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]
"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]