MyNetworkTV soaps race against time, low budgets
- From: David <dimlan17@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 29 Apr 2006 16:39:56 -0400
from broadcasting and cable
Hot In Any Language
Will a new batch of hispanic-origin soaps play in the U.S.? Stay tuned
By Jim Benson
As a long, passionate embrace plays out on the set of Desire: Table
for Three, a 13-week love-triangle drama based on a popular imported
Colombian telenovela, Twentieth Television Programming President Paul
Buccieri pauses to stare. He is concerned as much by the cinematic
impact of the single-camera lighting as by the couple?s lip-locking
techniques. Satisfied, he quickly moves on because other scenes for
the show, in production since March for My Network TV, are
simultaneously under way on the 11-acre Kirkwood Studios lot and at
locations throughout San Diego.
The recently crowned programming ringmaster has been orchestrating a
complex, unprecedented logistical enterprise to produce the entire
two-hour nightly prime time slate for the mini-network, which launches
Sept. 5 with a pair of Monday-Friday limited-run dramas.
My Network TV?s programming is based on a popular and age-old
programming form involving good-versus-evil tales about star-crossed
lovers, one poor, the other rich, who must overcome a series of
obstacles?and then live happily ever after. Former Telemundo President
Jim McNamara calls telenovelas ?part of the genetic DNA of the public,
an absolute tradition? throughout Latin America, and now a mainstay in
many international territories, such as Russia.
The novel for television could soon become an American TV staple, too,
with ABC, CBS and NBC actively developing projects after years of
discussions. Perhaps finally motivated by the success of Desperate
Housewives and by My Network TV?s huge commitment, the networks have
finally pounced on a decades-old phenomenon that has been right under
their nose: Spanish-language telenovelas grab millions of viewers each
night on Univision and Telemundo, often providing ratings surpassing
those of The WB and UPN.
Yet serious questions remain about whether the inexpensive programming
format?based on themes derived from Romeo & Juliet, The Bodyguard and,
of course, Cinderella?will resonate with a more cynical domestic
audience.
Twentieth is targeting adults 18-49, not just younger U.S. Hispanics,
with the concept that will lead My Network TV out of the gate. The
other networks had initially eyed premieres this summer, but they have
now postponed them to focus on cost issues. My Network TV has issues
of its own, one of them being that it is starting on the same day as
rival upstart The CW. The new format must quickly hook viewers while
all the networks are out heavily promoting their fall lineups.
Acting as the de facto executive producer, Buccieri began shooting
Desire in March and will start on the U.S. version of Cuba?s Secret
Obsessions: Fashion House, starring Bo Derek?who headlined the movie
10 in 1979?at the end of May. He has to wrap My Network TV?s debut
productions by midsummer so he can begin shooting Watch Over Me, the
third of eight novelas planned for next season. They appear in four
13-week arcs, although that strategy could change if one?or more?fails
to work.
Even more challenging, Buccieri is operating on a shoestring
production budget, earlier estimated at $500,000-$600,000 a week, or
$100,000-120,000 per episode. Twentieth Television President/COO Bob
Cook won?t discuss budgets but believes it is possible to turn out
?quality productions? using ?economies of scale.?
Twentieth had already greenlighted 65 episodes of Desire, translated
from the telenovela Mesa Para Tres, for the syndication market. Then
Buccieri went to the San Diego studio owned by producer Stu Segal
(Silk Stalkings), renowned for his scores of successful, lower-cost
programs.
Assembled Like A Giant Jigsaw Puzzle
With three crews per show exclusively dedicated to certain storylines,
the scenes for Twentieth?s series are assembled like a giant jigsaw
puzzle. In the case of Desire, there are three directors, 50 cast
members, 200 bit players, 2,000 extras and 2,800 script pages (versus
120 pages for features and 45 for dramas), culled down from 120 to 65
episodes, with subplots removed in favor of the main character arcs.
?We?re doing three seasons in one,? Bucciari says, so speed is of the
essence. In the first week of shooting, the crew gave a pedometer to
the director of photography, who was running between stages. He logged
four miles.
Borrowing and adding to the cost-saving shooting techniques from Latin
America and India, Twentieth is compiling a production ?bible? for the
future. It has built 53 shared living-room sets to avoid time-eating
setups, allowing for fast changes from one drama to the next. The crew
changes colors and repositions camera angles to give the sets a
different look, Cook says.
To provide production values, Buccieri is shooting in high-def and
adding plenty of explosions and other sexy elements to attract men as
well as women. He?s also using single-camera lighting, which gives the
shows a more expensive prime time drama or cinematic feel,
distinguishing them from the multi-camera, heavily lit daytime soaps.
Buccieri even hired Alex Wright as the chief director because of his
independent-film background.
?It?s like shooting a 50-hour feature film,? says Wright, who compares
the logistics to Lord of the Rings? filming three movies at once.
While many of its cost-cutting strategies are kept under wraps, some
are obvious. Twentieth has designated the scribes as non-union
?adapters? rather than ?writers.? Twentieth argues that, since their
work involves translating previously completed scripts and making only
minor changes?such as changing the locale of a restaurant from
Colombia to New Jersey?they should not be covered by the Writers
Guild.
But Twentieth has agreed to union deals for actors with the American
Federation of Television and Radio Artists, directors with the
Directors Guild of America, and other crew members with the
International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees. The deals are
believed to have had a substantial impact on the production budget.
