I got this email today:
I am just beginning my venture into the world of television. More specifically, I am trying to find out how
to go about presenting my idea for a television series. I think it’s a
terrific idea and have mentioned it to several friends, co-workers, and
family members for feedback. They all agree it sounds like something
they would really be interested in watching. My question is HOW do I
get started in something like this?I’ve had this idea for a few years, and there is nothing on TV
similar to it. I just have no idea how, where, and to whom to present
my ideas. I am a good writer as well, but I have never written
anything "dialogue-related", such as a play or TV series.
I politely replied by directing her to two of my previous posts here on the same topic. But I could have answered her question by rewriting her note:
I am just beginning my venture into the world of automotive design. More specifically, I am trying to find out how
to go about presenting my idea for a new car. I think it’s a
terrific design and have shown it to several friends, co-workers, and
family members for feedback. They all agree it looks like a car they’d be really interested in owning. My question is HOW do I
get started in something like this?I’ve had this idea for a few years, and there is nothing on the road that’s similar to it. I just have no idea how, where, and to whom to present
my ideas. I am a good artist as well, but I have never designed
anything "automotive-related", such as a motorcycle or truck.
No one in their right mind would ever write a note like that to a car designer. It would be insane. So why would you send it to a TV writer? Because TV isn’t car design. It doesn’t involve complex engineering and manufacturing.
Think again.
One season of an hour-long TV series costs $50 million to produce. It takes a crew of several hundred to make it happen…and the resources of a studio (aka a factory for producing TV shows and movies). No one is going to gamble that much money, or entrust that much responsibility, to someone who has never done anything "dialogue-related."
There’s no short-cut to creating a TV series, designing a car, becoming a doctor, or becoming a great chef. It takes knowledge. It takes skill. It takes work. It takes experience. Simple as that. You start at the bottom, learn the basics, and work your way up.
Actually, there is a shortcut for becoming a doctor. If, like me, you choose pediatrics, you only need to know about three things: diapers, baby formulas, and how to write a prescription for that pink bubblegum medicine (I forget what it’s called).
This reminds me of a guy in my college english class who was outraged because, ahem, “Star Trek stole his script”. He’d sent them a script, and not a week later they ran an episode using “his idea”.
Did you tell him how that episode had been in production for about three weeks before he even sent his script in?
I don’t know anything about Phil Hawley’s skills as a doctor… But if the whole medicine thing doesn’t work out, I know he’s got a helluva career ahead of him as a thriller writer. (And once his book hits stores next year, you’ll see what I mean.)
As for shortcuts… If anyone finds one, please share it with me. I’ve seen a lot of people searching for the magic bullet, but haven’t found one yet.
Oh, wouldn’t it be nice if there WAS a “magic bullet”? But then again, all these people who think they can write, who think they could do a series, who think they don’t need rewrites, would have shows going, and even with today’s glut of channels, there would be an overflow of product.
I am just beginning my venture into the world of explicit pornography. More specifically, I am trying to find out how to go about presenting my idea for a pornographic series. I think it’s a terrific idea and have mentioned it to several friends, co-workers, and family members for feedback. They all agree it sounds like something they would really be interested in watching. My question is HOW do I get started in something like this?
I’ve had this idea for a few years, and there is nothing on the internet similar to it. I just have no idea how, where, and to whom to present my ideas. I am a good sexual athlete as well, but I have never written anything “penetration-related”, such as a sex manual or children’s book.
Did you tell him how that episode had been in production for about three weeks before he even sent his script in?
I wish I had! At the time I was too boggled to say anything. He was a very Angry Young Man, exactly the sort to fall for “I’m too elite for the industry” flattery and end up in vanity press hell.
…excellent post…excellent example – but the queries will still keep coming because everyone watches tv, so how hard can it be?