Back in June I managed to write the first draft of a very exciting new period drama project in sixteen days. Luckily, I had some stellar help from a couple of wonderful script development executives thanks to the Midpoint Institute's TV Launch 2021 program. Because I had a very solid outline to work from, I was able to write the script relatively quickly
Now I've had some feedback and am ready to tackle the second draft, but there's been a slight change of plan regarding the project. In conversations with the producer, it's been decided that instead of a returning series, it will need to be a limited series of six to seven episodes. This means a significant change in tone.
The show is going to have to feel just that much BIGGER and be more filmic, not only in terms of using more visual elements, but also in the way the story unfolds.
No need to panic just yet. There's still a lot I can use (hopefully) from the first draft, but this is going to be a very different kind of show: more QUEEN'S GAMBIT than DOWNTON ABBEY. The pace will need to be much faster to be able to tell the story in one season and there'll have to be quite big time jumps between episodes. This is going to make locking the audience into the following instalment a bit trickier.
It's absolutely fine (I keep telling myself); it's all part of the development process to find which format best suits the material, the market - and the producers!
But for now, it's back to the drawing board to create a new outline for the pilot before diving into the second draft.
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