Re: The problem with converting features to series.
Yes, I completely understand your concerns, and no it doesn't have a small cast. First, it's a written as a franchise ensemble piece. A feature that leads to prequels and sequels. It could stand alone, but it definitely ends with a turning point that creates expectation. The end is solid, I think, on it's own, but it's also written so that you know there is a next installment.
There are a lot of things about the world at large that are set up and create interest but not everything is explored or answered. It's very much like being dropped in the middle of a world in progress.
As I'm reading Small Screen Big Picture I am learning they are very different and it's opening my eyes to how it has to be written in a way that I'm not used to writing. That's not scary to me, because I think I see the differences.
I love Outlander, but it isn't the same as my story, and the fault is in my logline. I still have reworked it since I finished the feature. I have five main characters that converge and team up together. They fight against three (and a fourth for a while) different antagonistic forces.
And even the antagonists are interesting and have room to build stories around their own motives, needs flaws, and weaknesses. There's a lot going on off screen, too.
My story isn't told from a single POV, where we are seeing almost all the story unfolding through that one person's eyes. I know the back half of the first season of Outlander opened up with some of Jaimie's POVs, but primarily the story has unfolded from Claire's POV.
My world is set up more like Game of Thrones. The world I've created supports expansion.
The feature is laser-focused on this one event in these people's lives that happens over the course of about two days. That's not to say that the "on the run" couldn't take longer. It could and would in a series.
I can see it being a series with one family of main characters (adding new and killing off old), or it has the potential to be an anthology type of series. But it would be best told through multiple POVs.
You know, it could be like GOT, sometimes we're with the Lanisters, sometimes with the Starks, sometimes we're with Jon Snow and the wildlings, and sometimes we're with Kaleissi.
Look, I'm a nobody. I admit that I'm completely ignorant to all of this. I don't know if it's going to work, but I'm willing to try. I've created a world I want to explore. And I've got a great start on how to do that from everyone's advice here and the books that arrived today.
Thank you, and everyone for your generous advice and if you have more to share/offer, please do, I'm all ears.
I think the pitch document is a key starting point. Once that's completed I think I'll have a better idea of whether it will work.
Best,
FA4
Originally posted by KitchonaSteve
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There are a lot of things about the world at large that are set up and create interest but not everything is explored or answered. It's very much like being dropped in the middle of a world in progress.
As I'm reading Small Screen Big Picture I am learning they are very different and it's opening my eyes to how it has to be written in a way that I'm not used to writing. That's not scary to me, because I think I see the differences.
I love Outlander, but it isn't the same as my story, and the fault is in my logline. I still have reworked it since I finished the feature. I have five main characters that converge and team up together. They fight against three (and a fourth for a while) different antagonistic forces.
And even the antagonists are interesting and have room to build stories around their own motives, needs flaws, and weaknesses. There's a lot going on off screen, too.
My story isn't told from a single POV, where we are seeing almost all the story unfolding through that one person's eyes. I know the back half of the first season of Outlander opened up with some of Jaimie's POVs, but primarily the story has unfolded from Claire's POV.
My world is set up more like Game of Thrones. The world I've created supports expansion.
The feature is laser-focused on this one event in these people's lives that happens over the course of about two days. That's not to say that the "on the run" couldn't take longer. It could and would in a series.
I can see it being a series with one family of main characters (adding new and killing off old), or it has the potential to be an anthology type of series. But it would be best told through multiple POVs.
You know, it could be like GOT, sometimes we're with the Lanisters, sometimes with the Starks, sometimes we're with Jon Snow and the wildlings, and sometimes we're with Kaleissi.
Look, I'm a nobody. I admit that I'm completely ignorant to all of this. I don't know if it's going to work, but I'm willing to try. I've created a world I want to explore. And I've got a great start on how to do that from everyone's advice here and the books that arrived today.
Thank you, and everyone for your generous advice and if you have more to share/offer, please do, I'm all ears.
I think the pitch document is a key starting point. Once that's completed I think I'll have a better idea of whether it will work.
Best,
FA4
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