Production Guide Menu
Program Descriptions
Attached Documents
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General-Metadata-Template_Blank.docx
application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.documentGeneral-Metadata-Template_Blank.docx Download Copy Link 17.03 KB 2021-08-24 August 24, 2021 2021-08-24 August 24, 2021 |
17.03 KB | August 24, 2021 |
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General-Metadata-Template_With-Samples.docx
application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.documentGeneral-Metadata-Template_With-Samples.docx Download Copy Link 20.72 KB 2021-08-24 August 24, 2021 2021-08-24 August 24, 2021 |
20.72 KB | August 24, 2021 |
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ID-Series-and-Episodic-Best-Practices-Writing-Instructions-for-Production-Companies-2024.pdf
ID Series and Episodic Best Practices Writing Instructions for Production Companies 2024.pdf application/pdfID Series and Episodic Best Practices Writing Instructions for Production Companies 2024.pdf Open Download Copy Link 1.43 MB 2024-09-13 September 13, 2024 2024-09-13 September 13, 2024 |
1.43 MB | September 13, 2024 |
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Magnolia-Only-Metadata-Titles-and-Descriptions.docx
application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.documentMagnolia-Only-Metadata-Titles-and-Descriptions.docx Download Copy Link 25.71 KB 2022-10-12 October 12, 2022 2022-10-12 October 12, 2022 |
25.71 KB | October 12, 2022 |
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Program Descriptions
When delivering the master file, the Producer is expected to upload to the portal a brief description of the series and the episode that will be used for internal and external promotion of the program. A general metadata template with required program lengths is attached.
- Base the description on program content, objectively stated without hype or judgment.
Example: On a tip from a family of reindeer herders, an Arctic explorer discovers the remains of a fully formed mammoth buried within the frozen fields of the Siberian Arctic. Battling time and the elements, a team of scientists work to remove the 20,000 year old, almost intact relic from a lost world, and in the process write a new chapter in paleontology.
- Assume the reader knows nothing about the program. Use full names, add titles if appropriate, write out names of places, and include dates.
Good: Director Steven Spielberg filmed Jurassic Park during 1995 in Los Angeles
Not Good: Spielberg shot his new film in LA
- Crystallize the entire show and capture the program’s excitement without sounding like an advertisement or conveying personal opinion.
Good: Discover species Darwin only dreamed about on a deep-sea expedition to the Galapagos.
Not Good: This program takes the viewer to the island where Darwin formed his theories.
- Be Specific & Check the facts
Good: unique Galapagos tortoise
Not Good: rare species of the world
- Don’t waste words; Avoid restating concepts in the description
The reader will know the “Lions of Kalahari” is about lions in the Kalahari; tell them more.
- Make descriptions as active as possible
Good: Discover the Kalahari
Not Good: We visit the Kalahari
- Check for misspellings and avoid incorrect grammar
Spell out numbers under ten and at the beginning of the sentence; add a comma before and in any series; use quotations for a direct quote; do not use quotations when using a nicknames; avoid foreign spellings or phrases; check for misspellings.
WHEN?
Descriptions need to be uploaded to the Producer’s Portal with enough lead-time to use them in all possible applications. This usually means before the program is delivered—ideally 3 months before a program is scheduled to air. Descriptions delivered after that time will still be used, but will not be available for all potential applications.
- Don’t use professional titles unless licensed at the time of production and premiere (e.g. “Dr.”)
- Don’t reference other programs, particularly in a competitive context