Babylon 5 posts by JMS for June This file includes a compilation of posts on GEnie by J. Michael Straczynski in the Babylon 5 topic. The posts are copyright by JMS (and compilation copyright is by GEnie). ************ Topic 22 Wed Nov 20, 1991 SOARON [Bio-Dread] at 19:41 EST Sub: Babylon 5 TWCNBN has been been named! J. Michael Straczynski has managed to bring a new quality to television and promises to do justice to TV and SF with a new action-adventure SF series of his own design. (NO story suggestions, please.) 826 message(s) total. ************ ______ Category 18, Topic 22 Message 92 Mon Jun 01, 1992 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 02:01 EDT ComiCon is August 13-16. We begin filming on August 10th, so it's hard to know exactly what sort of footage (if any) we'll have to show at that time; that's awfully fast. But there will certainly be the current EFX reel, plus whatever new stuff Ron has come up with by then, and we may have some slides as well...we'll see. (You mean I'M not enough?) The core group of stations carrying B5 are themselves paying part of the production costs, so that's an interesting development in terms of delivery and who'll carry what. (This to a question about 11 messages ago.) BTW, we'll have a film crew on premises during our *own* filming, for a Making Of documentary. Gee, suddenly I'm a star.... jms ______ Category 18, Topic 22 Message 95 Mon Jun 01, 1992 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:26 EDT At this point, it looks like I'll be arriving on Thursday, and returning on Sunday. I *imagine* that the B5 presentation will be on Saturday, at least that's what I'm going to push for. Once I know for sure, I'll post the info here. I just learned this evening that the B5 presentation at WesterColt is going to be on a Saturday, though I don't yet have a firm time. jms ______ Category 18, Topic 22 Message 102 Mon Jun 01, 1992 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 22:54 EDT I've already talked to Ron about doing an RTC sometime closer to airdate, and he's agreed. Frankly, I'd rather he continued pounding away at the EFX than here, for the time being. (I can afford to take the time, the script's already written...all I have to do now is, oh, produce the damned thing...besides, I'm just plain nuts.) jms ______ Category 18, Topic 22 Message 114 Wed Jun 03, 1992 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:03 EDT Ah, THAT explains why the picture wasn't in the issue I picked up (June). Will look for the new one next week. In addition to our main casting director, we've now nailed down our supplementary casting directors in New York and elsewhere. Scouting starts next week. Don't expect any announcements on cast soon; for one thing, it should go through Warners first, and for another, we're going to be VERY picky. We don't have to rush, and we're not going to. Sets you can change, lighting you can modify, but your cast is your cast. BTW, one of your number will be seeing the B5 script *and* the B5 demo tomorrow afternoon. If he sees this and would like to comment at all (necessarily vaguely on the script, please), he's welcome to do so. jms ______ Category 18, Topic 22 Message 118 Wed Jun 03, 1992 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 16:47 EDT BTW, for those who might be interested in finding out what your loyal correspondent has gotten himself into THIS time, if you're on the East Coast, check today's (Wednesday's) BOSTON GLOBE, or yesterday's NEW YORK TIMES page 12 (art theft info, which ties into the Globe), or the trades or USA Today over the next day or two. jms ______ Category 18, Topic 22 Message 131 Thu Jun 04, 1992 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 21:29 EDT I'm hesitant to put the name of our casting director up here, only because I'm afraid she'll be flooded. If people want to inquire in mail, I'll pass it along, however. When there get to be too many requests, I may at that point stop. jms ______ Category 18, Topic 22 Message 136 Fri Jun 05, 1992 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 00:04 EDT There are indeed times that TREK has been, to varying degrees, Paramount's only real profit-maker. It is, in essence, a license to print money. Put the ST symbol on something, and it sells. Which is, fundamentally, the reason behind DS9 in the first place. One thing I've kind of avoided was talking much lately about DS9, even though I've been hearing a *lot* from people inside Paramount lately. But the one overwhelming fact is this: TREK is what's called in this business a "franchise," like McDonald's or Burger King. (In more general terms, a franchise is a cop show, or a doctor show...you get the idea. Every studio or network looks for a certain number of "franchise shows" before then setting out to look for New Stuff.) Anyway...and I know some people are going to yell at me, but this really is the truth...DS9 is basically a fiscal repackaging of TNG. For the following reasons: 1) Stations don't like to get one show that runs too long, over the six- seven year mark. It becomes unweildy for them, and the cost of buying a big show package is just a lot larger. 2) A series only begins to make money for the studio when it goes into full-syndication (meaning they stop making new episodes and just rake in the cash). This is particularly true when a show has been on the air for a long time. See, each year, programmed increases in salaries and other areas go up and up and up. By year six, you're paying a HELL of a lot more than you paid for year one. So how are they saving money by doing a NEW series? 3) Pay scales for production staff and cast are always lower for a new series. It's sort of the studio Going Rate. Apparently a number of TNG production people have been told that if they want to stick around after TNG is finished, and go onto DS9, they're going to have to take cuts in salary. Actors fees will be lower overall. So you're starting at a lower baseline, and the really expensive show (TNG) is now over, and in full syndication, earning back some money. When you take all of that into consideration, and factor in the fact that the series takes place in the same universe, with the same basic scenario, same races, same Federation, even some of the same characters, what you come down to is essentially this: that DS9 is a repackaging of the same thing, under a different name, for basically economic reasons. There is no sudden new vision behind it, it's just a less costly extension of the old show. Which is not to say it ain't gonna be a good show. It might be a very good show. If it is, that's terrific, the more good SF around, the better. It's important for anyone reading this to make that distinction: this issue is completely apart from quality, it's strictly economics. This is the reason there IS a DS9. Where they go from that point _ good, bad, or indifferent _ is another discussion entirely. There's nothing wrong with re-selling the same show to somebody under a different name if you liked the original show in the first place. Which is really all I can say, or have to say, about DS9 at this juncture. I already heard that they're going to push for January. I also know that it's going to be just about impossible for them to do that (plus the marketing folks at Paramount would much prefer the show debut in February, during Sweeps). This is in some degree an effort to beat B5 onto the airwaves. And from what I hear, that's going to be next to impossible. They only got a good, workable draft in about a week or so ago (and, to be fair, I hear from my sources there that it's "pretty good," and that's fine), and it just takes *time* from that script to sets to casting to the shoot itself. One concession to time, apparently, is that there's going to be a LOT of time spent on the Enterprise, since those sets are already finished and available, so it'll be more like an expanded TNG episode than a real pilot. It's what they already do there: the Enterprise encounters a new situation, a new location, deals with it, and moves on. The difference is, we will now have characters who remain on that place and follow them. The only way they can beat B5 to the air is if they really go toward making it an extended TNG episode, and make the EFX as minimal as possible. Which is, after all, their purview. It's their show, and their right. If they want to do it with hand-puppets, that's their prerogative. I was going to go on originally and talk a little about a small shoot tomorrow (a film for the marketing guys on B5, which with luck I'll be able to bring to cons), and some casting stuff, but this has already gone on longer than I'd anticipated. Next time. jms ______ Category 18, Topic 22 Message 140 Fri Jun 05, 1992 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:54 EDT Ah, but you've always been such a seductress.... Some nifty stuff going on, boys and girls, some of which I can't talk about yet, but hope to soon. See, at this stage of the game, the magic box opens, and suddenly