You're really asking for a couple of different things.
You would use a synopsis if you were trying to "sell" the show. By "sell" I mean either convince someone to buy your idea and turn it into a pilot, or to convince advertisers to plunk down money for spots during your show.
A show "bible" would be used to aid the creators of the show more than to sell it. It would detail everything: look and feel of the characters and settings, plot points, backstories, plans for the story arcs, and stuff that you know now that won't be known by viewers until shows - maybe even seasons - have passed. Anything important that the creator can't or won't be shaken on is in the bible - hence the name.
Neither of these hold any real value for you in the hands of the general public. Fans don't buy them. They don't get you more fans.
And if you're making a pilot, then someone has already seen the synopsis, given the green light, and you've created the bible.
A synopsis, used for selling the story, has to tell the story. Don't write it in questions. ("What will Bill do when his father turns against him?") Those questions are asked later of the audience. When you're talking to the producers, you ANSWER the question. ("Bill's father turns against him so he hires a hot chick to be his partner, instead.")
Keep the synopsis short. If he wanted to read the screenplay, he'd have asked for that. Paint the big picture and share the few special details that are going to keep people interested.
In the bible, put anything that is important to you. If it's imperative that Sheila is Hispanic, then state it. If it doesn't matter, then don't. (Maybe it's important later, to explain why she can speak to that lady who can't speak English, or why she would know a neighborhood or a cultural reference, and help explain it to US.) If a location requires a certain feature for ongoing or future plot use, put it in the bible.
Bibles can always be updated. The "Star Trek" bible has spawned numerous fanbooks and are updated as stories are (were) told each season. When a story about Worf the Klingon's species having evolved duplicate organs necessary for the survival of their warlike race (who writes this crap and why do I know it? lol), that required updating the bible. That particular aspect of Klingondom had never been indicated - BUT - neither had it been denied.
The boy in my story has a very common name, because what he goes through is something common to almost every boy. However, the girl has a name chosen for a very specific reason that will be revealed later in the series, and a lot of plot points revolve around it. It's one of the most important things I need to have stated in my bible. (It's Tom Bryant and Melanie Olivia Gaster, by the way. No, I won't tell you why it's important. You have to wait.) It's important that Tom's dad left when he was young; that Dimples is black and her dad, Mr. Johnson, is the High School P.E. teacher, and a hundred different, little things. If I DON'T write those in the bible, then someone could come along and write a story where Dimples' dad is the white Principal and mess things up. (My hero is Olympic Decathlon Gold medalist Rafer Johnson and his mother's nickname was "Dimples." I'm hoping to actually get him as the voice of Mr. Johnson, if it gets that far. See where someone writing Dimples as Swedish or Mr. Johnson as a dairy farmer or something would screw up my plans???)
I've been visiting a lot of forums for comic writing, animation writing and general writing, and forgot for a second where I was. Since this is animation related, character model sheets are a MUST. Remember, if you're doing a bible, the show is already a go. This isn't about selling it, it's a tool for MAKING it, and character art is probably the number one thing to have in the bible (voice characteristics and attitude second and third).
Couple of things I forgot to add, and figured I'd add them down here rather than edit-in.
Have you seen "Buffy?" I don't know this for a fact, but I have a hunch that many details about Angel were in the show bible. We knew from first meeting him that he was unique - a vampire with a soul. This is the kind of thing they let you know in the beginning, so when he loses his soul later and gets really, really nasty, the viewer doesn't feel like they pulled it out of their ass. You kick YOURSELF for not seeing it coming.
Also, in the case of the movie "Streets of Fire," a part for a mercenary was written for a man, but the plot gave no requirement for it, so the part was cast with a woman (who ended up being the only good thing ABOUT the movie, except Diane Lane in that red, sequened dress...) Look at all the outcry when Halle Berry was cast as Catwoman simply because of her color. While Selina Kyle has always been depicted as white, it's certainly not a point on which her character hangs. You'd have thought fans would be ecstatic to have an Academy Award-winning actress accept the part. (Catwoman was a dog, and color had zero to do with it - that movie had much bigger issues, lol.)
Ditto for Lando Calrissian NOT being a white gambling buddy of Han's. Pretty important that he be a guy because of the tension he brought to Han and Leia's relationship, but his color was insignificant. If Lando had been in EP3, he'd have been mauve, scaly, farting and CGI - oh, wait...
im going to assume your asking merely the physical aspects of the pitch and not what elements the concept should contain in itself.
i think the characets, visual descriptions. so maybe a chart with diff characters doing diff stuff. a family chart.
4-5 line descriptions of the shows episodes. you can throw in a complete script of one of the episodes as well. they can read it if they want. no harm there.
usually you go about it like this i reckon -
1. Explain the show concept and world.
2. Include character descriptions of main characters with sketches. May also include a few minor characters.
3. Provide a few episode ideas.
Keep everything brief, but detailed enough so that the reader can envision the characters and their world.
