big, dumb plane. WHOLE new world.
— THE STORY GOES that half the way on a long-haul flight, a faulty plane is forced to land off-course, leaving a few passengers from around the world stuck in a far off place. Over a few days in a troubled hotel, those passengers connect and decide to stay and start a life and business together during what becomes a historic time in that new land. … That’s So Far Bound - a scripted, live-action, TV series, and we’re here to raise funds and find people to make it. Please browse the site for details on the series and, if you dig it, please consider supporting the efforts to create it. Thank you!
Before we get into it, let’s do a quick introduction. I’m Evan Sandoval; I’d be an actor and writer on So Far Bound. I’ve been in and around film and TV for over a decade, doing all kinds of work on productions larger and smaller, and for now, it’s me writing in the first (and third) person throughout the website. I really appreciate that you’re here. Please read on for the Top 5 things to know about Bound. Cheers!
1 There’s stories in the name.
Bound (for) adventure.
— The first meaning in the So Far Bound title is the idea of going somewhere or toward some thing. The inciting action for the entire story is that the characters all decided to catch a flight to someplace new to them, and that action of traveling shapes an overall series theme of expedition. Over time, we’ll see the characters discover, explore, settle and then advance or fall in their new world.
Bound (to) others.
— A second meaning is the idea of being tied to or connected with others. Once the characters find themselves stranded, they’ll each make way to the same hotel, and from there, we add a second shape to the story: the evolution of a found family. Within the the hotel (and the city), the strangers will cross paths, attach, and soon, they’ll bind and grow in harmony and in conflict with each other.
2 It’s got the new, cool spots.
— After the flight makes its emergency landing, a few passengers are shepherded to a hotel that has seen its better days: “The Wild Horse.” It’s envisioned as smaller, in a city center location; it’s quaint and eclectic and with a few issues. After a few days in waiting, once the passengers decide to stay a little longer, the hotel will act as their home for the near future. … Across the street stands “The Lime Tree,” a bar and cafe that will become a de facto kitchen and living room for the passengers. It’s envisioned as compact, but with enough room to boogie when the music is on. At night, its tall, wide windows should light the street’s corner. (Pictured: an early idea of the main sets).
— The hotel and bar are located in Lina (lee-nuh), the fictional city in which the plane lands. The final filming location is to be determined but it is the goal of production to make the series on-location, somewhere authentic and unique to the story. That way, we can have a base within that city or region and then make great use of the surrounding area by using secondary locations (and local people and crew) to really feature the story’s world. The adjacent photo is just for reference of the kind of setting desired.
3 World’s collide!
— For Bound, we used the setup of a “large, international flight” as an opportunity to create characters of not just varied personalities, but also of varied backgrounds. For one, the banter between them should be great, and also, so should the tensions. By featuring people from different worlds who would together - but each in their own way - try to build a new life in a dynamic setting, the opportunities for both drama and hi-jinks are abundant. … The main cast (aka the flight passengers) would operate in a co-star manner - kinda like that one, hit show from the ‘90s. The main characters are:
“Devika”
A hairdresser. Real, big sis energy.
“Mei Ling”
A nurse. A little dorky; a little fiery.
“Samirah”
A chef. Regal, but still gets down.
“Valya”
An engineer. Curious; straight-shooter.
“Al-Haj”
A plumber. Streetwise and lively.
“Dwi”
A beekeeper. Takes it real easy.
“Gustavo”
A roofer. Sort of a dumb, brute.
“Jonathan”
A bin man. Smooth and sunny, baby.
— There’s the collision of the characters above, and there’s also the collision of the passengers with the people local to the place in which they land. To add depth to the setting and variety to the story, we’ve created a secondary ensemble of local characters to interact with the main players. There’s “Fernanda,” a former teacher in her 60s who’s come to take over The Wild Horse; there’s also “Jimmu,” a man in his 80s who tends bar as he pleases at The Lime Tree, plus more, unique characters. … Below is an illustration of a scene from Episode 3. Two passengers enjoy a night out while locals watch on.
4 We like to have fun, first.
Some Like It Hot, 1959.
— What’s the tone? How do the actors generally perform? The answer is like Billy Wilder in “beast mode.” That’s probably obscure to most, so let me explain: In the 1950s, the writer and director Billy Wilder went on an all-time hot streak of films, starting with Sunset Boulevard in 1950 and ending with The Apartment in 1960. You’d call any of them a “comedy” first, with their more farcical characters and acts, but each gave room for sincerity and, at times, darkness. Even Some Like It Hot, the silliest of the streak, shows grace through the delicate but still rowdy performance by Marilyn Monroe.
In Bound, we want to take inspiration from Wilder during that stretch in the ‘50s. We want to have a good time first, showing characters in a sillier manner to start, and then, the fun challenge is trying to deftly slide them into moments of quiet or drama, or mania or sensuality, when the story calls for it.
What’s up with the old references?
— We ended up there through my mother. When I was a kid in the ‘90s, we had one TV and when it was her turn I had to sit through whatever was on Turner Classic Movies. The first (non-kid) movie I remember making it through was Some Like It Hot (1959). It’s funny; we stay who we were as kids or teenagers, as far the things we like. So, my affinity for that time in movies and TV endures and it’s a few projects from that era that I’ve always thought of as inspirations for So Far Bound’s tone and style.
5 It’s old(ish) TV for the new age.
— Finally, let’s clear up the basic forms of the project. … It’s a narrative, fiction series, set in the present day, with episodes that would run between 30 to 40 minutes. It’s outlined as having a few more episodes per season, similar to times past, in which there is room for longer story arcs but also room for one-off, “ventures of the week” and recurring specials. The plan is to build an ongoing series that plays yearly and on schedule, like the good ‘ol days. Finally, for now, the series is wholly independent and would distribute digitally on spaces like YouTube and its own website.
+ Scripted
+ Live-Action
+ Half-Hour
+ Independent
I know there’s a lot of TV and Tik Toks out there, and if Bound were to get made, it would be tough as hell to breakthrough it all. On our end, we’ll work to make something that’s fun and has a few ideas, and use our grassroots stature as a power to try and to be new things. With that, I believe Bound can be something that both stands up and then stands out, in some way. … Thanks so much for your time in checking it out. Before you go, please consider support in making the series below. It means a lot!