M3: SHOW AN UNDERSTANDING OF FEEDBACK AND BE ABLE TO RESPOND TO QUESTIONS
From watching back my pitch for the BBC Executives for my TV Drama, it's important that I understand the feedback that I was given and be able to decide how I will change aspects of my pitch and idea to meet the client expectations.
I believe my pitch went better than expected. This is due to me fully getting through the presentation, being able to fully explain my idea using my pitch as well as answering questions fully, showing my understanding and passion for my idea.
When presenting an idea to a client its important how you present it. Confidence is key when presenting to ensure the client can fully hear your idea as well as giving the client eye contact to help sell your idea. Throughout my pitch, I tried to look at the client at any time I could to sell my product. I think due to my nerves, i lacked confidence skills that can help keep the client engaged.
To improve my presentation I think what I need is better presentation skills including confidence, good speaking skills and body language. This will help sell my product as well as show the client I am a good partner to work with. I need to speak with more volume so everyone can hear me clearly. What I saw from my footage is that there were things about the characters I wanted to develop on but nerves and confidence got in the way. A way to help me next time is to practice the presentation in front of small groups of people before the actual pitch because this may help me with stage fright as well as being able to learn what i have to say which will also help body language and hopefully ensure I don't forget anything.
Furthermore on body language, I think I was very stiff in my presentation focused mainly on reading my notes. This was due to nerves and not fully knowing my presentation fully. To make my pitch better for a later time, I need to fully learn my presentation before the day which will build the confidence i need to feel more free to more or gesture towards the board to help sell my idea. Confidence will help me get my pitch commissioned because the client would would to see someone confident and passionate about the product. It would also draw in the client and make them more focused on me and the pitch idea itself.
I also think that question part went well in my presentation and I was able to efficiently answer all the questions thrown at me and was able to develop each question fully to give them a detailed answer.
With my screen presentation, I think my piece lacked the sample material. I went into detail about my characters however left out other sample material like, storyboard, Title of drama and fonts used in further detail and a detailed plot outline. Having this in my pitch would have help sell my idea further and let the client have an insite into the look of my show and further detail about it.
I received positive feedback for my font used for my title from my client. They said its a good font for the target audience and they will like it. They also said they like the idea behind the title and that the target audience will like and understand the idea behind it as its relatable.
Some parts of my presentation raised questions from the client, here are the questions they asked:
The first question I was asked about was how my programme meets the BBC Remit. I was asked this question because I hadn't mention why I was making the show, and how it conformed to the remit. Its important that I state why it meets the remit because if the show is shown on the channel its important i keep to their remit so it can actually be aired. I answered this question by stating the remit "Inform, Educate and Entertain" followed by how I meet this. Entertain through the storylines and drama. Educate and inform is done through the situations they go through and how to solve it to help people if they go through a similar problem. This meets the brief because its going to be distributed on BBC Three and all channels under the BBC Corporation has to follow the remit. There is also a remit for the BBC Three channel that states " The remit...is to bring younger audiences to high quality....broadcasting through a mixed-genre schedule of innovative UK content featuring new UK talent". My programme also meets this remit because it will be of high quality being filmed in studios as well as on location with BBC's best equipment including, lighting, camera, sound, directors, ect. As well as the talent within the show will be unknown actors who haven't had a chance to go big. The remit also says the target audience is 16-34 year olds which my brief stated 15-21 so I know i have aimed my piece at the correct target audience.
The second question I was asked was, "have you considered the Legal and Ethical issues for your show?". This question was asked because if the show doesn't meet the codes of tv regulations like OFCOM then the show wont get aired. Its also to ensure that BBC Three don't get flagged because this could result in the show getting taken down or worse the whole channel. Its also important because if the show isn't ethical, it wont get any views, resulting in no profit. I answered this question by ensuring that I have looked at the regulations to make sure my show meets them. I stated that in my first episode there is slight use of drugs. But, when referring to the OFCOM regulations it states "the use of drugs...must not be featured in programmes made primarily for children...". I made it clear that my programme is for 15-21 year olds so there are not children in my target audience and therefore shouldn't be watching because my show will state a warning underneath on the BBC Three page. Also i covered the Violence and dangerous behaviour code that states " Violence whether verbal or physical...must not be featured in programmes made primarily for children..." also that "must not be broadcasted before the watershed". For my programme it will be aired on the BBC Three Channel at 9pm which is what the client has asked for as well as it being aimed at 15-21 year olds which is also stated in the brief. Therefore my programme will not offend any children through drugs or violence.
(ScreenShotted from the OFCOM codes and regulation PDF)
The third question I was asked was what BBFC rating would you show get. This question is important because if my show does get aired and is popular then they may want to make DVDs out of it so its best to state the rating now to show the client for future reference. It helps the client to also understand what they must meet with the ratings on BBFC if they want to further the show. I answered this question by ensuring the client that I have thought about this and taken all the regulations into consideration and have given the show a 15 rating. I first stated the discrimination regulation and referred it back to my show with my openly gay character saying that there can be discriminatory language however they can not endorse this behaviour. I also stated the drug regulations that says there can again be drugs but the misuse and detail of the drug can not be shown. This meets the client brief because they have asked for a show that is aimed at 15-21 year olds so I have looked at the BBFC rating for 15 year olds because this way the show can be viewed by 15 year olds where as the next rating up is 18 which rules out 15/16 and 17 year olds from watching the show.
