You can not select more than 25 topics
Topics must start with a letter or number, can include dashes ('-') and can be up to 35 characters long.
1050 lines
51 KiB
1050 lines
51 KiB
Babylon 5 posts by JMS for August, 1992
|
|
|
|
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).
|
|
|
|
Category 18, Topic 22
|
|
Message 511 Sat Aug 01, 1992
|
|
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 00:22 EDT
|
|
|
|
Will try to get a revised list posted here ASAP. And yes, there is now a
|
|
new name for the Consortium of stations, as noted in a few of the trades; it's
|
|
being called the Primetime Network.
|
|
|
|
As for the dialogue...I come from a different place on that stuff. My
|
|
sense is that whatever one comes up with for future-dialogue that' is
|
|
noticeably different than what we speak now, it's a) invariably not what's
|
|
going to happen, and b) sometimes interferes with the drama. On one hand are
|
|
the cyberpunk types who think we'll speak in tech-talk, and then there's
|
|
everybody else.
|
|
|
|
We're trying to tell a story *now* to be heard by people *now*. When
|
|
Shakespeare wrote about folks long turned to dust, he didn't change the
|
|
language, he wrote his current language...look at "The Lion in Winter," by
|
|
|
|
ago...but it works.
|
|
|
|
At the other end of the spectrum, you've got SF movies like "Just
|
|
Imagine," made in the 30s about people in the 80s, and the way they talked,
|
|
the artificialities and stilted nature of dialogue and names, is absolutely
|
|
wrong and out-of-date for today. Had they just written it as they would any
|
|
other movie, it would sound fresher today.
|
|
|
|
Ten days and counting....
|
|
|
|
jms
|
|
______
|
|
Category 18, Topic 22
|
|
Message 516 Sat Aug 01, 1992
|
|
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 01:48 EDT
|
|
|
|
I'll be at Comic Con for a couple of days; I go for the shopping....
|
|
|
|
Don't know yet about the other cons...as for the military, we're trying
|
|
to keep it correct. As it happens, my Spousal Overunit is a military
|
|
historian (a *major* one, able to recite considerable information about every
|
|
major battle of the Civil War and discuss strategy in the Carthaginian battle,
|
|
you name it). She's been very detailed in nagging me to stay correct when it
|
|
comes to this stuff.
|
|
|
|
jms
|
|
______
|
|
Category 18, Topic 22
|
|
Message 532 Sun Aug 02, 1992
|
|
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 02:20 EDT
|
|
|
|
Just curious...did you see the old white station, or the new blue station
|
|
in motion?
|
|
|
|
jms
|
|
______
|
|
Category 18, Topic 22
|
|
Message 544 Sun Aug 02, 1992
|
|
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 23:43 EDT
|
|
|
|
In space there is no up and down (though I *think* the station was, from
|
|
our perspective, right-side up...haven't looked at it in a while).
|
|
|
|
Well, as of tomorrow, Monday, we are exactly one week from filming. Our
|
|
costume designer pointed out that making a project like this is a lot like
|
|
making Thanksgiving dinner...you set a dozen different things going at
|
|
different times, and hope they all come together at the right moment in the
|
|
right way. So far, I think we're on track.
|
|
|
|
Costumes are almost finished; we'll have all the command uniforms by
|
|
Tuesday or so, and the rest by week's end. Most of the on-screen displays
|
|
you'll see live on consoles in the observation dome and suchlike are finished
|
|
(and are really amazing in their detail)...there's one shot where they do a
|
|
navigational location on Kosh's ship that's really quite lovely.
|
|
|
|
One thing that I haven't mentioned to date is the lighting, because we
|
|
were looking at our options; everything else in the show is state of the art,
|
|
and we wanted to find something equally innovative. It took a while, but we
|
|
found a company that does very different sorts of lighting, and will give the
|
|
show a unique look and texture in most every shot.
|
|
|
|
Construction is finished on most of our primary sets, and now they're
|
|
being painted and dressed. We've spent a lot of this past week going over
|
|
props...guns and glasses, displays and dice, you name it. There are a number
|
|
of things that can actually transfer pretty well to the future without
|
|
modification, but a lot more that have to be redesigned or modified.
|
|
|
|
Prosthetics are in place. The full cast assembles either tomorrow or
|
|
Tuesday and we begin rehearsals. The shots have already been blocked out by
|
|
the director, A.D. and cinematographer. We were getting a little cramped for
|
|
space on the sets, so we've co-opted another soundstage, and now there's a
|
|
real spacious feel to some of this stuff.
|
|
|
|
The miniature of the Garden (with its infamous Death Pizza cap) is about
|
|
finished, and most of the other physical items are done.
|
|
|
|
I'm going through the script tonight, and tomorrow, one last time to
|
|
adjust lines, make them stronger, scratch for every possible inch of
|
|
characterization. Then we'll lock it down Wednesday, so from that moment on,
|
|
there shouldn't be any further changes of substance. Which is great for the
|
|
cast, since they don't have to constantly be learning new lines.
|
|
|
|
Monday is our last major production meeting before filming starts.
|
|
After that, it's simply a matter of holding on and hoping for the best... even
|
|
under the best of conditinos, something can screw up at the lasat _ last _
|
|
moment, and I live in dread of that. And as a writer, you can never be 100%
|
|
sure that what works on the page will work on the stage until you get there.
|
|
(Just glanced up; contitinos could be conditions four lines up. Sorry for the
|
|
typos, long day.)
|
|
|
|
I try to get very zen about these things. It's like firing the arrow;
|
|
you do all you can to line it up, but once you let go of the arrow, you have
|
|
to also let go mentally. You've done all you can, now live with it. Our
|
|
director has indicated that he's going to spend most of the Sunday before we
|
|
begin filming sleeping...on a project of this size, that means a lot of short
|
|
night and long days, so that's important. Me, I'll probably spend the whole
|
|
night staring up at the ceiling, eyes like poached eyes, looking like a still
|
|
from the Ren and Stimpy show or a Tex Avery cartoon.
|
|
|
|
I'll close with a funny story told to me by one of our crew. He was
|
|
working on a project in New York with a producer, and in the producer's office
|
|
was this elaborate grid of vertical and horizontal boxes, laid out on a large
|
|
sheet of paper. He asked the producer what it was, but the producer only
|
|
shrugged, adding that he'd find out in time.
|
|
|
|
About two weeks later (he *swears* to me that this is true), he was in
|
|
the other room when the producer yelled for him to get inside. The producer
|
|
was standing at the window, which overlooked a hotel right across the street,
|
|
and was very close to this office. Now it became clear...the paperwork grid
|
|
corresponded to the rooms in the hotel across the street. "Three up, two
|
|
across," the producer said. The guy checked the grid, found the room, and
|
|
looked across the streeet at the corresponding room.
