INTRODUCTION
— These are larger questions consistently asked in conversations about the series by both people with entertainment experience or even just friends with zero film and television background. The questions are answered by me (Evan); I wrote the first episodes and made the website. In the answers below, the ideas and information are derived from much trial and error on previous projects and experiences in both film and non-film.
Why go for more than one episode?
— For greater proof of concept and for a better work opportunity. First, to be clear, we’re very aware of how steep (like, steep) of a climb the current funding goal is. Because of that, we’re also aware of and open to the reality that we may only get to make one episode, or maybe just a few. To start, though, we’ll go for more, knowing we can always scale back as needed.
Besides that, the decision to make more episodes at the start is determined by both the story and the team. For the story, it’s about greater proof of concept. More episodes allows us to better set up the structures of the larger story and to flesh out the variety of tones, notes and characters in the series. It allows time to get into a groove. … For the team, eight episodes simply provides more security and opportunity, with greater and more consistent work to be done. Plus it offers more chances to create and feature skills.
Follow up: How did you decide on eight episodes?
— Right now, eight episodes equals Part 1 of a 10-part story. Structurally, the scripts are written in sets of four, with a broad theme for each set. For example, episodes 1-4 are “First Days” in which we see the chaos and excitement of the passengers in waiting. The next episodes, 5-8, are “On Holiday,” or the first weeks. By the end of episode eight, characters start to contemplate the “whys and hows” of staying more permanently, setting up Part 2 (episodes 09-16) which would continue to feature the passengers exploring their new world, but now with the added weight of trying to figure out more stable sources of housing, income and other, personal needs that they didn’t much care for in their earlier, “on holiday” period. As currently outlined, those 16 episodes would conclude the first, full season.
Season 1 =
Set A (Episodes 01-04)
Set B (Episodes 05-08) — GOAL
Midpoint (The Trip Pt. 1 & 2)
Set C (Episodes 09-12)
Set D (Episodes 13-16)
Specials (Dev & Gus)
NOTE — The “specials” would be separate from the series, focusing on one character in their hometown. The idea is to see the character outside of the group and setting dynamic. Regular episodes wouldn’t feature flashbacks or deviate much from the group and the world at hand, so the specials could be a cool, little window into where the characters are from.
How did you decide the funding goal?
— Before we get to an overview of the actual items that make up the goal, let’s first look at some context that informs those items:
A. Schedule
The budget is built around a roughly, three-month filming window for the eight episodes, with extra days before and after that window for prep and contingency. There’s also pre and post production windows of similar lengths, resulting in a longer-term project.
B. Travel
The goal is to film on-location in a place that serves the story but to scout key cast and crew members from anywhere (as opposed to just Los Angeles, for example). Either way, it incurs travel and housing costs for a wide-ranging network of people. To inform the funding goal, we played out travel scenarios in the top four location choices, to date, and conservatively used the most expensive outcomes, from flights to housing, in the budget.
C. Standards
Frankly, we’re trying to make something above the “bottom” levels. Let’s say low-mid or mid-low. Some independent projects afford only the most basic elements like camera and sound and key performers. For Bound, in addition to those essentials, we’ve also included funding for design and production team members - and their tools - to elevate what’s on the screen and to provide a better and safer experience behind it.
D. Future
Throughout the budget, we’ve made decisions with the long-term play in mind. For example, we budgeted roughly 20% more for gear (like camera kit, camera rigs) in an effort to purchase some (pre-owned) professional gear upfront to avoid the costly rental loop and to allow more flexibility in filming dates. We’ve also considered elements like platform and marketing to promote better engagement with the series.
Per the actual, budget items, we’ve broken it down as half for the team and half for everything else. “Everything else” can break down into four, umbrella categories: 1) Taxes/Fees, 2) Settings, 3) Equipment and 4) Platform. In the boxes below, please find a summary of all categories with simplified figures on their slice of the budget pie.
THE TEAM
TAXES/FEES
SETTINGS
EQUIPMENT
PLATFORM
The Team / 50%
— This includes pay for upwards of 70 team members (from development to distribution), plus travel and housing for about half of those members as the main cast and department heads will almost likely be from different places. … Within “the team” budget pie, skill positions like camera and sound take the largest slice.
