YEAH, for YOU MAYBE.
Tonight some people who like the French take on some people who attend festivals on Only Connect at 8:30pm on BBC4.
Also, why not join DJ Danny P (it’s TV’s Dan Peake) for his inaugural radio show on 1radio.org from 4-5pm this afternoon? Obviously my excuse is I’m WORKING.
New episodes of Pointless start tonight at 5pm, in that confusing and baffling manner that is the BBC’s wont.
We are T-Minus 8 days from discovering if we’re disappointed by Exit.
And that’s all the weather! FOR NOW.
Edit: This has come up in the comments and I wouldn’t want you to miss it: German channel ZDF (who broadcast Wetten Dass? amongst other things) is doing a format pitching competition for people under 30. Prize isn’t that great but it would give you primetime exposure. Here’s the direct link. English language and German submissions are OK.
The German ZDF is looking for saturday night gameshows and you can pitch them in German or English. (http://www.zdf.de/Show-Up/Show-Up-28028840.html) Unfortunately they pay about 10k and that’s it if they pick up your format, but maybe one just wants to see his idea in a primetime slot…
Interesting. This link seems to work better:
http://www.zdf.de/Show-Up/Get-your-idea-shown-on-television-28040904.html
Edit: Worthwhile pointing out that entry to this competition is for under-30s.
But if you have a successful format, and say it sells all over the world. You’ll get your 7 grand and that’s the last you’ll hear of it?
Well Jon, let’s read the rather basic small print..
“They will receive remuneration amounting to € 2,500,- from ZDF as compensation for expenses and for granting an option for transferring the exclusive rights to the concept”.
I read that as if your idea/format/concept gets the final 8, ZDF can claim ownership of those, and there’s €2,500 to soften the pain. It doesn’t say however, once you fall at the pitching stage – do the rights for your idea get shunted back to you?
“ZDF will choose at least one winner from the finalists at the pitches. The winner(s) is/are commissioned for the further development of the concept by ZDF and receive an additional € 7,500,- for this and for the exclusive granting of rights.”
The big words are ‘exclusive granting of rights’. In other words, if it gets made and broadcast on ZDF, it’s their format to flog ‘n’ sell overseas rights to at MipCom – not yours.
Whether a cheque flutters on your doormat appears as a result of minor cut from overseas format sales, again, isn’t made exactly clear.
Basically, I wouldn’t touch this with a bargepole. You have to keep a decent percentage of the rights otherwise what’s the point?
Sorry to hijack the thread, I’m continuing a conversation on gameshow pitching started on Twitter. I’ve spoken to loads of people about this so it made sense to start a thread, and easier when not limited to 140 char!
I’d agree completely with David here for several reasons
a) Do you trust that if they don’t choose your idea, they won’t then design a ‘different’ show using your interesting hard thought up game mechanics? I spoke to Tipping Point creator Hugh Rycroft a few months back about pitching. His advice was that you have to trust the people you pitch to, trust is everything.
b) I had the honour of speaking to someone once about a show they created, a simple one based on the feel of the money you get out of a cashpoint. That format idea (no material or anything just the idea) sold round the world for £120 MILLION! So I think signing away your idea that beat all the other ideas for a straight £7k is taking the piss a bit. Also I don’t know if you’d necessarily get your name on the credits if you do sign it over.
So I’ve been thinking – with technology so much easier and accessible can we make our own pilots now? The answer is yes, technically – mainly dependant on props and pulling a few favours. I’ve worked on a few zero budget projects now. Rather than just pitching shows and working out who to approach, if we as a group can actually make something we can :-
A) confirm it works as a programme – isn’t boring to watch, iron out any flaws and make sure it doesn’t already exist. The people here seem pretty critical though not necessarily reflective of the target audience.
B) Use the pilot as our pitch.
C) after giving up with the pitch, put it on YouTube with full credits at the end. So our pilot may not have been broadcast – it’s still something we can show our friends or prospective employers to show we can do it.
You never know – we could always continue it as a series for fun, and if its ever popular there perhaps it will generate some interest.
D) this is really addressed to David B. If we make a few pilots is it possible to then try to sell the format at MIP without having gone through the Transmission stage?
I’m a TV editor with all the edit kit at home, if anyone wants to give it a go I’d be happy to collaborate on the production side too.
A couple of people have been asking for some tips on how an ‘outsider’ could go about getting their format ideas seen by commissioners. I could fill a whole Fifty50 Show episode with blather on this, but here are some key tips:
1. Expect hard work. It will likely take 2-3 years from initial idea to finished programme on screen. Don’t expect a ‘format agent’ to do the selling for you; they don’t really exist.