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You're really asking for a couple of different things.
You would use a synopsis if you were trying to "sell" the show. By "sell" I mean either convince someone to buy your idea and turn it into a pilot, or to convince advertisers to plunk down money for spots during your show.
A show "bible" would be used to aid the creators of the show more than to sell it. It would detail everything: look and feel of the characters and settings, plot points, backstories, plans for the story arcs, and stuff that you know now that won't be known by viewers until shows - maybe even seasons - have passed. Anything important that the creator can't or won't be shaken on is in the bible - hence the name.
Neither of these hold any real value for you in the hands of the general public. Fans don't buy them. They don't get you more fans.
And if you're making a pilot, then someone has already seen the synopsis, given the green light, and you've created the bible.
A synopsis, used for selling the story, has to tell the story. Don't write it in questions. ("What will Bill do when his father turns against him?") Those questions are asked later of the audience. When you're talking to the producers, you ANSWER the question. ("Bill's father turns against him so he hires a hot chick to be his partner, instead.")
Keep the synopsis short. If he wanted to read the screenplay, he'd have asked for that. Paint the big picture and share the few special details that are going to keep people interested.
In the bible, put anything that is important to you. If it's imperative that Sheila is Hispanic, then state it. If it doesn't matter, then don't. (Maybe it's important later, to explain why she can speak to that lady who can't speak English, or why she would know a neighborhood or a cultural reference, and help explain it to US.) If a location requires a certain feature for ongoing or future plot use, put it in the bible.
Bibles can always be updated. The "Star Trek" bible has spawned numerous fanbooks and are updated as stories are (were) told each season. When a story about Worf the Klingon's species having evolved duplicate organs necessary for the survival of their warlike race (who writes this crap and why do I know it? lol), that required updating the bible. That particular aspect of Klingondom had never been indicated - BUT - neither had it been denied.
The boy in my story has a very common name, because what he goes through is something common to almost every boy. However, the girl has a name chosen for a very specific reason that will be revealed later in the series, and a lot of plot points revolve around it. It's one of the most important things I need to have stated in my bible. (It's Tom Bryant and Melanie Olivia Gaster, by the way. No, I won't tell you why it's important. You have to wait.) It's important that Tom's dad left when he was young; that Dimples is black and her dad, Mr. Johnson, is the High School P.E. teacher, and a hundred different, little things. If I DON'T write those in the bible, then someone could come along and write a story where Dimples' dad is the white Principal and mess things up. (My hero is Olympic Decathlon Gold medalist Rafer Johnson and his mother's nickname was "Dimples." I'm hoping to actually get him as the voice of Mr. Johnson, if it gets that far. See where someone writing Dimples as Swedish or Mr. Johnson as a dairy farmer or something would screw up my plans???)
I've been visiting a lot of forums for comic writing, animation writing and general writing, and forgot for a second where I was. Since this is animation related, character model sheets are a MUST. Remember, if you're doing a bible, the show is already a go. This isn't about selling it, it's a tool for MAKING it, and character art is probably the number one thing to have in the bible (voice characteristics and attitude second and third).
Couple of things I forgot to add, and figured I'd add them down here rather than edit-in.
Have you seen "Buffy?" I don't know this for a fact, but I have a hunch that many details about Angel were in the show bible. We knew from first meeting him that he was unique - a vampire with a soul. This is the kind of thing they let you know in the beginning, so when he loses his soul later and gets really, really nasty, the viewer doesn't feel like they pulled it out of their ass. You kick YOURSELF for not seeing it coming.
Also, in the case of the movie "Streets of Fire," a part for a mercenary was written for a man, but the plot gave no requirement for it, so the part was cast with a woman (who ended up being the only good thing ABOUT the movie, except Diane Lane in that red, sequened dress...) Look at all the outcry when Halle Berry was cast as Catwoman simply because of her color. While Selina Kyle has always been depicted as white, it's certainly not a point on which her character hangs. You'd have thought fans would be ecstatic to have an Academy Award-winning actress accept the part. (Catwoman was a dog, and color had zero to do with it - that movie had much bigger issues, lol.)
Ditto for Lando Calrissian NOT being a white gambling buddy of Han's. Pretty important that he be a guy because of the tension he brought to Han and Leia's relationship, but his color was insignificant. If Lando had been in EP3, he'd have been mauve, scaly, farting and CGI - oh, wait...
im going to assume your asking merely the physical aspects of the pitch and not what elements the concept should contain in itself.
i think the characets, visual descriptions. so maybe a chart with diff characters doing diff stuff. a family chart.
4-5 line descriptions of the shows episodes. you can throw in a complete script of one of the episodes as well. they can read it if they want. no harm there.
usually you go about it like this i reckon -
Concept, Characters, World, Relationships, Progression, Guest Characters, Episode Guide.