all SORTS of people are let into the process...agents, casting associates on both coasts and in the midwest, licensing guys, marketing guys, advertisers...and usually the response to a new show is, "Okay, yeah, sure, come back to us after you've been on for a while." I can't betray anything just yet, but let's just say that that has NOT been the case here...the phone is practically ringing off the hook. People are Getting It. Some of them are even coming to us, having heard about the show on the grapevine. There's a point when a show begins to hit critical mass, when you've spent four years trying to get people excited, and suddenly there are excited people coming out of the woodwork at you, and now everyone begins to get some sense of what we've got here. (God, I'm *dying* to tell you what one of those calls was...this is so spiffy, so neat, so BIG...wait, Joe, be patient, wait until the ink dries, keep your mouth SHUT for once, fer chrissakes....) Tomorrow I go On Camera. Warners _ which is really supporting us in a big way _ is sending over some of their people to do an on-camera interview with me, Ron Thornton, possibly a couple of others, and include some of the EFX we've developed. The film is to be shown at a large gathering of execs, advertisers, marketing guys, the whole bit. I'll probably nab a copy to slip into the reel I've been making that shows the progress of B5, from early artwork to the first EFX reel, the new stuff, now this...eventually I'll add on new EFX, then maybe some actor stuff, and as we get into shooting, some snippets here and there, so that the reel is always absolutely current for conventions. What you get the sense of, finally, when something like this really gets going, is of an army of people, and you have to play Patton, getting everyone where they're supposed to be, when they're supposed to be there. (Or maybe army ants would be a better comparison.) There's silence for a very long time at the beginning, then gradually it gets louder,and louder, and after a while...yikes! For years, nobody knows you...you start to look for your face on milk cartons...then suddenly everybody wants to talk to you. Y'know what? It's fun. By the middle of next week, I should start getting video of actors auditioning in NY, and the 3-dimensional renderings of the set. Today I had to pick out the "audition sides," meaning those pages (sides of pages) of the script that an actor goes through in a session with the casting director to see if s/he's right...so you have to pick what amount to mini-scenes, and they have to be separate enough so that the actor can get a grip on it, but important enough to the plot to see how they handle exposition, and emotional enough to see how they project feelings of anger or joy or fear...all in 2-3 pages a shot. It's tough being a writer, but I gotta tell you, it's a walk in the park compared to being an actor. It's rough work, and I have an endless respect for those who do it well. Gotta crash now...have to look good on camera tomorrow. If that doesn't qualify for a miracle, I don't know what does.... jms ______ Category 18, Topic 22 Message 150 Sat Jun 06, 1992 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 01:00 EDT The novelization process has begun. I wish I could've adapted it myself, but time constraints prohibit that. The writer who's agreed to take on the project is one of the best, though, and a well-known SF writer to boot. More on this as it develops. We've finally locked down our line producer/unit production manager, who rides herd on the physical production side...comes to us straight from JEDI and INDIANA JONES and other high-profile films. Meanwhile....WOW! Had the largest production meeting yet: me, my associate and the other exec producer Doug Netter; producer John Copeland; production designer John Iacovelli; Ron Thornton; our new line producer, and others. And the newly finished sketches and blueprints for the sets were rolled out. I had no idea.... See, Iacovelli's been promising me a new, different, radical look for the show. I've had a kind of general idea in my head from what he said, but it came nowhere NEAR the reality of what he unrolled onto the table in front of my boggled eyes. Take BLADE RUNNER, mix in a little ALIEN, add a touch of Japanese design, some deconstructionist architecture, and an eye for colors, and you've got something absolutely nifty. He's also made the most ingenious use of soundstage space that I've ever seen; he has really pioneered some new ways of doing things involving forced perspective, elevated sets, new uses for trance lights, gymbaled sets, you name it. Anyway, it's *really* cool. The amount of thought he's put into this, into making this absolutely new and different, is staggering. See, if you're doing a new TREK, for instance, a lot of the homework is done for you. The doors open like THIS, in the middle...a turbo lift looks like THIS when it's in operation. But because this is a different show, in a different universe, we have to go back to ground zero and think of ways we'd do this stuff based on new tech, and different ideas. John came up with a new way of doing doors, and ports, and transport tubes. Endless ingenuity. After the meeting, Ron Thornton and I were talking, and he said, "Okay, what's the deal on Babylon 4? I mean, are we ever going to see what happened to it, or see it again?" I smiled. "Do you REALLY want to know?" He considered it for a moment. I think he gets nervous when I smile like that. "Okay...sure." So I told him. And his eyes went wide as pancakes. It was a wonderful, Tex Avery effect. "Get out of here," he said, at first sure I was kidding. I explained that I was quite serious. Last I saw him, he was wandering off, muttering to himself, but growing increasingly enchanted with the idea.... The shoot today (the behind-the-scenes preview shot at the office for publicity purposes) went well. I *hate* being filmed, but I think I got my main points across. One other interesting thing Ron mentioned: apparently the GIFs from here have been uploaded onto the Star Trek Echo Network (or whatever it's called) BBS system, where apparently it's causing quite a stir. jms ______ Category 18, Topic 22 Message 158 Sat Jun 06, 1992 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 21:39 EDT I'll announce as soon as I can. If you haven't yet recieved your shirt, after ordering one, re-contact the same address and check with Susan. Gently. We don't want to startle her. Still lining up cons on the East Coast. I've kinda unofficially agreed to be at WishCon in NY, so that's a start. Will expand from there. The hard part is stealing time away from work here on two shows at the same time. Thank Mojo for notebook computers.... jms ______ Category 18, Topic 22 Message 166 Sun Jun 07, 1992 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 18:07 EDT Yes, Warners is distributing B5 through the newly-formed Warner Bros. Consortium of Stations. WWOR New York has just been purchased and added to the Chris-Craft line of stations that's at the core of the consortium, so doubtless they'll be carrying B5 as well. I'm already on tap for a con over Labor Day, so that let's out Tri Con, and as for Shorleave...for reasons that are probably obvious, I'm trying to avoid cons which have a prime connection to ST at this time. First, I don't think all parties concerned would be comfortable with it. Second, we're trying to establish our own image, and don't want to piggyback on anyone else. So my general rule of thumb is that if the con has the words ST in its title, or that title derives from ST, then we steer clear. There are plenty of others, though, that will fit the bill nicely. International distribution is being taken care of by, natch, Warner Bros. International Distribution, and though I haven't yet received the specifics, I have heard that it's been doing EXTREMELY well in that regard. When I have more details, I'll pass them along. Over the last week, we've really been getting into the details of creating our universe, and sometimes it's overwhelming the extent of it all. How do we tell where we are on the station? Okay, so we color code the sections, so that rather than saying "I'm in sector seven, level five," you say, "I'm in blue-five," and the background _ occasional color-coded panels _ can visually confirm this. What about language? Signs? Ron's having a guy come up with a whole raft of alien fonts to use. If you have directional signs in the halls, what do you do with them? (Remember, this is a freeport, so you're going to have a lot of folks coming through, not all of whom can communicate well with one another.) So do you have one sign in one language showing where you are, where you've been, which way to the bar...or several? If several, which do you choose? (We've worked this out kind of ingeniously, so I'll let it go at that for now.) There's just an awful lot to consider...decisions of the smallest sort. What do the cups look like? The tables? The ports? How do you handle