PITCH BIBLE

SHOW TITLE
Genre or type of show

High Concept: (If present). High-concept is a term used to refer to an artistic work that can be easily
pitched with a succinctly stated premise. It can be contrasted with low-concept,
which is more concerned with character development and other subtleties that aren't
as easily summarized.

In other words, an idea may be expressed by a High-Concept or a Low-Concept.

The first one uses a pitching strategy that compares successful media products to
explain what the show is about.

Logline: A logline is a summary of your ENTIRE SHOW CONCEPT captured in just one or
two well-formed sentences that tells your readers WHO the main character is, WHAT
the show is about, and HOW the main conflict of the show might be resolved. It is
written in beginning-middle-end format, and shorter is better.

Format: Duration (per episode and per season) and genre and (as clear as it can be made).

Synopsis: It is written in the present tense and it expands on what was described very briefly in
the Logline. Focus on the main characters and the circumstances or twists that we
discover throughout the series. Provide detailed character descriptions to illustrate
their relationship dynamics. It also needs to illustrate how the show could grow in
upcoming episodes and seasons, so as to help the reader understand what it has a
long lasting potential.

These are some elements you might want to consider including when creating your
synopsis:

• What the show is about – hook!

• The source of conflict
• How the series (pilot) begins
• What the audience will see in every episode (this is most important for reality or
quiz shows)
• Episode structure (again, this is essential for reality and quiz shows)
• Setting. Not just where and when, but what this place looks like. Is it show on a
set or on location?

Main Characters: Description of the main characters' physical, social and psychological
characteristics. It must include a backstory (what experiences brought this
person to the situation when the story begins). You should concentrate on
his/her internal and external needs and desires, his quirks and endearing traits.
You may delve into the details of his or her previous life (anything before the
series started) but only when they affect his/her personality.
Series Outline: When writing the Outline you should focus on “plot points” that is to say, the
specific moments when the story shifts or when we have important discoveries,
revelations or twists.

Act structure: (Scripted): by this we mean the narrative format that will encompass each
episode. All series have formats.

You must describe the standard story arc, divided into the program’s segments.
Does it have a cold open and a teaser? Is the program divided into two, three,
four or five acts? Does it have a tag? You should also describe what the key-
driving element is: the action, suspense or drama.

Some series have very specific structures: CSI has a teaser that opens with a
crime and the initial visit of the team; this sets up the initial intrigue of the
episode. During the first two acts, the case is assigned randomly to one of the
main characters, they usually find the criminal but they have to let him go
because of lack of evidence or because the evidence points them to another
suspect. During the next act, they are able to collect the right evidence and
during the last act, they question the suspect until they get a confession. During
this story’s development, there is also a second “B” story about a lesser crime
that gets investigated by the other show regulars.

Having a structural format doesn’t mean that your show is formulaic or less
creative, quite the opposite: the format only establishes the canvas on which
you are going to develop your creativity.

Episode & Series Structure: (Reality & Game) “Plot points” may be useful to explain the structure of a
show on a reality or a game series. The objective should be to explain at which
point in time in an episode the participant would face a new surprise or
challenge. Also, it means to explain in which episode we change from one kind
of challenge to another.

The Voice starts with the choosing of the teams through a blind audition. At a
third of the season they proceed to the battle rounds. They finish also at a third
of the season with the knockout rounds.

Episode Loglines: Episode titles (if available) and a brief but thorough summary (1 or 2 sentences)
that describe the episode's conflict and action. It is important, again, to focus on
writing the plot points that determine the advancement of the episode. There is
little need to describe details or narrate specific actions. They must be written in
the present tense. Usually 3, but no more than 6.
Art Direction: What the look and feel of the series is. You should describe the general
atmosphere or mood of the series and provide some context for the action. You
can include other shows or movies that liken themselves to the tone and
aesthetics that you want to achieve as points of reference.

“Art direction is a filter for making judgments; you pass every design choice
through it. Start by determining the overall emotion” Christopher Cashdollar