magnolia parks tv show: showrunner notes series
Subject: The Magnolia Parks Adaptation - Showrunner Notes Meeting #1
From: Alison Haselden, Showrunner
To: Department Heads, Production Team
Subject: Welcome to the Magnolia Parks TV Adaptation!
Hi Team,
Welcome to the first meeting for the Magnolia Parks TV show! So what the writers and I have decided on is that we’ll be working with the same timeline with dual storylines being led by Magnolia and Daisy so that the viewers can be fully immersed in real time seeing their crossover of networks while the girls themselves only have very specific moments of crossover on screen in the early seasons.
So season one will cover roughly the first half of both the Magnolia Parks book and the Daisy Haites book, leaving our season one finale episode will cover the Greece trip for Magnolia and the Paris trip for Daisy. Season two will cover the second half of both books.Some of the fans will love this, others will hate it, but what else is new, eh?
So like always, this is a recap of our first brainstorm and vision casting meeting - we will follow up with individual departments next week to review your notes and dive deep. If you missed the meeting - please watch the video recording below.
Click to watch the full video from the first meeting for the Magnolia Parks TV show adaptation.
stakes & tone
Tone References from Other Film/TV:
These are some helpful references points for the tone and stakes we’re looking for as we build this project.
Normal People + Gossip Girl + a sprinkle of The Summer I Turned Pretty
We are NOT going into Emily in Paris territory
These people’s lives are outlandish to most viewers but VERY real to them - no caricature behavior whatsoever.
Key concepts to keep in mind: Nuance! Subtlety! Capturing that constant tension of push and pull between characters.
key themes and messaging
While the wealth and luxury of our characters’ lives might not be relatable to many viewers, the core thread of their relationship woes is what is absolutely connect to our viewers in a deep way. That’s the heartbeat of the Magnolia Parks series. The messiness of human connection. The unavoidable self-awareness and personal growth that becomes part of attempting to detangle our romantic endeavors. Every single character has incredibly unlikable qualities we disagree with, and yet we need to root for them to overcome their challenges and grow.
Character’s Trauma Addressed in the Magnolia Parks Series:
Love and Sex Addictions
Traumatic deaths
Betrayals of all kinds
Trust issues
Abandonment issues
Self-worth issues
OCD
Morality
Identity and purpose
Young Love Mirror and Contrast Between Magnolia and Daisy’s Stories -
I think it’s important to highlight and play with the similarities and differences between Magnolia and Daisy’s relationship history.
Magnolia & BJ vs Daisy & Romeo
Both met very young, were first loves, have trauma bonded.
The way Magnolia talks about BJ: like he is on her mind constantly and everything is in limbo until they’re back together
Daisy is not this way. She and Romeo are mostly out of sight out of mind until they are back in the same room. But you get the sense that she’s actually moving on unlike Magnolia.
Locations:
Real life locations as listed in the books - would love to feature as many of these as makes sense logistically. Open to comparable dupes where needed:
Holland Park mansion - Magnolia’s house
Knightsbridge Compound - Daisy’s house
Park Lane - The Box Set boys house
Mandarin Oriental Hotel
Annabel’s restaurant
Seven Park Place
The Box
Dolce
Note: Hemmes clubs are made up - can be anywhere
Our characters also make several international trips this season:
Prague
Lake Como
Paris
Greece
Camera & Cinematography:
From a framing, storytelling, and lighting perspective:
Normal People & The Summer I Turned Pretty set ups / shots are exactly what I see for this I want the camera team to be focused at all moments on capturing the intimacy between our characters.
Lots of medium and close ups.
Inserts of key facial features - eyes and lips, as well as symbolic objects like tattoos, significant jewelry pieces, and so on.
Specific Considerations:
I want us to brainstorm how we want to shoot the magnetic moments between Magnolia and BJ from across the room as well as moments when Magnolia pulls everyone into her orbit. I think we need more than just everyone staring, I want some sort of effect or lens that helps evoke that almost magical magnetic pull or shimmer or something that ups the intensity without looking cheesy. Both Magnolia and Daisy have these moments of feeling alone in crowded rooms for different reasons and I want to make sure we get plenty of these push-ins on them to capture this. We also have a decent amount of action and stunts we’ll be doing between all the fights in clubs, dramatic emergency medical moments, and all the gang lords so let’s prepare for that.
Wardrobe, Hair & Makeup for magnolia parks:
Great news: our wardrobe budget is going to be HUGE. This is where our Sex and the City and Gossip Girl references are going to come into play. I’d like us to pull some direct looks from the Magnolia Parks book while others can be inspired along that train but for present day/projected trends as needed. Obviously I trust you all to know what’s best there. Jessa Hastings, our author, is really interested in being included in wardrobe discussions, so just be prepared for that.
