A small step or a big break?

ABC is taking a small step in Hollywood’s continuing effort to provide opportunities for women and minorities in the television business. An extremely small step.

The network is in the early planning stages of an initiative that will give newcomers, particularly participants in its Talent Development Program, a chance to write, direct, produce and star in programs that get on the air. But the shows won’t be standard miniseries, dramas or half-hour comedies.

Try, instead, really short films ... like, say, three minutes long.

Dubbed the “Micro-Mini Series,” this new program, tentatively scheduled to start in early 2004, features three-minute movies that likely will air in one-minute installments. ABC is still deciding how and when the films will be telecast, and whether they will premiere on ABC, cable’s ABC Family or both.

The “Micro-Mini Series” will draw on people from across the entertainment community, but the emphasis will be on participants in ABC’s Talent Development Program. Although talent and potential are key factors ABC cites in deciding who gets into the program, the network says it is particularly proud of the number of women and minorities who have graduated from it. The other networks offer training programs for aspiring performers and producers, but the “micro-minis” program is the only one that includes an on-air commitment.

“The key is not to just train people, but also to give them an opportunity to show what they can do,” said Susan Lyne, president of ABC Entertainment. “We knew we wouldn’t be able to staff everybody who goes through these programs on shows or get every director a chance to shine. This is an opportunity as they are working on these programs, and soon after they get out of these programs, to be able to have their work seen.”

ABC is also working with the Writers Guild of America, the Directors Guild of America and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists to get submissions for the project.

“I think the viewing audience is ready for anything that is different and innovative,” said Victoria Riskin, president of the Writers Guild of America, West. “I think breaking up the routine and coming up with something different and vibrant and innovative has great potential.”

Carmen Smith, vice president for the Talent Development Programs at the ABC Entertainment Television Group, said the concept, which grew out of the network’s different programs for people with TV aspirations, has been in the works for about a year. “We have the writing fellowship, the directing fellowship, the seasoned directors program, the casting project, the entertainment associates, the scholarship grant program for filmmakers, writers and directors. When we looked at all of these writers, directors and actors, we thought this would be a great opportunity for us to create original programming that capitalizes on all the developments that we do in terms of nurturing these artists who are truly gifted.”

Although they’re not just for minorities, Lyne said, “the number of minorities in these programs is much greater than you would find in a typical film school or at a studio.”

And while giving the filmmakers and actors just three minutes of broadcast time may not appear to be a major opportunity, executives say it’s the only such program in the television business that gives participants hands-on experience with shows that get on the air.

“Whether it is a diversity program or not ... it’s going to give us an opportunity to get real quality films for some of these candidates who might not otherwise get a chance to shoot stuff,” said Stephen McPherson, president of Touchstone Television. His company -- which, like ABC, is a division of the Walt Disney Co. -- produces many shows for the network. “It also allows us to get these people working within our system with our production execs and other creative execs and get a real access and knowledge of both sides of what each other can do, which is going to lead to more and more work down the line. You look at the numbers of [minority directors]. It has got to get better.”

Lyne said that Fox’s “The Simpsons” originally began as an interstitial -- a short diversion between two longer segments of regular programming -- on “The Tracey Ullman Show.” ABC hopes that if a character or an idea stands, it could be developed into a series.

Dailyn Rodriguez, a staff writer on “The George Lopez Show,” had a writing fellowship in 2001 and began working on the ABC sitcom as a fellow. She said that the “micro-minis” are a great “opportunity to put your writing out there. You have to take advantage of any avenue that allows you to have an audience for your work. Economically, it’s an interesting thing for them too because I believe they can test out some stuff on a much cheaper level than shooting a pilot.”

Specifics about when and how the short films will air are still being worked out, but it’s safe to assume they will not air in place of paid advertising or at the expense of a hit show. “There are places on our schedule where it is easier to do this,” Lyne said. “We have a Saturday movie, ‘The Wonderful World of Disney’ -- some of those run short. We have movies on Monday night after football is over and sometimes they run short. There are places where you can naturally do an interstitial.”

There also won’t be a set number of ‘micro-minis’ produced,” Lyne added, “because I think if we get a couple of these on the air to start with, they are going to generate more ideas and new submissions. Hopefully, we can do a series of them but not necessarily all of them at once.”

So far, she’s read about 30 of the 90 submissions. “There is a lot of story in three minutes,” Lyne said. “It’s actually a good discipline for anyone who is going into this business. You can learn to deliver a scene with a punch in a very limited time. That’s a huge asset.”