Intercut two plots without losing either one
Parallel plotting is the simplest multi-storyline structure and the easiest to get wrong. The failure mode is imbalance: one plot gets all the scenes, the other becomes a rumour. Series Maker shows the balance as two rows and lets you cut between them on purpose.
Two rows, alternating cells
Set up a series with two threads. On the braid board the rows sit one above the other, and a well-balanced parallel episode fills both. Within the episode, the order of beats is the order of the cut: A, B, A, B is a conventional intercut; A, A, B is a late reveal of the second plot; B, A, B frames one plot inside the other. You set that order by dragging beats in the episode panel, and the weave follows it exactly.
The braid draft proposes an order too, usually ending on whichever plot is more urgent. Treat that as a starting point. The cut is the one creative decision in parallel plotting that no planner should make for you.
Keeping the plots distinct on screen
Viewers track parallel plots by faces and places. Give each thread its own cast subset and, ideally, its own set from the library. If plot A always happens in the tram depot and plot B always in the radio booth, a cut between them reads instantly even with no title card. The take studio remembers each beat’s thread, so when you shoot a plot B scene the plot B cast is already in the slots.
Time of day helps too. Describing plot A’s scenes at dawn and plot B’s at night gives the render model a consistent lighting cue per thread, and the alternating light becomes part of the rhythm.
- Two threads with their own cast and preferred sets
- Drag beats to set the intercut order; the weave honours it
- Takes from 4 to 15 seconds keep each cut short
- Up to 12 scenes per episode for a longer intercut
When the plots meet
Parallel plots exist to converge. On the board, that is a column where the two rows share a character or a location. Write the convergence into both threads’ arc notes with the episode number, and the drafts leading up to it will tighten the distance: a phone call in one plot that is answered in the other, a prop that crosses rows. When the meeting episode arrives, shoot it with the shared set so the join is visible in the frame.
Adding a third strand later
A two-plot series can grow a third thread at any time. Add it, give it a small cast, and the next braid draft introduces it. Many series run two plots for a season and open a third in the finale as the hook for the next run.
Takes from the preset ensemble
Each take is one thread's scene, rendered from library references so the cast stays recognisable across episodes.
Questions
- Does the weave add a transition between cuts?
- No. The weave is a straight cut from one take to the next in the order you set. Each take is normalised to the same frame, frame rate and audio format so the cut is clean.
- Can both plots use the same character?
- Yes. A character can sit in both cast subsets. That is often how parallel plots converge: one person who belongs to both rows.
- What is the shortest parallel episode I can make?
- Two takes of four seconds each, one per plot, woven into an eight-second episode. Most parallel episodes run three or four takes.
- Who owns the parallel-plot series I weave?
- You do. Everything you plan, shoot and weave on Series Maker belongs to you under our terms of service. Copyright works differently depending on the country you are in; when ownership matters for a deal or a release, ask a lawyer where you live.
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