As a producer/director/writer/whatever, there’s nothing more exciting than selling a project. However, in Hollywood there’s a big difference between “selling” a project, and actually making that project.
Big Phone Call
Last night we received the call you hope for and dream about: one of our reality pilots got the Green Light. It will actually be funded, we’ll produce the pilot, and with luck, it will make it to air, much as Scream Queens did.
That Took A While
Here’s what most people don’t realize: we “sold” the project on November 20, 2008. 412 days before the Green Light call last night. That’s roughly 58 weeks, 9888 hours, 593,280 minutes, or, 35,596,800 seconds.
That’s Okay!
Before a network or movie studio invest one penny in any project, they’re going to look at it from every angle, and make sure it will work for their audience.
They usually will buy a project in what’s called a “step deal.” That could include many steps, such as:
- Write a script or flesh out a treatment.
- Attach talent.
- Cast contestants.
- Shoot a mini-pilot, presentation, or tests to prove a “look” will work.
- A million other things to make the people with the money feel better about investing.
When you get a Green Light, you’ve overcome a lot of hurdles to make your project. You’ve proven:
- You have a unique idea and a great project.
- There’s a market and audience for your show or movie.
- Someone trusts you enough to give you money to execute that idea.
Be Patient
The time between selling a project and making the project could be very long. Remember our post, Showbiz is Slow-Biz? Well, it’s the truth. So don’t expect your big idea to come to fruition over night.
Instead, look at it as a series of mini celebrations every time you get closer to the big go-ahead. When the Green Light finally comes, well, then the work really begins…
I have to admit, the concept of a reality pilot always puzzled me. With other pilots, you usually air it, so it’s not like you’ve wasted footage. But one doesn’t normally shoot a single episode of a reality show at a time; it’s done in a whole season. But a reality pilot is essentially lost material, even if all goes well and the show is picked up. It seems like a waste of energy and money. But I guess this sort of thinking is why I’m not in the biz.
@David, I hear your question loud and clear. At the end of the day, though, it is a money thing. Instead of buying 8 eps a network is only risking money on 1. That allows them to develop more shows, and only put the very best on the air.
In all fairness to them, no one really knows how good a show can be until it’s all put together.
I’ll also add that a pilot is a great learning experience for any show. The pilot for Scream Queens (with a different cast and location) was really good–but we learned so much from producing it that we were able to make the series even better (we hope!)
Sure, we wish we could jump right to series on every show we do, but the fact of the matter is that pilots protect the network, and if a production company respects the pilot process, and learns from the experience, they can gain a lot from a pilot, too.