|
|
|
|
In the hotel room, a lone guy had come in, had taken off all of his
|
|
clothes, and taken a seat by the window where he was...er...wanking off.
|
|
Overlooking the street. The producer gave it just a moment, then checked the
|
|
grid, found the room number, called the hotel's front desk, asked for room
|
|
311. They could see the guy in the hotel room reach for the phone (with his
|
|
other hand).
|
|
|
|
In his deepest voice, the producer said, into the phone, "THIS IS GOD!!!
|
|
CUT IT OUT!" And hung up.
|
|
|
|
This, apparently, was how he liked to spend his afternoons....
|
|
|
|
jms
|
|
______
|
|
Category 18, Topic 22
|
|
Message 566 Mon Aug 03, 1992
|
|
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 23:51 EDT
|
|
|
|
Those of you into films may know the work of John Stiers, who's done most
|
|
of the physical SFX for the James Bond films, for Outland and other films.
|
|
He's an academy award winner who *never* works in television, out of choice.
|
|
Turns out, he heard of what we were doing with B5, and asked to see a copy of
|
|
the script, not believing what he'd heard, that anyone would even TRY
|
|
something like this for television. Read the script...and he's aboard B5 in
|
|
that capacity. Turned down a film job that would have paid 3 times as much.
|
|
At the production meeting today, he commented that he hasn't seen a group of
|
|
people, or an operation, or an attitude like this in television EVER...and
|
|
that the last time he ran into something like this in film was on the first
|
|
James Bond movie, where everyone knew they were creating something special.
|
|
|
|
It really is astonishing, the calibre of people we're attracting, and
|
|
have attracted. We've got academy and emmy award winners working right
|
|
alongside what are practially kids, pulling together to create something
|
|
special.
|
|
|
|
Funny stuff, btw...over the weekend, a bunch of the guys (Ron, our
|
|
director Richard Compton, the prosthetics team, and some guys from our crew,
|
|
including UPM Bob Brown, who came to us from Lucasfilm) shot some, well, for
|
|
lack of a better term...commercials. They'll run on monitors in some of the
|
|
corridors and business areas. If you have a VCR and tape this show, you may
|
|
want to run it back and pay closer attention to some of what's going on in the
|
|
background. It's *very* funny stuff, and only occasionally sick and twisted.
|
|
|
|
(And again, that's indicative of our team...we didn't *have* to have this
|
|
sort of thing...it's a hassle, the prosthetics team out there en masse, doing
|
|
some location stuff out in the desert in 100+ degree heat, all on their own
|
|
time, giving up a weekend without pay, just to *do* it and make something
|
|
neat. And only occasionally sick and twisted....)
|
|
|
|
Nobody else would be crazy enough to DO this on television. Some of the
|
|
stuff they filmed...oh, man. Wait until you see it.
|
|
|
|
But that, again, is part of the point...letting creative people like
|
|
these do stuff that nobody else will LET them do. It's very nice. And it
|
|
doesn't worry me a bit. No, really. Well, maybe the alien faith healer just
|
|
a *tad*...and...well, never mind. Some things are too weird to even TRY and
|
|
describe.
|
|
|
|
Tomorrow we start rehearsals in earnest. I've turned in the last few
|
|
revisions for pink-pages, in some cases just changing one word on a page, if
|
|
that made it the *right* word. And adding in one new scene.
|
|
|
|
And for those who liked the other funny story, here's another, also true:
|
|
a prosthetics guy was running behind on another film, designing one of the
|
|
most crucial puppets of the piece. Finally, in desperation, the producer went
|
|
down to the prosthetics guy, got right in his face, and bellowed, at the top
|
|
of his lungs, "EITHER THAT PUPPET'S READY BY TEN O'CLOCK TOMORROW MORNING, OR
|
|
I'M GOING TO COME TO YOUR HOUSE, PAINT YOU GREEN, STICK MY HAND UP YOUR ASS
|
|
AND **YOU'RE** THE PUPPET!"
|
|
|
|
Needless to say, the puppet was ready. At 9:59 a.m.
|
|
|
|
I love this business....
|
|
|
|
jms
|
|
______
|
|
Category 18, Topic 22
|
|
Message 574 Tue Aug 04, 1992
|
|
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:00 EDT
|
|
|
|
Make that two of us.
|
|
|
|
Ah, well....
|
|
|
|
BTW, if anyone would like to, oh, I dunno, get on a mailing list for the
|
|
Babylon 5 Newsletter (name to be announced soon), send a POSTCARD _ not a
|
|
letter, a postcard _ with your name and address to BABYLON 5 NEWSLETTER, c/o
|
|
Moonfire Productions, Box 2325, Oakhurst, CA 93644.
|
|
|
|
Right now, we're shooting for mid-September for the first issue, around
|
|
the time we finish filming.
|
|
|
|
It is now T-minus 6 and counting....
|
|
|
|
jms
|
|
______
|
|
Category 18, Topic 22
|
|
Message 577 Tue Aug 04, 1992
|
|
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:30 EDT
|
|
|
|
No, if you were on the T-shirt list, you're already on the B5 newsletter
|
|
list.
|
|
|
|
And while I'm thinking about it...Katherine...I've been running off at
|
|
the mouth here about how remarkable the EFX are that we're doing, but clearly
|
|
I have an agenda, and a stake involved, and there's no reason why anyone
|
|
should take my word for it (skepticism is a virtue). Now, you've seen some of
|
|
the new FX...so as an objective voice, did you want to go into any detail
|
|
(without getting *too* specific) about what you saw, and what you feel is
|
|
different about it, or anything like that?
|
|
|
|
jms
|
|
______
|
|
Category 18, Topic 22
|
|
Message 582 Tue Aug 04, 1992
|
|
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 17:42 EDT
|
|
|
|
And you didn't even mention the nifty screen displays....
|
|
|
|
Okay, so it's a given: anything I say here has to be considered from the
|
|
point of view that I have an agenda. And is thus suspect. So with that out
|
|
of the way...I saw the pilot for "Space Rangers" the other day, a network star
|
|
cops type series. ILM did some CGI space effects for the pilot, and I was
|
|
curious to see it.
|
|
|
|
Oh, man...what a piece of...well, this is a public forum. On a writing
|
|
level, it's one of those scripts that mistakes banter for dialogue, and
|
|
annoying, stupid people for characterization. Just awful. As for the CGI
|
|
stuf...there were only a handful of shots, they looked prosaic for the most
|
|
part, one or two were very nice, and one or two were dreadful. (By
|
|
comparison, where they did 5-6 CGI shots for that one-hour show, we're doing
|
|
51 CGI shots for our two-hour show. And it will cost half of what ILM
|
|
charged. And look better.)
