Identify Story Type: Decide if your pilot is a premise or non-premise pilot. Choose stories that highlight your show’s unique situation and challenge norms.
Focus on a Key Story Chunk: For a premise pilot, focus on a story segment between your Opening Image and Break into 2 to provide a small, episode-worthy journey for your main character.
Create a Formidable Conflict: Ensure your pilot story takes the hero from their ordinary world to a point where they must make a decision to embrace the show’s world. Introduce significant conflict and stakes.
Leverage Season Beat Sheet: Use elements from your Season 1 beat sheet, even if it means borrowing from later episodes, to create an impactful pilot.
Highlight Franchise Type: Utilize your franchise type (e.g., Trapped Together, Blank of the Week, (Wo)Man with a Plan) to guide your pilot’s structure and conflicts.
Map Out Story DNA: Define your hero, their goal, the obstacle they face, and the stakes involved. Make these elements clear and compelling.
Determine Save the Cat! Genre: Identify your pilot’s Save the Cat! genre (e.g., Monster in the House, Golden Fleece, Out of the Bottle) to guide story elements and hero transformation.
Write a Strong Logline: Create a logline for your pilot that clearly communicates the catalyst, hero, obstacle, goal, and stakes.
Pilot Beat Sheet: Develop a detailed beat sheet for your pilot, starting with pillar beats (Opening Image, Catalyst, Break into 2, Midpoint, All Is Lost, Break into 3, Final Image).
Character-Forward Story: Ensure your pilot is character-driven, with the main character actively pursuing their goal and facing substantial obstacles.
Balance Storylines: For ensemble shows, break out Story DNA and loglines for each subplot and blend them into the main narrative.
Consider TV Act Breaks: If targeting network TV, include act breaks (usually after single-scene beats like Catalyst, Break into 2, Midpoint, All Is Lost, Break into 3) to maintain viewer interest through commercials.
Emphasize Key Moments: Hit single-scene beats hard to ensure good pacing and maintain viewer engagement throughout your pilot.
Introduce Major Characters: Ensure all major characters are introduced and their roles are clear by the end of the pilot.
Set Up Future Episodes: Your pilot should imply ways to introduce other stories, window characters, and potential mini-episode teasers.
Reflect Overall Theme: Ensure the pilot’s theme reflects the overall theme of the show and hints at future conflicts and character development.
Ensure Pilot’s Impact: Make sure your pilot ends with a significant moment that leaves viewers eager to see what happens next.
Avoid Expositional Blahs: Show your character and world through conflict rather than overloading with exposition.
Introduce New World: Clearly introduce the show’s world and franchise type, ensuring viewers understand the setting and potential storylines.
Blend Story Threads: For ensemble shows, blend various story threads effectively, giving each character sufficient screen time while maintaining a cohesive narrative.
Nash, Jamie. Save the Cat! Writes for TV: The Last Book on Creating Binge-Worthy Content You’ll Ever Need. Save the Cat! Press, 2021.