We watch the pilot
for a new show,
but you can't even
get halfway through.
"I heard you did a pilot.
That was my 15 minutes."
The best pilots really
went from the start
because they apply a simple rule
developed by South Park creators
Trey Parker and Matt Stone.
"Then you come up with an idea and
it's like okay this happens, right?
And then this happens. No. No.
It should be this happens
and therefore this happens,
but this happens,
therefore, this happens."
So today, we're going to look
at how this method applies
to one of the most praised
pilots of all time.
Welcome to StudioBinder.
Let's get started.
As you can see, we've broken
the pilot up into three acts.
For each act, you can fill in a card
and place it where it needs to be.
We know we want to end act
one with some big news.
But we have to establish
some things first,
like how he's a high
school chemistry teacher
who gets walked
all over it work.
Bullied at his other job.
"-Hey, Mr. White!
Take this tire shine,huh?
-Oh my god."
And even pushed around
in his own family.
We`ll add those to a card and
start filling in the blanks.
Let's drop down a but.
The moment that Walt finds
out that he has cancer
is considered the
inciting incident.
"Lung cancer? Inoperable?"
The inciting incident is
what kicks off the series.
It's essentially the event
that changes his life forever.
"Best-case scenario with chemo,
I'll live maybe another
couple of years."
Remember the tactic
of ending one story
in order for another to begin.
Inciting incident is
typically that first ending.
Without the cancer diagnosis,
he would have never turned into
Heisenberg or even got that hat.
We've established our
inciting incident.
We've also finished
our first act,
but our hero needs an active
drive that builds to a climax.
Therefore, Walt starts cooking
meth to provide for his family
after he's gone, right?
Not so fast.
There are a couple things he
needs to do to arrive there.
"Fuck you,Bogdan.
I said fuck you
and your eyebrows."
Walt needs to get an accomplice.
Therefore,he blackmails Jesse
Pinkman into helping him.
"Pinkman?
You got nothing.
Square one,
but you know the business,
and I know the chemistry.
Maybe you and I
could partner up.
Either that or I turn you in."
But act two must
culminate in a climax.
Think of the worst thing that
could happen to your protagonist.
"-I know you.
He was there when I got busted.
He's with the D.E.A.
-No!
-Run, Mr.White, Run!
-It`s a damn shame.
-Wait!"
Good writing is showcased by how well
you can get your protagonist out of it.
Which leads us to act 3.
The Denouement.
Yeah, it's a fancy French word
that literally means
the act of untying.
It's important to note that the
active drive we established earlier,
should build to a climax
at the end of act 2.
That ending propels
us into act 3.
Walt no longer is wearing pants,
and his whole life has changed.
"Move it, homes.
You got all day."
[Music]
[Music]
"What happened?"
Oftentimes, a pilots denouement
will end with a cliffhanger
that sets up the
rest of the series.
Walt's climax ends with a man completely
different than he was in act 1.
"That's why they hire men.
Looks like Keith Richards
with a glass of warm milk."
And now denouement suggests that the
series is going to explore this change.
"What`s going on down there?
Is he asleep?
Walt? Is that you?"
By downloading our
exclusive worksheet,
you can move cards around
as you revise your pilot
and color code them
based on characters.
Also with StudioBinders
free screenwriting software,
you'll be able to move your script
into production one step at a time.
If you like the video,
make sure you share
and subscribe.
Leave a comment tag in the person who you
would blackmail into making meth with you.
"-Cocaine is Art.
And the shit I cook is the
bomb, so don't be telling me.
- Shit you cook. The shit."
[Music]
