Pitch Workshop

NETFLIX
ESSENTIALS
TEASE THEM AT THE LEAVE THEM
CHARACTER DRIVEN NARRATIVE DRIVE
START HANGING
Viewers develop The audience subconsciously Does not mean the pace of Plot Cliffhangers are usually
relationships with decides whether they will the show needs to be fast. dramatic events or plot
characters not plot. watch your show in the first 5 twist.
seconds! Hero should be proactive Emotional Cliffhangers are
Their engagement depends in trying to obtain their revelations to the hero that
on whether they relate to goal. Overly reactive have an impact on their
the character and A good teaser will give the emotional arc. These can
audience a taste of who the heroes are boring.
understand their be small or big moments.
motivation. character is, the central But always impactful.
conflict and the world. Each scene should move
If they don’t find the emotional arc and/ or plot
character interesting, they forward. Viewers want new Sometimes the reveal can be
Every episode should have a information from their only to the viewer and not th
won’t care if the character teaser unless the start of the scenes. hero.
gets what they want. episode is picking up exactly
where the last episode Needs to be compelling
ended. Usually in the middle enough to drive viewer
of a dramatic plot twist. interest to the next
NETFLIX
How To Create a
PITCH DOCUMENT
(5 to 10 pages)
1. The Story Questions
2. The Overview
3. The World
4. The Tone
5. Character Descriptions
6. Season Summaries
7. Potential Episodes
Who are these
characters? What do they
want?
Why do they want it?
How do they go about getting
it? What are the central
conflicts?
What are the stakes?
What are the
themes?
STEP TWO:
THE OVERVIEW
Includes:

● A short
synopsis.

● Why this series?

STEP TWO:
THE OVERVIEW
The Synopsis Should Have The Following:

WHO is the hero and what do

they want?

WHY now and what happens if

they don’t get what they want?

WHAT is the central conflict?

 Keep It
SHORT!
Think “elevator pitch.”

No Backstory.

Don’t get into character

dynamics. Just one paragraph if

STEP TWO:
THE OVERVIEW
Why This Series?:

● What makes the story fresh?

● Are there any relevant hotbed issues

being explored?

● Is it personal?

● Tell us more about the themes.

STEP THREE:
TELL US ABOUT
YOUR WORLD
WHERE IS YOUR WORLD?
The location should be a character in your story.

WHEN IS YOUR WORLD?

Provide a mythology if in the future or fantasy.
Provide historical perspective if a period
piece.

WHAT IS THE PROFESSION?

What you hero does for a living should be part
of the world.
STEP FOUR:
TELL US ABOUT
YOUR TONE
● The tone is the feeling or atmosphere that you want
to convey to the audience when they watch your
series.
● Be intentional with your choices. They must help tell
the story.
● From dark to light, tone usually matches the emotional
resonance of your themes. Revenge=Dark. Love=Light.
● Talk about potential camera and shooting styles.
● Feel free to use movie, television and pictorial
references to help communicate your vision.
STEP FIVE:
TELL US ABOUT
YOUR CHARACTERS
● Backstory:
○ Any info from their past
that informs their desires,
motivations and choices
they make in your series.
● Traits:
○ Any values, physical and
personality traits that
helps bring them to life.
● Arcs
○ How they change emotional
in the series.
MAKING ROOTWORTHY KEY CHECK
CHARACTERS INGREDIENTS LIST
CATALYST A “Call to Action” Do they have a
There are three key ingredients that make up Fulfilling destiny, reaching for compelling
Catalyst
Rootworthy Characters: Catalyst, Moral Compass, Underlying motivation
and Transformation. While all or backstory
success, standing up for yourself ?
Backstory that shapes Moral
rootworthy characters need these ingredients, Inherent Altruism Compass
there Audiences want to know where
characters come from. Standing up for those who can’t,
isn’t a set order that you need to introduce them - it’s all Catalyst that is understandable,
doing the “right’ thing
about what works best for the story you want to tell. The Catalyst is the emotionally charged relatable, or emotionally charged
spark that ignites a character’s journey. Catalyst that feels organic and true
Personal tragedy
THE Catalysts should center around one
central reason and not just be a disperse Loss of loved ones, terminal illness,
to the character

IMPORTANCE backstory or history of the character. poverty, childhood trauma

OF A GOAL
Before you even worry about the MORAL Protecting and
Do they have a
3 ingredients, defined
Moral
a compelling story and goal
is step one in the
COMPASS avenging
Compass?
Doing almost anything for
process, and helps point viewers towards the Guiding principles
Audiences want a set of rules or
to help level family or love
Clear rules and codes they live
characters they are supposed to root for. set expectations for how a character will act. by
code
Clear, established motivation Uncovering truth
Doing whatever it takes to Boundaries for things they
Do An
they have
ultimate a clear
goal, whether or notgoal?
the
Moral Compass is the code or rules that bring the truth to light
will/won’t do
viewer knows the specifics
characters
actions. set for
Moral themselves
compasses thatand guide are
resonate their Fighting for Moral Compass that’s tested
the through Transformation
shades of grey, and do NOT need to be in line greater good
FILM VS. SERIES with the morality of our world as long as they Fighting for what’s really important,
are justifiable in the story world. regardless of the cost
By nature, film pacing needs to be quicker,
and audiences need to see more immediate signs
TRANSFORMATION Difficult Do they have a
of the main ingredients to get and stayed invested
in the character. Series have the luxury of the Obstacles and challenges choices and believable
Transformation
“slow burn” approach to Transformation and more that spur growth sacrifice ?
ambiguity in Moral Compass. Personal sacrifice for the Clear path/potential to growth
Audiences don’t want characters to be
Transformation that’s in line with
perfect, they want growth. bskills/power
e tt er m e n t o f
L e a r n i n g their Moral Compass, has a strong
Transformation shows how characters Slowly improving over time in a connection to their Catalyst
handle and grow from trials and t h eri c au s e s
t o cor oskilln t r ol
talent
tribulations. It can be either positive or Overcoming hardship
For more information, contact negative, but it needs to exist. Must be
consistent with their Moral Compass and Getting through the bad times,
dbrynan@netfl[Link] and often through friendship
msamson@netlfl[Link] make sense given their underlying Catalyst..
RELATIONSHIP
DYNAMICS
What is their relationship to
the hero?

