Post by Simymonna on Jun 29, 2009 13:13:52 GMT -5
THIS NEWS MESSAGE CONTAINS SPOILERS OF SEASON 5!!!
Source: pksimonds.blogspot.com/
Sunday, June 28, 2009
All systems go...
Season Five is on the pad and ready to lift off. But just like any launch, ours has had weather problems up to the last second. Were we going to keep shooting on film or switch to digital? Were we going to find the right actors to play vital new roles? (Which doesn't only mean finding the actors, but also making numerous complex individual deals even for actors who won't get the part, circulating casting tapes all over town, and when necessary convening a dozen very powerful and busy adults into a room to scrutinize the skills, likability and facial features of a small child.) And last but not least, would the Universal Studios Tour trams outside our windows drive everyone MAD??? It all came down to the wire in a grueling week that I hope doesn't get repeated for at least, well, realistically, another few. Except for the way it ended. That I'd be happy to repeat, over and over, and soon. Thanks to the herculean efforts of Donna in casting and Love in preproduction and Kim and Ian everywhere else, it all came together at the last second, and the pieces are now in place for a very exciting new season. Cameras roll Tuesday, a little after dawn, in Los Angeles.
Down at our end of the hall, the writing pipeline is flowing faster and faster. Jeannine did a draft of 502, this one inspired by personal experience, when her daughter received a chain email claiming to carry a curse. Mark got his outline approved for 503, which digs painfully but comically deeply into the family secrets of one of our regulars. Meanwhile John Gray is hammering out the story for 504, which will peel back a gooey layer or two on the haunted history of a key new location. (You'll want to pay special attention to that story this season.) Melissa and Joy are in the room hatching a sleek techno thriller, and Stephanie is noodling a Halloween chill ride.
And Chief Platespinner Laurie continues to do an excellent job making sure that not only do none of the plates crash, but all of them sing.
Posted by P.K. Simonds at 4:15 PM
Sunday, June 21, 2009
A very big day
Friday we had our first pre-production meeting for the new season. Headed by first episode director Jennifer Love Hewitt. Writers have been working for exactly one month to produce the first in a long line of scripts. And it's ready to go.
What's a pre-production meeting? Well, here's what happens: Heads of every department join to go over the new script in minute detail. You've heard it before and it's true: Shooting a t.v. show or movie is like waging a war. A whole lot of people have to do their very specific and challenging jobs at precisely the right moment so certain things happen on film when they need to happen. Or else. If one person fails, you have to do it again. And again. Which costs seconds or minutes.
In film, seconds are like lives: once you lose them you can never get them back. And every single member of the crew feels their loss. Because now there's less time to do the next take, the next shot, the next scene, all the rest of the work for that day and that week. Something somewhere WILL suffer.
That's why we have meetings before we shoot. And meetings. And meetings. Because every minute invested ahead of production saves precious seconds when the cameras are rolling.
Friday's meeting was also important for other reasons. As I've said before, we're making some big changes this season -- changes on every level. Where, when, what, who. And when you make changes on a show, you want to make sure people FEEL it. Which means changing not only the where when what who, but the how. New rules on the inside mean new rules on the outside. Meaning the show is going to look a lot different this season. And a key driver of this change is J Love herself. With a mandate to shake things up -- and with her own artist's restless desire to do things differently -- she came to the meeting armed with a raft of new ways to shoot the show. New staging, new filming techniques, new effects. You're going to see them from the earliest scenes of the first episode.
But let's be honest. Many of of you probably don't care that much about what happened at the pre-production meeting. You want to know what's going to happen. What's in that script that we were prepping?
Here's all I can tell you: there's a bowling ball. There's a hospital. There's a ghost. There's a goodie bag. There's another ghost. Several more, actually. There's a baby. There's a party. There's a morgue. There's a very strange dream. There's a ticking clock (literally) (and figuratively). There's a very old book. There's blood. There's tears. There's joy.
Check in again in the coming weeks for more...
Posted by P.K. Simonds at 12:48 PM
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Don't hate me, but...
I couldn't resist giving people a little more to chew on than whatever slim pickings might be available through traditional channels. Plus I thought some of you might enjoy getting a glimpse of the back and forth between t.v. show producers and their lords and masters at the networks. "Lord Master" is a "current programming" executive at CBS, and a while back he asked me for an email summary of our plans for next season, such as they were at that early date. I sent him the following email, from which I've "REDACTED" content here and there (and okay, almost everywhere) to avoid spoiling too much for those of you who want to be surprised...
