Template or guideline for writing an idea proposal for TV show

[dalethompson]

Does anyone know of a template or guideline I can use or follow in terms of putting together a proposal for a TV show?

I've seen some suggestions online but nothing in terms of an absolute way to put it all together. I have the idea(s) but I want it to look very standard and professional too.

As well, does anyone know if there are any books that would contain this info too?

If anyone has a sample proposal, perfect, that would be very helpful to go by.

Any suggestions or comments always welcome too

TIA,
Dale

P.S. I wish this feature was built into Final Draft, that would be very helpful.

 

[David Jimerson]

There's no one way of doing it. But if you look around on the web, you'll find posted examples of pitch pakages. Honestly, though, only seasoned, experienced TV writers ever get to do this.

I have a couple of articles up on how to write for TV and how to get in.

Starting here:

http://www.dvxuser.com/articles/article.php/17

They don't answer your question head on, but it should get you started in the right direction if you want to get into TV. The second part deals with getting into the biz.

 

[dalethompson]

David:

Thanks for your reply. I did read part 1 & 2 of your article on writing for TV (very well done by the way, excellent resource to have). I'm not at that point yet in terms of writing for TV because, as of yet, only have the idea to pitch to a network and/or agent about my ideas.

I did find a few templates on the internet too. There were a few excellent pitches that I found to be pretty helpful, I was just more concerned that I perhaps needed a standard way to present an idea (like the formatting or structure), I just didn't want to get it wrong.

Maybe things are different in the U.S. than Canada for pitching ideas. I've known of two people who had an idea, managed to get it to the right people and, voila, the show was on the air about 1-2 years later. No, they weren't in the TV or film industry too, they just had a good idea for a show. One show was on CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation), another on a cable channel here in Canada.

I feel hopeful that with all the cable channels here in Canada (and the law that promotes showing a certain % of Canadian produced or created shows) that I'll be at least able to get my ideas to someone who can take a look at them. Of course, yes, I plan on copywriting them first but after that, I hope they will at least get a fair shot at getting looked at. I know the one idea for sure should generate some interest... without giving it away, it's a solid idea

Thanks for your help and I will post updates if I do get any, even if it takes a long time.

 

[dalethompson]

P.S. I really do believe this is really an exciting time to be in TV. With all the new cable channels, it's a great time to get all your ideas out there for people to see. I know people lament about how hard it is to get your ideas to people in the industry but what do you have to lose? If you write things out, hey, it's nothing wasted and at the very least, you've tried. I'm slightly naive but definitely not dense. I realize that everyone has one "great idea" they think would be a hit and I'm no exception too. I'm also ready for the worst case scenario too which, again, isn't so bad if you've tried your best