lurkers-guide/ftp/Usenet/jms98-04-usenet

JMS (and coproducer George Johnsen) Usenet messages for April 1998.


Date: 1 Apr 1998 10:21:39 -0700
Subject: Re: Top 10 never-to-be-solved mysteries of B5

Well, at least 3 of those do get answered....


 jms

(jmsatb5@aol.com)
B5 Official Fan Club at:
http://www.thestation.com

Date: 1 Apr 1998 23:44:57 -0700
Subject: Re: ATTN: JMS.  Comments on Phoenix Rising<spoilers>

>Thank you for creating this beauty, and if any more new
>episodes have this kind of feel to them, I feel like i'm going to have
>to send you a medical bill, for I will surely end up in the hospital.

Then you'd better up your insurance, real soon.

I'll just say this: we were lucky to get one "Coming of Shadows" episode a
year, a while back.  In the latter half of this season, especially from about
516-520 or thereabouts, we have one just about eveyr week.

I gave folks a respite for the first part, because in the second part of this
season, I'm going to hurt you.  There will be some light at the end, because I
wouldn't end this otherwise, but in the interim, it's gonna be pretty damned
intense.


 jms

(jmsatb5@aol.com)
B5 Official Fan Club at:
http://www.thestation.com

Date: 1 Apr 1998 23:53:16 -0700
Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: Bruce B and Cast Turmoil?

The real bottom line is, it's not easy when one's horse is shot out from under
one.  There's no way to take it lightly.

I've been saying for five years, "This is a five year story.  When it's over,
it's over."  But there's the statement, and the reality of the statement; two
different things.  To the viewers, it's the end of the story.  To an actor,
it's "I'm out of work now because Joe said it was a five year story instead of
a six year story."  

I know that a lot of the cast have been in denial about this for a long time,
many of them said in interviews, "Yeah, well, Joe's said it's a five year arc,
but I don't see why it couldn't go longer."  But if you live in that notion,
then when the reality hits, it hits hard.

So the reaction is perfectly understandable on an emotional level.  When a show
is over, everyone's gone.  In this town, that usually means "you're fired, the
network doesn't like you or the show."  It's a personal rejection.  Here it was
my decision, from the git-go, that this series would go five years and no more.
 That's kind of a new thing, and takes some getting used to.  You can only
interpret it by what you've experienced before.

One or two cast members may transition over into Crusade, assuming it goes
ahead, but that show *has* to be its own show, it can't be just a repackaged
B5.  (And I'm referring to regulars here, there's plenty of room for
guest-starring roles for nearly all of our characters at one point or another,
plus the likelihood of more B5 TV movies, plus the real possibility of a B5
feature.)

It's an emotional reaction, and totally understandable.

 jms

(jmsatb5@aol.com)
B5 Official Fan Club at:
http://www.thestation.com

Date: 2 Apr 1998 00:00:56 -0700
Subject: Re: BAB5 Night of the Long Knives?

Read my lips.

The Series Is Over.

What did you *think* was gonna happen when the show ended?  Everybody was just
gonna hang around?  


 jms

(jmsatb5@aol.com)
B5 Official Fan Club at:
http://www.thestation.com

Date: 2 Apr 1998 19:44:52 -0700
Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: Lolita and the Public (I swear this is on-topic!)

There are no thoughts too radical for a people to view; there are just some
people too radical to control the  thoughts of others.

 jms

(jmsatb5@aol.com)
B5 Official Fan Club at:
http://www.thestation.com

Date: 3 Apr 1998 22:07:09 -0700
Subject: Re: ATTN JMS:  Can Crusade really work?

There are many other good writers out there who I have every confidence can do
a good job on Crusade.  And bear in mind that any script that comes in
generally gets revised by me, so I'll be in there.  The plan for now is that
I'll do about 11 scripts out of 22, and have freelancers doing the other half.

 jms

(jmsatb5@aol.com)
B5 Official Fan Club at:
http://www.thestation.com

Date: 4 Apr 1998 00:31:00 -0700
Subject: Re: Canadian TVGuide Article ATTN:JMS

Could you send me a copy of that issue?  The info about Gene rewriting him is
totally incorrect.