And I swear, this is the actual email; I didn't just create it to be cute...
================
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "P.K. Simonds"
Date: Fri, 8 May 2009 12:56:23 -0700
Subject: BULLET POINTS FOR SEASON 5
To: Lord M
Cc:
Lord, per your request:
For Season 5 we're refreshing the show again, shaking things up and making big changes to keep our storytelling bold and surprising.
In a nutshell, the season will be very much about REDACTED and REDACTED, and especially Melinda's GIFTED CHILD. The scope of his powers -- which turn out to be REDACTED -- will gradually become apparent, and will help reveal a strange and dangerous new supernatural dimension to Melinda.
High Points:
-- Melinda's baby will be born in a dramatic REDACTED
-- Soon thereafter, REDACTED
-- Melinda and Jim have waited on pins and needles to see what gift their child might have, but REDACTED
-- Because the child has little understanding of his gift, and less control over its intensity, it puts him REDACTED
-- The child's gift also opens NEW PSYCHIC PORTALS to Melinda when REDACTED
-- Melinda learns of dimensions of the beyond she'd never known about. Dimensions that harbor both miraculous and lethal spirit energy, and whose limits are not even fully known to the WATCHERS.
-- One of these dimensions finds a focal point in the REDACTED, since it's a source of so much emotional energy -- and so many restless spirits.
REDACTED
-- Clues to the meaning of all this will continue to be found in the BOOK OF CHANGES, which Eli still safeguards against mysterious dark forces.
-- Eli may get his own unasked-for new connection to the spirit world when REDACTED come back to haunt him as ghosts.
-- Lots of stories will now be accessed through REDACTED where REDACTED has begun a new career. It's a REDACTED that becomes more of a character as its complex history is gradually revealed.
REDACTED
Thanks for all your support.
P.K.
==============
Like I say, don't hate me for being a tease. There's actually more information here than might be apparent at first glance. As time goes by -- and we know more -- we'll give you some more hints...
Posted by P.K. Simonds at 12:10 AM
Source: pksimonds.blogspot.com/
Sunday, June 28, 2009
All systems go...
Season Five is on the pad and ready to lift off. But just like any launch, ours has had weather problems up to the last second. Were we going to keep shooting on film or switch to digital? Were we going to find the right actors to play vital new roles? (Which doesn't only mean finding the actors, but also making numerous complex individual deals even for actors who won't get the part, circulating casting tapes all over town, and when necessary convening a dozen very powerful and busy adults into a room to scrutinize the skills, likability and facial features of a small child.) And last but not least, would the Universal Studios Tour trams outside our windows drive everyone MAD??? It all came down to the wire in a grueling week that I hope doesn't get repeated for at least, well, realistically, another few. Except for the way it ended. That I'd be happy to repeat, over and over, and soon. Thanks to the herculean efforts of Donna in casting and Love in preproduction and Kim and Ian everywhere else, it all came together at the last second, and the pieces are now in place for a very exciting new season. Cameras roll Tuesday, a little after dawn, in Los Angeles.
Down at our end of the hall, the writing pipeline is flowing faster and faster. Jeannine did a draft of 502, this one inspired by personal experience, when her daughter received a chain email claiming to carry a curse. Mark got his outline approved for 503, which digs painfully but comically deeply into the family secrets of one of our regulars. Meanwhile John Gray is hammering out the story for 504, which will peel back a gooey layer or two on the haunted history of a key new location. (You'll want to pay special attention to that story this season.) Melissa and Joy are in the room hatching a sleek techno thriller, and Stephanie is noodling a Halloween chill ride.
And Chief Platespinner Laurie continues to do an excellent job making sure that not only do none of the plates crash, but all of them sing.
Posted by P.K. Simonds at 4:15 PM
Sunday, June 21, 2009
A very big day
Friday we had our first pre-production meeting for the new season. Headed by first episode director Jennifer Love Hewitt. Writers have been working for exactly one month to produce the first in a long line of scripts. And it's ready to go.
