87 Pages

...this is the length of the rewrite I just completed on my pilot script. This number may not have a whole lot of meaning to those of you outside of the industry. And, in fact, if I were writing a feature comedy, this would be an excellent page count. I am, however, writing a one-hour drama. And, at 87 pages, well, I might as well be writing Roots. In other words, that's way too long. About 27 pages too long. That's almost half again as long as it should be.

Maybe, said a good friend who is also a writer, it wants to be a feature. It could be a feature, but here's the irony. Not enough happens for it to be a feature. So that's where I am. Too much is happening for a one hour pilot. Not enough's happening to be a feature.

There is the tantalizing idea of what is sometimes called a "backdoor pilot" - which is a TV Movie that becomes a TV series. However, I'm not sure it's something I should actually be aiming for.

So, what to do? One of the first screenwriting books I ever read, one that I actually used, and, actually, the only one I recommend (How to Write a Movie in 21 Days), recommends closing your eyes and watching the movie. You know what the movie (or, in this case, the show) looks like, at least subconsciously, so sometimes, if you let go of the need to describe everything in words, you can find what is missing. Also, if it's not there when you watch the movie in your head, then maybe you don't need it. This is what I'm hoping will happen.

So, here I go, closing eyes...and...roll film....