How to Write a TV Show Proposal

 TV stations receive many proposals for shows. You only have a short time to impress.

The proposal format may vary, but at minimum the document should contain these elements:

§  Objective or Process Message - a brief statement about the desired message that you want the audience to get from watching the show

§  Target Audience - a well-defined process message helps determine the target audience. Be specific about the intended audience, whether it's kids,  men or women, etc

§  Show Format - are you producing a stand-alone show or a series? How long is the show? The format helps you know how you want the show to be distributed and is also vital for planning the budget.

§  Show Treatment - a narrative description of the show, that could take up several pages. But start out with a brief treatment that helps readers get a sense of what the show will look like when finished.

§  Production Method - will the production be , Will you shoot live or will there be heavy emphasis on post-production? You also need to determine the need for costumes, props and other additional materials under production method.

§  Tentative Budget - an estimate of your budget is made using the latest rates available through independent production and post-production houses. A budget reflects the costs associated with the production services, equipment rentals and wages. Budgets also include travel expenses, food and lodging, gratuities and even legal services that include liability insurance. Usually insurance is calculated to be about 20 percent of your total budget.

§  Timeline - come up with an estimate of how long it will take you to achieve certain tasks. Usually the timeline includes how long you can expect to work on pre-production, production and post-production. It often takes less time to do the production work (camera and lighting) than it will doing post-production (editing, marketing and distribution). A timeline is helpful in determining the budget.

So you need to demonstrate your show is likely to run. Know your target audience and the sort of shows programmed by this particular TV company.

 

Instruction of Writing TV Program Proposal

Instruction to write a proposal for the ABC TV program

1. You are to form a group of five or six members to work on this assignment. Form a media company and organize your company structure.

2. Your company has been invited to submit a 10 minutes proposal to the management of TV ABC.

3. You propose a magazine-typed  program for TV ABC.

4. For the proposal, you need to include the followings: i. Name of program.  (make sure it is attractive and catchy enough to get ratings). ii. Description of program. (A brief description of the program. What is the program about? What does the program focus on?) iii. Target audience. (Who is your target audience? Why are you targeting the audience? Give statistics to support. iv. Justification. (Why should TV ABC produce the program? What is the uniqueness of the program? What are the advantages of the program? v. Execution of the program. (How do you suggest the program should be produced? Come up with a running order for the program. vi. The team. (Who are and who in your company. Include their professional CV. vii. The best three proposed programs will be invited to present at the ABC station.

 proposal model