Producing a Pilot

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DVX100Shooter

Veteran
I have a company that has over 20 hours of footage that was shot by someone else and they want me to sift through it and log the best stuff so I could edit a killer pilot! Cool...The only thing is that I have never done this before (put together a pilot). I am sure I can do it with no problem but should I bring on board a producer or Associate producer at this early stage to help out? I still have to meet with the folks from this company to see exactly what their vision is and then I will have a better idea on how to approach this.

Any other suggestions?
 
It's hard to say without more information on what kind of show it is (documentary series? Comedy? Drama? Period? Sketch?) I could probably provide more pointed advice if I knew a bit more about it. I can say we have done something similar, so maybe some of this might be of some help:

For our first kick at the can for a series, we did a pilot based around a comedic short, called This Is Nonsense. It was retooled after we got development financing and pitched to the BBC. It didn't go to series (it did get released on DVD) but we learned a few lessons from that:

1) If you can get a producer together, I highly recommend it. It really really helps to have a producer for a number of reasons, not the least of which is to find out whether you have a marketable show. If you want a broadcaster to pick up the series, obviously it has to fill a market or programming block/niche that they need to have filled. There's no worse feeling than to finish a pilot you're proud of, and paid a lot of people to put together, and have it passed on (however reluctantly) by networks simply because there's no market for it.

It goes without saying that it's generally a bad idea to have a bunch of footage and try to craft a series out of it afterward. With Nonsense, we did have a general idea of the market and we were able to sort of compound it with an existing series outline, but ideally you should have the development out of the way first. It can be done. We did to a degree with Nonsense, but it's hard. A good producer can save you a ton of headaches.

2) The other reason you should have a producer is cost. When you are crafting a show in the editing chair as opposed to the usual way of footage following script, schedule, and marketing already decided, it is very easy to lose focus when your footage has none and have the costs spiral out of control. We managed to keep on budget for Nonsense, but we had a good producer. We managed to finish the pilot for about $15 000, which is quite good for a 22 minute pilot.

Hope that helps. If you can provide a bit more info on the type of project, I might be able to help a bit more. Cheers!
 
if you could add more specificity about your own background and the nature of the task at hand, I think people would provide useful support.

good luck.
 
Its gonna be a reality type show but there will NOT be any kind of cast. I am thinking more on the lines of Documentary using REAL people and NO Actors. Kinda like the show on A&E called "The First 48". Nothing like The Real World or any other reality shows of that nature. Its going to be an Automotive type show about cars and trucks, mechanics and so forth. I am told that this company is in talks with several networks that already have automotive shows on their network. We just have to create our own niche and make ours different so that it stands out from the other ones.


JY_Blue

My background: I run a small post production company based out of my home. I shoot and edit and produce a variety of projects. Basically I am a one man band covering a lot of duties. For something of this nature I think like Cory stated I am going to need to bring an experienced Producer on board. The company has seen my work and has seen me in action with all my gear and know that they are working with a professional. After seeing my demo reel and other videos, they wanted me to edit this pilot which is the task at hand.

I havent looked at the footage yet to see if it can be used or not. I am very funny about stuff I put my name on. If the footage was shot with some kid with a camcorder that has no camera skills or creative eye then why would I want to be a part of that project because editing would be a nightmare! Been there done that and it wasn't pretty!

I would rather produce, shoot and edit everything that way I know everything is going to be decent from start to finish.
 
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Whoa!!! that's a pretty touchy situation because now you're not only dealing simply with editing or logging footage anymore... but now you're talking about your reputation and time spent away from other potential projects that can make you money right away. if it was me in this situation... the simple way is to just take it one project at a time... name your price... part ownership of the show if you have great footage and are confident you can make a killer pilot OR cash if the footage sucks so you don't necessarily have to commit to a crappy pilot. Now if they can't pay you up front... make them a teaser they can't refuse then most likely the company will be more inclined to negotiate. If the show makes it to the network you can pretty much expect to be cut out of the loop... they usually have their own production house deals.
 
Ahhhhhh. Now that helps, a LOT.

First: congratulations! This could be an awesome opportunity. But be careful.

It sounds like it could be saleable project. However, make sure you are protected and fairly compensated. You don't want to get screwed and booted off your own show unfairly. I've seen it happen. So in addition to a producer, I would also recommend a good entertainment lawyer to make sure you get a fair deal. In fact, I would even go so far as to say maybe you should a legal professional first while you negotiate the deal. Once the i's have been dotted and the t's crossed, then you can go and get yourself a producer. You don't want to be paying for this stuff out of your own pocket. Kind of reminds me of that scene from "The Producers" :

"Leo?"

"Yes, Max?"

"There's two cardinal rules to being a Broadway producer."

"What's that?"

"Never put your own money in the show."

"Gee, Max, what's the other one?"

(Screaming in Leo's ear) "NEVER PUT YOUR OWN MONEY IN THE SHOW! ...Get it?"

"Got it."

"Good."

I say go for it...just watch your back so you can enjoy this opportunity to the fullest.
 
sounds like they have been very impressed with your reel and you have earned a great opportunity. maybe this has already been done, but my first step would be to get a better grasp on the situation and set up a good line of communication.

have a face to face where they show you some of what they've got for footage and explore their expectations for the finished project. you take it all in, ask as many directed questions as you need to, get a sense of their budget range (if possible) and go home. then take a few days to prepare a a written proposal with couple of options and price points tailored to meet the task at hand.

if you'd like a producer's perspective and someone to talk through some of the details at that point, i'd be happy to do that with you privately.

good luck
 
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