Bronze VIP Archive for November 20, 1999
Warning! Possible Spoilers!!
- Chris Beck (composer) says:
(Sat Nov 20 23:41:11 1999 24.130.16.125)
- last post
NuPhalanx - with the exception of "Close Your Eyes" on the ST, no. I'm talking about an all-score CD. Which, banana, is in the works, though nothing is definite yet.
Jasmen, Wahine - thanks, wait till you hear the music in "the bicycle shot" late in ep 8 (this Tues), although in both cases I must give credit for the idea to Joss.
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- Chris Beck (composer) says:
(Sat Nov 20 23:31:37 1999 24.130.16.125)
- second-to-last post
Charity aka - thank you thank you.
wahine - currently finishing the Willowrific ep 9.
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- Chris Beck (composer) says:
(Sat Nov 20 23:28:20 1999 24.130.16.125)
Buffycrzd, maryloye - there exists a limited number of Season 2 score promos that I made for, er, promotional purposes. These have black covers. Someone at some point burned a bunch of copies, redesigning the artwork (fugly green color) and adding the Nerf Herder theme. This last one is the one I've seen on eBay. Actually, come to think of it, that could be a CD of the MP3's that are (were?) on the site. Did any of that make any sense? What color cover did it have?
Mabb - absofirckinlutely no clue.
Sionell - a score CD will come out in the next six to ten months.
LilBufBuf, did I miss you earlier?
Thanks to BabyCordy
Pixie - I'm sorry to hear about your identity crisis... hang in there
Zeus - how about "diapers"?
Ajo - hey, well, its overuse in movies (esp trailers) has killed a lot of the joy of listening to that piece. But it's a great piece.
BeMu - hehehehe
Moriah - my favorite cookie...that sounds difficult. I'll get back to you.
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- Jane Espenson (Writer) says:
(Sat Nov 20 23:12:10 1999 152.163.195.204)
Okay, quickly...
Characters I enjoy writing for: the broader characters are the easiest: Spike, Ethan, Harmony, I loved Snyder very much *sniff*
But the *best* to write are our core people: Buffy, Willow, Xander, Giles... they're harder because they're more complex, but that makes it more satisfying to get them right. Spike is quickly joining this category. Now that he's a regular he is getting to be more complex. He has more "colors" now, which makes him both harder and funner to write for.
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- Chris Beck (composer) says:
(Sat Nov 20 23:07:44 1999 24.130.16.125)
elover - Nothing I've done screams "preserve me for posterity!" so far this season yet. I'm looking forward to ep 10, which Joss directed, and from what I've been told, will of necessity feature music prominently for extended lengths of time.
Kristen - oh please. Isn't that a little much?
banana - assuming I even told the truth.. it depends on what *I* think you think it means.
Corvus - I will most likely be at the PBP... but I reserve the right to be too busy.
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- Jane Espenson (Writer) says:
(Sat Nov 20 23:04:44 1999 152.163.195.204)
I'm gonna turn the VIP hat over to Chris, but first a few last trailing answers:
About "young" writers... I don't know why TV writers have to be so darn young. This applies especially to women... my theory is that guys don't want to say something dirty and then look across the writers' table and see someone who looks like their Mom. It also applies less to feature writers than TV writers, I believe.
Someone... was it "Swoop"? has a tape of dailies. My advice is change your name and leave the state... they are highly illegal. They are very much the property of Fox and cannot be sold. I know eBay has pulled many of them out of auction-- In other words, enjoy the ones you have, but don't count on getting any more.
Okay... I'm gone unless I see something to which I must respond or I will explode.
Bye! You've all been great!
Take it, Chris...
^
- Jane Espenson (Writer) says:
(Sat Nov 20 22:58:59 1999 152.163.195.204)
Chris Beck! Oooh! Hi! (slow reaction time, but I do get there eventually)
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- Chris Beck (composer) says:
(Sat Nov 20 22:58:07 1999 24.130.16.125)
Crovus - I would, except my wife who is in NY, and my dog who is in a Kennel because I'm too inept to take care of my dog alone.
X-Lander - no need for letters... just a bit of patience.
friday - I wrote "Close Your Eyes" out of the desire to drown out the sound of B/A smooching. I don't think it worked though.
Acathla - No, the theme is not available for piano, but a number of people have requested that and I plan on talking to Fox about it. My wife has a thus-far-unused Music Ed degreee so she wants to try to arrange it for easy piano. Wish her luck.
lurking b., Mesuvius - the CBCC is down, no? Did Fox finally catch up?
Swoop - I'm always receptive to nice letters. E is above.
Hi to Angus, Shadowslayer
BeMu - if VT has a message for me she'd better tell me herself instead of sending some flunky (no offense, OK) to do it for her.
Jasmen - not likely, things are a little nutso
Lena! - Hey.
Cirrus - and still.
