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.
366 lines
9.7 KiB
366 lines
9.7 KiB
JMS (and coproducer George Johnsen) Usenet messages for June 1997.
|
|
|
|
Date: 30 May 1997 13:16:05 -0400
|
|
Subject: Re: No Surrender, No Retreat ( *Spoilers* )
|
|
|
|
"were these White Stars tired or something? I would've expected that a
|
|
couple of them could just go slice-slice, sever the rotating sections on
|
|
the EA ships and have 'em for breakfast."
|
|
|
|
Sure, if all you're interested in is slaughtering the opposition...they
|
|
were designed for "destroy"...when you have to pull your punches to avoid
|
|
just going in and killing EVERYthing in sight...which will only work
|
|
*against* you in the long run, it becomes more difficult.
|
|
|
|
|
|
jms
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Date: 2 Jun 1997 20:33:24 -0400
|
|
Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: "In The Beginning" is *linear*???
|
|
|
|
Never said it was linear, only that it predates B5.
|
|
|
|
|
|
jms
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Date: 3 Jun 1997 16:00:19 -0400
|
|
Subject: Re: Att: JMS, George, MOJO, etc., about CGI, EFX, etc.
|
|
|
|
Gary-
|
|
|
|
As to what the process sounds like, I'll leave that to your imagination,
|
|
but the rest of the process goes something like this:
|
|
|
|
The script will dictate a direction to look. Joe has some amazing
|
|
pictures in his head, and sometimes they actually pop out and leak onto
|
|
paper! Other times it takes more help. There is a discussion around a
|
|
table not unlike the one that you describe, where the general
|
|
characteristics of the race and their mode of conveyance are discussed
|
|
in detail. The ideas that result are communicated to a designer
|
|
(creature specialist, futurist, technical illustrator, theortical
|
|
scientist, or animator- depends on the type of design required) for a
|
|
concept sketch. Once that is adjusted and approved, a modeler builds
|
|
the object in the appropriate animation software, and the surfacing
|
|
begins!
|
|
|
|
At completion of that point, a move test is done, approved or rejected
|
|
by myself, John Copeland, and JMS, and the object is added to the
|
|
animator's arsenal.
|
|
|
|
Yes, it is collaborative, and fairly time consuming, but it does result
|
|
in some cool ships that no single vision could produce!
|
|
|
|
George Johnsen
|
|
CoProducer, B5
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Date: 3 Jun 1997 16:06:32 -0400
|
|
Subject: Re: "Conflict of Interest" and PPGs (Mild Spoiler)
|
|
|
|
Seriously Mild Spoiler for CoI:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
PPG fire through an HVAC tube wall
|
|
|
|
This is substantially correct. The PPG blast is extremely hot, and will
|
|
melt through the plastic coating and the metal lining inside the tube.
|
|
The entire energy of a PPG will not come through the tube (unless by
|
|
some coincidence the exact same area is hit twice or three times), and I
|
|
believe that this was propoerly portrayed in the sequence. Even if it
|
|
isn't the entire energy blast, it will hurt like hell and de-mobilize an
|
|
individual meat packet (person) for the bad guys to come get later.
|
|
|
|
It did take a *very* long time to burn through the bulkhead door to
|
|
allow them access to the hallway, and said door did mildly glow in the
|
|
affected areas prior to melting through. The station hull is even more
|
|
heat resistant.
|
|
|
|
George Johnsen
|
|
CoProducer, B5
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Date: 7 Jun 1997 14:41:56 -0400
|
|
Subject: The Blooper Show Response
|
|
|
|
|
|
I recieved this letter from Dick Clark Productions the other day, and I
|
|
share it here with their permission:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dear Mr. Johnsen:
|
|
|
|
We deeply regret any confusion or unintentional problems caused by the
|
|
deletion of the Babylon 5 bloopers from our last special. Although we
|
|
had every intention of using the bloopers, last minute changes by the
|
|
network, and overall time problems with the show, forced us to eliminate
|
|
a number of good bloopers at the last minute.
|
|
|
|
Unfortunately, the TV Guide ad, which our production company was never
|
|
shown, was already put to bed at the time of the final edit. Had we
|
|
been aware that the Babylon 5 bloopers were listed in TV Guide, we would
|
|
have made every effort to retain them in our show. We hope to make this
|
|
up to you by including Babylon 5 bloopers in our next special.
|
|
|
|
Again, may we apologize for a situation that was not in our control. We
|
|
look forward to a long future with mutual benefits to both of our shows.
|
|
|
|
Sincerely,
|
|
|
|
Al Schwartz, Executive Producer/Director
|
|
Barry Adelman, Producer/Writer
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
After all of the posting, we thought you should know.
|
|
|
|
George J
|
|
CoProd, B5
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Date: 8 Jun 1997 01:26:20 -0400
|
|
Subject: Re: ATTN: JMS
|
|
|
|
The schedule for 522 is separate and apart from the schedule for the
|
|
movies, so there shouldn't be a problem.
|
|
|
|
|
|
jms
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Date: 8 Jun 1997 01:39:00 -0400
|
|
Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: lunchtime on the set
|
|
|
|
Lunchtime is one of the best times on set. We have a large area set up
|
|
outside the back of the stage, a big picnic tent sort of arrangement, in
|
|
the open air, and the food is brought in, and it's kind of like a big
|
|
family picnic 5 times a week. A lot of goofing around, laughter, hanging
|
|
out and BSing, big political arguments usually involving me (moderate to
|
|
left), Jerry (slightly to the right of Atilla the Hun) and Jason (acting
|
|
representative from Mars). In the case of massive applied prosthetics,
|
|
they stay on because it would take too long to reaply them, and in general
|
|
they're not hard to work around; the background aliens just pop off their
|
|
heads.
