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TV series Proposal

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TV series Proposal

Hi There,

I wonder if any one here knows much about writing porposals for animated tv shows. Perhaps some of you have written them before and have some useful dos and donts.

My main question is, when writing the 'what is the show about' part, how detailed do you need to be? Is it necessary to over complicate things with past, future and present events, and lots of character names etc. Or should this be more of a summary? Should it give you all of the answers? Or should it create questions, leaving you guessing?

Any advice that anyone could give would be much appreciated :)

Amy

In my experience, the show concept should be a summary, but it should still paint a clear picture of what your show is about. It should create interest in the project without bogging the reader down with too many details. Essentially, your proposal is like an introduction to your project idea, but you don't go into the life story of the project right at the beginning.

Sharvonique Studios
www.sharvonique.com

Animated By Sharvonique Blog
http://sharvonique.animationblogspot.com

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Thank for the reply Sharvonique. Do you have any experience pitching a show to a tv network? Should you go into greater detial there? Or do they just want you to keep it short and sweet?

Amy

I've given a few pitches myself and have seen pitches given. I would still keep it short and sweet. About 5 minutes. Execs don't have a lot of time. If they want the pitch to go longer, then they'll ask you more questions about your show. Know your story and your characters inside and out, but don't seem rehearsed. Your pitch should seem more like a conversation rather than a script.

Sharvonique Studios
www.sharvonique.com

Animated By Sharvonique Blog
http://sharvonique.animationblogspot.com

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Thanks for the advice. It seems that you know quite a lot about the subject. Obviously, you will need to plan out an entire series, but how certain do you need to be about all the details when you pitch?

You should be certain about the most important details that are essential to telling YOUR story and the elements that make your story unique. You mainly want to communicate a clear vision of your concept, the characters, and their world. You should also think about why the network needs to make your show and why your show will be right for them.

Sharvonique Studios
www.sharvonique.com

Animated By Sharvonique Blog
http://sharvonique.animationblogspot.com

AWN Showcase Gallery

Is it more likely that they, if it is successful, will want to put it into production or that they will give you funding to put this in production yourself (your studio), with a deadline?

It's more likely that the network would want to use their resources for production, but it's not unheard of for a creator's studio to do the work. An example is Tom Warburton's "Codename: Kids Next Door" for Cartoon Network. It should be clear that the network will want to own the rights to your concept if it's providing the funding for production.

It would also be a while before your concept moves into the production phase. A lot of time would be spent on developing the concept. It's also possible for a network to option your concept, usually for a period of two years, and not do anything with it.

Sharvonique Studios
www.sharvonique.com

Animated By Sharvonique Blog
http://sharvonique.animationblogspot.com

AWN Showcase Gallery

I collaborated with spaceghost2k, an at the moment inactive member of these forums, on two show concepts. I mainly wrote an illustrated and he went to see people to peddle the ideas.
Personally, I think going graphic is a good idea. Animation is about stuff you see happen on a screen and much easier accessible than lengthy treatises and résumés on each and every character in a show.
On the practical end of things, it's also about how confident you are about your ideas. The trick, on the other hand, is to evoke that same confidence in others. It also doesn't hurt to get to know people and let many partake in your vision. We live in the age of the internet. Here's a link to a website selling the concept of the show "Brady's Beasts": http://www.bradysbeasts.com/content_en/home.html
The project is refered to in an entire chapter of Jean Ann Wright's book "Animation Writing and Development, From Script Development to Pitch" which has given me some useful pointers on how to put ideas and character concepts into presentable form.

Even though so far we haven't sold a show, just doing this kind of thing will give you insight into what it is you want and help you gain the self-confidence needed to get a show on the road. The only real failure is quitting.

Hey Jabberwocky,

Thanks for the messgae :) that site looks very cool! I think I'll have another look at the graphics for my pitch and get something up soon for people to comment on.

helpful information

Hi

I am trying to create a series too. I start by drawing some characters. Then I create background. A script might help you sell the project. It doesn’t have to be long. Also you can create a storyboard. Some of the shows I’ve watch was created just with the concept and storyboard alone. There is a book called Producing animation by Catherine winder and Zahra Dowlatabadi that might help with structure. I hope this information will help you.

Thanks Ace, but I alrady have a script and storyboard. I think I shall just work on getting something up so that people can leave feedback regarding the show.