AMNESIA: The Challenge of 3 Timelines in 1 Show

Having a TV show told in three timelines isn't easy.  It's probably the reason why no one does it.  The first challenge is in the writing.  Many times I think that I need to put a certain amount of flashback in per episode or a certain amount of the "event" timeline into each episode.  I started to realize that the decision on how much or if a certain timeline even makes it into that episode had to be something that wasn't forced but was organic.  If it didn't feel natural then don't do it.  There were some episodes where I said to myself, "I can't do a flashback in this one" because it just didn't feel right.

Flashbacks that just reveal info but doesn't effect the characters in the present day most audiences don't really like.  They can deal with it to a certain degree, but if it's episode after episode that audience starts to get bored with the usage of it and see it as more of a gimmick designed to drag out the story with endless subplots.  With Amnesia the flashbacks are the main character's thoughts, dreams, etc.  Either he sees them in his dreams or he sees them when something creates a memory recognition moment. - The character sees a certain object like a special flower or a knife or a piece of clothing and he remembers a key clue about his past life.

The writing is one big challenge, but the other one is on how you produce it without blowing your
budget out of proportion?


More later...

Go Big: Pursuing the TV show

The Amnesia TV show has been something I have both contemplated and developed since 2009.  When people decide to produce a TV show they create a TV pilot (first episode) and then pitch that to the networks (if they're lucky to pitch it).  They probably have a 1% chance that the pilot will ever go into pilot season and after that if it will ever get made into a season.

After debating that issue and finishing The House That Jack Broke, I realized that not only could I make the entire first season (6 episodes) but I should make the entire first season (six episodes). 

AMNESIA is the story of a man who wakes up in a post-apocalyptic future with amnesia and is looking for his family despite being pursued by a ruthless army.  As you'd expect there are some strange sci-fi elements that occur throughout the show. 

The story is told within 3 timelines:  his flashbacks of the past, "the accident" and the future.  Unlike other shows that have flashbacks, like LOST, the flashbacks of this show are different.  In a show like LOST the flashbacks revealed to the audience important information about a character, but those revelations about the characters didn't influence the characters own decisions in the present day.  In AMNESIA the flashbacks are the main characters dreams/revelations.  What he knows we know.  When he realizes something about his girlfriend Jamie it influences the next decisions he makes in the present day situation.  Sometimes his emotional reaction to what he remembers has dire consequences that could spell a fatal doom to one of the characters or put him in harms way.

To make sure the story comes to life the best we are pursuing actors who can perform very diverse characters.  The lead character of Allan Carter will be played by Andrew Roth who has had one of the most diverse list of characters in movies that I've seen.  In one character he can play tough, strong, confident and then in the next character he can play weak and fragile. 

More coming soon...