TV PILOT SCI-FI – GALAPAGOS, by by Lukas Hassel

 

Genre: Sci-Fi, Adventure

It’s year 2437. 3000 meters under the icy crust of earth, the last remaining pocket of humanity struggles to answer the question: Is life for the sake of living any life at all?Extinction is the rule. Survival, the exception.

CAST LIST:

Red: Lara Amersey
Charlotte: Jane Smythe
Captain: Rais Moui
Narrator: Hugh Ritchie
Dan: Scott McCulloch
Bram: Tim Paul McCarthy
Laura: Georgia Grant
Ash: Alicia Payne

Get to know the writer:

1. What is your TV Pilot screenplay about?

What happens inside and outside Station Galápagos is a harsh examination of the things we don’t understand and the things we refuse to understand; the leaps of faith we take; the tough choices we are forced to make; and the fine points that can make our existence worthwhile.

It tries to answer the question: is hope for good or for bad?

2. Why should this screenplay be made into a TV show?

This show contains a darkness I have not yet seen on TV. This will not be about sfx and pretty people, but real conflicts and characters in extreme situations. Galápagos would be able to shine a light on a future that could very well become a reality.

3. How would you describe this script in two words?

Dark. Uncompromising.

4. What TV show do you keep watching over and over again?

I don’t watch much TV, but i did enjoy Black Mirror.

5. How long have you been working on this screenplay?

This was originally a screenplay I wrote 5 years ago. Took me a year. The toughest script to date I have written. I always felt it would make a great TV show, and so adapted parts of the screenplay into a TV pilot to learn the format better. The pilot adaptation took another 4 months.

6. How many stories have you written?

I have written 6 screenplays (4 of which I’m really happy with), 2 short screenplays (both made into succesful short films – “Into the Dark” and “The Son, the Father…”), and TV pilot.

7. What is your favorite song? (Or, what song have you listened to the most times in your life?)

“One More Kiss, Dear” from Blade Runner

8. What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay?

Not having written for TV before – spending a lot of time understanding the structure of a feature film screenplay – I had to adapt my format and technique to fit a different medium. I learned a lot about the differences in the media.

9. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?

Staying present, being kind, standing up for myself, owning my strengths and weaknesses, fighting injustice, highlighting ignorance, questioning manmade religion.

10. What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings on the initial feedback you received?

I had been fortunate enough to have won before with a different script, and really enjoyed watching the reading (via youtube link). I knew it would be helpful to me. The positive feedback was extremely welcome at a time when i was doubting the strength of my material.

11. You entered your screenplay via FilmFreeway. What has been your experiences working with the submission platform site?

FilmFreeway is great. User friendly and easy.

12. Any advice or tips you’d like to pass on to other writers?

Locate writers who are better than you, and get feedback. Rewrites are essential. Don’t be afraid of sharing your work. The most common mistake I see with films out there on the festival circuit is that the script wasn’t ready. It was not fully developed/thought through. Never think your script can’t improve.

******

Producer: Matthew Toffolo http://www.matthewtoffolo.com

Director: Kierston Drier

Casting Director: Sean Ballantyne

Editor: Kimberly Villarruel

Camera Op: Mary Cox