Greenlit: Developing Factual/TV Ideas From Concept to Pitch – OUT NOW!

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.

Mosaic Films Call For Pitches – Deadline Monday 11th October, 2010

Mosaic Films have teamed up with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and BBC Storyville to support three short films (6-10 mins) that explore themes around poverty in the UK. Six established documentary makers can pitch their ideas to a panel at Sheffield Doc/Fest and the successful documentaries will be produced by Mosaic Films and premiere at Doc/Fest in June 2011.

If you have an idea you’d like to pitch, visit Mosaic Films for more information and details of how to apply.

Deadline: Monday 11th October, 2010 (Photo by Editor B CC BY 2.0)

Wellcome Trust Pitch at Doc/Fest Call for Entries – Deadline Monday 4th October, 2010

The Wellcome Trust invites programme makers to enter the Broadcast Development Award Pitch for the opportunity to win £10K. They are looking for documentary ideas with biological or medical themes on a variety of platforms: cinema, radio, gaming, TV and multiplatform. Shortlisted producers will pitch their projects at Sheffield Doc/Fest.

Visit wellcome.ac.uk/broadcast download an application form.

Deadline: Monday 4th October, 2010 (Photo by laureskew CC BY 2.0)

Current TV Pitch at Doc/Fest Call for Entries – Deadline Friday 1st October, 2010

The Current TV Series Pitch offers emerging production companies/producers the chance to win £2.5K of development funding. Current TV will shortlist four proposals that will be pitched as part of DFG Day at Sheffield Doc/Fest (Thursday 4th November, 2010). They are looking for proposals for documentary series of 3-6 episodes that can be made for a budget of £33K per hour. Shortlisted producers will get seven minutes to pitch and show a taster tape to a panel of industry executives. The winning series proposal is slated for transmission in 2011.

Deadline for entries: Friday 1st October, 2010

For full the full brief go to: http://sheffdocfest.com/view/pitchcurrent

Download the application form at: http://current.com/currenttvseriespitch (Photo by luca.sartoni CC BY SA 2.0)

First Cut Pitch at Doc/Fest – Call For Entries: Deadline Friday 24th September

Channel 4 strand First Cut has teamed up with Sheffield Doc/Fest once again to give you the opportunity to pitch to win a £50K budget and the chance to direct a First Cut documentary. If you are an experienced assistant producer or film school graduate with TV production experience but have yet to make your primetime directorial debut, this is your chance. Five finalists will be chosen to pitch their idea to a panel of TV executives at Doc/Fest 3-7th November, 2010.

For more information and an application form visit www.4producers.co.uk

Deadline: Friday 24th September, 2010. (Photo by PictFactory CC BY 2.0)

Sheffield Doc/Fest Meet Market Call for Entries – Deadline 1st September, 2010

MeetMarket is now open for applications from documentary makers who are looking for funding. It’s an opportunity for 60 filmmakers to be matched with interested buyers and meet them one-on-one at the Sheffield Doc/Fest (3rd-7th November 2010). Last year there were 139 international buyersand 70 have already confirmed for 2010.

Photo by clagnut CC BY 2.0

Projects – documentary, factual entertainment, art/installation or cross-platform – can be at any stage of development or production and from anywhere in the world. Applications must include a synopsis, 1-minute teaser tape, ballpark budget and biographies of the filmmaker(s). Click through for more information. (Photo by clagnut CC BY 2.0)

So You Think You Can Pitch – Deadline 8th January, 2010

Realscreen Summit’s So You Think You Can Pitch is your opportunity to pitch your TV project to a panel of executives, including: Amy Introcaso-Davis, SVP, Original Programming and Development, Oxygen Media, Rob Sharenow, SVP, Non-Fiction & Alternative Programming, A&E, Nicole DeFusco, Vice President, Original Programming & Development, Sundance Channel and Gary Lico, President & CEO, CABLEready. Andy Cohen, SVP Original Programming & Development at Bravo hosts the session.

Five producers will pitch in front of a live audience on 2nd February at the Realscreen conference in Washington DC. The best pitch wins a year’s subscription to CableU, an iPod Nano and a free pass to Realscreen in 2011.

Find out more at Reelscreen.com.

(Photo by the1secondfilm CC BY-SA 2.0)

How to Pitch 360 Degree Content

At the recent Sheffield Doc/Fest, a panel of Multiplatform commissioning editors and producers talked about developing and pitching 360 degree content (i.e. content that exists on more than one platform: TV, online, books, DVD, live events, YouTube, Facebook etc).

The panel included:

* Lyndsay Duthie (etv productions)
* Nick Cohen (BBC Multiplatform commissioner)
* James Penfold (etv productions)
* Matt Locke (Commissioning Editor for Education and New Media at Channel 4)
* Jane Mote (UKTV Director of lifestyle, factual and new media, UKTV)

Click through to see what they said.
(Photo by gadl CC BY-SA 2.0)

Westdoc Twitter

If you weren’t able to make it to Santa Monica to attend the Westdoc conference, you can keep up with what’s going on in real time – who’s commissioning what, and how to pitch -  via twitter. Just follow the #westdoc thread.

Wellcome Trust Pitch Competition – Call for Entries

If you have an idea for a science documentary that you are trying to get off the ground, apply for a chance to pitch it to the Wellcome Trust for a development award of up to £10,000. Your proposal must be for a project on health, medicine or biology and be able to engage a large audience; it can be a documentary film, game or online proposal.

If you are selected you will pitch your idea to a panel at Sheffield’s Doc/Fest on 7th November, 2009.

For more information visit Wellcome’s Broadcast Development Awards.

The closing date for applications is 9th October, 2009.

(photo by Foxtongue CC BY 2.0)