Mastering Pilot Writing: Insights from South Park Creators and Breaking Bad (Full Transcript)

Speaker 1: You watch the pilot for a new show, but you can't even get halfway through.

Speaker 2: "- I heard you did a pilot. That was my 15 minutes."

Speaker 1: The best pilots reel you in from the start because they apply a simple rule developed by South Park creators, Trey Parker and Matt Stone.

Speaker 3: "- Then you come up with an idea and it's like, okay, this happens, right? And then this happens. No, no, no. It should be this happens and therefore, this happens. But this happens, therefore, this happens."

Speaker 1: 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 at work, bullied at his other job.

Speaker 4: "- Hey, Mr. White. Make those tires shine, huh? "- Oh my God."

Speaker 1: 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 butt. 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.

Speaker 2: "- Best case scenario with chemo, I'll live maybe another couple of years."

Speaker 1: Remember the tactic of ending one story in order for another to begin? The 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.

Speaker 2: What? I said fuck you. And your eyebrows. Wipe down this."

Speaker 1: Walt needs to get an accomplice. Therefore, he blackmails Jesse Pinkman into helping him.

Speaker 2: "- 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."

Speaker 1: But, act two must culminate in a climax. Think of the worst thing that could happen to your protagonist.

Speaker 2: "- I know you. He was there when I got busted. He's with the DEA. No. Run, Mr. Wright, run. It's a damn shame.

Speaker 1: Wait." Good writing is showcased by how well you can get your protagonist out of it. Which leads us to act three. 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 two. That ending propels us into act three. Walt no longer is wearing pants. And his whole life has changed. "- Come over, Holmes. You can go out all day.

Speaker 2: Oh no." ♪♪

Speaker 1: Oftentimes, a pilot's 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. A denouement suggests that the series is going to explore this change.

Speaker 2: "-What is going on down there?

Speaker 1: Is he asleep?

Speaker 2: Walt, is that you?"

Speaker 1: By downloading our exclusive worksheet, you can move cards around as you revise your pilot and color code them based on characters. Also, with StudioBinder's 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 tagging the person who you would blackmail into making meth with you.

Speaker 4: "-Cooking is art and the shit I cook is the bomb. So don't be telling me. Shit you cook is shit." ♪♪