Alright, you want to produce shows and I want you to produce shows. So it's a win/win situation. VTV has gotten us a ot of new and epic win shows. I'd like to see more. So, I'm writing up a tutorial on how to produce a weekly show efficiently. I've been doing this awhile, so I feel this tutorial should have at least something useful for anyone considering or already producing a weekly show.

FORMAT AND THEMES.

I hear all the time (So and so is already doing this idea.) Doesn't matter. I mean, while it's good to not rip someone off, you can always find an angle. For instance, I already do Sing It! and Act It! Then I did Perform It! which is essentially Sing It! and Act It! combined, and it's one of my most popular shows ever. While a lot of people would be like "oh, Dylan is already doing a singing show, I can't" That's not true. Just be respectful of any shows in that specific niche that came before yours and try and present something different, and don't say yours is better than theirs.

Not all themes have been covered. I have done some of the stupidest ideas ever and pulled them off because I had an angle. Look at Rap It! This was done on a forum where no one is really known as a rapper, and you wouldn't assume that it would be very popular. I knew that if it was done seriously, like Sing It! or Act It!, it would not work. So I brought in MC BFF as the judge, and took a lighter approach to it while still maintaining the serious competition aspect, and it's another really popular show.

If you do take a lighter approach, it's important that you always respect the contestants, because they are working for you essentially. They are your cast. There would be no show without them, don't forget that. Don't ever think that a show is popular because of YOU. It's always the contestants.

AUDITIONS
I switch my audition format up a little. For a singing show it's always acapella. But Sometimes we use the old "you need two yesses to go through" thing. Sometimes we listen to everyone and put people through at the end.

What IS important is doing an audition episode every few days if possible. This encourages SO many more auditions than you would normally have and it shows people you're actually going to post episodes. Also, it allows people to resubmit if you want them to, and that makes for more auditions which makes for more episodes.

CONTESTANTS

Now one of the biggest issues these shows face is people dropping out, which could bring a show to a screeching halt. While this sucks, there are several things that you can do to make this as minimal an issue as possible. But do know that people will ALWAYS drop out. Some tricks I have learned to combat this are...

CASTING: Cast WAY more people that you need for the show. Like at least twice as many if possible. Put through people you don't necesarilly see as being able to win as long as they have a little talent, or are entertaining.. They may surprise you.

Never go into the first week of your show with your final 12 or so. You NEED to do about two weeks where you're making huge cuts. That way, if people drop out, and they will, then you aren't screwed. After about 2 weeks, you should have the people that are gonna stick around.

When people do dropout, there are two ways they generally do it.

1. Not tell you. This is the worst way in my opinion because you tend to expect people to submit last minute. So when they just don't show up, that can suck.

2. Write you a long ass email with a sob story about why they can't do it. Sometimes these are legit, sometimes they look like excuses. But at least they took the time to write.

My opinion is that if people want to submit, they will. If they don't, they won't, whether they make an excuse or not. Again, sometimes these are valid, but 90 percent of the time, they aren't.

I suggest that if people drop your show, the next time they audition for one of your shows, make them do it at least twice. They need to prove they are going to be reliable.

I also have a three strikes policy. If you bail on my shows three times, you're not permitted to compete anymore. I sometimes make exceptions, but it's rare. If they have bailed three times, they will bail a fourth time.

SCHEDULING: A great way to ensure that people drop out of your shows is to have no rhyme or reason for when it's posted. People do have a lot going on,and if you set your deadline the same day every week, and if your show goes up the same day every week, it's just a lot easier for people to remember to submit. On Sing It! Season 8, people always knew that Tuesday night is when their songs were due. If it changes every week, it's just a lot more difficult for people to remember.


JUDGES: It's important to get judges that you can work with. Sometimes you just don't have any chemistry with another judge and that equals sad times and boring shows. It's also important to have a judge that is at least somewhat excited about your show. In the past, when I have used judges that I sort of had to convince to judge all season, the show hasn't been important to them. They don't always show up, or when they do show up, they want to hurry through and get it over with. This is an easy way to kill your show.

If the judges don't care, no one else cares either. Also, if you have a judge that doesn't like to show up on time, it can derail your show. Because then you either have to wait until they decide to show up and make your show late, or you have to replace them with someone last minute. That makes for constantly rotating judges which is horrible for a show. The audience and contestants like to connect with the judges and feel like the judges are invested in the competition. If you have a judge that just comes in one episode and leaves, the obvious conclusion for the audience is that the judge has no idea what else is going on in the competition and it's just sketchy.


RECORDING

You can do this many different ways. I like to use audacity or some recording program. Record my end of the convo and the other judges end of the convo seperately, and sync them together in mixing. It doesn't take long and it makes for far better sound quality.



I feel like these tips will give you at least a good start on producing your own weekly show. If you feel I didn't cover anything, post below and I will try and add to that. I wish you all luck and hope to see some more epic shows soon!