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B5:TLT Actual DISCUSSION Thread

Re: Actual B5:TLT News

What exactly do producers do on projects like this? I always think of a producer as being the one who puts up the money, but I don't think it's that simple. :confused:
Basically producers are managers. There is a big overlap between directors and producers duties particular before and after filming. Directors are actually on set with the actors and crew so producers tend to end up managing things like the design of costumes, sets and hiring crew including the scrip writer.
See http://www.producersguild.org/pg/about_a/pcoc.asp
 
Re: Actual B5:TLT News

What a pity JMS and John Copeland have fallen out ...

They seem to have at least reconciled somewhat at Rick Biggs' funeral. Thing is, Canada has strict rules about (iirc) the percentage of the payroll or number of people who have to be Canadian workers so it's probably not likely that they would have been able to bring John Copeland up there anyway.
Jan
 
Re: Actual B5:TLT News

Wasn't that one mainly about Jeff and Catherine Sakai? Seem to remember Marcus nursing his wounds on Minbar after his run in with Neroon but not actually doing anything plotwise, though it was a while back that I read it. Anybody know what Jason Carter is doing these days?
Cheers,
all the best,
Andy.
 
Re: Actual B5:TLT News

Wasn't that one mainly about Jeff and Catherine Sakai?
The story of how his brother came to the colony to try to recruit Marcus is there, along with the Shadow attack and his going to Minbar to fulfil his promise.

Anybody know what Jason Carter is doing these days?
I know he's still holding his acting classes in various places (he used to do them with Rick Biggs) and I think he's worked on some indie films but I don't have any details.

Jan
 
Re: Actual B5:TLT News

Seem to remember Marcus nursing his wounds on Minbar after his run in with Neroon but not actually doing anything plotwise

That was the framing story. At the Ranger compound Marcus contemplates a statue of Valen - made in the traditional fashion with the face barely sketched in - and reflects on the strange road that led Sinclair to become Valen in the distant past and Ranger One more recently. The narrative proper picks up not long after Sinclair arrived on Minbar as Earth ambassador and details how he came to lead the Rangers. But it also tells the story of Marcus Cole, who trained under Sinclair. That story takes us from his days running the family business at a mining colony, his disgreements with his brother the Ranger and the Shadow attack that destroys the colony, and finally his decision to join the Rangers and finish what his brother started. He is all through the book, and in fact flies the third fighter in the mission that results in Sakai's disspearance in Sector 14. Sounds like you need to read the book again. ;)

Regards,

Joe
 
Re: Actual B5:TLT News

Seem to remember Marcus nursing his wounds on Minbar after his run in with Neroon but not actually doing anything plotwise

That was the framing story. At the Ranger compound Marcus contemplates a statue of Valen - made in the traditional fashion with the face barely sketched in - and reflects on the strange road that led Sinclair to become Valen in the distant past and Ranger One more recently. The narrative proper picks up not long after Sinclair arrived on Minbar as Earth ambassador and details how he came to lead the Rangers. But it also tells the story of Marcus Cole, who trained under Sinclair. That story takes us from his days running the family business at a mining colony, his disgreements with his brother the Ranger and the Shadow attack that destroys the colony, and finally his decision to join the Rangers and finish what his brother started. He is all through the book, and in fact flies the third fighter in the mission that results in Sakai's disspearance in Sector 14. Sounds like you need to read the book again. ;)

Regards,

Joe

It's the story of Sakai's reappearance from Sector 14 that I'm hoping will be one of the lost tales. It's a passing comment by Kosh about this that helps seal Sinclair's decision to travel back.

In the comic adventure "In Valen's Name" it is implied that she reappeared in the 13th century because Sinclair's last message is "I've found her!"

I like to think they made it... and I've always had a sneaky suspicion that Sinclair's reunion with Sakai may have been the cause of the friction and persecution of Valen's children.
 
Re: Actual B5:TLT News

It would seem that I do indeed need to go and read "to dream in the city of sorrows" again :) Don't remember Marcus piloting one of those prototype fighter things, no sir, not the faintest recollection....
Cheers.
 
Re: Actual B5:TLT News

Voices in the dark sounds like a B5 title I am still on the fence as to whether this will ever be made .
 
Re: Actual B5:TLT News

Really? It sounds to me like it's rolling along perfectly, right now. And direct to DVD means no worrying about a station changing its mind. :cool:

I just hope it makes tons of money for them. I guess it can't make as much money as a television show, right?

Or are they hoping to change the rules on that? I, for one, decided years ago I'm more than happy to rent or buy good entertainment that I can't find on premium cable.

If we could get some real science fiction through direct to DVD, I'm willing to pay.
 
Re: Actual B5:TLT News

Really? It sounds to me like it's rolling along perfectly, right now. And direct to DVD means no worrying about a station changing its mind.

I just hope it makes tons of money for them. I guess it can't make as much money as a television show, right?

Or are they hoping to change the rules on that? I, for one, decided years ago I'm more than happy to rent or buy good entertainment that I can't find on premium cable.

If we could get some real science fiction through direct to DVD, I'm willing to pay.


With JMS's track record I don't believe a word he says unless I can buy it or view it on tv.Fool me once I will forgive,fool me fifty times and I am skeptical everything .
 
