"Out of sight, out of mind" may be a cliche, but then don't cliches become cliches because they are so often true? And there's probably nowhere that one's more true than this profession we've chosen, the entertainment business. So here we are at another "Introduce Yourself" weekend, and here I am, my name and work out there.
So who am I? For those who've never encountered my posts here before, I am Christopher Neal Fisher, a 61 year old retiree; married; no kids, but do have stepdaughters, step-grandkids, and even step-great-grandkids. Screenwriting is something I've known I wanted to do ever since about first grade, yet I was never able to try and make a serious go of it until I was forcibly retired in 2016, after 32 years at my old job.
My current main project, and in fact my main project for the past few years, has been an hour-long Serial Drama TV Series concept called Bayou Noir (named after the fictional town it's set in and around). I often describe it as a "Southern Gothic Soap Opera" (I didn't come up with that, but rather found it on the Internet, and thought it described my series idea perfectly), much in the stylistic tradition of shows like Dallas, Dynasty, Falcon Crest, etc., and comp it to "Dark Shadows meets The Sopranos in the middle of Louisiana's famed Cajun Country". Its protagonist family, the Delacroix, are a very Williamsian/Faulknerian bunch, which means there's plenty of dysfunction going on, and of course the Southern Louisiana setting (which in itself is, in a way, one of the show's "characters") would be superfluous if the show didn't showcase the unique culture of that region, including the folklore that's so deeply interwoven into it (though it does take a more subtle approach to the supernatural than, say, True Blood).
Below is both my logline for and a brief synopsis of the series concept of Bayou Noir.
LOGLINE: The wealthy and influential Delacroix family must deal with internal dysfunction and external threats — both human and supernatural — in order to maintain their power and position in the Cajun Country town of Bayou Noir, Louisiana.
SERIES SYNOPSIS: The Delacroix family is rich, powerful, influential, and nothing happens — legal or illegal — in the Cajun Country town of Bayou Noir, Louisiana, without the say-so of the family’s patriarch, Jean-Baptiste “JB”. But when you’re all those things, and you live in one of the most supernaturally-charged areas of America, you’re bound to have more than a few skeletons (and ghosts, vampires, werewolves, witch queens, zombies, etc.) in your family’s closet...
The pilot episode script, "Made in Louisiana" (a nod to the title of the series finale of The Sopranos, "Made in America"), written in the summer of 2020, was a semi-finalist in the Page Turner Screenplays "Top 100 Movie and TV Pilot Screenplays" contest in December 2020, and was a finalist (top 1% of all submissions!) in the 6th annual Stage 32 TV Writers' Contest in March, 2021, and was listed among the top 1% of all submissions on Stage 32 for that year. Plus, the post-contest coverage of the script by Stage 32 was some of the best I've ever gotten for it!
Since then, I've worked on a pitch bible, written pitches, and a script for a second episode. However, despite trying to make connections and network with people in "the business", and submitting written pitches to over a dozen production-type folks, I've been kind of spinning my wheels and not getting any traction. I'm hoping see this situation come to an end in the near future, though, as I totally believe in my creation, and believe my pitches show this. The main thing I keep in mind is that this is a marathon, not a sprint, and that a lot of times, all it takes is for the right producer, agent, or manager to see your work, and see the same potential in it you do.
So, I guess that's it. Hope everybody has a great -- and productive -- summer!
2 people like this
Hi Christopher, Thanks for sharing your story with us! Bayou Noir sounds incredibly entertaining, and your positive attitude is infectious!
Hi, Shellie! And thank you for the kind compliments! I hope that Bayou Noir is great entertainment first and foremost, of course, but also hope (if it ever manages to get made into an actual series, that is) that it will be thought provoking as well. And while keeping a positive attitude isn't always easy, I find it's essential if you want to be able to stick with this business we've chosen to be involved in through even the "down" times.
1 person likes this
Hey Christopher,
I can really relate with your story. I'm 44 and I've wanted to make movies for as long as I can remember. I get a little discouraged when it seems like everyone in this game is under thirty.
Keep fighting. Best of lick with Bayou Noir.
Hi, Benjamin! Actually, the revolution in entertainment that hi-speed Internet has created has really done a lot to "democratize" things, including when it comes to age. No longer are you rejected as a writer if you're "too young" or "too old" (or at least that's how it seems to me, and I've been observing how this business works since the 70s). In fact, while they're still shut down b/c of Covid, the local screenwriter's group I belong to is comprised almost completely of folks in their 50s and 60s. And I think if you look around on here, it's not too hard to find "seniors" like myself who are at long last in a position to take a serious stab at breaking into "the business". Again, I think the most important things are to be determined to persevere, no matter what; to learn from your experiences as well as from those of others; and finally, to develop a game plan for yourself based on the things you've learned, or learned from others. Best of luck to you with all your efforts, and never give up!
1 person likes this
Pitch this to Roku Originals. They're looking for this kind of content.
Hi, Joe! Thanks for the heads up. How do go about contacting/pitching to them? Do they have a rep here on Stage 32 who's currently taking video and/or written pitches?