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The Title-Tells-It-All
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Television is a title
driven medium unlike any other. It keys on brand
identification, and demands efficiency and effectiveness
in delivering the first message to the viewers...
the Title. Any great idea for a TV show, especially
if you are going to pitch a reality show, must
have a great title.
A great title rolls
off the tongue easily, provokes the imagination,
and simply tells you exactly what you’re going
to be watching. In reality
programming, “Blind Date”, “Temptation Island”,
“The Bachelor”, “Who Wants to Marry a Millionaire”
are all good examples. Word play is always a good
way to grab attention and create curiosity. “Meet
the Parents” “Elimidate” “Joe Millionaire” “The
Real World” “Around the World in Eighty Dates”
are all specific to what their show is about,
but use known phrases to create new titles that
peak curiosity.
Most importantly,
a title needs to support the concept of the show.
If you have a title in mind before you write the
synopsis or outline for the show, take a second
run at alternative titles after you have developed
your show. You may find that the show, after being
outlined and developed, has taken on a new theme
or concept and there may be a title better suited.
A title projects
a feeling and provokes a thought process. So have
fun, and invest your thought process in creating
titles that make a viewer (and a Network) say,
"I want to know what that is".
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