Writer/producer research

One of my targets from last weeks tutorials was to research into writer/producers and there job roles. 

This is what i have found so far:

• The television writer is the person responsible for creating all plot lines, dialogue, characters and situations. The writer also provides the initial story generation and outlines as well as all script rewrites and polishes. 
• Often writer/producers are responsible for both the budget and the overall quality of the production. 
• The television producer writer/producer will be the one to hire the director, work closely with the line producer to hire the crew, oversee casting and supervise all post production efforts.

This small bit of research has already made me feel more confident and reassured in my roles as a writer/producer. I am currently doing those things such as overseeing casting crew hire and hiring a director so I know I am on the right lines. 

After uni-  Advice on becoming a writer

• A spec script is a sample of your writing that shows other poeple that you understand both the format of television as wel as the craft. Your spec can be a script of an exisiting television show that you have written or an original television pilot. a good spec will show off your skills. How to write a spec script:

http://filmtvcareers.about.com/od/gettingthejob/a/HT_SpecScript.htm

Roles

After a detailed meeting with Hennie we have defined our roles and our contributors roles. They are as follows:

Maddie

• Co-Producer
• Writer
• Researcher (Story, Channel, Programme)
• Production side- call sheets, schedule and health and safety. 

Hennie

• Co- producer
• Casting director (including researching legality with working with minors.)
• Location Manager
• Crew

Jordan Saville

• Director

Joshua Reeves

• DOP
• Editing

Auditions

Audition dates and venues are now confirmed! 

Adults auditions 
- Saturday 28th September
-11am 
-Baldwyns Park baptist church hall, Bexley

Teen auditions
-Sunday 29th September
-12pm
-Beckets gym dance studio, Dartford

After I have received feedback for version 2 of Totally Maisy I will begin to draft auditions pieces for both audition days. 

Further channel research

After my previous blog I did some deeper research into CITV and other channels that would broadcast Totally Maisy.

I found something that said that older CITV is aimed at 9-12 year olds and are look for strong driven main characters and a live action drama. I think 'Totally Maisy' fits perfectly into that bracket except for the target audience. I thought CITV would still be too young an audience for 'Totally Maisy,' but thought I would give their commissioning director an email to see if she would be offer me any help. This is what she replied:

"Thank you for contacting CITV. I've read through the Totally Maisy outline and you're right, it's too old for CITV. We're aimed at kids 6-12 years old. Your series tackles dating, boyfriends, and parties which our viewers are not old enough for. Live action series that we've aired in the past are titles such as Victorious, Hannah Montana, My Parents are Aliens and Best Friends. This is the oldest we'd go.

I hope this is helpful and I wish you the best with your project going forward.

Kind Regards

Jamila Metran"

This email was very helpful and she confirmed what I thought was true. I always appreciate it when professionals take the time out of their busy schedule to help students.

I desperately need to find the correct channel to target 'Totally Maisy,' so I have emailed 3 main digital childrens channels and ill continue to research into other platforms. These are the channels I have emailed:

• CBBC, Sue Notts (Commissioner)
• Nickelodeon Global, Jules Borkent 
• Disney UK, Chrisiana Nobili (Direction of Production) 

CITV

After emailing the commissioner for CBBC, I thought I would do the same for CITV as that is the other big British kids digital channel. After researching into there commissioning web pages I found the following:

"CITV is the number one commercial children's channel. We commission and acquire a range of programmes aimed at children up until the age of about 11. When commissioning we do not tend to generally fully fund so co-pros are completely the norm here. We are looking to focus on shows for 4-9 year olds and live action and animation. It would be fantastic if we could put original, funny stuff on CITV; that would be a bold ambition fulfilled if that happened."

This is definately not the target we are looking at for 'Totally Maisy.' 'Totally Maisy' deals with teenage themes that are not appropriate for the ages of 4-9. So I have completely ruled out this channel.
While I wait for an email from the CBBC commissioner, I will research the digital channels of Nickelodeon and the Disney channel. Although these broadcast mainly American television programmes, I need to see if they have before broadcasted British shows. 

That will be my mission for this evening!

CBBC Commissioner

For my last project I contacted the commissioner for CBBC, Sue Notts, and I asked her what the CBBC would think of The Suitcase Kid. She replied a very helpful email that helped to back up why I had chosen to show my film on CBBC. I decided to give her another email this time regarding 'Totally Maisy,' and weather she thought it was appropriate for CBBC or not. Her response will help Hennie and I to decide on a channel where this TV pilot will targeted for. This is the email I sent:

Dear Sue

I contacted you early this year with regards to my student project on a Jacqueline Wilson adaptation. I was very grateful for the information that you gave me and even got a 1st for that particular project! I was just wondering if you would be able to help again, after adapting a novel, I am now tasked with creating and writing my own TV pilot script. As I enjoy writing for the children's genre very much I decided to continue on the same lines as before and create a teenage pilot programme called 'Totally Maisy'. I was emailing you to see weather you think it is something the CBBC would pick up on as I am not sure if the audience is too young or not for this type of programme as I am currently trying to find the right channel to target my script for. This is the synopsis:

