Coming Up in 2011…

It’s been an exciting year for TVMole, with more subscribers signing up every day – we now have readers in 174 countries, including USA, UK, Canada, Australia, Germany, Ireland, South Africa, France and India.

There’s also been a great response to Greenlit: Developing Factual/Reality TV Ideas From Concept to Pitch, which was published in August.
Another book is scheduled for publication in 2012. If you would like to be interviewed about your experiences of raising finance for your TV series or independent documentary film (and get some valuable publicity for your project), please get in touch (via the Contact button at the top of the page).

Join the new Development Producers Group – Improve your network and get up-to-date insider information by joining the brand new London-based Development Producers Group, which is a social networking community for development researchers, AP’s and producers working in television and film.

Click through for more details. (Photo by meddygarnet CC BY 2.0)

How to Tell a Good Story

Ira Glass, award-winning producer of popular radio show This American Life, explains what makes for a good first person narrative on radio. He boils it down to: relatable characters, surprising plots and interesting and universal themes.  All good advice for developing TV programmes too. Read the full interview in the Seattle Times.

Greenlit: Jenni Falconer’s Secret Santa, Living

Jenni Falconer’s Secret Santa (1 x 60′)  – Presenter Jenni Falconer visits Great Ormond Street Hospital in London to hand out surprise gifts to sick children. Channel: Living Producer: ITN Studios TX: 23rd December, 2010 Source: C21

Greenlit: Developing Factual/Reality TV Ideas From Concept to Pitch by Nicola Lees

There are some simple principles to successfully developing and pitching your ideas, whether you are working for a global ‘super-indie’ production company, or are a documentary filmmaker pitching a passion project. The extraordinary thing is that no one will tell you what they are! Greenlit is the first book to reveal, step-by-step, how to originate, develop and pitch your factual/non-scripted TV ideas in a global market.

Get insider tips from: * 10 TV development producers – who have a combined 50+ years experience of developing and pitching ideas at all levels; * 20 senior executives who have sold some of the world’s most successful shows, to: * 16 channel executives, who between them have worked at: * 18 TV channels in: * 7 countries across 4 continents.

Greenlit is available now from Amazon and all good bookstores.

Greenlit: Show Me the Monet, BBC2

Show Me The Monet (10X45′) – Three art experts curate an exhibition and auction using artworks from a range of professional and amateur artists. Channel: BBC2 Daytime Producer: Lucky Day TX: Spring 2011 Source: Broadcast

Greenlit: When Vacations Attack! Travel Channel

 When Vacations Attack! ( x60′) – Documentary series that examines what happens when travel plans go wrong. Channel: Travel Channel Producer: Cheri Sundae TX: 28th November, 2010 Source: Cynopsis

Pitching your TV Ideas: What No-One Will Tell You

Do you have a documentary or reality TV idea that you are dying to pitch, but don’t know where to start? Have you tried pitching it and had the door slammed in your face (several times)? Are you frustrated with being fobbed off? Are you losing confidence in your idea, even though deep down you know it’s a great concept? Is is something you did? Or said? Why are the buyers just not that into you? Don’t despair, you’re not alone in your frustration (although it can feel that way)!

Whether you are working for a global ‘super-indie’ production company or are an individual with a passion project there are some simple principles that will increase your chances of attracting channel executives and investors. The thing is, no one will tell you what they are!

Click through for a quick and dirty run through what you need to know before you set out on your pitching journey. (Photo by Mohamad ShoOx CC BY 2.0)

Greenlit: My Life – Child Poverty in Britain Today, BBC1

My Life – Child Poverty -  Documentary shot through the summer and autumn of 2010 and winter of 2011 and will be an intimate portrayal of the realities of child poverty in Britain today, told through the eyes and words of the children themselves, giving them a voice. Channel: BBC1 Director: True Vision TX: Spring 2011 [...]

Production Budget Template

Here is a sample production budget template (by lisaconnelly on Scribd): Documentary Budget Format Copyright: Attribution Non-commercial

Development and Pitching 101: Developing Ideas

Many people make the mistake of pitching a subject area instead of a TV show idea. What’s the difference?

A documentary or TV series idea must have a narrative structure. At it’s simplest that means a beginning, middle and end. But it must also conform to the grammar of TV and the particular genre in which you are pitching. Find out how to do that by clicking through. (Photo by CarbonNYC CC BY 2.0)