How To submit a project for TV?

By Alexis Nunez Oliva
Executive Producer of Television

Among the dozens of emails that I receive weekly, a constant consultation is how a project for TV.

The apparent simplest things of this work are often many times unknown, not only scarce information on how to prepare a proposal for a television project, but in almost all the websites of the largest television companies did not find at least one space to post ideas, and less an explanation of the steps for the delivery of an argument or a synopsis.

There is a "form" within the general guidelines that can serve to occur interested in his ideas and producers to accept proposals. Every creative person has his own sense of what to write and each farmer would surely like to read in different ways a project.

Producers of television and consultants often receive many more projects of what we imagine. Most of the proposals lacked originality or at least of innovative ideas, bold, different. But more than that: they are poorly written, poorly structured.

The routine of everyday work makes the professional television, reading draft after draft, start to check with the prejudice that this is a repeat of anything previously read-which is also a mistake because this indisposition can blind front to the good.

After talking with some colleagues and television producers with knowledge of the "conditions" under which analyzed the proposals, seven points breakdown that could be implemented.

To take into account to submit a draft

1 - A CERTERO TITLE: The title leaves established from the outset what this is about the project. Lets understand if I read something else or close to their interests production.

2 - BE BRIEF: is the advice for all that is required to submit written or read in any work. The short time that all have today to meet others, brevity makes it determines who read about the ideas of others. Three pages is sufficient for an initial presentation.

3 - LARGE TYPE: Use a font of 12 points will be easier and quicker reading of the draft. The text is often harass and confused boy at first sight because it is assumed that there are more words. Conversely, a larger text is not very polite in sight, is confusing because it conveys despair.

4 - SHORT PARAGRAPH: Do not write paragraphs of more than five lines each. This allows very rapid advance in reading, without tiring.

5 - SEVERAL IDEAS FOR PARAGRAPH: include at least two important ideas or information in each paragraph. This prevents the write paragraphs that say nothing and end the infill and bored concerned that the draft reads.

6 - ORIGINAL IDEAS TO HOME: ideas that are considered most original of the project should be just beginning to catch the attention. We have to convince from the first words to read on the project. Some readings are usually left up to half ... and maybe at the end was the best of the proposal.

7 - CLEAR OBJECTIVE: it is very important that the project involves what are its fundamental objectives. A few points that indicate the overall purpose of the proposal is very useful for those who decide.

None of these seven points guarantee success in the presentation of a draft, but resolves any obstacles in development and is closer to that is not thrown away in a drawer and forgotten among old papers.

Two final suggestions: any idea should be registered under the laws and procedures of copyright in each country, before submitting it, stating in the last sheet registration data, and a week after he has given the project should get in touch who welcomed him to find out if you have any response or information from the process.

If these few pages and those few paragraphs, the idea draws attention, someone will contact the author for more details.

One might think that there is little room for surprise, but it is not. Whoever is unable to express in writing with passion and what it implies is a good idea, hardly will be presenting a good project for television.

Television is entertainment, and a synopsis that attracts is not the first sign of future production boring.

© All Rights Reserved for the author.

Without Creativity Creative Process

By Alexis Nunez Oliva
Executive Producer of Television

Sudden changes in programming and the breaking of habits of viewers, with advertisers emergencies on certain concepts and contents, has made the television industry jeopardizes the creative process, fundamental method to remove the air a good idea either produced.

Writers, producers and theaters face sometimes the decisions of executives with surprise, and the answer becomes improvisers, leaving a space increasing to projects that emerged without analysis or market research, or teamwork.

Many TV companies seem more determined to build new programs, which seek to ensure their permanence premieres of years, brand positioning, affiliation with certain sentimental title, character or driver.

But the conflicts facing today's creative process are becoming more and more frequently.

Few TV stations attach importance to the work areas, the lighting of offices and good visual environment, through ignorance and lack of a renewed view at times, or by shortages of other material resources.

Those who write and produce do not require large spaces or windows that look out to sea or landscapes of forests and mountains (though images are ideal related to the harmony). What I need is privacy for teamwork and a creative environment, to create areas where they are separated from the others dedicated to the administration or receive calls.

The creative process that begins with an idea, necessarily requires a continuity, which usually follows with write, produce, sometimes investigate and finally discuss it before presenting it for approval and production.

While it is true that good ideas can arise suddenly, it has also been shown that an idea has to go through the incubation for further developed so that the process is completed with the association and evaluation of all ideas, research, processing own ideas and finally the implementation of the ideas discussed and selected as valid for the project.

In modern industry of television I have seen little respect for the creative process, and such little respect in general do not have a basis for disparaging. It is based on an ignorance of the origins and paths of development of creativity, for lack of adequate preparation of those who sometimes make the decisions.

