"El fantasma de Elena" goes international

In class, we have discussed some important factors for determining if a telenovela will be successful in international sales. These factors are as follows: 

    1. Will the story travel? 

    2. Is the cast easily replaceable? How well-liked are they? 

    3. Production values (is the quality of the telenovela good?) 

    4. What is the production model of the country who made the telenovela versus the country buying the telenovela? 

    5. Increasingly knowledgeable buyers make it more difficult to sell ‘bad products’. 

My telenovela, El fantasma de Elena, is a remake of a Venezuelan telenovela from the 1980s called Julia. El fantasma de Elena is from the network Telemundo, while Julia was originally broadcast by Venevisión. Despite being on Hulu now, El fantasma de Elena was broadcast on the Telemundo network from 2010 until 2011. As far as I can tell, it doesn’t appear that is has since been remade by another country. 

I thought it would be interesting to analyze how this telenovela would look on an international scale, and if there could be any potential challenges that would arise if it were bought by a country outside of Latin America. 

Will the story travel well? I think the general plot, centered around a love story that attempts to overcome previous romantic interests, can translate into any culture. However, some details might come across strange or odd and may turn viewers from other countries away from watching. Something I feel might be strange is the fact that the male protagonist, Eduardo, has had a relationship (and civil marriage) with his first cousin. This cousin also attempts to seduce Eduardo. In American culture, I feel that this would not be socially acceptable. Also, there is a lot of romantic chemistry between the two protagonists: Elena Lafe and Eduardo. From what we’ve discussed in class about Turkey and their regulations around romantic scenes, it might be difficult for Turkish writers to show the chemistry between the two characters without overstepping any boundaries. 

Is the cast easily replaceable? While many of the actors and actresses in this show have been in multiple telenovelas, I think the cast could be easily replaced, for the most part. The character of Elena Calcaño, though, could bring challenges to a new production team. Ana Layevska is the actress who plays Elena Calcaño. I have done some research about the audience response to this telenovela, and often, the audience was very pleased with Layevska’s acting talent. Elena Calcaño is the telenovela’s main antagonist who is constantly creating problems for Elena Lafe. One viewer wrote in their blog that Layevska’s acting is what saved the show (given that Layevska’s character didn’t play a huge role until around episode 30). Overall though, the cast could be replaced with new actors and actresses, and the audience likely wouldn’t be too discouraged about the change. 

Ana Layevska, who plays Elena Calcaño (Source: IMDB)

Is the quality of the telenovela good? Telemundo’s production of El fantasma de Elena has various sets that change and develop as the telenovela progresses. Even the transitional scenes, when no characters are shown, are shot around the beautiful and historic St. Augustine, Florida. The detail within other scenes, like hidden doorways, marble white mansions, and even the ornate furniture heightens the production quality. In poorer countries that don’t have the funds to replicate the luxury of the Girón mansion or the extensiveness of the ranch, there could be problems with changing the story to fit the budget. Some of the telenovela revolves around the protagonists’ mutual love of horses (which is the main reason they meet in the first place). Without the set design to back this plot up, a different production company might need their writers to craft a new storyline that makes up for the lack of set funding. Changing the story too much might lose hopeful audience members but lacking in production quality could potentially have the same effect. 

One look at the upstairs set for the Girón mansion (Source: Telemundo)

The view from the driveway of the mansion (Source: Telemundo)

What is the production model of the country who made the telenovela versus the country buying the telenovela? Telenovelas that are broadcast on linear television can have many different production models. For example, some countries have companies that produce the entire telenovela and then broadcast it, while others may produce an episode, broadcast it, then produce another episode, and so on. The production model of the country buying the telenovela could have a large impact on the way the telenovela is produced because depending on the model, the timing of the telenovela changes. Producers want the audience to come back and watch their show every day or every week, so they must time their transitions and cliff hangers accordingly. El fantasma de Elena is full of suspense, so it would be important for a production company to be able to find the balance between small cliff hangers during an episode and larger cliff hangers between each episode. Especially now, during streaming times, an audience may be less inclined to be interested in a show where every episode ends on a huge cliff hanger. With this telenovela, finding the appropriate ratio between adding suspense and not pushing the audience away would require a lot of attention. 

Finally, would increasingly knowledgeable buyers be willing to purchase the telenovela? Under the right conditions, this telenovela could be remade into a suspenseful and thrilling show for a younger generation. With its romantic chemistry between the protagonists and the family drama, buyers would be able to bring forth the value that this telenovela could have. There is also a lot of room for improving the show and making it more appealing to present-day audiences, particularly with its representation of women and mental illness. A production company could use this show as an opportunity to not only be entertaining, but also to incite societal and cultural changes within the Latin American community surrounding mental health and gender roles. 

These five factors for international sales help companies analyze their business decisions, both in selling their content and purchasing content from others. While El fantasma de Elena does have many flaws that could make it turn away buyers who might want to purchase it, in the current entertainment atmosphere, the telenovela could flourish with some updates that make it more appealing to a new audience. Success is never promised, but with the right people working on it, I feel this telenovela could make a huge comeback. Third times the charm, right?