My idea is a comedy movie-based game show / quiz that focuses on movie trivia and movie themed games, with a comedic twist. I currently have one title in mind: 'Reel to Reel', however I plan to think of a number of options and decide on the strongest and catchiest one.
Audience / Channel
The target audience of the show is young to middle aged adults who enjoy comedy. I believe that the show is best suited to a 9pm time slot on Channel 4, most likely on a Tuesday.
Channel 4 would be the broadcasting channel for this show due to the combination of it being a channel that frequently takes on new shows and ideas*, has a higher proportion of adults aged 16-34 than any other public serving broadcasting (PSB) channel** and is very well known for broadcasting a variety of comedies and entertainment shows including humorous game shows.
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| *http://www.channel4.com/media/documents/corporate/annual-reports/C4_Brochure_Single_Pages_2ndJune15.pdf |
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| **http://www.channel4.com/media/documents/corporate/annual-reports/C4_Brochure_Single_Pages_2ndJune15.pdf |
While a number of extremely popular gameshows such as Deal or No Deal and Countdown are broadcast on Channel 4 in the early to mid afternoon timeslots to appeal to an older audience, the most common time for the channel to broadcast it's studio productions and comedic game shows are in the evening, presumably for younger audiences to watch after school, university, work etc. and so that the content can be better suited to adults (such as panellists swearing).
For example, 8 Out of 10 Cats is always broadcast at 9pm, most commonly on a Tuesday. However, other Channel 4 game shows and entertainment shows are aired on a Friday evening between 7pm and 10pm, including TFI Friday, 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, and Alan Carr: Chatty Man - although the first and last are predominantly talk shows featuring 'big time' celebrities rather than focused on games and quizzes.
Along with 8 Out of 10 Cats, another Channel 4 programme that is influential to my show is The Big Fat Quiz. Which often airs twice a year with a celebrity panel for 'The Big Fat Quiz of the Year' and a themed version such a 'The Big Fat Quiz of the 90s'. This quiz show airs at 9pm on a weekday, most commonly on a Tuesday.
Due to the fact that 8 Out of 10 Cats and The Big Fat Quiz are influential to my own show and have similarities in humour and an 'after 9pm' freedom of speech type of comedy, my show fits their Tuesday 9pm time slot.
Host & Panelists
My show would consist of one male host aged between approximately 30 and 45, two team captains aged between 25 and 40, and two panellists aged between 25 and 40.
In popular game shows and quiz shows across Channel 4, BBC and ITV it's a popular choice to have a middle aged man as the host of the show who has experience with comedy and a relaxed feel. Such as Jimmy Carr on 8 Out of 10 Cats and The Big Fat Quiz, Rob Brydon on Would I Lie to You? (BBC One) and Dara Ó Briain on Mock the Week (BBC Two). I feel that using a host with this type of character will bring a bit of flair to the show and make the audience feel comfortable.
Panellists on comedy game and quiz shows are most commonly celebrities, and especially known comedians in varying ages, such as in the shows mentioned above. While it's not possible to use celebrities and could be extremely difficult to find willing professional comedians to star as team captains and panellists, using young to middle aged adults who are confident, enthusiastic and experienced in comedy will bring the show to life.
The use of the host and team captains would be that they are regulars on the show and are there every week - similar to comedian Jimmy Carr always hosting 8 Out of 10 Cats and comedians Sean Lock and Jon Richardson acting as team captains each week. Therefore they would be introduced as and act as they are familiar with each other and the show and recognised by the public. Meanwhile, also similar to shows such as 8 Out of 10 Cats and Would I Lie to You?, the panellists on either team (one for each captain, two total) would appear as if they are known to the public, but new to the show.
While there are most commonly two teams of three panellists on game shows and quiz shows (one team captain, two guests) such as the previously mentioned shows and game shows such as Celebrity Juice (ITV1), I plan to use two teams of two panellists on my show due to possible casting issues from using a higher number, the size of the set, and the fact that two people on each team will work well for the rounds / games played.
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| A very rough visual of the guests on the show. |
Rounds
The aim of the game is for each team to work together as a pair and score the most points. Commonly in game and quiz shows that consist of celebrities or comedians instead of the general public, there is no prize and the game is just played for fun. As the people on my show would appear as the former rather than the latter, I may not include an end prize, however for satirical effect, I may decide on using a very ironic, pointless and low budget prize that is hyped up by the host and audience.
So far I have thought of three rounds, the in-depth details of will change as I develop the show and the order below is not definite. Names for each round will also be created.
Round 1
VT (video tape)-focused round where four pre recorded VTs are shown to the panellists, audience and 'viewers at home' with questions asked to the panellists by the host after each clip. This round is the largest round and a big selling point, it could possibly be split up throughout the game. A point is earned for each correct answer. The inspiration for this comes from The Big Fat Quiz, where moments in history are acted out by children and the panellists guess what the event was.