The lack of space and time for the creative process ends in the production of repetitive, or original ideas little unfinished, finally giving a bad result in the air and boring to viewers compared to products that do not tell him anything new, you do not surprise and makes you lose hope in a certain genre or television channel.

It is urgent for most companies know that Spanish-speaking television, an in-depth analysis and meditated on the importance of the creative process, to see what they should make to achieve the necessary conditions to ensure the development of better ideas.

Millions of dollars and euros travel the world in economic transactions to buy technology and equipment to produce better and see the image of television each year, and this new momentum for what should be applauded and preserve it.

The odd thing is how the investment plans, are not usually regarded with the same force, the necessary resources and renewed so that the work areas comply with the requirements that require the development of the creative process.

All companies in the world today have access to better technology and prices between editing systems, cameras and equipment forums are so variable, allowing almost all produce with quality.

As is known and understood that a television program must be written, recorded, edited and post-produced (as a rule) are unaware that the creative process also brings a series of steps that are ignored when they show an incomplete and even mediocre .

The only difference between television will remain the talent recruited from the cast, even the writers and producers. Invest in them so that they have better working conditions is a wise way to invest in better ideas that do not yet exist, and that perhaps is to come, just waiting for the opportunity to cultivate.

© All Rights Reserved for the author.

Television: Inform, Form and deforms

By Alexis Nunez Oliva
Executive Producer of Television

The last comment "The hypocrisy of demanding a television," I brought a flood of e-mail messages and letters, demonstrating not only the perennial interest in television, but it's controversial topic.

While someone named Katy tells me that "television is entertaining, but comes to see her expensive" (referring to the strain that can cause), Adriana, graphic designer, calls "personal and professional ethics" to those who produce programs, and Rosa, announcer, says that it can bring, "as well as information and entertainment, a bit of culture and education."

While the television commercial, created to entertain, has no obligation to educate or to be a center of learning, it has a duty not to warp, and it is here where the use of ethics in creativity, not to mention that Parents should be implemented as translators for their children in front of the television reality show where it on the news or through social characters that usually appear in soap operas and series (the murderer, the envious, the traitor).

Questioning the hypocrisy of demanding to television because I intend to insist on those teachers and family members to the restless child, they take as a remedy, with ignorance, turn on the television to evade its responsibility to "entertain", and then collide with a regular programming that criticize the discovery of the damage that could result in the formation of the individual.

Mauritius Alatorre, Director of Production of a television company, clarifies that lacked say that I am referring to the broadcast television (which is free and we view with a simple antenna), and rightly so, because the pay-TV (cable or satellite) has a marvelous diversity where we can learn from and how was the formation of the earth, to the efforts of caring for his flock lions, usually done with a great sense of entertainment, learning by impersonating a way of narrating stories compatible with television. Channels are known as "niche" that go directly to the public interested in certain topics.

A television commercial (open signal) can ask whatever is happening to us, but you can not meet everything we want. Stroke among its objectives to teach not to lie or to commit crimes, it is a valid aspiration and every day I see more social commitment in almost all the programming world, in its writers and producers.

The same television criticized in recent weeks has been instrumental in mobilizing countries and continents to recent natural disasters in the Caribbean and other land, and he succeeds precisely because its power of conviction, on hearing of its success, because people who watch their programming understand we must move towards solidarity. These are the moments in which commercial television can "train" exhibit positive attitudes and consciousness.

Today we applaud that, thanks to television (and other) many leaders and bureaucrats to be more careful in their actions, because the transparency of crystal television screens typically reach their offices, their pockets and bank accounts, when in the informational space discovers and reports of corruption and denouncing the power of the image. That's one way to inform forming against deformation.

Someone anonymously wrote to me saying that "the media are a direct influence on how people perceive things, change ways of thinking, creating fashions ..., but this also happens with the classes of teachers in schools The talks between friends and family, and with millions of photographs and articles on the Internet are just a click to occur if you do not watch and care for the "contents" to a simple reunion weekend.

Television, to have an identity and an own sound, with moving images that live in the home, produces a "credible" special assimilated by the viewer. That's communicative power, we must assume our responsibility in the upbringing of children, thus avoiding any recurrence, as adults, manageable beings and imprecise, as could happen with any other experience in their lives that deformed his character, and not only because of television.

Parents must take responsibility perennial selection: what programs in which channels to see what times and how much should be allowed daily, according to the ages and habits of every school child care is just like opening a porn magazine in home or bring children to a bar for adults.

