This is Part 4 of a series analyzing the Gilmore Girls pilot for lessons writers can use in their work. We have this script, along with 15,000 others, in the Screenwriters Network Script Hub, just one of many perks that comes with being a member, all of which is free. Read Part 1 on Teasers, Part 2 on Story Engines, and Part 3 on Complications.
For this last article we’ll be digging into being direct with your writing.
The Subtle Art of Obviousness
Too often with my writing I’m focused on being subtle with what my story is about, and it’s an issue I see in a lot of other amateur scripts I read. By trying to prove how artful I can be it just gets in the way and results in readers being confused as to the themes and arcs of my characters.
Depending on the story, sometimes you just need to be direct with the thesis and antithesis of what you’re writing about. For pilots this is often necessary due to just how much heavy lifting you’re doing in a limited number of pages – introducing characters, setting up a world, starting the story engine, and resolving the story of your pilot.
In Gilmore Girls, there are two lines that mark the mid point and climax of the story while clearly laying out the themes and arcs of our main characters’ relationships.
“After all, you’re me.“
In Act 3, after the reveal as to why Rory has changed her mind about Chilton, Lorelei sums up the issues succinctly and cleanly – “After all, you’re me.” At this moment Rory rejects this premise, unsurprising since the two of them are in conflict over the dynamics of their relationship, but the audience can see it’s true. We’ve known since it the teaser.
In fact, Rory’s acceptance of this truth is the end of her arc for the pilot. Luke in the final scene off-handedly comments about Rory’s coffee consumption that she’s going to wind up like her mom. “Too late” she answers, the differences between her and her mom resolved.
Between these two moments both the themes and relationship issues are cleanly and clearly laid out for the audience. No confusion, no uncertainty, no wasted space.
Pick Your Moments
As we’ve discussed before, your pilot is a sales document. You want your readers and audience to clearly understand the show they’re getting in a limited amount of time. And when you consider that most spec pilots will be used to get staffed rather than actually made, that just further shows the importance of demonstrating a clear grasp of the foundational elements of story.
Now this isn’t to say you should go out and make every bit of subtext into text. But you also shouldn’t be afraid, especially at the dramatic peaks of your script, to lay out clearly the subtext of what the rest of your story has been dealing with.
Thanks for joining us for this analysis of the Gilmore Girls!