We’re #1! Well, we were anyway. The #1 pirated show on BitTorrent last week, beating out the likes of the Olympic Opening Ceremonies, Psych, and Mad Men, and up from #6 the previous week. No actual hard numbers provided in the report, but one can’t help but wonder whether all those illegal downloads have been hurting the show’s ratings. The 30% bump Atlantis receives from the Live+7 numbers suggests that our viewers are tech-savvy (not all that surprising considering they are SF fans) and make use of alternate viewing resources such as Tivo, DVR, iTunes and BitTorrent. Exactly how this affected the show’s ratings is debatable and, at this point, of little consequence, but I just thought I’d mention it.
Meanwhile, we’ve still got a show to produce. Identity is shooting, Enemy at the Gate is prepping, and various cuts and mixes abound. Now, a lot of fans wonder whether I watch the show when it airs. My usual response is “Are you crazy?”. After spinning the story, reading its multiple outlines and script drafts, watching the dailies, watching the director’s cut, watching not one but two producer’s cuts, and then watching the various mixes, you can be pretty damn sure that when the show finally hits the small screen, I’ll probably be watching something else. By the time the final mix has been screened and the color correct completed, the episode is pretty much done anyway. Still, these various screenings are an important part of production process and it’s always great to have a fresh set of eyes on an episode. Of course, the relative freshness of those eyes is entirely dependent on timing. Morning screenings work best for everyone. Early afternoon screenings following a large pasta or turkey lunch, on the other hand, are frowned upon and generally to be avoided. Nothing scatters a gaggle of producers like a post-lunch viewing. The other day, I had to track everyone down for a Day 2 mix. Paul and Alan were holed-up in the bathroom. I found Carl hiding under his desk. Marty G. showed but “came prepared“, taking a page out of Homer Simpson’s playbook (see pic).
We were halfway through the mix when my cell phone rang. It was Statistics Canada calling me about some survey I’d just completed. They needed information related to my 2006 business year-end as opposed to the 2007 business year-end I’d provided. The Stats Can rep offered up her email address but, being in the midst of the screening, I suggested she call back later informing her I was driving. Big mistake. “Bee-beep!”sounded Paul from across the room. Then “Honk! Honk!” from Martin behind me. “Hey!”yelled Carl. “Get out of the way!”. Once the Stats Can rep clicked off and I’d pocketed my cell phone, Martin finished with: “Enjoy your audit!”said Martin. Uh, yeah. I never did get that return call.
Finally – I don’t usually comment on news events, preferring to focus on my insular little life, but I couldn’t believe that this –
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/08/26/BU3A12ILN1.DTL
wasn’t bigger news. I mean, seriously. This wasn’t a couple of two-bit con men pulling one over on some witless rube, this was Citibank! Citibank! This quote in particular stood out: “”Stealing from our customers is a business decision, not a legal decision,” the supervisor was quoted as saying.”
Hey, Stephen Dobyns, author of The Church of Dead Girls, contacted me yesterday. Apparently, he was away from his email all week, just got back, and is eager to answer your questions. So if you have questions for Stephen, let’s see ‘em. Antisocialbutteflie – I’ve got yours.
Today’s video: Carl Binder leads us on a tour through Stage 5. Part I.
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