tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post1725645446710144757..comments2023-11-03T06:02:02.128-07:00Comments on By Ken Levine: Friday QuestionsBy Ken Levinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-71691404651307282022019-07-13T13:04:27.239-07:002019-07-13T13:04:27.239-07:00Brian’s question points to an issue that continual...Brian’s question points to an issue that continually plagues creators in the internet age: “fans reading things into stories and then holding authors accountable for them that the authors never intended.” It is the source of a lot of online bullying and attacks against authors and creators, and it is ridiculous. One of the amazing things about art is how it can touch individuals differently. You put a piece out there and it takes on a life of its own drawing out meanings and emotions you never expected from people. But those reactions are based on their personal experiences, their culture, their references, etc. so blaming an author for them is ridiculous. In some cases, like this, they are fortunately giving you credit for positives that you never conceived, but in many cases they are attacking and blaming authors for negative messages and intentions that also never existed. This makes it very difficult for some authors and leads to slander and ongoing acrimony that can last years. I’m glad yours was more of a positive experience. Mine have mostly not been. And I wish people would accept and realize that what you bring to art has as much to do with how you experience it as any subliminal thing you might suppose the author brought, and nine times out of ten, is way more responsible than author intent for your reactions. Okay, rant over.Bryan Thomashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03942472363470824138noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-3071909321539741742016-06-28T16:36:45.353-07:002016-06-28T16:36:45.353-07:00"Anonymous said...
Mr McEwan, perhaps they st...<i>"Anonymous said...<br />Mr McEwan, perhaps they stole Rocky Horror from you!"</i><br /><br />Most unlikely, since Richard O'Brian never saw my film. I know who saw it and who didn't because I owned the only print. (By the time I transferred it to video and made copies for other folks in it, <i>Rocky Horror</i> had been out for decades.) It was just great minds having similar ideas and targets.D. McEwannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-75591922841397287512016-06-26T07:53:50.478-07:002016-06-26T07:53:50.478-07:00Mr McEwan, perhaps they stole Rocky Horror from yo...Mr McEwan, perhaps they stole Rocky Horror from you!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-8553613208721637322016-06-25T22:00:22.835-07:002016-06-25T22:00:22.835-07:00Friday Question: When are going to see M*A*S*H in ...Friday Question: When are going to see M*A*S*H in HD?...Bob Gasselhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04748728107349857332noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-36806897330836436942016-06-25T07:58:43.151-07:002016-06-25T07:58:43.151-07:00Ken,
What do you think the character of Frasier C...Ken,<br /><br />What do you think the character of Frasier Crane had that allowed him to click so well in a spin-off series of his own that fellow CHEERS characters like Norm and Cliff -- I'm guessing -- didn't have? Why do you think some series characters work well when plunked down into a spin-off of their own, while others don't work at all well? Is it some limitation inherent in the conception of some characters -- that is, that some characters simply have more potential, or is it more that the character is handled poorly and not further developed well for the spin-off?<br /><br />Thanks,<br /><br />EmilyEmilynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-83724597600247399172016-06-25T07:15:19.368-07:002016-06-25T07:15:19.368-07:00Hi Ken.
FRIDAY QUESTION!
