THE INDUSTRY
HOW TO PITCH
KEEP IT SHORT AND SWEET!
Whether you’re pitching your show idea verbally or writing a pitch document, keep it punchy and concise.
FOCUS ON THE WHO, WHAT, WHERE, HOW, AND WHY
At this stage, you don’t need to go into the fine details of what exactly happens in episode 7, but a producer/commissioner will want to know who the protagonist is, where is the story set, what happens to the character/s and how will you go about telling this story in an x amount of episodes.
THE WHY DESERVES ITS OWN BULLET POINTS
as it’s possibly the most important part of your pitch. Think about why you want to tell this particular story, and why it needs to exist on our screens right now?
IT'S ALWAYS USEFUL TO REFERENCE OTHER TV SHOWS
when pitching your idea e.g. “this show is like if Ab Fab met What We Do in the Shadows”. Using “comps”, as we call them, demonstrates that you know the TV landscape, and it allows the producer/commissioner to visualise what the show will look and feel like..
USING VISUAL TO CONVEY THE TONE AND FEEL OF THE SHOW IS A GREAT IDEA TOO
as it’s possibly the most important part of your pitch. Think about why you want to tell this particular story, and why it needs to exist on our screens right now?
SINCE YOU'RE PITCHING A COMEDY .. IT MIGHT BE WORTH MAKING YOUR PITCH FUNNY!
WHAT IS A TREATMENT
2015-2017
You will hear the term “treatment” a lot in the world of telly, and while there isn’t a set-in-stone definition for it as what people consider a treatment varies, but in a nutshell it is quite safe to say that a treatment is a document that lays out the blueprint for your TV show. Think of it as a more detailed pitch.
The style and format treatments varies a lot and depends on the writer’s and producer’s preferences, but normally a treatment would contain at least the following:
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The title of your show
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The format, e.g. 6 x 30 minute comedy
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A logline (the idea/story of your show summarised in a line or two)
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Series synopsis (on top of plot, this could also include talking about the tone and world of the show)
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Character descriptions
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Episodic synopses
A treatment is the writer’s chance to be creative and to work out what the show is about, how many episodes there are, who are the characters, what is the plot and so on before writing the actual scripts (although some writers prefer to write at least their pilot script before the treatment – again, there is no one rule fits all).
Any synopses you write in your treatment should always be in the present tense and written in the style of prose, e.g. “Kayla wakes up in the morning, and the first thing she notices is that the bed is empty.”
There are lots of brilliant websites and books with more tips on how to write treatments, some here:
TASTER TAPES
2015-2017
You won’t usually be asked to do a taster tape, or expected to do one, unless, further down the line you are paid to do a more elaborate one. But at this stage, it is often a good idea to make a very simple one, to capture something about the essence of the show. The Office, This Country and many other new shows with brand new talent, captured the imagination of the commissioners with a simple taster tape.
Here's Simon Mayhew Archer, producer of This Country, talking about the taster tape that Daisy May Cooper had made on her phone.
Taster Tapes
Simon Mayhew Archer Producer of This Country
Taster Tapes
Lydia Hampson Executive Producer Sister TV