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May. 18th, 2013 07:59 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dolariSo, with the Trans Comedy Award lost, I can talk a bit about the script I sent in, and the circumstances behind the script itself.
Back in the 90s, I attempted to get into TV writing. I took a lot of script writing classes, and studied up on how to write for TV. I ended up not being able to do it, namely because in writing for TV and movies in the US, most of it discarded. You write a story about a boy and his heartwarming journey through the Mississippi woodlands with his dog, and the end result is about a killer cyborg hunting down fugitives in a post apocalyptic future. It's an effort in futility, really. I didn't pursue it much after that. A try here, a try there. The script I submitted is sitting in the Writer's Guild Archives right now.
But I do like to keep the practice up. Every comic script I write for someone else is in movie-script format, and I try to write a pilot episode of SOMETHING for practice every five or so years. One of those, from about 2005 or so, was the Closetspace pilot episode (which you can see at http://www.dolari.net/pub/cstv.pdf ).
The Trans Comedy Award was an attempt by the BBC to create a genuine transgender comedy. One that didn't thrive on stupid reveals, or casting the trans filk in a bad light. One of the reasons Closetspace was CREATED in the ealy 90s, was for just that. I sent in the script, with only minor edits, along with a pitch (which I sadly, no longer have) giving the basic plot of the series, and an explanation that while the script depicted a setting in Central Texas, I was willing to reset the series to take place in the UK. Which meants changes would have to be made.
I didn't know what changes would be made frmo the comic version (which can be seen at http://www.dolari.net/cs ), and info from the Trans Comedy contest was slow in coming. A lot of the waiting time was determining what changes would be made:
First off, the setting would need to be changed to somewhere in the UK. In the comic, the series takes place in a Victorian house in the Hyde Park area if Austin (although I never say as much, so readers can have it be anywhere they may be). I don't know much about the real estate of the UK, but I remembered in an episode of Absolutely Fabulous, Eddie was adamant that her house was in an upscale area of Shepherd's Bush. I aimed for that to be the main location of Allison's house. It would probably have been a more modern house than the Victorian gingerbread of the Texas version. I don't know wnough about London to have made that a permanent location, but would hope that, had I bneen chosen, my BBC handlers would have pointed out a more appropriate place.
The characters would have had a few changes as well.
Carrie, in the Texas version, is decended from early Irish settlers to Texas. In the UK version, she would have been Irish. Allison, in the Texas versions, is Mexican. In the UK versions, Allison would most likely have been Pakistani. Heidi would have been mostly unchanged. Not that their backgrounds matter in the long run of the story, but they help with the versimilitude of the story.
The bigger change involved Victoria. In the original version of Closetspace (and by original, I mean the early 90s version), Closetspace was meant to be a view of the spectrum of transgender behaviour. This involved a transsexual (Carrie), a lifestyle crossdresser (a form of Allison's story that lasted up until about 2000), a transvestite (Heidi) and a drag queen (Victoria). In the comics, I toned down the drag queen story a bit and really amplified her other stories (suffering from AIDS, no family other than her "girls"). Had CS gone to film, I most likely would have removed the drag queen element from Victoria, possibly turning her into a sympathtic gay man (Victor) who would have been her "Second father."
There would have been another character added to the UK roster, Marcus Leon, and in fact, I'll be adding him to the comic in the near future. In the UK series, Marcus would have taken up a few of the reins of Victoria's story (mainly Carrie's high school friendship), as well as fix some of the off kilter gender balance by being a female-to-male transsexual, and a fellow guitarist (specifically, Carrie's bass player). The two would provide a bit of stability in their own lives, while providing some contrast to the all-alone Allison. The comic version will still be Carrie's bass player, but most likely not female-to-male (there's enough trans-folk in the comic as is), and be a totally new character versus smoeone who knew Carrie from high school.
There were some ideas for small changes in storylines, as well. The biggest being "Rocket's Red Flare" with the Republic of Texas patriot. Translating that to the UK would have been a bit of a problem. Many of my friends suggested I swap out the Republic of Texas stuff with Irish Republican Army, but I felt that would be in really poor taste. I chose the Republic of Texas guys cause they're not so much an independence movement as a bunch of bunglers and wannabes. The IRA meant business, and did some serious damage in the 80s and 90s. It was too serious to make fun of. Again, I'd assume my BBC handlers would have helped me out with that.
Another storyline to change would have been the problematic "One Night in Salem." One Night in Salem is designed that it can be taken out of the storyilne, and still make sense, while still adding a layer of storytelling if you leave it in. I have permission to use the Venus Envy characters in the comics, I seriously doubt I would have gotten permission to use them in TV, or that even if I did, anyone would know who the VE characters would be. I had a conceit that I'd be able to do a crossover with Dr Who (Carrie as an assistant!) or some other contemporary show. But if not, like I said, that story is designed to pop that chapter out and still make sense.
One of the problems with retelling a story is that you already know all the endings. With about 66% of Closetspace told, that's 66% of the story already spoiled. Want to see what happens, next week? Go check the comic site! The plan for that was to take a different tact with the TV series. Stories that were primarily from Carrie's point of view would be told from Allison's. A lesson I learned from the American Life on Mars series would be to keep the episodes the same, but change the endings, so they'd still be a surprise, while still maintaining the storyline.
Closetspace has TWO possible endings that I've been mulling over. One is a bit "theatrical" the other is a more "quiet" ending. I would have gone with the theatrical ending for the series, and the quiet one for the comic.
Sadly, I didn't win the Trans Comedy Award so all that, with the exception of the creation of Marcus, is moot. But it's a neat alternate reality that could have happened once upon a time.
