Sheffield Doc/Fest Engine Room Pitch Workshops Call for Applications

Sheffield Doc/Fest is running a series of two day development and pitching workshops around the UK led by Christina Burnett of Wide Eye Pictures.

The Engine Room workshops are aimed at documentary filmmakers and cross-platform producers. Participants get feedback on their projects from commissioning executives. Click through for more information and how to apply. (Photo by lululemon athletica CC BY 2.0)

Do You Want to Kick Start Your Creativity? Here Are Ten Ways.

In TV development land we are on a constant treadmill of trying to come up with new ideas; and all that spontaneous generation, writing and pitching often comes to a slow, grinding halt when we run out of ideas or enthusiasm. So what to do?

Design blog ISO50 asked 25 people in the creative industries to share their methods for shaking off a creative block – there’s bound to be a suggestion in there that will help you get your project back on track. Click through to find out how they do it.

(Photo (C) TV Mole)

CableFAX’s Best Websites 2010 – Part II: Blogs

CableFAX’s Best of the Web awards ceremony is being held in NYC on 28th April 2010. All commissioners now want to know what the multiplatform/360 degree content will be for any idea you pitch, but it can be hard to think beyond the standard programme website content of cast photos and biogs. In the second part of this mini-series we’re looking at the nominations for best programme blogs. Explore the links and see if you can find some inspiration to help you develop your own ideas.

Click through to read more. (Photo by Niffty.. CC BY-2.0)

Documentary Television.com

Peter Hamilton, ex-CBS exec turned TV consultant has just launched a new blog documentarytelevision.com.  A regular on the conference panel circuit, Peter shares his knowledge of Discovery network budgets in one of his first posts. For example:
Discovery’s budgets range from $250 per hour for a low budget programme to $1,500 to a showcase programme. He [...]

Copyblogger Articles You Need to Read Before You Write Your TV Proposal: Part III

Sometimes, OK often, you know you need to do something – come up with an idea, write a proposal – but somehow you just can’t seem to sit down and do it. You’ll know this problem because you’ll suddenly become interested in doing the things you’d usually avoid – washing up, ironing or dropping off your dry cleaning.

In the final part of this three-part series on turbocharging your development skills we look at how you can overcome your mental blocks, with the help of Copyblogger, which was named by The Guardian as one of the World’s 50 Most Powerful Blogs (click through the titles to read the full articles).(Photo by AuthenticEccentric CC BY- SA 2.0)

Copyblogger Articles You Need to Read Before You Write Your TV Proposal: Part II

Copyblogger named by The Guardian as one of the World’s 50 Most Powerful Blogs is a site all about marketing online content, but you can adapt the principles to help you write your TV proposal. In the second of this three-part series on turbocharging your development skills we look at some article that will help your proposal grab a buyer’s attention – making your idea stand out; starting your proposal with a bang, and using bullet points (click through to read more).

(Photo by AuthenticEccentric under CC BY- SA 2.0)

Copyblogger Articles You Need to Read Before You Write Your TV Proposal: Part I

Writing a concise, compelling proposal is a task that many TV producers and filmmakers find difficult: coming up with the idea and visualizing what it will look like probably comes easily to you; but being able to put your idea into words in a proposal or in a pitch is a different matter entirely. You have to switch from thinking like a director and start thinking like a copywriter. Copywriters (at least good ones) sell stuff and that’s the purpose of your proposal – it’s a sales pitch.

Copyblogger, named by The Guardian as one of the World’s 50 Most Powerful Blogs, is a site all about marketing online content, but you can adapt Copyblogger’s principles to help you write your TV proposal. In the first of this three-part series on turbocharging your development skills we look at some articles that explain the simple writing rules that you should use to polish your proposal so it looks professional. Click through to read more. (Photo by AuthenticEccentric CC BY- SA 2.0)

My Grill by Pete Evans

Aussie TV chef Pete Evans has written a new book, My Grill, which giveshe BBQ with a sophisticated spin with dishes such as Spiced Lamb Skewers with Pomegranate Molasses, Baby Octopus with Smoked Spanish Paprika and Sweet & Sour Capsicum and French Toast with Figs.

Hat tip: PSFK

What Went Wrong

What Went Wrong is an eight-week online interactive series that looks at the causes of the global financial crisis, from Big Think, a “global forum connecting people and ideas,” which has an archive of video interviews with more than 600 experts including and astronaut and a former mayor of NYC. What Went Wrong [...]

Guest Post: Catalin Brylla – The Interactive Filmmaker

Catalin Brylla is an editor and media lecturer who believes film theory has much to teach TV documentary makers. In the latest in an occasional series of articles he introduces interactivity. Not in the realm of computers and internet, but the interactivity of filmmaker and subject. (Photo by takomabibelot CC BY 2.0)