lurkers-guide/ftp/Usenet/jms97-03-usenet

JMS (and coproducer George Johnsen) Usenet messages for March 1997.


Date: 1 Mar 1997 04:19:35 -0500
Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: Are *you* happy with S4 perceived "rush"?

Truth: I go back and forth.  The "Into the Fire" thing, for instance...it
would've likely been a two-part episode, but it still would've ended up
exactly where it ended up.  A few more big explosions, but I wonder also
if that really adds anything past a certain point.

>From a production standpoing, since "Fire" darn near killed us in the CGI
department, it's probably a darned good thing it DIDN'T go for 2 eps. 
That puppy had something around 120 or 140 EFX shots.

Overall, I'm actually quite happy with how this season is going, in terms
of the intensity of the arc and the emotions and incidents.  Parts
would've been a bit more laid-back if I had decided not to cover my bets
on renewal, and maybe the situation has worked out to the best (again the
ABA principle, Art By Accident).

So I dunno...all I know is what's in the episodes this season, and it's
pretty cool overall....


 jms





Date: 2 Mar 1997 02:29:26 -0500
Subject: Re: Atonement ( *Spoilers* )

The ship with Marcus and Franklin *wasn't* spinning...hence, no gravity.


 jms






Date: 2 Mar 1997 02:46:31 -0500
Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: Re: Compuserve's 'To Sysops from jms'

The CIS situation seems to now be working out; the policy of backrooming
messages has been stopped, and the larger policy is being reexamined and
may be restructured.  

Again, it's the B5 rule...if you make a stand, and approach the problem
from the perspective that you can make a difference, you can.  And it
wasn't just that it was me, believe me...it was the many, many people who
stood up and said the same thing.  You decide to change things, and you
change things.  


 jms



Date: 3 Mar 1997 03:53:40 -0500
Subject: Re: ATTN JSM: Rolling Exposition

"How do you balance the twin needs of story advancement and plot-point
repetition?"

It ain't easy, lemme tell you.

Basically, I sit back and say, "If I came into the story at this point,
would I be able to follow the action and make even a rough sense of it,
even if I might miss a few of the subtleties?"  If not, then I backtrack
and layer in whatever I think is necessary.  Sometimes I think I err
slightly in the direction of too much recap, but I'd rather do that than
totally confuse people.

I know it makes our regulars nutsoid, but there isn't any way around it
since we can't do a "last week on B5" segment.


 jms





Date: 3 Mar 1997 05:05:27 -0500
Subject: Re: ATTN: JMS &.. George ..letter from Sweden

* How can I that live here in Sweden get a hold of your "Complete
Scriptwriting..:", since I can't order by Mail order?

Other than online, via www.amazon.com, you're stuck, I'm afraid.

* How can a club get you to appear on a convent?

Well, first you'll have to smuggle me past Sister Mary Theresa Thomas, and
into the nun's quarters...then just leave the rest to me.


 jms





Date: 3 Mar 1997 15:52:49 -0500
Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: What do you think of new MST3K?

I've only seen the first 2 installments (the second 2 are on tape,
awaiting a time when I have 4 hours to spend), and I think they're doing
well.  The new Crow is generally okay, though the person doing the
voice/puppetry (his name just fell out of my head) needs to animate him a
bit more.  Trace understood that you have to make Crow a living character,
and it ain't just the voice.  Crow had very visual and expressive
movements, which so far the new guy hasn't quite gotten yet.  

I wasn't that impressed with Dr. Forrester's mom in the previous season,
but she seems to be doing well now that she's out on her own, much more
interesting.

I still miss Trace, though...he added a LOT to that show's edge.


 jms






Date: 3 Mar 1997 15:53:58 -0500
Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: Stealing lines from friends (slight Atonement spoilers)



Actually, several women at the stage wondered that LONG before the episode
even aired.  


 jms







Date: 3 Mar 1997 16:01:32 -0500
Subject: Re: Attn. JMS:  Who screamed "CUT!!"?



Thanks.

The ONLY one on a stage who is empowered to yell either "action" or "cut"
is the director.


 jms







Date: 4 Mar 1997 17:54:09 -0500
Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: Joseph Campbell and the Hero's Journey

I'm definitely familiar with Campbell's work.  In the case of B5, it was
sort of in the back of my head, but I didn't work to stick to the
progression point for point, because I was afraid then it becomes
mechanical.  "Hero" is good for analysis *after* the fact, not during...if
you try to apply it during the creative process, it becomes like the
centipede asked which foot goes first.  It's an analytical device, not a
creative device.  