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- Jane Espenson (Writer) says:
(Sat Nov 20 22:55:14 1999 152.163.195.204)
My fave kind of cookie? What a cool question. I like my cookies like I like my posting boards... lots of nuts in 'em! (really, it's true)
Mesuvius... oh my goodness, the show absolutely will continue to focus on the supernatural! We're devoted to our metaphor! Perhaps you were worried by the non-Buffy-centric feeling of Ep 7. That was done on purpose. You see, Buffy ep 7 shoots the same week that Angel ep 8 shoots. Angel ep 8 is the cross-over. It has lots of Buffy in it. That means we didn't have Sarah for many days of shooting. Thus we designed ep 7 to require as little of her as we could get away with. (We missed her.) -- it will not otherwise be usual to be in Riley's world to the exclusion of her world.
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- Chris Beck (composer) says:
(Sat Nov 20 22:45:14 1999 24.130.16.125)
- Hey look, it's Jane. Hi Jane.
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- Jane Espenson (Writer) says:
(Sat Nov 20 22:43:10 1999 152.163.195.204)
Oops... sorry on the name thing, AjO... hate to do that.
Okay, more random answers:
I actually sold two things to Trek TNG: a story (about Data undercover as a biological being on a planet populated by anti-tech Luddites). They bought, but never used the story. The other thing I sold them was a "premise", meaning they just bought the idea... the idea was that every time we use warp drive we've been damaging the universe, and we have been ever since Kirk. This became an ep, but I don't know the name of it. Eventually I was given the change to write a DS9 called "Accession" in which a Bajoran poet claims that he, not Sisko is the Emissary and reinstitutes Bajor's ancient caste system.
How I got the Buffy job. I submitted one of my produced "Ellen" eps and an NYPD Blue sample script.
About casting... I'm actually not sure how it works -- actors show up, mill around in the big office down the hall... I'm afraid I'm clueless.
My episode of Dinosaurs: "Variations on a Theme Park" in which they go to a parody Disneyland.
Someone asked about things that didn't make it to the screen. Sometimes Joss cuts something that I like out of a draft, but then I always look at it later and say, thank goodness... he was right. And sometimes things get cut after an ep is shot. Harsh Light of Day had, I believe, nine minutes of footage cut out of it... some of that hurt, but it just had to go. Sigh -- and in truth... you didn't need it to tell the story.
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- Chris Beck (composer) says:
(Sat Nov 20 22:42:53 1999 24.130.16.125)
- Hi.
MUSICAL SPOILERS FOR THE CROSSOVER
An old favorite makes a comeback
MUSICAL SPOILERS FOR THE CROSSOVER
REAL, NON-MUSICAL SPOILERS FOR THE CROSSOVER
That has to be the most misleading promo I have ever seen
REAL, NON-MUSICAL SPOILERS FOR THE CROSSOVER
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- Jane Espenson (Writer) says:
(Sat Nov 20 22:28:45 1999 152.163.195.204)
Okay... let's try to do a bunch of these questions at once... so I won't always bother to identify the "asker":
Faith. You'll see her this season, that's all I can tell you. Ethan... he's not who I meant, but I wouldn't be surprised if he were around at some point... I wouldn't even be surprised if I wrote some lines for the fellow.
Someone wanted some big crossbow action in the crossover... you, sir, will enjoy the Buffy half. More emotional types will tend toward the second half. But everyone will love it all, I suspect.
Someone else wanted less technology... some sort of Luddite, I guess. I don't know how to answer that one... do you not want it to exist, not want it to be derided, not want it to be shown?
Someone else asked about my specialty on the show... I'd have said that I did humerous stand-alone eps, but lately I've been getting a variety of assignments and Tracey's been getting the all-out funny ones. Guess I'm sort of mobile... the lymph system of the show or something.
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- Jane Espenson (Writer) says:
(Sat Nov 20 22:18:06 1999 152.163.195.204)
Advice for getting started. First step: be young. In general, TV writing is a career for which one has to start out young. It's terrible but true.
Then, read as many professional TV scripts as you can. -- there are several ways to get these... some LA bookstores have them, XFiles scripts can be purchased through the fan club, etc. Also read books on how to write for TV. I began with a book called "How to write for TV" By Madeline DiMaggio.
Then, write spec scripts (= sample scripts) for the very best shows on TV.
You may also want to get some instruction. After I read Madeline DiMaggio's book, I signed up for a class she taught in San Francisco.
Then, get a list of agents from the Writers' Guild of America. (You can get their # from information in L.A.).
Send your scripts to the agents that accept unsolicited scripts. If they're good, you might just get an agent!
OR... there's a shortcut... an open door that not enough people know about. Star Trek shows (TNG in my day, Voyager now), accept scripts written FOR THEIR SHOW, without an agent!!!! It's a completely open door! This is how I got my first TV sale, which lead to my first agent... etc.
Hopethis helps! I also recommend new writers to enter every contest and fellowship competition they can find. After my initial Trek success I got accepted into the Disney Writer's Fellowship, which got me first sitcom job (on the Disney show Dinosaurs.)
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- Jane Espenson (Writer) says:
(Sat Nov 20 22:09:38 1999 152.163.195.204)
VjO wants an answer. Okay. Many of the people mentioned in your post will be on the show in the future. It'll be great!
