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BEHIND THE SCENES
Articles
Creating The Strip
A discussion with creator Alan Brash, and senior writer Chris Ellis.
"We want viewers to feel slight moral outrage.
Have them think. "You can't do that!" But you can..."
When both major NZ television networks issued a wide brief that they were looking for a series that was 'different'- 'a fish out of water story' perhaps, The Gibson Group's Development Executive, Alan Brash, asked himself just one question:
"I asked myself what it was that I would find interesting to watch," he recalls, "and hit upon a series set in a red light district, which may not be that surprising given that it's just up the road from our offices!"
That decided, he and senior writer Chris Ellis, with whom he had an existing working relationship, had two clear choices: they could either explore the dark and grimy side of that theme, such as drugs and prostitution, or make it much lighter and give it a twist, such as making the setting a male - rather than a female - strip club.
"Interestingly, if we'd chosen a 'normal' club with female strippers we'd be dealing with very different sexual politics." explains Chris. "Those clubs can be seen as a front for prostitution, and numerous double standards, whereas a male strip revue is very much part of the entertainment scene. Titillating, but essentially harmless."
Such a colourful setting immediately provided them with the other important elements of an entertaining show: an interesting breed of characters and great latitude to have FUN. "After all, we were creating an adult show", says Alan. "And many of the previously taboo subjects have already been broken with other shows like Sex and the City and The Sopranos".
Which, they believe is also the essence of why viewers will like the show: "Sure a strip club setting provides us with a colourful cast and great background action", admits Chris. "But once viewers get beyond that it's the characters themselves - and the juxtapositions between them - that will keep them hooked".
Alan agrees: "We want people to empathise with the characters, to be touched by them and laugh with them, but also to often feel some kind of moral outrage at the same time. We want them to think, 'You can't do that!' When we know, you can!"
Alan initially pitched the idea for The Strip to his bosses Yvonne Mackay and Dave Gibson in early 2000. They liked it, so he progressed on that basis, and they took it to TV3 who were impressed enough to stump up with development money a couple of months later. "To the network's credit, they were happy - and have remained happy - to really push the envelope and take risks by exploring new ground", says Alan.
Alan and Chris then set about the arduous task (not) of 'researching' the subject matter in a little more depth by going to a few clubs in both Auckland and Wellington.
Chris Ellis also drew on some very relevant personal experience - having managed a nationwide tour of the hugely successful NZ play Ladies Night.
"That play gave this kind of subject matter another level of 'legitimacy'" he recalls. "Because it was 'theatre' not sleaze and the outcome could be managed".
But the pair also adopted a scientific approach as well - using Excel spreadsheets to list all the relationships they wanted to explore within the series. "We decided on three generations of women because we knew we could mine some good humour in that - adults dealing with parents, the effect of such a life-changing decision on an adolescent and so on" says Alan. "Plus we wanted a fully formed relationship between best friends".
Prior to that, though, they thought long and hard about what (prior) career would best suit the lead character, Melissa. A cop? A nurse? A doctor?
"We decided on corporate lawyer as it's a very left-brain occupation", explains Alan. "But it also gives her some useful skills" so even though she's plunged into an anarchic world, she's still able to keep useful contacts and connections from her old world such as through her best friend Kathryn, who's still a lawyer at her old firm".
"So what we see is a women who enters a whole new world, which initially seems bizarre but is actually quite normal", Chris elaborates. "She's still got the grief of running a small business and all the 'housekeeping' that goes with that. So whilst on one level it appears to be wish fulfilment - thumbing her nose at the establishment, and finally doing what she wants to do - in fact, she soon discovers that what she's chosen is not easier, just different".
With those parameters in place, Alan and Chris started having round table discussions with other writers, including Kathryn Burnett and Paula Boock who embraced the characters as eagerly as the guys had. (See separate story on creating women characters).
"Soon, we had about 20 different story ideas", recalls Alan. "And after the first few episodes we began to shine the spotlight onto all the characters".
The team pretty much wrote the first ten episodes before casting began, and then tackled the second ten knowing who was going to play the main roles. "All the characters were better defined by then", Alan explains. "In the second ten, some of the characters got bigger off the strength of who was playing them."
Which leads us nicely to the casting choice of actress Luanne Gordon to play the lead role of Melissa Walker:
"All writers go through a phase where they think there isn't an actress in the world that can play the character they've written", admits Chris readily. "It is such a big ask. But with Luanne it was immediately apparent that she was speaking all the lines from the heart".
Chris continues: "We've yet to write a line that she stuffs up - in terms of understanding her character's motivation for saying whatever it is she's saying - and that's an astounding commendation in itself. Luanne displays complete emotional fearlessness and is absolutely committed to the role of Mel".
Alan Brash has been The Gibson Group's Development Executive for the last two years. He has a background as a film and television writer, performer, script editor and production accountant, and holds degrees in Marketing and Politics from Auckland University.
He has also been a board member of the NZ Writers' Guild and is a member of the producer's association, SPADA.
Chris Ellis is a qualified Barrister and Solicitor but practised law for just a year before travelling around Europe and becoming a tour guide in the process. He joined The Gibson Group in 1996 and since then has co-produced several comedy television series (with Dave Gibson) including Skitz Telly Laughs The Semisis and Newsflash.
He and Dave won a New Zealand Film and Television Award for Best Entertainment Programme in 1996 and 1997, and were nominated again in 1998. Chris's film One for the Road is currently in development with Gibson's associated feature film company First Sun.
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