That was the problem with "Beyond Thunderdome."  Prior to then the Mad Max
movies were written on their own terms; prior to BT, George Miller read
"Hero," and worked too hard to make it all fit.


 jms





Date: 5 Mar 1997 03:22:13 -0500
Subject: Re: How to send self-addressed envelopes for photos/autographs?

Understand that WB does not provide photos to the cast for publicity
purposes; neither does Babylonian.  Any photos provided by the cast come
out of their own pockets.  The cost is *very* prohibitive given the number
of fans requesting same.  The cast tries to oblige as much as they can,
because that's the sort of people they are, but be advised that this is a
burden on them....


 jms





Date: 5 Mar 1997 03:24:20 -0500
Subject: Re: ATTN: JMS Finish of production

We wrap season 4 on May 5th, with the two movies for TNT wrapping June
30th.  But you also have to allow 52 days of post production for the final
end of the episodes.


 jms





Date: 5 Mar 1997 03:30:20 -0500
Subject: Re: JMS:  Kathryn's novel

Kathryn, for obvious reasons, is the only person on the planet whose
knowledge of the B5 universe is second only to my own.  Especially the
backstory, the history of the characters and worlds, and so on.  She's
seen virtually every frame of film.  So when I got the idea of having one
of the books follow Sinclair's story after leaving B5, through a year of
story time that weaves in and out of the books, the comic, and the
show...she was the logical candidate.  The only one that made sense.  She
was hesitant to do so at first, for various reasons, but she's always been
very fond of the Sinclair storyline, and Michael O'Hare, and wanted to
tell that story.  So she agreed to write it.

And of all the novels, this one is 100% canon...it's also the most
exhaustive attempt to tie in all the storylines done to date.  Anybody
wants to know what happened to Sinclair, it's in the book.  That's a
genuine chapter of the story arc.


 jms





Date: 5 Mar 1997 03:32:26 -0500
Subject: Re: ATTN: JMS: Any chance of more Dukhat?

Plans are to have Dukhat in the B5 prequel.


 jms





Date: 5 Mar 1997 13:55:32 -0500
Subject: Re: Attn. JMS:  Who screamed "CUT!!"?



"While I'm certainly willing to believe that the director did it here,
this is not a straight answer, in that "Cut" ended up part of the show,
and was therefore in the script, at least after the fact."

No, it was never in the script, before or after.  We just grabbed the
whole audio because it worked.

"By way of example, surely an actor playing a director shooting a scene
could shout either instruction, yes?"

Sigh...


 jms







Date: 5 Mar 1997 18:55:43 -0500
Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: My Clone, My Choice: Ignore the Ban!

"As an atheist, do you find Clinton's ban on human cloning somewhat silly?
 Do you think of a cloned child as any different than any other child?"

Go ahead, ask me the easy ones that won't get me into trouble....

I think people are overly-frightened by the idea.  They have an
exaggerated idea of what it means.  You can clone me (a scary thought on
its own terms, but that's a different discussion) to your heart's
content...but the fact is, though the genetic makeup is the same, the
environmental, social and psychological conditions that made me what I am
(insert joke here) will not be present for the new kid, and you'll get a
VERY different adult.  

In a sense, there's been 50% cloning going on throughout history; it goes
on every day, every 30 seconds: a child is conceived using DNA templates
from two people, the parents.  Now we're talking about DNA templates from
one person. 

Should caution be used?  Absolutely.  A total ban on research?  How can we
make proper ethical decisions without the most thorough information we can
get our hands on?  "No, let's not find out what's really involved until
*after* we make our decision."  This is like having a trial after the jury
has rendered a verdict.

Because that technology has potential uses *outside* strict cloning.  If a
father is infertile, could you use the cloning techniques to separate out
his DNA and use it to fertilize his wife's eggs?  There are many other
possible uses for this technology; to throw the baby out with the DNA
seems to me a poor idea.




 jms





Date: 6 Mar 1997 15:33:22 -0500
Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: Seeing characters in your head



When I introduce a new character, I just kinda see a sense of the
character in my head, an outline...if you take off your glasses, and
you're nearsighted, that will give you some sense of it.  When an actor
comes in and hits it, the character goes into sharp focus.


 jms







Date: 7 Mar 1997 13:39:44 -0500
Subject: Re: ATTN: JMS Finish of production

Jms at B5 wrote:
> 
> We wrap season 4 on May 5th, with the two movies for TNT wrapping June
> 30th.  But you also have to allow 52 days of post production for the final
> end of the episodes.
> 
>  jms

Assuming that the writer didn't put so much in the script that the poor
post production unit can't finish it in 52 days!

