Television Production

bearchaser
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Ive been tinkering with the idea of a group of ametuar paranormal investigators getting their own show. only thing is I dont know thing one about how a reality show is produced and filmed. so here are a few questions:

  • what goes into making a pilot?
  • how many crew members are there? (think a show like Ghost Hunters, not something huge like Survivor)
  • how much do the creators stand to make off a pilot?
  • are there any legal issues that must be dealt with before filming?
  • Will a company refuse to air a show if it was boring?
  • are the crew not seen on camera under contract not to reveal the shows secrets, even if things were being fabricated?

just give me a rough outline in what goes into both the pre and post production phases and the filming.

 

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Posted June 17th, 2008 by bearchaser

Westontinople
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Re: Television Production

I was just talking to this guy I'm renting  Red camera from last week about reality shows.  He was saying that his friend is one of the writers for this reality show on animal planet that just got spoofed on talk soup (apparently thats how you know you've made it in reality television).  The key, this guy says, is to make sure you've written all your story arcs before you start shooting, and ake sure your "actors" know their "characters" and that these "characters" are interesting

 

as for the third and fourth question, remember to cover your ass, legaly and financially.  dont ask us, ask several experts.  make calls, and hit the books.  of course there are legal issues.  any buisness endevor has legal issues. 

 

of course a company will refuse to air a show if its boring.  if your show cant atract advertisers, its gone.

 

your last question depends on whatever contract you have your cast and crew sign.  as I said, seek the experts, make calls, and hit the books.

 

good luck!

 


Tue, 06/17/2008 - 19:40

furleyguy
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Re: Television Production

Tinker with, as in you're going to write a story about it, or as in you're going to actually produce a show that you call a pilot? Traditional pilots are commissioned by the networks, not created on spec. But I assume with all the shit reality TV that's out there, some of them had to have been done this way also; it's just a helluva gamble. You'd normally pitch your idea to a suit first, then proceed after a green light.

On the crew, you'd have probably two camera operators, one or two boom/sound guys, a director, a producer, and probably a grip and/or PA. That's for "real" reality, documentary-style. For a more controlled shoot, or semi-scripted, add to that: a sound mixer, a director of photography, a gaffer, another couple of grips (with truck rental), wardrobe/makeup, continuity supervisor, maybe a location wrangler, prop master, etc. Crew size escalates pretty quickly when you go scripted.

For post-production, those costs are a bargain in comparison, but remember that reality TV is created in the editing room. Where a typical drama may have a 10:1 shooting ratio (unused to used footage), reality might be be 50:1. You have an incredible amount of footage to evaluate, so the post process can be quite long, and it would be common to have multiple editors working on different sections or subplots at the same time.

There are a lot of legal considerations. You have releases for the locations and all the people seen on-camera. Possible union restrictions on length of day worked, etc. Several types of insurance. Any non-disclosure agreements necessary would be at the producers' discretion and very common.

I can't say how much a creator would stand to make. I can say that if the pilot was commissioned, you probably have about a 25% chance of making air. There are lots of articles about relaity television production in the video magazines.

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Tue, 06/17/2008 - 21:33

XyZy
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Re: Television Production

 

 

  • how much do the creators stand to make off a pilot?
  • Will a company refuse to air a show if it was boring?
  • are the crew not seen on camera under contract not to reveal the shows secrets, even if things were being fabricated?

     

    Pilots do not generally generate money - on their own. They make money, if an only if, the show gets picked up. If they become part of an 8 - 22 episode season that you get paid 'X' amount per episode, then it's generated money, otherwise, no. On scripted shows there's a twenty perscent chance the pilot never airs, even if the rest of the show does, and about a ninety percent chance if it does air, it will change before it hits the air.

    A company will refuse to air shows for all kinds of reasons. Just this past week my sister began editing a cooking show that was dropped by the History channel for being too violent. Yes, cooking show, history channel, too violent, dropped. It is in negotiations to be picked up by one of the sony companies as web-isodes, so she's cutting them down into three - five minute chunks

    As my above story illustrates, no, not by default. You can contract them to do so when you hire them, but then you're going back to the legal questions question... which involves talking to a lawyer. It also depends on the various state/local laws regarding contract work, hiring, right to work, work for hire, non-disclosure clauses, non-competes, etc...

     

     

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    Wed, 06/18/2008 - 13:23