From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
Subject: Formulaic Television
To: CIS
Date: 1/16/1998 4:51:00 AM
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Message 1 in thread
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Brent Barrett <75063.3305@compuserve.com> asks:
> What do you think about the possibility that Babylon 5, a program
> that dared the throw away the industry formulas and cliches, is
> becoming a new industry formula and cliche? But how do you feel
> about the possibility of so many others emulating your style, not
> because they want to be creative, but because they want to jump
> on the bandwagon of what is looking to be a successful concept
> and application?
I don't feel we've yet achieved sufficient visibility on the
Hollywood radar screens for that to be much of a problem at the moment,
and at this point I only have time for problems of the moment....
jms |
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From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
Subject: Formulaic Television
To: CIS
Date: 1/22/1998 11:56:00 AM
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Message 2 in thread
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(blocked) asks:
> You're a hell of a storyteller; what made you choose television
> as the medium?
I picked TV because this sort of saga has been *done* for print
before, but nobody's done it for TV in the US before. It's more of a
challenge to do it here.
jms |
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From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
Subject: Formulaic Television
To: CIS
Date: 1/24/1998 4:29:00 PM
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Message 3 in thread
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Philip Hornsey <74053.2101@compuserve.com> asks:
> expand?
> So, tell us, is Netter already thinking along these lines?
Certainly, it's our intent to keep the production team together
on Crusade, once that gets going...if I sold any other shows, we've
discussed the possibility of splitting the team in half, bringing in
some new guys on the current show (whichever that is), and putting half
our current team on the new show, so that both can learn from one
another....
But in terms of doing other writers' shows...that's not
something I'm interested in doing. It's just too damned hard to do all
this for someone else's story. I don't want to be the exec supervising
somebody else's show; that would turn me into a Suit, and that would be
the end of me.
NDEI, as a separate entity, is better able to handle some of
this sort of thing, but I'm not directly involved with any of that. I
know they've got another project of their own that's nearly solid now,
called Rail Runners (steampunk SF), and I'm confident that they will
use the lessons we've learned on B5 in doing that show, or any others
down the road.
We're having an effect on TV more by osmosis than by making it
ourselves in terms of doing other shows...the term 5-year arc is
showing up more and more, first in Dark Skies then Earth: Final
Conflict, and now others in the works...the CGI we pioneered for TV is
now showing up in a lot of other series...and other shows are studying
our methods. The Directors Guild magazine has already done one major
article on some new things we're doing, and another one is due out
soon. We've given tours to other producers to show them how we do what
we do. And our directors, some of whom were fairly new to dramatic TV
(having done documentaries and afternoon specials and the like) before
coming to B5 have now become in demand on other shows (you'll note
that a lot of B5 directors are now doing ST shows because they've
learned our methods...which is kinda ironic since no ST directors have
done B5 because of studio pressure not to)....
So the impact is already there, and will continue to grow over
the coming years.
jms |
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From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
Subject: Formulaic Television
To: CIS
Date: 1/24/1998 4:29:00 PM
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Message 4 in thread
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(blocked) asks:
> Has it, ultimately, been worth the struggle for you?
Has it been worth it for me? Yeah, I think it has...it's been
tough, but worthwhile. What matters is if, in the long run, viewers
will think it was worth it. Me, I was gonna be here anyway, and the
story was gonna tell itself in my brain anyway, so I may as well have
gone along with it....
jms |
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From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
Subject: Formulaic Television
To: CIS
Date: 1/25/1998 3:09:00 PM
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Message 5 in thread
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Philip Hornsey <74053.2101@compuserve.com> asks:
> Have you been watching Earth: Final Conflict?
> Ya wanna be a actor Joe?
"Ya wanna be a actor Joe?"
Not if you hung me by the short-and-curlies off the World Trade
Center on a windy day.
jms |
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From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
Subject: Formulaic Television
To: CIS
Date: 1/25/1998 3:09:00 PM
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Message 6 in thread
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Philip Hornsey <74053.2101@compuserve.com> asks:
> Suit have to lose?
Phil, honest and true, I'd rather have a root canal....
jms |
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From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
Subject: Formulaic Television
To: CIS
Date: 1/27/1998 7:38:00 PM
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Message 7 in thread
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{original post unavailable}
I can't say, all I know is that it happens, and it's pretty much
ignored when it does. It's the biz.
jms |
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From: J. Michael Straczynski <71016.1644@compuserve.com>
Subject: Formulaic Television
To: CIS
Date: 2/1/1998 9:42:00 AM
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Message 8 in thread
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{original post unavailable}
Thanks...I hope history will bear out your reaction. We try
and make it a moving, personal show.
jms |
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