George J
CoProd, B5




Date: 7 Mar 1997 13:40:01 -0500
Subject: Re: ATTN:GEORGE - Slow-mo problems?

Ralph-

I just pulled the Atonement master and looked at the scene you
mentioned.  I don't see the problem, but that doesn't mean that i doubt
your tape.  There are several ways it could have happened, from uplink
error to downlink error to local affiliate error.  We did experience a
problem in the ISN broadcast recently where the uplink dropped out, and
there was a hold frame during a shot of Dan the Reporterman for 2
frames, but that doesn't appear to be the problem you describe. 

Can you be any more specifc as to symptom?

George Johnsen
CoProducer, B5



Date: 7 Mar 1997 14:17:09 -0500
Subject: Re: I wish JMS had ignored the season 4 / season 5 thing.

Understand that you over-estimate the power of fandom in the current TV
market.

For starters the studios have gotten used to letter writing campaigns by
SF fans, and no longer give it the same weight they used to.  

If WB decides to drop year 5, it will be an internal business decision,
and will not be subject to appeal.  About one-third of all new shows
presented at NATPE this year to the stations either aren't going or are in
serious trouble because WB, UPN and FOX are grabbing more nights of
committed programming at local stations...in simple terms: there is no
room at the inn.

That's the single biggest obstacle right now to WB renewing the show, I'm
told.  That the market has changed, and the stations either have other
commitments, or are tempted by new, highly-promoted shows, as opposed to a
fifth year of a show they know.  

I've had to make adjustments to cover my bets in either direction; if I
did what you describe, and there ended up not being a year 5, the story
would not have an ending, and the thing would be pointless.  It's not a
matter of "sticking to one's guns."  It's a matter of protecting the fans,
and the story, because I have no control whatsoever over what's going to
be decided shortly.  Neither do the fans.  It ain't the same world as when
ST was saved for one more season.  We've been told, point-blank, that WB
*wants* to do the show next year, because they're making a LOT of money on
it...but if there's no room for the show at enough stations to make it
viable, they won't be able to do it.  (And they can't take it to cable, we
found out this week, because the PTEN contract for the show expressly
forbids it).

I've isolated the threads that would go into a year 5; if we get year 5,
I'll pull the triggers on that, and we'll do those stories.  If not, those
threads will go into the sequel.  Either way, we're covered...because I
can't ask fans to stick around for 4 or 5 years of a show, and not achieve
resolution.  It would be thoughtless and cruel.


 jms





Date: 7 Mar 1997 14:17:23 -0500
Subject: Re: Worries about TNT showing B5?

It's my understanding that TNT will not cut anything from the shows...in
fact, due to PTEN dropping the Kung Fu 30 second promo (temporarily filled
by a 30 second B5 promo at 40 minutes into the program), we were told this
week that we now have an additional 30 seconds that we can add to the
show's length.  When we heard this, we asked if we were to put this in
only to have it cut by TNT later, but were told that it would be left
intact.  (They can't put in any more commercials because it's currently at
the maximum allowable limit under FCC rules.)

I imagine the logo will appear, as it standard with all such shows.

I have to say that TNT has proven to be *very* excited about picking up
B5, and they want to do a great deal of promotion for it, and plan to make
it a real centerpiece.  If fans of the show want to write to them to
continue to encourage this, and to thank them for wanting to treat the
show right (thus encouraging more of this in future), and suggest their
support and creative freedom for the upcoming sequel now in negotiations,
I certainly think nobody would object....


 jms





Date: 7 Mar 1997 14:18:30 -0500
Subject: Re: Atten JMS:  re: merchandising

"I read that you have decided to increase the amount of merchandising for
the show.  Any guesses as to specific types of product?"

We're going to be doing a few more things, incrementally.  Del Rey is
coming out with more nonfiction B5 books, starting with reprints of the
Bassom UK books on B5, then the 3 volume episode guide covering the first
three seasons (with more to come, obviously), and a number of other
nonfiction books that are starting to move ahead, detailing the production
and related areas of B5.

The Hamilton Collectors plates will start coming out shortly (the Sheridan
one is very nice, but the real killer is the Delenn plate, which is just
stunning), same for the Antioch Publishing stuff, including bookmarks,
bookplates, journals, magnets and the like (and they've done some
*terrific* stuff at Antioch, including bookmarks with each year's
narration).  

