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Post by Simon A.C. Martin on Jun 8, 2010 14:10:08 GMT
I've been thinking about it over lunch and come up with a new game... Picture the scene...
HiT Entertainment rings you up and offers you the chance to direct the next series of Thomas & Friends. All the major design, writing, and commercial decisions are yours to make. Each decision will make or break the series as a whole.
How would you direct the next series? Make a business plan for series 14 based on the following areas:
1. Characters 2. Scenery & Locations 3. Types of Stories 4. Narrators & Voice Actors 5. Merchandise |
The rules are simple. You post your idea as to how you'd direct the series. Remember, everything is under your control. Cover all five areas, numbering each of your solutions 1-5. There is a scoreboard which must be posted at the start of every new post, with updated scores. The next person to post their idea gives all the previous posters a +1 or -1 to their idea. Everyone starts off on 5 points. If you reach 0, you're out of the game. Winner is the poster with the highest number of points by the time series 14 airs! ;D I will start the proceedings off with my own ideas: And the current scoreboard: [/tr][/table] And the code for the table: [table][tr][td][b]SCOREBOARD[/b][/td][/tr][/table] [table][tr]
[tr][td]Name:[/td][td]Points:[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Simon[/td][td]5[/td][/tr]
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Post by Matthew24691 on Jun 8, 2010 14:48:37 GMT
for me 1.Keep engines in their respective area's e.g. Thomas, Percy, Toby, Daisy, Mavis to the Ffarquhar Branch Gordon, Henry, James on the main line well you get my drift place different characters in the background pulling all kinds of trains, not the the kind of trains we end up with these days like flour in open wagons, but kind of like in Better Late Than Never when we see Edward passing over the viaduct with Trevor, a few coaches, and some trucks. 2.atleast use the CGI to your advantage by briging back old area's like Thomas' and Edward's Branchline's but tweak them up with some CGI magic, so they resemble a bit of the series 1 and 2 versions, especially when it comes to Elsbridge (RWS Knapford) where there is a main yard area, something which disappeared in Season 4 3.when it comes to the Skarloey Railway episodes... atleast have the Skarloey Engines at a scale where they can interact with Gordon and Henry (like in season 4) and not just with Thomas all the time. also i'd get rid of so much of the repetition. 4.get a new narrator, nothing against Michael Angelis as he has been a fantastic servant for the last 19 years, but the whole voice cast part needs dropping completely 5.stop including thomas in nearly every single Tomica World set that has been released, and definately expand on the Take 'n' Play range, so we have more different items of rolling stock Name: | Points: | Simon | 10 | Matty | 4 |
[/tr][/table] -edit- don't quite understand the scoreboard part of this...
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Post by Simon A.C. Martin on Jun 8, 2010 15:07:44 GMT
You only add one point Matthew to each person you agree with, and take away a point for every time you disagree with someone. So your scoreboard update should read thus: Name: | Points: | Simon | 6 | mattyd24 | 5 |
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Truro
Branch Line Engine
Posts: 1,041
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Post by Truro on Jun 8, 2010 17:12:40 GMT
Name: | Points: | Simon | 7 | mattyd24 | 4 | Truro | 5 |
[/tr][/table] Thomas & Friends season 14 - In Truro Vision. 1. CharactersObviously, too much Thomas is the big problem here. I agree that he is the main character but there is such thing as too much of a good thing. Since there are 20 episodes to a season and 8 steam team members then they should at least get two focus episodes each. 16 episodes, leaving 4 left over. For these 4, they can be used for characters to share the spotlight between 2 of them, or expand on pre-existing supporting characters like Rosie, Molly or Duck. 2. Scenery & LocationsI've no complaints about the current scenery. 3. Types of StoriesLess of these "Thomas helping with a special event for the children" type stories. It might help to go back to the 5 minute episode format rather than 8 minute episodes, since there would be less repetitiveness. As long as the dialogue is good and it isn't patronizing. 4. Narrators & Voice ActorsI'd see if I could hire the cast of Roary The Racing Car. 5. MerchandiseI agree with the suggestion of including the Express coaches in toy lines. I'd also throw in some of the old style wagons, like Henry's Flying Kipper vans, so kids can recreate famous scenes from the series. I'd also expand upon the small Tomy wind-ups (adding more rolling stock to the line) since it was a good pocket-money toy series.
