JMS on GEnie / December 26, 1995
b5jms-owner at cs.columbia.edu
b5jms-owner at cs.columbia.edu
Tue Dec 26 12:07:44 EST 1995
Forwarded message to B5JMS list.
Originally From: dstrauss at netcom.com (David Strauss)
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Hope everyone had a good holiday.
[SPOILER SPACE for some already aired Season Three episodes, such
as "Convictions" and "Passing Through Gethesemene."]
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SFRT II RoundTable
Category 18, Topic 1
Message 721 Fri Dec 15, 1995
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 18:22 EST
Have listened to and enjoyed some of Enigma's work, yes. Nice stuff.
Can't predict fourth season script stuff at this early stage; one crisis
at a time.
jms
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SFRT II RoundTable
Category 18, Topic 1
Message 734 Sat Dec 16, 1995
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 02:48 EST
There are no plans for the foreseeable future of seeing Talia, so it's a
moot point about the hair, I'd say....
jms
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SFRT II RoundTable
Category 18, Topic 1
Message 747 Sat Dec 16, 1995
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 22:28 EST
Well, bear in mind it's not just a matter of designating someone
"control," it's the whole implantation process that has to be done.
Re: Ivanova's hair...yes, whenever she's in the starfury, it's tied away
in back.
jms
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SFRT II RoundTable
Category 18, Topic 1
Message 476 Mon Dec 18, 1995
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 00:17 EST
What y'all have to remember is that we produce 22 shows a year. There
are 52 weeks in a year. That means that no matter how you slice it, you've
got 30 weeks of reruns in there.
RE: Talia...look, you've kinda got to look at this the way I do. Stuff
happens. Yes, Talia was hoped for to be a key to the solution of the problem.
(Not the key, but a key.) But if you do that, every single time, you become
predictable. It means you, the audience, can relax. "Well, we know now that
Talia will always get through this because she's the one they're hoping for."
Suspense: gone. Story: suddenly predictable. There's no rule that every
person who is hoped to help solve the problem in real life is gonna make it to
the end or BE that solution. So if you delete that person, now it's "Oh,
hell, NOW what're they gonna do?" which is more intrinsically interesting to
me than the other option.
Generally speaking, about once a year, toward the end of the year, I
kinda look around at the characters with a loaded gun in my hand, and say,
"Hmmm...if I take out *that* person, what happens? Is there anyone here I can
afford to lose? Would it be more dramatically interesting to have this person
alive, or dead? What is the absolute bare minimum of characters I need to get
to the end of the story and achieve what I have to achieve?"
It helps to really remember that this is a *novel*, and uses the
structure of a novel. That means you have to have some real suprises as you
go. Anyone is fair game. To the question "Why did you get rid of Sinclair?
Why'd you get rid of Keffer? Why'd you get rid of Talia? Why'd you get rid
of....oh, er, that hasn't happened yet...." there is only one answer: 'cause I
felt like it, and 'cause I thought it'd make the story a lot more interesting.
The stories I like best are the ones that ratchet up the tension and the
uncertainty inch by inch until you're screaming. This could apply to any of
Stephen King's novels (and recall that a lot of my background is in horror
writing). Mother Abigail in THE STAND was supposed to be their hope for the
future. So in short order she's vulture-food, JUST when she's most needed.
*Because that's interesting*. It makes you say, "Oh, hell, NOW what?"
(Stephen actually does that a lot in his books, and it's a technique I've
learned as well.) Boromir in LoTR was a capable, skilled fighter, deemed
absolutely essential to the Company of the Ring...oops, there he is by the
tree, full of Orc arrows.
Stuff happens.
Same here.
jms
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SFRT II RoundTable
Category 18, Topic 1
Message 497 Tue Dec 19, 1995
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 01:02 EST
There was always a Ranger going to be assigned to the station about this
time, yes.
jms
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SFRT II RoundTable
Category 18, Topic 1
Message 509 Wed Dec 20, 1995
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 00:44 EST
BTW, here's humor...though at the same time understandable given the
penchant for some folks to abuse the nets by pretending to be other people...I
got a call today from Claudia, who was trying to take part in a B5 IRC and
kept getting booted out by folks yelling at her for the crime of pretending to
be Claudia Christian. Nobody believed it was her. Perhaps in future we need
to find some way to verify when this happens.
