Pre-Production-Critical Reflection

For this project I was the producer and was tasked with creating a book with my idea including all of the necessary content that comes with a project.

I have created a title sequence and a book from my idea of adapting a book into a television program.
Although in this project I worked on my own I was able to follow what I wanted to do with the project and create the product that I believed reflected the book well.

 

Agatha Raisin and the Vicious Vet

For the book I feel like if I had more time I would have had the Treatment more action based and more detailed, the scripts final scene could use some more of the description. The title sequence could have used some more scenic views but due to the weather that weekend it was hard to get more than I managed.

Pre-Production-Title Sequence

My title Sequence is based upon looking at other ITV works, in another blog post I have written about these title sequences, for mine I looked at my locations that I had used in the Cotswolds and decided i didn't get any good images of hills so I researched around the area and found Burford which is a village based on a hill.
 I used an idea from Doc Martin to pan in each shot from left to right to have a bit of movement.

(taken on the shoot 28.11.15)

I used images of rolling hills, water, houses and animals to complete my title sequence. Along with this I also found music on Moby.com that fit my theme. 

Pre-Production- Mrs Simpson and Lord Pendlebury

Mrs Simpson- Sinead Cusack

Character description-
"She had snow-white hair scraped back in a bun, and pale-grey eyes behind spectacles." (M.C.Beaton, 1992, pg23)

Lord Pendlebury-Dennis Waterman

Character description-
"A thin elderly gentlemen who looked like an edwardian ghost, and who had estates on the hill above the village," (M.C.Beaton, 1992, pg 35)

Pre-Production- Bill Wong and Mrs Bloxby

Bill Wong is to be played by Randall Park, although an American actor he is the best option for the detective.

Character description-
"a young tubby oriental who looked like a Buddha as Detective Constable Wong." (M.C.Beaton, 1992, pg49)

Mrs Bloxby is to be played by Melanie Hill.

The character description from the book-
"Small, delicate, line face and brown hair lined with grey. She was slim and fragile with long, delicate hands." (M.C.Beaton, 1992, pg96)

Pre-Production- Vet's

Paul Bladen- (murder victim) Sean Bean

Character description in the book-
"a good-looking man in his early forties with thick wavy fair hair dusted with grey, light-brown eyes which crinkled up as though against the desert sun, a firm, rather sweet mouth, and a square chin. He was slim, of medium height." (M.C.Beaton, 1993, pg5)

Peter Rice- Tony Way

Character description- 

" a pugnacious man with a large bulbous nose, small eyes and small mouth…. thick red curly hair,"(M.C.Beaton, 1993, pg75)

Although the actor does not have red hair I think that he would fit the character well. 

 

Pre-Production-Promotional Images

As part of this unit as a producer I am looking to find someone to help me with the photoshop of marketing images, such as posters and a DVD cover.

Such as with Unforgotten-




Mid winter Spirit-





Doc Martin-



For my promotional images I would like to mainly use images that have been taken by my self and even use some images of the actors and try fit them in.

Pre-Production- DVD

As one of my options I have decided to look into if it would be possible to put my production on to DVD as part of ITV.

On their website they state that they are a 'major publisher of DVD's'.

Examples-

Pre-Production- Font

For the pre-production book and for the promotional images I need a font to use. The font needs to be interesting enough to almost attract an audience.
Doc Martin's promotional image.
Jekyll and Hyde.

Broadchurch.

Each image has a font that almost reflects the show, Doc Martin has a flowing font that is light hearted. Jekyll and Hyde font had an old fashioned font that shows something different about the show. Broadchurch is a very standard plain and sensible font, reflecting the seriousness of the show.

For the Agatha Raisin show is needs a partly flowing font but not as child like as Doc Martin and a plain font but not as serious as Broadchruch.

Agatha Raisin and the Vicious Vet.

Agatha Raisin and the Vicious Vet

Agatha Raisin and the Vicious Vet

Agatha Raisin and the Vicious Vet

Agatha Raisin and the Vicious Vet

While looking for the font I would like I am looking online at Dafont,
Handwriting-

Calligraphy- 

Decorative- 

Old School- 

I have decided on a hand-written one- Merveille

Pre-Production- Women of the Village

Miss Mabbs- Kate Ford

Character-
"a plain girl with lank brown hair,"(M.C.Beaton, 1993, pg8) "neat little features, neat little figure," (M.C.Beaton, 1993,94)

Miss Webster- Anna Acton

Character description-
"indeterminate age, possibly late thirties" (M.C.Beaton, 1993, pg108)

Mrs Parr-Natalie Cassidy

Character description-"small and quiet pretty," (M.C.Beaton, 1993, pg62)

"

Mrs Mason- Claire King

"a large…middle aged women," (M.C.Beaton, 1992, pg108)

Mrs Josephs-Michelle Collins.

"the librarian," (M.C.Beaton, 1993, pg32)
In the books there isn't much of a mention of Mrs Joseph's and how her appearance is, therefore I may have to come to my own conclusions

Miss Simms- Samia Ghadie

Character description-
"young girl….droning nasal voice,"(M.C.Beaton, 1992, pg110)

Freda- Zoe Henry

Character description-
"she had a small pretty face like that of an enamelled doll, large hazel eyes… and a pink painted mouth," (M.C.Beaton, 1993, pg7)

Bunty- Lindsey Coulson

Character description-
"A small square women," (M.C.Beaton, 1993, pg82)

Greta- Gillian Wright

Character description-
"a thin, grey haired women with a weak face," (M.C.Beaton, 1993, pg63)

Pre-Production- James Lacey

James Lacey is to be played by Tom Bateman.

The books description-
"over six-feet tall, with a strong tanned face and bright blue eyes. His thick black hair, fashionably cut, had only a trace of grey,"(M.C.Beaton, 1992, pg243)

He is currently working on the show Jekyll and Hyde for ITV making him a realistic choice. 

Pre-Production- Agatha Raisin

Agatha Raisin is to be played by Olivia Colman.

Character description-
"Agatha was aged 53, with plain brown hair and a plain square face and a stocky figure. Her accent was as Mayfair as could be except in moments of distress or excitement, when old nasal Brimingham voice from her youth crept through."  (M.C.Beaton, 1992, pg2)

Oliva not only suits the character description from the original book she is also a regular on ITV making her a viable and appropriate candidate. She is under the agency of United Agents.

M.C.Beaton, (1992), Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death, Constable, St Martin's Press, New York.

Pre-Production- 2 Parts

From recent developments in my research I have decided that my program will need to be in two parts to fit with ITV criteria.

By putting my program into two parts I need to adapt my treatment, currently I have written the complete story as three parts but I will need to make it into half then three parts per episode. This is leading me to find a cliff hanger half way through the story.

ITV don't usual have a singular show with no other parts, they do have christmas specials that have one program but due to the time of the year I would like this program it would not fit.

These are some of the shows that are currently on ITV that are not series but have episodes not part of a series.

And even those that are part of an on-going series are not long in episodes.