Send it to me if you can at 14431 Ventura Boulevard, Suite 260, Sherman Oaks,
CA 91423, I would be vastly appreciative, so I can get it to Harlan, who can
correct their information.

 jms

(jmsatb5@aol.com)
B5 Official Fan Club at:
http://www.thestation.com

Date: 4 Apr 1998 00:33:02 -0700
Subject: Re: attn JMS: Byron's name

Well, we had Simon and Peter, who worked with Byron, and of course the most
famous Byron is Lord Byron...

 jms

(jmsatb5@aol.com)
B5 Official Fan Club at:
http://www.thestation.com

Date: 6 Apr 1998 18:13:16 -0600
Subject: Re: Better Things Come in Small Packages

Significantly, while the Pasadena con was asking $50 for autographs, over half
the B5 cast was at the Glendale Galleria today and yesterday (and me with them)
meeting the fans face to face and signing autographs and getting to see props
and other stuff...for free.

 jms

(jmsatb5@aol.com)
B5 Official Fan Club at:
http://www.thestation.com

Date: 6 Apr 1998 21:06:20 -0600
Subject: Crusade Confirmed

As has come out in the press today, CRUSADE: The Babylon Project, is officially
a go project as a series.  We start shooting July 27th to go on the air January
6th.  More info will follow over time.

Also, for those of a collecting nature...tomorrow will see the publication of
the Babylon 5 issue of the Hollywood Reporter, a tribute to the show and some
of the new production techniques we've pioneered.  You can try various news
stands or libraries as a main source for this one.


 jms

(jmsatb5@aol.com)
B5 Official Fan Club at:
http://www.thestation.com

Date: 6 Apr 1998 21:09:19 -0600
Subject: Re: ATTN: JMS--Questions on Crusade Development Process?

>what sorts of issues do you
>consider in determining whether to *change* main people on the team for
>new series. It's not just a matter of whether they have been doing a great
>job or not because sometimes (as, I think, in the case of the DP) you
>just want something quite different for the new series.  I'm not asking
>who else you might be changing, but just how you, as Executive Producer,
>go about thinking this issue through for each of the main production
>people.

We're not doing a lot of changing.  One thing that does tend to get changed for
a new series is the *look* of the show, you want Crusade to have a different
and distinct appearance, to be its own show.  So for instance we're bringing in
new graphic designers to do screen stuff and signage and other related stuff.  

Other times it's an individual choice.  Anne Bruice-Aling recently had a baby,
and she wants to dedicate the next year or so toward raising her kid, so while
she'll remain available for occasional stuff or consulting, we'll have someone
else heading up the wardrobe department.

Mainly, you want to hold onto as many of your original people as you can,
because we've trained our folks to work in a certain, particular way.  Nobody
else really does things the way we do them on B5, and it's wiser to hold onto
your crew, and give incentives, to keep them around.  (We tend to promote from
within the ranks and reward loyalty rather than bring in new folks, that sort
of thing.)

>(2) What does the document often called the series "bible" actually cover? 
>What kinds of background do you think it is helpful to provide to other
>writers in such a document, and what kinds of things do you prefer to
>avoid?  (I'm guessing you may be actually writing such a thing right
>around now.) 

I put in it basically whatever I think will be useful to anyone, as much as I
can think up.  Characters' names, backgrounds, descriptions, the kinds of
stories we are looking for, the kinds of stories we *don't* want to see, what
is good SF and what ain't, sample storylines we plan to develop, that sort of
thing.

I'm now in the process of converting over the "sell treatment," done for the
network, to a working series bible, which will go out to those writers with
whom I've either worked before, or whose work I know and have wanted to work
with for a while (as was the case with Neil Gaiman).

 jms

(jmsatb5@aol.com)
B5 Official Fan Club at:
http://www.thestation.com

Date: 7 Apr 1998 05:47:52 -0600
Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: A Defining Moment

>What is the defining moment of Babylon 5 to you? The one moment when it all
>comes together?

If this is concerning individual episodes...it's in the editing and the audio
mix stages, that's when it actually becomes an episode.

