Thursday, 8 September 2011
Major Project unit- idea development - or not..
So, I wanted to do short, human interest docs, that were inspiring or touching. However 4thought, 3 minute wonders and bbc2 video nations, especially the 3 minute wonders are pretty much what I had in mind to do.. So I guess its back to the drawing board? :(
Wednesday, 7 September 2011
Friday, 2 September 2011
Major Project Unit- idea development
So I am looking into doing a doc series, and here is a sort of brainstorm of my thoughts in how to get an idea(s)
-BBC3/ Channel 4 target - therefore not so heavy, more personal, human interest, mainly youth orientated
- look up the production companies that have made docs that i like
- look for a 'gap' in the market in terms of what bbc3/ channel 4 may not have made a doc about before
- check out local press stories, as finding a local story is going to be much more viable to actually make
- what would i like to see?
- check out newspapers, helen said especially The Mail has a lot of human interest stories
- find a WHY for the story e.g a recent event, anniversary etc
- turn the story on its head, for example, a recent story has been the london riots, but that is too 'heavy' for my interests, however
if I could find a sort of bi-story of the people affected, it could alot more personal and lighter.
So, I looked up the production company that made BBC3's "Small teen, big world", which is Nine Lives Media, and it conspired that they also made -
"Nightmare in Suburbia: The Perfect Murder (#3.1)" (2011) ... Production Company
World's Oldest Conjoined Twins Move Home (2010) (TV) ... Production Company
Losing One of My Giant Legs (2010) (TV) ... Production Company
Dancer with Tiny Legs (2010) (TV) ... Production Company
Small Teen, Big World (2010) (TV) ... Production Company
The Man with Half a Body (2010) (TV) ... Production Company
"Extraordinary People: Britain's Tiniest Toddlers" (2009) ... Production Company
"Nightmare in Suburbia" (2008) ... Production Company
"Nightmare in Suburbia: Kidnapped (#1.6)" (2008) ... Production Company
I then looked up "Tulisa, my mum and me" and found this was made by MentornMedia, who also made a massive number of other similar pieces -
"Underage and pregnant", "Katie: My Beautiful Friends", "An Idiot abroad", "Night Cops", "I can't stop stealing", "Cutting edge: Katie: My beautiful face", "The man who can't stop hiccupping", "Cutting edge: Madeleine was her" and many many more!
Equally, Firecracker Films produced "Big Fat Gypsy Wedding", "Glamour Models, Mum and Me", "Our daughter the mermaid", "Baboon Woman", "My Penis and Everyone else's", "The Man who loves with Bears", "Pyromania", "Lock up your sons" and many many many more.
-BBC3/ Channel 4 target - therefore not so heavy, more personal, human interest, mainly youth orientated
- look up the production companies that have made docs that i like
- look for a 'gap' in the market in terms of what bbc3/ channel 4 may not have made a doc about before
- check out local press stories, as finding a local story is going to be much more viable to actually make
- what would i like to see?
- check out newspapers, helen said especially The Mail has a lot of human interest stories
- find a WHY for the story e.g a recent event, anniversary etc
- turn the story on its head, for example, a recent story has been the london riots, but that is too 'heavy' for my interests, however
if I could find a sort of bi-story of the people affected, it could alot more personal and lighter.
So, I looked up the production company that made BBC3's "Small teen, big world", which is Nine Lives Media, and it conspired that they also made -
"Nightmare in Suburbia: The Perfect Murder (#3.1)" (2011) ... Production Company
World's Oldest Conjoined Twins Move Home (2010) (TV) ... Production Company
Losing One of My Giant Legs (2010) (TV) ... Production Company
Dancer with Tiny Legs (2010) (TV) ... Production Company
Small Teen, Big World (2010) (TV) ... Production Company
The Man with Half a Body (2010) (TV) ... Production Company
"Extraordinary People: Britain's Tiniest Toddlers" (2009) ... Production Company
"Nightmare in Suburbia" (2008) ... Production Company
"Nightmare in Suburbia: Kidnapped (#1.6)" (2008) ... Production Company
I then looked up "Tulisa, my mum and me" and found this was made by MentornMedia, who also made a massive number of other similar pieces -
"Underage and pregnant", "Katie: My Beautiful Friends", "An Idiot abroad", "Night Cops", "I can't stop stealing", "Cutting edge: Katie: My beautiful face", "The man who can't stop hiccupping", "Cutting edge: Madeleine was her" and many many more!
