Blog #3: Telenovela Production

 One of the most interesting aspects of telenovela production, in my opinion, is the constant writing and rewriting of episodes while the show is actively airing. For most other forms of television, the entire season is written and shot prior to being released for public consumption. Telenovela writing veers away from this format. The head writer(s) for a telenovela will establish an overarching story and main characters prior to the showing airing but continue to write new episodes as episodes air. These head writers then distribute scenes to a writing team for completion and polishing. I find it fascinating that as episodes roll out, the writers will elaborate on certain plot lines more than others based on feedback from the audience. For example, "Cosita Rica" originally set its primary plot around Paula and Diego's love story. As the show aired, the audience expressed more interest in the plot following the love triangle between Verónica, her twin sister María, and Cacique. Since the audience became more attached to the plot line following the love triangle between the twins and Cacique, the writers began to write more scenes about them and less about Paula and Diego. The majority of other television show formats would not be able to make this adjustment because they follow a pre-written season format; whereas, telenovelas following a serial structure with an unlimited number of episodes and a plot line that is able to constantly evolve as the show airs.