For the series overall...I don't know how to answer that.

 jms

(jmsatb5@aol.com)
B5 Official Fan Club at:
http://www.thestation.com

Date: 7 Apr 1998 05:47:58 -0600
Subject: Re: JMS: Rewriting Harlan in TV Guide

Negative; the revisions to Harlan's script were apparently done by DC Fontana
and Gene L. Coon, not Roddenberry (see Harlan's book on this for more info).

 jms

(jmsatb5@aol.com)
B5 Official Fan Club at:
http://www.thestation.com

Date: 8 Apr 1998 20:35:23 -0600
Subject: Re: ATTEN JMS    re:Earth Final Conflict

Haven't seen any of the show yet.

 jms

(jmsatb5@aol.com)
B5 Official Fan Club at:
http://www.thestation.com

Date: 8 Apr 1998 20:35:33 -0600
Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: Why no techno-babble?

Because this show ain't that show, and I personally find it dull and
impenetrable.

 jms

(jmsatb5@aol.com)
B5 Official Fan Club at:
http://www.thestation.com

Date: 8 Apr 1998 20:49:53 -0600
Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: Flawed Concept in Crusade? (Possible Spoiler)

A couple of other people have raised this question; here's why I consider it a
non-issue.

Does anyone here really think that, after X-years of following the Crusade
story, we're going to come to the end in which our heroes look out through the
window of the Excalibur at a dead Earth...glance at each other...shrug...and
say, "Oh, well, I guess we should've found it ten minutes earlier, huh?"...and
head off into the sunset.

Anybody out there see this as a likely scenario?  Raise your hands.  

Yes, they're going to find the cure at some point.  Where and when and how, and
in what segments, is one issue...and the rest is the journey to *get* there. 
It's like saying, "We know the wagon trains got to California, so nothing
interesting could've happened along the way."  Tell that to those who died
along the way.

You're confusing the issues with the following:

>If the 
>show's basic premise is that the hero's are searching for something
>(in 
>Voyager's case, a way home; in Crusade, a cure) then the viewer knows in
>
>advance that they will not find it (until possibly the end of the series, if
>at all). 
>Because if they did, it would by defintion, change the shape of the
>show. 

There you make my point for me.  That's the frustration aspect: you know if
they get home, the show's over.  So they will never get home, the viewer knows
that, and gets frustrated.

Here, you know that eventually, somehow, humanity will be saved.  So there's no
frustration knowing it ain't ever gonna happen.  Instead, you can sit back and
see how it happens, and who is affected by what happens.  

This is something very common to what I've done with B5's story telling. 
Starting at episode 1 of season 1, we learn that G'Kar and Londo will die
strangling one another.  I put those cards right on the table, face-up.  Did
that ruin anything for anybody?  Much to the contrary, as we learned the
process that led up to, and following, that incident.  If anything, knowing
that in advance added a whole new layer and subtext to the show.

I've always looked for ways to experiment and turn viewers preconceptions
upside down and back on themselves.  Crusade will let me take this a step
further.

Bottom line...I didn't turn suddenly stupid.  I know exactly what I'm doing
with this.

 jms

(jmsatb5@aol.com)
B5 Official Fan Club at:
http://www.thestation.com

Date: 9 Apr 1998 20:34:15 -0600
Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: Crusade/Net presence?

No, once B5 is finished airing, I'll still be pulling back a bit.  It's that or
go mad....

 jms

(jmsatb5@aol.com)
B5 Official Fan Club at:
http://www.thestation.com

Date: 9 Apr 1998 20:45:26 -0600
Subject: Re: Attn JMS: Visions of Madaline Marie O'Hara?

>If you (or any other atheist) saw a Vorlon out of his encounter suit, What
>would you see?

Probably Dick Cavett.

 jms

(jmsatb5@aol.com)
B5 Official Fan Club at:
http://www.thestation.com

Date: 11 Apr 1998 16:51:50 -0600
Subject: Re: ATTN: JMS - Five years

>What if they hadn't respected your wishes? How would that have played 
>out? Since WB owns the show, couldn't they continue to make it without 
>your input?

Two words: scorched earth.

 jms

(jmsatb5@aol.com)
B5 Official Fan Club at:
http://www.thestation.com

Date: 13 Apr 1998 16:51:34 -0600
Subject: Re: ATTN.: JMS - Newsgroup Experiment

>1) Do you consider the exchange of ideas with your viewers to have produced
>the result you were expecting?