Equally, Firecracker Films produced "Big Fat Gypsy Wedding", "Glamour Models, Mum and Me", "Our daughter the mermaid", "Baboon Woman", "My Penis and Everyone else's", "The Man who loves with Bears", "Pyromania", "Lock up your sons" and many many many more.
Major Project Unit - research
Channel 5's commission statement for docs and factual-
What We Are Looking For in Factual and Documentaries...
7.30pm
High Volume commissions and medium length runs skewed towards shared viewing. We’re aiming at soap avoiders here.
All programs must be ad funded for the 7.30pm slot. Examples are: How to take Stunning Pictures, Chinese Food in Minutes, Mexican Food Made Simple, Highland Emergency. Easy to watch technology shows could work here with lots of information take out.
8pm and 9pm
Wildlife - Obs doc series’ follows animal lovers who are experts in their field such as The Man Who Lives with Bears, Alone with Grizzlies, Sharkman, Mr. and Mrs. Wolf. Also light docs featuring nature and humans co-existing and/or living in strange situations such as There's a Hippo in My House.
Nature Shock Strand – Amazing and unusual tales of wildlife and the natural world, such as The Whale that Ate the Great White or Cannibal Hippos.
Adventure – Travel and adventure series featuring well known talent. E.g.: JLC: Turning Japanese, Extreme Fishing with Robson Green, Paul Merton in China and Paul Merton in India.
History – A modern take on well known events, legends or iconic figures, either series' or one offs. Also looking for interesting ways of getting into contemporary history and skewing younger. E.g.: Battle over Arnhem.
Revealed Strand – Attention grabbing mainstream subjects either series’ or one-offs, featuring iconic, historical figures, and/or stories that haven't been told. We're seeking a large, broad audience here from a wide spectrum of areas from WW2 to Tudors for example.
Extraordinary People Strand – Must feature tales of individuals or groups who live with extraordinary conditions. We’re looking for bigger and better stories with new and fresh subjects which must not have been seen before.
Engineering and Technology – Extraordinary feats of pioneering engineering. Commissions and acquisitions for 8pm. We are looking to move the genre on from Monster Moves and Megastructures and to re-invigorate this genre with specials and 3-4 part series and/or expert/presenter-led explorations. They must be big and extreme.
10pm
Looking for obs-docs here and younger skewing docs/series that appeal to a younger audience. Think out of the box. Example Candy Bar Girls.
What We Are Looking For in Factual and Documentaries...
7.30pm
High Volume commissions and medium length runs skewed towards shared viewing. We’re aiming at soap avoiders here.
All programs must be ad funded for the 7.30pm slot. Examples are: How to take Stunning Pictures, Chinese Food in Minutes, Mexican Food Made Simple, Highland Emergency. Easy to watch technology shows could work here with lots of information take out.
8pm and 9pm
Wildlife - Obs doc series’ follows animal lovers who are experts in their field such as The Man Who Lives with Bears, Alone with Grizzlies, Sharkman, Mr. and Mrs. Wolf. Also light docs featuring nature and humans co-existing and/or living in strange situations such as There's a Hippo in My House.
Nature Shock Strand – Amazing and unusual tales of wildlife and the natural world, such as The Whale that Ate the Great White or Cannibal Hippos.
Adventure – Travel and adventure series featuring well known talent. E.g.: JLC: Turning Japanese, Extreme Fishing with Robson Green, Paul Merton in China and Paul Merton in India.
History – A modern take on well known events, legends or iconic figures, either series' or one offs. Also looking for interesting ways of getting into contemporary history and skewing younger. E.g.: Battle over Arnhem.
Revealed Strand – Attention grabbing mainstream subjects either series’ or one-offs, featuring iconic, historical figures, and/or stories that haven't been told. We're seeking a large, broad audience here from a wide spectrum of areas from WW2 to Tudors for example.