|
|
|
|
Curiously...and I consider this something of a psychological or
|
|
sociological study, albeit very informal...at lunchtime *almost
|
|
invariabley* the Narn extras sit with the other Narn extras, Centauri sit
|
|
with Centauri, Earth troops with Earth troops...it's interesting to see
|
|
how fast this sort of thing happens.
|
|
|
|
|
|
jms
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Date: 11 Jun 1997 06:42:34 -0400
|
|
Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: Writer's Block
|
|
|
|
This is probably going to honk off a lot of other writers, but...I've
|
|
never had writer's block. Never. Not ever. Not in the 26 years since I
|
|
started writing seriously at age 17. My problem has only been in getting
|
|
it all *down*, there's so much to work from. If I dried up right now on
|
|
stories, what I have in notes alone could probably carry me through the
|
|
next 10 years.
|
|
|
|
|
|
jms
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Date: 11 Jun 1997 08:05:44 -0400
|
|
Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: If S5 airs in January, what will happen to S5 on
|
|
|
|
The S5 new eps and S1-4 reruns would be simultaneous...which would mean
|
|
that one could piggy back on the PR of the other.
|
|
|
|
|
|
jms
|
|
|
|
Date: 11 Jun 1997 21:15:08 -0400
|
|
Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: "Proceed with messing it up" (was Re: ATTN JMS:
|
|
|
|
There have only been a couple of very rare cases when a director has said
|
|
"Why did you do this?" Usually we explain why -- we were running long, an
|
|
EFX shot didn't work out, whatever -- and it's never a problem. There
|
|
have been, I think, about 3 cases when a director said it was really
|
|
important to him to do it a certain way in one shot, and if a director
|
|
feels that strongly about it, we tend to think we should go along with it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
jms
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Date: 12 Jun 1997 17:02:44 -0400
|
|
Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: "In the Beginning" for newbies and vets
|
|
|
|
ItB contains surprises and turnarounds for many of the series veteran
|
|
fans, and it does a great job of laying the foundation for the first two
|
|
seasons for the newbies.
|
|
|
|
It's a most elegant dance...and I'm actually kinda proud of it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
jms
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Date: 14 Jun 1997 20:38:46 -0400
|
|
Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: Writer's Block
|
|
|
|
"That, I think, explains how you got so damn good (with "the tools", as
|
|
you've
|
|
put it) so damn fast. Practice, practice, practice, they say---and you
|
|
can't
|
|
stop."
|
|
|
|
Yep. Especially the Can't Stop part. I've written an average of 10 pages
|
|
per day, every day of the year but 3, since I was 17.
|
|
|
|
I also think that working in journalism has helped a great deal; you can't
|
|
walk into the office, a story needed by noon, and say, "Y'know, I just
|
|
don't feel the muse today." The next thing you'll feel is your butt on
|
|
the concrete sidewalk. You learn a certain discipline there that has
|
|
helped me greatly over the years.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
jms
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Date: 17 Jun 1997 03:45:17 -0400
|
|
Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: Directing
|
|
|
|
"Having read through this months edition of Starburst (I think), Claudia
|
|
Christian mentions that you enjoyed directing. My question is a very
|
|
simple one: would you do it again, and what part of the directing the
|
|
episode did you find the most enjoyable/rewarding?"
|
|
|
|
I really don't know if I'd say that I *enjoyed* it...my main concern every
|
|
day was somehow getting through it without embarrassing myself, or letting
|
|
down the crew or the cast or, ultimately, the viewers. I wanted the
|
|
direction to the the equal to the performances I knew were waiting to be
|
|
unlocked. I haven't commented on it much for the same reason you rarely
|
|
see me saying that a given script of mine is good...I'm too close to it
|
|
and too critical of everydamnthing I do. But so far everyone of the crew
|
|
who's seen it, and a few others, were very much moved and satisfied by it.
|
|
|
|
I don't know if I'll do it again or not...my gut says probably not. If I
|
|
*were* to even try it again, it couldn't be anything other than a final
|
|
episode of a season, given how much is involved in prep if you're going to
|
|
have a chance to get it right.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
jms
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Date: 17 Jun 1997 14:27:49 -0400
|
|
Subject: Re: ATTN JMS: I still love this show!
|
|
|
|
Thanks...and they have definitely become more chapters lately, one running
|
|
into the next, into the next...it's a lot of fun.
|
|
|
|
|
|
jms
|
|
|
|
Date: 17 Jun 1997 20:49:14 -0400
|
|
Subject: Re: ATTN JMS/George - TNT Movies (videotapes?) in the UK
|
|
|
|
Christopher-
|
|
|
|
> But my question is this: for those of us who--on principle--don't have
|
|
> either cable or satellite (just terrestrial TV), are TNT likely to
|
|
> release
|
|
> the B5 movies on videotape at some point here in the UK, given the market
|
|
> success that the WB tapes of the B5 series have been over here?
|
|
>
|
|
|
|
Nothing has been decided yet, but success breeds success, doesn't it?
|
|
|
|
George Johnsen
|
|
CoProducer, B5
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Date: 19 Jun 1997 02:27:36 -0400
|
|
Subject: Re: Attn: JMS
|
|
|
|
I appreciate the interest...as for my birthday, I don't generally spread
|
|
that info around, mainly because I don't like to make a big deal out of
|
|
it, and prefer to just let it go.
|
|
|
|
|
|
jms
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|