Chapter 100 Getting ready to shoot

"Today I also talked about "Downton Abbey" with Mr. Fellowes. I think many of his ideas are very good, so it has basically been confirmed that he will serve as the screenwriter and producer of this TV series. Soon The preparations started.”

"Actually, I have an idea, that is, we will film both seasons at once..."

"That's a little risky, honey."

Bonnie's worry was very normal for England at this time.

This requires talking about some differences between American TV dramas and British TV dramas. Unlike American TV dramas, which are often filmed for many seasons, among British TV dramas, only very few popular TV dramas can be filmed for many seasons, such as Barron's Past Life "Downton Abbey" and "Sherlock"...

Not only that, many British TV series are extremely short each season. According to statistics, the average number of episodes of British TV series is only 6...

There are even some mini-series. There are only three episodes in a season of TV series... nicknamed "three-episode movies". The most famous one in this regard is "Sherlock".

Just like in Barron's previous life, "Downton Abbey" had a total of six seasons, with a total of only 48 episodes, which means each season is 8 episodes - in fact, it should be 7 episodes plus a Christmas special...

This number of episodes is not even comparable to one of some Chinese TV series!

This situation has caused British dramas to strive for excellence in the production. Often those popular dramas will be particularly loved by the audience and are full of details - but again, only a few episodes are broadcast, and there will be more to come. After waiting for a year, there is still something to be desired.

Now Bonnie has finished writing the second novel of "Downton Abbey" and has begun serializing it in "The Independent".

Therefore, it is completely possible to shoot two seasons at once, and this has the advantage that the average production cost of each episode will be lower, and the audience will have a shorter waiting time.

But what Bonnie is worried about is that if the first season of the TV series does not receive a good response, then only one season can be filmed to stop the loss in time; if two seasons are filmed at once, I am afraid that there will be losses by then.

Barron is still very confident about this.

In addition to finding the producers and screenwriters of the previous "Downton Abbey" series to ensure the quality of the TV series, he also prepared a sufficient budget for this TV series. He believed in the popularity of the previous "Downton Abbey" series - Known as Britain's number one IP, there is no need to worry about being ignored.

In fact, the main cost of this TV series is the costumes of the actors and the props used to reflect the luxurious life of the aristocrats at that time.

In terms of props, using Chatsworth Manor, coupled with its luxurious decorations, silverware and artwork, can save a lot of costs.

And at the beginning, he also left behind many aristocratic services that his family has preserved to this day. These were originally the high-end clothing of England in each era. They can definitely restore the luxurious life of the aristocrats of the old era in an authentic way, and at the same time, they will also save money. Many costs.

Of course, there are still many services that need to be customized. In "Downton Abbey", every noble will change clothes two or three times a day. In the first season alone, there will be more than 600 pieces of noble clothing on camera. In this regard, there must be Will strive for excellence.

Finally, the situation of the actors also needs to be considered.

Because according to expectations, "Downton Abbey" is likely to be a series that lasts for six seasons, and may also face a situation that many series or series of movies will encounter - the skyrocketing salary of actors.

When the first part of the series becomes a hit, the actors' net worth will definitely skyrocket. If they continue to participate in the show, their remuneration will naturally increase.

This is not true for one or two people, but for the entire cast of the series.

Therefore, to prepare for a rainy day, Barron persuaded Summit Media to directly sign a 6+1 contract with the future main actors of "Downton Abbey" - a six-season TV series and a possible future movie.

Of course, this does not mean that they are required to keep their pay low, but that the pay for each subsequent film will increase within a reasonable range without anything too outrageous.

"Actually, I think you are very suitable for the protagonist Mary in this TV series, honey."

Now that everything was basically settled, Barron said jokingly to Bonnie.

"Really? You also think I have a bad temper?"

In the novel, Mary, as one of the protagonists, is the eldest lady of the manor and the prettiest among the three daughters in the manor. She has a high-ranking aristocratic temperament, is arrogant and strong, and is a little bit mean... So Bonnie would ask like this .

"Of course not. I'm just saying that in terms of beauty, there is probably no one more beautiful than you."

Hearing Barron's sweet words, Bonnie was still very happy. With a smile on her face, she said:

"This TV series is too important to us. I don't want to mess it up. I haven't studied acting myself. It should be handed over to the most suitable person."

This is what Barron likes about Bonnie. She always knows what is most important and is not "cluttered" like some women.

…

The filming of the TV series "Downton Abbey" is about to begin, which has aroused heated discussions throughout the UK.

After all, this novel itself is a very hot topic recently, and it has many loyal readers-including Her Majesty the Queen.

And another point is that Halo Company, which owns the copyright of "Downton Abbey", and Summit Media, which is responsible for the production, also announced that the filming of the first part alone will cost an estimated 50 million pounds, just to truly restore the once luxurious Aristocratic life...

Regarding this point, I am not lying. After all, if you include the renovation of Chatsworth Manor and the cost of filming two seasons at one time, well, if you round up, it will be almost 50 million pounds.

Anyway, almost all film and television dramas will exaggerate to some extent when promoting them. This time, they really didn't do anything more exaggerated.

At present, this high-profile TV series has confirmed that the screenwriter and producer will be Julian Fellowes, and the director has also been confirmed. The next step is to start selecting actors.

Such a big production has attracted the attention of many actors, who all hope to join it.

Since Barron's previous "Downton Abbey" series was launched in 2010, this is several years ahead of schedule, so it is definitely impossible for the original cast to be involved.

For example, the actor Michelle, who originally played the eldest daughter Mary, was only 21 years old at this time, still a student, and had not entered the acting industry...

Therefore, the cast will definitely be very different from Barron's previous life.

But he doesn't have any worries about these. As for actors, there are many. Since Julian could find actors who were more suitable for the roles in his previous life when he led this TV series, he certainly won't say that he can't find them now.

He is somewhat looking forward to what kind of production "Downton Abbey" will be produced this time.