How do you book your shows??

[indywrestling]

Hey guys, Ive been talking with alot of fedders on the board lately about storylines and such, and i was wondering how you guys like to book your shows??? With that being said i thought id share my way of booking for my figure fed.

I have a notebook of lined paper, and for each show heres what i like to do, It usually takes up the whole page.

Put the title of the show at the top

Opening with: (Usually an announcer or clips of something that happend)
Segment 1: (Usually an interview or clips of something)
Match 1: (I underline whos goin over)
Segment 2: (Basically same as 1)
Match 2: (You get the just of it, lol)
*****Commercial Break*****
Match 3: (yada yada yada)
Segment 4: (Announcment maybe)
Main Event Match 4: (Go on with the main event)

ok so that parts done for me then i skip a line on the paper and write out storylines that goin to happen in the show, like if theres a guy making a return or sneek attack. I write down idea on a little notebook i keep with me for that reason, I usually go to that and see if theres anything that would work for this show. If i use it int he little notebook i cross it off and go on.

Well that how i do it, what about you guys??

[RCW]

Once I read this I thought of Booking a show as in.

Booking a spot on the board

What I Do is.

Segment one: What happens then I write about what impact on the storyline it has.
and same with all the segments

[indywrestling]

Thats cool regan, we have similar booking styles, lol, good stuff man, anyone else?

[Micro]

This is something I thought about for a while when I was putting together my fed. I can be a bit scatter-brained and come up with lots of wacky ideas but I wanted to keep it organized so that I could manage a show without losing my sense of direction too badly. I came up with a short 3-match format. Two matches and a main event with an intro and backstage/interview segments in between the matches to build up storylines.

I'll write down some of the feuds I want to do and then see how I can fit it into my format in a way that it will all flow nicely. My booking is really loose right now because I keep tweaking things in my head. For example, most of Episode 3 is actually taken from my plans for Episode 4. It just seemed like a better idea to swap and mix around some of the matches/segments.

[brm]

I start by thinking of a segment / match / or moment I would like to see happen. For example, I always knew I wanted to bring Chris Hero in as a surprise, so I just built a storyline that would lead to that moment. And by doing that, I ended up coming up with all kinds of other moments. I also separate my fed into divisions, so it begins by finding one idea I want to see happen for each belt. And if I get a random idea (Desmond Wolfe Clockwork Orange gimmick) I just insert it into the current idea. But I do write out the ideas in Microsoft word.

[RCW]

Alot of times I do just work with stuff in my head.

[WCM's Izzy]

Cool topic! Interesting that you should ask, because I almost ask the same some days ago. Only reason it didn’t happen was because, after writing my entire post, I hit a wrong key and deleted everything. Man, I hate when that happens! Right now, I just finished editing a segment and I’m 60% into Episode 08. I have a white piece of paper next to me, with 10 segments detailing what goes on in each. I almost always have my intros and epilogues prepped in my head way ahead of time, the hard thing is figuring out the matches, or booking, which I hate. Part of me wants a system, part of me hates a system. I felt stupid while writing my now deleted post because I actually lose sleep thinking how to book Pic Fed matches, for real. I stay up until 3 or 4 am and can’t shake the thoughts off my head. I came up with a simple 5 point system for WCM, and I love/hate it, because I feel I have to stick to it and I may get painted to a corner. I always say it’s supposed to be fun, not so much stress and hassle, but I will remain mulling over the booking and writing/scratching ideas until I nail it! Then scratch it. Nail it again! Scratch it and then… then! Almost like in a House episode, the EPIPHANY happens and my three matches gel and make sense! That’s when I know the show is ready to go into production, which means filming and editing it. The 3 match system came from my first show, which ran during Stinger’s Sting figure contest (which I won, wooo! well, kinda, due to a technicality) and I did it just to stick to the rules, and it stuck. I have done shows with less matches, and will do shows with more, but 3 is the magic number. 3 matches, 3 bad guys, 3 good guys, the War Zone Arena every 3 shows… odd, huh? Once I have the 3 matches, I try to stick an empty segment between them so I will have 3 matches and 4 segments to develop backstage/non-match situations, and as usual, an intro and my beloved epilogues. Starting with Episode 8 and going forward I will also have a new feature that will be recurring in every show, I hope. Hey, booking is not that bad after all.

[RCW]

Well. in Episode 3 of RCW there is going to be 4 matches. I may stick with 4 matches...

4 match system

[indywrestling]

very interesting stuff here guys, keep'em coming!

[ilovethecenation]

Well, I think about it when I am not actually doing something. I'll say "Well, I want this feud, this match, and ___ to win the feud". I' am doing that now, then I build episode by episode. I don't look too far ahead, ruins the spontaneous-ness that I like. I think I'll use your method from now on, though.