Re: Actual B5:TLT News

With JMS's track record I don't believe a word he says unless I can buy it or view it on tv.
So when previously did JMS ever make claims that crew had been hired or contracts signed with any cast members?

I remember him saying that he had been hired to do a draft of a script for TMoS, which so far as I know was true. Even then, I had thought that he had said that such a hiring was no guarantee of anything ever being filmed.
 
Re: Actual B5:TLT News

With JMS's track record I don't believe a word he says unless I can buy it or view it on tv.
So when previously did JMS ever make claims that crew had been hired or contracts signed with any cast members?

I remember him saying that he had been hired to do a draft of a script for TMoS, which so far as I know was true. Even then, I had thought that he had said that such a hiring was no guarantee of anything ever being filmed.
Crusade had all that and was cancelled before it aired.I can understand a little "see it before you believe it" attitude :)
 
Re: Actual B5:TLT News

It occurs to me that we may eventually want an official "news only" thread again, like we did with TMoS.
 
Re: Actual B5:TLT News

With JMS's track record I don't believe a word he says unless I can buy it or view it on tv.
So when previously did JMS ever make claims that crew had been hired or contracts signed with any cast members?

I remember him saying that he had been hired to do a draft of a script for TMoS, which so far as I know was true. Even then, I had thought that he had said that such a hiring was no guarantee of anything ever being filmed.
Crusade had all that and was cancelled before it aired.I can understand a little "see it before you believe it" attitude :)

But thirteen episodes did get made, and thirteen episodes did get shown on television, and released on DVD. I can understand a little skepticism given the B5 universe's track record in these things, but accusing JMS of "fooling" us or (as you imply) lying to us is just a little over the top.

LotR was always a back door pilot ... JMS never said it would definitely be a series, just a TVM, and that is exactly what we got a TVM and no series.

TMos was talked about confidently at times, but was never said to be a nailed on certainty, and JMS has often talked about the tendency of things in Hollywood to get very close to being "nailed on" and still get pulled.

TLT is being talked about as "nailed on", and he is currently in Vancouver physically hiring staff and agreeing contracts with actors, which seems as nailed on as it gets. Granted WB could pull the plug right up to the point where the DVDs are ready for release, but if they have spent the money on it, why would they do that? And I would imagine some money has already been expended on getting things to where they appear to be now.
 
Re: Actual B5:TLT News

With JMS's track record I don't believe a word he says unless I can buy it or view it on tv.
So when previously did JMS ever make claims that crew had been hired or contracts signed with any cast members?

I remember him saying that he had been hired to do a draft of a script for TMoS, which so far as I know was true. Even then, I had thought that he had said that such a hiring was no guarantee of anything ever being filmed.
Crusade had all that and was cancelled before it aired.I can understand a little "see it before you believe it" attitude :)
There is a difference between that and saying you don't believe anything someone says, because of track record of "fooling" people. When has JMS done anything that gets remotely close to saying something is being produced, contracts have been signed etc., while in fact actually lying about it? The only B5 related thing that he worked on that didn't end up going into production was TMoS, and he was pretty clear how easy it would for the project to get stuck in development hell, and he never, far as I could see, lied about people being hired and sets being set up when they weren't.

And Crusade got cancelled, but the 13 episodes he said were being produced, were produced. He never "fooled" anyone about cast members being hired, while they weren't, or anything like that.

Honestly, I'm scratching my head a bit about the venom with regards to "JMS's track record" fooling us, where he is probably one of the most open and well communicating television producers you can find.
 
Re: Actual B5:TLT News

Honestly, I'm scratching my head a bit about the venom with regards to "JMS's track record" fooling us, where he is probably one of the most open and well communicating television producers you can find.

That actually may be the problem right there. He has been so forthright with us, telling things about new projects as soon as possible. IMHO he has been trying to do right by the fandom, and can't be blamed for TMoS going belly up, nor can he be blamed for not wanting to allow TNT to mess up Crusade (any worse then they did) and even if he had capitulated on Crusade instead of walking away from it, they still would've been even more unreasonable, because it was there desire for Crusade to die in the crib.

So, yes, he has told us of some things that didn't go forward, or didn't go as long as we wanted, but, he never lied about them.
 
Re: Actual B5:TLT News

I believe that the 3 TLT DVDs will be made and sold. Warner Brothers appear to have given him the money as a sort of pilot.

Whether a fourth one will be made is a different matter. I suspect that TLT-4 and a series will not be green-lite until the sales are in. Even then there will be an argument within the various parts of Warner Brothers. If they treat it like a film they will want sales to be 10 times the production and marketing costs.
 
Re: Actual B5:TLT News

I believe that the 3 TLT DVDs will be made and sold. Warner Brothers appear to have given him the money as a sort of pilot.

Whether a fourth one will be made is a different matter. I suspect that TLT-4 and a series will not be green-lite until the sales are in. Even then there will be an argument within the various parts of Warner Brothers. If they treat it like a film they will want sales to be 10 times the production and marketing costs.
Just a correction; it's one DVD that's being made now, with 3 stories on it. Potential later DVDs are planned to carry 3 stories each also.

And this pretty much what JMS has said. That any subsequent instalments are conditional upon the success of this first one.
 
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