I really wasn't looking to the result as much as the process.  I expected a
conversation, and I got one.  Some of it has been odd, we've had the occasional
boorish gatecrasher, but on the whole I think it has been instructive in both
directions.  What more can one ask of a party?

>2) Have other producers, such as  (but not limited to) Messrs. Wolf &
>Bochco, ever asked you about this, and if  so, what was your advice?

Nope.

>3) Has the exchanges with a select few turned you away from the fans at all
>(i.e., made you more jaded or wary)?

Certainly the presence of the psychos has from time to time made it more
difficult; one gets the urge to just yank the modem out of the wall rather than
go out into the room one more time where the nutcases can get to you.  I've
been lied to, lied about, slandered, libeled, accused, villified, tarred (and
sometimes feathered) in absentia, and dead-catted for, essentially, the crime
of talking to the people who like my show.  And the emotional cost of that does
add up over time.  

>4) Do *you* see any downside to having a moderated group - was there any
>drop in *constructive* criticism from rastb5 to .mod?

Nope.  There's as much constructive criticism there as anywhere else.  What it
doesn't have is the same degree of whacko postings by the emotionally infirm.

>5) Do the "joke" e-mails offend or flatter you?

When they come to my private email account, yes; I have enough to wade through
as it is, my private email should be used only when necessary, not for jokes or
the like.

 jms

(jmsatb5@aol.com)
B5 Official Fan Club at:
http://www.thestation.com

Date: 13 Apr 1998 16:51:52 -0600
Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: HDTV

We have, from the beginning, been shooting in widescreen and doing a complex
audio mix and delivering conformed negatives for the purpose of working in the
HDTV mode.  We plan to do more in terms of digital delivery and 5-1 audio sound
for Crusade, among some other tricks we're planning.

 jms

(jmsatb5@aol.com)
B5 Official Fan Club at:
http://www.thestation.com

Date: 13 Apr 1998 16:52:48 -0600
Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: Why We're Bored

There is an interesting story told about the first time that Gaugain (I know I
probably misspelled that, I should know how to spell it but it's late and my
art books aren't at hand) went to visit Van Gogh.  Van Gogh, anticipating his
arrival, had filled the halls with his latest work, to display it for the
master.  Because they fell into certain categories where he came to expect
certain things, he did not notice the intricacies of what was going on in the
composition.

His guest walked down the hall, considering the work -- sunflowers, landscapes
-- and at the end of the tour, announced, "You paint too fast."

"No," Van Gogh said, "you LOOK too fast."


 jms

(jmsatb5@aol.com)
B5 Official Fan Club at:
http://www.thestation.com

Date: 13 Apr 1998 16:52:53 -0600
Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: Freelance writers and Crusade

I'll be handing out premises to established writers I want to work with.  

 jms

(jmsatb5@aol.com)
B5 Official Fan Club at:
http://www.thestation.com

Date: 13 Apr 1998 16:53:10 -0600
Subject: Re: ATTN: JMS, Crusade newsgroup...

I won't be involved online as much, no, and whether or not there's a Crusade
group is not really my call.

 jms

(jmsatb5@aol.com)
B5 Official Fan Club at:
http://www.thestation.com

Date: 13 Apr 1998 16:53:23 -0600
Subject: Re: ATTN JMS:  General Things

You will be hearing the fourth question, yes, and I haven't had time to keep up
with Millennium, unfortunately.

 jms

(jmsatb5@aol.com)
B5 Official Fan Club at:
http://www.thestation.com

Date: 13 Apr 1998 16:55:17 -0600
Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: "The Ragged Edge" and Season 5 Comments

Thanks...after our last stand-alone this coming week, they're all on a par with
"Edge" or better, frankly.  

As for the virtual sets stuff...yeah, some of the early Mars stuff was iffy, I
agree.  That's part of the experimentation process, you never hit it dead-on
the first time.  We learned each time we did something like that, and continued
to experiment until we could more carefully and completely integrate the CGI
virtual sets with the live action, and we're continuing to get more ambitious
about it.  

 jms

(jmsatb5@aol.com)
B5 Official Fan Club at:
http://www.thestation.com

Date: 13 Apr 1998 16:55:46 -0600
Subject: Re: Why doesn't Sheridan warn him?!

