Welcome back to StudioBinder`s series on: "How to Develop a TV Show?"
In today's video, we're going to show you how to create a captivating
and comprehensive Show Bible
that will help you develop and sell your series.
This is Abed Gheith.
"I've worked on "Rick and Morty."
I've worked on - gosh I can't remember the name."
"Toon wolf" and you may also know him as the basis of this audit.
When you start to take meetings,
your goal is to get the executives to ask a lot of questions.
"You don't want to be telling them the show.
You want them to say, "Is this like this and that?"
And you want to say, "Yes, and."
That's where the Bible comes in.
In your Show Bible you'll want
a one-page pitch,
a logline, tone, character breakdowns,
a quick breakdown of future episodes in seasons
and finally page devoted to world-building.
Now, let's take our template for a spin
by creating a Show Bible for an existing series.
First, off a thrilling Series Bible
needs to start with a brilliant one-page pitch.
This is your first impression.
That's why you should really lead with your logline.
"You got to have it broken down into one sentence
because that's how it's going to start."
Is they're going to look at that one sheet,
and the first line is got to tell them everything.
The logline can never be re-written enough."
After that, you want to start depicting the shows overall tone.
Stop by thinking of your most beloved shows.
Were they visually stunning? Provocative?
You using familiar visuals to convey the look and feel.
And ultimately the tone of the project.
"It's important to convey what your style is
and the genre you`re going for
because they're always going to ask you, "What is your show like?"
And you want to be able to say,
"It's like a political drama mixed with a horror-comedy."
You're combining West Wing with Walking Dead
which pretty much not a lot of people can do that.
You gotta like cross different concepts
and just kind of keep them guessing,
to go like, "I never thought of that combination."
Next, we have to explain the characters whose populate the show.
"I'd say you want to have about three to four character descriptions broken down.
Any more than that can get very muddy
because you really want to know these characters inside and out
and simplicity is the most important thing."
Define the key relationships between the characters in the series.
Pick a star you think would be unforgettable in the role.
Or another character we already know in a duo.
And give less space to lesser characters.
"And each character has to have their wants and their needs defined.
You need those characters completely broken down.
To pack a good punch into a short character bio,
you want to have a statement, like a quote from the character
that describes them, their catchphrase."
"These violent delights have violent ends."
Now, get ready because this next stage might be the most important of all.
It's about the future of your show.
Executives want to show to be sustainable.
Use your Show Bible to create the feeling
that the show could go on forever.
"When I'm doing episode ideas for an outline,
I would say 5 to 6 is perfect.
And everything needs to be boiled down to the bare essentials.
If you want to convince that your story has a lot of legs,
your characters have to be able to go on a journey and to discover things
and constantly improving themselves."
And last up.
World Building.
What little details can you recreate
that instantly bring this show to life?
Use a mood board to collect all of these inspiring elements
and present them together.
"World-building is very important
because you got to know the environment that you're in,
you have to know how your character is going to evolve
and going to change, you know,
and make sure you know the ins and outs.
Like, almost inhabit that world
and just play around and interact with your characters.
This sounds like you're doing something like you're insane
but you really do have to do that,
like you have to be able to sit in that world and spend some time.
Like if I'm pitching "Cheers"
I want to visit that bar and hang out with Cliff and Norm
and kind of get an idea of like where I'm at,
and what's going on around me."
As a bonus, we've created a free Show Bible template.
All the tools you need,
jam packed with the memorable details about your series.
Up next in the series,
will prep you for the most challenging meaning of your life.
The pitch.
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favorite spoiler from "Westworld" Season 2.