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Rexeljet
Passenger Engine
Red dude with attitude
Posts: 964
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Post by Rexeljet on Jun 8, 2010 17:26:27 GMT
1. I wouldn't have Thomas hogging the spotlight in every single episode. I'd have him in more episodes than series 4, but not as much as the latest series. I'd give episodes to all of the steam team, and plenty more characters. Each engine has their proper personality, because their current personalities are not as interesting. Young fans might have Thomas, Percy, James or Gordon as their favourite engine, but no one would want Toby as their favourite engine because his personality isn't very inspiring. A wise old engine who can not only give other engines advice on what to do, but also prove how useful an engine like him can be, is more interesting and Toby might get more fans. The cast can expand vastly; I'd have at least Duck, Donald and Douglas, Terence and Trevor return. Duck can have adventures on his branch line, and Donald and Douglas can have supporting roles in various episodes. And Terence and Trevor, along with Bertie, can have at least one story just about them. Newer characters shan't be ignored. a good idea would be an episode that takes place in Japan and Hiro can introduce us to his homeland properly, and have some sort of story take place. Another idea would to have an episode set entirely in the Steamworks, which mainly features Kevin and Victor featured as the main characters in a story. And, the engines ought to be assigned to suitable jobs. Thomas pulls Annie and Clarabel on his Branch Line, Percy pulls goods, shunts at the mines/quarry/harbour, and takes the Mail. Gordon takes the express. James can pull pretty much anything. Same with Edward. 2. With me being a fan of the Railway series, I'd use maps of Sodor and illustrations from the books to bring Sodor to life. Scenery can be improved, almost to the extent where you can almost feel that you're on Sodor seeing the trains go about their daily business. in series 13 the scenery was mainly even more generic than the previous seasons, to the extent it looked like the engines were going past the same bit over and over again, a bit like an episode of Wacky Races. If I were to have the narrow gauge engines return, then the scenery on their railway HAS To be good. the series 4 sets were so lovely I could just eat them up. I'd also have the return of Crovan's Gate- not this "Transfer Yard" Bollocks. 3. Right. a monkey could improve this. But HiT Aren't going to employ a monkey, so this is what I'll say about story lines: As I have said in the "What would you do to improve the series" thread, the stories have got to be about Trains and Railways. Not trains full of chocolate pudding or Ice cream, no Generic Stories, stories that in some way utilise the features of railways to make an overall enjoyable episode. A Road vs. Rail story would go down well, even if all that happens is that the bus breaks down and an engine takes the passengers home. I'd Also have stories featuring passengers again. Not just Alicia Botti, not Just the Children going to a party, but Passengers travelling from one town to another. I knew that was what passenger trains were for when I first started watching the show. 4. For the narration, I say liven it up. Both Michaels aren't the most enthusiastic of narrators putting a bit of enthusiasm in the narration doesn't cost any money, and I'd say that the series could be more enjoyable if Michael Angelis could go back to narrating like how he did in Series 3. As for the voice actors, they need to act a bit more like they actually are the characters, as opposed to just reading from a script, which is what they're doing. they need to have more enthusiasm, and imagine how they'd say "Ugh," if they'd landed in, let's say, a Muddy pond. Not a monotonous "Ugh", but a more inspired "Yeeuucch!" I've only heard the American voices for the engines in YouTube poops and trailers, so I'm not entirely sure what the American voicing team should do as far as accents are concerned, but for the British version, I think having a bit more regionalism in the cast of voices would be a good thing- apart from Kevin, Victor, Hiro, Emily, Mavis and The Fat Controller, most Characters tend to suffer from a 'neutral' english accent, which newsreaders and TV presenters tend to use. Also make engines like Thomas and Percy sound more cheeky. Even the American version could include a few British accents if necessary. 5. With merchandising, I say new characters and returned characters ought to get released each time a new series is produced, which is being done. However, I wouldn't introduce characters, locations, and rolling stock just for merchandising and for them to disappear off the face of the earth after one season or one episode is stupid. I would make the ranges make express coaches. Take Along never produced any coaches besides Annie and Clarabel, and Take 'n' play are continuing the trend. I think coaches should be a good idea because it means there's something for Gordon to pull. He doesn't go around pulling Annie and Clarabel. If an episode, old or new, is a favourite among young fans, and the episode is flexible enough and interesting enough, there's no reason why it shouldn't be made into a train set. However, simply making a "Thomas and the circus" set, with Thomas, several circus trucks, an oval of track and perhaps some circus tents isn't very inspiring. A better idea would be something along the lines of a "Rusty and the boulder" set (even though the episode was terrible) which may feature Rusty, Skarloey, Rheneas, Boulder, cliffs and the like. Name: | Points: | Simon | 8 | Mattyd24 | 5 | Truro | 6 | Rexeljet | 5 |
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Post by Devious Diesel on Jun 8, 2010 18:25:39 GMT
1 - CHARACTERS I've said this many a time before, and I think I'll just have to say it again. If you're going to have a "Steam Team", then surely it'd make sense to use it properly. And to do that needs more balance. Balance that certainly wasn't in Series 13. There are 8 members of the Team, and with an episode count of 20, that's two each, with episodes to spare. Thomas does not need to be the star of EVERY single episode out there, it simply isn't good for him. And it's not good for the other characters either. If they MUST make Thomas appear in every episode that's different. Give him a minor role, or even just a cameo. Then, once we've sorted that bit out, we need to think about the other characters. Whilst Series 13 was understandably limited, there's no reason why Series 14 can't be. I'm not going to say "bring this character back, bring that one back"...but I would advise they do some research and find out what sort of characters the fans want back. Of course, if its easy, go with what you can make. But they should not be ignored. And as for new characters, I would make sure they automatically got their own episodes, and not just stuck them in a Thomas episode. If a new character is going to be included, they need to be fully established, and the best way to do that is to give them an episode to themselves right off the mark. If one were to look at the older series, you'd see most of the characters play a primary role in their first episode, with few exeptions. 2 - SCENARY AND LOCATIONS The best thing to do in this situation is to find a good map of Sodor, preferably a Railway Series one. We know they have one due to the various special segments in the DVD. But I would use them. By doing that, it would be easy to pinpoint exactly where the engines could be going for the stories and make it feel overall a bit more realistic. Also, for that matter, it would clearly point out where the industrial sections of Sodor are. That way, we won't have continual, generic "three lines through the countryside" that seems to be a staple recently. 3 - TYPES OF STORIES I can think of two major pointers here, and they're both pretty much common sense to most people. Point 1, of course, is the recycled repetitive storylines. These are tedious and just un-needed. If I were a child, I'd be bored of Series 13, I think, because a lot of the episodes were the same as each other, over and over again...and the fact that most featured Thomas didn't help. I'd have some more interesting stories written, ones that actually had to do with running a railway. I haven't seen a good "truck" episode in ages, for example. Looking back over the older stories, there surely must be a way to make an episode appealing (not to mention realistic) without repeating the same formula again and again....which is NOT appealing. Point 2 is just as important...be consistant with the engines personalities AND history. It connects to the above in a