An American screenwriter was invited to work on the most expensive domestic series. You won't surprise anyone with a new series on our television. In countless numbers, they appear on almost all channels to distract us from ...

An American screenwriter was invited to work on the most expensive domestic series

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You won’t surprise anyone with a new series on our television. They appear in countless numbers on almost all channels to distract us from the worries of everyday life. All of them are similar to one another in plots, actors, directors ... And each new one hundred-episode story promises to be completely different from the previous ones. The STS channel also decided to excel in the serial field. As a result of the tripartite alliance "STS-AMEDIA-Sony Pictures", the most expensive project in the history of the domestic series "Poor Nastya" was put into production. But its difference is not only in the amount of costs of almost 7 million dollars. For the first time, the American screenwriter Lisa Seidman headed the group of Russian screenwriters. She has rich screenwriting experience in Hollywood - Cagney & Lacey, Dallas, Star Trek, Sunset Beach and others. For the series "Sunset Beach" she received the Shine award ("Shine"). This year, Lisa Seidman was nominated for an Emmy Award.

About how the work on the series took place, we decided to talk with the main author of this project, Lisa SEYDMAN.

— How did the idea of ​​such a Russian-American project come about?

— The idea belongs to Alexander Akopov. He offered it to Columbia Pictures and invited American partners to take part in this project.

- What prompted you, an American screenwriter, to agree to work with Russian television?

— Well, first of all, I studied Russian for three years at school. Secondly, I simply adore the history of Russia. And thirdly, my grandmother was from Odessa.

- What is the difference between preparing a script for Russian television and what you do in Hollywood?

- For me, the difference is primarily that, while working on a Russian series, I also teach Russian screenwriters the American way of writing a script. As for work, when I came here, I discovered, for example, that in Russian screenwriting practice, a series does not line up with advertising blocks. And I had to teach this Russian group. In America, the series is initially divided into three acts, each followed by a commercial. The last scene of the first act should be so exciting and exciting that the viewer waits out the commercial and watches the series further.

— And were there any other unexpected moments that you had to face for the first time while working on this series?

— (Laughs.) It was a surprise that, unlike American screenwriters who defend their ideas by any means, some Russian guys turned out to be, on the contrary, very silent and did not burn with the desire to express their opinion. I literally had to pull out their ideas with ticks. I kept repeating to them: “Speak! Speak! Speak!" And when the guys did express them, the ideas were always just amazing!

I was also very struck by the importance Russian screenwriters attach to historical details. Working on such projects, American screenwriters would never get hung up on this. And the Russians argued that history must be followed very strictly. This has always been the subject of much debate.

In a nutshell, what is the movie about?

— About how two young men of noble birth fall in love with a serf.

— How was this idea born?

— The fact is that when I was invited to work on this project, the idea of ​​​​what it should be about already existed. My task was to stretch this idea for 120 episodes, as well as to revive the characters, enrich the plot, make it more emotionally rich.

- In Russia, not so long ago they began to actively shoot TV shows, have you seen any of them?

“Unfortunately, not yet.

- And where do you get an idea of ​​what the Russian audience needs?

It seems to me that human feelings are universal. Arriving in Russia, I was once again convinced that people write about the same things, laugh at the same things. The way people communicate with each other, and what they feel for each other, does not depend on the country and continent.

- Did you agree on the choice of actors?

— I didn't have to approve the actors for the role, but the production team always asked my opinion.

Will you be present during the filming?

- I really hope for it.