If an ensemble, tell us how

do they compete against
each other.
Characters going for the
same goal but for different
motivations makes conflict,
which = great drama!
ENSEMBLE
STRATEGIES
● Start the series with your main characters in
order of importance. Breaking Bad didn’t
become an ensemble until the second
season.

● Chose a character to be the “eyes and

ears” of the audience and our introduction to
the world. Someone to ask the “stupid
questions” or is the expert, so we can get
informed about the world.

● Don’t feel pressure to introduce all the

characters at once. You have the time-- It’s
a series!
STEP SIX:
SEASON SUMMARIES
● A summary of the character’s
journey from beginning to end
using the major emotional plot
points of the season to help tell the
story.

● We suggest doing a season

summary for each of the
Main Characters.

● They can range from a page to

a page and a half.
“Instead of focusing on
individual episodes, think
of the whole season as a
layered, three act story.”

Todd A. Kessler - Creator

Season Map
ACT 2
Climax of Midpoint Climax of
Act One (a big twist) Act Two
Climax of
Act Three

ACT 1
Crisis
ACT 3

De Denouement
sc (wrap-up)
en
Inciting di
Inciting ng
Incident ion
ct Ac Cliff hanger
Incident
Teaser cending A tio
As n

Pilot 2 & 3 Episode 4 & 5 Episode 6 & 7 Episode 8

(Set-up) (Escalation) (Confrontation) (Resolution)
Season Map
ACT 2
Climax of Midpoint
Climax of
Act One (a big twist)
Act Two
Climax of
Act Three
ACT 1 Crisis

ACT 3 De
sc
en D
Inciting di
ng e
Incident ction Ac
cending A nti
As o
on
The viewer will watch the show for an average u
e Cliff hanger
of 10 minutes before they decide to watch or m
do something else. If your teaser is strong e
n
enough they will stay for the inciting incident t
which should happen in the first 20 pages of
your
Pilot 2 & 3 pilot.
Episode 4 & 5 Episode 6 & 7 Episode 8 (Set-up) (
(Escalation) (Confrontation) (Resolution) w
r
 Modern writers have adapted structured
models to define character
development and storylines.
Comedy’s version of Aristotle, writer Dan Harmon, has developed a
modern method for structuring the journey of TV and film
characters. Harmon’s Story Circle shows the evolution of
characters.

BASIC TENETS OF HARMON’S STORY CIRCLE

Godfather I

Seeks to avenge his father Fulfills his destiny, loses innocence

Dan Harmon Hero ventures out to Hero returns having

film & tv writer find something they been changed
need
Dan Harmon’s YOU

STORY CIRCLE 1

CHANG 8 NEED
2
Allows you to plot E
from the Hero’s
emotional state.
New ORDER
Forces the Hero to ORDER You know
be proactive. RETUR GO
7 3
N !
Focuses on basic
human motivations, CHAOS
STORY CIRCLE
actions and
consequences.
SEASON ANALYSIS
SUFFE 6 4 STRUGGL
R E

5
FIND
Dan Harmon’s YOU
We meet our hero in a place they
STORY CIRCLE know.

Story Prompts 1

CHANG 8 NEED
2 They discover they
E
Having want or need
changed. something.

RETUR 7 3 GO!
N They enter into an
They return bringing unfamiliar
order back into situation.
their world.

SUFFER 6 4 STRUGGLE
Then pay a heavy price They adapt to new
for it. situation.
5
FIND
They get what they
want.
THE PILOT

● It will be the most important episode

of your series.
● By the end of your pilot, the viewer
must know:
○ Who is the hero.
○ What they want.
○ Their central conflict.
○ Key relationship dynamics
○ The basic rules of the world.
○ The genre.
 Applying the Harmon Circle in the Writer’s Room

Yo Nee G Strugg Fin Suff Retur Chang

The hero in the
place
they
u d o le d er n e
knows

You Chang
Nee G Strugg Fin Suff Retur
The hero in the e
place d o le d er n Want +
they Need for
knows this season

You Nee G Strugg Fin Suff Retur Chang

The hero in the
place d o le d er n e
they
knows

Now you have your emotional plot

points which will serve as an outline
STEP 7: POTENTIAL EPISODES
STEP 7: EPISODE SUMMARIES

● Short paragraphs giving us the beginning,

middle and end of the story using only
major plot points of the story.
● Use the emotional plot points from the story
circle as your episodic map for the season.
● Plot progression and character growth must
occur in each episode.

● At the end of each episode, the viewer should

be asking themselves - “What’s going to
happen next?”
● Ask yourself:
○ What are the steps (minor goals) my
character needs to take to obtain their
main goal?
○ How do we make it as hard as possible for
them to be successful?
STEP 7: EPISODE SUMMARIES

● Minor goals make great stories for your episodes

because success is required for your hero to move
forward in the larger season story. High stakes are
always good!

● Try to keep them to half a page or less.

GOCREATE