I wonder how a Canadian version of CS would go....or a British AWFW?
Back in the 90s, I attempted to get into TV writing. I took a lot of script writing classes, and studied up on how to write for TV. I ended up not being able to do it, namely because in writing for TV and movies in the US, most of it discarded. You write a story about a boy and his heartwarming journey through the Mississippi woodlands with his dog, and the end result is about a killer cyborg hunting down fugitives in a post apocalyptic future. It's an effort in futility, really. I didn't pursue it much after that. A try here, a try there. The script I submitted is sitting in the Writer's Guild Archives right now.
But I do like to keep the practice up. Every comic script I write for someone else is in movie-script format, and I try to write a pilot episode of SOMETHING for practice every five or so years. One of those, from about 2005 or so, was the Closetspace pilot episode (which you can see at http://www.dolari.net/pub/cstv.pdf ).
The Trans Comedy Award was an attempt by the BBC to create a genuine transgender comedy. One that didn't thrive on stupid reveals, or casting the trans filk in a bad light. One of the reasons Closetspace was CREATED in the ealy 90s, was for just that. I sent in the script, with only minor edits, along with a pitch (which I sadly, no longer have) giving the basic plot of the series, and an explanation that while the script depicted a setting in Central Texas, I was willing to reset the series to take place in the UK. Which meants changes would have to be made.
I didn't know what changes would be made frmo the comic version (which can be seen at http://www.dolari.net/cs ), and info from the Trans Comedy contest was slow in coming. A lot of the waiting time was determining what changes would be made:
First off, the setting would need to be changed to somewhere in the UK. In the comic, the series takes place in a Victorian house in the Hyde Park area if Austin (although I never say as much, so readers can have it be anywhere they may be). I don't know much about the real estate of the UK, but I remembered in an episode of Absolutely Fabulous, Eddie was adamant that her house was in an upscale area of Shepherd's Bush. I aimed for that to be the main location of Allison's house. It would probably have been a more modern house than the Victorian gingerbread of the Texas version. I don't know wnough about London to have made that a permanent location, but would hope that, had I bneen chosen, my BBC handlers would have pointed out a more appropriate place.
The characters would have had a few changes as well.
Carrie, in the Texas version, is decended from early Irish settlers to Texas. In the UK version, she would have been Irish. Allison, in the Texas versions, is Mexican. In the UK versions, Allison would most likely have been Pakistani. Heidi would have been mostly unchanged. Not that their backgrounds matter in the long run of the story, but they help with the versimilitude of the story.
The bigger change involved Victoria. In the original version of Closetspace (and by original, I mean the early 90s version), Closetspace was meant to be a view of the spectrum of transgender behaviour. This involved a transsexual (Carrie), a lifestyle crossdresser (a form of Allison's story that lasted up until about 2000), a transvestite (Heidi) and a drag queen (Victoria). In the comics, I toned down the drag queen story a bit and really amplified her other stories (suffering from AIDS, no family other than her "girls"). Had CS gone to film, I most likely would have removed the drag queen element from Victoria, possibly turning her into a sympathtic gay man (Victor) who would have been her "Second father."
There would have been another character added to the UK roster, Marcus Leon, and in fact, I'll be adding him to the comic in the near future. In the UK series, Marcus would have taken up a few of the reins of Victoria's story (mainly Carrie's high school friendship), as well as fix some of the off kilter gender balance by being a female-to-male transsexual, and a fellow guitarist (specifically, Carrie's bass player). The two would provide a bit of stability in their own lives, while providing some contrast to the all-alone Allison. The comic version will still be Carrie's bass player, but most likely not female-to-male (there's enough trans-folk in the comic as is), and be a totally new character versus smoeone who knew Carrie from high school.
There were some ideas for small changes in storylines, as well. The biggest being "Rocket's Red Flare" with the Republic of Texas patriot. Translating that to the UK would have been a bit of a problem. Many of my friends suggested I swap out the Republic of Texas stuff with Irish Republican Army, but I felt that would be in really poor taste. I chose the Republic of Texas guys cause they're not so much an independence movement as a bunch of bunglers and wannabes. The IRA meant business, and did some serious damage in the 80s and 90s. It was too serious to make fun of. Again, I'd assume my BBC handlers would have helped me out with that.
Another storyline to change would have been the problematic "One Night in Salem." One Night in Salem is designed that it can be taken out of the storyilne, and still make sense, while still adding a layer of storytelling if you leave it in. I have permission to use the Venus Envy characters in the comics, I seriously doubt I would have gotten permission to use them in TV, or that even if I did, anyone would know who the VE characters would be. I had a conceit that I'd be able to do a crossover with Dr Who (Carrie as an assistant!) or some other contemporary show. But if not, like I said, that story is designed to pop that chapter out and still make sense.
One of the problems with retelling a story is that you already know all the endings. With about 66% of Closetspace told, that's 66% of the story already spoiled. Want to see what happens, next week? Go check the comic site! The plan for that was to take a different tact with the TV series. Stories that were primarily from Carrie's point of view would be told from Allison's. A lesson I learned from the American Life on Mars series would be to keep the episodes the same, but change the endings, so they'd still be a surprise, while still maintaining the storyline.
Closetspace has TWO possible endings that I've been mulling over. One is a bit "theatrical" the other is a more "quiet" ending. I would have gone with the theatrical ending for the series, and the quiet one for the comic.
Sadly, I didn't win the Trans Comedy Award so all that, with the exception of the creation of Marcus, is moot. But it's a neat alternate reality that could have happened once upon a time.
I wonder how a Canadian version of CS would go....or a British AWFW?
