Redfern
tv show 2020
In my early teenage years, when I was determined to write a novel, I had come up with an eccentric and exciting group of characters that I knew I had to write a story about. The characters were the easy part. The story, however, proved to be more of a challenge. As I became more discouraged that I couldn’t write more than fifty pages without getting bored with my idea or going back and editing without progressing further into the story, I took a (what would be a very short) break from writing to collect my thoughts. That is when, as I was walking around my high school’s track in my freshman p.e. class just before summer break, I dreamt up Diana Eames and the coastal town of Redfern. Around the same time, I discovered that screenwriting was another option for me, and I haven’t looked back since. Diana Eames and Redfern were the two missing pieces of the puzzle I needed to make my story work. Pivoting from my original idea of a dystopian fairytale, I suddenly became inspired to write a psychological murder mystery starring the one and only Diana Eames and her girlfriends, Olivia Fleurry, Maya Tango, and Rosella Capri.
I vividly remember the night I first sat at my kitchen table to write the screenplay. I had my notebook and pen and absolutely no clue how to write a screenplay. I had my characters, a story, and a vision, so I began writing. I started by handwriting each scene without dialogue, only character and camera direction. I titled each scene and pasted sticky notes to indicate what kind of wardrobe I envisioned each character wearing in every scene. I even went so far as to make some fashion sketches for the wardrobe I wanted each character to wear. I continued like this throughout the rest of my process because I loved how writing scenes out like this helped me envision the world so clearly, even though I quickly learned that screenplays are not written like this.
segment of the bakery scene in episode ten "Apple Tree"
segment of the sleepover scene in episode two "Sweet Dreams"
Eventually, after reading several screenplays, listening to interviews with my favorite writers and directors, and taking notes from several industry resources on screenwriting, I started writing the “actual” screenplay (on my computer this time, thankfully.) Eventually, I had eleven episodes (handwritten and typed) that needed a lot of revisions and rewrites. Despite my planning early on, there were definitely some gaps and unnecessary scenes and storylines in desperate need of fixing. And thus, the rewriting (and re-rewriting and re-re-rewriting) began.
Diana & Co. in their everyday wardrobe
Diana & Co. in their special pjs for their sleepover party in episode two "Sweet Dreams"
After several careful edits of my screenplay, I had the finished product. To complete and celebrate my work, I decided to print out each episode in book format so I could easily pass it on to my friends and family to read. Inside each episode, I included photocopies of my handwritten scenes, fashion sketches, a map of Redfern, and most importantly, a curated playlist.
a mock-up of a Halloween party invitation for Elsy Apple's famous Halloween parties, one of which is highlighted in episode eight "Dynamos"
map of Redfern highlighting key locations throughout the series
As a self-proclaimed perfectionist, I know I will probably never be completely satisfied with anything I write; after all, there is always room for improvement, but I remember feeling so proud of my hard work and dedication to this story and these characters that I had gotten to understand so well throughout the writing process. Over the course of three-ish years, I had written a TV show with characters I adored, a story I was always excited to return to, learned the mechanics of writing a screenplay, and most importantly, I realized that screenwriting was what I wanted to dedicate my studies and career to.