FILM/TV PRODUCER

Meet Tom Shelly, walk through the course structure and assignments, and start brainstorming your first unscripted pitch ideas ahead of the weeks to come.

• Course structure and assignments overview
• Instructor introduction
• Early pitch deck brainstorming

Map the unscripted business, from buyers and commissioners to crew roles, then classify existing shows by genre and format.

• TV business tiers: distributors, studios, production companies
• Unscripted producer roles and hierarchy
• Unscripted TV genres
• Categories and types of unscripted series
• US vs UK format differences

Assignment #1: Unscripted Episode Paragraph Analysis
Watch an unscripted series or documentary and write a one-paragraph breakdown of its genre and format type.

Explore every department under an unscripted showrunner, from directors and casting through post-production editors and colourists.

• Production and camera departments
• Casting and challenges teams
• Post-production editing hierarchy
• Composers, clearances, and graphics
• Union vs non-union crews

Build a compelling logline and four original concepts, then learn the psychological tactics that make a verbal pitch land.

• The 30-minute pitch window
• Crafting a compelling logline
• Anticipating buyer questions
• Case study: Reviewing example pitch decks
• Breakout room: Testing ideas with peers

Mini Task (Round 1):
Write down four broad ideas for your original unscripted series or documentary, targeting a genre and category from Lesson 01.

Learn field producing and interview techniques used across formal sit-downs, on-the-fly moments, and Interrotron-style setups.

• Traditional camera coverage
• Interview types and styles
• Hot sheets
• Getting subjects to self-narrate
• Breakout room: Discussing interview styles

Assignment #2: The On-Camera Interview
Record a 10-minute on-camera interview with a volunteer subject, using techniques to get them to incorporate your questions into their answers.

Dissect raw interview transcripts to build a cohesive paper cut, and learn to interpret network notes without losing the story.

• Paper cuts and story producing
• Setups, payoffs, and cliffhangers
• Video stringouts
• Giving and receiving notes

Draft a realistic unscripted shooting schedule that balances turnarounds, meal penalties, and continuous camera coverage.

• Scheduling arcing vs stand-alone series
• Turnarounds and overtime
• Meal breaks and penalties
• Union vs non-union scheduling
• Breakout room: Scheduling five camera crews across an 18-hour shoot

Examine the legal and logistical vetting process behind casting real people for unscripted television.

• Casting outreach and directors
• Background and social media checks
• Medical and psychological testing
• Cast contracts and releases

Calculate and organise an unscripted production budget and top sheet, including contingencies and hidden employment costs.

• Budgeting for unscripted vs scripted
• Flat, daily, and hourly rates
• Contingency funds
• Hidden employment costs
• Insurance basics

Adopt a showrunner's perspective, from building show bibles to making the high-level calls that set a series' style.

• Types of executive producers
• Production guides and show bibles
• Hiring your team
• Showrunner tricks of the trade

Define what counts as intellectual property in unscripted television and start structuring your own pitch deck.

• Unscripted IP and formats
• Packaging your idea
• Sizzle reels
• Pitch deck anatomy
• Breakout room: Discussing current unscripted trends

Assess on-set risk and the safety protocols producers owe their cast and crew, from medics to permits.

• Safety managers and riggers
• Medical coverage on set
• Marine department for water shoots
• Permits and duty of care

Outline the technical post-production pipeline, from media management through colour correction to final delivery specs.

• Media management and logging
• Offline and online editing
• Colour correction
• Audio mix and layback
• Breakout room: Discussing standout post-production work

Design a highly visual pitch deck that translates your show's tone and format to potential buyers.

• High-quality imagery
• Contemporary fonts and layout
• Refining your logline

Navigate the studio development loop, pilot testing, and financing, and learn how IP ownership actually works.

• Development divisions and financing
• The development loop
• Options vs attachment agreements

Present your fully realised pitch deck and verbal pitch to peers, then submit your final project one week later.

• Breakout room: Presenting pitch decks in groups of four

Final Project: Your Unscripted Idea Pitch Deck
Submit a market-ready ten-page pitch deck and a ten-minute recorded verbal pitch for an original unscripted series or documentary.