Arts & Entertainment, Writing
Researching Your Story
Lesson time 16:14 min
Effective research can make your story come to life. Using case studies from Scandal and Grey's Anatomy, Shonda discusses her techniques and method for conducting research for her stories.
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Topics include: Talking to Subjects • Taking Notes • Case Study: Researching Grey's Anatomy • Judy Smith and Scandal
Teaches Writing for Television
In 6+ hours of video lessons, Shonda teaches you her playbook for writing and creating hit television.
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I am a firm believer in research when you're doing your pilot to tell an authentic story. And it depends. I mean, there are stories where doing a ton of research is really necessary, and there are stories where doing a very small amount of research is all that you need. But, it just depends on what kind of story you're telling. You have to really be clear on what kind of story you're telling, and be OK with your level of authenticity. I'm a big fan of the good, old-fashioned library, which, many people are not, but I absolutely love it. Books will tell you everything you need to know about what a profession is like. One of the things I want to say about doing research, that I think is very important, read all the books. Read every book. Find books. Read them. Do not steal people's work. It's an unwitting thing that can sometimes happen. You don't really even realize that you're doing it, but really be careful that when you're reading books and doing your research, that you didn't find one book and take that one book, and use it as all of your source material for something. You really want to understand that you are looking for how a job is done, and not how someone did their job. It's a fine line, but I think it's important, because unless you're going to buy their rights-- the way we did with Judy Smith-- you really want to make sure that you're being respectful of the fact that somebody else has an experience that is their own. The same way you wouldn't want somebody to suddenly take your story and make a show out of it, and then tell you, "Too bad, I kind of just was inspired", you want to make sure that you're being respectful of everybody else's stories, as well. [MUSIC PLAYING] I think researching a project is really specific to what the project is. Researching medicine-- surgery-- is very different than researching, say, what Judy Smith does-- you know, the inspiration for Scandal. Being a lawyer is very different than being a shrink, like the doctors were on Private Practice. So, sometimes, it's just about talking to somebody who does the job, or who's lived the life, which is really interesting. On Gray's, I did everything from talk to actual surgical residents. I talked to actual surgeons who performed certain surgeries. I talked to patients about what their lives were like. There are resources you can call up. There is a media place for people who are doing health stuff. You can call up the Television Academy, and ask a couple of questions, and see where they'll send you to. There are places that you can call, and, frankly-- honestly-- sometimes, if you just picked up the phone and, for instance, called the doctor's office and asked a bunch of questions, they'd probably be happy to help. It's very interesting how many people are happy to help you when you say, "I'm writing a television pilot"-- oddly enough-- just to give you...
About the Instructor
When Shonda Rhimes pitched Grey’s Anatomy she got so nervous she had to start over. Twice. Since then, she has created and produced TV’s biggest hits. In her screenwriting class, Shonda teaches you how to create compelling characters, write a pilot, pitch your idea, and stand out in the writers’ room. You’ll also get original pilot scripts, pitch notes, and series bibles from her shows. Welcome to Shondaland.
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Shonda Rhimes
In 6+ hours of video lessons, Shonda teaches you her playbook for writing and creating hit television.
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