JMS on CompuServe (Jan 13, 1997) POSSIBLE SPOILERS

Mon Jan 13 23:41:11 EST 1997

 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WARNING !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 The following posts may contain SPOILERS for
 upcoming Babylon 5 episodes.

 Continue at your own risk.
 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 S
  P
   O
    I
     L
      E
       R

         P
          R
           O
            T
             E
              C
               T
                I
                 O
                  N
 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 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.
 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  Archives of this material may be found at:

   ftp://ftp.speedlink.com/pub/bbarrett/cis/
                    - or -
   http://www.speedlink.com/bbarrett/b5/
 **********************************************
  ######       Support Babylon 5!       ######                               
  ##      To get a fifth season of this ##       
   # ###    wonderful epic, we need to   # ###   
     . ## let local stations and Warner    . ##   
  ##   ##   Brothers know we want it!   ##   ##   
   #####   www.babylon5.com/cmp/support  #####    
 **********************************************

 [ Summary of subjects in this section: ]
    Sb: #637164-Betwixt the Betweens
    Sb: #637365-From jms re: yr 4/5
    Sb: #637437-B5 TV ratings?
    Sb: #637478-Claudia CD?
    Sb: #637480-From jms re: yr 4/5
    Sb: #637398-Atn: JMS- Story Arc

 #: 637164 S7/Babylon 5: UK/World
    12-Jan-97  20:01:57
Sb: #Betwixt the Betweens
Fm: REBECCA ESCHLIMAN

The leisurely pleasures of reruns:

Lorien's speech in "Whatever Happened..." inspired perception of another
overall pattern in B5 -- Sheridan is caught between Tick and Tock, but the
station itself and its inhabitants are caught in a series of "betweens" --
between the politics of Earth and the politics of all that is non-Earth,
between the Vorlons and the Shadows, between possibly deadly passivity and
action that may be too provocative.  What I found particularly interesting is
that, unlike the necessity for Sheridan to choose to surrender himself to one
or the other, the optimum course for the station/staff seems to be to find the
unanticipated 3rd path -- in other words, to stay between.

-rje-

 #: 637222 S7/Babylon 5: UK/World
    12-Jan-97  22:18:14
Sb: #637164-Betwixt the Betweens
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI

      Good points.

                                                                    jms

 [ Summary: Asks why the story arc has not been done in a television series
   before. ]

 #: 637535 S5/Babylon 5: General
    13-Jan-97  18:41:26
Sb: #637365-From jms re: yr 4/5
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI

       "Why hasn't this been done before?"

       To which the only answer is...because nobody's done it before.  (At
least, here in the US...in the UK similar things have been done for some time,
a la The Prisoner.)

       I guess mostly it's because in TV, the question is always "are we going
to last 9 weeks?" and nobody thinks that far ahead.  To set things up that you
won't pay off for *years* takes someone a little insane, a) to believe you'll
be on the air that long, and b) to count on the audience to be patient enough
to wait for things to unfold.

       And over time, I do think you're more likely to see more of this sort of
thing as B5's impact grows over the coming years.

       My general sense for what comes next for me...assuming the B5 sequel
goes...I've done a hard-linked and extremely intense drama with an adventure
component...and now, having done that, and proved that it *could* be done,
despite many who said it couldn't, my feeling now is, "Okay, we've done that,
how can we tweak it so that the sequel has a different feel to it?" So I'm
looking at something that's a little more in the adventurous mode, with a
serious underpinning, with an arc to it that's not quite as intense in tone,
but is still good drama.  Characters that grow and change, a definite ending,
several mysteries enclosed inside other mysteries, with a much larger canvas,
and an even stronger sense of wonder.  B5 I did to prove a point, to some
extent; now I'd like to try something where, having achieved that, I can sit
back and, knowing the format now, have some fun with it.  Maybe turn it on its
head in a few places.

       As with everything else I do, I try to find what I'd enjoy as a viewer,
and take it from there.  That was how B5 came about, and that's how the new
show would come about, should it happen.

                                                                       jms

 #: 637437 S5/Babylon 5: General
    13-Jan-97  15:05:45
Sb: #B5 TV ratings?
Fm: RAE AUGENSTEIN

I was wondering, now that TV ratings have been mandated here in the US, what
most B5 episodes will be rated. And, while I've got your ear, what is your
opinion on the TV ratings?

        Rae

 #: 637536 S5/Babylon 5: General
    13-Jan-97  18:41:28
Sb: #637437-B5 TV ratings?
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI

       I think we got stuck with a TV 14 rating...and frankly, I think the
ratings system is massively stupid, and will be broadly ignored.

                                                                       jms

 #: 637478 S5/Babylon 5: General
    13-Jan-97  16:22:46
Sb: #636833-#Claudia CD?
Fm: JOHN M. GRAHAM

Message text written by J. Michael Straczynski
>      Where's the photo located on the web?<

Joe, I'll have to go through my history file and try to figure out where I got
it.  Let you know in a couple of days.  If I recall, it was supposedly an "out
take" from the CD.

-John

 #: 637537 S5/Babylon 5: General
    13-Jan-97  18:41:31
Sb: #637478-Claudia CD?
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI

       I got it, thanks....

                                                                       jms

 #: 637480 S5/Babylon 5: General
    13-Jan-97  16:32:57
Sb: #637077-#From jms re: yr 4/5
Fm: SCOTT BAKER

>> Since then, they have made a very tidy profit on B5 already. <<

How do they make a profit?  From syndication fees?  Or is there other evenue
streams?

And, if I may ask, how do you get paid?

--Scott

 #: 637538 S5/Babylon 5: General
    13-Jan-97  18:41:34
Sb: #637480-From jms re: yr 4/5
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI

       They get their money from commercial advertising and foreign sales. I
get a piece of the *net* profit, and since the numbers are always jigged so
that no TV show or movie ever shows a profit, we know how much that will result
in...zilch.

                                                                       jms

 [ Summary: Asks if JMS will reconsider not using an arc in the sequel. ]

 #: 637540 S5/Babylon 5: General
    13-Jan-97  18:47:22
Sb: #637398-Atn: JMS- Story Arc
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI

       Just one problem: I never SAID "Crusade" would not have a story arc. I
have only said that it won't be as *intense* an arc as that on B5, because the
tone is somewhat different, because I don't want to do the exact same thing
twice.  But it will have an arc to it.

       My suggestion: wait until you see what it IS before you ask me to make
it what it's not.

                                                                       jms

[END]
-***
-*** B5JMS SUBSCRIBERS: Replies to messages in this list go to the list
-*** maintainer, <b5jms-owner at cs.columbia.edu>.  If you want to reply
-*** elsewhere, adjust the "To" field.  The best way to reach JMS is to post
-*** to rastb5m, which can be done by sending email to <rastb5 at solon.com>.

JMS on CompuServe (Jan 13, 1997) *POSSIBLE SPOILERS*

JMS on CompuServe (Jan 13, 1997) POSSIBLE SPOILERS