I always wondered what ...Hi Ken.<br /><br />FRIDAY QUESTION!<br /><br />I always wondered what the writers on MASH thought of the original movie. Was there ever much thought to staying true to the spirit of the film? I know that Richard Hooker (the author) and Robert Altman (the director) disliked the TV show, and I wonder how that feeling went over among the show's staff. Personally, I love many of Altman's films, but MASH fell flat on me. The TV series had more purpose -- a rarity for the movie-to-TV transition.Stuart Bestnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-19723605053614968292016-06-25T03:27:08.043-07:002016-06-25T03:27:08.043-07:00I think part of the issue with these kind of "...I think part of the issue with these kind of "Lower Deck Episodes" (as they're called in the STAR TREK fandom) is that for all the work put into them, the characters rarely reappear or feature heavily again. This means that the impact of the story is diminished over time. I just watched "The Nurses" for the first time about a week ago, and one of the big things that struck me was how you basically never saw any of these women again- next episode was right back to the usual gang. So while it was a good episode, it only "mattered" in that Margaret got some characterization. <br /><br />Focusing on the nurses also put a fine point on just how often they cycled out, too- at least in most episodes, you could pretend that the extras were always the same women. Having four distinct characters in each scene made you really NOTICE when they vanished without a trace later on. The 4077th cycled through nurses like crazy! What- were they all dying? Getting sent home for fraternizing with Hawkeye?Jabronivillehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07318218102203693195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-89660709101945618452016-06-24T21:01:47.262-07:002016-06-24T21:01:47.262-07:00Hi Ken
FRIDAY QUESTION
You've recently writt...Hi Ken<br /><br />FRIDAY QUESTION<br /><br />You've recently written a number of posts regarding credits, and I have a question regarding the opening credits on MASH. In the episodes immediately following Gary Burghoff's departure from the show, he is listed at the end of the opening credits as "Also Starring Gary Burghoff as Radar O'Reilly" Why is it that he is given a credit line even though he does not appear in the episode at all?Tom in Vegashttp://tomriz.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-69046258432977449762016-06-24T20:23:53.004-07:002016-06-24T20:23:53.004-07:00Oh and heck, while we're on the subject, I'...Oh and heck, while we're on the subject, I've had two occasions in the past where friends were initially excited because it looked as though I was actually trending on Facebook, but were then disappointed to realize that it wasn't me who was trending, but rather, conservative windbag, Joe Scarborough.Joseph Scarbroughhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06851086150240380366noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-1271548195451743472016-06-24T20:17:03.307-07:002016-06-24T20:17:03.307-07:00@D. McEwan I had a somewhat situation happen to me...@D. McEwan I had a <i>somewhat</i> situation happen to me several years back in which I did a webcomic miniseries about a vampire, and one insignificant plot detail was that she took up a part-time job of evenings (so as not to have to travel in daylight) as a babysitter. Shortly thereafter, I made the discovery that Disney Channel had a tweencom called MY BABYSITTER'S A VAMPIRE that I was completely unaware of . . . mainly because I haven't really watched Disney Channel since they stopped airing RECESS, lol.<br /><br />On that token, I will admit, while I haven't seen it, SCHITT'S CREEK sounds an <i>awful</i> lot like a sitcom concept I had been drafting and outlining <i>years</i> agao.Joseph Scarbroughhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06851086150240380366noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-60406606978696942552016-06-24T19:23:08.483-07:002016-06-24T19:23:08.483-07:00In college, I directed, co-wrote and co-starred in...In college, I directed, co-wrote and co-starred in a student film. The entire class wrote critiques of all the student films. I got one critique in which a student, in a snotty, superior tone, said how he'd recognized our "Source,"as Polanski's <i>The Fearless Vampire Killers.</i> which we'd "Ripped off" in our vampire comedy. I took a certain pleasure in informing this smug dick before the entire class that neither my co-writer nor myself had ever seen <i>The Fearless Vampire Killers</i>. Having seen it since, I note that the only thing the two films have in common is that both are comedies about vampires. Now <i>The Rockey Horror Picture Show</i>, though built on <i>Frankenstein</i> imagery rather than vampires, is remarkably similar in plot, tone, characters, incidents and satirical targets to our film, but we made ours five years before <i>The Rocky Horror Picture Show</i> was filmed, before the stage version was even written.D. McEwannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-85145602146100909582016-06-24T16:32:30.384-07:002016-06-24T16:32:30.384-07:00Bioshock indeed.
Ken Levine looks like a combo of ...Bioshock indeed.<br />Ken Levine looks like a combo of Shane and Rick, with a little David Duchovny.MikeNnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-81511148253364198572016-06-24T16:09:32.544-07:002016-06-24T16:09:32.544-07:00chuckcd asked:
Who is Jahn Ghalt?
Hah!