Also, My Network TV has aligned with many former affiliates of UPN,
which lost $50 million-$60 million annually and posted a prime time
rating of less than 1.5. So prospects for first-year profitability
appear slim. If the new mini-network, offering affiliates an
advantageous 9:5 advertising split, achieves decent CPMs (costs per
thousand), analysts estimate My Network TV could fetch $60 million-$90
million in revenues its first year.
That could make it tough for Twentieth to recover the nearly $60
million or more in annual program costs, plus the huge outlay needed
for marketing and promotion. The telenovelas have little backend value
from the domestic rerun market, but Twentieth, which itself pays
format rights-holders in Mexico, Cuba, Brazil, Portugal, Colombia and
Venezuela, is in discussions with Fox?s international wing about
potential overseas sales of its versions.
Sales to other platforms, such as iPods, are out for now. Cook notes
the My Network TV affiliate contracts prohibit cable and other
repurposing in the first year. Afterward, ?a lot depends on if there
is a need for exposure,? he says, adding, ?We want the network to be a
success, and we?re not going to do anything if it endangers our
relationships with affiliates.?
If My Network TV?s risky approach works, News Corp. Chairman Rupert
Murdoch will have once again proved the naysayers wrong. And there are
plenty of naysayers.
?I?m a huge fan of the genre,? says a producer of daytime soaps, who
asked not to be identified, ?but I just hope they don?t scorch the
earth in front of us.?
Some also question the strategy of ABC, CBS and NBC, which remain
enthusiastic about the genre as they search for economical business
models.
Ugly Betty May Strip
ABC wanted a five-day-a-week summer version of Touchstone?s Ugly Betty
adaptation of Colombian tele­novela Betty la Fea but then ordered
it as a weekly hour drama pilot for fall. Now the network holds out
the hope it might be transformed back to a strip in summer 2007 if it
can find a business model.
Meanwhile, NBC Universal, looking to its own Spanish-language network
Telemundo to supply formats for its broadcast and cable networks,
won?t have its first project, Body of Desire from writer Julio
Jimenez, ready to go any time soon. Nely Galán, president of Galan
Entertainment, whose company in February signed a two-year, first-look
deal with NBC U for production of telenovelas and other
Spanish-language formats in English, says, ?I don?t think we?ll make
it for this summer. We?ve really been working hard, but we want to do
it right.?
Galán, the entertainment president of Telemundo from 1998 to 2001,
whose production firm has produced more than 600 episodes of
multicultural programming, notes that scheduling decisions have been
put on hold until after the upfronts.
The need for cost-efficiency stems from telenovelas? usually airing
multiple episodes each week. Barbara Bloom, senior VP of daytime for
CBS Entertainment, who is spearheading the launch of original
limited-run novelas twice a week, wants ?a hybrid business model
somewhere between daytime and prime time.?
Daytime soaps can range from $1 million-$2 million per week, or
$200,000-$400,000 per episode (with license fees of $1 million-$1.6
million), according to network executives. Prime time dramas can cost
as much as $3 million per episode. The bigger networks are said to be
looking at $500,000 for the prime time limited-run dramas, at least
until success drives the prices higher, as it did with top-tier
reality programs.
McNamara, now chairman of Panamax Films in Coral Gables, Fla., a
domestic producer of Latin-themed films, wonders what the lower-cost
productions will look like. ?So will people watch?? he asks. ?They
will forgive production values, because no one watches anything for
production values. They want good characters and strong stories.?
Because telenovelas are considered to be more story- than
character-driven, writing is essential. Salaries for daytime soap
writers and executive producers are said to average $600,000-$700,000
annually, with top-tier showrunners earning $1.3 million-$1.5 million.
One renowned writer makes an estimated $10 million. In comparison,
Twentieth is believed to be paying its ?stable of adapters,? who
essentially translate the scripts and make minor changes,
$50,000-$75,000 annually.
?You need adaptation, not straight translation,? says a daytime soap
producer. ?They are completely different animals. Certain things work
in Mexico or Colombia that don?t work in the U.S. formats. These
things can easily implode due to the cultural differences.?
But CBS? Bloom points to ?high-caliber? scripts she has commissioned
from a group including theatrical and miniseries producer Denise
DiNovi (Little Women, New York Minute, Edward Scissorhands); novelist
Nicholas Sparks; and TV producers Jim and Diane Stanley, who were
writers on Knots Landing.
While writers may make less money upfront, a high-ranking network exec
sees a potential upside for them: ?While it takes some people out of
the game, others might jump at the chance? to be involved in a new
medium that has the potential to grow with new platforms.
Another obstacle confronting networks: Unlike tele­novela viewers
elsewhere, American audiences are drawn to strong prime time soap
villains like Dallas? J.R. Ewing, says McNamara. Twentieth?s Cook
acknowledges concerns over viewers? investing in a character who then
is killed off. But he thinks viewers have been conditioned by American
Idol, Survivor and, to some extent, 24 to see favorites disappear, so
it is ?acceptable? now. ?These dramas work,? he says.
Concerns about American viewers do not faze Galán, who thinks people
want love in their lives, no matter how cynical they are. She believes
the wish-fulfillment of telenovelas, which often end with a big
wedding, can overcome any cultural differences. ?Everyone,? she says,
?aspires for the best possible thing that can happen to them.?
.
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