>Why the
>heck doesn't Sheridan try to warn Londo about what he saw??

This comes from not separating out what we the viewers know, from what the
characters know.  

What Sheridan knows is that 17 years from now, Londo had something on his
shoulder called a Keeper, which may or may not have a direct connection with
the apparent attack on Centauri Prime by Shadow allies.  

What he doesn't know is, did this happen 16 years ago?  Or six months ago? 
What process led it to happen?  What should he be warning Londo *about*?  He
saw the result...but what process, what event should he warn Londo about to
avoid this?  He doesn't know that the Regent has a keeper, the Regent could be
acting in these ways for his own reasons entirely.

Further, there's a certain trickiness about time stuff.  Okay, so he warns
Londo about something he doesn't really understand...does he now change the
future?  Does he have someone else other than Londo now on the throne, who
won't spare his and Delenn's lives?  

There are too many variables, and not enough actually known by him, to say
anything that would be of any use to anyone.

 jms

(jmsatb5@aol.com)
B5 Official Fan Club at:
http://www.thestation.com

Date: 13 Apr 1998 18:05:28 -0600
Subject: Re: Seeking confirmation

Not true.

 jms

(jmsatb5@aol.com)
B5 Official Fan Club at:
http://www.thestation.com

Date: 14 Apr 1998 07:18:52 -0600
Subject: Re: [Season 5 Spoilers] A problem with the 'attack' arc.


























Y'know, maybe you should wait to see how this pans out before you say it's a
problem.  I *wanted* the audience to know the Centauri are behind this, for
reasons that will become clearer in the episodes that follow.

Again, with this show, it ain't the who or the how, it's the *why*.

 jms

(jmsatb5@aol.com)
B5 Official Fan Club at:
http://www.thestation.com

Date: 15 Apr 1998 07:14:21 -0600
Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: Your "typical" day?

>Howdy, I was just wondering what you'r typical day was/is like. I've heard
>rumors about how much you write, but I've never hear that you actually "eat"
>or
>"sleep". 

Too much of the former, not enough of the latter.

>How much time did you spend on the B5 set while they were filming?

It varies.  In the beginning of the series, I spent a lot of time on the stage,
because we were setting the style and look of the show, and directors were
still trying to figure out what I wanted, and how to deliver what I wanted. 
Over the last couple of years, though, that's decreased...in part because the
directors and the cast all know what's expected, and it's become a well-oiled
machine.  It's also in part due to the increase of my responsibility on the
writing/producing side...by the time I take care of what needs doing, the day's
nearly over and I haven't even made it out to the set once (which kinda bums me
out when it happens).

>   How much time do you spend answering these on-line questions?

I'm on line generally 2-3 hours a day.

>   How much time do you get to sleep?

On weekdays, during production, average about 3-4 hours a night.  I'm at the
stage in the morning, lunch is usually about 1, I'm there until about
6:30-7:00, I get a bite to eat on the way home in most cases, I get behind the
keyboard at about 8-8:30, and I'm there until I crash about 4:30 a.m., and then
I crash.  On weekends I try to make up for the lost sleep as best I can.

>   How much time does it take to write or "fix" a script?

Writing a script is invariably faster than fixing an outside script.  I can
write a script from zero in an average of 5-7 days.  On a few rare occasions
it's gone longer, but when that happens, I find I lose the white-heat of the
story, and it wanders a bit.  In a few cases I've written a script in a day or
two (A View from the Gallery all came out of my keyboard in one day, between
about 4 p.m. and 3 a.m.)

>   How much time do you spend at home or at "work".

It's all work.  Just the office differs.

>Just typical everyday things.


 jms

(jmsatb5@aol.com)
B5 Official Fan Club at:
http://www.thestation.com

Date: 17 Apr 1998 18:54:08 -0600
Subject: Re: Attn.JMS

It's just experience.

On the one hand, you have to be brutal with your *writing*, you can't be too
close to the material.  You have to be able to look at how you present
something from as objective a point of view as you can.  

