Marianne D. Exermann, 32, a sophisticated but icy Danish beauty with great charisma, is the new creative director of EVE magazine. Having originally met Elisabeth in NYC after living in Swinging London where she had nourished her natural creative talent, Marianne reconnects with Elisabeth on a night out in Paris and quickly becomes her creative partner in the editorial overhaul. A rigorous creative with a solid work ethics and discipline, she pushes her contributors and editors to constantly question their work through the lens of a simple and consistent question: what is femininity really about? An experienced and successful journalist for English and American publications, Marianne’s conversion to her new creative role is not the only change in her life. Behind her almost excessive femininity, hides a secret she only shared with Elisabeth: her past as a man. Until recently Marianne was David. EVE is her chance to establish her new life and identity. While she initially enjoys a carefree – and careless – existence in Paris, she soon has to face the reality of her situation as other women question her legitimacy. Responding to their mistrust with her unwavering commitment to hard work and unquestionable talent, Marianne becomes a key player in EVE’s success and in the fashion world. A character plagued by doubts about her own legitimacy within a universe of women, Marianne, through her complex identity and her career challenges the audience’s perception on debates about gender and female struggles. Showcasing the humanity of the character wholly, with all her flaws, doubts, and qualities equally portrayed, neither leaning towards activism nor offering answers on gender debates, this character simply opens doors to a new perspective.  

An historical series An ambitious series that invites us to reflect over our society’s evolution. EVE fits within a drama series tradition that testify to an era while describing a precise universe. Like The Hour with the creation of a BBC News program in the 1950s, Mad Men and the advent of the big New York advertising agencies in the 1960s, and The Newsroom where the life of the editorial staff of a TV newspaper of the 2010s reveals the problems of journalistic practices and ethics, EVE describes its time. A fantasised Paris, showcasing the Parisian fashion scene, the liberated nightlife as well as the feminist struggles, from the MLF (Women’s Right Movement) to the mysteries of political and economic powers. Each episode echoes contemporary events, and contains both fashion, social facts and feminist struggles. During the 70s, the Parisian press is a mix of different worlds that doesn’t speak to each other, that doesn’t even cross paths: on the one hand, the stylists of Elle Magazine, often from wealthy, bourgeois families living in upscale neighbourhoods; on the other, the gangs of Actuel, fed by the American West-Coast press, Lui magazine and Playboy who see the eroticism of their pages and the praise of a very masculine pleasure, as being a feminist modernity. At the end of the spectrum, there are the political publications, the fanzines of small groups, associations, etc. These worlds don’t mingle and don’t even know each other. The polished fashionistas from Elle Magazine and Vogue (“les Souris”, the Mice*) are clubbing at Castel or Régine, while the others are haunting joints in Montparnasse or Pigalle. Everyone has their own geography. EVE is an accident, an atomic explosion that will bring together these different sensibilities in the same place. *Souris/mice: nickname given to the modelsThe narrative of the structure If the story of the magazine is of course fictional, all the events in which our characters participate and/or react are inspired by real facts and are very well documented: from fashion events, gossips, to political or feminist demonstrations. Each season will explore two years of French history, with plenty of real events to feed each episode’s narrative. The pages, the photographs on the wall of the magazine, will give to the viewer the opportunity to see real fashion documentation, real archives, and the true history in the making. Each of the characters have their own story line, their own struggles, and most of the time it will clash with what they have to deal with at work. The workplace A magazine, it’s above all a rhythm: a weekly or monthly edition with its repetitive serial mechanic, press conferences, choices of topics to be addressed, search for the right information, production of images and texts, editing, etc… 

