D1 - Discuss client considerations (+ retrospective)

THEMES

TITLE

The title 'Croak' has a double meaning. It can mean the noise a frog makes, or dying. The idea here is to make light of the more serious meaning by pairing it with something silly. The concept of croak is based around contrasting the gritty reality that is usually shown on BBC3, or at least provide something more whimsical and with more metaphors about real issues than actual issues. Of course, the characters will go through regular struggles - these are just part of being human. 

As I've said, he title refers both to the mystery of the disappearing frog and to any potential murder that could take place within the series. The plan for series 1 was to go lighter on the crime aspect in order to tell more of an abstract, quirky little story. However, upon consuming related media (in particular, Agatha Raisin) I've realised how fun a murder mystery can be. It would fit the strange tone of the show and make it a little meatier.

CHARACTER

My characters - specifically the main cast - are all different people with differing goals and motivations. It took a while to figure out characters that wouldn't only suit the BBC3 audience, but entertain them too. That fulfills the audience pleasure of escapism. The characters in general, though, fulfill the idea of personal identity - the relatability angle. 

Croak is very much a story about Fen Marsh, my main character, learning to find value in other people. The use of a paranoid, antisocial protagonist who grows and learns fits the subject matter extremely well, I think. Cults and societies are typically known to prey on isolated people and Fen makes an effort to isolate herself from others. 

CULTS, SECRET SOCIETIES AND THE FEAR OF THE UNKNOWN

I talked at length about secret societies both in my pitch and my proposal. I have a personal connection to this topic because a family member is part of the Freemasons, which has always been a source of fear for those outside the know (myself included). BBC3 doesn't have many shows about secret societies or cults, and if they did it would be interesting to see how they wrote them. Something important to me, personally, would be a layer of observational comedy about the fear the idea of a cult instills in people (as is the British film industry way). When you think cult, you think dark rooms and blood and sacrifices, because that's what pop culture would have us believe. I think there is humour in investigating a cult, only to find out that the reality is quite disappointing - in Croak, the twist is not that there is a terrifying cult of murderers, but a vulnerable girl protesting the only way she can see will help. I do love a happy ending, and that will contribute to the whimsical feeling of the show. It might be nice to see a happy ending on BBC3, where gritty reality often takes a hold in the end.

One example of a cult story is Midsommar, a brightly-lit and peculiar horror film about a cult who isolates a woman from the people she knows. I think it's a great piece of work to take inspiration for Croak from - particularly because it's so atypical for the horror genre. The colours, white in particular, are bright and overwhelmingly clean. It's whimsical, much like I envision Croak to be. One part of Midsommar I think would be really interesting to explore here, without turning my show into horror, would be the recruitment methods cults use. My protagonist, Fen, is someone who believes she is mentally untouchable at the beginning of the show. She'll learn and change by the end but this attitude is a key feature of the show.

WITCHES AND THE SUPERNATURAL

One particular thing I'd like to address is the presentation of witches in Croak - specifically with regards to magic. Croak is low budget, and so there can't be exciting effects or anything like that. Croak is more involved in the sense of community witches have and the repercussions of breaking trust. The reveal of witches is more important than their magic, though in future series that could come into play. This series sets up a lot of things for future viewing, and so it is the perfect contender for a second series. 

REPRESENTATION OF MINORITIES, CASUAL OR OTHERWISE

I was also concerned with the presentation of the characters in Croak as diverse and different to each other.  BBC3 is focused on educating its viewers on the world, and despite its otherworldly feel, Croak still needs those fundamental parts for it to fit the client's vision. Being white myself, it's still strange to see that so many media executives (and consumers) don't value the representation of other races as much as maintaining the status quo. It isn't surprising, considering that priorities for companies nowadays rely on the same sorts of people they have for years and years. The least I can do, as a member of this generation, is provide a diverse cast to challenge the norm. 

 

In terms of sexuality, I can speak to representation in a more personal way. Being bisexual, I often notice the lack of representation in the media for sexualities that aren't straight or gay - it's fantastic that things are opening up nowadays but it's imperative to keep it up. The general public's understanding of, for example, asexuality (no sexual attraction) and pansexuality (attraction regardless of gender) depends on their representation in the media. It's the same for the concept of gender nonconforming, or being non-binary. As a new generation going into the creative industry, I think it's up to us to keep pushing for this to help the world learn and grow. Future generations of children will be more comfortable exploring their identity if they see a range of them every day.

AUDIENCE PLEASURES

I would like to speak to the idea of escapism with this idea. I've always loved escapism - in books, comics, TV and my own head. Stories with the ability to transport your mind to new places and immerse your in the action are second to none and I absolutely adore them (coincidentally, my favourite book as a child was E.D. Baker's 'The Frog Princess' which may have influenced my story idea via some sort of magical osmosis). The bottom line is this: escapism will always be an incredibly important aspect of fiction and TV shows would 

A CROAK RETROSPECTIVE (CHANGES FOR UNIT 22)

In order to bring Croak to pre-production, certain changes would have to be made. In addition to this, I have some changes I'd like to make to the story in order to make the series more interesting.

INITIAL THOUGHTS

For the final version of the idea, certain things would have to be adapted and built upon. For instance, I would need to flesh out the storyline as more than a supporting document. It was difficult to figure out a solid plot whilst planning for the pitch, but Unit 22 is much more story focused. 

The characters driving the story would need some work in this case; as of now, they're limited to a main cast. Minor characters are often (but not always) important in making a setting come to life - certainly a town. One way to keep the cost for hiring actors down when filling Ngaio town and campus is to give a reason in fiction, like I've used the idea that the university is on break and only a few students are left behind. 

MURDER

For Unit 22, it would be much more interesting to integrate a murder mystery into the story. For this reason, I've edited my episodic breakdown on its original post in a different colour. I regret not leaning into Croak's other meaning, but I think at first I was apprehensive about more mature themes in what I saw as more of a lighthearted show. I do love murder mystery as a genre and the many different ways you can explore characters and setting through it, so I believe it's a good call to put my foot down and do something fun with the concept.