way...having an episode each season of, for example, Toby worrying about something, just gets bothersome. And don't get me started on the narrow gauge engines. The engines should behave in the way they were established and stories can be written based upon those. This is why not having Thomas starring in every single episode is a good idea...it allows establishment for other characters. And also, there's also the case of making sure what the engine has done before. We don't need episodes like "Henry & the Wishing Tree" and "Early Bird" where an engine is doing something "for the first time" even though they did it two seasons ago. We don't NEED that. 4 - NARRATORS AND VOICE ACTORS Whilst I'm not sure about the narrators, I think the voice actors don't really get enough freedom. They are good, but not exactly great. But I'll give them some benefit of the doubt, it is the first season. With that being said, I think they should be allowed to look over the script and make their own improvisations (hey, we do it all the time on SIF productions). And they shouldn't have to read every word. A big problem for me feels like the episodes were written as normal episodes, before voice actors. Lines such as "Thomas Gasped", followed by Thomas gasping, are not really needed. And neither are engines stating the obvious. Also, a little trivial thing I'd like to see....if an engine is thinking, have them think, rather than speaking out loud. Have the actors read the line, then add an echo. Put this into the scene without the engine visibally talking, and you have a good thought sequence. 5 - MERCHANDISE I don't follow the merchandise section, so I can't really comment too well, but I will say this....we don't need a toy for every single special from every single episode...especially if the episode wasn't even that good in the first place (Slippy Sodor, anyone?). If you're going to make a toy, then go out and research the sort of playsets a fan would like to see. You cannot just assume with these things. And that's my two cents. Name: | Points: | Simon | 8 | Mattyd24 | 4 | Truro | 6 | Rexeljet | 6 | Devious Diesel | 5 |
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Post by Matthew24691 on Jun 8, 2010 18:37:52 GMT
i actually want to expand on my ideas for parts 1 and 2 from how my version of Season 14 would've worked out if it came to it... 1.now i really need to go into this whole "to much Thomas" part i would seriously focus episodes on other engines who we havn't seen in a full episode to themselves in a while i.e. Duck and Oliver engines like Donald and Douglas are pretty much Odd-Job engines on Sodor right? i mean surely they can have an episode focused on them, in my opinion Snow Tracks from Season 13 seemed like the appropriate episode for them both, and what about some characters like Murdoch the 9F, i'm sure with a bit of character development, we can see this Beast of a machine made into a very much loved character who can pull the heavy freight trains. Pip and Emma being a character that I, like Simon would like to see bought into the series. think of the story potential we could get with Gordon feeling threatened by a HST125 Express Unit being able to take over his fast express runs. 2.i'd like to expand on the aspect of a PROPER WORKING RAILWAY- make the engines look a bit weathered
- decent length trains e.g. 6 coaches in the Wild Nor' Wester
- abit of grime around the yards e.g. add some of those inspection pits inside Tidmouth Sheds and other items that can make it look like a used Motive Power Depot/Steam Shed.
- weather the roof of Knapford Station (The Big Station) so that it looks like that plenty of steam locomotives and diesels have passed through or entered the station.
it's supposed to be a "Working Railway", so why don't we have Bill and Ben covered in specks China Clay dust etc. I'd even bring Crovans Gate Station back, and have The Steamworks moved much closer to the station area so it looks like the main Ralway Works on the Island. i feel the CGI has got plenty of benefits to offer to us, with places like The Arlesdale Small Railway, The Culdee Fell Moutain Railway being brought into the series now. I'm leaving it at that for the time being Name: | Points: | Simon | 9 | Mattyd24 | 5 | Truro | 5 | Rexeljet | 6 | Devious Diesel | 5 |
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The Master
Passenger Engine
Here comes the drums!
