the person can write or not.
This script is what a writer will use to gain work: when done properly, it will show the writer's abilities, and portray them as a skilled individual who will be well worth hiring. It is important to bear the three following factors in mind when writing a calling card script:
Calling Card Script: Length
Most writers seeking to write for television will have a decent idea as to which area they wish to write for, and the calling card script should be exactly this length. If a writer is planning to write for a 30 minute sitcom slot, then they should write a 30 minute sitcom script as their calling card. If they are a huge fanatic fan of hour long dramas such as Holby City and Doctors, then an 60 minute drama script is the way forward. There is no point in a writer aiming to write for Eastenders providing a two-hour script exploring prostitution in Russia.
Calling Card Script: Do Not Write For An Existing Show
VERY Important: any writer wanting to be acknowledged should not script an episode for a show that already exists. Script editors want to find writers that can write vivid, original characters and plot-lines from their imagination: if they are able to do this, then they already have a proven creative ability: something essential when writing for TV.
Calling Card Script: Writing to a Budget
With the recession and the money drying up, television executives are growing more and more concerned with budgets: if they are concerned, then the writer should be, too. It is important that a calling card script's budget is realistic: if executives receive a script that involves five million pounds worth of graphics and an acting budget enough to pay the wages of every footballer in the Premiership for a whole year, they will put this down as being a substitute for creativity and substance in the script.
This doesn't mean that the script has to be two people in a room discussing intrinsic philosophical beliefs for an hour: that sort of drama would not hold modern TV audience's attention. It does mean that when writing for TV, it is important to not over-spend.
To find out more about writing for TV, visit the other articles in this series here.
Shaun Edwards - Shaun Edwards graduated from the University of Essex, UK with a BA in Creative Writing. SInce then he worked for a variety of different ...
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