|
|
|
|
Really annoying.
|
|
|
|
Anyway....
|
|
|
|
Today we assembled all but one of the cast members of B5 for a *full*
|
|
read-through of the script for the first time. We'd done scenes before, and
|
|
had an early run-through with generic actors doing the lines, but this was the
|
|
first time we went from FADE IN to FADE OUT with pretty much the entire cast.
|
|
When you do a rehearsal like that, invariably you make changes, there are
|
|
awkward moments as the cast settles into the roles.
|
|
|
|
My pen hit the paper a total of five times, each just a word here or
|
|
there. That's it. And the wonderful part is that there was a chemistry among
|
|
the full cast right from the word Go. It was as though they had been working
|
|
together for years already. We cast *just* right. And they're a nice,
|
|
professional bunch of people, not a prima donna ni the bunch. (Make that *in*
|
|
the bunch.)
|
|
|
|
It went so well that, even though we'd set aside Friday for further
|
|
rehearsal, our director thinks, and I agree, that they won't need it; they hit
|
|
everything _ dialogue, attitude, delivery, pacing _ just right. (You always
|
|
block out and work through a scene before you shoot it, on the stage, this is
|
|
different.) You always go into any situatoin with the expectation that no one
|
|
is going to really Get It. Here, they all got it, and I don't think Richard
|
|
asked for more than three or four re-dos of scenes with different attitudes.
|
|
And on those where he did, they Got It immediately on the second try.
|
|
|
|
This is *so* rare. I can't tell you.
|
|
|
|
T-minus 6 and counting.
|
|
|
|
jms
|
|
______
|
|
Category 18, Topic 22
|
|
Message 597 Wed Aug 05, 1992
|
|
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 01:36 EDT
|
|
|
|
CGI = Computer Generated Imagery.
|
|
|
|
Re: bloopers and commercials...yes, there will be a Christmas reel for
|
|
crew with some of this stuff...don't imagine it'll get out...(Hah! I've seen
|
|
how this stuff spreads!).
|
|
|
|
If your address has changed, yes, send a new one to the address given
|
|
above. And yes, it's okay to post that address elsewhere.
|
|
|
|
I'm going to continue to try to post at least once every couple of days
|
|
during filming. Can't guarantee it, but that's my target.
|
|
|
|
Makeup, wardrobe and camera tests over the next 2 days. The cast will
|
|
walk the sets for the first time. After today's meeting, the atmosphere all
|
|
over the place is overwhelmingly positive...from every side...the cast, the
|
|
production team, Warners, people on the outside tracking the show for
|
|
magazines and elsewhere...comes the sense that we've really GOT something
|
|
here.
|
|
|
|
What it really shows, I think, more than any one other single element, is
|
|
the fact that just about everyone on this show *loves* the science fiction
|
|
genre...these are people who grew up on Forbidden Planet and Lucas and
|
|
Spielberg and Zone and everything in-between, and that care is going into
|
|
every frame. And they don't want to leave. One fellow who's been doing some
|
|
of our computer displays found out his contract was about over. He didn't
|
|
want to leave the show, even though there were other job prospects
|
|
elsewhere...he was willing to do anything, be a runner, a production
|
|
assistant, a gopher, anything, paid or otherwise, just to stay with it as long
|
|
as he could. (And we found something for him, for pay; that kind of attitude
|
|
is worth ten times the financial value of the work itself.)
|
|
|
|
If this show doesn't kick serious butt...I'm getting out of the business.
|
|
|
|
jms
|
|
______
|
|
Category 18, Topic 22
|
|
Message 604 Wed Aug 05, 1992
|
|
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 13:28 EDT
|
|
|
|
For reasons I can't go into now (all of them good), I can't answer that
|
|
question just now. But I will. Soon.
|
|
|
|
jms
|
|
______
|
|
Category 18, Topic 22
|
|
Message 608 Wed Aug 05, 1992
|
|
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 20:14 EDT
|
|
|
|
Hurm...actually...a word about Magicon....
|
|
|
|
We finish shooting on September 4th. There's likely to be a wrap party
|
|
that night. Which means I'd either have to take the red-eye to be in Florida
|
|
by the next morning...or get a 5 a.m. flight out, either way arriving a wreck
|
|
for the Saturday presentation.
|
|
|
|
Meantime, something else has come up.
|
|
|
|
I've been contacted (again) by Creation Entertainment, and there have
|
|
been a number of phone calls between us. I've been very straightforward about
|
|
my concerns, the things that I've heard from fans, all the things that I've
|
|
stated here on this forum. They have gone out of their way to be
|
|
accommodating, and to make clear that they are aware that there have been
|
|
problems in the past, but that they have been corrected.
|
|
|
|
So I'm going to give it a shot _ my suspicions intact _ and see how it
|
|
works out. If it does, terrific, everybody wins. If not...then at least it
|
|
was given a fair shot, and I have always tried to be fair.
|
|
|
|
Consequently, to those of you in the San Francisco area...I'll be doing a
|
|
B5 presentation at the Creation Con over the weekend of September 5th and 6th.
|
|
(A short hop up to San Francisco is a LOT more palatable than an excursion
|
|
cross-country.) I'll be able to bring a lot of neat stuff with me to show at
|
|
the convention.
|
|
|
|
Now I have to let Magicon know. And my regrets to those who may have
|
|
been anticipating the presentation there; I'd planned on just gritting my
|
|
teeth and, on the last day of shooting, getting no sleep and just bulling my
|
|
way through it...but I know I'm gonna be absolutely dead by then, and it's
|
|
just too much to put what's left of my body through at that point.
|
|
|
|
T-minus 5 and counting.
|
|
|
|
jms
|
|
______
|
|
Category 18, Topic 22
|
|
Message 624 Thu Aug 06, 1992
|
|
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 02:28 EDT
|
|
|
|
The main reason is strictly personal. As I said, the Magic Con is on
|
|
Saturday, that's when my presentation was scheduled, around noon. Now, we
|
|
finish shooting the day before, on Friday. As it's scheduled now, we will
|
|
probably finish the actual shoot around 7 or 8 o'clock, longer if we need any
|
|
pickup shots. Then will come the wrap party, which has to be that night
|
|
because the day after, everyone goes off in different directions until we get
|
|
moving on the series.