Posts: 595
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Post by The Master on Jun 8, 2010 20:16:19 GMT
1. CharactersThis first thing I would instate would be a biography for all the characters. It just isn't possible for many people to keep a consistent personality without one and as for continuity... Also character interaction, that's gone down hill. I would like to see more character interaction with different characters, not just simply a character made up or shunted in to advance the plot. I'm not going to say keep the characters on their branch lines because that would rule out some really good stories but these engines are 'employed' to do certain work they are good at. Any chance we could see them at work, not solely fetching things for children and small businessmen. I mean when was the last time we saw Thomas take a passenger run? 2. Scenery & LocationsMore time at certain locations in order to build up a library of detailed digital sets.More specialty about the sets too. Every one remembers the classic sets for the things around them - the Abbey, the viaduct - the junctions. There's no point in writing in a sweets factory if it's just going to look like a coal merchants! I want all the digital models mapped to 4K. Now. 3. Types of StoriesI will say this now. Unambitious. I kid you not. The more anybody but Wilbert has tried to make an accident work, the less it has succeeded in my eyes. By comparison, 'Thomas, Percy and the Dragon' competes with 'Escape' in my eyes as the best of season 3 Not that it should be used as an excuse for lazy writing, mind you. The episodes I have seen of the latest Thomas don't have emotion, even in the script. They are actually 2D stereotypes to go with the 2d rendering. Also I'm restoring the music, albeit at a lower volume. It is a vital part of emotional investment. Go watch 'The Wrong Trousers' on Mute and tell me you give a monkeys. 4. Narrators & Voice ActorsI'd render the faces onto pre rendered scenes that involve dialogue. I really don't believe just sitting the VA's down in a studio with a script pre production is going to do it as an emotional performance. That plus it has to be decently written. No-one can save a bad script and I'm not even expecting the VA's to try. 5. MerchandiseI'd say a move towards more episode specific toys would be the best idea during this recession as it will entail the use of existing molds and hopefully drive down the cost overall. I would also say a line in book related merchandise - a line saying 'I knew Thomas before Thomas was cool.' hits my funny bone. Some drawings done in the Edwards style on various merchandise. Adult sizes saying 'I may be getting older but I am not getting slower' with possibly Edward or Toby on it. I just want to speak my mind so... Name: | Points: | Simon | 9 | Mattyd24 | 5 | Truro | 5 | Rexeljet | 6 | Devious Diesel | 5 | Almighty_CRJ | 0 |
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Post by Simon A.C. Martin on Jun 8, 2010 20:50:19 GMT
Name: | Points: | Simon | 9 | Mattyd24 | 5 | Truro | 5 | Rexeljet | 6 | Devious Diesel | 5 | Almighty_CRJ | 5 |
[/tr][/table] You missed your own points out chap! As it stands, see above.
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Post by Simon A.C. Martin on Jun 9, 2010 8:54:10 GMT
Just to update, Ci has moved the thread to its current location, forum games, as opposed the general discussion on the TV series.
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Post by Dmman on Jun 9, 2010 13:47:21 GMT
(WARNING: this is a long post. If you just want to get the gist, read the section entitled 'Mission Statement') Well, this idea is a bit radical and I’m not sure if it will fit into your model, but then you did say we had complete creative control so here goes: Rather than simple changing aspects of the series, since so long has passed since the show began, it might do for a complete reboot. Thomas Season 14 (1st of rebooted series, tentative title - ‘Thomas’ Railway Stories’)Mission Statement: The ‘Thomas’ brand, in some form, has existed for over Sixty years. While the current brand incarnation has paid lip service to this reality, it does little to actually recognize its history as it happened. The world depicted in ‘Thomas and Friends’ is one which no longer truly exists. This rebooting will change the paradigm of the series from simply educating in a general, unfocused sense, to a more broad education of the history and science of railways and steam engines. What really makes this scheme work is a segment (probably, though not necessarily) in the middle of the broadcast explaining and/or demonstrating of some part of steam railway life: history of the characters, of Sodor, how a steam engine works, preserved railway lines, etc. This greater commitment to realism, so long as the current preschool marketing effort is not abandoned but possibly synergized with this new direction, could lead to a greater market base among older children who are caught up with the mechanics of steam operation. The Broadcast:Each half-hour broadcast would consist of two ten-minute segments or four five-minute, sandwiching the explanatory segment. The stories themselves will follow from ‘The Railway Series.’ Each story will build upon the previous one, with each story segment in the broadcast from the same book. Directly linked stories will combine, while more independent stories will be separate. However, it may be necessary to shift around story order in the name of narrative. The pilot is the main example, combining elements from the first three Railway Series books, though it may be presented in three parts. The explanatory interludes would either: be narrated by the character who is the focus of the episode, narrated by the series narrator, feature a live action character who may or may not be the series narrator. Example Broadcast 1 - Edward the Blue Engine: Segment 1: Part 1: Cows Part 2: Bertie’s Chase Live Action Interlude: Stations? Scrapping? Segment 2: Part 3: Saved From Scrap Part 4: Old Iron Example Broadcast 2 - Henry the Green Engine: Segment 1: Part 1: The Flying Kipper (combining ‘Coal’ with ‘The Flying Kipper’ Live Action Interlude (shorter than usual): Engine accidents or repairs or fireboxes? Segment 2: Part 2: Gordon’s Whistle Part 3: Henry’s Sneeze Part 4?: Percy’s Trousers Conveniently, the series will last thirteen episodes, with ‘Duck and the Diesel Engine’ potentially being a two-part episode containing elements from Christopher Awdry’s annual stories. Visual Aesthetic & Locations: Since the infrastructure is already in place, this proposal will keep the series in CGI. However, the marketing aesthetic, as well as that for intertitles, intro-outro sequences, etc. will reflect a 30s-40s vibe, as seen in the into to ‘Hero of the Rails’ or the big poster in the Surprise Packet. To promote this focus on historical reality, locations will be laid down IN STONE, even prior to appearing on ‘Thomas Railway Stories.’ Thus, all locations are kept consistent. That is not to say that locations can be changed: as long of the general feel of, say, Tidmouth Station is maintained, fun little changes are acceptable, such as in small newsstands, the people, surrounding buildings, etc. As in the rest of the series, though, realism is key here. A location has to look like it possibly could exist in Northwestern England, thus more research into locations is needed. However, I can see how big industrial buildings could be unappealing to children, so I don’t see why these industrial buildings cannot be more colorful than they actually are. Just don’t go crazy . Characters & Writing:While the program will closely follow Awdry’s stories, I see no reason not to add new characters where they would fit. A fairly easy route would be to add consistent and recognizable human characters, say crew members, important Sodor people, a sidekick to the Fat Controller, etc. In terms of Hit Characters, the only one I can reasonably think of adding would be Spencer as a generic ‘Other Railway’ Engine. For all of this greater emphasis on realism and railway life, it is ultimately characters that gain people’s interest. To that end, the writing should focus VERY strongly of character interaction and relationships. Once the Awdry stories run out, preliminary character relationship work could bare fruit in newer stories. The Cast: Since these other changes are so bloody expensive, I might just decide to keep the same cast members on, though I think the entire English-speaking world should have the UK voices; the only things that should be re-recorded are localized railway terms for trackage. (e.g. Trucks will be Cars in the US, points will be switches, but Break Vans will still be Break vans.) Marketing & Merchandising:Since the program will serve to promote preserved railways around the world, it would to to work with them to help promote the new series. In terms of merchandising, it might be a good idea to have all the technical models used in the series’ creation used as the basis for toys. So yeah, that’s my preliminary idea for totally redoing the Thomas franchise as of series 14. Of course, as a business plan, it’s probably completely unfeasible, but maybe an aggressive mind could make it work. I'll be honest, I'm just voting to keep things exciting. Name: | Points: | Simon | 8 | Mattyd24 | 5 | Truro | 5 | Rexeljet | 6 | Devious Diesel | 5 | Almighty_CRJ | 6 |
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Post by Simon A.C. Martin on Jun 9, 2010 14:10:05 GMT
Just an update on the scores... Name: | Points: | Simon | 8 | Mattyd24 | 5 | Truro | 5 | Rexeljet | 6 | Devious Diesel | 5 | Almighty_CRJ | 6 | Dmman | 5 |
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Post by Nicholas on Jun 9, 2010 14:29:52 GMT