Brands referenced in the Magnolia Parks and Daisy Haites series to keep in mind:
Jimmy Choo
Versace
Balmain
Gucci
Fendi
Prada
Ellie Saab
Dolce & Gabbana
Note for hair and makeup:
Be prepared for extensive tattoo applications - BJ has 22 very specific tattoos.
Scoring and soundtrack:
Pop music samples for days:
Sabrina Carpenter
Doechii
Charli XCX
HAIM
Halsey
So Long, London when Magnolia leaves in Season 2
Acting Style & Casting
Chemistry like in: Normal People
Everyone has to be HOT, of course.
I want multiple chemistry reads for every single one of the Box Set and Julian’s Boys - romantic tests and enmeshed platonic tests
Our characters are incredibly complex. Most of them have many unlikable characteristics and make unhealthy choices. Despite this, the viewers need to love them and relate to them. Messy, human, shades of grey that reflect real life. These characters are learning and growing and striving and failing in real time, but they are never to be labeled as ‘hero’ or ‘villain’ - each of them switches between the two labels constantly.
Key Scenes & Visual Approach
I love Jessa’s specificity of voice and tone so I’d love to have VO reading the girls’ thoughts in some of these key scenes in public where they think one thing and do another.
The text exchanges are something to play with.
Like I mentioned, we’ll be splicing the first two books in half for seasons 1 and god willing 2 - here’s a quick overview of what that’ll look like.
magnolia and daisy’s first crossover moment: Holland Park Cafe
When they run into one another at brunch, Magnolia tries to small talk with Daisy and it’s barely reciprocated
Magnolia is offended and tells Christian that she finds Daisy unfriendly.
Daisy didn’t want to be friends with Magnolia because she KNOWS Christian is hung up on her - thinks he just uses her to make Magnolia jealous
Super interesting to see these two women who in many ways are so similar and others so opposite meeting through very particular lenses of one another. Would love to switch back and forth between their perspectives and utilize the VO for inner monologues.
The Tom England Foxhole Deal: Raffles
BJ and Magnolia feeling good about themselves - spent night together
BJ invites her to the club but she says she’s tired
He gets mad/takes it wrong and is grinding on a random at the club
Magnolia changes her mind and goes to club - sees BJ and girl and confirms he can’t be trusted
FLASHBACK TO THE NIGHT BJ CHEATED ON MAGNOLIA 3 YEARS EARLIER
I want us to flicker out of present day into this flashback. Then as we reach the end of the flashback quick cuts back and forth between past and present almost as though Magnolia’s brain is glitching and struggling to separate the two.
She’s disgusted and sits on other side of the room -
I want a nice two shot of Magnolia in the foreground / BJ back and then flip it so we’re feeling the tension of them separated but fully mentally engrossed in the other from across the room.
Tom England sits next to her and buys her a drink - kisses her - they make agreement
We see Tom tap her on the shoulder and a slow-mo turn/lock eyes while Magnolia’s VO of her thoughts clues the audience in on who Tom is.
End of Season one- the simultaneous Greece and Paris trips:
Daisy and the boys go to the Louvre art museum in Paris.
Her job is to distract Tiller from Julian’s snooping on the art he wants to steal.
Magnolia, Tom, BJ, Christian, Henry, Gus, Perry, Paili go to Greece! Kinsterna.
Magnolia thinks the fake dating with Tom is ending soon tells BJ to plan a day trip for the two of them
Dinner fiasco - never have i ever - christian is mad about daisy so he picks fights
Christian vs BJ
Daisy and Romeo -
Romeo is jealous of Tiller and they finally DTR
Magnolia
Christian apologizes - Gus asks what the deal is and points out that she and Tom love each other
BJs boat trip starts well but then ends terribly because he didn’t tell Magnolia why he cheated
He continues to get high on coke and hooks up with a bartender
Magnolia sees him and then runs back upstairs and hooks up with Tom
BJ opens his door hours later and Magnolia is crying but hugs him but then bartender girl walks up and Magnolia runs away to Paili’s room
Daisy:
Julian and Daisy arrive home from Paris - he says she could get back with Romeo if she wants but he thinks she actually loves Christian and needs to let Romeo off the hook
Magnolia:
Tom and Magnolia have a very honest convo and then hook up on the plane on the way home!
next steps
All department heads for the Magnolia Parks TV show, please watch the full video & submit your feedback by next Friday.
XO,
Your Showrunner,
Alison Haselden
This episode of the Showrunner Notes series is inspired by the novel Magnolia Parks (and subsequent books in the series) by Jessa Hastings. **Note: this video is satire and intended for entertainment purposes only. All rights reserved to the owners of the IP mentioned. All creative strategy and ideas presented in this video created solely by Alison Haselden.
