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Board game conversion Any sort of programme that has been based on a
traditional or proprietary board game. In the latter case, this sort of show is only
possible by paying a license fee to the manufacturer of the game.
Panel game Game played by a group of invited celebrities. Most of the humour
comes from off-the-cuff remarks and banter, as opposed to the more scripted
comedy panel games.
Puzzle Show where lateral thinking, numerical ability and wordplay are
important, but little or no general knowledge is required.
Variety Programmes which either involve the search for new talent, or
performances of established variety acts as a central element of the programme.
Why would anyone watch your show? What makes it entertaining? Quite often, people assume that
their job or hobby would make a good game show without considering that not everyone else might
find their occupation or pastime interesting.
Is there a strong theme that will "brand" the show? In particular, is there a distinctive visual
characteristic that will make the programme instantly recognisable?
Do you have a TV channel and time slot in mind?
Be realistic about costs. Its possible to achieve virtually anything in the world of television, but
everything has its price. Can you honestly say that your idea will be able to be made on the kind of
budgets used by similar shows in the marketplace at the target channel and timeslot?
Is the idea international? A sports quiz about the game of shinty might be
great for Ireland, but its potential will be severely limited in the global
marketplace.
Try looking for programme ideas that no one else seems to doing at the moment. Before too long,
you may well find that the situation reverses to your benefit.
(i) If the show is studio-based, is it going to fit in a studio? Television studios are often a lot smaller
than they appear to viewers, because cameras use wide-angle lenses that make the studio sets
appear larger than they really are.
(ii) Does the set involve large mechanical constructions? Despite their appearances, studio sets are
designed to be taken apart and re-assembled in hours. This is because studio time is so precious and
expensive that its often more cost effective to re-build the set for each time you need it rather than
leave the set sitting in the studio unused. For example, building an indoor rollercoaster within the
studio would mean that the programme would probably have to be made within a large film studio
which can be hired out at weeks at a time rather than in a traditional TV studio.
Safety: Specialists are always consulted to ensure that the programme can be
executed in a safe manner. However, even everyday obstacles such as ramps and
stairs can be extremely hazardous. Other shows make a virtue of the aspect of
danger. In these types of programmes it is vital that the audience can watch the
programme safe in the knowledge that no one will come to any harm, particularly if it
is for a family audience.
Live broadcasts: If the show relies on a live broadcast, bear in mind factors such as the time of
year. This can effect the lighting and weather conditions. There is not much point hoping to get a live
action-adventure show commissioned for evenings during Autumn if that means its going to be pitch
black outside the audience needs to see whats going on.
Game logic: If your programme is a quiz with a strong game element, check that
the game really does work. If possible, get some of your friends to play an
improvised mock-up of the game. Take note of how long it takes them to understand
the rules. Does the strategy of the game reward contestants that take risks and play
offensively rather than defensive, sandbagging play? A programme might be fun to
play, but is it going to be interesting to the viewers? In particular, is there a "playalong" factor that is, can the viewers try to answer the questions, games or puzzles
before the contestants do?
"Filmability": Can the viewers see whats going on? Sets for all programmes are designed so that it
is easy for cameras to capture the action. Sets come in many different forms, such as those used by
Fifteen-to-One, Wheel of Fortune, Blind Date and Celebrity Squares. One thing to bear in mind is that
most studios are not actually very high and so aerial shots are quite difficult to achieve.
Entertainment integrity: Does the format that youve now got actually fulfil the aim you started out
with? Its often tempting to adjust your idea in order to solve some of the other problems that have
occurred during the development process. However, a consequence of this is that your format might
be very logical, cost-effective and technically feasible, but the original entertainment factor might have
been lost.
The difficulty with the refining stage is that its difficult to know what the pitfalls are. This is where
agencies such as us can help. However, before you show your idea to anyone, it's advisable to secure
your copyright on the format.
Programme title
Target audience
Suggested time-slot
Length (mins)
Brief outline (2-3 sentences)
Outline running order
Round structure (if applicable)
Detailed synopsis
Sample games/questions
Illustrations
Suggested presenters
Outline budget
Set design
Merchandising opportunities
Formats have been known to be accepted on a scrappy piece of typewriter paper, and even during a
lunch conversation. However, conventionally it is preferred if the format is neatly printed by a word
processor.
Format Production
A model for format consultancy
A format sale is a product sale. The product in this instance is a recipe for re-producing a successful
television programme, in another territory, as a local programme.
The recipe comes with all the necessary ingredients and is offered as a product, along with a
consultant, who can be thought of as an expert chef.
In an ideal world, a format sales company would offer the product with the unique addition of a
master chef who is the Consultancy Manager who oversees the implementation and co-ordination of
the necessary production 'know how' and resources. The Consultancy Manager assigned to the format
sale would have an extensive range of international format experience and is available to put the
recipe and ingredients together in a form where they can be delivered to maximum effect.
Initial planning
In order that the product delivery can take place, the first task of the Consultancy
Manager is to select the appropriate resources with the Programme Producers (the
Consultants). When it is clear what the key elements are, s/he has to consider how,
to whom and when they are to be delivered.