'Totally Maisy'

"This brand new 25 minute pilot tells the story of awkward 15 year old Maisy’s life. She lives at home with her single mum who is much cooler than her and is going on way more dates. Now shes going into year 10 with her BFF’s Cassie and Gemma, and she has a whole new set of dramas to deal with. The girls spy new sixth form hottie Jack, and Maisy knows she just has to make him hers! Luckily she has her boy best friend Rob to walk home with and tell him all about her problems but Maisy just can't see how much Rob likes her. There's the coolest house party on Friday and Maisy and the girls just have to find a way in to it! Meanwhile whilst this is all going on Mums stared to date again, and Maisy can’t work out why her hot new history teacher is being so nice to her…"

I understand you are very busy so I appreciate you taking your time to read this email and any help you may be able to give me. 
Many Thanks
Maddie Ireland

Simon's feedback for version 1 script

-Good Premise
-Timely
-Mature but works with children's television

-Maisy

• Really good character- Her language and personality is the USP of the series.
• Interacts well with her friends. 

-Need to consider the series-

• How many episodes?
• Overall story, what happens to Maisy?
• Should sew seeds for later episodes.

-Maisy and her mum have a really good role rehearsal- build on it. 

-Don't be afraid to be more melodramatic, bigger funnier scenes.

-Write a scene starting a new storyline with Cassie or Gemma, that can be extended in a later episode. 

-Will work best as a TV series for CITV/CBBC. 

-New idea

Lose the back to school disco and have a cool house party that is at Joe and Cassie's. But Joe is adamant Cassie and her friends aren't allowed to come to. Maisy knows that her way to Jack is at the party so she along with Cassie and Gemma come up with a way to go to it. - work on this.

Have a mockumentry feel to it, using vlogs, this way we can see more into Maisy's life and afford to lose some scenes. 

Meeting with Jordan and Josh 11/9

Jordan and Josh are friends from secondary school and have just graduated from university and started up a production company, so we thought we would arrange a meeting to see what we could all do for each other. I emailed the boys over a script beforehand so they brought some really  good ideas to the times.

These were two ideas that Jordan brought to the table:
- To come up with a sort of 'Submarine' feel to it creating a quirky weird edge to the main character. Making it more edgy.
Although I liked this idea I decided this would change  the whole feel of the program and appeal to an older audience not the audience I attended for 'Totally Maisy.' 
- Bringing a mockumentry feel to it, so having Maisy talking to the camera.
Hennie and I really liked this idea as Hennie has previously mentioned having a vlog style to it. The main character, Maisy will have a vlog that she will do at least once a episode. She will be talking to the camera like in a mocumentry.

-Cutaway dictionary definitions on a scrap bit of paper like a diary, which Maisy will explain by using a voiceover rather than having it on top of live action. Keeping the animation to a minimal. 

The roles were decided after a discussion and will be as follows:

-Jordan Saville , Director 
-Joshua Reeves,  DOPing and editing

We gave Josh a list of equipment, so he can start thinking about filming. 

Casting

Today I rang up several local drama schools, a few prestigious London performing arts schools and also a few teen acting agencies to see if they would be able to help me with casting at all. I explained the project to them and emailed them over all of the details of the project including a poster I had made up.

I also tried to cast on Casting Call Pro but as we are not able to pay we are not allowed to advertise jobs for under 16's.

Hopefully I will start to get a good response back from teens who are interested in the project and want to audition.

My mission for tomorrow is to find a venue to hold the auditions.

Production Schedule

This is a production schedule I knocked up for us so that we knew what we should be doing when and when we had deadlines we needed to meet.

List of locations and descriptions

During today's production meeting, Hennie and I went through the script and listed all the locations that appear in 'Totally Maisy.' This is the list:

• A secondary school ( 4 settings; 2 classrooms, a corridor and outside the front gates.)
• Maisy's living room (homely and comforting.) 
• Maisy's bedroom (girly, pink, covered in posters and teddies, childish.)
• Cassie's bedroom (grown up, posh and has expensive things)
• Cafe (fortunately we will be filming from outside and not inside so this will not cause to much of an issue.)
• Outside Locations; the street where Rob and Maisy walk home, the high street the girls walk down and the park bench. 

For the budget we have given ourselves these are all good locations as we shouldn't have to spend any money at all on locations, maybe to give the caretaker that has to come and open and close the school as we are filming during half term. 

The first school we will try and get on board is mine and Hennie's secondary school, Wilmington Grammar. It is aesthetically pleasing and as they know us, they will be  more likely to allow filming permission. 

Script version 1

Today I gave Simon the first version of a full script. I had a bit of trouble writing the end because I didn't want to write an ending of that similar to a film, because it is a series and the characters will all be back next week for the next episode. I hope what I ended up shows this but is also not too vague. I am really looking forward to receiving my feeback as this is the first time Simon will have heard anything about my idea.

