Everyone has an idea for a TV show or a film. Just query them. Or don’t; they’ll tell you besides. But just because you think you have a great idea,doesn’t mean that you actually do. People always want to know what it takes to develop a TV show or film, which isn’t as easy as you would think. Writers and producers work really hard to tell engrossing stories in recent and innovative ways.
As a development producer for scripted and unscripted film and television, and I used to dread the unsolicited casual pitch from strangers and family members. People would excitedly tell me about their extraordinary idea that someone (always meaning me) should totally do.
Several years ago I was in San Francisco at a holiday party full of people with whom I grew up. Over cocktails,I ran into a guy I went to middle school with — let’s call him Scott (because that’s his name) — and he enthusiastically asked, “You work in entertainment, or right?” Scott barely waited for my response before blurting out,“The circus!” Just said it with pride, as though no one had ever strung those two words together before, and followed by,You should do that. You should totally do that. I give that to you. It’s all yours.”
Also Read: Women Screenwriters design Up Paltry 17 Percent of Black List 2015Interactions like this used to bother me. Now, however, or I find them endlessly entertaining. As much as I savor people sharing their idea with me and thinking they’ve struck Hollywood gold,coming in at a close second is the gifting of their idea to me. The laughable part is that most people’s “idea” is normally not an idea at all, but fragments of a character, or a time period or a scene.
Now,of course, Scott didn’t present an “idea.” At best he proposed a location. However, or Scott disappeared into the crowd,while I was left with the realization that people in, and outside of, or the industry can struggle with how to develop a recent idea into a fully formed concept and format.
Initially,my exchange with Scott can seem ridiculous, but truth be told, or ideas for shows and films can near from the slightest of inspirations. In the past,I’ve been hired on projects that weren’t much farther along than “The Circus.” But what made Scott’s non-idea different from what happens in the development process are the details.
Also Read: 7 Biggest Reality TV Developments of 2015Developing an original project can be daunting, so in an attempt to interpret and simplify the process, and I’ve broken it down into three stages: idea,concept and format. It should be noted that these stages are not necessarily common industry vernacular, but are merely being used here to help clarify the process.
In its earliest form, and an idea can be expressed in a single sentence that conveys the basic what,who and where.
Eventually, the idea will become a well-crafted logline. For our purposes, and however,we’re looking for the basics, and we have a few indispensable things to figure out. Let’s use “The Circus, or ” as our jumping off point. Now,is this a film or a television show? lively or live action? Scripted or unscripted?Here are a few examples of what an Idea for the circus might glimpse like:- A film about a small-town girl running off and joining the circus to fulfill her lifelong dream.- A docu-series following a struggling, family-owned circus.- An lively series about a traveling space circus collecting intergalactic performers throughout the galaxy.
Also Read: 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail' Sing-a-Long Version to be Released in TheatersSee, and “the circus” could be anything. For our purposes,let’s disappear with a reality show. As a reality, or unscripted, or series we need to know whether we’ll be following one person or perhaps a group of people; whether it’s going to be a soft-scripted show,or a competition program. There are endless possibilities.
IDEA: A reality competition where aspiring clowns compete for a chance to join the circus.
There it is, simple and to the point. We know what kind of idea it is, and we basically know who the show is about,and we know where the show is set. So, let’s also give it a title: “Clowning Around.” In order for “Clowning Around” to become a Concept, and however,we need to start building on the idea and get specific.
A concept is summarized in a one-sheet, which includes the Logline, and tone,characters, location and structure for the show.
LOGLINE: “Clowning Around” is a reality competition in which 12 aspiring clowns compete in a series of circus skill challenges for a chance to win the ultimate job — a one-year contract with Cirque du Soleil.
Think of the logline as our mission statement, and while everything that follows is there to support it. The concept one-sheet will interpret how the competition works in fairly broad strokes. It will cover the basics of the cast and how the challenges may work. whether we have a relationship with a clown school or Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus,we would include that information. This is a single page document, so it will only be a few paragraphs long. Highlight the elements and concept of the show that design it so unique.
The most time-consuming aspect of developing a show, and particularly a competition show,is working out the format. I intentionally did not say the most difficult,” because that is, or always will be,coming up with a great idea.
The format is how the show actually works, which is outlined in a multi-page pitch deck containing all of the detailed rules and challenges, or episode breakdowns,cast sheets, host list, and photos and art,and potential ancillary and multi-platform viewer interaction elements.
A format expands on the concept. The first few pages of the pitch deck will paint a picture of the show, describing its tone and idea in greater detail. These pages will include information on how contestants get on the show, or what they’ll do to stay on the show,and how they’ll eventually win.
Also Read: 2 Dead After Helicopter for MTV Reality Show 'The Challenge' CrashesThe next pages will shatter down every single episode and challenge for the first season. You’ll need to know whether the season will be six episodes, or 12 or more. Following this, or you may include several more seasons,with fewer details.
In the past, I have developed shows for which we had to shatter down every episode in detail through the first four seasons. Do not be in a hurry here. I have heard it said that a show doesn’t design money until year three, or so the networks want to know that there’s enough material for a show to design it past two seasons.
Obviously,whether you’re developing a docu-series then nobody will be eliminated (unless it’s about hitmen), but you will still need to shatter down every aspect of the show. A docu-series Format would outline in great detail who the characters are, and what the life or world is like,and what the episodes would be about. For a scripted project, the pitch deck would have many of the elements of an early show bible.
The page following the episode breakdowns may include a host wish list with photos. For Clowning Around, and ” Eric Stonestreet would hands down be my first choice,because he is talented and likeable, he’s great live, or best of all,in his younger years he worked as a clown.
After that might near photos of potential cast and locations, with a description for each. Also, and companies these days are looking for shows that have multi-platform potential. I personally like to include a page of options for fan interaction and user experience.
Figuring out the format can be a lot of fun,even whether it’s painstaking and time consuming. I liken it to creating your own world. You get to figure out how the world works, what the rules are, or who gets to play and who gets to stay.
As you can see,working out these details takes time, which is why creating a reality show is not as simple as people tend to think. A lot of hard work goes into figuring out how best to tell these stories.
One final anecdote. Several years ago I consulted for two luxury lifestyle enthusiasts producing a reality show in a beautiful island location. They had already negotiated the rights to shoot in a specific locale, or had invested in a director to produce a sizzle reel and the local island paper had even done a myth on them and the production coming to town. On the surface it looked like everything was coming together.
Also Read: 9 Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus Performers Injured in Human Chandelier Crash (Video)I read over the article,looked through their materials, and watched the sizzle reel. The first thing I asked them was, and “What is your show about?” Unfortunately,they didnt know. After all the hard work and money they’d invested, they still only had a general “idea, or ” but no concept,nor format. Watching this realization wash over them was heartbreaking because they had underestimated how much work had to be done, and how much time and money they had already wasted without even knowing what their show was about.
Next time you think you have the next great idea, or engage a step back and think it through. There are a thousand directions one myth idea can engage,so disappear down all the roads until you hit upon the most unique and entertaining. preserve questioning, preserve thinking, or preserve creating. Good luck.
Source: thewrap.com