Shaping Documentary Ideas: This document was circulated by filmmaker Anna Kelvie at a Screen South Funding Open Day early in 2003 and provides vital information for documentary filmmakers looking for broadcast opportunities.
Writing Your Treatment
There are no hard and fast rules for how a treatment should be written and different broadcasters may require different types of document. However, by and large proposals for documentary ideas should never be longer than two sides of A4. Commissioners receive hundreds of ideas each week and just don't have the time to read long documents.
Your proposal obviously should sell your idea to the commissioner and therefore should be clear, punchy, well written and presented. The degree of information needed in a proposal will vary according to the subject matter and/or the broadcaster you want to send it to.
For instance, if you have a distinct filing style in mind for your film and you think that this style is the most significant element of the film, then this needs to be highlighted in the proposal. On the other hand, you may not have to go overboard thinking about style as this may eventually be decided by the broadcasters and, more importantly, available budgets.
The big sells for documentary proposals are:
Formats and Series Proposals - Have you come up with a brilliant format that will run for more than one series? The new 'Faking It'? Commissioners are becoming more and more reluctant to commission one-offs but they still have a place.
Access - Have you gained unique access to an individual, or a group of people, or an event? If so, this must be made absolutely clear in your proposal.
Authored Pieces - What is your connection to the subject matter, individual, place or event? How will you make the film interesting enough to deserve a commission?
Celebrity - Sells sells sells.
What to do with your idea?
You have a number of choices at this stage. You can submit your idea to a commissioner as an individual, or you could make approaches to independent production companies. There are advantages and disadvantages to taking either route, as outlined below:
Going to a commissioner directly - if they like your idea and want to commission it they will put you in touch with a company they want to work with. This is called 'warehousing'. If this is the case then you are in a strong position to negotiate with that company because you have effectively given them a commission. In this situation you can negotiate for up to 50% of the production fee and back end sales (DVDs and any distribution sales).
Going to a production company with an undeveloped idea - if they think it has promise they may invest their own money in developing the idea or they might go to a commissioner to ask for money. In either case you aren't really entitled to anything other than a job on the project but some companies may offer you a one-off fee.
Developing the idea yourself - you go to a production company with a fully developed and researched idea. If they like your idea, then they can 'umbrella' it for you, e.g. provide you with an executive producer, all the legal input, office space, etc. In this scenario you are entitled to argue for a percentage of the production fee, for instance 30%, and all back end sales. You've already done the work!
(N.B. A production fee is a percentage of the entire programme budget. It can be anywhere between 7-15% of the production budget. It is usually around 12.5%. This applies largely to Channel 4 commissions. ITV commissions are different. Network centre will give approximately 180k for an hour's doc and it's up to the programme management decide the production fee percentage.
Making contact with production companies
It is important to find a production company with a reputation for making similar genre programmes as the one you are proposing. PACT (Producers Alliance for Cinema and Television) produces a directory of individual companies and their broadcast CVs that is useful in matching up your idea to a company. Alternatively, it's useful to note the credits of documentaries you have seen to spot companies producing stuff along your lines.
Making contact with the commissioners
Make sure you send your ideas to the most relevant person at the channel you are interested in. Channel 4 have an excellent website which lists all the commissioners. However, we are living in times of change and flux and commissioners are frequently moved around so give the channel a call before sending ideas in. The BBC also has a section on their website devoted to commissioning. For other broadcasters it may not be so easy to get hold of this information so a bit of phone bashing may be required. Make sure you are sending your document in the format each commissioner requires, some even accept a brief email outlining your ideas these days although most do not want you to send emails and documents at the same time.
How to protect your ideas
This is difficult, as technically there is no such thing as creative copyright. You must be cautious of who you send your ideas to, this is really a minefield for everyone concerned in the business. If you idea is concept base, for example, a documentary about eating disorders, or format based, e.g. Perfect Match, then it will be almost impossible to claim ownership of the idea if it does get stolen.
However, if your idea is more access based, e.g. you have unique access to an individual or event, then you are more likely to be ok. Bear in mind that commissioners receive so many ideas every week and inevitably some are likely to be extremely similar and therefore you could see something that resembles your idea transmitted at some point.
There is a Code of Practice which has been drawn up between the Alliance for the protection of Copyright and the BBC, ITV, Channel Four and Five, which you may find helpful. This can be found on the BECTU website (see below)
Finding the slot for your area
There are a number of slots available in the terrestrial schedules, which are open for new talent. By going down this route you can avoid all of the above! Channel Four have The Slot and Alt TV. Carlton runs Metroland and there is a BBC Talent too, all worth checking out on the broadcaster's websites.
Useful Websites
www.bbc.co.uk/commissioning
www.channel4.com/4producers
http://productionpointsky.co.uk
www.broadcast.co.uk
www.bectu.org.uk
Books & Magazines
PACT Directory (available to members only but libraries and media resource centres will have a copy)
Guardian Media Guide (lists independent production companies but not their CVs)
Broadcast Magazine (what's going on and what is currently being commissioned)
Anne Kelvie
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