![]() Reaction to act one problem: they’ll monitor the cancer situation and see what happens. That’s the end of act one: Character/situation/problem. So, we have an action (I’m pregnant), reaction (we’ll keep it).Ĭomplication: They go to the doctor for a check-up and discover Sharon may have cancer. He goes back to London and they decide to keep the baby. Now we have our episode problem: Sharon is pregnant. Meeting and having sex for a week was the inciting incident. He also lies to the intern and says when Sharon calls that it’s his mom. And we also get that character sense from him in his exchange with the date he’s on – she’s an intern where he works. Her contact on his phone is SHARON – LONDON – SEX. He gets a call during the date – looks at his phone. This intrigues him and leads to them having sex for what they, and we, believe will be the last time. He brushes her off in his goodbye speech and she says something that suggests she really cares for him. Also, it foreshadows their future choices. It sets up the characters beautifully and sets the tone of the show. And, as we’ll soon see, their three-day romance leads to a catastrophe. Normally, I’d advise against writers calling out TITLES in their script, but in this situation, it would be called for and would work perfectly because it is the punch line to the visual of Rob’s bare ass exposed, pants around his ankles, as he has sex with Sharon one last time. It ends with them having sex in a stairwell one last time before he goes back to the US.Īt the end of the teaser, we freeze-frame on them having sex in the stairwell and the word CATASTROPHE splashes across the screen. They agree to see each other again and we spend three minutes seeing their whirlwind week-long relationship. In the CATASTROPHE teaser/opening hook Rob and Sharon meet for the first time in a London bar (Rob is there on business) and have a one-night stand. If you haven’t seen this show we highly recommend it. Let’s break down one of our favorite half-hour streaming shows: CATASTROPHE on Amazon. Sometimes, not always, there is an epilogue. And in the process sets up the larger series problem. Where our protagonist solves the episode/pilot problem. Just like in a feature.ĪCT THREE is the resolution. The act out should be a lower point that puts success into question. In streaming, it escalates the problem.ĪCT TWO is all about escalation and the action your protagonist takes to solve the pilot problem. Always end your acts on a cliffhanger that, if on broadcast TV, begs the viewer to hang out to see what happens next. In ACT ONE, we set up character, situation and at the end of the act, present the problem of the pilot. But, the best grab us and tease us to get engaged. Some teasers involve a main character some present a story question. Grab us with something either story or character-centric. It’s the equivalent of a hook in a feature. ![]() You have a teaser which does exactly what it says it will do: tease the audience. ![]() Structure is very similar to a feature film’s three-act structure. There’s much more flexibility on that side of the biz. Streaming pilots can run anywhere from 23 to 90 minutes long. We’re kicking things off with a half-hour pilot, but stay tuned for an hour-long breakdown coming soon! 30 MINUTE PILOT STRUCTUREįirst off, what we’re finding with the streaming services is that structure isn’t as important as it is with broadcast networks that use commercial breaks. So, we’re starting a new series where we break down great pilot episodes of fantastic shows to help you learn the ins and outs of creating your own world and characters. ![]() However, writing your first or even fifth pilot can feel a bit overwhelming. It’s no secret that if you want to tell a great onscreen story TV is where it’s at. ![]()
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