How to Create a Professional Beat Sheet Before You Write Your Animated Pilot Script

Animated television is currently experiencing a boom like we’ve never seen before. Since it’s possible for the bulk of the work to be completed from home or while socially distanced, animation has been flourishing as more players are turning to this format. New shows like SOLAR OPPOSITES on Hulu, CLOSE ENOUGH on HBO Max, FINAL SPACE on TBS and BLOOD OF ZEUS on Netflix are hugely popular, and this is just the beginning. Scores of upcoming animated shows are in the pipeline and just around the corner. Considering this appetite, it doesn’t look like this trend is fading any time soon. And more interest in animation means there are more opportunities for your own project to get noticed and get picked up. Now is a great time for your animated project to get noticed, but you need to make sure it’s fully developed and market-ready first.

The opportunities may be extra plentiful right now, but so is the competition. If you want your animated pilot to get noticed and seriously considered, it needs to be polished, thought through, and structured correctly. This is harder than it may seem and comes down to having a detailed plan before you start the actual writing process. This plan can come in the form of a beat sheet, a document that you create for yourself that bullets out exactly what will happen in your pilot and when. As simple as it may seem, this crucial step can make all the difference and help you create that animated TV pilot that will get executives to notice you and fire you off the launch pad. First, you need to understand how to best prepare this beat sheet and structure your pilot in a way that’s not only effective, but attractive to actual buyers.

Mike Disa is an accomplished director, producer, writer, and artist who directed on shows like the hit Netflix series PARADISE PD and has been in the animation industry for over twenty-five years. Mike found success working with studios such as Dreamworks, Disney, Warner Bros., Paramount, and many others. Over a fascinating career, Mike has worked with some of the greatest and most infamous people in Hollywood including Steven Spielberg, Eric Goldberg, Ralph Bakshi, Glenn Close, Steve Oedekerk, David Tennant, Amy Poehler, Adam Sandler, Jeffery Katzenberg and Roy Disney. A favorite and fixture among the Stage 32 community, Mike is deeply entrenched in the world of animation and knows what it takes to plan and execute an animated pilot that will make it.

Mike will walk you through exactly how to put together a beat sheet and structure it effectively to guide you through writing an outstanding animated TV pilot script. He’ll begin by outlining the state of animated TV today and guide you through committing to the genre, format, and rating system that best fits for your series. He’ll walk you through how to get started and the best way to format the sheet. Next, Mike will go deep into the actual structure of an effective animated pilot, including the cold open, act 1, act 2, act 3, and tag. Finally Mike will provide final tips to make sure you’re leaving with a beat sheet that will aid you.

If you’re hoping to write an animated pilot script, if you’ve already written one and are looking to improve it, or if you have an idea but are struggling to get it on paper, Mike will give you the tools and strategy to help you reach your goal and put together the animated pilot you’ve been working towards.

Praise for Mike's Previous Stage 32 Webinars:

Mike’s knowledge is sound and extensive. His vision for what’s happening now and what we are to expect in the future is brilliant. I could listen to him forever.

-Jane D.

"Mike Disa was amazingly generous with his time and information. And he was real. It doesn't get better than that. I'll be able to apply his insights and the information he shared immediately. I'm so glad I decided to participate."

- Elizabeth A.

"The stories and ideas and descriptions were excellent. Straight talk from a true professional."

- Don S.

I loved the wealth of content and Mike's humor.

-Prema R.