Author Topic: MZPtv Announces Changes To Pitch/Pilot Season Process (Read 1139 times)

Vaughn · « **on:** July 05, 2011, 01:25:46 PM »

The Admin Team are pleased to reveal some adjustments in our system for entering Pilot Season and what happens afterwards.

Firstly, we've opened up our Pilot Season process to everyone. Previously we demanded that Pilot Season entrants wrote for an existing series before they could enter. This requirement has now been removed. EVERYBODY is free to enter pilot season. All you need are above 25 posts, a certain amount of time spent becoming a member of the community (this amount is flexible), and a great attitude. Simple, huh?

Secondly, we've implemented a new category for Pilot Season hopefuls, alongside Approvals and Rejections: SCRIPT ORDERS.

If your pilot gets a script order, that means we think your show (or you!) has great potential, but we need to see a few more scripts to make sure that potential is realised. This is not an approval yet!

For instance, if your show gets a 2 script order, we'll keep checking-in with you and beta your episodes as you finish them. After you finish the first, we'll offer feedback to help your development cycle. After you finish the second, we'll offer more feedback and then decide whether your show is approved, or whether the idea isn't working.

If you get a script order that means you're VERY close to a pickup, but we need to make sure things run smoothly.

We won't send you off to write 6 new episodes and then tell you we're not picking you up. The idea is to constantly offer you assistance and guidance on your scripts and make sure you're on the right track before we let you loose on the MZPtv masses.

Hopefully by offering you this beta process, you wont feel like you're alone.

You can find all of this information in the HOW TO PITCH thread.

The Admin Team hopes that these changes will give Pilot Season a boost in participation, that we can uncover more gems such as "Afterlife" and "The Company", and that we can attract more new writers who may have previously been turned away by the stricter requirements.

We want to bring more of the fun factor back to MZPtv, and we're confident that by being more inclusive and by offering more support, this goal is attainable.

If you have any questions, feel free to post below!

Fhithich · « **Reply #1 on:** July 05, 2011, 02:04:52 PM »

Not a question but I just wanted to say I think these are great ideas and I think it's great how much work/thought our admin team are putting into this place. In particular, I think the script order process will be very beneficial to some new-time potential showrunners.

Tom East · « **Reply #2 on:** July 05, 2011, 03:19:07 PM »

Gotta agree with Li, this is a brilliant idea! Congrats on wowing us all once again!

Matt · « **Reply #3 on:** July 05, 2011, 03:35:27 PM »

You should've seen the SANDWICH ORDERS idea that proposed. Vaughn's obsessed with ordering sandwiches from members.

Jackson · « **Reply #4 on:** July 05, 2011, 03:47:01 PM »

Wow, this is rather crazy, yet awesome. It definitely has me interested at pitching, because the one thing I've learned from others on this board is that pass/fail, the feedback given from PS is INSANELY HELPFUL.

Kyle West · « **Reply #5 on:** July 05, 2011, 06:09:29 PM »

Look like good changes. I'll admit though, I did open this thread in pure fear of what said changes might be

Dr. Kyle Banner · « **Reply #6 on:** July 05, 2011, 06:38:25 PM »

Ha! Same here.

However I am glad these changes have been made. Considering that I'm working on a pilot for March (it'll be nowhere near ready for Sept, not the bajillion other things I have to do) this is very optimistic stuff for me.

I think the Script Order idea is excellent. If anything else it's a much more nurturing way of getting pilots accepted and a great test of whether or not your idea works.

Alden Caele · « **Reply #7 on:** July 06, 2011, 12:03:22 AM »

I like this change.

That said, I'm unsure as to whether this will in fact make it easier, or harder, for borderline PS entries to get accepted. This feels like a more-taxing version of the 30 Day Edit rule, and I see far more opportunity for pilots that would have gotten a 30 Day Rule now getting Episode Order, rather than pilots that would have been dead now getting more chance with the Episode Order. But I guess that's up to the various Pilot Season Judges to make a call on, and knowing our admins, I'm betting this has already been discussed - and by folks with much more knowledge of Pilot deliberations than myself. Plus, in cases where a 30 Day Rule might not have been enough to save the pitch, an Episode Order might do the trick to show the writer's chops.

All that out of the way... I applaud this. While I doubt either one of my PS bombs would have received an order, it is nice to know that good writers who might not be particularly good at pilots (as pilots are immensely frustrating beasts) might still be able to charm the judges with post-pilot episodes. After all, you only have to be good at pilots your first week. You have to be good at episodes every week.

Hazza · « **Reply #8 on:** July 06, 2011, 12:58:27 AM »

Very positive change guys, I'm sure it's going to do fantastic things for the community!

Sam · « **Reply #9 on:** July 06, 2011, 02:13:35 AM »

Awesome! I know this will be a good thing in the long run.

Angelo Shrine · « **Reply #10 on:** July 06, 2011, 06:00:15 AM »

I like it. I like it a lot.

Vaughn · « **Reply #11 on:** July 06, 2011, 06:21:13 AM »

Quote from: Alden Caele on July 06, 2011, 12:03:22 AM

After all, you only have to be good at pilots your first week. You have to be good at episodes every week.

