ATTN: JMS--Questions on Crusade Development Process?

[B5JMS Poster]

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From: schroeder william r <wschroed at ux1.cso.uiuc.edu>
Date: 5 Apr 1998 13:10:26 -0600
Lines: 44

JMS,

First, many thanks for a series that transcends all superlatives.  And
congratulations on Crusade.

One of the weird things about most of our questions is that we are usually
always about 6-9 months behind where you are in your own thinking and
current work.  You do a great job at answering our questions nonetheless. 
Still I'm wondering whether you would consider it acceptable to ask
questions about things you might be working on more or less right now, as
long as we continue to stay away from anything related to story ideas and
questions about content, but instead focus on the process of (in this
case) putting a new show together. 

Here are two examples:

(1)  You have assembled a team of production people that seem to work well
together.  We have already heard that one person you plan to replace is
the Director of Photography.  My question is what sorts of issues do you
consider in determining whether to *change* main people on the team for
new series. It's not just a matter of whether they have been doing a great
job or not because sometimes (as, I think, in the case of the DP) you
just want something quite different for the new series.  I'm not asking
who else you might be changing, but just how you, as Executive Producer,
go about thinking this issue through for each of the main production
people.

(2) What does the document often called the series "bible" actually cover? 
What kinds of background do you think it is helpful to provide to other
writers in such a document, and what kinds of things do you prefer to
avoid?  (I'm guessing you may be actually writing such a thing right
around now.)  I know few of us will probably ever get the opportunity to
write such a thing, but it's probably the question to which I'd most like
to hear the answer. 

If these questions are too specific, perhaps you could start things off
yourself by indicating some of the major issues you have been working out
as you begin major preparation for the new series.  I'm trying to find a
way to return to questions about the production process, while we still
have you with us.

As always, thanks for the time you spend here.

Bill Schroeder

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From: jmsatb5 at aol.com (Jms at B5)
Date: 6 Apr 1998 21:09:19 -0600
Lines: 48

>what sorts of issues do you
>consider in determining whether to *change* main people on the team for
>new series. It's not just a matter of whether they have been doing a great
>job or not because sometimes (as, I think, in the case of the DP) you
>just want something quite different for the new series.  I'm not asking
>who else you might be changing, but just how you, as Executive Producer,
>go about thinking this issue through for each of the main production
>people.

We're not doing a lot of changing.  One thing that does tend to get changed for
a new series is the *look* of the show, you want Crusade to have a different
and distinct appearance, to be its own show.  So for instance we're bringing in
new graphic designers to do screen stuff and signage and other related stuff.  

Other times it's an individual choice.  Anne Bruice-Aling recently had a baby,
and she wants to dedicate the next year or so toward raising her kid, so while
she'll remain available for occasional stuff or consulting, we'll have someone
else heading up the wardrobe department.

Mainly, you want to hold onto as many of your original people as you can,
because we've trained our folks to work in a certain, particular way.  Nobody
else really does things the way we do them on B5, and it's wiser to hold onto
your crew, and give incentives, to keep them around.  (We tend to promote from
within the ranks and reward loyalty rather than bring in new folks, that sort
of thing.)

>(2) What does the document often called the series "bible" actually cover? 
>What kinds of background do you think it is helpful to provide to other
>writers in such a document, and what kinds of things do you prefer to
>avoid?  (I'm guessing you may be actually writing such a thing right
>around now.) 

I put in it basically whatever I think will be useful to anyone, as much as I
can think up.  Characters' names, backgrounds, descriptions, the kinds of
stories we are looking for, the kinds of stories we *don't* want to see, what
is good SF and what ain't, sample storylines we plan to develop, that sort of
thing.

I'm now in the process of converting over the "sell treatment," done for the
network, to a working series bible, which will go out to those writers with
whom I've either worked before, or whose work I know and have wanted to work
with for a while (as was the case with Neil Gaiman).

 jms

(jmsatb5 at aol.com)
B5 Official Fan Club at:
http://www.thestation.com
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