VT Idea 1:
- A 1 - 1.30 minute video of a kids / family movie turned into dark and dramatic action film trailer. E.g. Beauty And The Beast acted out in a very serious and overly dramatic manner with cheesy effects.
- Host asks panellists what family friendly film this is.
- Panellists first give joke answers and discuss the footage (to be loosely scripted)
- Panellists then answer the question.
VT Idea 2:
- A 1 - 1.30 minute video of a classic / old film made into a common / working class / rough looking film scene. E.g. a scene from The Wizard of Oz turned into a Kidulthood style moment with satirical effect. Using young adult actors that can play 'chav' characters.
- Host asks panellists what famous scene this is from which film.
- Panellists first give joke answers and discuss the footage (to be loosely scripted)
- Panellists then answer the question.
VT Idea 3:
- A 1 - 1.30 minute video of a famous action star and their famous lines / movie moments, portrayed by an elderly person. E.g. a compilation of Sylvester Stallone moments portrayed in a comedic way by an old man.
- Host asks panellists which famous actor was being portrayed.
- Panellists first give joke answers and discuss the footage (to be loosely scripted)
- Panellists then answer the question.
VT Idea 4:
- A 1 - 1.30 minute video of a goofy comedy made into a musical that sums up the plot and gives it the appearance that it's a beautiful and mature story. E.g. American Pie turned into a soft and sweet musical on a fake, low budget stage.
- Host asks panellists what comedy movie this is.
- Panellists first give joke answers and discuss the footage (to be loosely scripted)
- Panellists then answer the question.
Round 2
A table is placed in the centre of the set with cards in the middle of the table. The team members stand across from each other. The point of the game is for each team member to take turns in picking up a card and attempting to describe the film on the card to their team mate. The points for each correct guess are counted and the team with the most points wins the game and earns a point in the show.
My inspiration for this comes from a game played in the American talk show called The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where Jimmy teams up with one celebrity, and two others play against them. The appeal of this is that the game is on a time limit (most likely about 2 minutes), getting the teams to speed the game up and get very enthusiastic, creating humour out of the game.
Process:
- Team members gather round the table, with for example, team captain 1 standing across from their team member and team captain 2 standing across from their team member.
- The person closest to the back of the set (facing the audience) starts when the buzzer goes off (the timer begins).
- He/she picks up the card from the top and describes the film to their team member without using the film's name, character names or actor names.
- Once their team mate guesses correctly or gives up and passes, the card reader places the card down and the person to their left (who is on the opposing team) does the same with their team mate.
- The game continues going round to the left until the timer runs out.
- Once the timer runs out the team with the most points wins the game and gets 1 point towards the shows score board.
The show is named Catchphrase on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Here is an example video of the game...
Round 3
The team members stand in front of their panellist tables facing the other team, leaving a space in the centre. With a screen at the back of the set such as a TV or with the topic only displayed on screen 'for the viewers at home', the host says a 'what if' type of unusual film change. Such as 'If Darth Vader was played by Will Smith' and any team member walks to the centre of the set and says a funny line to the camera from the current topic, such as "Now, this is the story all about how, my jedi path got turned upside down." Any member can take as many turns as they like until the host moves on to the next topic. A point is earned for a team member each time they deliver a line.
This is a game very similar to one that is played in the BBC series Mock the Week, however when sticking to the theme of movies and nothing else, I think this fits into the show very well.
Process:
- Teams stand in front of their panellist tables facing the other team, leaving a space in the centre.
- The host says a what if topic.
- Any team member walks to the centre, faces forward and says a funny line from the what if topic (likely to be prepared beforehand).
- Another one or two team members will then do this.
- The host will move on to the next topic and this will be repeated until the time of the round is over.
- Each team member gathers a point in the show when they deliver a line.
An example of the game being played on Mock the Week, where it's called Scenes We'd Like to See...
I'm currently unsure of exactly what type of appearance the show would have, however I know that the set up of where the guests would sit would be similar to typical game and quiz shows such as 8 Out of 10 Cats and Celebrity juice, with quite a modern set. Due to the shows' theme, there would be lots of movie based decor and objects on set. The idea of movie theatre chairs for the panellists was suggested in feedback of my idea, so potentially making the entire set similar to a movie theatre / cinema could look very effective.
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| Celebrity Juice: An example of host and panellist position along with set ideas. |
Influences / Research
So far I have conducted research on...
- Channel 4
- Channel 4's schedule
- 8 Out of 10 Cats
- The Big Fat Quiz
- Mock the Week
- The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
I currently plan to conduct research on...
- Game / quiz shows as a whole
- Studio productions
- After 9pm studio productions
The largest similarities of my show idea are of 8 Out of 10 Cats and The Big Fat Quiz due to the overall approach that I am going for.
Current Strengths
- Quite a solid plan so far with many features.
- Has the potential to be very active and funny.
Current Weaknesses
- Would need a lot of people involved due to actors needed for VT round as well as host and panellists.
- HAS to have an energetic atmosphere with funny panellists or it could go completely wrong.
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