Designing & Scripting the
Series | Pre- Production
& Filming |
The Cast | Stories
and Messages
Designing
and Scripting the Series:
Initial design began in May 2001, with a TV Series
Design Workshop facilitated by JHU/CCP Senior Communication Advisor
Esta de Fossard and attended by representatives from the Uganda
Ministry of Health and other health organizations. Message strategies
for each episode were based on audience research carried out by
the DISH II Project and other organisations. The workshop resulted
in the message content and background for each of 13 programmes,
and the overall creative concept of basing the series around the
staff working in a semi-rural Ugandan health centre.
In September and October, 2001, the DISH II Project publicised the
television training programme with flyers which were distributed
to all major television, video and stage production houses in Uganda,
calling for video production talent to apply for training positions
as scriptwriters, directors, sound recordists, camera-persons, editors,
and production managers. From the applications received, Director
Andrew Gosling, Script Editor Michael Mundell and Producer David
Campbell of Mediae Trust and Executive Producer Cheryl Lettenmaier
of the DISH II Project selected three scriptwriters-Kaya Kagimu
Mukasa, Philip Luswata, and Consodyne Busabo.
In October 2001, Script Editor Michael Mundell and Scriptwriter
Robert Forrest Webb, both from the U.K., assisted the DISH II Project
to conduct a 5-day workshop to develop profiles of the main characters,
settings, and overall storylines for the series, followed by a two-week
workshop to develop plot outlines for each of the 13 programmes.
The three Ugandan scriptwriters participated throughout, and were
teamed up with health content specialists from the Ministry of Health
and the DISH II project.
During November and December 2001, Michael Mundell worked
with the three Ugandan scriptwriters to write the series.
By Christmas, first drafts of all 13 programmes were ready
for review by the production team as well as Ministry
of Health, DISH II, and other technical experts. Michael
Mundell revised the scripts during January and February
2002, and the DISH II Project pretested scripts for programmes.
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