The proposed series bible (differing from an ongoing series bible): Concept page (often called the one-page

sell-piece) The Continuing Characters (Leads) Overview (Backstory, Setting & Extended Character Description. For the last: leads, supports, recurring characters) Opening Cuts & Title Credits Episodes (a half page synopsis of at least the full 13) Pitch Notes (if it will be pitched in-house) The proposed series bible is usually between 25-30 pages in length.

There is a Pitch Bible and a Production Bible. The writer develops the Pitch Bible and the person responsible for overall story development during production of a series develops the Production Bible (the title of this person varies - ie Showrunner, Script Coordinator etc). The Production Bible builds on the Pitch Bible. A Pitch Bible would include:
y y y y y y

Premise - 10 to 20 lines. Tone Notes - at least a page - but no more than two pages. Each para probably begins with something like - "Its a world...(where, from, in which, separate from...). Characters - a page on each main character and half a page on lesser characters that maps their main changes throughout the series, to a few lines on even smaller characters. Sources - the series borrows plots from ... Series Arc - Overall arc of the complete series - 10 to 20 lines. Series Episode Arcs - 10 lines or so outlining each episode. Something like "EP. 1 BODIES IN THE SPACESHIP - After a corpse is discovered in a ..." - about ten lines. These tend to start very close to the Inciting Incident and say what happens after it - but it is not a rule, just a convention. Springboards - something like ... "Although the series has an overall story arc each episode will have its own episodic story. Sometimes these will focus on one part of the

greater arc and other times they will be separate events from the continuing story. Some sample episodes:.. " then about 3 - 5 lines on each springboard.

A Production Bible would add:

y y y y y y y

A Picture Gallery ie pictures of important locations (ie character X's drinking hole or meeting place - ie Lazy Joe's Taverna). Fuller cast notes - particularly as new cast appear. Production Crew details and all the specialists - the 'go to' guys with the answers - phone numbers etc. Music info - composer etc. Episode guide - Writer, Director, Dates, Short log line - as logged into the studio's logging system. Key Cast etc - for each episode in the current - and any future series. Overview of each episode - probably more detailed and fleshed out than the writer's Pitch Bible.

Mostly, as a writer, you only need to be concerned with the Pitch Bible - unless you are actually employed to do a series.