2. Do come up with a format, not just an idea. We all have great ideas. However, it’s how you flesh those ideas out into workable, affordable, entertaining 30 or 60 minute TV shows that makes them saleable. Try to visualise exactly what happens at every point in the show, as if you were a TV director.
3. Do your research. The quickest thing that kills off a potential format is if someone’s already done it, particularly in the UK. Search through UKGameshows, and do your best to see if there’s been any similar ideas worldwide. If there has been something very similar, you might be better off accepting the problem and moving on to your next idea. Don’t go on the defensive (“Well, my idea is different/better because…”)
4. Personally, I wouldn’t pitch a general knowledge quiz. Most broadcasters and indies have teams of people already researching this type of format, and many members of the public come up with them too. That said, Fifteen-to-One and The Weakest Link were created by ‘outsiders’ so it can happen.
5. Choose who to pitch to. Each broadcaster and independent company is different. Most broadcasters have a commissioning part of their websites which outline what they are looking for and how you can submit ideas. In general, the smaller broadcasters/indies will have more time for you than the big boys. BBC and ITV have regimented submission systems that make it harder (but not impossible) for individuals to pitch to them. Their commissioners do make themselves available at various format-related industry events in the UK and abroad, even if they can be expensive to attend. You might be better off going to a smaller, leaner/meaner start-up indie who might be more eager to look for killer formats and have time to work with you in partnership.
6. Consider the method of pitching. In the old days, initial submissions were made on a side or two of A4. These days, it is becoming more vogue to show tapes of “office pilots” or present live runthroughs with the commissioner present, so that the rules and tactics become more self-explanatory. For more expensive adventure-type shows, producers make ‘taster tapes’ where they kludge together clips from movies or even other game shows to give an impression of the kind of show they want to make.
7. Don’t be paranoid about copyright. Despite what you might think, the whole world is not out to get you. (In fact, sometimes it can be smart for companies to leak ideas that are in mid-development as a way of warding off other companies from having similar ideas.) I wouldn’t post your idea on random message boards, but equally it’s unrealistic to expect most reputable broadcasters or companies to sign your non-disclosure form. Do sensible things like registering a copy with your bank or with FRAPA, keep a correspondance trail (meeting notes, phone calls, e-mails etc.) and when pitching to someone, say that you’re doing it “in confidence”.
8. Be patient. It can take many weeks for people to make up their mind. A long “yes” is better than a short “no”. After 4 weeks, maybe follow up your contact. After 8, ask again. Then think about going elsewhere if no dice.
9. Be professional. A lot of initial pitch letters are dreadful. Half are way too overly jokey or matey. The other half are so steeped in hyperbole (“It’s going to be bigger than Millionaire!!!”) that it’s hard to see what the original idea is. Your intial approach needs to make the idea look fun without giving the impression that you’re a complete whacko.
10. Be realistic. Don’t attach a £1m prize to an afternoon quiz. Be aware of how much a TV programme costs to make. The more expensive your idea is, the fewer time slots and fewer broadcasters can take it. Compare the number of countries that air Minute to Win It versus that of The Cube. If you want to be super rich, you need to have a hit show that airs in more than one country.
Before I head over to ZDF and flood them with gameshow ideas..
…do I win the prize for spotting the obscure Dan Corbett reference?
You win some numbers!
Buyers beware.
Only those upto the age of 30 can submit gameshow/quizshow/entertainment concept ideas to ZDF.
Ahh well – there’s that Germanic door slammed in my late 30-something face then.
Yes, I probably ought to edit that into the link.
One Bar-relevant show I’ve not yet seen discussed is the Sky Poker Cash Game, previously broadcast on Sky Sports but I saw it last night repeated on Challenge. Six-handed NLHE; Jimmy White and Matt LeTissier were on last night’s episode alongside four pros: Neil Channing and Carlo Citrone, who date back to the good old days of LNP, plus Sam Razavi (who we see on the UKIPT coverage from time to time) and Redmond Lee who I might or might not have heard of previously. Jimmy White has lucrative poker history; LeTissier seems to be holding his own, though playing tightly. The game is played with whopping £5/£5 blinds which I suspect are insufficient to get Channing to take the game entirely seriously. Lots of giggles and an old-school British feel to the game. Messrs Hartigan and Stapes commentate.
Rare event on this week’s Куб (Cube Russia). Also, one of the games is demonstrated by a fully animated, non-corporeal Body.
They’re playing Stacker! Never could play that game well in the arcades (and I’m assuming this was created so recently they couldn’t do an actual Body clip for it, thus the computer simulation)….
But it’s been in the UK version twice before, as Grid.
Any idea why it has an over-12 viewer age guidance rating on it? The content doesn’t strike me as particularly ‘post watershed’.
I’m guessing there maybe Russian words we would know starting with F or S uttered under the breath when lives are lost?