"Shame" author: "We never slept"
A year and a half ago, it ended - for good.
But for those who still mourn and lack the "Shame" universe, there is some comfort.
The screenwriter Julie Andem finally persuaded herself to publish the story of Eva, Noora, Isaac and Sana in book form.
Tuesday, September 22 at 2:32 pm.
The location: a schoolyard. Starring: Eva, Jonas, Isaac, Sara, Ingrid, Vilde, Chris, the Snyggatjejer crew.
Reading Julie Andem's book "Eva" is like throwing it back in a time machine. At the time when "Shame" was sneaked out on the net without any traditional promotional campaign. The idea was that the rumor about the series would spread on social media, directly to the target group of 16-year-old girls - without the detour via the adult world. "We were terrified that they would hear from their mother that now NRK has done a really cool youth series," stated Julie Andem in an interview with Norwegian Rushprint.
Became a huge success
Most people know the result. "Shame" became a huge success, not only in Norway but also in Sweden where the SVT Play broadcasts received record high viewership. But after season four, it was definitely over.
So afterwards, Julie Andem still has trouble explaining the successes. There is no reason why "Shame" became a success, she says in a email interview with TT, without a hundred.
- It's a combination of good timing, luck and hard work. And so everyone who worked with "Shame" was creative, talented and passionate about the series. We never slept. Not because we couldn't, but because we didn't want to. I think that passion penetrates the screen and hits the audience, she says.
How did "Shame" become such a huge success? "I don't think there's a reason 'Shame' became a success, I think there are a hundred. It's a combination of good timing, luck and hard work," says scriptwriter Julie Andem. Press photo.
Screenwriter Julie Andem first had a hard time imagining publishing "Shame" in book form. But when Unicef asked if they could auction off her script in favor of charity, she realized that the interest was great and changed.
She began writing the script for "Shame", season one, early summer 2015. It is that text, complete with misspellings, personal comments on the TV team and bonus scenes that are now being published in book form.
- When I went through the script to make it clear for book publishing, there were several things I had forgotten. It was fun and a little nostalgic to read about. But I was also embarrassed by several. There were several times I wanted to go in and rewrite a little so that it would look better in print, but I let it be. Otherwise, much of the intent would have been gone.
Sold at auction
What was the intent then?
The idea was never to publish any "Shame" books - even though a publisher already in 2016 heard about the possibilities. It was only when Unicef in the fall of 2017 asked if they could auction off the script for the TV series - and it was sold for almost SEK 120,000 - that it dawned on her that there was a real interest in the story even in book form.
The decision to use the original text, with all its shortcomings and happy appeals to colleagues, she made after receiving numerous questions from young people who either want to become screenwriters themselves or write essays on "Shame".
- They wonder how I write the script and how I think. Therefore, it was most appropriate to publish the script in its honest form, just as it was written. At best, the books may inspire more young people to write, she says.
Flop or not?
Norwegian "Shame" got four seasons - but "Shame" time is not completely over for Julie Andem. In April this year, the first clips of "Shame Austin," the American sequel to the success series, were broadcast. The series was created and directed by Andem and the season premiere had over ten million viewers when it appeared on Facebook Watch. But is the program a success or not? As viewership figures dropped, it sparked a debate in Norwegian media about whether "Shame Austin" had flopped.
Julie Andem doesn't want to answer questions about either that or Facebook's decision to order another season of the series after all. However, she likes to talk about the "cut-off" kissing scene between Isak and Jonas that has caused some rebellion on the net.
- It is not cut, it was never recorded. In connection with the book publishing, I have gone through many texts and ideas that never came to fruition. Some of them never came because we did not have time to film them, others were scrapped because they destroyed the tension of the story. I have tried to breathe some new life into these ideas, she says.
