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How to Write a Netflix Pitch
Notes from Stage32’s workshop with Netflix exec Christopher Mack
Watch the workshop on-demand for free
First, Netflix Essentials
Character is (just a little) more important than plot.
Viewers develop relationships with characters, not plot.
Engagement depends on whether the audience relates to the character and understands their motivations.
Your job is to make characters interesting, not likable. Get us interested in what they’re doing and then we’ll like them.
Tease ’em at the start.
The audience subconsciously decides to watch a show within the first five seconds.
A good teaser gives the audience a sense who the central character is, the central conflict and the world.
Every episode should have a teaser.
Hero should be proactive in trying to obtain their goal in every scene — in some form or another.
Each scene should have the emotional arc and/or plot moving forward because viewers want new information.
Leave ’Em Hanging