I saw a test run on the first part of the B5 informational CDrom which
we're doing in-house the other day, and it's just spiffy...gorgeous
looking, and it's going to be just a bit on the subversive side, as is
standard with anything B5.  I'll have to check, but I think we're shooting
for a spring release on this one.

There's more cards coming out from Fleer, a new version fo the B5 comic
(with a starting 3-issue arc written by me (issue 1) and Peter David (2
and 3), some character figures to be released in groups of 3, and the
Monogram/Revell models coming down the pike shortly.  The B5 RPG and
tactical games are almost ready to ship.

Not a lot, but a bit more.  Mainly, it's just the cool stuff I'd like
myself....



 jms





Date: 7 Mar 1997 13:42:14 -0500
Subject: Re: Atten George - film?

David-

A complete film print is never made.........yet.  (I have learned that
never is a very bad word used in this forum:-))

The international (read PAL/SECAM) and archival (read 16:9) versions are
from a conformed negative, that has black placed where the effects shots
are.  Those shots are converted or remade from the digital source, and
cut into the show in the WB resolution independent post environment.

We have done tests (early on and recently) to prove that the CG and
composites can hold up to film transfer, so who knows what the future
will bring? BUT... there is no complete film prints of any episode at
this time.

George Johnsen
CoProducer, B5




Date: 7 Mar 1997 13:22:41 -0500
Subject: Re: ATTN JMS and/or GEORGE:  Videssence, Inc.?

Oh those Netter financial press releases!

SRGB is a new calibration standard for a cool burning, stable,
predictable lighting for entertainment and other uses.  Currently in
development are a new "kit" of stage lights that will excite the
emulsion of film properly so that what is seen on the set can be exactly
what is realized on the film when it is transferred.  The lights are
based on a custom flourescent formulation with a digitally switched
power supply and exciter.  This is new territory, and has some exciting
possibilities for production.

The Videssence lighting is being used at B-5 primarily as "gimmick"
lighting until such time as JFlinn3 decides that it is a reasonable
replacement for the Incandescent lights that are the norm for film based
production.  When the lights are perfected, there will be no visible
color difference to the viewer.   The technology involved will allow 
smaller instruments to be used, and there will be some different effects
possible.  These will be realized after the baseline success has been
achieved.

When that happens, I will let you know what to look for!

George Johnsen
CoProducer, B5




Date: 9 Mar 1997 03:53:43 -0500
Subject: Re: ATTN: JMS - Trinkets and Baubles

Re: t-shirts...I forgot to mention that the B5 official fan club now has 3
t-shirts available that are pretty nifty.  And we plan on shortly coming
out with Agamemnon caps, various pins and other stuff.  


 jms





Date: 9 Mar 1997 03:53:46 -0500
Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: Buying the rights? (was Re: I wish JMS had ignored the

"Could the fans form a co-op to buy the rights?  What would it cost?"

WB would never sell.



 jms





Date: 9 Mar 1997 04:02:03 -0500
Subject: Re: ATTN: JMS Games

All some gaming company has to do is option the game from WB.  I'm for it.


 jms





Date: 9 Mar 1997 03:51:39 -0500
Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: B5 in Encyclopedia Britanica yearbook for 1996

Cool...at least we got mentioned.


 jms





Date: 9 Mar 1997 13:45:27 -0500
Subject: Re: ATTN JMS:  SFWA  How about a new group?

I dunno about new groups...the more I see of SFWA, the more I begin to
understand why writers work alone....


 jms






Date: 9 Mar 1997 13:45:52 -0500
Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: The Day After Your "Bobby Ewing Moment"

Here is what will happen between now and 1 March 97
        to your Babylon 5.  <long description follows>
                You may change one -- and only one --
                thing, large or small, that concerns
                Babylon5.  Choose.  Choose NOW.
Your choice, joe?


More chocolate frosted doughnuts on the craft services table on days when
we have lots and lots of extras and I don't get my fix when I arrive in
the morning.


 jms






Date: 9 Mar 1997 20:56:16 -0500
Subject: Re: Attn: Jms "I want my Londo Action Figure"

I forget which company, but one of the companies that produces
high-quality figures (about 10" high, individually boxed) will be coming
out with B5 characters in the near future, now that the deal is closed. 
They'll come out in groups of three, starting with Sheridan, Delenn and
G'Kar.  The second batch will be Londo, Ivanova and Kosh.  I can't recall
the next batch offhand, though certainly Garibaldi is in it.


 jms





Date: 9 Mar 1997 20:57:27 -0500
Subject: Re: Attn: JMS-----How many episodes?

422 wraps shooting in May, yes.  Then the two TNT movies will follow
shooting in May/June.


 jms





Date: 9 Mar 1997 20:58:04 -0500
Subject: Re: The Illusion of Truth: Gutsy and Brilliant! (spoiler)

"This B5 episode should be required viewing in University media and
history classes."

Funny thing is, I've since received several requests from instructors at
various colleges asking if they could use the show in their classroom to
illustrate the points raised.  Kinda nice....




 jms





Date: 10 Mar 1997 06:04:14 -0500
Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: Writing Question

"Do you always write the ending first?"

No, because the exact *shape* of the ending never come clear to me until
after I've written all the material preceding.  I *know* where it's going,
I have a fairly clear vision whenever I write a script of where I want it
to end, but I don't actually write it first, no.  Mark Twain said, "You
should never write a story until you have finished it to your
satisfaction."  So yeah, you do have to know it.


 jms





Date: 10 Mar 1997 06:06:19 -0500
Subject: Re: Attn JMS or anyone who knows

In that kind of situation, my *guess* (and that's all it would be) is that
the book would be eligible in its own Novel category, and the script would
be eligible in that category, noting the "based on" in the credits.  But
again, that's just a guess, as I haven't read *nearly* enough Alice in
Wonderland to truly appreciate or wrap my brains around how SFWA would
deal with this question.


 jms





Date: 10 Mar 1997 13:23:59 -0500
Subject: Re: Attn JMS: B5 reference in X-Files episode

Thanks...I hadn't heard that Psi Cop story...much appreciated.


 jms






Date: 10 Mar 1997 13:26:37 -0500
Subject: Re: ATTN: JMS/SFWA/Scripts

That's one of the things about scripts...lots of people (and I'm
generalizing this beyond SFWA) like to pretend that a script is somehow
vastly different than any other kind of writing, often because they have
an agenda (including the notion that you have to pay $450 per session for
a consultant to teach you how to read it), but fundamentally...a story is
a story is a story.  Dialogue is dialogue.  Only the margins vary.  


 jms






Date: 10 Mar 1997 13:24:23 -0500
Subject: Re: JMS: Why doesn't PTEN sell B5 to WB?

"My question is this: If PTEN is so anxious to close up for good, why not
simply renegotiate the original contract and sell to WB, who can then
consign the fifth season to TNT for production?"

The show cannot appear in first-run on cable; the PTEN agreement
specifically precludes this, it turns out.




 jms






Date: 12 Mar 1997 03:02:27 -0500
Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: Shakespeare

I've considered the "was it/who was Shakespeare" discussion...and while
it's academically interesting, it doesn't much pull me in.  Doesn't
matter, in one sense.  Doesn't matter of Macbeth was written by him, or
someone else, or a frighteningly advanced species of peacock that to
everyone's surprise evolved an opposable thumb...it's still one of the
great masterworks of the english language.

"Truth is beauty, and beauty truth; that is all you know and all you need
to know."


 jms





Date: 12 Mar 1997 02:55:40 -0500
Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: Directorial debut

Yes, I'll be directing 422, which I'll also write.


 jms





Date: 12 Mar 1997 08:51:46 -0500
Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: Intersections in Real Time (no spoilers)

As this has the potential to be a very cool and somewhat experimental
episode, I'd rather say nothing until later.


 jms






Date: 12 Mar 1997 22:31:16 -0500
Subject: Re: Atten George - film?

Jay-

No, I wouldn't like to have B5 lost in a nuclear holocaust, but film
won't do us any good in that instance, as the theatres will also be
blasted, methinks.  

As to the issue of archival, there is no complete film print, but all of
the live action sequences are conformed on negative, plus the animation
files are stored so that they can be recreated and rerendered at
whatever resolution is needed (post explosion, of course).

This protects us from allowing our follow on civilizations from being
fooled by the shadows.