|
|
|
|
Which gives me only two options: 1) Take the redeye out of LAX and arrive
|
|
in Orlando around 2 a.m. (assuming that I could even get it), or 2) get zero
|
|
sleep, catch a flight out of LAX at the crack of dawn, get to Orlando with
|
|
maybe an hour to spare, rush to the hotel, rush to the presentation, find the
|
|
room....
|
|
|
|
Madness. Especially knowing the shape I'm going to be in when we finish
|
|
shooting. By contrast, San Francisco is a half-hour or so flight, I can take
|
|
it late in the morning on Saturday, and all will be well.
|
|
|
|
It's simply a question of *time* and *distance*. It's not a matter of,
|
|
"Why choose THIS convention over THAT convention," I'm not choosing EITHER
|
|
convention; I'm choosing a location, and not killing myself in the process.
|
|
If the Magic Con were in San Francisco, or even Phoenix, or Portland, that'd
|
|
be different. It's just flying cross-country under those conditions that has
|
|
finally pushed me in this direction. My spousal overunit has been nudging me
|
|
for weeks now on this, "You KNOW you're not going to be in any shape for a
|
|
cross-country flight the same night you finish filming," that kind of thing.
|
|
And, finally, I realized that she was right. I have a tendency to try and
|
|
push myself beyond what I should, and I simply realized that this was what I
|
|
was doing.
|
|
|
|
That is the entirety of my reasoning. I'm going to be a wreck ANYway, no
|
|
matter where I am...since I'll probably get no sleep at all during the last
|
|
two days of filming...but at least it won't be *as* bad this way.
|
|
|
|
jms
|
|
______
|
|
Category 18, Topic 22
|
|
Message 625 Thu Aug 06, 1992
|
|
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:29 EDT
|
|
|
|
Just an addendum...the concerns I raised with the Creation people were
|
|
not on my own behalf, but upon those who come to the cons, voicing what I've
|
|
heard here and elsewhere. It's their determination that they have fixed these
|
|
concerns that prompted me to give them a chance. (If I weren't doing that con
|
|
that weekend, frankly, I'd probably stay home and try to recover). Anyway,
|
|
it's not been an easy decision, but it's the only one that makes any kind of
|
|
sense at this time.
|
|
|
|
jms
|
|
______
|
|
Category 18, Topic 22
|
|
Message 642 Fri Aug 07, 1992
|
|
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 01:37 EDT
|
|
|
|
K.NOTO: Yes.
|
|
|
|
Re: the Fox station mentioned...have them contact the Warner Bros.
|
|
Television Consortium via Warners Domestic Television.
|
|
|
|
Currently am planning to be at Westercon.
|
|
|
|
(I think that covers the main questions.)
|
|
|
|
It has been a long, and very astonishing day, first with meetings, than
|
|
at the soundstage all day for makeup and wardrobe and camera tests. First,
|
|
just to let y'all know, the E! channel will be doing a half-hour "Making of
|
|
Babylon 5" documentary (which will also air on the commercial stations
|
|
carrying B5 prior to broadcast). We went over the territory today, decided
|
|
which days they'd be on-set to cover, and showed them some of the new EFX (and
|
|
they were amazed...commenting that it looks like a high-budget feature film).
|
|
|
|
Went to the stage after that. Oh, man...the place is really buzzing now,
|
|
this close to filming. Carpenters and painters finishing up their work,
|
|
costume and makeup people running around, and for the first time that I've
|
|
seen it there (though it was there yesterday when I was busy at MURDER)...a
|
|
*camera*. The green screen is up, the massive main corridor is almost
|
|
finished (and I do mean *massive*, almost 120 feet long), the council chambers
|
|
are virtually finished...and to try variations with the look of the lighting,
|
|
they pumped in a little haze to see what happened. (Looks cool.)
|
|
|
|
And today...I saw aliens. An actor in full Narn wardrobe AND
|
|
prosthetics...the first time I'd seen it. The narn is absolutely dynamite.
|
|
Major prosthetics work. And the costume is *gorgeous*, rich and textured.
|
|
Also saw Delenn today, and at first, it wasn't quite right, and we had to try
|
|
some variations in coloration and texture before finally deciding on a look.
|
|
Now I think we're all happy with it.
|
|
|
|
Kosh also came in today. Peered out at us through his iris. We liked
|
|
it. He left. Kosh doesn't say much. Kosh doesn't have to.
|
|
|
|
Also saw the wardrobe and make up test on Lyta Alexander, and she looks
|
|
terrific. Ditto for the tests (which were on dailies...our first dailies!) on
|
|
Garibaldi, Sinclair and Carolyn Sykes. Looks great.
|
|
|
|
One other casting piece now to announce...the role of Commander Jeffrey
|
|
Sinclair. The actor cast in that role is Michael O'Hare, who we discovered
|
|
while casting out of New York, and who we have flown out to L.A. for this
|
|
role. He's a classically trained actor, a graduate of Juliard, who just
|
|
knocked us out when he came in to audition. He has a tremendous presence, and
|
|
a voice vaguely reminiscent of Clint Eastwood at times. His face has a
|
|
curiously haunted look, but at the same time is (I'm told by the women who go
|
|
"yum" whenever he enters the room) quite appealing.
|
|
|
|
Michael has appeared in such films as "By a Thread," "Short Term Bonds,"
|
|
"Into Thin Air," "Pursuit," "The Promise," and others, as well as on
|
|
television in "Blue Revolution," "Case of Deadly Force," "Rage of Angels,"
|
|
"The Adams Chronicles," and in such episodic television shows as "The
|
|
Equalizer," "L.A. Law," "Kate and Allie" and others.
|
|
|
|
He is also a VERY accomplished stage actor, having appeared on Broadway
|
|
to tremendous reviews in "A Few Good Men," "Players," "Man and Superman" and
|
|
"Galileo," among many, many others.
|
|
|
|
The one thing we did NOT want, which we knew from the start, was one more
|
|
pretty-boy TV actor...we wanted someone with character in his face, with a
|
|
broad dramatic range. And we got all of it in Michael O'Hare.
|
|
|
|
Only one more piece of casting to announce _ Ambassador Delenn _ and
|
|
when that happens in a few days, I think you'll be most...intrigued.
|
|
|
|
jms
|
|
______
|
|
Category 18, Topic 22
|
|
Message 649 Fri Aug 07, 1992
|
|
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:47 EDT
|
|
|
|
Moving the date of the presentation seemed marginal at best...and
|
|
would've entailed catching a redeye BACK and screwing up Monday. Bear in
|
|
mind, I'm working two shows simultaneously...both of them full time jobs....
|
|
|
|
How many people are now involved with B5? Jeez...I know it covers about
|
|
5-6 pages of crew, so that's at least 75-100 people minimum, probably
|
|
more...plus the main cast, which is about 15, plus day players, about another
|
|
20, plus anywhere from 35-50 extras for some scenes. Then you have to add on
|
|
the people you DON'T see...those who aren't directly part of the crew, but are
|
|
hired out to work on costumes and the like.
|
|
|
|
This doesn't even include the sound crews, the editing people, the
|
|
composer, others...man, we're talking here several hundred people when all the
|
|
bills come in, though the *core* would be, I'd say, maybe a bit over 100. It
|
|
amazes me sometimes to think that something I came up with one afternoon could
|
|
now, almost five years later, so directly and significantly affect the lives
|
|
of so *many* people.
|
|
|
|
jms
|
|
______
|
|
Category 18, Topic 22
|
|
Message 663 Sat Aug 08, 1992
|
|
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 01:17 EDT
|
|
|
|
I think the E! documentary will air about a month after they do the
|
|
filming...so figure about 6-8 weeks. Then again on commercial stations
|
|
shortly before the B5 airing.
|
|
|
|
You don't have to buy Comic Con tickets in advance, they can easily be
|
|
purchased the day you arrive, for all or part of the con.
|
|
|
|
Height: roughly 6'4", maybe a smidge over.
|
|
|
|
On music...as I've mentioned here before (really, Stephen, all you'd have
|
|
to do is download the previous 3000 messages, and you'd know all this
|
|
stuff...), the LAST thing I want is one more self-indulgent, bloated, pseudo-
|
|
classical pompous John Williams ripoff. I enjoy all forms of music (except
|
|
country/western, a man's got to have SOME standards)...soft rock hard rock,
|
|
SOME heavy metal (but not a lot), classical, Japanese, Eastern European,
|
|
(some) New Age, folk rock, Gilbert and Sullivan...I'm very eclectic in my
|
|
tastes. So I'm really open to just about anything.
|
|
|
|
I *do* know that I want something that's really kickass, driving, with a
|
|
strong percussive backbeat. I loved the Stewart Copeland theme for "The
|
|
Equalizer," and Brad Fiedel's score for T2, and those would certainly be
|
|
appropriate for our show as well in terms of the type of music. I wouldn't be
|
|
averse to making it slightly rock-oriented, PROVIDED that we could avoid
|
|
dating ourselves in the process. (Or go for something driving yet
|
|
traditional, like the "Glory" or "Red October" soundtracks.) I just think
|
|
it's time for science fiction television to admit that there's been some good
|
|
music composed after the 18th century.
|
|
|
|
(If we could afford it, I would LOVE to have, playing in the background
|
|
in the casino, something alien...and then segue into a Beatles song or some
|
|
Buddy Holly or some Motown...that stuff will be with us forever, and will go
|
|
with us into space.)
|
|
|
|
(Sudden thought...I wonder if Ennya is available to do soundtracks?)
|
|
|
|
Busy day today. We're on the Friday before the Monday morning on which
|
|
we begin rolling film, and there's a LOT yet to be done. Did the final hair,
|
|
makeup and prosthetics tests on Londo...and I have to say, when I first saw
|
|
the complete effect, I was...startled, to say the least. And I really wasn't
|
|
sure, even though the actor *loved* it, and everyone else was just going nuts
|
|
for the thing. But after a while, the longer I looked at it, the more I began
|
|
to like it. It's extreme, but it fits the character.
|
|
|
|
More camera and lighting tests, the construction crews hurrying to get
|
|
everything done in time. Even though it's busy, more than one person
|
|
mentioned how surprisingly calm everyone is...it's all going as it should be,
|
|
there aren't any major crises, it's just *busy*.
|
|
|
|
Saw dailies on the makup/wardrobe/prosthetics tests we ran the other day
|
|
on Delenn, G'Kar, Lyta and Laurel Takashima. Very nice stuff. G'Kar is just
|
|
astonishing. Of all the wardrobe/makeup we're doing, it's the most colorful,
|
|
the most elaborately detailed, and probably the one that will start showing up
|
|
first in convention masquerades.
|
|
|
|
By late this evening, I was exhausted, and went up into the B5 central
|
|
corridor, climbed up the steps to the second level, and sat there for a while,
|
|
watching as they moved the lights up and down and sideways, casting filtered
|
|
beams of light through catwalks and grids to form curious shadows on the
|
|
floor...amid the sound of hammers banging and saws shearing through wood, and
|
|
the constant drum of footsteps on the set below...sitting in the Babylon 5
|
|
station, having now seen all of the major aliens and characters in the flesh,
|
|
on screen, in full regalia, thinking that all of this _ and all that it
|
|
represents for those who are now involved with the Babylon 5 project _ began
|
|
with one sentence:
|
|
|
|
FADE IN:
|
|
|
|
EXT. BABYLON 5
|
|
|
|
People on the set keep coming up to me and asking, "Is this exciting for
|
|
you?" And I don't know what to say in response. More than anything else
|
|
(when I'm not being tired and wishing I was asleep somewhere), I'm quite
|
|
simply *stunned*. It all has a vague air of unreality about it. I imagine
|
|
that I'll be excited when it's done, when I can actually hold a cassette of
|
|
the show in my hand, and see the reaction it gets in front of an audience.
|
|
|
|
What usually happens during the day is that I go into the production
|
|
offices at the studio, sit in my room in the back, and play Godfather: people
|
|
come to me and ask questions. I give them answers. And then t hey go
|
|
away...and I turn into this statue. Just stunned. Until someone else comes
|
|
in with a question. Then I go out onto the soundstage. And sit. Stunned.
|
|
Then I go home. Stunned.
|
|
|
|
Every so often, though, when I can force myself out of the haze, I find
|
|
myself thinking, "This is really going to be SOMETHING. I mean, really,
|
|
really, SOMETHING."
|
|
|
|
T-minus 3 and counting.
|
|
|
|
jms
|
|
______
|
|
Category 18, Topic 22
|
|
Message 695 Sun Aug 09, 1992
|
|
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:19 EDT
|
|
|
|
Yikes, 28 messages since last I logged on. This is going to get
|
|
consistently tougher as more time is taken by production.
|
|
|
|
To try and answer some of the preceding messages....
|
|
|
|
Yes to the idea of trying an article, go for it.
|
|
|
|
On the article about B5 now in the ST newsletter...I'd love to hear more
|
|
specifics about it.
|
|
|
|
I imagine we'll have a first, rough cut of "The Gathering" by the end of
|
|
September. What's interesting is that Ron will have ALL of the computer EFX
|
|
finished within the next 10 days. So we don't have to wait around for EFX to
|
|
be delivered, slowing the editing process, we'll have them well in advance of
|
|
our completion of principal photography. (Which is also good for the actors,
|
|
since they can know EXACTLY what it is they're reacting to, rather than having
|
|
to look at a blank screen and react to a guess.)
|
|
|
|
How would I describe it in a TV Guide log-line? At this stage, I don't
|
|
know that I could. I'm just too close to it right now.
|
|
|
|
Will get a station list up soonest; I know some stations have been added
|
|
to the list, so there's some hope.
|
|
|
|
The credits sequence is still being storyboarded, will advise when we
|
|
have it finalized.
|
|
|
|
Meanwhile....
|
|
|
|
It is now just a tick over T-minus one and counting. We'll hit that as
|
|
soon as the second hand clicks past midnight. Spent all day today at the
|
|
soundstage, checking, trying not to get in the way, watching and giving
|
|
suggestions when asked. (Funny sight...a newly painted set outside which
|
|
someone had posted a sign, "Wipe Your Feet Before Entering! (Especially
|
|
Aliens!)") They're doing lighting checks, finishing painting some of the
|
|
sets, setting up dolly tracks and doing camera checks for angles and lighting.
|
|
Not really that much for me to do anymore; it has now reached terminal
|
|
velocity, having gathered its own momentum over time, and there's a certain
|
|
point where you just have to stand back or impede the process. So I spent a
|
|
little time with the wardrobe guys, making the logical progression of rank
|
|
insignia we'll be using.
|
|
|
|
(For those who know of "Captain Power," Sven Thorson, who played Tank in
|
|
that show, came by the stage to say hello and inquire about where the babes
|
|
were, and to ask where the hell his part is...he'll play an alien, a fern,
|
|
whatever...as long as the part calls for a Danish accent.)
|
|
|
|
On Monday, we (in directorial terminology) "pull the trigger." I won't
|
|
be at the studio Sunday...at that point I know I'm going to be just a little
|
|
twitchy, and better to take that time to rest, knowing what's ahead of
|
|
us...lots of long days and longer nights.
|
|
|
|
What's nice is that, where you normally get a still photographer for only
|
|
a few days out of a shoot, at most half, we're going to have one on set for
|
|
every day of the shoot, to chronicle the whole thing for the archives.
|
|
Warners, as with us, has come to the realization that this is going to be
|
|
something different, and they want to record it.
|
|
|
|
The actors are gearing up, reading lines together, getting ready for the
|
|
first scenes to be filmed (two meetings of the Babylon 5 Advisory Council, at
|
|
which someone's fate is decided, and a bunch of stuff in the central corridor
|
|
set). They're primed and ready to go.
|
|
|
|
The kind of lighting we're using, by the way, has never before been used
|
|
to this extent on any other television series. It's going to look quite
|
|
dramatic.
|
|
|
|
And then there's Ambassador Delenn. He, as you know, is the Minbari
|
|
ambassador assigned to B5. His makeup/prosthetics has taken the longest to
|
|
work out, but now we're happy with his look. And the performer who will play
|
|
Ambassador Delenn is Mira Furlan, whose work is extremely well known in
|
|
Europe. A native Yuglosavian who has appeared in such highly regarded films
|
|
as "When Father Was Away On Business" (which received the Palme D'Or at
|
|
Cannes, as well as an Oscar nomination), "Three For Happiness" (which took the
|
|
Grand Prix at the Valencia Film Festival), "Dear Video," "Southbound," "The
|
|
Condemned," "The Beauty of Sin," and nearly a dozen others, ALL of them
|
|
starring roles. There have also been starring roles in major European
|
|
productions and half a dozen major film awards. BABYLON 5 will be Mira
|
|
Furlan's entry into American television.
|
|
|
|
(pausing, waiting as the brain cells work....)
|
|
|
|
T-minus one and counting.
|
|
|
|
jms
|
|
______
|
|
Category 18, Topic 22
|
|
Message 710 Sun Aug 09, 1992
|
|
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 20:27 EDT
|
|
|
|
Well, I was wondering who'd come close to picking up on this, and Tal
|
|
comes closest. Yes, if you look at the message in which I introduce the actor
|
|
playing Delenn, there are no pronouns used except as they describe the
|
|
character.
|
|
|
|
Ideally, what you want to do when you create an alien character is to go
|
|
for a look that's, well, *alien*, something that's not quite right about it.
|
|
You can do this from the outside in, with really weird makeup, or from the
|
|
inside out. We have some of the former, and Delenn is one of the latter.
|
|
|
|
What we have, basically, is a female actor playing a male character.
|
|
Women simply *move* differently than men do; the gestures, the tilt of the
|
|
head, the smile, it's just a shade different. So you now take that, and wrap
|
|
it inside a male character, aided by prosthetics to make the face and body
|
|
more masculine. Now, when you look at the finished product, you are looking
|
|
at a male, but there's something wrong about it somewhere, and it makes you a
|
|
little uncertain. The first time I saw Mira in full makeup, it looked great.
|
|
And there was something very unusual about it, that sense that your eyes and
|
|
your brain are in conflict somewhere about what you're seeing.
|
|
|
|
That was a decision made early on, and that's what's different about
|
|
Delenn (to respond to Tal's comment).
|
|
|
|
jms
|
|
______
|
|
Category 18, Topic 22
|
|
Message 711 Sun Aug 09, 1992
|
|
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 20:36 EDT
|
|
|
|
P.S. Nearly forgot...got the galleys in yesterday for my new short
|
|
story, "Say Hello, Mister Quigley," which will be appearing in Pulphouse in
|
|
September. (This was not a plug, it was an incredible simulation.)
|
|
|
|
jms
|
|
______
|
|
Category 18, Topic 22
|
|
Message 736 Mon Aug 10, 1992
|
|
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 02:59 EDT
|
|
|
|
The series question is taking care of itself at this point. Will advise
|
|
as this develops.
|
|
|
|
Meanwhile, I am sitting here going quietly bananas. I expected that the
|
|
night before I'd be in quite a state, but man...I wish I could describe it for
|
|
those looking on, but it's not any one thing. Yes, there's a certain amount
|
|
of excitement mixed with anticipation, terror, fear, uncertainty...it's like
|
|
going out on a first date, and you go back to her place, and you suddenly
|
|
realize that you're going to be going to bed for the first time together, and
|
|
you're wondering if your mouthwash is still holding up, if she's protected, if
|
|
you're protected, if those handcuffs beside her bed are really just for
|
|
show...and whether or not you forgot to lock the car door downstairs....
|
|
|
|
I keep playing every scene, every line, over and over in my head, making
|
|
sure it's all there...worrying about the makeup, the prosthetics, if the
|
|
actors are comfortable with it all, if the sets will register properly on
|
|
film, if I made the right decision on one of the costumes...
|
|
|
|
Argh.
|
|
|
|
I really hate this part of it. It's great, don't misunderstand me, it's
|
|
just...you understand. I was sitting earlier, trying to read, and my spousal
|
|
overunit announced that if my foot were shaking any faster, it would vibrate
|
|
right off my leg and smash out a window across the room.
|
|
|
|
I'm fine. I'm cool. It doesn't bother me.
|
|
|
|
If you need me, I'll be up on the roof....
|
|
|
|
T-minus 9 hours and counting.
|
|
|
|
jms
|
|
______
|
|
Category 18, Topic 22
|
|
Message 770 Tue Aug 11, 1992
|
|
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 02:25 EDT
|
|
|
|
I'm sure that at some time in the past, I have been more tired than I am
|
|
right now, but I'm darned if I can think of it.
|
|
|
|
Got zip sleep last night. Would wake up almost every ten minutes, my
|
|
brain chewing on something or other, wondering if everything's in place,
|
|
worrying over the hair on one of the characters (honest), if it was too
|
|
extreme...constant bedspins.
|
|
|
|
Dragged my butt out early this morning and down to the studio by an
|
|
ungodly hour of the morning. Makeup and prosthetics took their usual time,
|
|
and some time was taken up re-rigging some of the video in the set we were
|
|
using today, adjusting some other stuff along the way. (Richard Compton, our
|
|
director, picked one of the most visually difficult scenes to start with,
|
|
figuring that if we could get past this one, the rest would be a piece of
|
|
cake, except for the one big scene toward the end of the shoot.)
|
|
|
|
We pulled the trigger and got off the first shot on-camera at about 9:30
|
|
a.m. I tried, where possible, to stay out of the line of fire, since by this
|
|
time I was vibrating enough to slide into another dimension, and didn't want
|
|
to infect anybody else. Went off perfectly.
|
|
|
|
The main thing, for me, was that today the whole world came alive at the
|
|
same time (the world of B5). Up until now, it's been pieces...we see the
|
|
actors. We see the sets. We see the costumes. We see the actors in the sets
|
|
but not in costume. We see the actors in costume but not on the sets.
|
|
Finally, there it was at last...all of our characters, in full costume or
|
|
uniform (and the uniforms look DYNAMITE!), on the sets. It was finally,
|
|
fully, completely *real* at last.
|
|
|
|
Andreas Katsulas took a great approach to Ambassador G'Kar, which is a
|
|
VERY dynamic looking alien, very intimidating...giving him an educated,
|
|
mellifluous voice, a wonderful counterpoint to his appearance. Peter Jurasik
|
|
was terrific as Londo Mollari, playing even the Advisory Council scenes as
|
|
though half in the bag and trying not to show it. Delenn was exotic and
|
|
mysterious, Tamlyn Tomita was senSATIONAL at Laurel, great strength of
|
|
character and presence...and I cannot begin to tell you what star material
|
|
we've found in Michael O'Hare. He's got a voice and a presence that could
|
|
give Sean Connery or Clint Eastwood a run for their money. Jerry Doyle was
|
|
great as Garibaldi, as was Johnny Sekka as Dr. Kyle. (We've cast two strong
|
|
leading men in Doyle and O'Hare, and they are dynamite together...and there's
|
|
a *very* nice chemistry emerging between Sekka and O'Hare as well.)
|
|
|
|
Our Warners liaison came by today for the first time to the set, and he
|
|
couldn't believe the sets, how much we've done, the details, the elaborate
|
|
stuff we've pulled off. He was absolutely blown away.
|
|
|
|
Long story short...it went *great*, better than I'd hoped. Richard was
|
|
magnificent behind the camera, coming up with some very difficult and
|
|
challenging shots, great angles...it's going to look wonderful. Very
|
|
cinematic, almost film-noir in its use of textures and shadows.
|
|
|
|
Later in the day, I had some friends come over, whose opinion I trust,
|
|
and who are very well versed in SF for television and film. (These included
|
|
Marv Wolfman and Len Wein, known to the comics fans here, and Craig (Mr. SF)
|
|
Miller, who was involved with the first STAR WARS, and is not generally easily
|
|
impressed.) They knew of B5 only peripherally, and were in NO way prepared
|
|
for what they saw on the set. Add to that the new EFX that I showed them
|
|
today...their eyes melted right out of their sockets.
|
|
|
|
Got back just a little while ago (it's now about 11:30 p.m. as I type
|
|
this). Got some M,SW work to do before I can crash for the night, and begin
|
|
the whole thing again tomorrow (where I'll finally see the dailies from
|
|
today's filming).
|
|
|
|
Day One finished. On time, on schedule, on budget. And it looks spiffy.
|
|
|
|
I am a happy man. Exhausted, right down to the marrow, but happy.
|
|
|
|
jms
|
|
______
|
|
Category 18, Topic 22
|
|
Message 772 Tue Aug 11, 1992
|
|
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 02:29 EDT
|
|
|
|
P.S. Boy, oh boy, have I got something wonderful to show at the Comic
|
|
Con...a little something Ron handed me today...heh, heh...you say talk is
|
|
cheap? Well, wait until you see what *I've* got this Saturday....
|
|
|
|
jms
|
|
______
|
|
Category 18, Topic 22
|
|
Message 803 Wed Aug 12, 1992
|
|
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:11 EDT
|
|
|
|
Some interesting things are happening re: the broadcast debut of the B5
|
|
pilot. Good things. Will advise.
|
|
|
|
As to how Richard directs...pretty much like most directors, he walks
|
|
through the scene with the actor(s), having already a fairly clear idea in
|
|
mind how he wants to play the scene. Blocks out each of hte _ the _ moves,
|
|
rehearses them a few times, and then shoots it. Then goes in for coverage
|
|
(overs and unders, close-ups and mediums, that sort of thing).
|
|
|
|
Day Two went quite well, after a slow start. (A people mover we planned
|
|
to use _ nicknamed the Being Mover, since it's used by others than humans _
|
|
didn't work out as well as planned, so rather than go with something less than
|
|
perfect, we scrapped it and yanked it...which took an hour or so, and then we
|
|
were able to get down to filming.)
|
|
|
|
We used our Big Impressive Set today, and suspect it'll look pretty cool.
