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Film & Television vocabulary · Television Formats and Series

Pilot

Meaning in film & television, with examples

/ˈpaɪlət/nounCommon term

In film & television, pilot means: The first episode of a TV series, made to show the idea to a channel or platform and convince it to order the full series.

In Turkish: pilot bölüm

How it is used

Writers write a pilot script, networks order and test pilots, and a successful pilot is picked up to series. Some pilots are never broadcast. A presentation or sizzle reel is a cheaper, shorter way to pitch a show.

Example sentences

  1. The channel liked the pilot and ordered ten more episodes.

  2. In the pilot, we meet the whole family at the grandmother's funeral.

Common collocations

  • pilot episode
  • write a pilot
  • order a pilot
  • shoot the pilot
  • pilot script
  • episodeOne part of a TV series, podcast or web series that is broadcast or released as a separate programme.
  • seriesA TV or streaming programme made of many episodes that share the same characters, subject or story.
  • seasonA group of episodes of a TV series produced and released as one set, usually once a year.
  • showrunnerThe person in overall creative and day-to-day charge of a TV series, usually its head writer and an executive producer at the same time.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Television Formats and Series

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