ATTN JMS: Directing B5?

[B5JMS Poster]

Subject: ATTN JMS: Directing B5?
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 No. | DATE        |  FROM
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+  1: Jul 17, 1996: doc at gwis2.circ.gwu.edu (James J. DiBenedetto)
*  2: Jul 19, 1996: jmsatb5 at aol.com (Jms at B5)

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From: doc at gwis2.circ.gwu.edu (James J. DiBenedetto)
Lines: 27

I'm trying to write an SF script, and I got to thinking about how it
might be directed were it ever to be completed, and that got me to thinking
about B5.  Specifically, how the directors deal with some of the unique
circumstances that are involved in producing B5.

Specifically: in an ep like "Severed Dreams" where cgi effects take up
literally almost 1/4 of the script, how much input does the director have
on "camera" angles, close ups of 'Fury pilots, and the way in which the
SFX is intercut with live action?  Or is that entirely your job?

Also: when dealing with an ep with a lot of flashbacks or reused footabe
(WWE, especially part 2), how much freedom does the director have?  Does
he/she have to match the style of the previously show footage (in terms
of angles, close ups, pacing, etc), or is there more room for the
director's own style?  

(one more question: if someone other than you had written "Babylon 
Squared", would they have to be paid royalties for the reuse of parts
of that episodes script and footage in "War Without End"?)

--
James John DiBenedetto (doc at gwis2.circ.gwu.edu) - GSPM  Class of 1997
"...counting elephants was a precision job.  A man might be uncertain about 
 how many wives he had, but never about elephants.  Either you had one,
 or you didn't."   - from "Moving Pictures" by Terry Pratchett



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From: jmsatb5 at aol.com (Jms at B5)
Lines: 37

"Specifically: in an ep like "Severed Dreams" where cgi effects take up
literally almost 1/4 of the script, how much input does the director have
on "camera" angles, close ups of 'Fury pilots, and the way in which the
SFX is intercut with live action?  Or is that entirely your job?"

Generally, a lot of that material is either storyboarded, or supervised by
our on set EFX supervisor, who determines the angles to be used.  This is
especially important in an episode like Severed Dreams when you have to
make sure that the pilots are oriented the right way on camera (i.e.,
going from left to right, and facing left to right) if that's the
direction their ships are going in; otherwise you'd have to flop the film
to make it match.  In larger set pieces, using virtual sets and composite
shots, the director has more influence.

"Also: when dealing with an ep with a lot of flashbacks or reused footage
(WWE, especially part 2), how much freedom does the director have?  Does
he/she have to match the style of the previously show footage (in terms of
angles, close ups, pacing, etc), or is there more room for the director's
own style?"

In the case of WWE, you had to match lighting and composition pretty
closely.  That's about the only time it's really become an issue.

"(one more question: if someone other than you had written "Babylon
Squared", would they have to be paid royalties for the reuse of parts of
that episodes script and footage in "War Without End"?)"

Anyone who writes a scene which is reused gets residuals.  Doesn't matter
if it's me or anybody else, as a Writers Guild member, it's guaranteed and
required.  Also the actors, the director, and others get re-use fees of
varying amounts depending on how long the sequence is.


 jms



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