JMS on CompuServe (Jan 26, 1997) *POSSIBLE SPOILERS*

[bbarrett at speedlink.com]

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 [ Summary of subjects in this section: ]
    Sb: #641586-#From jms re: yr 4/5
    Sb: #641474-Changes
    Sb: #641525-#B5 CD #2 is Available!
    Sb: #641639-JMS' scriptwriting book
    Sb: #641935-From jms re: yr 4/5


 #: 641586 S5/Babylon 5: General
    25-Jan-97  19:05:29
Sb: #639328-#From jms re: yr 4/5
Fm: LYNN GREINER

Erk ... as a market researcher, I must point out that sampling techniques can
(and do) make or break a survey. A great way to cook the results is by defining
the sampling universe in such a way that the deck is stacked to start with -
for example, should a B5 focus group be among respondents who claim to watch
SF, or who watched a selected list of shows (boy can *that* stack the deck!
Lost in Space, anyone?), or who enjoy the genre (defined ... by whom ...) or
....

Focus groups, like any research methodology, can produce totally invalid
results in the wrong hands, and superb input if done properly. And somehow I
get the feeling that the mob that is handing the B5 groups is ... um ...
somewhat less than unbiased.

Regards,
Lynn


 #: 641672 S5/Babylon 5: General
    26-Jan-97  00:44:18
Sb: #641586-#From jms re: yr 4/5
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI

      "Less than unbiased" didn't even BEGIN to cover it.

                                                                    jms



 #: 641474 S5/Babylon 5: General
    25-Jan-97  11:34:06
Sb: #641367-#Changes
Fm: MERYL  YOURISH

Paul,

First things first. Unless I'm mistaken, "Never eat anything bigger than your
head" was a Kliban quote from a book of the same title.

How has B5 changed me? Hm. It's made me like mediocre television even less. In
fact, I simply do not watch anything that isn't at least good, and preferably
excellent. And it's gotten me involved in the SF media area on CIS. <g>

Nothing more earth-shattering than that.

        Meryl


 #: 641675 S5/Babylon 5: General
    26-Jan-97  00:54:20
Sb: #641474-Changes
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI

      Re: "Never eat anything bigger than your head"...that goes back a long
ways.  It's part of a litany of country-wisdom stuff that has a long history.
I think the first part of it is, "Never eat anything bigger than your head,
never eat at a place called Pop's, never shoot pool at a place called Mom's,
the difference between horses and people is that they're too smart to bet on
what we'll do, and a fool and his money were lucky to get together in the first
place."  I like that last one particularly.

                                                                    jms


 [ Summary: Picked up a copy of the second soundtrack CD in a shop today. ]

 #: 641676 S5/Babylon 5: General
    26-Jan-97  00:54:21
Sb: #641525-#B5 CD #2 is Available!
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI

      So what do you think?  I've listened to it about five times now, counting
the two times prior to approval, and I like it a lot.

      Here's the interesting thing, and it shows how sometimes you can never
quite shake the fanboy aspect in your (my) perceptions.  When I first listened
to the CD, and I spoke to Chris, I gave him a series of notes, based on how
much I liked the first CD, to make it more in keeping with that.

      I went on at this for some time, and Christopher pointed out that it was
obvious I liked the first one...but that if he went along with what I was
saying, it would make the second soundtrack just like the first one...in which
case, why make it?  Which was just what I'd been saying about wanting to do the
sequel series, if it's picked up, in a different way.

      We all come to like something a certain way, and want the next one to be
just like the *last* one.  And I realized that he was utterly correct, and I
let it go through without changes, trusting to his creative instincts.

      After the finished CD came in, I listened to it again at the office, and
called Chris.  "I'm glad you stuck to your guns," I told him.  "You were right
and I was wrong."

      Which is the other good thing about B5...nobody here is afraid to argue
with me if they think they're right.  I expect nothing less.

                                                                    jms



 #: 641639 S5/Babylon 5: General
    25-Jan-97  21:07:37
Sb: #JMS' scriptwriting book
Fm: JEAN S MCKNIGHT

On a recent surfing expedition I discovered that  you can now order
Straczynski's book, "The Complete Book of Scriptwriting" online from Amazon com
at

www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ats-query/3368-2900947-032038

This is a revised and expanded version of his 1981 classic, and includes the
script for the B5 episode "The Coming of Shadows". Just thought I'd mention it,
on the very slim chance that everybody here isn't already two steps ahead of
me.

And no, I don't work for Amazon com. Just kissing up to Joe. Pathetic, really,
isn't it? But hey, as hobbies go...its not fattening, doesn't harm the ozone
layer, and no animals were harmed during the typing of this message.

Jean McKnight


 #: 641677 S5/Babylon 5: General
    26-Jan-97  00:54:24
Sb: #641639-JMS' scriptwriting book
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI

"no animals were harmed during the typing of this message."

      I would've believed this until a petition signed by 47 ferrets, ducks and
hamsters arrived on my desk a few minutes ago....

                                                                    jms



 #: 641935 S5/Babylon 5: General
    26-Jan-97  18:15:55
Sb: #639090-#From jms re: yr 4/5
Fm: SANJIV  S. PURBA

Joe,

I have a few questions about licencing.  How does one get to bid on a book
contract that needs to be filled?  Is it possible to submit a book proposal?
How do you submit ideas for other types of licences?

Sanjiv


 #: 641940 S5/Babylon 5: General
    26-Jan-97  18:36:16
Sb: #641935-From jms re: yr 4/5
Fm: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI

      You need to write an outline and submit it, though lately we've been
assigning books to published authors based on a premise from in-house.  You
can't just submit ideas for licenses...a company has to approach WB with an
offer and a business plan.

                                                                    jms


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