Taxes + Fees / 20%
— You already know. As sure as death, there will be taxes to pay on fundraising and fees for filming, which may include permits for locations, short-term rental costs for props/gear and production insurances. (To try to ease costs, we’ll work to find municipal incentives and resource partnerships).
Settings / 15%
— At similar costs are two options: 1) Rent out a hotel (with less than 30 rooms) and a bar for an extended time to stand in as the main sets, “The Wild Horse” and “The Lime Tree,” or 2) secure a space to build smaller, main sets. Two is preferred for better customization to style and tech preferences.
Equipment / 10%
— We’ve budgeted a little more upfront for gear in an effort to buy some (pre-owned) professional pieces like a camera kit, lens(es) and camera and sound rigs. This helps cut the rental doom-loop early, and it allows greater flexibility in when, where and how we can film.
Platform / 05%
— Well, there’s no point in going through all the work to make this if it never plays or if no one ever knows. So, we’ve considered costs for a customized website, which can be used for streaming at the start, plus costs for materials for social and print marketing and their installation.
Are you pitching the series to networks?
— Sure, hit us up! The real answer right now, though, is no. We’d love the opportunity to discuss the series but as of now this is a wholly independent project, being started at a true, grassroots level, with no connections to networks, higher powers or their intermediaries. “Started from the bottom,” as they say.
As such, we’ll work to raise funds through public campaigns, first and foremost. This is, of course, out of necessity, but we’re sincerely enthused by it. In the past decade, the internet has drastically leveled the landscape of film, television and media, and so, if we have to, we’re game to explore where - and how - an independent project can go.
Follow up: If there’s no network, where would episodes be available?
— Since we’re on our own, we knew it was important to consider the totality of a series - not just the story and the episode production, but also the manner in which a series exists. So, while building the first episodes, we’ll also work to build a small platform, called TAR, that can act as an engine for Bound and other projects, and also, if needed, be a streaming home for episodes. It’s a forest for the tree, so to speak. … We’d also put the episodes on public spaces like YouTube, to start, with TAR acting as a base or anchor.
NOTE — “TAR” is named for my hometown of Rocky Mount, NC, which is divided by the Tar River and for my alma mater, the Tar Heels. … It’s that shallow.
What’s the (general) plan after funding?
1. Location, Location, Location
Right now, we’ve got a short-list of four filming locations. On the other side of fundraising, with more resources, team members and information in hand, we’ll dive deeper into those locations and into new options to select a setting that best meets the creative and logistical needs of the series. That selection will inform the story and the build-out of the production.
2. Writer’s Room
The first four episodes are written and the next four outlined. We’ll wait until after selecting the final location, final cast members and, ideally, until having some writing staff in place before going back to work on the scripts. We can always be tinkering, but both the location and cast will have great affect on the story, so we’ll want to know those pieces before (re)writing.
3. Team & Timing
Once the location and scripts are in place, we’ll conduct one more review on the scope and needs of the project, and finalize any open main cast or department head positions. Then, in discussion with the main cast and crew, we’ll determine a future filming window that works for the majority, then start booking travel and begin pre-production in earnest.
4. World Building
The preferred plan is to rent or purchase a space, within the final location, in which we can construct the two, main filming sets: the hotel lobby and the bar/cafe. In that case, this time period would be heavily dedicated to that. Also in this stage, we’d build up support crew on-location and assemble gear and other inventory in preparation of filming.
December 05, 2026 *
— That’s the first target for premiere. It gives us this year to assemble the key team and secure funding. Then, it gives us early next year to finalize the settings and story before filming in late Summer. We’d start post-production during filming and finish off by end-of-year. … It’d be a real tight window, but for now, we’ll keep that date as a post on which to steer the project toward. If needed, the next target would likely be the same date the following year, as we’d like the time of release to match the time of year in the episodes.
The first, real attempt at making Bound was in 2020, as soon as COVID hit. Through it all, I kept at it for about 18 months before letting go. Looking back, though, I can see the project (and myself) wasn’t ready anyway, and if something were made back then it would have been much lesser. Now, years later, after more life lessons and industry digestion, it’s all more built to last. *