lighting? How do you avoid the standard configuration rooms we've seen a hundred times before in SF-TV? How does the construction of the station affect architecture, design, function? What sorts of things would someone be allowed to bring with them from Earth or wherever? Are the quarters made from natural or synthetic materials? Are all the quarters the same, or different...if different, how, and along what lines, given that there should be some consistency in rationale. This is one of the things that really sets tv aside from fiction. In fiction, you can describe a control room or observation deck in a few words, and move on, letting the reader's mind fill in the gaps. Same with radio. But in TV, you have to BUILD it. You can't just say, "He sits at his desk." What does the desk look like? What does the chair look like? Does he use a pen and paper? Computer? How do you do the communications console differently than before? What sort of decoration does he have on the desk? Pictures? Holograms? Souveniers? Awards? Models of ships? Then after you decide, you have to MAKE them all, and make sure they look real. It can get daunting after a while. That's why you've GOT to surround yourself with people you can trust, so that when they bring ideas and designs to you, you don't just go nuts and throw it out, but you know that what they bring will be good, and may just need a suggestion or two to bring it more in line with what you want. Then they go away and do it. As an exercise, just look around any room in your house, and ask yourself, "What do I have here that I would not have 200 years from now? What's not here that I *would* have 200 years from now? How would it look?" There's not a square foot of space that's not somehow affected by that scenario. I think I'll go lie down for a while.... jms ______ Category 18, Topic 22 Message 168 Mon Jun 08, 1992 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 00:49 EDT Thanks, Joe. Glad you're enjoying it. Joe...hmm...that reminds me.... I've never been real big on formality. And I know that typing Straczynski can be a fearsome thing indeed. Fingers were never meant to move in that particular configuration, I think, and more than one person has had to dial 911 with his nose when his fingers tangled on the keyboard. Point being..."Joe" is just fine. If there's another Joe in a thread (as above), "Mr. S." is is also fine if you need to make the distinction. (One or two have called me Big S. Some comment that I'm the biggest S in town...and I wish they wouldn't smile quite so broadly when they say it, or hold it quite so long.) In any event, we're all in this together, so I think we can let formality slide. jms ______ Category 18, Topic 22 Message 171 Mon Jun 08, 1992 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:46 EDT Actually, that's something we've discussed...what if someone only sees in the ultraviolet spectrum? Or infrared? For those individuals, the color coding is different...though you won't be able to see it on your television screens, because YOU can't see in the ultraviolet range, but it'll be there. Would this face lie? jms ______ Category 18, Topic 22 Message 190 Tue Jun 09, 1992 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 23:41 EDT Okay, okay, I can take a hint.... Dr. Benjamin Kyle is Babylon 5's resident xenobiologist. He's in his late forties or early fifties, black, very thoughtful, very dignified...with a sly sense of humor (not sarcasm) that tends to catch one off guard. He began as a physician on Earth, and was a leading researcher into xenobiology there, gaining a quick grasp of the ins and outs of the few alien cultures that we (then) were in contact with. Naturally inquisitive, early on as a much younger man he began to "hitch- hike" onto deep-space ships, always hungery for new information that could be used by humans and outworlders alike. (His deal was that he would act as ship's physician without charge, in exchange for a bit of freedom whenever they made planetfall somewhere.) He has seen, catalogued and operated on more alien lifeforms than just about any other Earther in this time. And had his share of close scrapes, as well. Some races consider is sacrilege for any other race to "enter" their bodies through surgery...Ben will take the risk if it means saving a life. He's detailed, methodical, single-minded...and if one route is closed, he'll go another, even if it means getting into a fair amount of trouble. (Which happens in the pilot.) One scene omitted from the script for purposes of time is kind of illustrative of Ben's humor. During a crisis _ there's someone in the medical area (I'm being deliberately vague) who's in trouble, and Ben's on stims, staying awake to see the patient through _ he at one point has to talk to Sinclair. Sinclair is asleep, Carolyn beside him, when the call comes in via the bedside monitor. Noting Carolyn's state of undress, Sinclair tells the monitor to receive the call, "audio only." Ben starts in on his report...then stops. He can't see Sinclair. Sinclair, noting Carolyn who stirs beside him, says, of the monitor, "Slight malfunction." "Ah," Ben's voice comes..."Hello, Carolyn." He knows she's there, and tells Sinclair c'mon, let me see you while I'm talking to you...I'm a doctor, I'm not going to see anything I haven't seen before. With a shrug from Carolyn, Sinclair switches on the video. Ben's face appears on the monitor. He looks over to Carolyn. Smiles. "Nice tan." Carolyn's response...is best left unstated. Ben volunteered to come to Babylon 5 for several reasons: as the best in his field, he's most capable of dealing with any emergencies, and this is the sort of place where that is most needed. In addition, he's getting a little old to be hitch-hiking on starships...why not settle down somewhere where the aliens come to *you* instead of the other way around? He's single, his wife having passed away some five years ago, one more reason he's come to B5. There's nothing left at home for him now that she's gone. He has two grown children, one of whom is successful, the other...well, less so. He's been offered research grants from some of Earth's biggest corporations, universities have offered him important posts, the government would LOVE to have him come work for them (where, he suspects darkly, they would have him work on alien biological warfare)...but he's said no to all of them. His place is as a working physician and xenobiologist, at a place where he will have ample time to study the new species they encounter, and do his part for peace. jms ______ Category 18, Topic 22 Message 205 Thu Jun 11, 1992 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 01:40 EDT What else they would call it...hmm..........home? I have some names for y'all, for those keeping track. We've finished assembling our crack first team on the production side, and I can pass along most of the names now. We're astonished at the sheer level of quality we've gotten on this stuff. And tickled to have them. Director: Richard Compton. One of the prime directors for The Equalizer and Hill Street Blues and Miami Vice. Director of Cinematography: Billy Dickson. Billy has an amazing eye for color and shadow and composition that many of you may have seen on the Desperado programs. First-class. EFX Director: Ron Thornton. Main EFX fellow behind The Addams Family, Highlander II, Plymouth, Dr. Who The Movie and others. Production Designer: John Iacovelli. Award winning production designer direct from Honey, I Shrunk The Kids and other projects. Production Manager/Line Producer: Bob Brown. Previously producer or production manager on War of the Roses, Indiana Jones & the Temple of Doom, Return of the Jedi, Iceman and the three Childs Play movies. Casting Director: Mary Jo Slater. Mary Jo has cast untold numbers of movies and TV programs, from the revived Dark Shadows to the recent Intruders mini-series to Star Trek VI. Plus others we've nabbed from James Cameron's company, Steven Spielberg's company, George Lucas' company, Jim Henson's company, and others. Names as I can release them. This is a team that most any movie or TV series would *kill* for, and we're very happy to have them all aboard. Today I saw the new suite of offices we've acquired. People begin moving in this week. The numbers of people involved are expanding with astonishing speed. I strolled about in my new office, and that's when things begin to become very real. Have to acquire new furniture to fill it. That'll make three offices: my home office, my office at Universal, and my office at the Babylon 5 location, plus a smaller office at the set which I'll be sharing with my other executive producer, Doug Netter. It is now exactly 2 months to the day when we will begin rolling film. From this point on, the clock is ticking, and there's a LOT to be done. But we're in very good shape, and I'm looking forward to it immensely. jms ______ Category 18, Topic 22 Message 211 Thu Jun 11, 1992 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 14:09 