Characters may have to repair property damages. There are worries about substance abuse,
and occasionally there are concerns about the occult and hypnotism.
There is anxiety about anxiety! Watch for excessive or prolonged anxiety, gratuitous
psychological pain, or hopelessness. Characters should be shown ways to overcome their
problems. There should be positive role models, no negative stereotypes. Language must be
acceptable. Commercial names should be avoided (to avoid lawsuits). Program content and
commercial messages must be clearly separate. It should be clear at all times that stories are
fiction and not real news reports. In the United States a rating system is used for television,
motion pictures, and games.
Writing the Premise
Hook the story editor immediately. Make your title catchy. Sparks should fly with the first
sentence. Joe Barbera used to say, “Get aboard a moving train!” Set up the star, villain,
problem/conflict, and where it takes place immediately in the first narrative paragraph.What’s
the dreadful alternative if the problem isn’t solved? Use common emotions.Why are your char-
acters doing what they’re doing? Include examples of characters reacting in character. Intro-
duce attitude. Put your own personality into the premise. Add a gag or two. Omit dialogue.
Write in the present tense. Use strong verbs. Check spelling and grammar. Keep your premise
as short as possible, and emphasize the best parts, downplaying the rest. As a new writer, it’s
best to include a fairly complete structure, but if that structure doesn’t help sell the premise,
keep it sparse. Make your premise fun to read. Scare, tease, tantalize! Write. Then put each
premise away for a day or two, and rewrite. Be sure that you’re clear, specific, and precise.
Check that your premise is written in the same format as the sample premises that the story
editor gave you. Remember that the purpose of a premise is to sell your idea!
Submitting Your Premises
Working quickly and meeting deadlines are essential. Be sure that you finish your premises
right away. Drop them off. Don’t bother the story editor personally unless he’s asked to meet
with you. It might take him a couple of days to get back to you. More likely it will take a
couple of weeks. You can write more premises while you wait. You may have to submit a
number of premises before the story editor finds one that is just right. It’s likely that the
story editor will give you notes and ask for a rewrite (or a couple of rewrites) before he
feels that your premise is ready to send on. Once he approves a premise, the story editor
will probably need approvals from the producer, from anyone who may hold a license to
the characters, and finally from the network (programming and censors). Each person who
has approval rights may have notes for you. If the premise is approved, then the story editor
will call you and give you notes for changes at the next step: the outline. Sometimes the com-
petition is tough and none of your premises is approved. The story editor knows his show
well, and he understands what will work for those characters and what won’t. He knows
what has been written and aired before. And he’s aware of what’s already been approved
for the current season. Your idea must complement the other stories that will be airing; it
must be workable and right for the series.
120 Animation Writing and Development