I have been reading the book The Cheeky Monkey by Tim Ferguson because I am developing a short film and webisode series called Mel and Rana. The book has been invaluable in knowing where to start with the series. I had a general concept and goals for what I wanted to achieve, however the book provides almost a step by step analysis of how to construct characters and create tension.
One of the things that the book suggests is to choose a theme or primary message for your story. Some great examples include:
- Kath and Kim: Love of family ain’t much but it’s all we got
- Gilligan’s Island: We survive together or perish alone
I have brainstormed a few themes of our own, which include:
- Modern romance in a modern world
- Modern romance in a muddled world
The pitch I am working on is a domestic satirical comedy based on the real life experiences of my partner Amitoze Nandha and I. There have been many comical and bizarre moments in our history that could be translated in a comical way to the small screen. A short pitch is below:
Mel and Rana follows the explosive lives of Indian and Australian neighbours. Following a crisis, Mel’s family, including her dad Peter, former financial planner now taxi driver reluctantly moves into a multicultural neighbourhood. It doesn’t help matters that Mel is secretly dating her Indian neighbour, Rana, whose dad, Harbhajan has a successful career in teaching finance. Mel and Rana try not to get caught while attempting to bring their families closer together.
As described in the book, I am currently building the main characters based on their wants, needs, strengths, weaknesses, fear, love, home-life, status and physical attributes. As suggested in The Cheeky Monkey, I am trying to develop characters with opposing wants and needs to ensure that there are enough comical oppositions to explore further down the line in the series. Some of the main characters are described below.
Harbhajan is a man in his early sixties who always wants things to be perfect. This control hinders his progress and what he needs to do is relinquish control and delegate. This could lead to future circumstances where Harbhajan runs himself into the ground, taking care of details, failing to step back to see the bigger picture.
Melanie is a woman in her mid-twenties who does not deal with conflict well and aims to please everyone, even when it isn’t possible. She puts up with a lot without standing up for herself, which could lead to outbursts of anger when she can no longer hold it in.
Ranjit, a man in his mid-twenties who lives within the rules that his family has set, which are often in opposition with his real goals. This is an interesting dynamic that is very familiar to most children from traditional Indian families. His families wishes are constantly conflicting with the way that he lives his life. The way in which Ranjit navigates these issues will provide possibilities for numerous comical situations.
Peter is a man in his late fifties, who was raised on the bravado of the”alpha male” and this describes many of his attitudes and patterns of behavior. His pride often gets in the way of progress, and prevents him from thriving in his new environment. This could cause many situations where Peter has lied to preserve his pride, only to have to confess his lie or to dig a deeper hole for himself.
I have recently filmed a three minute video pitch based on the concept of Mel and Rana that I am currently developing. You can watch the pitch below:
Password: mel5678$%RANa
Also, speaking of monkeys, check out this article about monkey problems written by Ishita Mishra from The Times of India.
