how to write a tv script treatment example

With very few exceptions, TV shows are told from multiple perspectives. For example, in Breaking Bad, we start with sympathy for Walter’s situation, and even if we disagree with and dislike his actions, we believe their logic. Tip: If you create an unlikable protagonist, be sure they are somewhat sympathetic and logical. Your protagonist will drive every single central storyline, so build a perfectly poised character to be at the center of it all-likable or not. When creating your protagonist, keep in mind that you create a hub for all of your future storylines. They have a flaw that acts as an internal barrier that makes achieving their objective harder, and they have a special ability that makes them unique. A great protagonist has a tangible objective that drives all of the action and conflict in the pilot episode (and beyond). (We call this an “anti-hero.”)īut, how do you make a character interesting? By the end of the series- spoiler-he does change, albeit for the worse. Still, in every episode, his actions create more conflict and drama and ultimately push the story forward. In storytelling, the protagonist is the character whose actions drive the story forward and, typically, experiences the most character growth.įor example, in Breaking Bad, Walter White certainly isn’t always a “good guy” or even likable. It’s common for people to treat the word “protagonist” as a synonym for “main character” or “the good guy.” While this can sometimes be true, it’s not always the case. In other words, they need to have a great character arc. The protagonist of your pilot should be the protagonist of your series-which means you need to make the case that they would be interesting to follow for years to come. While TV series as a whole can get a bit more complicated, for your pilot, this still holds true. For your audience to want to spend dozens of hours binge-watching your show, they need to be captivated by your characters. In television, writers and characters are king. In films, you almost always have characters designed to fill specific story roles-a single protagonist, an antagonist, a mentor, etc. To keep it simple, we’re going to show you how to do this on notecards in Arc Studio Pro, but you can use whatever technique works best for you.įor guidance, we will primarily give example answers for The Good Place (you can read the pilot here to get acquainted!). How To Write A TV Pilot in 3 Key Stepsīefore you face down that blinking cursor, you need to answer these three questions: But, how do you do that? We'll break it down for us in 3 key steps.

How to write a tv script treatment example