On the flip side, you have to be as faithful and true to your characters as you
possibly can.  There's the person and there's the telling of the person, and
they're two different creatures.  Learning how to differentiate the two is just
a matter of experience.


 jms

(jmsatb5@aol.com)
B5 Official Fan Club at:
http://www.thestation.com

Date: 20 Apr 1998 19:22:47 -0600
Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: "River of Souls" Casting

>I was wondering what prompted your casting of Ian McShane.  I loved
>him in his comedic role in "Lovejoy."  But, are you planning to cast him
>in a somewhat comedic role, or is it a more dramatic one?
>
>
He's a fine actor; in fact, John is a major Lovejoy fan, so he was hot to get
Ian on board.

>And, hey, Martin Sheen.  Joe, you are moving up in the world.  Did you
>ever think when this B5 started you'd be writing for Martin Sheen?

No, and I'm very pleased.  I'm a huge fan of his work and have been forever.  I
was knocked out when we got him...he considers it one of the best parts he's
had lately on a creative level, and he's been a kick to work with.

 jms

(jmsatb5@aol.com)
B5 Official Fan Club at:
http://www.thestation.com

Date: 21 Apr 1998 19:51:05 -0600
Subject: Re: The Corps is Mother, the Corps is Father ( *Spoilers* )

It says Maternis, Paternis.  Mother, father.  Latin.


 jms

(jmsatb5@aol.com)
B5 Official Fan Club at:
http://www.thestation.com

Date: 21 Apr 1998 20:00:21 -0600
Subject: Re: Another B5 Movie Announced!?

>Just browsing through imdb and found a listing for another movie - after
>River of Souls- to be called Shadows and Lies.

Nope, never heard of it.

 jms

(jmsatb5@aol.com)
B5 Official Fan Club at:
http://www.thestation.com

Date: 21 Apr 1998 20:00:57 -0600
Subject: from jms re: email

Every so often I have to go out with a policy note, so this is it.  If you've
seen this before, ignore it.  If not....

Understand that my private email is reserved for matters that cannot be
discussed pubicly, and extremely personal matters.  It is not to be used for
questions about plot, or character, or theme.  Otherwise I end up answering the
same question individually 50 times instead of answering it once publicly so 50
people can get the same information.  

Do NOT send me jokes, humorous forwarded notes, chain letters, spam or other
stuff.  You may think, "Well, it's just me sending along one little joke," but
bear in mind there are roughly 10.5 million "just me's" out there.  My email is
getting to be impossible to deal with.  Unless there is an overwhelmingly good
reason why a note should be sent via email instead of in a public forum...keep
it public.

Particularly difficult is if someone sends me multiple notes after I reply once
or twice, and if I don't respond to subsequent notes, gets annoyed at me.  I
reply if there is a reason to reply; if not, not.

Please understand that my private email is a privilege, and not to be flooded
with casual story requests or jokes.

 jms

(jmsatb5@aol.com)
B5 Official Fan Club at:
http://www.thestation.com

Date: 24 Apr 1998 21:34:45 -0600
Subject: Re: Attn: JMS - Credit Question

>I am curious as to why Walter Koenig (who as far as I
>can tell has appeared in more S5 eps than either Mumy or Furst) is left out
>of
>the canned opening credit sequence. Is this due to contractual
>considerations?
>Stylistic reasons (i.e. a no "bad" guys policy)?

No, you put someone in the main titles when you make an overall deal, usually 8
episodes or more, with an actor in advance of the season.  With Walter, we
average about 4 eps per season, and they are each negotiated individually, as
they come up.

>I have one acquaintance - a S.T.
>fanatic -
>who solely justifies his condemnation of B5 as a S.T. clone by Koenig's
>presence.... Kinda makes you wanna clean the gene pool, but there you have
>it...)

So in other words, your friend thinks that an actor who is in one successful
show should never work in the TV business, ever again, on any other show,
whether he's a good actor or not.

Your friend is a yutz.

 jms

(jmsatb5@aol.com)
B5 Official Fan Club at:
http://www.thestation.com

Date: 26 Apr 1998 03:05:58 -0600
Subject: Re: Attn jms: Season 5 Opening

>I prefered the original Season 5 opening.  The newer one uses new voice
>overs that are so...bland.  At least the original opening had sound bytes
>directly from older episodes and they had life/emotion in them.

