How to Build a Better Telenovela Latin TV soap | Variety

http://variety.com/2013/tv/news/how-to-build-a-better-telenovela-12005...

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JULY 30, 2013 | 03:00PM PT

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How to Build a Better Telenovela Latin TV soap | Variety

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Producing six telenovelas (http://variety.com/t/telenovelas/) a year requires the

coordination of a not-so-small army of actors, writers, producers
(http://variety411.com/us/los-angeles/producers/), directors and crew (http://variety411.com/us/new-york/crew/) members to turn out episodes at a pace that
even English-lingo soap opera (http://variety.com/t/soap-opera/) vets would find
dizzying.

Telemundo (http://variety.com/t/telemundo/)s field marshal in this battle is Joshua

Mintz (http://variety.com/t/joshua-mintz/), exec veep of scripted programming and
g.m. of Telemundo Studios.

Its a big train thats hard to stop once it gets going, Mintz says. It is a neverending story for us.

With its ramp-up of production, Telemundo now has 300 full-time employees
dedicated to novela production at its studios in Hialeah, Fla., and Mexico City.
And that doesnt include other talent and crew members hired as freelancers
(http://variety.com/t/freelancers/).

Actors are often brought in under long-term contracts because of the heated
competition between Univision/Televisa and Telemundo. A thesp who stars in a
novela for one isnt usually welcome at the other for a long time to come.

Telemundo Studios generates 750-780 hours of programming per year, at an

average pace of three complete episodes a day, with three or four shows in
production at any given time.

Novelas run about 120-160 episodes, at an average cost of about $70,000 per
hour, up to about $150,000. That compares with $150,000 to $300,000 per hour
for an English-lingo network sudser. One big difference is that the Telemundo
serials are nonunion productions, unlike English-language network soaps. The
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How to Build a Better Telenovela Latin TV soap | Variety

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WGA East, for one, is keeping a close eye on the growth of scripted production
at the Florida studio, and is considering its options for mounting an organizing
push.

Mintz joined Telemundo in 2007 after lengthy stints at Univision and Televisa and
a brief run at Azteca America. He and his team are constantly scouting for
material from existing novela formats from around the world, movies, novels and
original ideas pitched by staff scribes. The early brainstorming process,
spearheaded by Roberto Stopello, VP of development and a veteran producer, is
extensive, because the underlying story has to be sturdy enough to run five
nights a week for 24-plus weeks.

Once a project is given the OK by the networks greenlight committee, an exec

producer/showrunner takes the lead, with about four other writers to pound out at
least 20-30 scripts before production begins. After that, the team generates four
to five scripts a week.

The frenetic pace of production is no different at Televisas expansive facilities in

Mexico. To keep up, thesps use apuntadores who read them their lines and
relay camera (http://variety411.com/us/new-york/camera-sound-equipment/)
instructions on their earpieces. Its a 45-year tradition, says producer Salvador
Mejia, whos worked for Televisa for 33 years.

At Telemundo, production generally runs close to the airdate in order to allow for
flexibility in adjusting storylines, enhancing characters based on feedback from
viewers. Thanks to social media, the response is nearly instantaneous, and
execs pay close attention. Telemundos novelas are also lensed entirely in a
digital format, which saves time in post-production.

Sometimes well watch the reaction and say, Oh my God, how did we miss
this? and well go back and rewrite pretty quickly, Mintz says.

Theyre also quick to add episodes when a title hits big or a particular storyline
takes off with fans. The team is skilled at crafting episodes out of outtakes and
leftover bits even after lensing has wrapped employing a by-any-meansnecessary spirit that TV execs undoubtedly would love to duplicate on Hollywood
lots.

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How to Build a Better Telenovela Latin TV soap | Variety

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At the same time, production values have improved dramatically during the past
decade. The novelas that Telemundo used to import had virtually no scenes shot
on location; now location work makes up about 35%-40% of each production.

It has really changed the quality of our novelas, Mintz says.

Anna Marie de la Fuente contributed to this report.

(Pictured: From left, director Claudio Callao, Telemundo exec VP Aurelio

Valcarcel and other staffers talk shop at the Miami facility.)

Related Stories:
NBCUniversal Bets Big on Original Spanish-Lingo Productions (http://variety.com/2013/more/news/nbcuniversal-bets-big-on-original-spanish-lingo-productions-1200569558/)
Univision to Big Four: Were No. 1 and Rising (http://variety.com/2013/more
/news/univision-to-big-four-were-no-1-and-rising-1200569566/)
Foxs Spanish-Lingo Network Mundo Needs Mojo (http://variety.com
/2013/more/news/foxs-spanish-lingo-network-mundo-needs-mojo-1200569553/)
MiTu Aims to Capture Hispanic Aud Online (http://variety.com/2013/biz
/news/mitu-aims-to-capture-hispanic-aud-online-1200568604/)

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