I hope everyone was able to access the blog without any problem.
Please post any additional thoughts you have about the possible direction of the series. If you have questions or second thoughts about the area we chose, feel free to include that. Let's work out any concerns in the early stages.
Since what we're working with so far is based on a broad theme, think about how you would pitch a show like this to a network executive. How would we get them to feel an urgency to buy a show about fear?
For example: Sara, when we discussed "Publicist For Vampires", your reaction was, "I'd watch that show."
What would make all of us have that same kind of reaction to this show?
Think about the following things from your point of view and from a potential buyer's point of view...
1) How would you state the premise of the show?
2) What do you see as the hook?
3) What do you feel makes a show like this so compelling to watch?
4) What elements did you feel are already there? And what elements do you feel we still need to discover?
I look forward to your thoughts.
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i think i'm still having trouble latching on to an anthology series format. especially with such a broad theme like "fear". in turn, i was contemplating an ongoing series format: maybe a single character with extremely high anxiety who, with each new episode, spirals into panic attacks about new fears...thus following him or her and the people in their life as he or she must go through the days on the brink of breakdown...
ReplyDeleteI agree, Rob. "Fear" is just a launching point. We need to create a more specific, more compelling premise for this show. It needs a stronger hook.
ReplyDeleteJust looking at "hook" for a moment - regardless of what show we wind up doing - the best hook we came up with so far was the publicist for vampires.
We need something that sounds fresh.
The ideas that everyone brings to class next week could possibly help trigger something. And if the show still isn't well enough defined, we'll use next week's class to continue to find it.
If a show about fear is about one character, my concern is that the episodes would start feeling too similar. HOWEVER, if there was a specific REASON that his/her anxiety was spiraling, (i.e. an antagonist who has something to gain by the main character's demise), that could help create more of a rooting interest. For example, if we were doing something like "Gaslight" as a series, then we could create a great antagonist and great conflict - and the show could possibly become more of a suspense/thriller.
OR: If it's more of an internal struggle, we could create an alter ego that's a separate character (i.e. "Fight Club" - or "Gaslight" meets "Fight Club"...so we think someone is out to destroy the main character...and it turns out to be the character him/herself.
I'm just throwing these things out to see what it triggers in all of you. Feel free to brainstorm in any direction you choose. It's still early in the process.
But fear, alone, is definitely not enough for a show.
It's very possible that, instead of an anthology, we might wind up with an ongoing series format as we continue to hammer this thing out.
Hello,
ReplyDeleteYou know, I've been thinking about fear and phobias and anthologies, and my problem is that it feels to similar to what I've already done at the academy - too close to a short script that stands by itself. I think that the idea for the writer's room (writing for TV) is to create a connection among episodes.
I do love the idea of the Vampire's publicist. We should go for something absurd, funny, engaging and, most of all, that we can be creative upon. It might have come out of a joke, but it's super fun.
Let's make the Vampire our character full of fears, phobias, manias, eccentricities, etc.
True Blood meets Monk!
Cheers,
Vitor
what if it was another kind of "mythological" creature? not to be negative, but vampires are so played out (in my humble opinion)...
ReplyDeleteor what if it's a normal person with a personality disorder whose personalities are these creatures. ie. vampire, wolfman, etc.--it's how he deals with his life or something.
then it could be a show steeped in reality and the problems of real people through absurd and fictional perspectives...
and i didn't know what "gaslight" was, Robert (sorry), but that seems right up my alley--kind of a Hitchcockian premise...
ReplyDeleteor a "gaslight"/"sleeping with the enemy"/"what lies beneath" kind of thing: like a protagonist who doesn't know the antagonist is in her midst & has been plotting to kill her the entire time...
A Hitchcock-type suspense would definitely be interesting. Let’s talk about how that could play out as a series.
ReplyDeleteALSO:
Re: the mythological creatures, I understand your concern, Rob. Let’s look at our options if it’s not a vampire. But let's keep production in mind because vampires would be easier than wolfman (for example).
On the vampire note for a moment...
I was thinking about the possibility of a publicist being hopelessly in love with a vampire. The publicist could be incredibly conflicted - wanting to join the vampire in the world of the undead and be together forever...but also wanting to be mortal to be able to put a good spin on bad press – protecting the one he/she loves. So it could be a series about unrequited love.
Is this a secret love? Do people know about the way he/she feels about this vampire? How does love affect his/her business? How effective would he/she still be in putting a positive spin on vampires? How does it affect the publicist in his/her personal/family life? There could be a lot to explore here.
Your thoughts...
I've been working on a few stories surounding fears and found a hook presented itself when I stried to step outside the box a bit. A few stories I have the audience is lead to believe and percieve what is happening one way but found out at the end it was something in a different direction.
ReplyDelete