George Johnsen
CoProducer, B5




Date: 14 Mar 1997 03:20:16 -0500
Subject: Re: ATTN JMS

I think if I nudge George, I can get him to come to SDCC this summer....


 jms





Date: 14 Mar 1997 03:21:31 -0500
Subject: Re: Thanks, but no thanks

You're mistaken.  Gold Channel (my private journals and photos) is the
only area closed to non-Fan Club members.  It's *free* to FC members,
there is no other charge involved.


 jms





Date: 14 Mar 1997 19:17:33 -0500
Subject: Re: Thanks, but no thanks

"And by the way, I think it's pretty darn unscrupulous to take material
that JMS published for the enjoyment and education of B5's fans and charge
money for it. I somehow doubt that that was his intent, and your attempt
at forcing me to pay to
see material which costs you virtually nothing to publicize is disgusting
and very untypical of the high-quality fan community that B5 posseses."

Err...the material you mention is taken from my personal journal, and was
never published anywhere.  When we were coming up with the maximum we
could give to FC members to make it worth doing (and I tend to err in the
direction of doing more than less), I thought as a bonus, a niceness for
the FC members online, to put my journal up there.

Whatever you may think, you are not entitled to everything I write for
free.  And this section isn't charged for in ANY event; it wasn't even
mentioned in the original FC applications or brochures.  It's a baker's
dozen, lagniappe, a little extra we gave that only the fan club members
can have access to.

"If I wanted color photos, I'd've bought color photos. If I wanted a
button,
I'd've bought a button. But if I, as a fan, want to learn more about the
show I love, and you have the means to provide me with that online and
expect me to PAY for it."

No, the only thing involved here in FC membership and the Gold Channel. 
The informational areas on thestation.com are open to anyone; the chat
area is open to anyone; the message center is open to anyone; the station
tour is open to anyone; this one area alone is set aside for FC members.

Bottom line...it's *my* material, and I can do with it as I so choose.  If
I want to make of it a gift to FC members, I can do that.  I'm sorry you
don't like it.  And I assume that you will now let anyone use anything of
yours that they want, since to withhold or make them pay for something of
yours is the old porno trick.


 jms






Date: 14 Mar 1997 20:00:24 -0500
Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: Model Stuation

Brad-

The first model out will be the Starfury.  The model business is still a
very tedious process, as any manufacturer will tell you.  We sent out
blueprints and three views of the Starfury months ago, and they have
just asked for more this week.  They have a sculptor building a master,
and then they will cut steel tooling, whick will be test shot, test
built, and refined before we see it on the shelf.  All in all a tediuos
and frustrating process.  

Fortunately, the process on different models can work simultaneously, if
they are not using the same sculptor.  The release schedule will be
adjusted as the project proceeds.

It is interesting that the merchandising for B5 is starting to get
REALLY hot.  Warners Special Products is really B5 happy right now. 
Hope this bodes well for future products!

George Johnsen
CoProducer, Babylon 5




Date: 14 Mar 1997 20:01:04 -0500
Subject: Re: New episodes

Leo-

Not exactly true!  We start new episodes the week of April 28 with
episode 410 (Racing Mars), and go straight through  May with new eps.

All of our syndication contracts are for the full season 4 with the
entities that are broadcasting the show now.

George Johnsen
CoProducer, Babylon 5




Date: 14 Mar 1997 20:00:10 -0500
Subject: Re: Letterboxing

Hi 5heads!

Letterboxing will not happen on TNT.  Sorry. They will be showing the
original episodes uncut, in their original broadcast form. 

If and when DVD happens for B5 it will most certainly be 16:9.  All of
the prep work is done for that release.


George Johnsen
CoProducer, B5




Date: 14 Mar 1997 20:00:36 -0500
Subject: Re: TNT in Dolby Surround?

Confirmation:  TNT is indeed broadcasting in full Dolby Surround Stereo.

George J
CoProd, B5



Date: 18 Mar 1997 04:28:08 -0500
Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: Apologies for Megacon

I was, and remain, very upset about the video/audio situation, especially
since I made a point of going to the area a few hours earlier (as some who
were sitting around waitinf for Peter's panel can testify) to check out
the equipment, and told everyone concerned that I didn't think it was
going to work out right, but they *insisted* that they'd tested it, and it
would be fine...and wouldn't change it...and, of course, it sucked.

I'm assured that, if I come there again, this will not happen again.  I
don't know if that's going to be a good enough guarantee, it may take a
little more than that next time.  

I love it when someone tries to say, "No, no, our experts and techs
checked it."  HEY!  I WORK IN TEEVEE!  I PRODUCE A SERIES!  I KNOW WHAT
I'M TALKING ABOUT DON'T TAKE ME FOR HAVING JUST FALLEN OFF THE TURNIP
TRUCK!  

