At one point in our lives, many of us have had that moment when we’ve sat in front of the T.V and thought ” I could make better than this”. In this blog I will be going through exactly how to get your programming commissioned.
Firstly you need a script or even just a concept, if it is good enough then it will be accepted, no matter how far down the line it is. For most genres you also don’t need a production company with you, Channel Four will provide you with that. The only exception to that rule is the comedy genre. As Channel Four are so open about anyone submitting a script and the comedy genre is the most popular, they get a large amount of time wasters. Let’s say, for example, that I have an idea for a new comedy series centred around the Jewish community called “Just Jew It”. “Just Jew It” will be aimed at a teenage audience (16-24) as the comedy will be quite racy and offensive at times. So now I have my idea I now have to decide where to pitch it to.
The most appropriate choice for a broadcaster would be Channel Four as they are the most accessible broadcaster to pitch your idea to.It states on the Channel Four website that they are “more likely than any other broadcaster to take risks on unknown writers”, “championing brilliant and original writing” and aiming to”launch the next generation of great comic performers”. Channel Four also state that they are looking for “original, bold, and distinctive” comedy with a “real sense of authorship”. Channel Four enjoy working with independent directors, many of the shows that they produce are from independent directors.
For example, for my program concept “Just Jew It” I would contact “Sharn Matharu” the assistant for the Head Of Comedy and pitch them my idea via appointment. If it was any other genre of programming then I would submit my work online, however the Channel Four website states not to do so. I believe this is because of the amount of silly, and unprofessional comedy concepts that they are sent. If given the green light, Channel Four would provide me and my production team with the budget necessary to produce our piece. This is how you get your programme onto T.V.
Script:
Today I’m going to be talking about how you get your T.V idea from being an idea, to being a fully fledged T.V program. First off, you need an idea for a T.V show. You don’t have to even have a finished script, just an idea ready to pitch to the producers. Take my idea for example. I have an idea for a comedy program centred around the Jewish community called “Just Jew It”. It will be a racy and borderline offensive comedy aimed at 16-24 year olds. Right now, I only have a script and a production house, however I have no funding and need funding. This sort of borderline comedy would not really be picked up the BBC for many reasons. The BBC are a publicly funded organisation and so they cannot really show
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