EDT The boxed episode was wrong; several of my episodes (not the best ones, but okay) appear in the other volumes of CP episodes; only about one-third made it onto cassette. As for how Carolyn got a tan...she's a trader, remember, and she's frequently planetside during her travels. So NYAH! jm(I think of everything)s ______ Category 18, Topic 22 Message 215 Thu Jun 11, 1992 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 20:27 EDT Doug Netter is Exec Producer on BABYLON 5. I am Co-Executive Producer. I worked with Doug on several projects in the past, including CAPTAIN POWER, where he was, again, producer. He's irascible, and every bit as much of a pain in the butt as I am. He grouses, carries on... one day I expect to wander into the offices and find him wearing a patch over one eye, a knife between his teeth, talking to a parrot and preparing to board the building next door. And I trust him implicitly. Doug is a straight-shooter. I have three rules I live by when I work on a project: I never lie, I never BS, and I never, EVER bluff. Doug's the same way. When he tells you he will do X, it happens. Period. He's a pro, and was previously the head of production at MGM. When we were working together on CP, Doug made me a promise. He said, "Look, Joe, you know me, I'm not a writer, that's not what I'm good at. So I will never give you a creative note. Production notes, hell yes. Creative scripts notes...no." And he kept that promise. Which is why, when it came time to show someone what I'd come up with on BABYLON 5, instead of going righ off the bat to a big studio or a network...I went to Doug. He liked it, and we formed a partnership to pruce the movie and the series. He's invested a lot of time and effort over the last 4 years, when it seemed it would never happen, but he never lost faith in the project. We have a great relationship: we insult each other shamelessly. I've even learned to somewhat mimic his voice, so I can return fire with his own words, in his own voice. When our casting director met with us for the first time and started going over how much she *loved* the script, he broke in, "No, no, no, jeez, what're you saying, you can't say that, we NEVER say that, I'm telling you you can't work with the man if you say that kind of thing. You gotta tell him it's *sufficient*, but just barely, and with luck we can save it in post. Jeez, no, don't ever do that again." He's a very funny man. I'm having him roughed up on Friday. THAT'S who Doug Netter is. Meanwhile...interesting things are happening. See, normally, when you do a syndicated show, it's tough finding the actors you want, because syndicated rates are across the board lower than network. That's a given on ANY show. So all parties were prepared for a long, hard search. Scripts started going out Monday. Growing since, then and particularly in the last 48 hours as scripts have arrived at homes, actors have been coming out of the woodwork at us, from all sides. Not just newcomers, we're talking *name* actors who read the script and fell in love with one or more of the characters and want to play them. My jaw fell at some of the names I heard over the phone today...actors who will do it for what we have, and want to do it very much. Big name or newcomer, though, we're going to see and consider everybody. You don't want to cast a Big Name just because he's a Big Name if he's wrong for the part...you screw yourself over bigtime if you do that. Similarly, if you don't cast a newcomer for a part even though he's *perfect* for the role, you again screw yourself over. But it looks like our range of choice is going to be a *lot* bigger than I'd expected. A *lot* bigger.... Meanwhile...think good thoughts. I've always had one composer in mind for this show. People thought I was nuts. But we've got a good, not a great but a *good*, chance of nailing him. If we can, I'll be in heaven. Won't know for a while, though, so don't expect word on this one anytime soon. Boys and girls, THIS is the fun part! (In the voice of Dr. Smith, "'We can save it in post' indeed. Hmf! Oh the pain, the pain...come here, you clattering, clanking concatonation of useless cogs!") jms ______ Category 18, Topic 22 Message 231 Fri Jun 12, 1992 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:04 EDT When we get to the series, there will doubtless be guest stars, some of whom have already been arranged for. But not in the movie; we want to concentrate on our regulars and the ensemble at this point. The scene cut for time won't be filmed; you don't film what you know you'll have to leave on the cutting room floor. Later, though, when the series gets going...who knows, it might surface. I was sure I'd spoken more about Garibaldi. Okay, remind me in, say, 3 weeks (top of July) and I'll go into more detail. About Frank Welker...I've actually enjoyed working with him over the years on TRGBs. Extraordinarily funny. By himself, he could get things so funny that we'd have to stop down, nobody could stop laughing. The absolute *worst* such incident _ and thus the best _ came on the last episode of mine. See, we had to always keep Maurice, Frank and _ ogod, the new Peter, I've forgotten the actor's name _ apart, because if they sat together, this weird comedy loop would start, and they'd get funnier, and funnier, and soon all hell would break out. (Once, when Lorenzo Music was still doing the show, Frank learned to mimic his voice. So one day, in taping, when Lorenzo missed his cue, Frank supplied his line...in his voice. Lorenzo looked around with a "What the hell was THAT?" look on his face.) Anyway...on this one day...all three of them were seated together, Frank, Maurice and the Other Guy Whose Name I Can't Remember. And they started improvising. And they went into Celebrity Farts. What would the farts of various celebrities sound like? (We're talking in the middle of a taping, for chrissakes.) Soon, Frank took the lead...Cher's fart, Twiggy's fart, Raymond Massie's fart, the Pope's fart.... ...and then...and then...he let fly with...William Conrad's fart. And flattened the entire place. People were *literally* on the floor. No one could talk. Laughter and shrieking and carrying on for Twenty Minutes. Someone would try to get out a line...and just dissolve. And every time we *thought* we had it in control again...out would come another William Conrad Special. I thought I would die. Wonderful thing is, I have that on videotape, I think. I think I'll go find it.... jms ______ Category 18, Topic 22 Message 237 Fri Jun 12, 1992 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 20:31 EDT David Coulier, right-right-right, that's the guy. Took a look at the videotape, and remembered one other thing. It took nearly 20 minutes to get things calmed down after Welker let fly. We had to take a break so everyone could get their heads screwed back on again. Everyone went back into the recording studio. Sat. A moment of silence as they get ready.... And there comes Frank Welker's voice, "Y'know...you ever wonder what Charlton Heston's fart would sound like...?" The director lunged for the studio mike, "DON'T....YOU...***DARE***" He just smiled. jms ______ Category 18, Topic 22 Message 245 Sat Jun 13, 1992 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:04 EDT Paula...being only nominally computer literate, that's a question far beyond my understanding. When Ron Thornton does his RTC with me prior to B5 airdate, you might want to address that question to him. I seem to recall that the Conrad incident was *after* I'd finished working on the show, which made it just that much funnier. I mean, it just went on and on and on...windows were blown out...birds fell from the sky...women went into labor...animals keeled over and died...passing airplanes momentarily lost power...dogs for five miles in any direction suddenly looked around and wondered "What the hell was THAT?".... I can't believe it...I've degenerated my *own* topic into fart jokes. jms ______ Category 18, Topic 22 Message 253 Sat Jun 13, 1992 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 20:09 EDT "What about sin?" Personally, I'm for it. And all of the areas you mention will fall under the eye of B5 from time to time. There's nothing more boring than someone who's overcome all his or her vices...so all of our characters will be prey to one problem or another. Ambassador Londo Mollari has a BIG gambling problem (and a secondary problem with women), Garibaldi has a history with alcohol and other substances that almost got him kicked out of his prior jobs...I find the most interesting people those who are always fighting to be better, to be more, to avoid falling into vice despite terrible temptation. And some will not survive that temptation. At the central core of our humanity is the fact that we are flawed, and it's overcoming those flaws that makes for real drama. Or, in some cases, being overcome BY those flaws. You have to understand the key issue that has always been, and will always be, at the *heart* of