Corvus, I believe, asked about rewrites... usually at this time of the year there's only time for the original writer to do one rewrite... then it goes to Joss for his rewrite... and Omigod yes he has final say over everything... nothing can go onto film without it going through him first.
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- Jane Espenson (Writer) says:
(Sat Nov 20 22:05:33 1999 152.163.195.204)
Friday asked about the absorbion levels needed for the crossover. I think you'll be find with the sleeve of your shirt for the first half. For the second half... something more from the terrycloth family.
Jasmen:How is it possible that Riley did not know he was fighting Buffy? Well, I assure you he didn't... stuff that you will see soon won't make any sense if he did. So we know he didn't. Now we have to make ourselves believe it. Personally, I think he's in denial. He knows, on some level, that it's her, but his conscious mind simply cannot accept it. Therefore he has convinced himself that he knows nothing. OR, he knows of small, high-voiced demons and just assumes (b/c of the strength) that that's what he's dealing with. How 'bout that? (work with me, people)
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- Jane Espenson (Writer) says:
(Sat Nov 20 21:59:50 1999 152.163.195.204)
Writer, pretty cold and damp in L.A. as well right now.
The ep by Marti, Fury and me? Oh, it's a good one. Buffy and Riley and Spike, oh my. Also, a quick appearance from an old loose end. And, a visit from a character we haven't seen in a while. And, a trip to a place... Well, anyway, big fun.
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- Jane Espenson (Writer) says:
(Sat Nov 20 21:55:17 1999 152.163.195.204)
XG, I'm so sorry to hear that. I'm sure everyone here on the board is sending you good wishes.
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- Jane Espenson (Writer) says:
(Sat Nov 20 21:51:27 1999 152.163.195.204)
Hi Cirrus, Hi Wicca... lovely to meet you.
Don't really have anything important to say tonight, but I would like to repeat again... Riley and Buffy do not know each others' identities! It may have looked like Riley saw Buffy in" The Initiative" -- but he didn't. Pass it on.
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- Jane Espenson (Writer) says:
(Sat Nov 20 21:48:51 1999 152.163.195.204)
Ooops... forgot to color that one.
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- Jane Espenson (Writer) says:
(Sat Nov 20 21:48:23 1999 152.163.195.204)
- Hi Lewellyn! Just procrastinating... I'm doing a rewrite on ep 12 this weekend and I needed a break.l
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- Jane Espenson (Writer) says:
(Sat Nov 20 21:45:33 1999 152.163.195.204)
Hi y'all! How's everyone doing tonight?
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- Nancy Holder says:
(Sat Nov 20 12:13:39 1999 205.188.195.54)
- Something's up with my net
connection. I'm going to do some
work and check back later. I
hope you're enjoying the
season...and ANGEL.
Carpe Noctem,
Nan
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- Nancy Holder says:
(Sat Nov 20 12:04:55 1999 205.188.195.54)
- DB, thanks for the names. That
sounds right. I'm there with the
swoon, thu
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- Nancy Holder says:
(Sat Nov 20 12:02:55 1999 205.188.195.54)
- Make that Watcher's Guide 2.
What's wrong with my messages?!
Anyway, Jeff is a very excellent
writer and he'll add a lot to the
publishing program.
^
- Nancy Holder says:
(Sat Nov 20 12:01:53 1999 205.188.195.54)
- BTW, a very good friend of Chris
and mine, Jeff Mariotte, has
joined the Buffy team. He just
turned in vol. 2 of THE XANDER
YEARS and he's going to help me
with Watcher's Gui
^
- Nancy Holder says:
(Sat Nov 20 12:01:01 1999 205.188.195.54)
- EVIL THAT MEN DO will be pub'ed
next July. Yes, delay was cuz of
the shootings. I have novelized
the premiere of ANGEL and am
doing the first original n
^
- Nancy Holder says:
(Sat Nov 20 11:59:40 1999 205.188.195.54)
- Mmm, make that "Devon" and
"Sunday?" Somehow my last lines
are being chopped of
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- Nancy Holder says:
(Sat Nov 20 11:58:44 1999 205.188.195.54)
- Hi, Narrator. Most
unfortunately, Chris isn't on the
WG2 with me. We have gotten so
much work that we've divvied it
up. He is doing a Monster Book
for the show and it's going to be
very awesome. (Of course!)
Since I'm in California, it was
more logical for me to do the
WG2, as I'll be on set for over a
week.
BTW, I'm not where my tapes are.
Can anyone tell me, off the top
of their heads, the names of the
actors who play/played Devo
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- Nancy Holder says:
(Sat Nov 20 11:43:01 1999 205.188.195.47)
- Hi. I'm one of the Buffy book
authors. Currently working on
the Watcher's Guide 2. I thought
I would stop by and say hel
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- Tracey Forbes (Writer) says:
(Sat Nov 20 00:07:50 1999 205.188.198.32)
- I think my last post was lost somewhere in the hour changeover. What I said was...
Thanks to you all for a wonderful talk. For all your encouragement and support. I will come back soon. Have a great weekend. Goodnight.
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- Nancy Holder says: