SDS Writers Room #4 - Pitching Episode Concepts

In case you haven't heard, we've been talking about working together on a script with the goal of shooting at least a portion of it, whether as an exercise to refine our skills or to develop something that might someday stand on its own.

Based on Chris Hadley’s concept, we’ve decided to develop a short script that could potentially be part of a Twilight Zone-like anthology series about how AI affects ordinary people during moments of crisis.

For our next meeting on the last Wed of May, we’re encouraging those of you who are interested in participating to flesh out episode concepts around that premise. The person with the winning proposal will have an opportunity to be one of the showrunners for the episode and significantly shape the story’s development and potential production.

An episode concept should include the dramatic question about AI that the episode will explore, a brief description of the main characters, and a few sentences about how the story will explore the dramatic question and why it is a concept that we could feasibly produce.

AI is all the buzz of late. As a potentially transformative innovation, it can speak to our hopes and fears about the future, so it has storytelling potential. Films as diverse as 2001: A Space Odyssey and Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning have already dramatized it in compelling ways, but those big-budget productions are obviously beyond the scope of what we can pull off.

That’s why we like Twilight Zone as a model. Especially in the early seasons, the effects are modest, but the show still holds up because of its character-driven storytelling.

Example of Episode Concept
“The Lonely” - Season 1, Episode 7 of Twilight Zone

Dramatic question
Can robot companionship help someone overcome loneliness, or will it leave him isolated and devoid of real community?

Main characters
Corry - a mechanically inclined convict who seemingly once killed someone in self defense
Captain Allenby -a considerate, respected leader who is responsible for supplying solitary-confinement outposts
Alicia - a robot that is at first stiff and mechanical but eventually adapts characteristics of those with whom she interacts

Dramatic exploration
Act I: Corry is a convict sentenced to solitary confinement on a distant asteroid. He yearns for company. A sympathetic captain leaves him with a robot named Alicia
Act II: Corry and Alicia become friends and fall in love.
Act III: Corry is pardoned but the ship heading back to earth has room for only one more person. Corry doesn’t want to leave without Alicia, so the captain shoots her and Corry reluctantly returns to earth.
Robot companionship provides Corry temporary relief, but that almost prevents him from returning to society. Human intervention brings him back.

Production feasibility
Limited locations, effects, and characters. The story happens mostly in one location, the futuristic elements are largely conveyed through audio, and it is essentially a story involving three characters, with a few supporting background roles.

Other potential dramatic questions about AI

• Can AI help or hinder someone grieving over the loss of a loved one?
• Does AI offer a Faustian bargain to those who can't find success on their own?
• Should AI be allowed to craft a better version of reality if that means prohibiting free will?
• If AI frees people from the necessity of work, would they become more admirable or more decadent?

For more on how to craft a story around a dramatic question, check out the book The Art of Dramatic Writing by Lajos Egri.

Deadline and how to submit
Submissions should be in .txt, .doc, or .pdf format and include similar headings to the example above. Upload submissions to this Dropbox link.

Submissions are due on May 22, one week before the meeting, and will be sent to those who RSVP to this meeting.

During the meeting, those pitching episode concepts will have an opportunity to present their concept and address questions from the group.

If you have an idea that might be a good fit, don't shy away from ideas that have personal resonance. Those stories can be harder to share, but sometimes they're the ones that leave a lasting impression.

We're looking forward to seeing what we can come up with as a group and where we can go on this new adventure together!