'TV Formats with Julie Christie'

Recipient of the Independent Producer of the Year 2006 Award, Julie Christie (CEO, Eyeworks Touchdown), discussed her approach and success with taking a unique idea to the international market. Having licensed formats to 30 countries, Julie shared her wealth of experience and knowledge in the format genre, and discussed how other producers might approach this business model with producer John Barnett.

John: Tell us about your involvement in Dragon’s Den.

Julie: The network wanted me to be on it and it was hugely different being on camera but it was a great way of being part of a show, a way of controlling the panel. It was one of the reasons why we got the format – that I was on the panel.  A TV producer was sitting there and I was editing it in my mind.

John: Talking about the difference between formats and adaptations?

Julie: The idea is five per cent and ninety-five per cent is the execution. The format is the way the idea is executed. The idea of a dance show – Dancing with the Stars is just an update of the old Come Dancing.  Dancing with the Stars has specific rules and framework. Now that’s being applied to drama formats e.g. making Shortland Street in another country.

We made a doco called High Country Dance all about a singles ball in Middlemarch to find wives for the local farmers. We shot it for NZ tv then re-packaged it so we could pitch it as a format overseas. We took the doco and added some rules and called it Husband Hunt. That format was bought by Fox.  They added a huge budget and re-made it as Bachelorette Alaska. The best thing was they paid me $120,000 to go to Alaska for four days, we were there at the credits and that was it.

John:  What happens when you get a format for overseas; is it that you have no latitude or power?

Julie: It’s all about how many people want it eg The Chair – if there’s a lot of competition then you set the rules. The BBC are complete control freaks when it comes to their formats.

In New Zealand it’s possible to make a format that can go worldwide, for example Pop Stars before it was ripped off for the Idol franchise.

John: Why can genres take off here?

Julie: The broadcasters here will take risks, so NZ a good place to test the waters, things are actually tried here. Here you only tend to get one series of a show so we are hungrier.  With The Chair I wanted to make a brainy format and find a mechanism for seeing what’s going on inside the head – from that we had the idea of monitoring the heart-beat.

We spent $17,000 on creating a fake version of the show so we could sell it. We owned the format and retained the rights.

My attitude towards TV is that it is a business and formats are controllable tv, a broadcaster knows exactly what they are getting. We’ve just made a reality series called Coyote Ugly. Before we shot it the broadcaster ( USA ) wanted us to write a minute by minute on what we are going to see. A great discipline, it meant always dreamed up a great ending for every part.

John: What’s the difference between inspired/copies/borrowed?

Julie: When you’re talking “inspired” – there are very few original ideas, but it’s a rip-off when you take the rules.  Some shows don’t work as a format because based on a talent eg Donald Trump. And to make a local version of Survivor that’s great you just need so much money. You want to get rich then dream up a successful quiz show that plays around the world every single night. The problem is the broadcaster here doesn’t favour quiz shows because they don’t tend to go well here.

John: Do you have a blue-print?

Julie: Never used to, but I’ve recently read E-Myth which is all about check lists. For a show to work it has to tick at least 12 out of 20 boxes that I have. To pitch it it must meet over 75% of the criteria that I have.  A common situation I find is that the producer and the writer are not working on the same project. That’s why it’s so important to have that common ground/pitch whatever that is agreed.  Talking of pitches everyone should have a 10 second pitch ready.

John: What interests you when it comes to ideas?

Julie: The ideas that interest me – involve popular science. But the world wants talent shows and quiz shows. I’ll keep working in popular entertainment and science shows.  The key thing is that you’re making programmes for a broadcaster, not making it for an audience. You have to know your target demographics. Other people listen to music in the car I listen to ZB radio because I want to know what the country is thinking, even though doing it drives me nuts.

Audience question: How important is casting?

Julie: With something like Treasure Island the talent is interviewed three times a day. Interviews are the key and you have to know what buttons to push. With Treasure Island you have to convince the network who should be on there. Casting is all about the personalities and giving them something to do. We shoot 70 tapes for an hour of TV at least.

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