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<title>Babylon 5 Behind the Scenes: The Creators</title>
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<a name="jms"><img width=80 height=100 hspace=4 align=right
src="/lurk/gif/chars/jms.gif"></a>
The show was created by <b>J. Michael Straczynski</b> (JMS), who is
executive producer along with Doug Netter. It has been in
development since 1987.
<p>
JMS has been involved with genre television for many
years, as story editor and writer for the Twilight Zone TV series (syndicated
version),
<a href="http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/6213/index.html">Captain Power,</a>
and the animated The Real Ghostbusters. He has also
written for Jake and the Fatman and Murder, She Wrote. JMS has also had
many published short stories, an anthology, and two fantasy/horror novels.
Until recently, he was co-host of Hour 25, a Los Angeles area science fiction
radio talk show.
<p>
<a href="exec-prod.html"><img width=100 height=24 hspace=4 align=middle
src="/lurk/nav/moreinfo.gif" alt="[More Info]" border=0></a>
<cite>What does an executive producer do?</cite>
<p>
<a href="/lurk/misc/jms.html"><img width=100 height=24 hspace=4 align=middle
src="/lurk/nav/moreinfo.gif" alt="[More Info]" border=0></a>
<cite>What is JMS up to nowadays?</cite>
<br clear=all>
<p>
<img width=80 height=100 hspace=4 align=right
src="/lurk/gif/chars/netter.gif">
<b>Doug Netter</b> is an equal partner in Babylon 5 and has been in the business
for a long time. He was Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
at MGM Studios from 1970-1975, where his nickname was Rattlesnake, thus
Rattlesnake Productions, the production company he founded in 1978. Doug mainly
handles the business side and leaves the creative work to Straczynski, which is
how they first worked together on Captain Power. Recent executive producer
credits include "Captain Power" and "The Wild West" 10-hour miniseries
documentary.
<br clear=all>
<p>
<img width=80 height=100 hspace=4 align=right
src="/lurk/gif/chars/copeland.gif">
<b>John Copeland</b> is Babylon 5's producer. Copeland has been working with
Netter since 1977 and together they have produced "The Wild West" and the "Wild
Times" miniseries, "Roughnecks," "The Sacketts," and the pilot for "Captain
Power," among others.
<br clear=all>
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<img width=80 height=100 hspace=4 align=right
src="/lurk/gif/chars/iacovelli.gif">
<b>John Iacovelli</b> is the production designer, in charge of coming up with
new sets and other visual elements. In the past, he has worked on
"Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" among other films.
<br clear=all>
<p>
<img width=80 height=100 hspace=4 align=right
src="/lurk/gif/chars/franke.gif">
<b>Christopher Franke</b>,
formerly of
<a href="http://www.yahoo.com/Entertainment/Music/Artists/By_Genre/Ambient/Tangerine_Dream/">Tangerine Dream,</a>
composes the show's
<a href="/lurk/resources/products.html#soundtrack">soundtrack</a>
and wrote the main title themes. His film credits
include
<a href="http://us.imdb.com/M/title-exact?+=McBain">McBain,</a>
<a href="http://us.imdb.com/M/title-exact?+=Universal+Soldier">Universal Soldier,</a>
and the miniseries
<a href="http://us.imdb.com/M/title-exact?+=%22Tommyknockers,+The%22+(1993)+(mini)">The Tommyknockers.</a>
(Franke has released a <a
href="/lurk/resources/products.html#soundtrack">soundtrack</a> album of
music from the first and second seasons of the show.)
<br clear=all>
<p>
<img width=80 height=100 hspace=4 align=right
src="/lurk/gif/chars/ellison.gif">
<a href="http://harlanellison.com/"><b>Harlan Ellison</b></a>
is the conceptual consultant for the series. He has
written a "manifesto" for the show that explains to other writers how to
write science fiction for television and Babylon 5 in particular. On a
day-to-day basis, he has no preassigned duties (though he plans to write a
script or two) but is something of a generalist, helping refine many aspects
of the production, from writing to sets. JMS refers to Ellison's position as
"a free-roaming agent of chaos."
<br clear=all>
<p>
<img width=80 height=100 hspace=4 align=right
src="/lurk/gif/chars/thornton.jpg">
<b>Ron Thornton</b> of Foundation Imaging was in charge of the
<a href="effects.html">special effects</a>
through season three. The effects won an Emmy for the pilot movie. Thornton
has worked on Terminator 2, the Addams Family, Captain Power, Blake's 7, Doctor
Who, and other projects.
<p>
<a href="thornton.html"><img width=100 height=24 hspace=4 align=middle
src="/lurk/nav/moreinfo.gif" alt="[More Info]" border=0></a>
<cite>An interview with Thornton.</cite>
<br clear=all>
<p>
<b>Everett Burrell</b> and <b>John Vulich</b> head the make-up team at Optic
Nerve studios, and won an Emmy for their work in the first season of B5. They
have worked on productions such as Batman Returns, Aliens, Tales From The Crypt,
Night of The Living Dead, and The Lost Boys.
<p>
Well-known science fiction writers, including Ellison, David Gerrold, Peter
David, and D.C. Fontana, are contributing scripts to the show.
<p>
<a href="write-direct.html"><img width=100 height=24 hspace=4 align=middle
src="/lurk/nav/moreinfo.gif" alt="[More Info]" border=0></a>
<cite>A list of the show's writers and directors.</cite>
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<h5>
Last update:
December 21, 1995
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