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...