...sigh....


 jms





Date: 18 Mar 1997 05:35:46 -0500
Subject: Re: JMS: Star Struck - Effects on your writing

"Have you ever had any problems writing a part for an actor you admire?"

Not really, since in 99% of all cases the program, whatever it is, is cast
*after* I turn in the script.  

"Have you ever been star struck?"

When we had Paul Williams, and Michael York...yeah, definitely.  And I
turned all fanboy, had Paul autograph 2 of my CDs for "Phantom of the
Paradise," and had York sign my laserdisk of "Cabaret."

"How do you deal with writing for people you greatly admire?"

See above.  It's usually after the fact.  In any event, I just write the
character, not the actor.





 jms





Date: 19 Mar 1997 03:27:49 -0500
Subject: Re: ATTN JMS:  Sequel Scriptwriters

I have some interesting ideas, but let's get the show off the ground
first....


 jms





Date: 19 Mar 1997 03:41:14 -0500
Subject: Re: JMS: Star Struck - Effects on your writing

I wasn't able to find the CDs anywhere here in the US, I located them in
the UK, at Virgin Records.  Maybe a UK fan can help you find it.


 jms





Date: 19 Mar 1997 12:29:08 -0500
Subject: Re: JMS: Thanks for MegaCon



I thought the fans were great, and in some respects the folks running it
were good to work with, but the video/audio fiasco still irks
me...especially considering what I found out later, which was that there
was an Anime room with a perfectly good AV system which they'd glommed
onto and we could've transferred to that room.  


 jms







Date: 20 Mar 1997 21:54:16 -0500
Subject: Re: ATTN: Anybody who knows - Will JMS address the government breakup

The problems caused by the breakup of the Grey Council will form a major
part of the story arc about mid-season.


 jms






Date: 25 Mar 1997 21:08:10 -0500
Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: The Shadow Within

Thanks...yeah, everything I've heard back so far from fans has backed up
what I said here a while ago...that this one was the best B5 book to date.
 

Re: C4's debut...I have no direct information from WB on this. 
(Interestingly, many at WB don't know either.)  Ironicallly, I only know
what's on the nets, and some British fans said that the C4 duty officer
gave April 14th as a possible debut, but that's the extent of what I know
(or don't know) (or might know in an alternate universe, in another
incarnation) (truth is beauty, beauty truth, this is all you know and all
you need to know).


 jms






Date: 25 Mar 1997 21:08:26 -0500
Subject: Re: - Ellison Reported to Say No 5th Season -

There was another post by Harlan in his forum, and a few others on usenet,
in which he retracts this, btw...it was late, he was tired, and he
misspoke.  He's utterly chagrined by it.


 jms






Date: 25 Mar 1997 21:08:56 -0500
Subject: Re: Jms, are you OK?

Of the choices given....

1. Too busy. Will get back when I'm not utterly snowed under.
2. Not feeling very well at the moment.
3. Haven't anything of interest to say right now. Thought I'd wait 
    until I had some news.
4. The questions being raised at the moment have already been 
    answered or aren't addressed to me.
5. Couldn't get my computer to post to the new address 
    (b5mod@deepthot.cary.nc.us.).
6. Other (please specify if it's not top secret).

It's 1, 3, and 4, with a little of 6 going on.  I'm just completely up to
my ass in alligators with production right now.  As usual, WB wants to
hold 4 episodes for October, but that means because they held back there's
going to be a big crunch of new shows in May sweeps.  Nine eps in a row. 
So we're busting our butts to get stuff ready.

They'll be airing 310 through 318 between April 18th and June 13th.  Which
will at least give us a big boost and ramp things up.

"You're getting us worried, Great Maker. Are you OK? ( }:-( )"

Fine.  Pooped.  But fine.




 jms






Date: 26 Mar 1997 18:51:00 -0500
Subject: Re: ATTN JMS:  Westercon?

I'll definitely be at Westercon.


 jms





Date: 28 Mar 1997 01:48:55 -0500
Subject: Re: Attn: JMS -- Jack McDevitt question

Yeah, the Starship Straczynski is in Jack's novel as a result of a charity
auction.  I could never do it in my own work, but the idea of a starship
with that name was very funny to me, and I held my own in the auction
(this was a long time ago) against a woman with an even longer and more
convoluted name than my own to get that one.


 jms





Date: 28 Mar 1997 01:51:43 -0500
Subject: Re: - Ellison Reported to Say No 5th Season -

Re: 422...this one is a stand-alone episode which I specifically designed
in order to have the flexibility to air it either as 422 or as 522,
depending on what happens.  This way if year 4 is all there is, we get to
where we need to get; if we get year 5, then we shoot 501 and air it in
422's spot, and air 422 in place of 522.


 jms





Date: 29 Mar 1997 01:33:56 -0500
Subject: Re: ATTN JMS:  Babylon 5 novels

Yeah, Jeanne did a great job on the book.