The Colonel's Series 14 Business Plan 1. CharactersThomas is vital to the series, and should appear in the majority of episodes, but not all. 8 episodes of a 26 episode series are devoted to him, while Percy and James get 2 to themselves. Gordon, Emily, Henry, Edward and Toby are to get one, and 6 episodes go to the Narrow Gauge Engines, namely Skarloey, Duncan, Sir Handel, Peter Sam, Rusty and Mighty Mac. Other characters get episodes, too, this time around, namely Duck, to please Awdry fans, Rosie, to boost female interest in viewing and also Stanley, to give a popular, newer character an opportunity to get some decent screentime. Bear in mind, just for Series 14, as after that, other minor characters may get episode in procedding seasons. Other characters, mainly focusing on steam engines and classic characters are to share minor and supporting roles throughout the episodes. No newer characters to be introduced, due to the newer group introduced in MIR, who will be carried over into this series to have more focus put on them. They are to appear at least 3 times each throughout this series. Working locations are to be stuck to strongly, and the characters that work there, again, with room for exceptions providing there is an appropriate causality. 2. Scenery and LocationsContinue to expand the variety of locations available to writers, with particular focus paid to stations and workplaces to help provide the feel of a Real Working Railway. Writers are to strongly use maps of Sodor to aid in geographical and topographical understanding of the Sodor Railway, and help to understand the characters' physical progression through the story based on realistic data of the Island, that is universally shared with all other writers on the writing team. 3. Types of StoriesPerhaps only one or two story arcs, with heavy storylines and situations with some gravity and drama to keep it interesting, perhaps having the first part of the arc focus on one character, and then, in the second part, focus on another and strongly reference of follow on from previous events. Otherwise, single episodes with a good plot, variety of practical, applicable characters. Strong morals in some episodes, but, otherwise, have them them more subtely integrated into the writing. Sharon Miller is to continue leading the team, but is to write fewer episodes, say around 5, mostly Thomas episodes, with Paul Larson back on the writing team to aid this, writing around 4. I'd also try to pursuade Alan Hescott back to write 2 or 3. Other writers I'd try to have on the team would ideally be: Wayne Jackman, Simon Spencer, David Ingham and possibly James Mason. Also strong and accurate railway terminology would be integrated into all episodes. 4. Narrators and Voice ActorsHire a wider range of voice actors, to aid with the re-introduction of older characters and such. Otherwise keep it the same as it is currently, but encourage more emotion and natural delivery of some of the lines from the Voice Artists. 5. MerchandiseExpand the Take N Play range, as well as releasing some sets from, particularly, some of the more original and more ambitious stories (not from episodes that are, say, along such lines as 'Slippy Sodor'. I mean, a barrel of bubble liquid? Oooh, fun!) Perhaps one special 'set' or version of a character for each of the major characters, ie. Thomas with some rolling stock/props from one of his episodes, same for Percy, James, and then whoever happens to have gotten an episode that was particularly memorable, or had specific props or rolling stock easily relatable to it, that children would be interested in purchasing. I've read through the previous posts and scrutinised each point to decided whether I'd do things differently or agree, and then decided what my overall opinion is, and then +1/-1/left as was if abstaining for each previous member. Name: | Points: | Simon | 7 | Mattyd24 | 6 | Truro | 4 | Rexeljet | 5 | Devious Diesel | 6 | Almighty_CRJ | 6 | Dmman | 4 | The Colonel | 5 |
[/tr][/table] Nicholas [NB: I'm pretty sure something went wrong the first time I posted, so I've re-posted how I would direct S14, as well as the scoreboard, taking into account my votes]
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Post by Simon A.C. Martin on Jun 9, 2010 14:50:19 GMT
Yes, that would have been fine Nicholas - except your votes were already counted once and thus you've now taken/added votes twice! Name: | Points: | Simon | 8 | Mattyd24 | 5 | Truro | 5 | Rexeljet | 6 | Devious Diesel | 5 | Almighty_CRJ | 6 | Dmman | 5 | The Colonel | 5 |
[/tr][/table] Guys, from now on, please put " +1" or "-1" to each person's score you update, so we can keep track... Incidentally, even if you don't post a business plan, you can post an updated set of scores and your own votes for those taking part (if you don't have a business case you can't add your name to the list). Remember, its plus or minus one for every person on the scoreboard.
