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How to Construct a TV Pilot from Scratch

How to Construct a TV Pilot from Scratch

Each year, thousands of scripts are submitted for review by major networks and out of those hundreds of TV pilot scripts are sold to top networks and streaming sites like Netflix, Hulu and YouTube TV. While this may seem like you’ve got a great chance of having your pilot picked up for production, it’s very important for you to understand that many writers will submit time and again before their work is appreciated enough for purchase. Learning how to construct a TV pilot script that your agent can hand over to the top network show-runners and expect them to bite on is certainly hard work, but it’s not impossible!

What does it take to write a TV pilot script that sells? It takes dedication, an immediate hook, and a unique approach that hasn’t been seen before. There’s certainly more to learning how to construct a TV pilot script than just throwing together some words on the page. Spec scripts are almost impossible to sell these days – you need an original idea that’s engaging and entertaining right from the start.

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Start by Determining Whether Your TV Pilot will Be Serial or Episodic 

The first step to writing a TV pilot from scratch is to determine what your goal is for the narrative. Will your storyline represent a serial narrative or an episodic narrative? 

Serial TV shows have a single major plot and a conflict which spans the duration of the show.  Each show within the series represents a continuation of the previous storyline. The pilot for a serial television show is going to introduce the major plot and conflict but by no means will the story end with the single episode.

Episodic TV shows represent individual shows in which the previous episodes have no bearing on the events of the current episode nor do the events of the current episode bear any weight on the upcoming episodes. These types of TV pilots might have certain overarching elements in which a new character enters the world or a character leaves the world, but the main conflict does not carry forward from one episode to the next. Each episode can stand alone without any prior context required in order for the audience to understand what’s happening on the screen.

Determine the Length of Your TV Pilot

The next step in figuring out how to construct a TV pilot is to determine the total length. Are you writing a half-hour show or a full-hour show? 

If you’re working on a half-hour television pilot, you’re going to have between two and three acts depending on whether it sells to a network television channel or a premium cable television channel. Premium channels can limit the number of commercials which could potentially add between 5 and 8 minutes of total screen time to your show or the equivalent of up to 8 written pages of script.

Remember, your acts should always end with a climactic scenario that engages the audience. This is how you get your audience to stick around through the commercial break. 

For an hour long segment, you can have between four and five total acts, again all of which end on a climactic and engaging level that hooks your audience. Each act should average about 8 to 10 pages whether you’re working on a half-hour or a full-hour pilot.

Start with a Strong Visual Opening

As you set the scene for your story, it’s important to focus heavily on the visual opening. Focus on establishing the landscape and background of your scene. Establish essentials regarding how your character is going to behave, the dynamics of essential friend/family relationships among characters, and the essential visual elements that are going to hook your audience. 

You want to start with your audience instantly wondering what’s about to happen or what is happening. Hooking your audience right from the start is going to encourage their interest as you build up to the plot of your story and begin to deliver the narrative. The first 10 pages of your TV pilot are absolutely vital as this represents the first 10 minutes which will make or break your story.

The plot should be introduced and it should begin moving forward with strong momentum.  

Establish Characters & Rules of the World

By page 20 of your TV pilot you should have established the plot as well as the characters and the rules of the world. Don’t expect your audience to know who your characters are or what their intentions are without you delivering some details. The first 10 minutes should focus on delivering the plot and the initial insight into who the characters of the show are. The next 10 minutes must dictate who plays the major role, how they interact with others, and where each character stands in terms of power and overall dynamic.

In establishing the rules of the world, the focus should be on helping the audience to understand the setting of the story. Is this set in a real world environment? Is it a fantasy? What’s the world like?

Once you’ve established the characters and the world upon which the characters are going to interact, you face the burden of helping the audience to derive strong understanding of the story without really giving them a whole lot of time to look into it.  If you hook them in the beginning, and you help them feel emotionally connect to the characters and the world they live in next, you’ll keep them around for the rest of the show.

Throw Your Audience for a Loop & Wrap it Up

Learning how to construct a TV pilot script is all about focusing on how you’re going to keep your audience hooked. It starts with establishing a plot that generates immediate audience interest and keeps them hooked. Next you’re going to throw in characters and a world that they can relate to and from which they will draw emotional ties. Now, you might be thinking the audience that makes it this far into the story will know what to expect next – but don’t be boring! Throw them for a loop!

Instead of allowing whatever they think will happen next to be the end of the TV pilot, you’re going to thrown them for a loop that is unpredictable and certainly NOT what they expected. Now is your chance to show your audience why they should come back for more. Show them that even when things appear predictable, they’re not always what they seem.

Once you’ve thrown the audience into an entirely different plot twist that has them reeling with excitement, it’s time to wind the action back down and close the narrative out for this episode. Ending your TV pilot with some interest in what’s going to happen next to your characters and within your storyline is key. Once you’ve established these key elements, you have effectively figured out how to construct a TV pilot that’s going to sell!

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