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Posted by PTravel on 09/12/06 15:27
"Bryan Heit" <bjheit@NOSPAMucalgary.ca> wrote in message
news:ee6fdh$jff$1@news.ucalgary.ca...
> nobody special wrote:
>> I had a friend try to pitch a show to them. Discovery has a small
>> number of "favorite son" production companies that feed product into
>> them. Your only real hope is to go thru one of them, and once you do,
>> they basically make you sign over the idea and most of the control over
>> the idea to them (as well as most of the profits). You get a small
>> piece of it unless you can retain some producer credits on it.
>
> This is probably the only route to go, but I don't think it is the "death
> sentence" you make it out to be.
>
> Firstly, if you look at what is needed to make a documentary of the type
> which appears on Discovery, National Geographic, etc, its pretty obvious
> you need a full production team. For the "average" documentary of this
> quality you'll need:
>
> Film crew(s) + audio crew
> Researchers
> Audio technicians/editors
> Video technicians/editors
> Host(s) and/or narrator(s)
> Script writers
> Animators
> Lawyers (for licensing, releases, and so forth)
> Music composition (or licensing)
> Someone to keep everything on track (Producer)
> Plus directors to keep all of the sub-groups organized
>
> Although one person can do all of these jobs (I've done all of this for
> some of my own work) it is doubtful one person could do all of these jobs
> well enough for Discovery-level production. Not to mention the vast
> amount of time it would take to make a single episode.
>
> But this doesn't mean that you'd have to give up control, or make very
> little $$$ from it. For example, if your documentary involves a technical
> field you could easily work not only as a creator, but as a
> researcher/consultant. If you're decent at writing you may also be able
> to do work as a writer. Any stock footage you may have may also be used -
> either for the planning of the footage they shoot, or used directly in the
> production. All of these would give you additional input into the work,
> and probably get you a little more $$$.
>
> Another option to consider is approaching a smaller (i.e. local)
> broadcaster first. This would give you the opportunity to develop the
> show, be it with fewer resources, but this would give you greater control
> over the project. This way you have the opportunity to develop the show,
> work out the bugs, develop a small team, etc, before you approach
> discovery or a larger production studio. You're far more likely to be
> taken seriously if you come to them not with an idea, but with a project
> that has some history - even if its just a small show which runs on a
> local station.
>
> Bryan
I appreciate your taking the time to post this, but to pull it back on track
(and as I posted originally), this is not an idea for a full-length episodic
program, nor is it something that requires a full production team. I don't
intend to say any more about it because I don't wish to disclose the idea,
but I'm perfectly capable of executing it myself (in SD, for which my
prosumer gear is completely adequate) and without additional crew (beyond
what I already use). As for clearances, I only need music, I have a source
for that, and I'm a lawyer who does licensing, so legal formalities are not
a concern at all, as I will handle them myself.
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