Project Development: Beth Terrell, Diagrams, Sponsor and Promotional Material
I recently discussed my project with guest lecturer/producer Beth Turell. She was able to provide a new perspective over my project and offer valuable advice that led to further development of my project. After explaining my idea to Beth and taking her through my various pitches she gave me a few pointers on how to improve my project which I have since acted upon.
Firstly similar to Simon she recommended that I look in to sponsorship. Since even though this is a hypothetical series, if it were to be produced it would be quite reliant on s sponsor to help with the production. Channel 4 being a more open platform has worked with many sponsors before and frequently utilises the open collaborative nature of its platform to attract attention from sponsors who may partner with individual programmes or at times, even a whole genre of programming. Mistubishi the car company is a frequent sponsor of Channel 4 documentaries and has been partnered with the broadcaster for some time. This was some option I looked in to. However it was unlikely that my show would be appealing and be able to utilise a sponsorship from this company. Being a large scale international performing arts series, it would be attractive to a different kind of company. Beth suggested that I look in to a travel company (which Simon had also mentioned) to help with the logistics of the series. At first I looked in to Kayak, the popular online travel company that compares and offers deals on international travel to multiple countries around the world. They might have been able to reduce the cost of travel for the show and they have a history of sponsorship. However looking in to their history they are not known for sponsoring non-fiction content, becoming more associated with fictional series and adult cartoons like American Dad. They are also currently tied to the Fox network in America and have signed a deal with them for another year, which also rules them out as a potential sponsor. I eventually settled on the company Qantas, an Australian based airline that is not only one of Australia's oldest and most recognized air travel companies. But is also a leader when it comes to flights between the UK and Australia. Flying more passengers than any other airline. As such it makes an excellent sponsor for the show. The company will feature at the beginning and end of every episode, as well as the start and end of every commercial break. Giving the company significant exposure and association with this compelling international documentary series. The sponsor will get a short sequence that shows their logo and other company associated images, paired with a short narrated massage giving key positive information regarding the company and its flights and the fact that it sponsors the show. Any money they provide in return for the sponsorship will feed back in to the travel costs and arrangements for crew and contributors, crew especially who will be traveling between the two countries throughout production. Making it easier and more viable for crew to travel at short notice without blowing all the budget money.
Continuing my discussion with Beth she also advised me to make sure that every episode had a major plot point or interesting development that would keep audiences attention and make them want to keep watching after advertisement breaks. This will affect the writing of my script and treatment as I will now have to ensure that there is a mini story arc that takes place in each episode. This also led to me expanding on the stories of my contributors to make sure they were interesting to an audience and able to hold an entire episode on their own.
She also advised me to look carefully at the structure of Fixed Camera shows, gaining a better understanding of how they work and the setup/crew that would be involved. She also reminded me to keep in mind what Simon had also said, that my show needs to reflect its branding well and be as visual as possible. To aid with this I have since produced a series of hand drawn diagrams that will feature on my website, and serve as a guide for people to see the number of cameras/microphones I would need, how they would be arranged/rigged in each room and how I planned them around the subject matter. I produced a diagram for most of the main locations that will feature in my series and wrote a key that even non technical people will be able to understand. As a little extra to add to the visual approach and branding/promotion of my series I also have been working on some designs. In photoshop, after researching channel 4’s current marketing styles, I have prepared a logo that would feature with my show (and online in relation to it). This helps to give the show its own unique branding and makes it seem more real and developed. As well as this I produced two different posters that can be used for online web advertisement as well as physical displays on billbords, busses etc (since channel 4 still market their shows physically as well as digitally). In keeping with the Channel 4 brand these designs are quite minimalist and only feature the key information about my series, arranged around a plain background and a contributor. Helping to market the shows style platform and brand. Without Beth’s advice it is likely I wouldn’t have done this and I think now that I have it improves the visuals of my show.
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