What's a pre-production meeting? Well, here's what happens: Heads of every department join to go over the new script in minute detail. You've heard it before and it's true: Shooting a t.v. show or movie is like waging a war. A whole lot of people have to do their very specific and challenging jobs at precisely the right moment so certain things happen on film when they need to happen. Or else. If one person fails, you have to do it again. And again. Which costs seconds or minutes.
In film, seconds are like lives: once you lose them you can never get them back. And every single member of the crew feels their loss. Because now there's less time to do the next take, the next shot, the next scene, all the rest of the work for that day and that week. Something somewhere WILL suffer.
That's why we have meetings before we shoot. And meetings. And meetings. Because every minute invested ahead of production saves precious seconds when the cameras are rolling.
Friday's meeting was also important for other reasons. As I've said before, we're making some big changes this season -- changes on every level. Where, when, what, who. And when you make changes on a show, you want to make sure people FEEL it. Which means changing not only the where when what who, but the how. New rules on the inside mean new rules on the outside. Meaning the show is going to look a lot different this season. And a key driver of this change is J Love herself. With a mandate to shake things up -- and with her own artist's restless desire to do things differently -- she came to the meeting armed with a raft of new ways to shoot the show. New staging, new filming techniques, new effects. You're going to see them from the earliest scenes of the first episode.
But let's be honest. Many of of you probably don't care that much about what happened at the pre-production meeting. You want to know what's going to happen. What's in that script that we were prepping?
Here's all I can tell you: there's a bowling ball. There's a hospital. There's a ghost. There's a goodie bag. There's another ghost. Several more, actually. There's a baby. There's a party. There's a morgue. There's a very strange dream. There's a ticking clock (literally) (and figuratively). There's a very old book. There's blood. There's tears. There's joy.
Check in again in the coming weeks for more...
Posted by P.K. Simonds at 12:48 PM
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Don't hate me, but...
I couldn't resist giving people a little more to chew on than whatever slim pickings might be available through traditional channels. Plus I thought some of you might enjoy getting a glimpse of the back and forth between t.v. show producers and their lords and masters at the networks. "Lord Master" is a "current programming" executive at CBS, and a while back he asked me for an email summary of our plans for next season, such as they were at that early date. I sent him the following email, from which I've "REDACTED" content here and there (and okay, almost everywhere) to avoid spoiling too much for those of you who want to be surprised...
And I swear, this is the actual email; I didn't just create it to be cute...
================
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "P.K. Simonds"
Date: Fri, 8 May 2009 12:56:23 -0700
Subject: BULLET POINTS FOR SEASON 5
To: Lord M
Cc:
Lord, per your request:
For Season 5 we're refreshing the show again, shaking things up and making big changes to keep our storytelling bold and surprising.
In a nutshell, the season will be very much about REDACTED and REDACTED, and especially Melinda's GIFTED CHILD. The scope of his powers -- which turn out to be REDACTED -- will gradually become apparent, and will help reveal a strange and dangerous new supernatural dimension to Melinda.
High Points:
-- Melinda's baby will be born in a dramatic REDACTED
-- Soon thereafter, REDACTED
-- Melinda and Jim have waited on pins and needles to see what gift their child might have, but REDACTED
-- Because the child has little understanding of his gift, and less control over its intensity, it puts him REDACTED
-- The child's gift also opens NEW PSYCHIC PORTALS to Melinda when REDACTED
-- Melinda learns of dimensions of the beyond she'd never known about. Dimensions that harbor both miraculous and lethal spirit energy, and whose limits are not even fully known to the WATCHERS.
-- One of these dimensions finds a focal point in the REDACTED, since it's a source of so much emotional energy -- and so many restless spirits.
REDACTED
-- Clues to the meaning of all this will continue to be found in the BOOK OF CHANGES, which Eli still safeguards against mysterious dark forces.
-- Eli may get his own unasked-for new connection to the spirit world when REDACTED come back to haunt him as ghosts.
-- Lots of stories will now be accessed through REDACTED where REDACTED has begun a new career. It's a REDACTED that becomes more of a character as its complex history is gradually revealed.
REDACTED
Thanks for all your support.
P.K.
==============
Like I say, don't hate me for being a tease. There's actually more information here than might be apparent at first glance. As time goes by -- and we know more -- we'll give you some more hints...
Posted by P.K. Simonds at 12:10 AM
