Make Reality TV & Documentary Series | A Podcast & Blog from TV Producers & Filmmakers Joke and Biagio
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Happy 2015! To kick off a great year, we wanted to start out with five traits you can actively develop to become a better film or TV producer. And it’s all brought to you today by the letter “L.”
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We had a meeting last week. Like many meetings we take, someone had a great idea for a reality TV show or documentary series. It was set in an interesting world, but this person wasn’t sure if the idea would work best as a Follow-Doc, Format, or Hybrid (and you already know what those industry terms mean, right?.) Luckily, there’s a simple way to answer this question every time…
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Cast relationships — how you communicate with and prepare your cast — is key to making a great reality TV show or documentary series. Making sure those cast relationships stay strong both during and long after a show is done is not only crucial to your success in this industry, but it’s the right thing to do. So today we share how to pitch and make great reality TV shows and documentary series all while earning and maintaining great cast relationships.
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Should You Get Investors For Your Sizzle Reel? We’ve finally received this question enough times that we realize you want the answer. Forgive us for being slow! Today we spell out our thoughts and give you a bunch of tips to help you decide how much time and money to budget for your sizzle reel — your tool for presenting your TV concept to TV networks and production companies.
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With Halloween just around the corner, and lots of “scare” in the air, we thought we’d share five little known, horrifying things about producing TV shows. If you’re an aspiring producer, you’ve probably never even considered these terrifying treats that come along with every new show you sell…
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Whether you’re doing a TV show for a network, writing a screenplay for a studio, or creating a web series with friends, there is no getting around the notes process. Everyone has an opinion on where your project should go next. Believe it or not, the notes phase is a make it or break it part of anyone’s career! Get it right, and the people on top will love you. Get it wrong, and your career will likely stall (at best.) But being successful in the notes process DOES NOT mean simply taking every note handed your way and executing it. Here are some solid tips on surviving the notes process with your career — and your soul — intact.
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You’re one of the smart ones. Instead of wasting time on larger-than life formats (which are all long shots) or magazine-style travel shows (which no one wants) you understand that the fastest way to break into unscripted television is to find great, real life characters and build a show around them. After all, you’ve read our in-depth guide to pitching reality shows. But there’s one rule you need to be aware of if you want to be seen as a pro, and perhaps more importantly, keep your sanity. What’s the rule?
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One way to break into Hollywood? Get a job on a real production. While not the simplest route, you’d be amazed to learn how many people shoot themselves in the foot by making easy-to-avoid mistakes. Seriously! Fresh off a recent hiring spree, we tell you exactly why we automatically considered some applicants, and instantly rejected others. Give yourself a leg up on the competition today by following these tips.
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You’ve discovered an amazing, real life person that you are sure could be a reality TV show…now what? Today, we give you 3 concrete steps to greatly increase your odds of selling a character-centered show.
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You’ve seen them: spooky ghost shows, high-steaks crime-retellings, beautifully-shot historical docs — all using a cinematically photographed re-creation style to bring these “reality shows” or unscripted television series to life. Yes, they are incredibly fun and fulfilling to make. Today, we’ll give you the blueprint to how we make one such show, step-by-step.