Extraordinary People Strand – Must feature tales of individuals or groups who live with extraordinary conditions. We’re looking for bigger and better stories with new and fresh subjects which must not have been seen before.
Engineering and Technology – Extraordinary feats of pioneering engineering. Commissions and acquisitions for 8pm. We are looking to move the genre on from Monster Moves and Megastructures and to re-invigorate this genre with specials and 3-4 part series and/or expert/presenter-led explorations. They must be big and extreme.
10pm
Looking for obs-docs here and younger skewing docs/series that appeal to a younger audience. Think out of the box. Example Candy Bar Girls.
Major Project - Research
http://www.productionfocus.com/?p=364
Very helpful and interesting article about commissioning documentaries!
Very helpful and interesting article about commissioning documentaries!
Major Project Unit- Research
I think I may research deeper into documentary commissions as I feel I have a particular interests in that area.
BBC DOCS
Documentaries - What we're looking for...
Documentaries for the BBC should engage with the here and now, and challenge the audience to broaden their horizons or see their world from different perspectives. We're particularly interested in how we might make more traditional docs subjects modern and relevant, rather than worthy or predictable. On the whole we're quite flexible with slots and shapes, so please be inventive and don't self-censor too much - the best ideas will find the best slots.
there is an interesting video on this link-
http://www.bbc.co.uk/commissioning/briefs/tv/browse-by-genre/documentaries/
BBC3 DOCS COMMISSION INFO
Docs on THREE engage with subjects and issues that matter to a young but broad BBC3 audience.
Think both about the most important issues for a young adult audience (16-24 at its core and 16-34 at its broadest), and about their perspective on the issues that affect us all.
On one side of our slate, the stories are compelling and often intimate - the extraordinary personal stories of ordinary people.
On the other, this is THE place for docs to be entertaining, bold and upfront in style and tone to break through to future docs audiences.
Whatever the idea, a punchy title that will capture the attention on the EPG is crucial.
This kind of programming is driven by originality, so we're flexible here.
Requirement
Provocative formats and social experiments are big brand building properties for the channel.
In some of our docs we are looking for mischief, humour, and challenge - with plenty of opportunity for ob-docs content. This audience gets lots of entertainment from people-watching but the best ideas also challenge the way young people live their lives. Think about the central question at the core of any proposition. What is the purpose? If the purpose is clear, ideas can be thought-provoking.
BBC2
Our goal on BBC TWO is to be recognised as the home of documentaries. This means that diversity and range of ideas, voices and tone are prerequisite across the slate.
Documentaries should make BBC TWO feel relevant and modern - populating the channel with compelling real lives, interests and concerns.
To manage our commissions, we split the slate into entertaining and immersive ideas that explore better ways to live your life on one side, and modern provocative, challenging and contemporary subjects on the other.
In particular, we're looking to strengthen our reputational docs about modern life. These one offs and series should simultaneously inspire and challenge viewers to reappraise their view on modern life and society.
BBC1
Docs on ONE play a key role in building both the distinctiveness and the broad appeal of ONE's factual output.
All titles should have broad mainstream appeal, and have the ability to both entertain and inform along the way.
They should also be rooted in the present tense and the national mindset, telling the strong human stories behind the big national headlines and dominant social issues.
Though they should have an accessible entry point for a broad audience, at the same time, they shouldn't be afraid of tackling important issues or of innovating with modern new shapes and concepts.
BBC DOCS
Documentaries - What we're looking for...
Documentaries for the BBC should engage with the here and now, and challenge the audience to broaden their horizons or see their world from different perspectives. We're particularly interested in how we might make more traditional docs subjects modern and relevant, rather than worthy or predictable. On the whole we're quite flexible with slots and shapes, so please be inventive and don't self-censor too much - the best ideas will find the best slots.
there is an interesting video on this link-
http://www.bbc.co.uk/commissioning/briefs/tv/browse-by-genre/documentaries/
BBC3 DOCS COMMISSION INFO
Docs on THREE engage with subjects and issues that matter to a young but broad BBC3 audience.
Think both about the most important issues for a young adult audience (16-24 at its core and 16-34 at its broadest), and about their perspective on the issues that affect us all.
On one side of our slate, the stories are compelling and often intimate - the extraordinary personal stories of ordinary people.
On the other, this is THE place for docs to be entertaining, bold and upfront in style and tone to break through to future docs audiences.
Whatever the idea, a punchy title that will capture the attention on the EPG is crucial.
This kind of programming is driven by originality, so we're flexible here.
Requirement
Provocative formats and social experiments are big brand building properties for the channel.
In some of our docs we are looking for mischief, humour, and challenge - with plenty of opportunity for ob-docs content. This audience gets lots of entertainment from people-watching but the best ideas also challenge the way young people live their lives. Think about the central question at the core of any proposition. What is the purpose? If the purpose is clear, ideas can be thought-provoking.
BBC2
Our goal on BBC TWO is to be recognised as the home of documentaries. This means that diversity and range of ideas, voices and tone are prerequisite across the slate.
Documentaries should make BBC TWO feel relevant and modern - populating the channel with compelling real lives, interests and concerns.
To manage our commissions, we split the slate into entertaining and immersive ideas that explore better ways to live your life on one side, and modern provocative, challenging and contemporary subjects on the other.
In particular, we're looking to strengthen our reputational docs about modern life. These one offs and series should simultaneously inspire and challenge viewers to reappraise their view on modern life and society.
BBC1
Docs on ONE play a key role in building both the distinctiveness and the broad appeal of ONE's factual output.
All titles should have broad mainstream appeal, and have the ability to both entertain and inform along the way.
They should also be rooted in the present tense and the national mindset, telling the strong human stories behind the big national headlines and dominant social issues.
Though they should have an accessible entry point for a broad audience, at the same time, they shouldn't be afraid of tackling important issues or of innovating with modern new shapes and concepts.
Major Project Unit - research
I have been researching to come up with ideas for the final major project and have looked at what people are looking to commission to get an idea for what people want to make and see.
Channel 4 had a huge list of things they are looking for and here are a few that took my interest.
DOCUMENTARIES
What are your commissioning priorities?
We are looking for single films in the Cutting Edge strand, Documentary Series, half-hour films from new directors in the First Cut strand, and international feature docs which we showcase in the True Stories strand on More4.
What are you not interested in?
There are some ideas that clearly don't fit with our stated purpose of reflecting Contemporary Britain, and won't work for our C4 output.
What is the biggest creative challenge your team or genre faces?
Finding the really big ambitious ideas that will re-write the rules in the new post Big Brother world, and will break through to become major events in the schedule.
We are always looking for great new presenters.
So what are you looking for?
We want incredible stories from a range of ideas and styles - news related and access driven, quirky and eccentric, observational, concept driven or simply off the wall - we do not want films that tick boxes or deliver essays on identity politics. We are looking for fabulous, larger than life characters in surprising situations or worlds we haven't seen before.
DRAMA
What are your commissioning priorities?
Our priority is to deliver high quality drama which entertains, challenges and informs audiences and which fulfils the Channel 4 remit.
What are the tariff prices for programmes you currently commission?
These vary according to the project, we don't commission to slots either in terms of price of schedule.
What is the biggest creative challenge your team or genre faces?
Fulfilling the Channel 4 remit in an innovative and original way
What advice would you give to new talent companies keen to connect with your team?
Please do think about the Channel 4 brand and audience before you pitch, please keep proposals to 2 pages and don't send taster tapes, we prefer to appraise the projects on the merits of the proposal.
ENTERTAINMENT
What are your commissioning priorities?
Reality and Event Shows
our priority is to find a big entertainment reality show for 2012. We're looking for high concept formats or gameshows that are a departure from Big Brother, stripped across one week or two. Shows with scale and a Channel 4 twist.
Friday night
in the Autumn we are launching a number of new shows on Friday nights, taking the viewer from 8pm through to 11pm.
8pm is a slot that has recently opened up for us and we're looking for game shows or quiz shows with a broad family appeal.
Million Pound Drop is cutting through at 9pm and in June we're launching a new show; The King Of.... with Claudia Winkleman.
