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Do you develop ideas wisely? You already know (from many episodes here at Producing Unscripted) how we feel about ideas. TV show and movie ideas, in and of themselves, are not worth much. It’s how you package up those ideas that makes the difference. But how do you decide which initial ideas to build out into amazing pitches? Today, you’ll learn four useful considerations to develop ideas wisely. (In an interesting twist, inspired by two iPhone app developers!) Plus, how to decide what you really want to get out of any project you develop.
Develop Ideas Into Useful Things
Just peruse the related links below. They will remind you why ideas are pretty much useless things all by themselves. Your ideas aren’t enough to get you taken seriously in the entertainment industry.
At our company Joke Productions, we never walk into a TV network sporting “an idea.” It’s always a fleshed out “package.” We bring at least a pitch tape and short but targeted write-up.
So you have to move far beyond an “idea” to pitch a project to Hollywood. But when you’ve got a million ideas, choosing which ones to focus on can be a real challenge. Even for us (and we’ve been at this awhile!)
An Interesting Development
That’s why we were intrigued when Biagio stumbled onto an episode called “Ideas” from the podcast Under the Radar.
In it, wicked-sharp indie software developers David Smith and Marco Arment discuss how they evaluate ideas for their iPhone apps.
[tweet_box]Develop Ideas Wisely: Your How-To Guide[/tweet_box]
We realized we do many of the same things when we consider our television show ideas. But David and Marco managed to put a nice, short, creative spin on their approach. We thought much of what they discussed would translate well to those who develop ideas for Hollywood.
Now, there are some big differences between making iPhone apps and making TV Shows (including potential number of customers — David and Marco have far more than we do!)
So of course, our discussion centers on using some concepts from David and Marco as a springboard to rate your own TV show and film ideas.
Just some of what we cover today:
- Four “lenses” to help you consider every one of your concepts
- Develop ideas with an eye on the prize…but what is that prize?
- Why easy development can mean difficult sales in the film and TV industry
- Where passion projects fit into your idea development
- The best target for aspiring unscripted TV producers to aim for
Okay, ready to sort through all of your creative sparks and develop ideas wisely? Hit that giant PLAY button at the top of this page!
Transcript Coming Soon!
Helpful and Related Links
- The Truth About Your Big Idea in Hollywood Our seminal post on Hollywood, ideas, and you.
- How to Pitch a Reality Show – get way beyond just pitching ideas by really understanding the unscripted television industry in this free 10,000 guide.
- Soft Pitch Blueprint – If you’ve just started to develop ideas, this is a much better way to pitch a concept than simply hitting someone with a one-liner.
- personal site of indie developer Marco Arment
- personal site of indie developer David Smith
- Follow us on Twitter! @jokeandbiagio
Let’s Make Some TV Together
Trying to break into unscripted TV, reality television, or documentary series? Fleshed out your ideas (like we discussed today?) Want to pitch to our company? Here’s how: