GaribaldisHair
Regular
Re: News from JMS
I stand corrected ...
I thought it was Buck Murdock
No, Buck MURdock.
I stand corrected ...
-
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JMS at SDCC - the news
- Thread starter Jan
- Start date
LondosHair
Regular
Re: News from JMS
People just don't comprehend how many scripts Hollywood directors read every week... and THAT'S after their people filter out the ones they know the director would have little-to-no interest in. The script for "Changeling" obviously impressed the right people.
Rance Howard did his B5 stint almost 10 years ago. Ron Howard was already a huge Hollywood director by that point -- if he had wanted to do a JMS screenplay just because JMS had hired his dad for a couple TV spots, he almost certainly would have done so by now.
Nah, it couldn't possibly be because the right person read the right JMS script at the right time, and just happened to have Ron Howard on speed dial.
People just don't comprehend how many scripts Hollywood directors read every week... and THAT'S after their people filter out the ones they know the director would have little-to-no interest in. The script for "Changeling" obviously impressed the right people.
Rance Howard did his B5 stint almost 10 years ago. Ron Howard was already a huge Hollywood director by that point -- if he had wanted to do a JMS screenplay just because JMS had hired his dad for a couple TV spots, he almost certainly would have done so by now.
Joseph DeMartino
Moderator
Re: News from JMS
Yeah, I really don't understand where KoshFan got that "bitter irony" scenario because we know the script went to Steven Speilberg first and that he only rejected it because it was a period piece and he didn't feel like doing one of those anytime soon. So he had his people send the script to his friend Ron Howard. If things had been different we'd be celebrating the fact that Speilberg was going to direct a JMS script. (OK, given War of the Worlds the celebration might be a little muted, but you get the idea...)
Sorry, no "bitter irony" here. JMS's script got his big break precisely because of the quality of his work, and his gradually increasing profile in Hollywood. I was mildly surprised that the script ever made it as far as Spielberg's desk, given the sheer volume of things floating around. As LH pointed out there are many layers of filters between even a script from a writer with an agent and a track-record and seriious movie people. And the industry, allegedly a creative one, is populated by some of the least imaginative people imaginable They fiercely stereotype others and are incredibly risk-averse. If you've produced and written an SF TV series, then you're pigeon-holed as an "SF TV guy". Nobody will want to hire you to write a "mainstream" feature, because if it bombs the powers that be will come back and say, "Of course it bombed. You let an SF-TV guy write it." (Substitute "actor" or "director" for "writer" and any other genre for "SF" and the same tihing applies, within and between the TV and movie worlds.)
So one of two things happened here: The first reader at Amblin' recognized the quality of the script as did everyone else in the Amblin' script food-chain all the way up to The Man Himself, or the script entered the queue at a higher level because in recent years JMS has sold other feature film scripts. (None produced, but that's not necessarily the writer's fault, as Spielberg's people well know. Film deals fall apart for all kinds of reasons.)
So it could be that JMS's long journey through journalism to television to comics (which came about thanks to contacts made at conventions, indirectly the result of B5), which led to movie rights deals and theatrical script sales and maybe finally moved him from the "TV writer" stack in Amblin' reader's room to "Movie writer" stack, since those scripts gave him a track-record unrelated to his TV work.
It probably didn't hurt that Spielberg himself came up through TV, directing series episodes and TV movies before he broke into films. So his shop is probably less closed to TV types than many. Ron Howard also started, in TV as an actor, but he never directed until after he starred in a low-budget theatrical film for Roger Corman. (The film did big bucks and Corman wanted a sequel. Howard offered to star in the film for the same salary he'd received on the first film, but only if Corman let him do a second job on the production for free. He wanted to direct. Corman, who knows a good deal when he hears one, agreed.)
Regards,
Joe
Yeah, I really don't understand where KoshFan got that "bitter irony" scenario because we know the script went to Steven Speilberg first and that he only rejected it because it was a period piece and he didn't feel like doing one of those anytime soon. So he had his people send the script to his friend Ron Howard. If things had been different we'd be celebrating the fact that Speilberg was going to direct a JMS script. (OK, given War of the Worlds the celebration might be a little muted, but you get the idea...
)Sorry, no "bitter irony" here. JMS's script got his big break precisely because of the quality of his work, and his gradually increasing profile in Hollywood. I was mildly surprised that the script ever made it as far as Spielberg's desk, given the sheer volume of things floating around. As LH pointed out there are many layers of filters between even a script from a writer with an agent and a track-record and seriious movie people. And the industry, allegedly a creative one, is populated by some of the least imaginative people imaginable They fiercely stereotype others and are incredibly risk-averse. If you've produced and written an SF TV series, then you're pigeon-holed as an "SF TV guy". Nobody will want to hire you to write a "mainstream" feature, because if it bombs the powers that be will come back and say, "Of course it bombed. You let an SF-TV guy write it." (Substitute "actor" or "director" for "writer" and any other genre for "SF" and the same tihing applies, within and between the TV and movie worlds.)
So one of two things happened here: The first reader at Amblin' recognized the quality of the script as did everyone else in the Amblin' script food-chain all the way up to The Man Himself, or the script entered the queue at a higher level because in recent years JMS has sold other feature film scripts. (None produced, but that's not necessarily the writer's fault, as Spielberg's people well know. Film deals fall apart for all kinds of reasons.)
So it could be that JMS's long journey through journalism to television to comics (which came about thanks to contacts made at conventions, indirectly the result of B5), which led to movie rights deals and theatrical script sales and maybe finally moved him from the "TV writer" stack in Amblin' reader's room to "Movie writer" stack, since those scripts gave him a track-record unrelated to his TV work.
It probably didn't hurt that Spielberg himself came up through TV, directing series episodes and TV movies before he broke into films. So his shop is probably less closed to TV types than many. Ron Howard also started, in TV as an actor, but he never directed until after he starred in a low-budget theatrical film for Roger Corman. (The film did big bucks and Corman wanted a sequel. Howard offered to star in the film for the same salary he'd received on the first film, but only if Corman let him do a second job on the production for free. He wanted to direct. Corman, who knows a good deal when he hears one, agreed.)
Regards,
Joe
Jade Jaguar
Regular
Re: News from JMS
Well, you've got to admit that if Ron H. had read the script just because he recognized the name as the guy who hired his father, it would have been ironic. But you're right, that's not what happened.
Yeah, I really don't understand where KoshFan got that "bitter irony" scenario because we know the script went to Steven Speilberg first and that he only rejected it because it was a period piece and he didn't feel like doing one of those anytime soon. So he had his people send the script to his friend Ron Howard. If things had been different we'd be celebrating the fact that Speilberg was going to direct a JMS script. (OK, given War of the Words the celebration might be a little muted, but you get the idea...
Well, you've got to admit that if Ron H. had read the script just because he recognized the name as the guy who hired his father, it would have been ironic. But you're right, that's not what happened.
Joseph DeMartino
Moderator
Latest Update from JMS
From the moderated newsgroup:
I'm assuming Borrowed Lives is the TV project he's had in development at Touchstone for awhile.
Incredible that he happened to hear abou the historical action project while he was up there planning The Changeling. (You have to wonder if the Howard deal didn't get the other studio off the fence, of if this would have happened in any event.) Either way it is further good news. Now here's hoping the offers slow down for awhile before he takes on so much work that he lands himself in the hospital.
Regards,
Joe
From the moderated newsgroup:
I'm assuming Borrowed Lives is the TV project he's had in development at Touchstone for awhile.
Incredible that he happened to hear abou the historical action project while he was up there planning The Changeling. (You have to wonder if the Howard deal didn't get the other studio off the fence, of if this would have happened in any event.) Either way it is further good news. Now here's hoping the offers slow down for awhile before he takes on so much work that he lands himself in the hospital.
Regards,
Joe
Jan
Regular
Re: Latest Update from JMS
Funny, I read it just the other way-that the historical action piece was completely separate from anything to do with Imagine and JMS just happened to get the call while he was there.
I'm glad JMS seems so happy with Ron Howard and Imagine. Unfortunately he's removed his credit from the episode he'd written for Masters of Science Fiction after Sam Egan re-wrote it extensively.
Jan
Funny, I read it just the other way-that the historical action piece was completely separate from anything to do with Imagine and JMS just happened to get the call while he was there.
I'm glad JMS seems so happy with Ron Howard and Imagine. Unfortunately he's removed his credit from the episode he'd written for Masters of Science Fiction after Sam Egan re-wrote it extensively.
Jan
Joseph DeMartino
Moderator
Re: Latest Update from JMS
So did I, after reading it again, so I immediately went back and changed my post, thinking no one would have had time to read it. After saving the changes and coming back to the thread I found your reply - which no one else reading this thread will be able to make head or tail of.
Joe
So did I, after reading it again, so I immediately went back and changed my post, thinking no one would have had time to read it. After saving the changes and coming back to the thread I found your reply - which no one else reading this thread will be able to make head or tail of.
Joe
babylon1122
Regular
Re: Latest Update from JMS
I am so happy for JMS and agree with JoeDM. I do hope he doesn't take on tooooo much that he makes himself sick.
He sure does deserve the opportunites that are being presented to him. I can hardly wait for everything to get to either screen. :beer:
I am so happy for JMS and agree with JoeDM. I do hope he doesn't take on tooooo much that he makes himself sick.
He sure does deserve the opportunites that are being presented to him. I can hardly wait for everything to get to either screen. :beer:
Shaal Mayan
Regular
Re: Latest Update from JMS
I am happy for JMS and he certainly seems to be as well.
I am happy for JMS and he certainly seems to be as well.
GaribaldisHair
Regular
Re: Latest Update from JMS
Having seen what Sam Egan achieved on Jeremiah ... suddenly that doesn't sound quite so interesting anymore.
Having seen what Sam Egan achieved on Jeremiah ... suddenly that doesn't sound quite so interesting anymore.
Jan
Regular
Re: Latest Update from JMS
My feelings, exactly. Except...well, this is the article that prompted me to ask JMS about 'Watchbird' and I can't deny that Professor Hawking's involvement as well as the cast list does pique my interest. Some, at least.
Jan
My feelings, exactly. Except...well, this is the article that prompted me to ask JMS about 'Watchbird' and I can't deny that Professor Hawking's involvement as well as the cast list does pique my interest. Some, at least.
Jan
darth_librarian
Regular
Re: Latest Update from JMS
GH, I love the animated avatar thing...
On a general note, the idea of more B5 in an up to date way, if done properly, now has me totally stoked. It seems to have taken a while to sink in though...
GH, I love the animated avatar thing...
On a general note, the idea of more B5 in an up to date way, if done properly, now has me totally stoked. It seems to have taken a while to sink in though...
Elric
Regular
Re: Latest Update from JMS
I haven't been here for a while and look what happens
Although more B5 will be great, I do have some doubts as to what can be done in a half hour story? It would feel like it was over before it really began.
Does anyone else feel the same about this? Or is it maybe because we have become used to epic tales of galactic proportion?
I haven't been here for a while and look what happens
Although more B5 will be great, I do have some doubts as to what can be done in a half hour story? It would feel like it was over before it really began.
Does anyone else feel the same about this? Or is it maybe because we have become used to epic tales of galactic proportion?
vacantlook
Super Moderator
Re: Latest Update from JMS
If one takes a lot of regular B5 episodes and only runs the A-plot, excluding the B-plot (and depending on the episode also the C-plot), the one primary plot would end up being much the same amount of time that each of these minis are going to be.
If one takes a lot of regular B5 episodes and only runs the A-plot, excluding the B-plot (and depending on the episode also the C-plot), the one primary plot would end up being much the same amount of time that each of these minis are going to be.
Joseph DeMartino
Moderator
Re: Latest Update from JMS
Less commercials an entire "one hour" episode only ran about 42 miniutes, and that, as vacantlook rightly points out, usually included one and sometimes two subplots. Not to mention extra little scenes that were planted to provide links to the arc, so 30 minutes is more time than you might think.
Even setting TV aside, length isn't always important. Er, size doens't always matter. Um, -- Well, in terms of stories, a really good short story can sometimes pack a punch that even a great novel can't quite. A novel (or series of novels) can tell the story of a whole life, but a short story is a kind of drama concentrate - stripped down, with no frills or extras. The Twilight Zone was at its best when it was a half-hour (25 minutes or so in the 1960s) At an hour the show often seemed padded and sloppy. TZ scripts were often like well-told jokes with narratives that were just enough to get you to the punchline that was the point of the story.
Depending on the kind of tale JMS plans to tell, 30 minutes could be just tine.
Regards,
Joe
Less commercials an entire "one hour" episode only ran about 42 miniutes, and that, as vacantlook rightly points out, usually included one and sometimes two subplots. Not to mention extra little scenes that were planted to provide links to the arc, so 30 minutes is more time than you might think.
Even setting TV aside, length isn't always important. Er, size doens't always matter. Um, -- Well, in terms of stories, a really good short story can sometimes pack a punch that even a great novel can't quite. A novel (or series of novels) can tell the story of a whole life, but a short story is a kind of drama concentrate - stripped down, with no frills or extras. The Twilight Zone was at its best when it was a half-hour (25 minutes or so in the 1960s) At an hour the show often seemed padded and sloppy. TZ scripts were often like well-told jokes with narratives that were just enough to get you to the punchline that was the point of the story.
Depending on the kind of tale JMS plans to tell, 30 minutes could be just tine.
Regards,
Joe
