I spent the weekend incorporating five different sets of notes into my rewrite of (what was formerly episode #2 but is now) episode #3. It now comes in at a robust 62 pages. On the one hand, the longer page count makes it more challenging to schedule; on the other hand, a couple of more rounds of notes and we may not have to write another script this season!
I kid of course. One of the great things about this show is that we can go long. There’s no set running time to hit so, although the episodes will be tight, we won’t be forced to make painful cuts in editing. Our viewers will not be denied!
This series is also unique in that act lengths are no longer a concern either. Our American and Canadian broadcasters will be running the show uninterrupted while our European broadcasters have informed us that, as much as they appreciate our designated act breaks, they’ll be considered more suggestions than set in stone when the series airs overseas. And so, we’ve decided to go with a four act structure as opposed to the trickier five act structure of shows like, say, Stargate. Breaking the episodes down to five acts was, to put it mildly, a pain in the ass. Whenever we would break a story, we would always end up one act short. I can’t recall how many times we’d be sitting in the room, staring up at the white board trying to figure out how we could come up with an additional late act end, when Paul would invariably say: “If this was a four act show, we’d be done now.”. Remi held particular disdain for the five act structure, proclaiming “It’s unnatural!” with such vehemence you’d think he was discussing sibling marriage.
Read Carl’s first draft of his script last night and am very, very pleased. It’s touching, funny, fast-pace, and full of great action. A home run. Also read Alexander’s outline for his next script and thought he did a great job as well. Can’t wait to read the script. It’s going to be a terrific episode.
Speaking of Alexander – while there have been plenty of things to complain about with regard to Toronto (most recently, the early morning snow that greeted me yesterday), Alex has been one bright and hugely entertaining balancing plus. Yesterday, I received the following panicked email from him: “My toilet is backed up, there are no towels and I can’t get the washing machine going.” And then, two hours later: ” I was able to un-clog my toilet! And I have found out that the washing machine is not really the washing machine, but the dryer! It’s all starting to make sense now – slowly, but surely. Haven’t figured out the heating system yet, but I will get there.” I was almost expecting to receive a third message from him, something along the lines of: “I have now found out that the toilet is not really the toilet but the garburator!”. Once we finish up production on Transporter: The Series, I suggest we move on to Alexander: The Series or, even better My Favorite Germans starring Alexander Ruemelin and Carl Binder.
Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to comment on the closing of this chapter of the Stargate franchise. Feel free to post any questions you may have, but be advised I won’t be fielding them until after the series finale airs. To increase the chances that your question will be answered, please ensure it’s a question I haven’t already responded to (ie. Did you cancel Atlantis?) or a question I actually can answer (I’m out of the loop on dvd release dates and anything related to the game). Also, questions posed in a douchebag manner won’t be answered, much less make it through moderation (Hello and Goodbye, Hyperion).
Hey, our new Script Coordinator/Exec. Producers’ Assistant/Baboon Wrangler started today.
Trevor stopped by my office this morning to discuss what kind of office routine he could expect. I informed him that we were still establishing ourselves on this new production, but if Stargate was anything to go by, the daily routine would consist of:
First thing in the morning, the writer/producers gather. The golfers discuss their recent scores and how well/poorly they played over the weekend.
The conversation then shifts to t.v. and recent episodes of our favorite shows (I informed Trevor that he would need to start watching The Office and 30 Rock to keep up. Since Carl is only on as a freelancer, Survivor, American Idol, and The Amazing Race are optional).
We then move on to recent films, most of which have either failed to impress or otherwise offended our writerly sensibilities in some way.
By this point, we should be well into late morning and talk will turn to lunch. Following an animated discussion, I will override someone’s suggestion that we order from Swiss Chalet and we’ll end up ordering either sandwiches, burritos, or Jamaican so I can have the ox-tail and curried goat combo.
We’ll go our separate ways, back to our offices where we’ll field any outstanding issues (ie. script rewrites, production concerns, tracking that chocolate shipment, etc.), then re-gather for lunch and exchange amusing anecdotes. Again, with Carl only with us on a freelance basis, there will be a dearth of hilarious weird family stories – but I assume Alexander will pick up the slack.
Post-lunch logyness will, of course, give way to the beloved afternoon nap, and that should take us to the end of the day.
Did I miss anything?
So, last weekend, I visited St. Lawrence Market and came across this little specialty shop that sold tinned caviar and truffle-related products. While purchasing a small bottle of white truffle oil, I started talking to the owner and he suggested I give him my business card so that he could keep me updated on new products. Well, today, I received the following email from him:
“HiJoseph, [In traditional correspondence, one usually leaves a space between the greeting and the recipient’s name. Communication Rebel of Lazy Ass? I was dying to know.]
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