How to Write a Concept Note

chillibreeze writer — Rituparna Ghosh

The beauty of television is that as long as you have captivating images to show, it can do with very few words! So while the script can be minimal yet leading, it is the ingenuity of the producer or reporter that is tested when one has to find the right visuals for a story or a show. However, the world’s most brilliant visuals and taut script fail if the ‘concept’ that knits them together is a faulty one!

One of the first things taught in journalism is to find a ‘peg’ to a story. In television, and especially in long format shows, it is equally important to identify a format and put together an apt concept note. It is something akin to a structure that a writer fleshes out for himself before he begins writing a novel. As a television producer or director, whichever you may be, a concept is the skeleton that you build before you begin shooting. A concept is also, and most importantly, a premise that attaches itself to a proposal that a show director must present before a potential client for approval and acceptance. It is the basis on which a project is granted or accepted for production.

So, what is this ‘concept note’? And what does it look like?

Before you write a concept note, the peg of the show or television series must be identified. For instance, you have been asked to produce a travel show for prime time viewing on a lifestyle channel. The show is meant for honeymooners or young married couples and the idea is to throw in unusual options. A good travel show is one that just doesn’t show case the beauty of the place, but also takes into account its people, culture, food and local activities that can included in its story line.

The concept note of a show/television series must have a title. It may be a working title to begin with, that which may be changed at a later stage. Next comes the basic outline of the series. The outline determines the target audience the show meant for and in not so many fancy words, it must clearly state how your show is different from the others in its genre. Look closely, this is the ‘peg’ of your series! The target audience must be kept in mind, their likes and dislikes and their expectations from a travel show must be clearly stated. As a writer, you must be able to highlight the qualities that would make a potential viewer watch your show over any other. You must also include some skeletal examples. For instance, you could mention places that would appeal your audience, and are truly off the beaten track.

The next most important part of your concept note is the flow of the narrative flow. Who will carry the show ahead? Would you need an anchor? In this case, how about a celebrity couple? Even better, a different celebrity couple every week? Choosing the right anchor for story telling determines the success of the show. This is where your idea of a budget needs to come into play. For instance, if you are writing a concept note with which you plan to approach a television channel, you must give them the best idea that you can possibly come up with! A celebrity couple is the safest net you could lay to ensure that your audience does not touch that remote! However, you must also take into account that the channel may not want to depend on your star anchors! What if the team looking after its production is unable to find a couple every week? In that case, you must provide enough options to the channel head to pick up your concept.

Next comes the most important part of your concept note - the structure of an episode. Given that most channels have space for a 20 minute show with at least 3 commercial breaks for each half an hour of programming, you have to list out how you plan to cover those precious minutes on air! Your story telling should be as vivid as possible for the channel head to visualize the episode. Treat the episode that you are writing as your pilot for the travel show. In that case, you are free to select the locations that will be covered through the episode. You must have a brief description of the couple that is chosen as the subject and describe the opening of your episode. So after an introduction, the agenda of the travel and their idea of a perfect getaway would make for a good start. Through the rest of segment, you could have them reach the first location and participate in an activity. For instance, having your subjects to travel to a remote corner of Uttaranchal in September, only to discover that it is colder than what they had imagined! So the first fun activity could be chopping wood and learning how to set up a fire!

A show and its concept should devise certain elements that would contribute towards it being a prime attraction. If there is a particular signature track that you want, or certain graphical elements and animation, special elements must be included in the concept to make it more appealing. You don’t need to attach samples, a brief description would do.

Sustenance is an equally important part of a concept note. A channel head reading your concept should be able to judge your concept’s sustainability in the long run! Your concept should not come across as one that can have only 3 episodes. Typically a season lasts 26 episodes so you must have enough imagination and ingenuity to come up with as many varied examples of episodes.

A concept note is like a preamble to the real proposal for any particular show. A proposal would take into account the description in the concept note and document an offer to a potential client. From listing out the number of episodes, to budget and logistics, a proposal is the next big step before bagging a television contract. A concept note therefore is a crucial link and a precious tool, but not all writers are able to hold on to this creative document. If you are lucky and the channel head accepts it on face value, you the writer must be open for it to be dissected by the director and production team! They are the real hawks and are most difficult to please!

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Chillibreeze's disclaimer: This is a contributed article and was published on Chillibreeze in August, 2011. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the views of Chillibreeze as a company. Chillibreeze has a strict anti-plagiarism policy. Please contact us to report any copyright issues related to this article. The relevance of the facts and figures cited (if any) could change after a period of time.

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—About our writer:

Rituparna Ghosh likes to call herself a full time television producer and a part time writer. A graduate in Literature and a post graduate in Media Studies, she is as much a follower of the moving picture as she is a lover of the written word. With a keen interest in the Indian media, cinema, lifestyle features, fiction writing and women’s issues, her range of interests is diverse. She is addicted to her bookshelf and hopes to have her own book on it soon.

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