Posted by Steve Guidry on 09/12/06 17:10

Awwww, Paul, go easy on the guy. (grin)

He's just giving you a bit of what we all go through when we "have an idea".
Everyone weighs in, and most of them are uninformed - - even some of the
folks who might be able to give the project the go-ahead.

Steve

P. S. Email me prtivately, and I will give you a name of a guy at a
ewll-known prod. co. who might know who you can pitch this to . . .




"PTravel" <ptravel@travelersvideo.com> wrote in message
news:4mo79qF6to6oU1@individual.net...
>
> "Spex" <No.spam@ta.com> wrote in message
> news:4506e28d$0$577$ed2619ec@ptn-nntp-reader03.plus.net...
>> PTravel wrote:
>>> "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.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>> He gave you good advice.
>
> Neither he nor you know what the project is. His advice is completely
> inapplicable.
>
>> I bet my mortgage that you don't get anywhere close to getting your
>> programme made and aired on Discovery.
>
> Quite likely. This is a long shot.
>
>> Without wishing to be rude I've seen your travel videos on your website
>> and I don't think that level of quality should ever be seen on TV.
>
> No offense taken. My travel videos on my website aren't the project.
>
>> You cannot edit for toffee.
>
> Perhaps, perhaps not.
>
>> If you show any of those videos you'll be shown the door. I promise you
>> that.
>
> I'm sure you're right, which is why I have not intention of showing any of
> those videos.
>
> So many assumptions, here. So many of them wrong.
>
>>
>> Climb down off your high horse and listen to Bryan's advice.
>
> Bryan's advice is inapplicable to my project. Even if I wanted to, there
> simply isn't anything for all those production people to do. One of the
> first things a lawyer learns is, before giving an opinion, find out all
> the facts. That's good advice, too.
>
>>
>> Have you even rung Discovery Channel to ask about submissions?
>
> No, I thought I'd start here.
>
>> A simple phone call should be sufficient to determine how a pitch or
>> submission should be made.
>
> An a simple post is simpler.
>
>> You should be aware that Discovery has some extremely fierce
>> requirements you have to adhere to.
>
> Which you could have shared with me, I suppose, in response to my post.
> Instead you chose to lecture me about my project and my talent, neither of
> which you have sufficient information to judge.
>
>>
>> The best advice anyone will give you or should have given you is to leave
>> it to the pros.
>
> What should I leave to the pros? What was my project again? Oh, yes --
> you don't know have any idea at all.
>
>>
>> Take the idea to a production company and they'll be honest with you as
>> to whether the idea is a goer or not. They may even be able to run with
>> the idea, come at it from a different angle, sell the idea to Discovery
>> and get it aired. You play a part in the making of it, get a broadcast
>> credit and paid. Otherwise the idea however good it is may never reach
>> the screen.
>
> As I said, you don't know what the idea is -- it is not suitable for
> taking to a production company.
>
>>
>> I've never seen a credit roll with one person's name on it. Its for a
>> reason.
>
> This project isn't one that entails credits. However, please feel free to
> keep making judgments based on assumptions and no information whatsoever.
>
>

[Back to original message]