Babylon 5. In 99.9% of all SF-TV in the last twenty years or so, there have always been the Noble Good Guys and the Awful Bad Guys. I don't buy that. Whether it's 20 years from now or 200, we will still be humans. Some will be better or more noble than others, and some will be constantly on the lookout for the next scam, the next vice, the next thrill or danger or target. In Babylon 5, I want to hew as closely as possible to how REAL people would react in this situation. I haven't labored at this for four years to do one more Good Guy In Shoot-Em-Ups With The Bad Guys Show. Garibaldi will lapse in his rehabilitation. Londo will get in very serious trouble because of his vices. Laurel will have a run-in with certain chemicals. Even Sinclair will fall prey to a weakness of his own. The question is...what do each of them now DO about it? THAT is what makes it interesting. There's a short story entitled "The Man Who Corrupted Hadleyburg," by Mark Twain. In that story, we meet a town of people who have put up a sign outside their town, "Lead Us Not Into Temptation." And they have scrupulously avoided temptation for years. One day, into this town of self-proclaimed and self-satisfied virtue comes temptation, in the form of a bag of gold which someone, offering the right phrase, is supposed to collect. The man who really left it (and we find later it's lead), gives the town's most virtuous people fake phrases, to see if they will try and collect that which is not theirs. Every one of them fall for it...and the town is embarrassed and ashamed...and many are wonderfully vindicated by this. And now the sign in front of the town reads, "Lead us INTO Temptation." Because it's only when we are truly tested that our virtue means a damn thing. "The human heart in conflict with itself," William Faulkner said, is the only thing worth writing about. Mainstream shows explore that question in hospitals, in police stations, in lawyers offices, on the frontier. Now B5 will explore it on the frontier of space, in a self-contained world of its own. If that wasn't the whole point, I'd have given up on this a long long time ago. jms ______ Category 18, Topic 22 Message 261 Sun Jun 14, 1992 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 01:33 EDT Dan Quayle badmouthing the "elite" ... right ... a sissyfied, pantyassed, country-club-and-golf-swinging rich daddy's boy who couldn't knot his tie without an instruction manual and three aides calling somebody ELSE "elite." Well, at least we all know that "culturalelite" is not one word the way he says it, but two words. What a waste of genetic material. The man's an intellectual cul-de-sac and ought to be dropped down a sewer. It doesn't bother me. Meanwhile...I think it would be an error to blame the "non-internal- conflict" mode on the "suits." In the case of TNG, that came straight from Roddenberry, for instance. It is *still* firm policy that those aboard the Enterprise cannot _ CANNOT _ have internal doubts or fears. The execs at Warners never once mentioned anything about that, and have been unstintingly supportive of the project. Understand: I've now put the script through 3 drafts, all on my own initiative, and we have not gotten *one* note from Warners. We had a meeting on the last version, and except for a thought that it still might be a few pages too long, they had no suggestions at all. They WANT a different vision, something with teeth. And they've been endlessly supportive of that. B5 toys? Well, there's been contact with the licensing people. I sure hope so, I want some myself. As for Walter Koenig...I've already asked if he'd be willing to a) write a script for us (he's done a LOT of TV writing, something not generally known), b) guest-star in an episode, and c) do a cameo early on with, um, some other people you'd recognize. (sly smile) BTW...I've been thinking about it, and what do y'all think of the idea of a B5 newsletter? Nothing fancy, VERY bare-bones, but just something in writing that chronicles the inside info, profiles those involved, maybe shows some of the early designs, that sort of thing? What would be good about that is that it would thus be accessible to people who don't have a modem...if you want to turn somebody on to what's going on, you let him know about, or sign him on for, the newsletter. Would there be enough interest to support that? I don't know if contributions should be requested when subscribing, or just send it out freebie (or if there's enough interest for anyone to want to shell out a couple bucks for it). I happen to know somebody who does newsletters (hi, you- know-who), and have been considering hiring her to do the job if there's enough interest. At this point, probably just one per month to start, maybe getting fancier as we go. If it's even a good idea. What do y'all think? Oh...and there's a new B5 logo in the works. The more we've looked at the current version, the more we've thought maybe something else would work for the show. (We'd still use the old one, but for other purposes.) I gave Ron a write-up of what I thought would look *really* cool, and he is working on it now. Just FYI. jms ______ Category 18, Topic 22 Message 288 Sun Jun 14, 1992 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 18:04 EDT Yikes, 21 messages since last night...okay, I think I'll go ahead and investigate the newsletter issue seriously. (Spoke to someone last night who can do the job, so we'll see.) As for the "should I/shouldn't I?" stuff...I actually wasn't being cute or ingenuous; I sometimes use this forum for thinking aloud. I really hadn't decided one way or another when I posted my message. Was actually looking for an opinion (and boy, did I get them!). The one thing I'm going to have to consider further along these lines is the fee question. One thing that I swore at the beginning of this whole process, long before I ever posted a single word about B5 (back even before it was That Which Could Not Be Named), was that I was very, very, VERY unhappy with the way media fans have been shilled and ripped off and exploited over the years, and that I would NOT do the same. Thus I have to be very careful, simply for my own peace of mind. Once the show gets up and going, running regularly, that's one thing. But right now, a newsletter almost benefits *this* end more than any other, because the show hasn't aired yet. (Yes, as you can see, I'm thinking aloud again.) So the *best* way to handle this might be as follows: it'll be nominally free for the time being. (Because printing costs and the cost of actually putting it together will be absorbed by Yr Obdnt Srvnt, not Warners, it won't be really fancy, but the guts will be there.) If somebody wants to contribute a buck or two, that's fine, but optional. Nor should anyone send in ANYthing until receiving one issue at least and determining at that time if it's worth it. (As I've said here before: take NO ONE, including me, at face value; be critical consumers.) Once we're on the air regularly, at some point it'll probably go into subscription mode (at the least possible fee, just enough to cover production costs). But not until then. I *think* that's fair. Anyway, for the moment, do nothing. I've got to make some phone calls and some arrangements. We already have a decent sized mailing list from those who've received shirts, so you're already on-line. At some point, we'll open it up and have anyone else who's interested send their addresses. But not until I have everything set up. Like I said...it won't be fancy. Just informative. (As for the schematics, I know that Ron has some cool ideas along the lines you mention, but I don't know the details yet. Will post when I do.) Somebody the other day, noting the enthusiasm in the fan community for a virtual outsider, described B5 as "the Ross Perot of science fiction television." I don't know if that's good or bad.... jms ______ Category 18, Topic 22 Message 301 Mon Jun 15, 1992 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 00:31 EDT Agreed, the simpler the better. No ads for now. Just info. Phil, send me the B5 text file, and I'll approve it ASAP, just want to make sure I didn't say anything a) stupid, or b) no longer correct. I'm giving thought to opening up the shirts for general order at cost. When I decide on that one way or another, will post that info (and the address) here. Just being careful...there's only 500 of those things, and I'm not sure how many I'll be lugging to conventions. The "Making Of" documentary will be made during the filming of B5, so where it'll be appearing or when is an open question. I imagine it'll be supplied to E! and ET and other news organizations, and to the TV stations carrying B5 as promotional material. Since we don't want to blow our wad too early, I can't imagine it'd appear in general distribution anytime before December/January, though if I can get my hands on it, it may appear at a convention or two.... jms ______ Category 18, Topic 22 Message 332 Tue Jun 16, 1992 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 