Mad

2. C O N T E N T S
TITLE
GENRE
RUNNING TIME
PLOT SYNOPSIS
IDENTIFY THREE KEY SCENES
CORE AUDIENCE AND AT LEAST ONE SECONDARY AUDIENCE
CONSTRAINTS ON ADAPTATION
OPPORTUNITIES PROVIDED BY ADAPTATION

3. T I T L E
• For my mini series TV adaptation of the 2004
movie ‘The Day After Tomorrow’, I will entitle
it ‘The Days of Tomorrow’.
• The similarity between this title and the
original means that it will attract fans of the
original movie, as well as letting them know
that it is a long form version of the original
story with the use of ‘Days’.

4. G E N R E
• The adaptation will be a science fiction, post
apocalyptic drama.
• It will also feature elements of action
adventure because of the dangerous world
that the adaptation will portray.

5. R U N N I N G T I M E
• The miniseries will feature 3 hour long
episodes.
• This gives the series the time to tell a detailed,
in-depth story with strong characterizations
whilst still being compact and focused.

6. P L O T S Y N O P S I S
Part 1
• A weather scientist named Jack Hall thinks that because of global warming, a new Ice
Age is on it’s way. He tries to warn politicians and fellow scientists at a conference
but is shut down and branded as crazy. However another scientist believes Jack and
talks with him. The two conclude that extreme winter weather caused by an
imminent eclipse will occur within 24 hours. The two bring their evidence to the Vice
President who suspiciously ignores them.
• Meanwhile his estranged, drug addict son (Sam) who lives in New York leads a
reckless almost suicidal lifestyle which has made him lose a prestigious place at a
university.
• Leading up the eclipse various parts of the world experience freak weather and
drastic drops in temperature. This forces the government to carry out minor
nationwide precautions, still ignoring Jack’s warnings.
Part 2
• The eclipse happens and the world is ravaged by extreme weather. Millions of people
are killed, including the vice president and Jack’s partner scientist, which leaves him
trapped in a base with a small group of scientists and government officials.
• Sam sees New York become destroyed by the weather and groups with a handful of
survivors who do not trust him.
Part 3
• Over the following days both groups (Jack’s and Sam) survive in the harsh
conditions, and many people die. The two become the leaders of their respective
groups. Sam is forced overcome his addiction.
• Jack escapes the base and heads for New York after finding a helicopter which leaves
his group split. He arrives at New York and finds Sam. The two make emotional
amends as they look on to a future where they must learn to survive through the
harsh new world.

7. IDENTIFY THREE KEY SCENES
• The first key scene is when the eclipse happens and there are drastic weather
changes. The scene begins with a joyous but ominous tone as the whole world
watches in awe at the eclipse. However Jack watches on in fear of what is to
come. The scene is meant to be visually strong and serve as a visual motif for the
series with the use of the eclipse. After the eclipse the weather drastically
changes whilst the world is still in partial darkness which ends the scene with a
dark and scary tone.
• Second is a scene in which Sam struggles through his need for drugs. To convey his
agony and withdrawal symptoms visual techniques such as editing the scene with
various dissolve fades and using colour filters are used. Furthermore
unconventional camera angles (e.g. low/high, extreme close ups, dutch tilt,
handheld) are also used. The actors performance must be intense but realistic to
capture the audience whilst keeping it believable.
• The third scene is the emotion reunion between Sam and Jack, they finally meet
up and make amends with each other. The actors performances would be
emotional and realistoic as the scene is the emotional climax of the mini series.

8. CORE AUDIENCE AND AT LEAST ONE
S E C O N D A R Y A U D I E N C E
• Core audience will be people who regularly watch popular
and acclaimed TV shows such as Breaking Bad, The Walking
Dead and Game of Thrones.
• The adaptation’s elements of drama and action along with
it’s mature, explicit tone will attract a 19-39 aged, working
class demographic. Furthermore the mixture of all these
elements and the current popularity of high-concept
entertainment (e.g. Interstellar, Elysium, Black Mirror) will
give the mini-series relevancy and widespread appeal.
• The secondary audience will be genre fans (e.g. science
fiction fans) who are devoted fans of shows such as Star
Trek, Fringe and Doctor Who. This audience will give the
show online popularity on websites such as IGN.com and
SceenRant.com.

9. CONSTRAINTS
• Technical issues of
portraying the world over
taken by extreme cold
weather.
• Budget issues of funding the
technology and special
effects.
• Ethical concerns involving
the killing of wild animals.
OPPORTUNITIES
• Modern technology such as CGI,
green screen and motion capture
can be used.
• The short length of the
adaptation means that the
budget is controlled and
reasonable.
• It also means that time and
money can be spent on creating a
high-quality show.
• The shows unique visual look and
high concept can distinguish itself
from what is currently available
on TV.
• The mini-series format means
that it is easy for people to catch
up with the show on online
streaming sites such as Netflix,
and buy DVD’s and Blu-Rays of
the show.