PRE-PRODUCTION: Initial Concept, Research and Planning

Still from Stranger Things

After looking at several genres of Television and types of programs to give me some inspiration for this project, I decided to plan my initial concept. I decided that I was most interested in the genre of Drama as I find fictional series' very enjoyable and gripping to watch. As I feel passionate about this genre, and some of the dramas I have watched and researched, I felt inspired to derive my own idea and brainstorm some areas of drama. Through my research I highlighted some genres and some dramas in particular, some of which I have watched and enjoyed. These included Crime, Mystery, Horror which I used as the basis for the idea. The dramas I have enjoyed in particular have quite dark themes as I feel like they create the most suspension and have the most binge-watching qualities. For example in 'Stranger Things', main characters go missing and are in potential danger whilst their friends and families must work out where and how to find them. However, the secret is kept from the audience and the characters until the second half of the series leaving you constantly guessing and using the clues along the way to try work it out. I would like to do the same thing with a drama where there are several twists and dark turns to keep the interest of the audience throughout. I think that to give a drama that binge-watching quality, it needs to have several cliff hangers and moments of suspense so that the audience wants to continue watching. I will keep this in mind when writing the synopsis and script for the drama to ensure that it makes for an interesting reading/watching experience. 

Regeneration - Novel

Regeneration by Pat Barker

During the brainstorming process, I came up with a few themes including War and Hospitalisation and paired this with further research, looking for existing stories that could give me some ideas and inspiration for a story line. I had originally intended to come up with a completely original idea that would be inspired by existing books, series' or films. As a result I found the book 'Regeneration' written and published by Pat Barker in 1991. The book is based around World War 1 veterans who became hospitalised for 'Shell Shock' and other mental traumas as a result of the War. I was particularly interested in the storyline for the time period and the use of hospitalisation as I felt like I could explore both of these areas. These themes are all very dark which attracts me as I am interested in the Thriller genre in particular and would like to look at this book in more detail to examine its themes and story line. I hadn't thought or considered an adaptation but would be potentially interested in finding out the story, to either inspire my own ideas or think about adapting it.


For the author, the book was inspired by her Grandfather's own experiences of the War. Using real life sources, she created the characters who would be present in the hospitals including poets and patients.
I was initially quite drawn to this book and interested in adapting it because of the subject matter and so looked further into its storyline and recurring themes. The impression I get without having read the book is that it centres around the progress and recuperation of the men, looking at how they fit back into society after the War. Although the subject matter is dark as it should delve into the stories of the soldiers who would have seen some horrendous things, the impression I got was that the story takes a positive turn towards the end, focussing on the progress the patients make in the hospital. Although this seems intriguing to me, I would like to look into the other themes of the book and see if there are any I can pick out or elaborate on and make more prominent if I choose to adapt it. Initially I had the idea of bringing in some darker themes and twists to the storyline if I choose to adapt it, however this may change the story completely, taking away from the adaptation and making it something totally different. Therefore I need to read the book before choosing to adapt it so that I know whether I would like to adapt it or take inspiration from it and use some themes or settings  to come up with an original production.