And at 10pm we want the entertainment Holy Grail- a big Friday night entertainment show, that's driven by big name talent, possibly live. We're looking for shows that have a top-line concept that runs throughout. The model we're using is Derren Brown's The Events - a pre-recorded or live studio event with polished, high-end VTs that tell a story.
New Talent
Bringing new talent to the channel continues to be a big priority for us. 11 o'clock has opened up and we've got money now to spend on ideas that help to grow new talent. Stand Up For The Week has done this for us and we are looking for otjer weekly formats and archive shows.
Mid week at 10pm
We're looking for formats to play mid week - they might be game shows, entertainment reality formats, panel shows or hidden camera shows.
FILM4
What are your commissioning priorities?
Film4 develops and co-finances feature length films for theatrical release in cinemas. Although ultimately we are looking for films that will eventually play on both Channel 4 and Film4, (the digital channel), we do not develop films specifically for televised broadcast.
We look for range across our subject matter and budgets, though these will tend to be contemporary stories, rather than period pieces and will usually be made with British led talent or with British content.
Film4 is looking for material with a distinctive voice that aims to push the boundaries within a given film genre.
Q: What are you not interested in?
As a general rule, we do not develop films for family audiences, nor do we look to develop period pieces.
For any queries relating to completed films, you will need to contact the Acquisitions department within the channel who deal with licensing finished films for televised broadcast.
Currently we do not have an open submission system for short films. However, we do make a number of short films each year for which we either target talent or we make in connection to a feature project. Please continue to check our website for up to date information.
T4 & MUSIC
What are your commissioning priorities?
Primarily cost effective programme ideas and formats which feel fresh and new, yet offer an alternative from what we already have on offer. Our shows are targeted at the 16-34 audience so need to be broad in appeal, as well as reflecting our audience's interests.
What are you not interested in?
Magazine formats or film shows within T4 are not really what we're pursuing as we already offer much of this kind of content within T4 links. We're also very well served for live music performance (both within T4 and late night Music on 4). What we'd like is new and alternate ways of capturing contemporary music and celebrity - other than just live performance. We've also recently commissioned a number of formats around unsigned bands so we aren't currently looking to pursue anything in this particular area.
COMEDY
For C4 we're looking for returnable sitcom scripts for 10pm slots - something with a defining and distinctive setting or conceptual hook to it that would mark it our from anything traditional of conventional in a mainstream sense. We want ideas and setting that haven't been tackled or covered before.
For E4 we're looking for performer/writer led ideas from more emerging talent as well as grabby clip or prank show ideas that would repeat well.
Sending in teaser tapes or you-tube links or inviting us to read-throughs or showcases is always a welcome relief from wading through tons of script.
What are you not interested in?
Anything we already have or exists elsewhere. Please don't just send in loose treatments and one page proposals. In order to fully gauge the writer's voice, humour, originality and ability we'd need to see a script.
Please note we no longer accept scripts from individuals. You must either go through an agent or production company.
Please DO NOT submit proposals to the COMEDY department using the online submission system.
There seems to be a lot of scope here for docs and drama, and if we wanted a challenge; the music genre.
Channel 4 had a huge list of things they are looking for and here are a few that took my interest.
DOCUMENTARIES
What are your commissioning priorities?
We are looking for single films in the Cutting Edge strand, Documentary Series, half-hour films from new directors in the First Cut strand, and international feature docs which we showcase in the True Stories strand on More4.
What are you not interested in?
There are some ideas that clearly don't fit with our stated purpose of reflecting Contemporary Britain, and won't work for our C4 output.
What is the biggest creative challenge your team or genre faces?
Finding the really big ambitious ideas that will re-write the rules in the new post Big Brother world, and will break through to become major events in the schedule.
We are always looking for great new presenters.
So what are you looking for?
We want incredible stories from a range of ideas and styles - news related and access driven, quirky and eccentric, observational, concept driven or simply off the wall - we do not want films that tick boxes or deliver essays on identity politics. We are looking for fabulous, larger than life characters in surprising situations or worlds we haven't seen before.
DRAMA
What are your commissioning priorities?
Our priority is to deliver high quality drama which entertains, challenges and informs audiences and which fulfils the Channel 4 remit.
What are the tariff prices for programmes you currently commission?