(BTW, speaking of net abuse, I'm led to understand, from the sysadmin on
the server in question, that Theron Fuller is no longer being allowed access
to Usenet from his account.)
jms
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SFRT II RoundTable
Category 19, Topic 31
Message 117 Wed Dec 20, 1995
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 20:00 EST
I'd say there were extenuating circumstances here that made it more than
just a simple murder (and not all murders get wiped, esp. in cases like second-
degree or manslaughter). He'd stalked Edward for years; arranged to break the
mindwipe; and engaged in slow, deliberate, methodical torture unto death. The
degree of premeditation is staggering.
jms
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SFRT II RoundTable
Category 18, Topic 1
Message 538 Thu Dec 21, 1995
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 00:41 EST
On those other services, the sysops arranged for conferences with the
cast members involved. That could be done just as easily for GEnie as others.
Just hasn't been done. To my knowledge, no one's been invited. (I think it's
been mentioned in my direction once or twice, but not for a while, and I don't
think anything was really ever pinned down, but my memory isn't all it
was...if it ever was....)
jms
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SFRT II RoundTable
Category 18, Topic 1
Message 542 Thu Dec 21, 1995
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 05:30 EST
You want to know how much Joe has been writing lately? You want to know
the goofy side of it?
I write with keyboard in lap, leaning back, legs in a broken-4 position
(left ankle crossing right knee) to support it. Well, I've been writing so
much, so *long*, lately that I recently discovered that there is now an actual
indentation in my left leg, just above the ankle, where it's been abraded by
cloth, and the circulatoin's been hindered, and there's been constant pressure
placed on it. I've actually lost some sensitivity in that 5-inch section.
THAT'S how much I've been writing this year.
I need a vacation.
jms
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SFRT II RoundTable
Category 18, Topic 43
Message 1 Thu Dec 21, 1995
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 00:46 EST
We hope to *FINALLY* be able to announce the formation of the official
Babylon 5 Fan Club within the next 7 days or so. From time to time, news
about this will get dropped here, and we can use this for notices relating to
the club, and information about joining and such.
We've been negotiating with WB for *over a year* to let us do this, and
it's taken a long time mainly because they didn't think anyone would be
interested in a fan club for something not ST. (Sound familiar?) But
finally, after much persistence, we're finally at a point where I can say I
think it's going to happen at last. Stay tuned....
jms
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SFRT II RoundTable
Category 18, Topic 1
Message 260 Fri Dec 22, 1995
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 04:12 EST
Actually, bear in mind that the American system operates through a series
of checks and balances; there's freedom of speech, but there are penalties if
you use that freedom to write defamatory newspapers, for instance. In
cyberspace, the checks and balances are more than a little overdrawn....
Tom: to your question...I do know that Terry Nation wrote a full season
of Blake's 7, though I don't know how many episodes that was. Some folks have
checked around, and as near as can be determined, in American TV, no one
person has ever singlehandedly written an entire season of a one-hour dramatic
series in the entire 50 years or so of TV history.
jms
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SFRT II RoundTable
Category 18, Topic 1
Message 280 Fri Dec 22, 1995
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 22:58 EST
Kwicker & Jose: exactly my point. Kelley *co-wrote* all of a season, or
all but one of a season, sometimes supplying the story, or rewriting another's
script...but no one's done it *singlehandedly* before.
So Nation did 13 episodes that season? Well, then looks like that
record's been broken already; 17 this season already. Plus 4 from the end of
last season, so when this is all over (year 3) that'll be 26 in a row,
unbroken. (Or is it 27? What aired before the final four?)