21:20 EDT Excuse me while I fall down.... It has been a *looooooooooooong* day. Met with some execs and showed them our progress...blew them away. They had no *idea* we had come so far, or were capable of so much. Also during this, they (and I) got to see the foam-core models for the first time of the B5 sets. They're really something else. We're taking a completely different, but very logical approach to building the sets than anyone is going to expect. Everything about them, the angles, the composition, is unique. Really cool stuff. Then went over sound stuff and other production details. For those keeping track, it does seem that we're going "non-whoosh" for our space sounds, to keep it closer to reality. Went over alien langauges, how we're handling sound in environmental respects, that sort of thing. And THEN met with the wardrobe designer we've selected, who kept laying out designs and photos and magazine pictures and ethnic clothing styles from various countries, "Is it like this? Or more like this?" And you're confronted with shadings and degrees and liens, and what is going to be the style 200 years from now? It's just a blur of decisions, and you're constantly surrounded by five or six people who need the answers to what the world looks like NOW so they can begin building it. After a while, you can't even see straight anymore, and all you want to do is go somewhere *far* away for a long long time. Not that it ain't fun, and not that it ain't exciting, but yikes! Will be seeing the audition tapes from New York tomorrow. We have already found some nice prospects. Will advise when I have a better idea. Going to collapse now. jms ______ Category 18, Topic 22 Message 342 Wed Jun 17, 1992 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 04:33 EDT By all means, go ahead with the badge et al. Sounds cool. Who are some of the actors we're getting in terms of shows? (Again, these are just *auditions,* not confirmed people; in fact, some we know we won't use at this point, but it's interesting to see who we're getting.) Got a call on the last bunch of people to come through, all of them very good. Person read down the list of names, and when I heard one of them I stopped dead. "WHO?!" I asked. She read the name again, and _ assuming, I suppose, that I didn't recognize it _ noted, "You know, from THE AVENGERS...?" Oh. jms ______ Category 18, Topic 22 Message 363 Thu Jun 18, 1992 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 04:01 EDT No further comments on casting for the time being. And just FYI, I've formally changed Jackarr's name (as I once considered here, again thinking aloud). It's now spelled G'Kar, more in line with the way it's pronounced. jms ______ Category 18, Topic 22 Message 376 Fri Jun 19, 1992 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 01:05 EDT Still thinking about music. And sound. Tomorrow will be an interesting day. We're doing a read-through. What that means is, we assemble the *full* production team: line producer, production manager, production designer, art director, director, director of cinematography, writer/producer (me), efx director, wardrobe person, and a bunch of others, along with several actors (just for that job, not on the series) who then read through the entire script, page by page, and everyone gets a chance to stop it and ask questions and discuss what's needed. It's a long and painstaking process that will probably take at least half the day. As well as doing all the production stuff with the rest of the team, I'm going to be listening very carefully to the dialogue, since this will be the first time I've heard the whole thing spoken aloud. Invariably, once you see how your words fit in somebody's mouth, you trim, rearrange, and otherwise futz with things. The goal to make the whole thing as airtight as possible. Sat and talked for a long time with the director today, Richard Compton, and he's even more excited about the project than when he began and he was pretty excited *then*. And found out something I didn't know until we spoke. Our script was "published" a week ago Wednesday. (Published here means that the script has been broken down and each scene numbered for production purposes, and that draft, now called the shooting script, is given to all production staff, sent to agents locally, that sort of thing.) The following day, Thursday, Richard arrived in New York to help with casting. What he discovered was that suddenly he was getting calls from practically every actor's agent in town about the show, AND THAT THEY ALL HAD THE SCRIPT AND HAD ALL **READ** THE SCRIPT! These were agents to whom we had not SENT the script. Apparently, as near as he was able to determine, the script was being bootlegged all over town, faxed and messengered and people were demanding copies. It's sort of "the" ticket in town now is to get a copy of the script. And the agents, and their clients, went nuts. I'd heard that people were coming out of the woodwork (and I'd mentioned it in passing here), but I had no idea really how it was happening. Actors were circulaing copies of the script among themselves and calling their agents and the casting director trying everywhichway to get in on the auditions, convinced from what they saw in the script that it was going to be a hit. None of this I knew in detail until today. I was astonished. The director just sat there and smiled. "You've never heard your script read, have you?" he asked. I allowed as how I hadn't. That smile again: "You're always mentioning how much you know of the story that isn't in the script...well, there's things *in* the script that I'd bet even YOU don't know are there, because they're things you put in subconsciously...but an actor can find them. And during the auditions, they did. They just chewed the dialogue, savored it. Loved it. Found all these wonderful little corners and subtext. Wait," he said, "just wait until you see the audition tapes tomorrow. You'll die." This sounds awful, I know, but the truth is, I just sat there and beamed. Sonuvabitch...y'know, this might actually *work*. We've decided, btw, to extend casting another 2 weeks. We've got some GREAT prospects, but Richard feels, and I agree, that since we've got the time, don't rush. Make the best choice possible. We've got the script, we've got the production team, we've got the EFX, we've got the director, we've got a terrific design on the sets...the last thing and the most important thing we need is the cast. If we can pull that part off...we've got it nailed. jms ______ Category 18, Topic 22 Message 378 Fri Jun 19, 1992 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 01:53 EDT Someone who has no flaws to overcome is, in my view, a pretty crappy role model. You have to stop for a moment and ask yourself, seriously, what a role model *is*, or should be. Is a "role model" someone of privilege, or station, who is utterly absent of self-doubt or flaw? Someone, in other words, who is almost alien to us? Or is a real role model someone who has gone through the same things we have, experienced the same problems and frustrations and dead-ends as we have, but who has managed to overcome those problems and lead a life of dignity and grace? It's like saying which is the better role model for an explorer: someone who's ranged all over the plains, fallen down, gotten lost, cut his feet, but managed to find his way back safely...or the guy who reads plenty of maps, but never leaves his living room? jms ______ Category 18, Topic 22 Message 381 Fri Jun 19, 1992 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 02:55 EDT We'll probably end up getting an intern via one of the local universities. (Wonder if it'd be better to go for a creative writing student than a film student...the latter can be such a pain....) When did I get over being nervous and anxious at someone reading my words? Well, I'll tell you the truth: as soon as I hit that point, I'll let you know. jms ______ Category 18, Topic 22 Message 393 Sat Jun 20, 1992 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 00:28 EDT Thanks, all. I suspect that Warners will splash the "Making Of" thing all over the place, and will thus leave that to them. As for the newsletter, I've pretty much made up my mind, but still have to at least run it past Warners as a formality. Had the run-through today, with actors on hand reading through the whole script (sort of a reader's theater rendering). Every so often, we'd stop and discuss how to do this effect or that sequence, but the interruptions were few. It was really a blast, I gotta tell you. See, when it's just in your head, you *think* you know how it'll work, but even then there's no way of knowing it'll work when it hits the stage. There's always some doubt. Barely slept at all last night, wondering, worrying the script in my head the way a dog worries a bone. Dragged my ass in early this morning, met the actors who were going to read through it with us, met everybody else (some of whom I hadn't