(ScreenShotted from the BBFC website for 15 rating)
My next question was "In terms of setting and location, where to do you plan to have the show based? And how will it conform to the budget?". This is important for the client to know this in terms of cost for them through, transport of renting out places to film. Also so they can figure out what the best locations are to film for certain scenes. I answered this by telling the client that the show is based in Cambridge because of the city and countryside aspects of it. Which fits my idea because the characters can attend school in the city and live in the countryside. This meets the client brief because it is aimed at 15-21 year olds and they will like the change of environments as it being relatable for them if they live in the UK as well.
I then had the question "Why should your programme be made over other shows?". Its important for the client to ask this because they are trying to find the gap in the market for something that hasn't been done before and will sell. A teenager doesn't want to see something they already watch in a slightly different style they want something new to catch their eye. This way they know the show will get ratings. I answered this by informing my client that my show is different to what is on BBC Three already. Showing I have done my research into this show and know the gap in the market. I also stated that the shows on the market at the moment with the genre murder mystery are only american like Riverdale. So my show is different because it is a british murder mystery drama which is uncommon. This meets the brief because the client has asked for a brand new show which makes me believe they want something knew that fits the gap in the market as it will help them sell the show further.
The final question I was asked was "How many episodes per series?" this question is important for the client tot know because they have to budget for the series as a whole. Also they need to understand what I want to see if it is even feasible. I answered this by stating that I want 6 episodes for the first season, to see how the audience like it what they want to see next ect. Then for the second series I said push it up to 10 to keep the audience engaged and because the characters can further develop even more along with narrative. This meets the client brief because it states it wants "a brand new television show for BBC Three" and after research have found the shows like The Break which is a popular show on BBC Three started with a first series with only 5 episodes so i know that its best to start small to see what the audience like then further it later.
D1: DISCUSS THE CLIENT CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE CREATION OF THE PRODUCT FROM THE PITCH
Write a short report that discusses the feedback from the client and the considerations/requirements and differentiate between useful points and points that do not add to the product creation.
Feedback should be used to further develop the initial idea in preparation for the product pre-production. Make a list of the points you would take on board when creating your pre-production materials.
The first question I was asked by the client was "how my programme meets the BBC Remit?". This question is important because it will be helpful for the client to know if it meets the remit because the programme will be airing on this channel and so needs to be clarified. This question was asked because I hadn't fully developed in the remit and how my programme meets the remit in my pitch so the client could have been concerned. However this will be something I must add to my presentation before heading further with my pitch.
The second question was "have you considered the Legal and Ethical issues for your show?". This question is very important because without this, the show wouldn't be able to air in fear of offending someone. This information would add to the product cause it would also help determine the age rating for the show as well for potential later DVD sales. This was asked because I have justified any legal or ethical issues in my pitch so this would have to be address so the client is aware of the issues with my show regarding this matter. In must add in the legal and ethical points into my pitch before going further with my pitch.
The third question I received was "what BBFC rating would you show get?". This question I feel isn't important for my client at this time because the show is only going to be showing on TV and so at the moment don't need to worry about rating because thats more for DVDS. Also because this rating could also change if the show is changed later in preproduction so determining this now would be pointless for the client. Because I would add the legal and ethical issues later it could already help determine the rating as well as target audience. However this was asked because the client was thinking about DVD ratings and it wasn't stated in my pitch.
My next question was "In terms of setting and location, where to do you plan to have the show based? And how will it conform to the budget?". This question is important for the client as they can start thinking about how the budget can be used to bring the idea to life. Also because there is a tight budget that may not be able to be exceeded so they have to think about the elements that will cost for them to budget themselves prior to filming. It also gives the client an idea of cheaper alternatives to my locations. This was asked because I hadn't stated in my pitch where it would be based or what would be shot on location and studio. I must add this to my pitch because it will be important further down the line to higher people in the BBC.
My next question was "Why should your programme be made over other shows?". This question is very important to the client because they will want a programme that is the gap in the market and makes them more money because they know people don't want to watch the same kind of show. I respond by stating that my show was British compared to shows like river dale which are heavily American with traditional American issues whereas mine will be something people haven't seen before. They asked this question because I didn't fully develop into my unique selling point however it was in my pitch. So I have to go back and add to my unique selling point to get my idea fully across and how I'm going to fill the gap in the market.
The final question I was asked was "How many episodes per series?". This question is important for my client because it will help them budget a series and too also see how experienced i am wit my answer. I stated that i would have the first series as 6 to trial the series and see if people like it. The client asked this question because i didn't indicate it in my pitch. also it would help them budget money for the whole series. I have to go back to my pitch and adjust it slightly by adding how many episodes per series so it's clear to the clients later.