This is probably the ultimate in trivial details, but it's the sort of
thing that helps me keep going.
jms
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SFRT II RoundTable
Category 18, Topic 1
Message 287 Sat Dec 23, 1995
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 06:26 EST
Actually, in each TZ season, there were many other writers, though
Serling wrote the majority of each season (also, the lion's share of TZ
episodes were *half-hours*, not hours). But fundamentally, what matters most
is not the volume or quantity of scripts, but the quality of what goes IN
them. I'd rather write 1 good script than 4 mediocre scripts.
jms
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SFRT II RoundTable
Category 19, Topic 31
Message 127 Fri Dec 22, 1995
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 22:50 EST
Actually, in legal terms, in order to qualify for "a crime of passion"
there cannot be premeditation; it happens suddenly, in the heat of the moment.
By virtue of stalking Edward for nine years, the "crime of passion" defense
quickly goes by the boards
jms
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SFRT II RoundTable
Category 18, Topic 43
Message 6 Fri Dec 22, 1995
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 23:00 EST
No, the club is designed for both on- and offline fans.
jms
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SFRT II RoundTable
Category 18, Topic 1
Message 297 Sat Dec 23, 1995
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 19:27 EST
Actually, I always kinda thought that the people granted the people
their rights, then created the government to arbitrate in the dispute over the
use of those rights.
For a glimpse on how ST stories get written, btw, pick up the latest
copy of WIRED. I know this kind of thing works for some folks, but it just
makes my hair stand on end.
jms
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SFRT II RoundTable
Category 18, Topic 1
Message 315 Sun Dec 24, 1995
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 19:37 EST
I guess what amazed me most was either Berman or Pillar coming right out
and saying ST "is a formula." Just that simple. I about fell off my chair.
BTW, on the question of effects...here's one that's kinda interesting, in
that I've seen a few comments here and there about how we must've mapped the
CGI fireball into the hallway in "Convictions" where Londo jumps into the
transport tube. Some even offered you could tell the fire was CGI.
Nooooooop.
Here's how that shot was done: we built a miniature hallway (actually,
"miniature" ain't the right word; it was something like 30 feet long or more).
Painted it so that it looked exactly like the regular B5 hallways. On film
you absolutely can't tell the difference. Then we mounted the hallway
*vertically* alongside the outside of the main building here. Set the camer
at the top, pointing down into the hall. We built a firebomb and set it at
the far end of the hall (on the bottom, in other words). We then set off the
firebomb (with all the proper authorities present), so that it shot up the
length of the vertical hall. We overcranked the camera so it'd start in slow-
motion, then pulled the plug so that the camera slowed down to normal
speed...giving the sense of the fire swelling, then suddenly rushing forward
with a huge fireball. So when it looks like the "hallway" is on fire...it
is. Real fire.
Next we shot Londo (Peter) against a bluescreen, reacting to this, then
diving to his left. We then comp'd the bluescreen into the hallway, and used
CGI to build a transport tube door to Londo's left, which then closed just as
the fire reached it.
It was an utterly immense amount of work for, basically, a five second
shot...but it looks 'way cool.
jms
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SFRT II RoundTable
Category 18, Topic 1
Message 328 Sun Dec 24, 1995
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 23:57 EST
Effects shots like this one were/are supervised via our EFX supervisor,
Ted Rae, working closely with the director and folks from Foundation.
jms
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SFRT II RoundTable
Category 18, Topic 1
Message 357 Tue Dec 26, 1995
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 06:38 EST
Now, kids, play nice....
Sue: as you're looking at the fireball approaching toward camera, he
jumps to our left. Trust me on this.
jms
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SFRT II RoundTable
Category 18, Topic 2
Message 304 Mon Dec 25, 1995
STRACZYNSKI [Joe] at 03:45 EST
The comment is quite correct; we never once verbally identified
Londo's...extension for what it was. We intimated, and left it in the
sophistication of the viewer to figure it out. Same with the Talis (er,
Talia) situation.
jms
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--
David Strauss <*> Administrator, N.Y. Islanders Mailing List
"Neil, the bathroom's free! Unlike the country under the
Thatcherite junta." -- Rick, "The Young Ones: Nasty"
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