Ali Sharaf al Musawi

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Objectives

At the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

Sell your proposal Know your audience

(students/teachers/administrators)

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Your Proposal Engages the Audience A program proposal or treatment

should cover the essence of the production; or, in the case of a dramatic production, the basic story line.

Dramatic treatments also include the locations and talent required, as well as  the key scenes.

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Your Proposal Engages the Audience In nondramatic program proposals,

the basic production needs and approximate times of the segments are included.

Anyone reading a program proposal or treatment should be able to get a clear idea of the entire production.

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Your Proposal Engages the Audience If disagreement exists on the

program concept, it is much easier to change things at this stage than after the complete script is written.

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Treatment The first step in a complex

production is to write a clear and succinct summary of your ideas.

We refer to this summary as a treatment in dramatic productions and a program proposal in nondramatic productions.

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Treatment A treatment consists of a written

condensation of a proposed film or TV dramatic production.

It covers the basic ideas and issues of the production as well as the main characters, locations, and story angles.

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Treatment In part, its purpose is to sell the

proposal to financial backers and major stars.

Treatments should be attention-getting and interesting to read. They are written in the present tense, and often read like a short story.

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Treatment Although we write treatments as

aids in presenting and getting agreement on the focus and direction of the production, we can also use them to interest key people in supporting the production -- especially financial backers.

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Treatment Treatments cover the full story sequence.

They typically contain some key scenes (script dialogue that is, or will be, in the script).

There is typically one treatment page for every two script pages.

Using this rule a treatment for a feature-length (120 page) dramatic production would run about 60 pages. Even so, many treatments are much shorter than this.

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Treatment Finally, the treatment or program

proposal must engage the interest of readers and go a long way toward convincing them of the probable success of the production.

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Treatment Writing Often, just the process of putting

things down on paper allows you to better organize and clarify your ideas.

This step often reveals weaknesses and gaps you should address before it's too late (or before you're asked about some embarrassing details you hadn't thought of).

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Treatment Writing Although it's a visual medium, TV/Video

is still based on the written word. When you get down to it, your ability to

write and effectively communicate your ideas ends up being the most important criterion for success.

Unless you want to stick with the very basic jobs in TV and Video production, you have to face this reality -- and the sooner the better.

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Treatment Writing Interestingly, most producers (the

people in charge) arrived at their jobs by first being writers.

Wouldn't you rather end up being someone who makes the major decisions?

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Get Agreement on Your Proposal Getting the go-ahead on a

proposal affords everyone a bit of insurance.

Once everyone agrees on the treatment or program proposal, it's difficult for someone to say later, "This isn't what we agreed on."

This is especially important in large production facilities and television networks, where a variety of people will be involved in program development.

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Capturing And Holding Viewer Attention It would be difficult to think of any

business that's more competitive than TV/Video broadcasting.

The average viewer in the United States has dozens of TV channels from which to choose.

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Capturing And Holding Viewer Attention

Each year, the TV/Video industry spends millions of dollars trying to make successful new TV/Video shows.

But each year most of these attempts don't even make it to air (broadcast).    

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First, Get Their Attention!

The success of a TV/Video show will depend in large measure on your ability to effectively capture and hold an audience.

And, once you do, you'd better have something interesting to communicate or they'll quickly go elsewhere -- either tuning to another channel or just mentally tuning you out.

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First, Get Their Attention!

"But," you say, "I don't want to worry about all that; I just want to make TV shows that interest me."

That's great, but who's going to pay for them? 

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Hit the Target (Audience) Using the term target audience

indicates the specific segment of a potential audience we're "aiming at."

Regardless of the type of production, you must start with a clear understanding of the needs and interests of your specific target audience.

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Hit the Target (Audience) Market researchers/instructional

video specialists spend much many and time determining these things.   

Depending on the products they want to sell, they will have certain demographic preferences.

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Hit the Target (Audience) The principles of determining the

needs and interests apply to producing a video for your class.

If only an instructor will be evaluating your video, you'll probably take a different approach than if it's intended for a graduation ceremony.

In either case, meeting the needs of your target audience is the key to success.

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Using Audience-Engaging Techniques We've noted that audiences react

emotionally to program content. This is a key concept.

Although people may want to believe they're being completely logical in evaluating a program, their underlying emotional reaction most influences their evaluation.

Even a logical, educational presentation evokes -- for better or worse -- an emotional response.

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Using Audience-Engaging Techniques What types of production content is

most appropriate to emotionally engage us?

“truth” may be unpopular. the “inside informer” involved in

secret for several decades.

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Using Audience-Engaging Techniques First, we have an interest in other

people, especially in "experiencing the experiences" of other people.

We're interested in people who lead interesting (romantic, dangerous, miserable, or engrossingly spiritual) lives.

Part of this involves gaining new insights and being exposed to new points of view. This includes learning new things.

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Using Audience-Engaging Techniques Viewers like content that reinforces

their existing attitudes and, right or wrong, they tend to react against ideas that run contrary to their beliefs.

Production people, therefore, must be careful in presenting ideas that deliberately challenge widely held beliefs.

The trick is to know how far you can go without alienating an audience.

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Using Audience-Engaging Techniques To cite a rather extreme example, a

number of years ago one American TV station did an exposé on a local police chief.

An undercover reporter put a camera in a lunch box and filmed the police chief clearly taking a bribe.

When the segment was broadcast, there was negative reaction — against the TV station.

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Using Audience-Engaging Techniques It seems the police chief was popular with

many influential people in the community and having the truth presented in this way challenged their commitment to this individual.

This reaction on the part of many viewers was justified by cries of trap, a liberal media bias against a law-and-order official, etc.

This wasn't the first time a messenger was blamed for the message.

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Using Audience-Engaging Techniques Audiences also like to hear about

things that are new and that generate excitement.

This is why mystery, fear, violence, and horror videos/films do so well on screens.

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Using Audience-Engaging Techniques It also explains why we see so

many car chases, explosions, and general instances of chaos in video/films and TV programs.

Such things stir our adrenaline and involve us emotionally.

In short, these things hold the viewers attention.

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Using Audience-Engaging Techniques This, of course, brings up the possibility

of exploitation, presenting things that appeal to elements of human nature in a way that they aren't the most positive.

Sometimes a rather blurry line exists between honestly presenting ideas and stories and excessively emphasizing elements such as violence just for the sake of grabbing and holding an audience.

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Using Audience-Engaging Techniques Beyond a certain point, audiences

will sense they're being exploited and manipulated, and resent it.

The content of a production, good or bad, tends to rub off on the reputations of those who produce it -- and even on the sponsors who support it.

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