TABLE OF CONTENTS

A. Quarter Notes

B. 2025 Goals

C. Cast Call

D. Crew Call

INTRODUCTION

— Check here for achievements and setbacks in trying to make a series from the bottom up. In 2025, the major projects will be discovering the main cast and determining key crew members. Well, all that in addition to fundraising, but that’s just the eternal endeavor for anything. Here, we’ll focus the updates more on the people and pieces that will make up So Far Bound. If you’re interested in joining, see open roles/positions below.

quarter Notes

In Winter (January — March).

sofarbound.com (1.0)

— I’m going to give myself a little credit. I (Evan) had no experience in web design prior to making this site, and over a lot of trial and error, I’m pretty happy with this “final” version of it. It ain’t perfect or totally “professional,” but it’s a good base for the objectives of the project today: to find team members and to raise funds by laying out the ideas and ambitions of the series. There’s much more to add, though, like profiles, video and updated imagery, so expect a “Site 2.0” in the Fall.

(By the way, this version certainly didn’t happen over just three months; it’s been building since last summer. I guess we can say the final “mixing” happened last quarter).

The Series Board / Survive Thru ‘25

— That’s my code name for the first project on Bound: finding three producers who, with myself, can help shape the series ideas and structures going forward. After reviewing about 800 submissions and holding a few dozen interviews in February and March, I’m finally closing in on potential people for the roles. The process to date has been exciting, in that I’ve got to have conversations with a lot of cool people, but also the process has been clarifying.

You see, I thought of making Bound as a bit of an adventure, and that’s true, but, the great “adventure” of making So Far Bound will actually happen over hours and hours … and hours, at a desk, in front of a screen. It’s scrolling through profiles; it’s video calls; it’s writing emails or site copy or idea decks. So, the Winter has re-calibrated my outlook. Now, it’s gonna be “survive through 25” to earn the capacity for more on the ground and creative adventures in 2026.

“Dawn to Dusk”

— This happened in Winter, but of 2024. It deserves mentioning here in that it ultimately set up everything moving forward. Last year I wrote the final (as in the latest) scripts of the first four episodes. Those episodes, of course, were the catalyst for everything you see on site, from the story which informed the references and also informed the production estimate, which then informed the funding goal and so on and so forth.

But, it took some tinkering to get those episodes to a place I liked, and I got to that place by taking a step back and creating a framework for script writing that worked for me. I call it “Dawn to Dusk.” It’s a five-act structure that helped me organize my ideas on the first scripts and it also ended up helping me unlock the current, five-season story arc. The name simply comes from mirroring a story to a day:

  1. At Dawn — Open Eyes

  2. The Morning — First Journey

  3. The Afternoon — Altered Journey

  4. The Evening — Final Journey

  5. At Dusk — Deep Breath

Mr. Beast / TAR

— Since Bound is independent, I’ve been studying up on YouTube and how people and companies in spaces like that operate successfully apart from standard studios or networks. During my dive, I found out about Mr. Beast and his staggering number of subscribers. I also found out he’s from Greenville, North Carolina, which is about 45 minutes from where I’m from. That’s pretty cool - and inspiring.

Anyway, after reviewing his and other popular channels, I’ve come to the suspicion - not quite conclusion - that YouTube may not be conducive to the (greater) success of a scripted series. At least, not a type of scripted series. That matters for Bound because, of course, without a network’s backing YouTube is the first place you think to stream your series. But, the platform is so far onto the non-fiction/reality and clips track that longer, scripted fare feels out of place. … So, last quarter I incorporated TAR, which can be a home base/channel for Bound, even on YouTube. To be honest, I don’t fully know what TAR will be, or if, in the end, it will even be needed, but the hunch today is that some kind of anchor is needed for the series in the vast and varied YouTube/digital landscape.

“TAR” is named after my hometown of Rocky Mount, which is divided by the Tar River. Shout out Eastern North Carolina!

2025 goals

NOTE — Below is a “fluid” order of events, meaning though I may start with a hierarchy of projects, they’re certain to overlap, start and stop, and so forth, until finally, at the end of the year, they’ll be finished.

1 Producers

  • Director A

  • Producer A

  • Producer B

  • Producer C

— The Producers will work together on larger projects like location and platform and also each fall into a designated lane, like staging, finances and outreach. All in all, they’ll just help shape what Bound can be and help keep tasks on track.

2 Main Cast

  • Al-Haj

  • Devika

  • Dwi

  • Gustavo

  • Jonathan

  • Mei Ling

  • Samirah

  • Valya

— I’ll be honest, 6-9 months feels tight to finalize the large, main ensemble. Just because, ideally, you want to see them all together before finalizing. We’ll try. At the least, I’d like to have a final 2 or 3, per role by the end of the year, and then be able to fairly quickly make the final decision at the beginning of 2026.

3 Dept. Heads

  • Production Designer

  • Brand Director

  • Story/Associate Director

  • Costume Designer

— At the least, I’d love to identify and connect with a Production Designer and Brand Director this year. The Production Designer for early ideas on the filming location and sets and the Brand Director for a more dedicated voice on art and copy for the website. … If there’s room to meet more people, we’ll start with more “creative” departments to take time in building knowledge of the story and the aesthetic.

cast CALl

Devika — Female, 30s. Ideally knows Hindi or Arabic.

Mei Ling — Female, 30s. Ideally knows Mandarin or Indonesian.

Samirah — Female, 30s. African-descent. Ideally knows a second language or dialect.

Valya — Female, 30s, Ideally knows Russian.

Al-Haj — Male, 30s. Ideally knows Arabic or Hindi.

Dwi — Male, 30s. Ideally knows Indonesian or Mandarin.

Jonathan — Male, 30s. African-descent. Ideally knows a second language or dialect.

Jenny — Large, guest role. Female, 30s. Hispanic or European-descent.

NOTE — The lack of character breakdowns is intentional. While characters have been written a certain way to start, we expect changes based on final casting. As such, we’re looking for people first, who meet the general age and cultural preferences, then we’ll reshape the final characters and scripts, as needed, around the selected actors.

If you’re interested, please send word to studiotar@icloud.com, with the desired role as subject. Thank you!

crew call

Production Designer — In the short-term, help establish the design template and begin cataloguing setting ideas, before ultimately leading on build/design of sets.

Casting/Associate Director — Ideally someone with casting and/or coaching experience. In the short-term, would offer insight on reels and auditions, before ultimately helping with the development of the ensemble.

Brand Director — An artist first. Would discuss and catalogue ideas on art direction for the series (and website, campaigns), before ultimately executing on artwork and installations.

Costume Designer — In the short term, early ideas on style archetypes and looks that can later be transferred to characters. May also consult on some apparel for series.

NOTE — The intention in advertising roles at this early stage is to identify key cast and crew members now and to take time during fundraising to familiarize with the series, the roles, the objectives and with each other. That way, if and when sufficient funding is available, we’ll have already built the relationships and the knowledge - and thus the clarity - to be ready to roll on production.

If you dig the “Bound” concept, and would like to speak more, please send word to studiotar@icloud.com with the desired role as subject. Thank you!