Bibles

[UnequalProductions]

Does anyone have a lot of experience with show bibles? How detailed do you get? I've seen bibles that have every single beat of ever single episode spelled out (the Wire) and bibles that are just concepts, characters and themes (BSG). I'm an unknown writer with a strong pilot working out the series bible. How much should I include?

[artisone]

There is no hard and fast rule. It's up to you unless you've been asked specifically to provide one. A lot of times you go out with a spec pilot and no bible.

[Bobby Dazzler]

Can only speak of my experience from across the other side of the world, so it might not be of any help to you. But anyway here goes...

Depended on the network we've pitched to.

Some have wanted a detailed bible with the usual series overview, character descriptions, episode synposis, plus the plot ep.

Others have wanted all that plus a multi-platform strategy, which to some is just as/even more important than the bible.

Then some have just wanted the bare bones, basically a glorified pitch document, so they can have more say in the development of the series.

Bizarrely, they sometimes haven't even wanted the pilot.

Been different with every pitch...

[MoviePen]

My agent prefers to have solid descriptions of the main and recurring characters, and the TV Guide blurb to the five eps following the pilot, to give readers an idea of the series, and show that it has legs. My bibles end up two or three pages long, over half of which are focused on the characters.

[BattleDolphinZero]

I agree with everyone else: depends.

What you need to do is communicate what the show is. That is as long or as short as you deem necessary. Don't give extraneous details. More doesn't mean better.

[UnequalProductions]

Thanks for all the great feedback. Our first draft of the bible was a series overview, character description, 1/2 page episode synopsis for the first season and then ideas for future seasons. We sent it off to the manager and she just kept asking for more information. Now our episodes descriptions are running 2-3 pages a piece, and she's still asking for more.

I would almost rather start writing the actual scripts at this point.

[CthulhuRises]

Originally Posted by UnequalProductions

Thanks for all the great feedback. Our first draft of the bible was a series overview, character description, 1/2 page episode synopsis for the first season and then ideas for future seasons. We sent it off to the manager and she just kept asking for more information. Now our episodes descriptions are running 2-3 pages a piece, and she's still asking for more.

I would almost rather start writing the actual scripts at this point.

2-3 pages per episode? And asking for more? That seems kind of ridiculous. That's like a Treatment per episode...

[BattleDolphinZero]

Originally Posted by CthulhuRises

2-3 pages per episode? And asking for more? That seems kind of ridiculous. That's like a Treatment per episode...

Yeah, that's way too long, imo. Longer = more likely for people's eyes to glaze over.

[UnequalProductions]

Originally Posted by CthulhuRises

2-3 pages per episode? And asking for more? That seems kind of ridiculous. That's like a Treatment per episode...

At first we had a 1/2 page per episode. Then we started expanded to cover all her questions. The first 4 episodes were 2-3 pages. Then the rest were about a page (planning on a 13 episode season). Now we're getting to the point where each episode has at least a 2 page treatment.

I agree that it seems like too much. But we're simply giving the manager what she wants.

[KitesAreFun]

Judd Apatow's bible for "Freaks and Geeks" is online. You can find it by searching on Google. It's incredibly detailed, and runs to about 40 pages. The one series I had optioned had a bible based on that one.