JMS on CompuServe (Mar 29, 1996) *POSSIBLE SPOILERS*
Brent Barrett
brent.barrett at 24stex.com
Sun Mar 31 11:45:06 EST 1996
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WARNING !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The following posts may contain SPOILERS for
upcoming Babylon 5 episodes.
Continue at your own risk.
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THE FOLLOWING MATERIAL IS THE COPYRIGHT OF THE
RESPECTIVE MESSAGE AUTHORS AND CANNOT BE
REPRODUCED IN ANY FORM WITHOUT THE EXPRESSED
PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR.
Note that JMS has expressed his public permission
that all of his messages may be reproduced freely.
I give permission for my summaries to be reposted in
any form, however I reserve all rights to them and
the right to revoke this permission at any time.
[ Note from Brent: Before you ask, no I cannot forward
your questions to JMS. He has asked that questions
not originating from CIS accounts not be posted to
CIS. He encourages all of us to wait for the
moderated USENET group, to which he plans to
subscribe. ]
#: 477404 S6/Babylon 5: Upcoming
28-Mar-96 07:03:04
Sb: #477244-#San Diego
Fm: PHILIP HORNSEY
>> It's my way of sort of nodding at my old stomping grounds.
By flattening it?
I take it we didn't like San Diego much?
Phil^^^^
FREE MARS!
#: 477480 S6/Babylon 5: Upcoming
28-Mar-96 11:39:37
Sb: #477404-#San Diego
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
No, I liked San Diego just fine. If I didn't like it, instead of just
nuking it I would've gotten nasty....
jms
#: 477349 S5/Babylon 5: General
28-Mar-96 00:23:41
Sb: #477181-#CINEFANTASTIQUE -Morons!
Fm: BILL HIRST
Shatner/Straczynski:
One is a famous actor, the other is a not so famous wordsmith. That's one
difference.
But who's out on the net every night talking to his fans? Joe is out here
listening to the praises and the boos, and answering the same kind of questions
every night as you'd hear at a celebrity con. At the same time, he's been very
open about the creative process and how he puts the show together. I'm sure
I've learned more about the process of making a TV show from jms than from any
book in the library.
-Bill
#: 477495 S5/Babylon 5: General
28-Mar-96 11:56:22
Sb: #477349-CINEFANTASTIQUE -Morons!
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Kiddo, you gotta understand Da Biz, and in Da Biz, writers have never
been given the same influence or recognition as actors, and never will. It's
something you have to understand going in and accept, because there ain't much
you can do about it.
And it's hard to fault that logically. An actor's face is on screen;
the writer is invisible. We all see what the actor does. Most folks still
don't quite understand what a writer does, particularly in TV. Whenever I
leave town, when I'm in a cab, or (less often because fans are generally more
informed) at a con, somebody'll hear what I do and say, "So do you make up the
story and the actors come up with the dialogue?" Some think that the TV writer
puts the stuff together after the actors and directors make the episode.
They honestly, simply Don't Know and Don't Understand. And you can't
take umbrage at that; it's simply the way it is.
And whatever my participation on the nets may be, only one out of a
couple hundred people even *have* computers, and the number of folks on the net
are even smaller. The general population still doesn't notice this area as
much as they will in a few more years.
jms
[ Summary: A discussion between two CIS users in which B5's budget and how
much of it is spent on effects/makeup (and other things) is discussed. ]
#: 477665 S5/Babylon 5: General
28-Mar-96 15:17:23
Sb: #477661-#Universes: ST vs. B5
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Actually, the B5 budget is about half the average ST budget, sometimes a
bit less.
We don't apply savings in CGI to alien makeup; they're totally different
areas, each with their own costs. Whatever they cost is what they cost. But
the reason we can do what we do is that we take new approaches to both the EFX
and the prosthetics. Optic Nerve, who does the prosthetics work as a contract
deal, have found ways to make their masks more lifelike, easier to apply, and
faster to apply, than the norm; so you tend to get more bang for your buck.
We've had as many as 40 or more complete aliens -- full prosthetics and
costumes -- not just in one episode, but often in one SCENE, which would kill
you in any other kind of show...unless you came up with some smarter ways of
doing things.
That's one of the important things about B5...we don't tend to do things
the way they've always been done because they've always been done that way. We
tend to ride the wave of technology in whichever area we're doing, and take
whatever's newest, fastest, best.
That was ultimately the reason we went with CGI, more than any fiscal
savings. We can *do more* with CGI, get closer, have more ships, bigger
scenes, make the B5 universe come alive.
(BTW, a lot of folks still compare the models used on ST with the CGI on
B5, not aware that a fair amount of ST EFX now are done with CGI; some of them
have even been done by Foundation, our CGI providers...the solar sail recently,
for example.)
jms
[ Summary: Previous poster thanks JMS for "enlightening" him and points out
that effects (models vs. CGI) is really just a matter of taste. Also
points out that the poster feels B5's aliens are some of the best ever
done. ]
#: 477813 S5/Babylon 5: General
28-Mar-96 21:19:00
Sb: #477694-Universes: ST vs. B5
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Thanks, and you're quite correct, it comes down to personal taste for
the most part. Didn't think your message was harsh at all.
jms
#: 477705 S5/Babylon 5: General
28-Mar-96 17:17:31
Sb: #Talking Kosh
Fm: JAMES R. KAPESIS
Can Kosh speak on his own to other people in their language or does his
encounter suite translate his Vorlon language for him so he can be understood?
Is this why in "Fall of the Night" when Sheridan asked if the person who saved
him was Kosh, all Kosh did was nod because he couldn't speak on his own?
#: 477814 S5/Babylon 5: General
28-Mar-96 21:19:01
Sb: #477705-Talking Kosh
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
His encounter suit translates vorlon into english; he can converse just
fine with other vorlons without it.
jms
#: 477721 S5/Babylon 5: General
28-Mar-96 18:07:41
Sb: #477342-#B5:New pricey toys
Fm: DANA WRIGHT
In the current issue of Advance Comics #90, page 249:
"Babylon 5 Micro collection Assortment #65620 $191.52 D
Based upon the space vehicles from the hit TV series BABYLON 5. This assortment
of 24 collections features a total of six assorted collections- two new and
four continuing. Includes authenic and highly detailed replicas of all your
favorite ships. Highly recommended."
It is strange it also lists several other collections at the same high prices!
If it is a misprint they did it multiple times.
Dana
#: 477815 S5/Babylon 5: General
28-Mar-96 21:19:02
Sb: #477721-#B5:New pricey toys
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
This is odd phrasing, as it refers to both 24 collections and 6
collections in the same sentence. I think something here is a mismatch. See,
24 collections times about $9 or so, the average price for a set, would be
about right, almost 200 bucks.
jms
#: 477928 S6/Babylon 5: Upcoming
29-Mar-96 00:41:47
Sb: #'Severed Dreams'
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Okay, so you've got some friends who've maybe checked out B5, and
they've kinda gone back and forth...maybe the week you asked them to watch was
a slower episode, and they wanted something other...or it was a bit too much on
the arc-ish side
Give 'em a call and have them watch "Severed Dreams" this coming week.
Don't say anything more than that, just make get 'em to do it.
We'll take it from there.
Trust me on this one.
jms
/*********************************************
* Brent Barrett brent.barrett at 24stex.com *
* Senior Software Engineer Automedia, Inc *
* http://www.ailink.com *
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