The television never be in the strict sense of the education of women and men. It's always more to limit warp if their content is not discussed in families or is not limited to those who still, because of their age, are unable to analyze and choose with maturity.

As I said Maru, in another e-mail I received, a Mexican who lives in Italy, "the challenge of television is rediscovered, win back the hearts of viewers and through this, trace", to which only add: a footprint that always allows us to continue to enjoy television, without ever losing its sense of entertainment, even at the risk of distortion, as with the tasty foods you eat ... even though we know that we fatten.

© All Rights Reserved for the author.

The Hypocrisy of requiring Television

By Alexis Nunez Oliva
Executive Producer of Television

At public events, conferences, in print media and even in speeches by politicians, has become fashionable to require television programming that educates and caring values.

It would be absurd to think that someone advocates a television destructive or inciting violence, and we know that precisely because of its communicative power is a duty to care what he says and shows.

But commercial television is not a school or a teacher. The television was made as a means of entertainment, and through it you can find (or misinform) on almost any subject.

In many countries, along with TV entertainment, there is the so-called cultural television, or education, usually in the hands of governments and institutions that do not seek profit from their programming, and have the privilege of making instructional programs, sometimes with a creative achievement and high visual value.

Unfortunately when we review in those countries points rating, we see that the public does not see these channels, which practically does not follow these programs and choose before commercial television, from soap to spaces of competitions and comedy.

Some will say that if complete commercial television, the public then it voltearía to see the cultural channels, but it would be like deciding to close the amusement parks with attractive games for people to return to play chess at home.

What happens in today's societies is that there are needs for products, demand satisfaction and consumption of all kinds of products derived from the diversity of thought and tastes.

It is not fair to require television culture that is entertaining as it is wrong to require commercial television that is educational and defender of morals.

The countries and people living their realities, wrapped in joy and tears, in love and crime, in creating works wonderful and they get in the destruction of natural phenomena. And the television coverage of over-the-content business has an obligation to provide a window on those realities.

To do otherwise, conceal or temper reality through television, has the same risk that the censorship imposed by totalitarian dictatorships when dominate the media.

The limits do have to draw the television commercial is not lying, not to suggest statements of opinion, not to compel belief in what is not true and respond to the public with careful programming on its channels that takes into account the hours and family schedules of adults.

The computer games, the famous Nintendo, football and boxing do not have any responsibility in the education of the inhabitants of this planet because they were created as a form of entertainment for spectators and players. Television is exactly the same.

Teachers and schools have a duty to teach their students how to watch TV, and differentiate between reality and fantasy, entertainment and information, and the obligation of parents to choose channels in their homes, schedules and "dose" of television for that their children grow up with a proper education and experience without unnecessary.

When parents, politicians and even "experts" to require commercial television to educate and preserve values, in reality they are acting with the same hypocrisy of which requires loyalty to their partner is unfaithful while in office hours.

© All Rights Reserved for the author.

The Essential Television

By Alexis Núñez Oliva

Executive Producer of Television

Television remains the only member of the family that remains inside the home, without losing the affection, calling the meeting, motivating, so that time elapses entretenidamente.

Even in societies where the family has been fragmented, television still belongs to the core of confidence and highlighted as a being who speaks and moves, than a simple piece of furniture or electronic equipment.

It's hard to imagine someone who can live without television.

From soap operas to news and sports, we need all of it with the same force that we criticize. The love to the limit of odiarla.

The hate within the limits of love.

Those who work in television and viewers (we also remain hardened viewers) feel the same passion every day concerns and daybreak with illusions, but always with the certainty that at some stage of the day the television will allow us to a new meeting, with the risk that the following quote is an enigma.

The television is not a religion or a political affiliation, but collects, creating spaces (other destroys), becomes topic of conversation and participates in the lives of people with greater influence that schools and parents.

I do not know of another issue about which we know less each time, and on which all feel as if they knew more.

No one dares to question how a doctor explains the plight and solutions, but if an expert on their television sets criteria for a television program and its quality, feel with all the right not only to say, but to contradict and provide as suggested by the professional.

This only happens with television, because we have all the nearby live with it, we cry and we suffer, brings us joy and warns us, as never before, the last bomb that fell on the world or just a few seconds of calving again Multiple happened in a hospital in name unknown.

The television made the Earth smaller, more round and just calling it what we are not able at times to require governments nor to our family. We want to shout it silent, and that street who we are and hide.

On television is our universal language: us, betrays us, challenges us, we hope and we license to commit the seven deadly sins.

Despite the disputed views on the strength of the Internet and the use of cell phones, there's no risk, because television will remain this daily event attended by the same illusion of emotions that cause the early romances.

© All Rights Reserved for the author.