Then come the editorial deadlines, the distribution to the newsstands and to the readers. Each day, a specific mission; each edition, its specific challenges and adventures. Episodes’ structure Each episode will tackle both real feminist issues of the time and real fashion events. It's about contrasts between the private lives of these women and how they deal with the changing society: fighting in the editorial room about the last stilettos or Helmut Newton’s last fashion shoot, as well as addressing divorce laws discussed at the Senate. In one scene we are in the streets of Paris following a protest, in the next one we are in a nightclub or attending a fashion show. Tone and Style The visual style will be dynamic, creative and full of passionate energy. The cinematography will be realistic, with a colour palette that heralds 70’s film and TV shows. The pacing will be fast when our characters are at work, following them always on the move, always in a rush. In contrast the pacing will suddenly slow down when focusing on our characters' intimate lives, respecting the rhythm of introspection, either with friends or lovers, outside work and at night. Set in the 70s, the show will feature many period details (furniture, journalism equipment, etc), and of course a rich and diverse wardrobe. While this will bring tremendous aesthetic and nostalgic value to the show, it must never overwhelm the historical veracity of the events and the depicted characters’ history. The fashion will be true to its time and the level of sophistication will be realistic of the social class and context. The style will be sophisticated in a French way, which is more understated than American aesthetics of the era, for accuracy of tonality. The major importance of aesthetic The aesthetic quality of the series is also one of its major assets. Along the way, a tribute is paid to Paris, the City of Light (a strong element of the show, a character on its own), to its designers, to the intellectuals and artists of that time, which today have become key reference points. Again, the importance to illustrate the actual Parisian feel of the time will be key to render an accurate image of what made French fashion and luxury so iconic. Fashion Fashion is everywhere, not just during the fashion shows and the photoshoots. Fashion is in the streets, at the office. The series is rooted in fashion history. Fashion foundations (such as YSL Archives) and French Art institutions will be asked to participate and contribute in order to ensure the most extreme quality of aesthetic to the show but also accuracy of our fashion portraiture. Our characters love to get dressed. Dorothée, Nathaly, Elisabeth and Marianne will offer the best of each year's fashion wardrobe. Léonce, Claire, Jeanne, each of them has her own style: Fluid dresses, hot pants, delicate blouses, illustrating fashion as an important signifier and personality build. Soundtrack The soundtrack will feel period but timeless. For instance the energising rhythm of "From nine to five" by Dolly Parton, or as the original score, “Whole Lotta Love” by Led Zeppelin, used in an unconventional way, to surprising mixes (from folk song to disco) from the “Looking for Mr Goodbar”  title sequence. The soundtrack will reflect the nine characters of the show and contribute to reveal each of their identity and intimate psyche. French songs will also be used for their strong value and meaning to the sequences, from Polnareff to Gainsbourg. Fashion and feminist struggles Fashion and struggles, runways and protests. Addressing these topics may at first sight appear as motivated by a sole desire for superficial staging, a search for contrasts. However it is the exact opposite: these two worlds have been linked to one another for several centuries. An expression of women’s evolution, women's fashion has always accompanied and sometimes announced women's rights progress. Our decision to portray both worlds is to showcase how they are linked and have always coexisted. Plugged into a cultural scene or isolated, designers get inspired by what is happening around them and on the streets. As the fabric of society is ever changing, so does fashion. From yesterday’s feminism to today’s feminism Feminism is everywhere. In any frame, in any set up, the smallest interaction will show us how women were expected to behave within a masculine world. Details from a behaviour are as important as stories. How a woman sits in public transport, how a stranger addresses a woman in the street. How a doctor, including a gynaecologist, talks to her patient. Because reality lies in little details, we will show the details that tell of the actual women’s condition in the 70s. At first sight, it looks like the portraiture of a microcosm. That of a women's magazine with its relational intrigues and specific themes. But this series is also a dive into the history of post-68 French society, centred on the massive changes in society as a whole, and on the status of women in particular. And through the story of women’s struggles of this pivotal time, it helps us to question our own society in a better way: 50 years later, where do we stand regarding male vs female relationships and more importantly, how do we define femininity and women’s power? While the diversity of these female identities (woman-child, divorced woman, woman of power, seductress, lesbian, transgender) questions the role of women in society and the essence of femininity, what has really changed so far? How do femininity and feminism of that time translate in today’s ideas on both? It is not a history of predominant feminism that we want to address, but stories of the many layers of feminism. By extension, we want to address the stories of emancipation among other communities, which at that time had absolutely no voice, but who finally get heard today and fascinate new generations via a mesh of major and minor events, by the encounters of historical figures as much as underground characters.