New Nicholas & Alexandra Video - Mini Series? Part I

I think brief mentions of them along the way would be apprpriate, but not dwell on them too much.  As Alixz said, they all too easily could turn into another romantic fantasy.
 I get you, edubs,  #3. They have  to be introduced but not dwelt upon.

Well, we're not going to get everything  100% right, there will be places where we would have to guess what was said or done, the historical records can only provide so much info.  However, I think most of us know where fact leaves off and fantasy begins.

In Days, we have characters from various TV shows popping up.  Clearly, that can't happen here.  In Days, we see OTMA using cell phones, surfing the Net, and basically living like they're in the 21st Century.  Clearly, that won't be happening here. 

Most of us won't have any problems knowing the difference between fantasy, like Days, and historical drama, like this project.

All valid points, Tim.  Yet, we hope to attract a wider audience- introduce those who either are unfamiliar with the subject or  have only a vague knowledge of it. Keep them interested enough to stay through the course. Other wise, we are just just preaching to the choir and that is not enough of an audience to make this viable.
 And, of course, there will be those teenage girls screaming that the GD's hair colour is wrong,  wrong heights,  who had a crush on whom, etc. I would not take that stuff too much into account but historical accuracy should me  aimed for. Even given the need for  license.

Hopefully, we can find something that will make everyone happy at the finished product.

I know i'm 'jumping the gun' a bit and its not at this stage yet but....
 
I think prior to 1917 OTMA are/were largely 'wallpaper' to their parents story (not on a personal level of course) but the family revolved around Alexei. However from the abdication onwards they became major players. An example being the roles Grand Duchesses Tatiana and Maria played when the family were separated in Tobolsk. To not include them as major characters from this point would be inaccurate.

[Episode 1 (1894?-1899)]

I know i'm 'jumping the gun' a bit and its not at this stage yet but....
 
I think prior to 1917 OTMA are/were largely 'wallpaper' to their parents story (not on a personal level of course) but the family revolved around Alexei. However from the abdication onwards they became major players. An example being the roles Grand Duchesses Tatiana and Maria played when the family were separated in Tobolsk. To not include them as major characters from this point would be inaccurate.

Most certainly and your not jumping the gun at all since we aren't looking to piece this together chronologically...just gathering ideas and hopefully the outlines of some script at this point.

In my post above I talked about the influence of OTMA being categorized in five different ways. I was thinking more about their overall presence but I think it better to define their roles as broken down into each episode. We have talked about this being six parts and below is the rough estimate for the time frame of each. Don't consider these dates as locked in stone or anything...

Episode 1 (1894?-1899) - 3 (Three daughters born, Olga's birth the highlight, plenty to cover here though)
Episode 2 (1900-1903) - 3 (Anastasia born, four little girls, not much else going on)
Episode 3 (1904-1906) - 5 (too much else happening here, focus of the children is on Alexei)
Episode 4 (1907-1913) - 4 (Mostly Alexei, but probably some time for OTMA too)
Episode 5 (1914-1916) - 3 (Start to develop OTMA more as young ladies, hospital work, WWI still the focus)
Episode 6 (1917-1918) - 1 (Focus is on the family, captivity, death, and the revolution going on around them)

OTMA - "Presence" Rating
1) Main characters throughout
2) Important supporting characters
3) Periodically important
4) "Wall paper"
5) Little to non-existent

On the domestic front, in the 1899-1903 period we can include Paul's exile, and expressions of concern over Mikhail's suitability to rule. This will show the stirrings of dissension in the family, and background to the increasing obsession with producing a son. Then in 1905 we have Kirill's exile - more dissension, within a few months of Bloody Sunday, Serge's murder and the loss of the Pacific Fleet. Increasingly, Nicholas and family retreat to the Alexander Palace and cut themselves off from external realities.