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The Master
Passenger Engine
Here comes the drums!
Posts: 595
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Post by The Master on Jun 9, 2010 17:15:36 GMT
Simon's Series 14 Business Plan.
4. Narrators & Voice Actors
A new narrator and a new set of voices, who suit the characters they are playing. I'd take a very dim view of shoddy voicework that does not sound as if there's any emotion behind it. Ringo Starr is remembered as the first narrator, but as the best for one simple reason - his tones betrayed clear and concise emotion within, which children pick up on. None of this monotone "oh no!" rubbish. Is that word portrayed or betrayed? The paragraph doesn't exactly lean either way. And the reason I (and I presume Dmman) hadn't given ourselves the original points was that we'd much rather walk away from this with the knowledge of the validity of our cases, rather than win the game. As I didn't alter anyone's score at the time, I take it am free to do so now? If not Simon, just wipe this sentence down. Simon, some lovely ideas that only go to cement your place as an author in my eyes. +1Matty, I'm sorry but I'm not really picking up strong motivation for your proposals. -1Truro, your proposal felt more evolutionary and less well thought out persuasively. Sorry. -1Rexeljet, There really wasn't anything in this proposal that was thought provoking. Honestly, it felt more like a rant - more destructive than constructive. Sorry. -1Devious Diesel, Some interesting points. Kudos +1I feel my proposal, like Simon's has some interesting points to make. Alright, it is a bit roughly spoken but I feel the content should speak for itself. Dmman, Very bold proposal there and that's something I have come to expect from you. I don't honestly think this is the best way for S14 to go, to be honest (As I intend to explain later) but as a general series proposal, I felt it is the strongest proposal here so far. +1The Colonel,I very nearly disagreed with you on this proposal. It felt similar to a lot of the others but a bit of thought in stories won me over. +1All,I found whilst marking most of these proposals that they are very similar in content, being that larger concentrations of the elements of Wilbert's work appear in them. Now, whilst I like the Awdry's work, I think that pining for that somehow fails in utilising the full untapped potential of the Thomas franchise as a whole. Then again focusing too much on a preschool series undermines the franchise. By all means spin off a series like Dmman's proposal but at the end of it all we know in our hearts this could all be so much more than just what we have now - old or new. Name: | Points: | Change: | Simon | 9 | +1 | Mattyd24 | 4 | -1 | Truro | 4 | -1 | Rexeljet | 5 | -1 | Devious Diesel | 6 | +1 | Almighty_CRJ | 6 | 0 | Dmman | 6 | +1 | The Colonel | 6 | +1 |
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Post by Simon A.C. Martin on Jun 14, 2010 11:14:36 GMT
Sorry almighty, forgot to say it was perfectly alright to update the scores as you saw fit in that case And yes - I meant portrayed! The current table is thus: Name: | Points: | Change: | Simon | 9 | +1 | Mattyd24 | 4 | -1 | Truro | 4 | -1 | Rexeljet | 5 | -1 | Devious Diesel | 6 | +1 | Almighty_CRJ | 6 | 0 | Dmman | 6 | +1 | The Colonel | 6 | +1 |
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