These vary according to the project, we don't commission to slots either in terms of price of schedule.
What is the biggest creative challenge your team or genre faces?
Fulfilling the Channel 4 remit in an innovative and original way
What advice would you give to new talent companies keen to connect with your team?
Please do think about the Channel 4 brand and audience before you pitch, please keep proposals to 2 pages and don't send taster tapes, we prefer to appraise the projects on the merits of the proposal.
ENTERTAINMENT
What are your commissioning priorities?
Reality and Event Shows
our priority is to find a big entertainment reality show for 2012. We're looking for high concept formats or gameshows that are a departure from Big Brother, stripped across one week or two. Shows with scale and a Channel 4 twist.
Friday night
in the Autumn we are launching a number of new shows on Friday nights, taking the viewer from 8pm through to 11pm.
8pm is a slot that has recently opened up for us and we're looking for game shows or quiz shows with a broad family appeal.
Million Pound Drop is cutting through at 9pm and in June we're launching a new show; The King Of.... with Claudia Winkleman.
And at 10pm we want the entertainment Holy Grail- a big Friday night entertainment show, that's driven by big name talent, possibly live. We're looking for shows that have a top-line concept that runs throughout. The model we're using is Derren Brown's The Events - a pre-recorded or live studio event with polished, high-end VTs that tell a story.
New Talent
Bringing new talent to the channel continues to be a big priority for us. 11 o'clock has opened up and we've got money now to spend on ideas that help to grow new talent. Stand Up For The Week has done this for us and we are looking for otjer weekly formats and archive shows.
Mid week at 10pm
We're looking for formats to play mid week - they might be game shows, entertainment reality formats, panel shows or hidden camera shows.
FILM4
What are your commissioning priorities?
Film4 develops and co-finances feature length films for theatrical release in cinemas. Although ultimately we are looking for films that will eventually play on both Channel 4 and Film4, (the digital channel), we do not develop films specifically for televised broadcast.
We look for range across our subject matter and budgets, though these will tend to be contemporary stories, rather than period pieces and will usually be made with British led talent or with British content.
Film4 is looking for material with a distinctive voice that aims to push the boundaries within a given film genre.
Q: What are you not interested in?
As a general rule, we do not develop films for family audiences, nor do we look to develop period pieces.
For any queries relating to completed films, you will need to contact the Acquisitions department within the channel who deal with licensing finished films for televised broadcast.
Currently we do not have an open submission system for short films. However, we do make a number of short films each year for which we either target talent or we make in connection to a feature project. Please continue to check our website for up to date information.
T4 & MUSIC
What are your commissioning priorities?
Primarily cost effective programme ideas and formats which feel fresh and new, yet offer an alternative from what we already have on offer. Our shows are targeted at the 16-34 audience so need to be broad in appeal, as well as reflecting our audience's interests.
What are you not interested in?
Magazine formats or film shows within T4 are not really what we're pursuing as we already offer much of this kind of content within T4 links. We're also very well served for live music performance (both within T4 and late night Music on 4). What we'd like is new and alternate ways of capturing contemporary music and celebrity - other than just live performance. We've also recently commissioned a number of formats around unsigned bands so we aren't currently looking to pursue anything in this particular area.
COMEDY
For C4 we're looking for returnable sitcom scripts for 10pm slots - something with a defining and distinctive setting or conceptual hook to it that would mark it our from anything traditional of conventional in a mainstream sense. We want ideas and setting that haven't been tackled or covered before.
For E4 we're looking for performer/writer led ideas from more emerging talent as well as grabby clip or prank show ideas that would repeat well.
Sending in teaser tapes or you-tube links or inviting us to read-throughs or showcases is always a welcome relief from wading through tons of script.
What are you not interested in?
Anything we already have or exists elsewhere. Please don't just send in loose treatments and one page proposals. In order to fully gauge the writer's voice, humour, originality and ability we'd need to see a script.
Please note we no longer accept scripts from individuals. You must either go through an agent or production company.
Please DO NOT submit proposals to the COMEDY department using the online submission system.
There seems to be a lot of scope here for docs and drama, and if we wanted a challenge; the music genre.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)