Thomas Gidlow – Camisado
We chatted with Thomas Gidlow, the writer/director of the Camisado web series which is an official selection of the Utah Film Festival.
How did Camisado get started?
In brief, the footage we turned into a presentation was filmed pre-pandemic and was initially meant to be a 6-episode webseries (my brother has a 300k subscriber YouTube channel). Since we didn’t complete filming before the pandemic hit, we spent the 2-year downtime reorienting the project into a full-fledged TV/streaming series. We’ve re-worked much of the story, plot, and character arcs along with developing a 3/4-season (10 eps per season) starting point to set the series for an eventual launch into a less serialized style (15-20 eps per season beyond S3/4).
Since this version of the project was selected, we’re somewhat torn on whether to send materials based on this version of the project, or the re-developed materials. We’ve got a new pitch deck and one-sheet, and are working on a new pilot screenplay. Any insights you could provide here would be excellent (we know ultimately, it’s up to us – but we also enjoy gaining more insight from industry pros on things of this nature). Let me know and I will send accordingly.
What was the inspiration to make Camisado?
I wanted to tell a story about how someone could find a way forward after a tragedy. I also wanted to spotlight two women as the couple at the center of the story. I feel as though we still haven’t seen the progression of families like this presented as normal, everyday occurrences. It’s still mostly stereotypical stuff and you seldom see serious stories with general audience appeal centered around women in general, much less lesbian women. Through research and growing more familiar with the concept of a ‘camisado’, I thought it was pretty original and something that hasn’t been explored much in series formats. I yearn to put a spotlight on characters and stories that can have mass appeal, but aren’t seen that often in today’s landscape.
From idea to completion, how did Camisado change?
I think from our original conception, we’ve come up with and spent time developing about 100 different directions this story could go! But once we started casting and then got to film a fleshed-out version of this story, we saw its potential. We think especially over the last three years, we’ve refined the story and the characters to tell a very efficient, but diverse and rich tale.
What was the biggest challenge in getting this show made?
The biggest challenge for us is since we’re basically just starting out, getting people behind us that can seriously help our progression. We’re working towards having as top-notch a pitch kit as we think we can make right now, and it’s just a matter of getting the right people to see our story. Everything in this nearly five-year journey has been self-financed and built by amazing people. And while we’re continuing to grow our team and capabilities, we still need that push to get this project and our production company over that ‘being undiscovered’ hump.
What do you think is the most important takeaway from Camisado?
That family can be the source for every struggle and every reward life has to offer. Also, it’s long past time to see more characters like Emily and Avery (the two main characters – women, lesbians, mothers, and professionals) in mainstream TV.
If you could have a do-over with Camisado is there anything that you would do differently? If so, what would that be?
Everything has led us to where we are today, so in general, it’s tough to go back and say “we should have done this, or done that.” Had I known a pandemic was coming, I would have made sure to get more of the crucial elements we needed to film! But then we would have had enough material to go the webseries/YouTube route. And while we think it had great potential to catch the ‘viral wave’ and get us noticed, who knows if that would have put us on a better footing than we are today? Great question, but I think my short answer (as it is with life, too) is “probably not”.
What do you have next in the works?
We are still working on solidifying our Camisado pitch kit. We may be filming updated material for our sizzle reel to complete the kit in the not-too-distant-future, if it turns out that might help. We have a series proof-of-concept in post-production called “Inimicus: The Enemy Within” (soldier with long-form PTSD struggled to reintegrate; an argument with wife escalates into a potentially tragic ordeal). We’re putting pitch materials together for that as the footage is being edited. We’re also co-producing a project called “EVOS: Integrations” with two NC-based production companies that is being pitched to major entities by the showrunner (Paula Baisden). All of this is being done to get us to the door – we have every intention of knocking it down once we’re there.
How can we learn more about you and your projects?
The best places to go right now are on IMDb and our socials:
IMDb Links:
Camisado – https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10250634/
Inimicus – https://www.imdb.com/title/tt18930628/
Thomas Gidlow – https://pro.imdb.com/name/nm4123063
Social Links:
Skyphire Entertainment (Facebook) – https://www.facebook.com/SkyphireEntertainment
Skyphire Entertainment (Instagram) – https://www.instagram.com/skyphireentertainment/
Camisado (Facebook) – https://www.facebook.com/CamisadoSeries
Camisado (Twitter) – https://www.twitter.com/CamisadoSeries
Thomas Gidlow began work on his first TV series project titled “Camisado” in the spring of 2018. The pandemic pushed the project back into redevelopment, where he has begun additional work on a slate of various projects. He has sold two projects, both in development, and has helped with small investments in regional independent projects.
The film most influential for Gidlow’s overall writing and directing approach is “Leon: The Professional”. His other favorites and influences include “The Dark Knight Rises”, “Contact”, “Star Trek” (TNG/DS9 universe), “Law and Order”, and “The Fugitive”.
Gidlow lives with his amazing wife Samantha and their ‘human’ cat Stormy in Cary, NC.
