The TV Project - History in the making.

"Lessons Never Learned" - The Series

General Information:

Series Title	Lessons never learned
Genre	Comedy-Drama
Show Duration	54 minutes (excluding titles & credits)
Opening Titles	30 seconds
End Credits	30 seconds
Season 1	8 Episodes

Character Information:

Click here to go to the Character Information Page.

Main Locations:

1) The main location is a large victorian house in a London suburb where the main characters live. This house consists of a ground floor with the main entrance and two large bedsits (living room/bedroom with en suite bathroom). The first floor is the main communal living area with large kitchen and large living area (sofa's, tv, 6 person dining area, etc). The second floor again contains two large bedsits. The third floor & loft we do not get to see.

2) The local pub.

3) The 24 hour shop.

4) The advertising agency.

5) London Underground (At the stations & inside the underground trains).

6) The bank offices.

Storyline Information:

Each episode has one main plot storyline which is concluded within the episode.
There may also be at least one smaller sub-plot which is also concluded within the episode as well as general rolling storylines or scenes relating to the characters.
Each character has his/her own personality characteristics and background which will develop over the episodes as well as having their own general situations and dialogues.

a) Mark & Lee are together writing a film script called "Lessons Never Learned" which is where the title of the series comes from. The script may be referenced to and we may see the pair at work on it and we may see the pair doing research for the script.
The film revolves around a single main character who is placed in a slightly skewed version of his own reality and has to figure out what is going on, how to get back to normality as well as figuring out some fundamental questions on the nature of reality. More information on the film will be released on this website at a later date.
b) Grimm as we know is a taxi driver who claims/pretends to be a grim reaper using his black cab as a cover for his real profession.
c) The main & medium characters will at times sit around watching and commenting on tv adverts, be they adverts from Lee/Sarah's own agency or from other sources. These adverts can be amusing or serious or we may just see the characters commenting on the style or quality of the adverts shown.
d) Brian does not spend as much time at home as the others. He will sometimes be seen at home with Sally or on his own but most of his time will be spent staying at Sally's home (which we do not get to see).
e) Phil spends much of his time working in the loft. He has a bi-weekly "U-Q" (Underground Quotient) meeting. These take place at secret locations (usually abandoned buildings, factory's etc) but we do not get to see these events during the first season of the show.
f) Mark, Lee, Grimm, Sarah and Phil are fair regulars at the pub. Occasionally we may see minor characters like Dave, Jit or Brian there.
g ) We will sometimes see one of Phil's inventions. Already ready to be incorporated into episodes are "ThermoCube", "Ribotine" and "C-Thru" which will be explained in due course.

Aside from these main pointers as much freedom as possible has been left over to you to formulate your own storylines. As the episodes progress the character information and basic storyline information will be updated and expanded based upon the contributions we receive.

Do's And Do Not's

Do's

Do draw upon your own personal experiences for inspiration. The series is about real characters and real situations. There is nothing fantastical about any of the characters.

Do submit your work even if you are unsure it is any good. We may see something you don't or there may be some good ideas or potential that can be worked on.

Do ask us questions. Email us or post on the forum if you have any questions or remarks.

Do use a spelling checker, re-read and have one or two proof readers go through your work before sending it in. This will save us a lot of work and will ensure your writing has the best possible chance of being used.

Do Not's

Do Not try to be too funny or too clever. Do not try too hard, let yourself go with the flow of the episode, dialogue or scene. Do not throw in a bit of slapstick just to get a funny scene. Do not throw in a joke or a smart remark if the situation does not call for it. In a 54 minute script there is ample time for these things without forcing it.

Do Not be overly offensive. A few minor swear words and crude references are fine though.

Do Not plagiarise. Stick to your own material. You may be inspired by another sitcom, film or drama but make your writing is your own work and not just a rehash of somebody else's.

Do Not spoof. If you are thinking of writing a spoof scene from a famous film or tv show the chances are that half a dozen other tv shows or films have beaten you to it. The first "Friends", "Matrix" or "Reservoir Dogs" spoof scene you see may be very funny indeed. The fourth or fifth you see will look sad, dated, unfunny and unoriginal. Spoofing is an easy way out of a plot hole. Do not do it.

Do Not throw in a flashy action sequence or a need for special effects. Assume the show will be made on a shoestring.

Do Not be topical. Try as much as possible to refrain from referencing current affairs. Try and avoid overuse of current technological trends (mobile phones, the internet, mp3 players, etc). Try and avoid using 'in' words and 'in' phrases. The term "Blog" for instance is banned at all costs. The show may be set in the present but try and be as neutral as possible.

Do Not write in SMS text speak or MSN speak. Please use proper grammar, punctuation and no abbreviations (except within dialogue if necessary). TV studio's will throw away any script not written in the correct format. We will use the correct scrip writing software before any final script is sent off, however you can help us out a great deal by making a little extra effort.

FAQ

There is too much going on for us to remember to include everything on these pages. There are too many questions being asked for us to include a full FAQ on here. Instead we have decided to answer all these questions on the forum. If you have any other questions, please place these on the forum so that everyone can see your questions and our answers. Thanks.