JMS on CompuServe (Oct 21, 1996) *POSSIBLE SPOILERS* 2/2
Brent Barrett
bbarrett at speedlink.com
Mon Oct 21 15:24:59 EDT 1996
[ Continued from previous section -- BB ]
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WARNING !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The following posts may contain SPOILERS for
upcoming Babylon 5 episodes.
Continue at your own risk.
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Note that JMS has expressed his public permission
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[ Summary of subjects in this section: ]
Sb: #596094-#<Rock Cried Out>
Sb: #596033-<<Congrats>>
Sb: #596043-<Rock> observation
Sb: #595991-#<And the rock...>
Sb: jms scriptwriting book
Sb: #596124-<Rock Cried Out>
[ Summary: Asks if JMS expected such a positive reaction to "And the Rock
Cried Out, No Hiding Place." [ Man, I'm gonna love it when I don't have
to type that title any more! -- BB ] ]
#: 596118 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
20-Oct-96 22:26:48
Sb: #596094-#<Rock Cried Out>
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Basically, I go off my own gut reactions...if I like it, and I'm being
objective about it, then the odds are pretty good that most folks will like it.
I'm *very* hard on the show. I like "Rock." So I figured it'd go over fairly
well.
There've been a few times when I've been surprised by a contrary
reaction, but that's fairly rare.
So I'm feeling very good about the next 2 of year 3, and the first batch
of year 4.
jms
#: 596033 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
20-Oct-96 20:03:11
Sb: #<<Congrats>>
Fm: ALAN KATZ
I know you like to build up a head of steam towards season's end, and you've
dropped hints about how well you think the final three episodes of Season Three
came together. But I just wanted to congratulate you and thank you for the
last two episodes, "Grey 17 is Missing" and "... No Place to Hide."
I got to (actually I had no choice) watch them virtually back-to-back on tape.
And they blew me away. The mix of humor with drama, the handling of religion
and Franklin's addiction, the development of characters and our understanding
of the different cultures, the twists and turns in the Londo storyline ... it
was amazing. For example, just when I was beginning to think you were letting
Franklin off too easy with his Sim addiction, we see what he's now facing.
Just when it seemed like the Centari were off-the-radar, wham.
Perhaps Season 3 could ONLY have been as successful as it has been already by
one person writing each episode, but that only serves to underscore what an
accomplishment it has been.
As you continue Season 4, know that those of us still thrilling to Season 3
appreciate what you've achieved.
Alan
#: 596119 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
20-Oct-96 22:26:50
Sb: #596033-<<Congrats>>
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Thanks. I think that the consistency has been a big factor this year.
And if you think it's intense now...wait.
jms
#: 596043 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
20-Oct-96 20:21:52
Sb: #<Rock> observation
Fm: RAY PELZER
Joe, an interesting thing happened while watching the end of "..Rock.."
today...
Shortly after I watched the intercutting of Refa's scramble with the gospel
choir sing, I happened to flip to HBO and saw a repeat of The Godfather, right
at the scene where Michael Corleone is at his nephew's baptism. Of course, the
scene is intercut with the assassinations of all the double-crossers from the
other Families.
Both scenes give me the chills.
#: 596120 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
20-Oct-96 22:26:52
Sb: #596043-<Rock> observation
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Yeah, that's a great scene.
Counterpoint is a wonderful thing.
jms
#: 595991 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
20-Oct-96 18:23:48
Sb: #594624-#<And the rock...>
Fm: BILL HIRST
Londo is a very evil man. Remember, he's going to be Emperor someday, so he has
to eliminate all his rivals. He seems like a future Macbeth. Ultimately, all
those things he's done will catch up to him and he'll die with his planet in
ruins and G'Kar's fingers around his throat.
I love this show. You never know what plot twist is going to be next.
The music was perfect, because Lord Refa was in a tunnel carved from -- rock.
jms spent half the episode setting up clues to that one scene. And almost all
of us missed Londo's doublecross.
The kiss at the end was wonderful, and something they've both been leading up
to for a year or more.
-Bill
#: 596145 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
21-Oct-96 00:54:48
Sb: #595991-#<And the rock...>
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
And speaking of putting things like rocks in plain sight...watch this
episode again after you've seen the first 3-4 episodes of year 4. There's a
certain irony going on here.
jms
#: 596146 S5/Babylon 5: General
21-Oct-96 00:54:49
Sb: jms scriptwriting book
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
I was in kind of a rush when I noted this before, and as I've been asked
to post more specific information....
My scriptwriting book, THE COMPLETE BOOK OF SCRIPTWRITING, was first
published in 1981 by Writer's Digest Books. It quickly became one of WD's top
selling books, and a standard text at a number of colleges and universities.
Several updated editions came out over the next few years, but after that I let
it go out of print because it needed a complete overhaul to keep up with the
changing marketplace. Unfortunately, I was hip-deep in work, and couldn't get
to it all at once.
So I made the revisions over a three year period...and when you have that
much time, it goes from light changes to a complete rewrite. The book has now
been 80% rewritten, stem to stern, with another 100,000 words added to the
book, with chapters on animation, agents, warning signs, the Writer's Guild,
and others, in addition to the main chapters on breaking into writing for TV,
film, radio and theater.
It's the book I wanted someone to have written when I wanted to break
into scriptwriting.
The book also now includes the complete script for the Hugo-award winning
B5 episode, "The Coming of Shadows," with segments cut from the finished
episode for time.
The book has just this past week hit the stands, and can be found at your
local bookstore (ISBN# 0-89879-512-5), or at www.amazon.com, or by calling WD
books directly at 800-289-0963. It retails in hardback at $21.99.
jms
[ Summary: Asks if JMS can comment specifically on which episodes earned
a surprising fan reaction. ]
#: 596173 S6/Babylon 5: Spoilers
21-Oct-96 00:58:05
Sb: #596124-<Rock Cried Out>
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
I think the two that surprised me most were the iffy reaction to "The
Geometry of Shadows," which I still like a lot, and the positive reaction to
"The Quality of Mercy," which again I don't remember writing as I was sick at
the time.
jms
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