met before...it was a *big* room and a *big* crowd from every branch of our production), grabbed a bagel and water (I don't think I could've handled coffee this morning), and sat at the long table facing the actors, hoping for the best. And like I said...it was a blast. See, a script is *meant* to be performed. It's still an art form unto itself, while it's on the printed page, but it's *meant* to be spoken, the way you can appreciate a musical score on a page, but it's only really alive when an orchestra gets its hands on the notes and brings it out into the world. Today I heard the birth cry of Babylon 5. The characters spoke, out loud, for the first time. In short, it went an *awful* lot better than I had dared to hope. The character stuff worked, the humor worked wonderfully (the whole room - - people who'd read the script dozens of times by now _ broke up repeatedly, and after one long laughing fit, one of the actresses called to me, "You are a very sick puppy. I like that in a man"), and the action was paced much faster than I'd thought, just seeing it on the page. (If anything, I may have to extend the scenes just a little during some of the action set-pieces...if it's too short, it feels perfunctory. I wanted it to move fast-fast-fast, but now I see that I can take just a beat or two more to give it more weight in places.) Some members of the crew felt that they'd finally "seen" the story for the first time, and everyone left the meeting absolutely jazzed. We wrapped at about 2:00. Five hours straight, and not one person left to go to the bathroom or stopped for a break. Nobody *wanted* to stop. Today was a very good day. jms ______ Category 18, Topic 22 Message 408 Sun Jun 21, 1992 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:51 EDT ...and, Arne? What was the reaction? As for the new logo...I love it a lot. Won't be uploading it for a goodly time, because like I said, I want to hold some things back. But it's *way* cool. jms ______ Category 18, Topic 22 Message 431 Tue Jun 23, 1992 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 16:27 EDT Located quite some distance away from B5 (a safe distance in case something goes wrong) is the jump point, which is a device which creates an "exit-point" from hyperspace. It's tremendously powerful, allowing smaller ships to use the system without lugging around the massive amount of equipement and power sources to burst back in. The area itself is several miles across. You go into one at point A, and emerge at point B. Big ships _ BIG ships _ can create their own entrances and exits (which explains how the gates or jump points got somewhere), and they construct the gates as exploration continues, leaving gates the way you'd leave bread crumbs. At least, that's the theory. Meanwhile, spent 6 hours watching tapes of actors auditioning,and sat in on some live auditions as well (the tapes were from New York). We have some REALLY good candidates. The hardest to cast, I figured, would be Delenn, for many reasons...but we may have lucked out right out of the _ um_ gate. There are times when you see a face, and just go, "Nahhh, that ain't it" and fast-forward...but you really do feel for these actors, the work it takes to get in the front door. Anyway, if we find nothing else, we've got strong prospects for at least half our cast, and two weeks more to go on casting, so we're in very good shape. jms ______ Category 18, Topic 22 Message 433 Wed Jun 24, 1992 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 01:18 EDT Here's an important lesson: When someone comes to videotape you, and they tell you to sit back in your chair, SIT BACK IN YOUR CHAIR! Augh. I saw the videotape of the behind- the-scenes piece Warners did on us. And it's fine, really, it's got good stuff, it looks nice, it's just...everybody else sat back, so they used a lens with a slightly fisheye effect to bring them forward, but I have this tendency to get passionate when I talk, and I sit forward, and _ well _ I look like I gained 50 pounds at *least*. Combine that with the tendency of television to make you look heavier to begin with, and yikes! Anyway, that aside (I may never eat a pizza again), it came out well. More meetings today, costume and prosthetics and wardrobe and the like. Have some interesting new techniques we're going to try; don't know if they'll work yet or not, we have to do some tests, but if they do, it'll be cool. Also saw a still of the Narn ship for the first time. Not bad. This will be brief; have been on the go since forever today, and am about ready to fall flat on my face. jms ______ Category 18, Topic 22 Message 443 Thu Jun 25, 1992 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 00:24 EDT To a prior message...yes, I'll be at Comic Con. I'm slated to do the Westercon/Westercolt presentation on that Saturday at 1:00. I sometimes think that EVERYBODY knows somebody who's auditioning for B5. Good look to him. We've found a good prospect, but we're keeping our minds open. (We found a *very* interesting prospect for Londo the other day.) This is going to sound awful, and I shouldn't take pleasure in it, but I *swear* it's true, there were other people in the room, I wouldn't make something like this up...COULDN'T...I was sitting in on auditions the other day, hiding behind the camera, didn't want the actors to know that the writer/producer was hanging around. So this one actor comes in to audition, saying all these wonderful thigns about the script, and then pulls a sour face and says, "Yeah, I was auditioning yesterday for that other show. DeepSpace Whatever. Man, what a piece of sh!t." I practically fell out of my chair. Forgive me. I'm a sick man. (And, of course, there's every possibility that he said EXACTLY the same thing in reverse. The one thing I'm learning is never to take easy compliments too seriously. That way lies madness.) Anyway.... Interesting prosthetics discussion the other day. We're trying to find different or offbeat things to do with the look of characters, and their wardrobe...which is *tough*, because so much has been done over time. We've absolutely ruled out the Forehead approach, but then you've got other problems to consider. See, that's the one part of an actor's head that's relatively unused (boy, what a straight line). For instance, you don't want to cover the eyes or the mouth, since that's where an actor does 90% of his or her work. So you start looking at other options: cheeks, necks, arms, head-shapes, coloration, texture, on and on, while trying to avoid the obvious dumbnesses (no metallic skin coloration, it either doesn't show up well on camera, or looks like something out of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea). There's the question of how MANY alien species you're going to see on camera, how many of each, what sizes, do you use appliances that take less time than straight makeup? How many costumes are required? If a race has several representatives on board, do they all dress exactly the same (more cost effective), or do they all dress with variations of the same (more expensive)? Do you mix mechanicals with costumes? How do you deal with the lighting as it affects makeup and wardrobe? How much color do you want to go for? How will wardrobe vary depending on location of the set? The process of asking those questions entailed locking me in a room with our EFX guys, the director, prosthetics and wardrobe people, and they just kept hitting me with this stuff for about 2 or 3 hours. (You get kind of punchdrunk after a while..."What did you have in mind when you described the (blank)?" "I had in mind *exactly* what the wardrobe guy is going to give us because I knew intuitively, being able to see into the future, that he would know *exactly* what I meant, he wouldn't require further explanation, and once (Sometimes they hit me.) Fortunately, they all *do* seem very much in tune with what I saw in my head when I wrote the script, so it went fairly smoothly overall. May have some interesting licensing news to pass along soon. Meanwhile, we now begin the process of further organizing our PR with Warners so we can get the most bang for our buck, and coordinate our efforts. jms ______ Category 18, Topic 22 Message 448 Thu Jun 25, 1992 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 02:45 EDT Yeah, we're looking at that kind of approach as well. I think the best way to go is a mix of things, different techniques and looks. S.Schaper...dead on re: the military/tactical stuff. And you will get to see some of that in the pilot. Man, it's a sharp crowd around here.... jms ______ Category 18, Topic 22 Message 456 Fri Jun 26, 1992 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 01:51 EDT Boy, another long day, and lots of questions here. I think I'll tackle the questions first, then some news. Yes, there will be classes of ships, and we've come up with some interesting ideas on how to play some of that. You will *definitely* see some of those variations in the 2-hour pilot. And yes, more than one-on-one. That's all I can say for the moment on those two topics. I imagine, down the road, we'll be more flexible on the forehead issue...it's just that, to start, we want something that's consistently different. One of the most important aspects to all of this is that we establish a completely different identity to anything else around. So we make some concessions to that. But over time, we'll be flexible. Re: a B5 roleplaying game...if someone at a roleplaying company wants to license one, or for that matter if ANY licenser (toys, games, whatever) wants to license B5 stuff, they should go through the Licensing Company of America, Warners' in-house licensing company. Yes, I was adjacent to the Penguin's Lair set, which was across from my office at Universal. Got to hang around the set and stuff. My (then) secretary stopped appearing at her desk after a while, and could almost invariably be found down at the penguin tank, feeding the birds. The budget is, natch, classified. At least for the time being. But we are absolutely staying within the budget allocated. The difference between any other SF show and this one is that we're doing things in a very different way, looking at ways of making sets or using our resources such that we get more bang for our buck. There's an *awful* lot of waste in TV. We're putting every dollar up there on the screen, and our people have found some wonderfully ingenious ways to make everything bigger, better, and more flexible. In addition, most times a budget gets out of control is when you back into your set design, you start making changes, throw out one thing or another.... We've had four years to plan this out. And that advance planning is showing in every aspect of the show, including set design, production, EFX, prosthetics, you name it. We've already locked down the blueprints for all of our sets. That's well in advance of where most shows are at this point. We already know in advance roughly how many episodes in the first season we will be using various characters, so that helps us set the acting budget. Why pay an actor for 22 episodes if you're only planning to use him for 11? Most times, nobody KNOWS how many shows an actor is going to appear in, and pay him for the run of the show, only to use him for half the episodes. Happens all the time. Most shows are not run terribly responsibly. I believe right down to my socks that if someone is going to give me several million dollars to go make something, it behooves me to use that money *responsibly*. And in this case, because *so* much is known ahead of time about the requirements of the show, it's eminently easy to work to a budget, and yet wind up with something that's not simply acceptable, but which will simply blow your socks off. On to the news: More casting today. Saw a *dynamite* Sinclair. And, for the first time, a *really* good Lyta. (Oh, and by the way...since the actors all come in with different pronunciations, I figured it might not be generally known...it's pronounced "Leeta.") Also had a meeting with the publicity people at Warners, who're starting to gear up for the B5 publicity campaign. Not much has been done until now because we don't hit the air until February, and nobody wants to blow the momentum ahead of time. Managed to get a copy of the short B5 promo film with interviews, and will add that to the convention tape I bring around. And now, as for the newsletter: it's now a go, having checked with Warners to be sure we didn't overlap. No working title yet. (Hmm...how about this: the person who comes up with the best title for the BABYLON 5 newsletter gets one of the rare, early B5 color portfoios? If you decide to go for it, post the stuff here, but try to put several into one message, rather than a bunch of separate ones.) The editor/writer of the XXXX, The Official Newsletter of Babylon 5, is Katherine Lawrence (known to locals as sf-lawrence). I'll have her get the current mailing list of folks who've gotten t- shirts from the B5 offices. We plan on adding as many of the convention programmers from around the country as possible. How she wants to add other names from here is up to her...whether she wants them now, via email, or later, or what. (KL: don't have 'em come via the B5 offices, we'd be swamped.) Target date for Issue #1 is August 1st. That said...it's now out of my hair. I'll let Katherine handle any and all inquiries about the newsletter. I don't wanna know from it for a while; I'm up to my ears in production at the moment. There's a lot more news breaking, but I'll save some of it for another time. One kind of fun thing...I was playing with the set models today at the office, and found that if you pick them up, and peer through the plastic portholes and/or entrances, you can sort of get a camera's eye view of the thing...like actually being on set in miniature. Talk about a thrill...I can't *imagine* what it's gonna be like to actually stand on the set of the B5 observation dome when it's finished. (These sets, by the way, are *big*, boys and girls; I'm talking BIG.) Onward! jms ______ Category 18, Topic 22 Message 461 Fri Jun 26, 1992 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 02:52 EDT Yes, there will be married couples. And singles. And unmarried couples. And sex. And on and on. Interesting ideas..."The Tower of Babylon 5" ain't bad, but we've got a long ways to go until we get a final title. (I think that "Straczynski's Log" is...well...a little *personal*...not to brag, of course....) jms ______ Category 18, Topic 22 Message 493 Sat Jun 27, 1992 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 05:42 EDT Some good names here; some I rather like. The circulation of the newsletter is going to be much broader than just to Genie-ites; if that were the extent of it, then we wouldn't NEED a newsletter. It's to plug in the...er..un-plugged-in. Saw some more actors today, some more cool EFX, and for the first time, sketches of the prosthetics we'll be using for some of the actors. WAY neat. G'Kar is especially interesting. Long day (those who listen to HOUR 25 know why), so this'll be brief. Good things coming. jms ______ Category 18, Topic 22 Message 529 Sun Jun 28, 1992 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 16:39 EDT All suggestions are equally considered...even the loony ones. Yes, when I'm finished with the B5 movie, I'll continue with M,SW (as I am now, in fact), until the season concludes in February...which is about when we'll dig in seriously on the B5 series. What that means is that I'm really doing double duty...I steal a few early-morning hours for B5, then go to M,SW, put in a full day, leave around 5ish, then go to B5 and don't return home again until sometimes 10 or 10:30 p.m. (And of course there are days when I have to be at B5 all day, for casting and other reasons.) So I'm sometimes on the go as much as 18-20 hours a day, depending on what's up. Fortunately, the producers at M,SW are fully aware of the situation, and support it, and as long as I continue to handle my workload, have no problem with it. There is a tendency to forget where one lives sometimes, though.... jms ______ Category 18, Topic 22 Message 540 Mon Jun 29, 1992 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:13 EDT Trying to decide what and where to go now that Lady K. has opted out. Sigh. One more decision..... jms ______ Category 18, Topic 22 Message 548 Tue Jun 30, 1992 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 01:59 EDT (pant-pant-pant) Barely a few minutes here to log on and update. Meetings galore. Today we locked down the actual, physical look of our main alien characters, and man, they're great. Just great. We've got Steve Burg, one of the main conceptual designers behind Terminator 2, and John Criswell, one of the main guys from the Henson Creature Shop, linked to handle prosthetics and related areas. They've both always wanted to cut loose with what they can do, and we're hoping to give them that opportunity. So now the look of Londo, G'Kar, Delenn and Kosh is (are?) set. I think you'll approve (sly smile). Will lock down some of the cast in the next few days; the rest of the cast in the next 7-10 days. Set design has been approved by the studio. We're now in the process of making deals for actors, construction firms, efx shops and the like. We're *really* starting to move now. That's the funny thing about a production like this...it takes a long time to get moving; it's like slowly pushing a huge boulder inch by inch until gradually it begins to pick up momentum...goes faster...and then it's all you can do to keep it from speeding out of control, which is something you always have to guard against when you've got *so* many people running in different directions, doing different things. Onward. jms ______ Category 18, Topic 22 Message 550 Tue Jun 30, 1992 STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:04 EDT I'll answer that question the second week in August. Trust me, I have a reason for delaying the answer. jms ______