Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by michelleful
Writing the Pilot by William Rabkin
4.0
This book pointed out a lot of interesting things to think about if you're interested in scripting a pilot for a TV series or even just interested in analysing why a particular television series succeeded or failed. I really enjoyed his points about having a central conflict that can drive the show for seasons and the kinds of pilots there are and how to decide which type to have.
But I feel like he kind of buried the lede: in the first chapter he's basically like, in past books (including his own) people always said it was impossible to get a pilot accepted without extensive experience and connections in the industry. But that's changed! Networks are now buying spec pilots! So I'm writing this book to let you know how to do it. Then in the last chapter, he's like: you still need to either have a really compelling life experience so they contact you, or you have to go film it yourself. Wat.
But I feel like he kind of buried the lede: in the first chapter he's basically like, in past books (including his own) people always said it was impossible to get a pilot accepted without extensive experience and connections in the industry. But that's changed! Networks are now buying spec pilots! So I'm writing this book to let you know how to do it. Then in the last chapter, he's like: you still need to either have a really compelling life experience so they contact you, or you have to go film it yourself. Wat.