Ann

On the domestic front, in the 1899-1903 period we can include Paul's exile, and expressions of concern over Mikhail's suitability to rule. This will show the stirrings of dissension in the family, and background to the increasing obsession with producing a son. Then in 1905 we have Kirill's exile - more dissension, within a few months of Bloody Sunday, Serge's murder and the loss of the Pacific Fleet. Increasingly, Nicholas and family retreat to the Alexander Palace and cut themselves off from external realities.

Ann

Sounds good to me! I'm going to take a crack at creating some scenes and dialogue...which will surely need polishing as I do no possess the skill for this sort of thing as some of you do (Ann, Tim, Alixz?, etc) or the published authors on the AP.

If you don't mind me asking Ann have you given anymore thought to creating an actual scene on your own? I think we all liked the "Alexei hemophilia disclosure" that you came up with before. Anything else you can provide? Maybe the easiest thing would be to hitch the train cars to that particular scene and you could work up the previous or the following series of events. Expand upon your starting point type of  thing.

Just thoughts...

I'm going to take a crack at creating some scenes and dialogue

I look forward to seeing what you come up with.

With regard to OTMA's presence or role in this series (docudrama?), the key to the whole thing is determining whether this is to be Nicholas and Alexandra's big picture world historical epic or a more personal and wide-ranging look at the imperial couple. If it's the former, then OTMA's development and presence would be, relatively , though only relatively, downplayed.There would naturally be a considerable focus on the heir Alexei.

But if our series were my latter alternative, obviously, OTMA and Alexei would have to be followed more closely, starting with their births and filling in with key minor occasions, as Edubs has well suggested, since the unity and closeness of the whole Imperial Family ("we seven") was the historical reality. There need be no squeezing out of anything academic historiography has treated as important, just an attempt at better understanding our  lead players, N&A, for whom their children were almost everything in crises.
In other words, I think OTMA(A)'s  cinematic treatment will be resolved  one way or the other once a director and producer get 'the vision thing" clear. Another Massie style "Nicholas and Alexandra" , "Fall Of Eagles" or maybe the best  model, "War And Peace", the latter being both  a very personalised and intimate look at some players, AND a look at the world historic Napoleonic invasion of Russia. I opt for either of the last two.

I will have a go. Will be marking exams as of next week, so drafting as and when I can.

Ann

Good luck with it, Ann.

I said I don't do fact, but I'm considering a change of mind.  Have to think and get back to you all.

Good luck with it, Ann.

I said I don't do fact, but I'm considering a change of mind.  Have to think and get back to you all.

Go for it Tim! Think of a scene, any scene inspired by true events and write some dialogue. It's not like you dont have a handle on the characters!

Yeah, I guess working on Bid Time Return and Days does have its benefits.

Alexei’s Birth


Nicholas (in uniform) paces nervously about his study, smoking one cigarette after another. He picks up some papers, glances through them, then puts them down again. Prince Vassili Dolgoruky [a lifelong bachelor] looks on.

Nicholas
Ah, Valya, you have never had to endure this!

Dolgoruky looks towards the billiard table
Could I suggest a couple of frames while we’re waiting? Things may take some time.

Desultory billiards follows. Nicholas cannot concentrate on his game.

Camera shifts briefly to an upstairs corridor. A cry is heard.

An ADC enters the study
Your Imperial Majesty, Dr X [need to find out his name] is here with news.

Dr X enters and bows in proper manner
Your Imperial Majesty, the Empire has a Tsarevich!

Nicholas dashes out of the study and takes the stairs two at a time. He pauses at the bedroom door, suddenly nervous, waiting for the doctor to catch up.
May I go in?

Doctor
A boy, your Imperial Majesty! A fine healthy boy!

Inside the bedroom Alexandra is cradling the child
Oh Nicky! At last!


Next scene:
One of the ministers/court officials is at home in St Petersburg. The guns begin to boom out. 100 …. 101…. Long pause…. 102
God be praised! We have a Tsarevich!