You may watch television from time to time and are suddenly hit with a Eureka moment. The next time this happens, you can refer to this article for a way to put that idea in an easy-to-read format so that you can get your idea to the right people!
Summarize the Concept
Begin by putting your entire show concept in three sentences. Yes, it may seem difficult to make your entire great idea into just three sentences, but this is a paramount first step. More times than not, the busy executive who will eventually read your idea has little more than five minutes to spare in their busy day to read new ideas for shows. Get it down to a concise "Elevator Pitch" before moving on. Take notes on other pieces of paper if necessary.
Once you have this magical paragraph completed, put it aside to use once you format your document. You will need to do a few other things first.
Title Your Show
When thinking of a title; try to imagine your show already on television. Can you see this title in the guide listing on your digital receiver on in your paper or online TV Guide listings? If not, then keep working. Titles should be snappy and short, but yet tell you enough about the show to make the viewer decide if they want to watch-the key is to make them feel like they want to!
Your Log Line
Now that you have your elevator pitch and your title, you need to explain your show in one phrase (and you thought three sentences was hard)! A good log line is about one sentence. Try out this fun and useful site that generates random log lines to get writers going.
For a basic pitch, you now have the elements in place. Neatly type the title of your show at the top of the page. If you use Microsoft Word, for example, use the title style and experiment with some different looks and colors to make your title stand out.
Just below the title, place your log line to give the executive a quick and concise view of the show before he or she even reads your summary. Now it's time to plug in your summary and you are just about finished.
The next paragraph or paragraphs can be developed as you flush out your idea and will more than likely change several times before your pitch is considered complete. It is optional whether you choose to just do the short summary and go into details for each episode individually (including titles) or if you would just like to summarize the entire season in a few paragraphs-once you have thoroughly explained the premise of your show (or rules of play if you are creating a competition or game show).
Protecting Your Idea
Once you have checked and re-checked your pitch, you are ready to register your idea as a pitch with the Creator's Vault , which provides proof of creation for all written intellectual property. While this certainly does not guarantee that no one else will ever have a similar idea that makes it to the screen before your idea, it will at least make you feel safer when you are out shopping your project and attempting to get it into the right hands!
There is certainly more that you can do to present your idea, but this is a general idea for the basic guideline in getting your idea from brain to paper. Do your research and you are sure to find more in-depth advice. Good luck and happy pitching!
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