I think that nicely sums up why this is a good move.

reeamya · « **Reply #12 on:** July 07, 2011, 05:33:41 AM »

This is definitely a great idea. I'm very interested in seeing more pilots from newer writers and this change gives them that opportunity.

klandgraf · « **Reply #13 on:** July 07, 2011, 07:39:45 AM »

After reading this I got excited and kind of makes me want to brainstorm a few ideas. Should make things interesting

Vaughn · « **Reply #14 on:** July 07, 2011, 07:53:16 AM »

I think the previous system was a good idea in theory, and it's given us plenty of great shows, but I was concerned that we were missing out on discovering some great shows and great writers because people simply couldn't enter. With the number of airing shows decreasing a bit recently this means less opportunities for people to get their writing experience required for entering Pilot Season. What if nothing you're interested in is airing or coming soon? You have to sit around and wait for months and months for your chance. Hence the shift back to allowing everyone to enter.

Not the only reason for changing the system, but one of the main ones.

Stevie_G · « **Reply #15 on:** July 09, 2011, 03:12:23 PM »

Love the new approach to this idea. I'm sure they are a lot of great writers out there, who wanted to take a chance but either give up or just couldn't make it for one reason or another.

I think the idea to write a couple up front at start gets the idea of how the writing is like, the stories unfolding in the future, and more importantly, can they stick with it (unlike me a little who sometimes tends to get distracted by other ideas and come back months later lol). That's why with my Cursed I wanted to get a few scripts wrote before I considered putting it up, because I knew I may struggle or tend to fade away a bit from it and return later which is a little what happened. I still want to have a go at it, but other things came ahead of it first sadly and got put on the back burner so glad I didn't pitch it as a real contender for a Pilot season as wouldn't want to let everyone down if did get through.

An idea I had, and feel free to shoot me down lol. What about a 'Fans Choice' idea? Something along the lines of, maybe out of those that just didn't make it, but have gotten interest are put together in a Poll so that the viewers/readers can choose one that they feel they would like to see developed as a Fans Choice New Series for the next season to be developed? I mean, we could see a show that many of us may say 'This sounds like a really cool idea for a show and the pilot looked good', but it didn't get picked up for one reason or another, and this gives them a second chance to have a crack at it making a series out of it?

So you could call it like a 'Readers/Fans Choice Series' as voted for by the members? Still with usual rules, like maybe those that had scripts wrote up front but not picked up for a new season start, and those who do show they are serious about creating a show and sticking with it even if didn't make it kind of thing?

Just an idea, I know may sound silly but something had thought of in my weird mind I have lol. Maybe something could consider or develop in your own way or form of competition type, for those that just failed to make it as a one, and maybe one chosen every season by members and not just the Admin Team? (Apologies if comes across as cruel there having a go at Admins lol thats not what I mean to do, but its like a way of giving back to the members in letting them have a choice of helping support 1 show that didn't make it out of ones you as Admins didnt pick up? I mean, we all have different tastes of what we like and would like to read/see developed?)

I understand you have your standards to stick with, and only a rough idea I dreamt up, so if don't like it thats okay, just thought put my thoughts out there to see what thought of it.

Adam · « **Reply #16 on:** July 09, 2011, 03:52:09 PM »

Wouldn't work. Reason being is that we have a process in place, through the pilot season panel, designed to ensure that the shows that get picked up are of a certain quality level and that the person running the show is ready to be able to do it. Pilots get through on merit, not on popularity, and there's a fundamental difference between the two.

There have been shows submitted in the past that, had it been up to public opinion, would have easily been greenlit. A lot of the time the reasons the shows got a lot of response had damn all to do with the quality of the script, it was to do with something peripheral like shiny graphics or casting. When the pilot season panel saw the pilots, they just weren't good enough. The pilots have to be viewed objectively and stand on their own two feet, and you can't have uniform quality if they're decided by a popular vote.

At the risk of quoting one of my own pilots, "This is not The X Factor."

Trix · « **Reply #17 on:** July 09, 2011, 03:58:33 PM »

Quote from: Guk on July 09, 2011, 03:12:23 PM

I mean, we all have different tastes of what we like and would like to read/see developed?)

There are a lot of factors that go into greenlighting a script but being to the Judges taste isn't one of them. The popularity is clear to see to everyone anyway by the number of people that post good thoughts so it's not like the Judges don't know when something is popular. It's just that there is a lot more to Pilot Season and that's why there is a panel of people doing the job.

Adam has explained well above a lot of the factors into why I don't think this would work so I'll not say any more.

Stevie_G · « **Reply #18 on:** July 09, 2011, 04:01:57 PM »

Okay, well I just threw it out there as an idea as I said. Its fine. Like I said, I knew it would have to be set to certain standards that your used to as being some of the best.

Thanks for replying anyway about it.

Daniel · « **Reply #19 on:** July 10, 2011, 09:00:51 PM »

I don't think it's a completely awful idea as the majority of people that will vote are likely to have read of the pilot too. So I think saying shiny graphics and casting is what makes something popular is quite frankly insulting. The community here are, for the most part, honest. And because of that quality, they aren't likely to vote if the specifications set by the panel require the voter to have read the pilot. To assume that the voters wouldn't have read the pilot and are just voting because a pitch is smart and flashy, is insulting to this community!

Yes, I see the pitfalls of the idea. There will be a handful of people who will vote without reading the pilot but the majority will have. Give the MZPites some credit. Were not idiots.