The consultancy for every sale should be tailor-made and managed on an individual
basis taking into account such parameters such as: genre of programme, specific
cultural requirements, language, budget, length of series, timetable etc. The Consultant has to
operate on a budget with specific tasks to be implemented over a period of time. It is these tasks that
require expert and experienced management in order to give maximum value to the sale.
Choice of method
The second task of the Consultancy Manager is to look at how best to structure the consultancy and
to whom by first establishing contacts with key production personnel in the appropriate territory. It is
at this stage that relationship and confidence building is so important. (In territories where English is
not the first language an interpreter should be appointed by the consultants.) The Managing
Consultant has to create a balance between listening to the questions and concerns of both the seller
and the buyer (the two sets of producers). It is essential to talk through certain aspects of the
production and to send through only essential written, audio and visual resources prior to the first
production meeting. The complete bible should form the basis of the first meeting and full production
meeting.
Execution
Once this stage of structuring is complete, and all parties are agreed, the third task is to plan in detail
everything that has to take place. This is the moment to look at the timetable and particularly the
timetable of consultancy visits both pre-production and production, bearing in mind the key times
when consultancy can be most effective and have maximum impact.
Only when a production is hitting the expected target ratings can a format be considered to be a
successful sale. Then and only then is the sale complete.
What is a Format?
There are two main stages in the development of a format: a paper format and a TV programme
format.
"Paper format" the detailed written document that presents the initial concept for a TV
programme format
TV programme format the recipe and ingredients that gives the knowledge to reproduce an
existing TV programme in another country
They contain the first set of ingredients on which the final format recipe is based. They are the
catalysts around which all the resources that go into producing a television programme first start to
gather. They develop as the production process moves forward taking into account the influences of
the various production requirements such as casting, set, budget etc. evolving into the format bible
and pilot programme. If the paper format is sound, the television production will be sound.
(ii) TV programme formats
Michel Rodrigue, CEO of format specialist Distraction Formats offers this definition of a TV programme
format:
A TV programme format is a recipe which allows television concepts and ideas to travel without being
stopped by either geographical or linguistic boundaries. To achieve this, the recipe comes with a
whole range of ingredients making it possible for producers throughout the world to locally produce a
television programme based on a foreign format, and to present it as a local television show perfectly
adapted to their respective countries and cultures.
What a "paper format" contains
So, what does a "paper format" look like? There are no hard-and-fast rules, but there are two versions
that are commonly used...
Long-form
A long-form "paper format" is a very detailed description that would give you most of the information
required to produce a programme. There is no set length, but generally they do not extend much
beyond 10 pages of A4 paper otherwise they appear intimidating to read. It may contain some or all
of the following headings:
Programme title
Target audience
Suggested time-slot
Length (mins)
Brief outline (2-3 sentences)
Outline running order
Round structure (if applicable)
Detailed synopsis
Sample games/questions (if applicable)
Illustrations
Suggested presenters
Set design
Outline budget
Merchandising opportunities
Short-form
A short-form paper format... is used as a selling document. It is a much briefer version of the longform format. It is often only one or two pages long, and is used as a selling document to arouse
further interest from broadcasters and production companies. It might only contain the title, general
principle, target audience, suggested host and a few sentences outlining the rounds/games.
Quite often its necessary to go through the process of writing the long-form format which you then
condense down into the short-form version
A successful implementation of a format therefore takes the essence of a given formula, but
nevertheless can allow for some degree of leeway in the actual implementation. Sometimes the
format is adhered to rigidly, and other times it is tailored heavily, dependent on the culture in a
particular territory.
Opportunities
Although there are sometimes geographic and linguistic problems to overcome, many format devisors
and format owners recognise the significant benefits available in the international market.
The simple benefit is that licensing deals allow the format to be sold many times over. Television is
now a global industry, and therefore sales of formats are global too. A strong format can be sold to
well over 50 countries and maybe more.
Therefore, format devisors and owners need to harness this international market. However, this can
be difficult, particularly as there are hundreds of companies and thousands of people who attend over
ten key markets each year.
Consultancy
Format guide and production "bible"
Scripts
Blueprint and specification of set
Music
Visual graphics
Titles
Programme tapes
Computer software
Ratings
Scheduling slots
...and all the inside knowledge that makes the format 'work'.
Organisations
FRAPA (Format Recognition and Protection Association) aims to promote to producers, broadcasters
and the law, the concept of formats as unique, intellectual properties.
Web: www.frapa.org
Credits
David Bodycombe
TvFormats is indebted to David Bodycombe for writing the FAQ part of the site. David is one of the
UK's most active games devisors, acting as an advisor and author in many different media. He has
contributed to numerous television shows including The Mole (Channel 5), Sub Zero (BBC2), and five
series of The Crystal Maze (Channel 4). He is currently developing a unique game element to
complement Pyramid, a major BBC 1 documentary, and piloting his own game show with S4C
(Channel 4 Wales). On BBC Radio 4 he appears on the problem solving show Puzzle Panel, and is also
the researcher and question setter for the treasure hunt game X Marks the Spot. David has authored
numerous highly acclaimed puzzle books, and writes 1000 puzzles a year for columns in periodicals
such as the Daily Express, the Big Issue and Metro. His most recent book is entitled How To Devise A
Game Show.
For further details,visit www.qwertyuiop.co.uk