In Part 1 of this two-part exploration of Steven Conrad’s pilots, Jacob Krueger breaks down DTF St. Louis to explore what a great TV pilot needs to accomplish – not just as a compelling story, but as a blueprint for an entire series.
You’ll discover:
• What your TV pilot needs to accomplish beyond telling a great story
• Why established writers have more latitude for a slow burn
• How specificity can give even a “normal” opening a little kink
• Why you can’t sacrifice what’s working now for a payoff that comes later
• How a strong hook establishes the engine of your TV series
• How recurring images and callbacks can accumulate meaning through recontextualization
• How a midpoint genre shift can deepen rather than derail your story
• How “form is function” can turn theme into structure
• Why the real mystery in a whodunnit is often the relationships