I also sent a copy to my co-producer Hennie and my two (hopefully) directors, Josh and Jordan. Josh and Jordan are two friends from school that have finished university and decided to start a production company, so would be perfect candidates to direct and edit my pilot. 

09/09 Production Meeting

Today Hennie and I had a quick production meeting to make a do list of what we needed to do by our next meeting (Thursday.) These were the points we came up with:

• Ringing schools, so we can confirm location.
• Find a place to hold auditions.
• Set audition date- We have decided to hold them on a weekend, so this is more convenient for actors/actresses that have school. The date we have provisionally chosen, 28th/29th September, which is a month away from when we plan to film in October half term. 
• Create Casting Call Pro accounts for the 3 adult actors.
• Arrange meeting with directors, we have arranged this meeting for 6.30pm on Wednesday.

I went home and spoke to my step mum who came up with a really good idea to hold the auditions in a village hall that has a stage area. There is one right opposite my road where I am member of a church and went to nursery there so I decided to drop him in a letter this evening.

This is a copy of the letter. 

To Reverend Green

My name is Maddie Ireland and I used to attend Baldwyns park nursery and went to school at Maypole. I am currently in my final year of university studying Broadcast Media. For part of my final project I am writing and producing a teenage television pilot and am currently looking for somewhere to hold auditions to search for a talented cast.

My step mum, Cindy Fry suggested I tried your hall at Baldwyns Park. I was wondering if it would be possible to use the hall on a Saturday morning (or whenever convenient) for a few hours and were thinking the 28^th September or the 5^th October. I have enclosed my mobile number and email if you could possible give me a call or an email. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

Maddie Ireland

Identity Crisis

So 'Totally Maisy' is having an identity crisis. I began writing it as pilot for a potential television series but the further I get into the script (18/27) I think it is more and more like a short film. To turn 'Totally Maisy' into a short film would sort out my platforming problem but I wanted in to be a series. I have changed one plot line to turn it more into part of series. I think the best thing to do is to wait until Simon reads it and then see what he thinks. 

Language

As this tv pilot is aimed at teenagers aged 13-18, I need the language to be as update and relatable as possible. I have also decided to play on this idea and make it fun. If anyone has had a conversation with me for longer than 5 minutes they will know I use silly abbreviations for words, eg. soz= sorry and totes= totally. I want to incorporate these into my main character, Maisy's every day language. It is becoming increasingly popular for teenagers to be using these sort of words that have evolved from the idea of 'Text Talk.'

The program Sadie J that I mentioned in a previous post does just this and Sadie has some ridiculous but funny catch phrases. My favourite is:

This is a play on of the text talk phrase, OMG (Oh My God.)

I plan to use these abbreviations in Maisy's language to convey a sense of silliness and girliness that she has. I have also created a catch phrase that she says all the time which is - CRINGE O' CLOCK.
Maisy will say this when something totes (totally) embaz (embarrassing) has happened.

Similar Programs

I am having a bit of trouble deciding on which channel to show 'Totally Maisy,' for a few reasons. I first though about CBBC but the target audience just isn't quite right. On the BBC website it states that their target audience is 6-12. 'Totally Maisy' is aimed at 13-18 year olds so it comes just outside the age boundaries of CBBC. I then thought about lowering my target audience but decided against as I don't think some of the themes of the tv programme is best suited for CBBC. The program most like 'Totally Maisy,' that is airing at the moment on CBBC is 'Sadie J.'

"Sadie J is a BAFTA-nominated British children's television comedy-drama series about a teenage girl named Sadie Jenkins, who is described as "the only girl in a boys' world" because she is surrounded by her Dad Steve, his apprentice Keith, her brother Danny, his best friend Jake and their dog Roger. It was billed as 'a feel-good comedy about a feisty 13-year-old girl with the sass of Cheryl Cole and the punch of a prize fighter'."

Sadie J is of school age but there is not one scene set at school where in 'Totally Maisy' there is. Also Sadie and her friends are all 13/14 where Maisy and her friends are 15/16. It is the next generation.

In my research I found that a Jacquline Wilson adaption 'Girls in Love' was aired on CITV in 2003-2005. This is much more the sort of thing I am looking towards writing.
"Three teenage girls - Ellie, Magda and Nadine, are three best friends that go through the somewhat weird and wonderful world of boys together. The show is narrated by Ellie, and usually portrays her life events in her sketchbook."

However since its own channel and not on ITV, CITV have since ditched the older audience range of kids and gone for a whole new generation of younger programming. No more will they address themes of sex and drugs. 'Totally Maisy,' will not address themes of sex and drugs but will address boys and love so is not suitable for either channel.

My co producer Hennie came up with the idea of making it a web based series. I don't know much about these so will continue to research into these to see if this platform is the best. We have discussed having an interactive side to this so that the audience could choose the ending they wanted for example.