And what you describe is exactly the approach I've already begun taking
with the books, and will continue to do so in future: using them to
explore the areas and things that are mentioned in the show but not
actually shown, background and foreground stories, linked to the history
of B5.

There's a thousand years of story there to play with....


 jms






Date: 29 Mar 1997 01:36:15 -0500
Subject: Re: ATTN: JMS - Q on writers, religion, & the Oscars...

It's not my experience that most writers in town are agnostic, but I don't
get around as much as Jodi (no sarcasm intended; she's done a wide range
of work).  I wouldn't agree, though that doesn't make it untrue, just that
my experience doesn't reflect that.


 jms






Date: 31 Mar 1997 01:34:08 -0500
Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: "Seconds" on Laser

On the release: cool, I'll definitely pick it up.

On the remake: feh on Paramount.  They already made it right the first
time.


 jms





Date: 31 Mar 1997 11:06:15 -0500
Subject: Re: JMS' Top 10 Pet Peeves (Humor) (fwd)

Speaking of the Lucas thing in your list (reasonably funny, btw)....

When I was in Orlando for Megacon, on Sunday, I didn't want to spend the
whole time in the hotel, so I went out and had a perfectly awful night
(it's too awful for details)...and I got back around 10 p.m., figured I'd
go for a late dinner to the Sizzler's next door to the hotel.

Went in, wearing my B5 jacket, and as the guy shows me to my seat, he
says, "I know you...yessir, I know who you are."  

I mumbled something at him, the usual bit about being recognized, and he
continued.  "You're here for the convention, aren't you?"  So I allowed as
how I was....

"I knew it, I knew it," he said.  "You're one of them Trekkies."

The only thing that kept me from killing him was that I didn't know the
penalty for murder in Florida.


 jms






Date: 31 Mar 1997 14:37:14 -0500
Subject: Re: Possible Tech-type Issues: EF Starship Questions

The answer in Real Life vs. Reel Life is substantially correct.  There
are always dramatic decisions to be made that can a) appeal to current
tech eyes, and b) satisfy our fixed budget. 

This is a hard line to walk, and we keep stepping over it in both
directions.  We keep asking questions, and following advice (thanks,
John!), but there are astill things that we do that simply look good,
and fit the story.  We are constantly improving even our stock shots,
though.  Notice the shuttle sequence in 410 now has retro fire in the
bay before main engine burn, and the main engines don't burn forever,
like they did before.  We had a reverse-burn (decelerating) transport
coming into Mars in 410 that was cut for time, leaving the "manouvering
to orbit shot" only (which, I'm sure, will get some people up in the
air, but hey- we can't buy the commercials!) We will continue to improve
the science we use as we go.

One of things we discussed substantially before we did it was the
rotating sections on the EA destroyers.  If we had locked them down, as
some say we should have, we would be having this discussion about magnet
shoes or something to explain why there were no floating folks in the
interior shots during engagement.  

As to explosive decompression, we have always postulated that anything
hit hard enough to have serious ED would probably be hard pressed to
sustain viable survivors.  I suspect that there will pressure suits used
in the short term and some Webb suit variant that will be used in the
mid term of outer travel.  We are not doing any "Nightflyers"- style
decompression gags in the near future, so we will not deal with that
issue yet.

George Johnsen
CoProducer, B5




Date: 31 Mar 1997 14:37:41 -0500
Subject: Re: ATTN:JMS re:holding back final 4 eps till fall

Kids-

The WB MO has always been to hold some eps until the following season. 
The only thing that has happened here is that the post production
schedule has been moved up to allow a bigger block of new episodes in a
continuous string.  Sine the ratings for B5 always grow through a period
of new eps, imagine what will happen this time!

Geez, folks, you always blast us during reruns- why is it that giving a
bunch of new eps in a bunch is a trigger for much worry and speculation?

There has been NO official or unofficial decision on S-5 at this time. 
This occurance is independent of that decision.  That is not to say that
there hasn't been discussions...........

George Johnsen
CoProducer (and meeting boy), B5