Darned i...<br />chuckcd asked:<br /><i>Who is Jahn Ghalt?</i><br /><br />Hah! <br /><br />Darned if I know! <br /><br />I'll say this, he DIDN'T give a <b>30,000-word speech</b> at the end of a <b>600,000-word novel.</b> Jahn Ghaltnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-61125875498262488202016-06-24T15:38:31.428-07:002016-06-24T15:38:31.428-07:00Ken, you referred, at first, to a "DP" (...Ken, you referred, at first, to a "DP" (Director of Photograpy) then the "camera coordinator". What is the difference in their roles? Does a show or film usually have both? If the budget only permits one of them, which do you hire?Jahn Ghaltnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-69337015531488876192016-06-24T14:54:22.128-07:002016-06-24T14:54:22.128-07:00Wonder if you can give a high level look at your w...Wonder if you can give a high level look at your writing process with David Isaacs - what sparks an idea for a script, how long it takes to get from idea to outline to first draft to final script.MikeK.Pa.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-31244356655908858962016-06-24T14:42:24.088-07:002016-06-24T14:42:24.088-07:00whenever I hear about well-known actors or writers...whenever I hear about well-known actors or writers who "want to direct" and immediately get the chance, I wonder: are there unknown people on the crew who are way more qualified, who've been waiting years for a chance, who get passed over and are pissed?cd1515https://www.blogger.com/profile/13442641020639066876noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-38253071563747409122016-06-24T11:53:25.734-07:002016-06-24T11:53:25.734-07:00@Bumble Bee Pendant That could be, but it's no...@Bumble Bee Pendant That could be, but it's not always necessarily the case. For example, one early episode of COMBAT! didn't even feature either of the two headliners Vic Morrow or Rick Jason, mainly because the producers were experimenting to see if the supporting actors could carry the show themselves without the leads.<br /><br />@Cheryl <i>Please</i> tell me you're joking about turning M*A*S*H into a Broadway musical.Joseph Scarbroughhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06851086150240380366noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-84589709955895476072016-06-24T11:21:02.187-07:002016-06-24T11:21:02.187-07:00I think that it's deplorable when people misre...I think that it's deplorable when people misrepresent themselves.<br /><br />- Albert EinsteinBarefoot Billy Alohahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04586870309250699505noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-62083191204059915532016-06-24T09:55:11.904-07:002016-06-24T09:55:11.904-07:00Hi Ken
A Friday Question
I’m currently working o...Hi Ken<br /><br />A Friday Question<br /><br />I’m currently working on a spec script for Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Should I include Act breaks as the earliest scripts in the series did before it was bought by Netflix or should I leave them out, as the show has no natural commercial breaks. On one hand I can show that I know how to effectively use act breaks. On the other hand it may look off. What do you think?<br /><br />Thanks in advance.<br /><br />David<br />Davidnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-87569281257164314672016-06-24T09:45:04.112-07:002016-06-24T09:45:04.112-07:00Joseph Scarbrough...
Whenever I see these seconda...Joseph Scarbrough...<br /><br />Whenever I see these secondary character type episodes or storylines, my first thought is, "They are testing out a possible spinoff"<br /><br />The Bumble Bee Pendanthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11782074071758250824noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-24379114359270345792016-06-24T09:15:50.270-07:002016-06-24T09:15:50.270-07:00Who is Jahn Ghalt?Who is Jahn Ghalt?chuckcdnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-43634908010993220872016-06-24T08:34:55.471-07:002016-06-24T08:34:55.471-07:00Mine honestly wasn't even really meant to be a...Mine honestly wasn't even really meant to be a Friday question, I was commenting on an earlier post where someone had mentioned episodes spotlighting the second tier characters of a show tend to be weaker than others; but this is still really interesting insight, Ken. I still remember my initial reaction to "The Nurses" eleven years ago, and how shocked I was at the revelation that Margaret actually had feelings.Joseph Scarbroughhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06851086150240380366noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-89898252893563917182016-06-24T07:51:22.681-07:002016-06-24T07:51:22.681-07:00Ken, your experience with "The Billfold Syndr...Ken, your experience with "The Billfold Syndrome" made me think of a line from Joe Adamson, who wrote a biography of the great animation director Tex Avery. He called it "the sociological sidestep." Namely, people attributed ideas that just weren't there. Avery wanted to make funny cartoons. When he spoofed Hitler, yes, he was attacking Hitler, but he was also trying to make us laugh.Michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01998867386294693956noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-66864642198887739362016-06-24T07:20:14.315-07:002016-06-24T07:20:14.315-07:00The other Ken Levine pronounces it "Lah-VEEN&...The other Ken Levine pronounces it "Lah-VEEN", so obviously I can't see how there's any confusion between the two of you.Jasonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04514127184704002111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-2619536700717969222016-06-24T07:19:46.073-07:002016-06-24T07:19:46.073-07:00My name is Arthur Allen, and I once got an e-vite ...My name is Arthur Allen, and I once got an e-vite for the launch of the book Vaccine, by Arthur Allen. I wonder if they just sent those out to every Arthur Allen or if they really thought I was the author. The party was in San Francisco and I'm in Seattle, so I couldn't go. Later I got an email from a PBS Frontline producer wanting medical information. Sorry, wrong Arthur Allen.AAllenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04994241172130699272noreply@blogger.com