The problem, however, is that since they came from the original production
track, they had a great deal of background noise on them, and in many cases
weren't satisfactory to be heard clearly by most people.  We could put them
back, but then many people wouldn't be able to understand them well, which
kinda defeats the point.

>Also, there's always a greenish streak that flashes from left to right at
>the end of the opening credits.  

Those are colored streamers/trailers being made by a pair of Starfuries.

 jms

(jmsatb5@aol.com)
B5 Official Fan Club at:
http://www.thestation.com

Date: 26 Apr 1998 03:05:50 -0600
Subject: Re: ATTN Jms Season 4 Compression

I basically slid the thing forward about 4 episodes or thereabouts; the
resolution as shown was always the planned resolution.

Interestingly, there have been a number of reviews of the B5 videotapes running
in the British SF magazines, and several of them have mentioned how Into the
Fire actually played much better seen all as a piece with the preceding and
following episodes than they thought it did the first time, which is what I
kinda figured would be the case.

 jms

(jmsatb5@aol.com)
B5 Official Fan Club at:
http://www.thestation.com

Date: 26 Apr 1998 03:06:04 -0600
Subject: Re: Attn JMS: Scripts & Studios

>It was pointed out in the Scriptwriting book that any script sent to a
>studio and rejected is basically a black hole forever; it can't be
>resubmitted there. But what about the writer? Is the writer shunned, or
>just the script?
>
>
Depends on how bad the script was.

 jms

(jmsatb5@aol.com)
B5 Official Fan Club at:
http://www.thestation.com

Date: 26 Apr 1998 03:07:35 -0600
Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: Writing staff

>However, you have stated that you plan to write about half of the episodes
>yourself, and give the other half to freelancers.  Won't using freelancers 
>be difficult, as each writer will have to be taught about your universe?

Yep, though having a series bible will help.

>And won't it mean more work for you, having to make sure each script is
>true to the Crusade characters and universe?

Yep again...having freelancers is actually more difficult even than doing them
myself, but frankly, the only way to find writers who you *can* eventually
bring on staff is to make freelance assignments and see who can hear the music
and who can't.

 jms

(jmsatb5@aol.com)
B5 Official Fan Club at:
http://www.thestation.com

Date: 28 Apr 1998 17:50:22 -0600
Subject: Re: Attn JMS: Shadows and Hegel?

This has come up before...and yes, there is a certain amount of Hegelian
thinking in the approach of the Shadows philosophy, that conflict is a
requirement for progress.

It's also couched somewhat in Jungian terms of the Shadow, which seemed as good
a place as any to hide the necessity of conflict.

 jms

(jmsatb5@aol.com)
B5 Official Fan Club at:
http://www.thestation.com

Date: 29 Apr 1998 17:27:40 -0600
Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: TCIMTCIF Spoilers: Dating Error


























>In this episode, a telepath named Harris develops Multiple Personality
>Disorder, kills his room mate, and flees to Babylon 5.  He leaves behind
>several documents.  One of them was dated with the year 2264.  The current
>year is only 2262.  Why the calender error?

One of his personalities was a Time Lord.

 jms

(jmsatb5@aol.com)
B5 Official Fan Club at:
http://www.thestation.com

Date: 29 Apr 1998 21:17:14 -0600
Subject: Re: ATTN JMS:Black and white pictures, in the future???

Why not?  

I have some pictures of me in B&W as well as color, mainly because in many
cases B&W *looks* better under various lighting conditions.  Go to any good
sized display of art photos, and you'll see that the *majority* of them are
B&W.  

There seems to be this notion that the future means throwing away anything that
isn't at the edge...and it ain't true.  

 jms

(jmsatb5@aol.com)
B5 Official Fan Club at:
http://www.thestation.com

Date: 30 Apr 1998 18:10:08 -0600
Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: TCIMTCIF Spoilers: Dating Error

























And let us also remember, about this guy getting the date wrong on what he was
writing....

HE WAS A NUT.

thankyew

 jms

(jmsatb5@aol.com)
B5 Official Fan Club at:
http://www.thestation.com