|
|
Also saw dailies from yesterday's filming, and for the first time the cast got
|
|
to see themselves on film, and see how it was being filmed, and they're all
|
|
*very* jazzed. It looks like a motion picture. Rich textures, nice use of
|
|
shadows, good depth of field...very nice. The uniforms and prosthetics come
|
|
out wonderfully on film, and the performances are sparkling. Some good drama,
|
|
and some *very* funny stuff as well.
|
|
|
|
Anyway, all continues to go well. We remain on schedule. The cast is
|
|
happy. Warners is happy. We're happy.
|
|
|
|
Onward.
|
|
|
|
jms
|
|
______
|
|
Category 18, Topic 22
|
|
Message 824 Thu Aug 13, 1992
|
|
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 13:52 EDT
|
|
|
|
Sorry I haven't been able to log on in over a day; things are going well,
|
|
and the main problem was that last night I came home to edit together some
|
|
Neat Stuff to show at Comic Con, and I'm not very good at it, and it took me
|
|
HOURS to pull it together, by which time it was all I could do just to fall
|
|
into bed.
|
|
|
|
But there's gonna be some fun stuff seen at Comic Con....
|
|
|
|
A few responses to the preceding:
|
|
|
|
Not a few of the Warners reps are carrying around old or incorrect
|
|
information, as evidenced by the guy saying that the show would be on in
|
|
November (that got changed a LONG time ago). The other information is also
|
|
incorrect. We're aware of the problem, and it's being (shall we say) attended
|
|
to. It's really a communications problem, which happens in the early stages
|
|
of a project as big as a new network.
|
|
|
|
What makes the lighting different? Well, the reason I'm not saying what
|
|
the *specifics* are is so that some other show won't find out about it and
|
|
start using it. Suffice to say for the moment that no other show has used
|
|
this, certainly not to this extent. (I'll comment more fully on the lights
|
|
in, say, a month. So re-ask the question at that time.)
|
|
|
|
There's actually a fair amount of rehearsal that goes on, first in full
|
|
read-throughs, and on the set. First a walk-through, then a camera rehearsal,
|
|
so by the time we roll film, the actor has said the lines in that particular
|
|
scene (which could be as short as 30 seconds) five or six times, in addition
|
|
to reading through the scene backstage before we bring them out. What's great
|
|
about this particular team of actors is that they are all *thorough* pros, and
|
|
they show up knowing every line, every word, there's virtually no coaching on
|
|
the lines, they just come out and NAIL it.
|
|
|
|
Re: taping the Comic Con presentation...the answer to that is a big No,
|
|
*especially* during the film part of the presentation. If I see a red light
|
|
anywhere in the audience, I'm going to stop the clip immediately and that'll
|
|
be it.
|
|
|
|
What's interesting to me is watching the actors as they grow into their
|
|
parts. The greatest degree of prosthetics are on Andreas Katsulas, and he's
|
|
commented that instead of being a burden, the "mask" of the headpiece has
|
|
freed him...and he's *wonderful*. Every time he comes on set, he just
|
|
energizes everyone.
|
|
|
|
And the actor's craft in action is fascinating to behold. There is a
|
|
scene (well, two, actually) in which Londo Mollari (Peter Jurasik) has very
|
|
little to say. But you always have to do a close-up for coverage. And
|
|
despite the fact that he has nothing much to *say*...he totally and completely
|
|
and wonderfully steals the scene. Subtle, small things that register
|
|
magnificently on the screen.
|
|
|
|
I have a strong hunch that Londo and G'Kar are going to be real break-out
|
|
characters.
|
|
|
|
So far, we've shot scenes in the main corridor, the outside of the
|
|
casino, the council room, various quarters, the conference center and a few
|
|
other places. We're really steaming along nicely.
|
|
|
|
I'll be down in Comic Con, and thus unavailable here for a few days, but
|
|
will log on when I'm next near a keyboard.
|
|
|
|
jms
|
|
______
|
|
Category 18, Topic 22
|
|
Message 871 Sun Aug 16, 1992
|
|
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 22:41 EDT
|
|
|
|
Just got in...absolutely bushed (it's 106 degrees outside, a real
|
|
killer).
|
|
|
|
I've only skimmed the reactions here, will discuss more later, but in
|
|
brief...just a reminder that what was shown was culled from only the first 2
|
|
days of dailies. The more exotic-looking aliens come in other scenes.
|
|
|
|
And again, my apologies for the darkness of the dailies clip; these were
|
|
many generations down: from the film, to a 3/4" tape, to a VHS, to another VHS
|
|
onto which I made the edited cuts, and then onto a final VHS to add the music.
|
|
Four generations down. (I'd wanted to do only 3 generations down, but I
|
|
couldn't find a way to totally knock out the soundtrack on the edited footage,
|
|
so had to transfer it again and mix in the music at that time.)
|
|
|
|
Overall, I was fairly pleased with how the presentation went. I'm always
|
|
hyper-critical of my own performance, wondering if I'd gotten out all the
|
|
important information. I'd thought I'd have 90 minutes, but only had 60, and
|
|
that kinda closed things down a little bit.
|
|
|
|
Anyway, too bushed now for much more, just a quick check-in. Will sign
|
|
on again either later today or at the end of day tomorrow, after another day
|
|
of filming.
|
|
|
|
jms
|
|
______
|
|
Category 18, Topic 22
|
|
Message 878 Mon Aug 17, 1992
|
|
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 01:55 EDT
|
|
|
|
The ship you refer to is known in the script as the spider transport,
|
|
though it looks a little more tick-ish than spider-ish. (BTW, there wasn't a
|
|
problem with the lights, it turns out...some idiot thought it would be fun to
|
|
turn them on and off during the presentation. Which is why it stopped when I
|
|
saw a shadow toward the back of the room at the controls and commented that if
|
|
someone was messing with the lights, I'd hurt him...bad.)
|
|
|
|
As for the lens flare, yeah, it's just one of the extras Ron's cooked up
|
|
to make things more real, though we over-used it a bit at the start. The
|
|
reasoning behind it was simply giving the sense of a camera out in space,
|
|
again replicating what a real lens would pick kup.
|
|
(Or pick up.)
|
|
|
|
You know you're tired when you're too tired to type....
|
|
|
|
jms
|
|
______
|
|
Category 18, Topic 22
|
|
Message 891 Mon Aug 17, 1992
|
|
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 22:24 EDT
|
|
|
|
(sitting here, saying nothing, hands jammed over mouth, unable to say
|
|
what I know, just as I could say nothing when the Babylon 5 project was only
|
|
That Which Could Not Be Mentioned, but knowing what was coming down the road,
|
|
and the news was good, *is* good, but he can't say, not yet, not until he's
|
|
allowed to...but trust me, QC, all is well.)
|
|
|
|
jms
|
|
______
|