ASK & DISCUSS
INDEXHow much can episodes of a series differ in terms of length?
12 years ago - Darren Roberts
I'm writing a horror anthology series aiming to have six half hour episodes I already have the stories in place and some episodes finished and am currently working on developing some scripts I previously wrote as short films but I think some may fall slightly under half an hour, maybe 27 or 28 mins long so I was just wondering if anyone knows what the max amount of time an episode of a series can differ from the rest is?
I know some series episodes differ by a couple of minutes but a series such as Black Mirror had episodes that differed by almost half an hour and my scripts could be made longer or shorter depending on pacing and directing style and I'd rather not just pad them out with filler to make them longer.
Thanks in advance for any replies.
Darren
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12 years ago - Dan Selakovich
Since I suppose this is for the web, make them as long as the dramatic structure allows them to be. When I worked in Television, a half hour episode had to be 22 minutes (to allow for commercials). But for the web, there is absolutely no reason to force yourself into that kind of system. If you're making these to air someplace else, you need to find out the exact length they need for broadcast.
Response from 12 years ago - Dan Selakovich SHOW
12 years ago - John Lubran
That's the difference between US and UK commercial half hours which, the last time we had to cut one, was 26 minutes. I've noticed that some of the low budget satellite channels in the UK seem to have more adverts than the terrestrials. Thank goodness for time shifting technology; though I suspect it'll alter the business model and modus operendi of those channels. They've pushed the ad time to beyond acceptable for many viewers.
Response from 12 years ago - John Lubran SHOW