2007: The Directors and Writers Thread

[Y&RWorldTurner]

I agree, Bill Bell was heavily involved for 95% of Ed Scott's run as EP. I think the question is, who is Ed Scott without Bill Bell? He certainly learnt a lot from Bell and Conboy, but can he make it on his own on a completely different show?

By contrast, with Shaughnessy's run as EP, Bell wasn't involved in the day to day duties of the show, in fact Bell was suffering health problems at the time, but Shaughnessy more than made everything work. Shaughnessy's years as EP were definitely better than Scott's last few years as EP, imo.

[Sylph]

Shaughnessy, of course. I'll pick him anytime instead of Ed. Why he left and why didn't he return is a mystery to me.

RSinclair, apart from Riche, who is your favourite executive producer? James, Behr?

P. S. YRWT, I love a -t participle.

[Sylph]

Forgot: Toups, we all love DOOL, I didn't intend to be mean or anything of the sort, just be careful DOOL fans! Don't let the same thing like the one with Sheffer happen again.

[R Sinclair]

Ooooh... tough one, but I think I'm going to have to go with Behr.

[RuAsRuAnAu]

Did Jill Lorie Hurst serve as GL’s co-Head Writer sometime around 2002/2003? I know she worked her way up the writing chain when she began as a Writer’s Assistant, but that high? If she did, she knows how to reach for the stars. Whatever that means.

SOURCE: JLH, A GL Co-Head Writer?

Guests from the New York Soaps include (you have to read this):

-Sheryl Baker Fisher; Assistant Casting Director, ONE LIFE TO LIVE

-Lisa Brown; Director / Former Soap Star, GUIDING LIGHT / AS THE WORLD TURNS

-Joe Cotugno; Director, ONE LIFE TO LIVE / GUIDING LIGHT / AS THE WORLD TURNS

-LaMont Craig; Associate Casting Director, AS THE WORLD TURNS

-Vanessa Gringer; Talent Agent, PARADIGM

-Daniel Grunes; Talent Agent, THE ARTIST GROUP EAST

-Melanie Haseltine; Associate Casting Director, GUIDING LIGHT

-Elizabeth Hendrickson; Soap Star, ALL MY CHILDREN

-Jill Lori Hurst; Co-Head Writer, GUIDING LIGHT

-Phoebe Rosenberg Jones; Associate Casting Director, CBS ENTERTAINMENT

-Michael Kirsten; Talent Agent, HARDEN / CURTIS ASSOCIATES

-Maria Macina; Associate Producer, GUIDING LIGHT

-John Shea; Talent Agent, FRONTIER BOOKING INTERNATIONAL

-Paul Taylor; Soap Star, AS THE WORLD TURNS

[Chris B]

Why doesn't John Conboy ever get credit for establishing Y&R's classic production values? Bill Bell was the writer, but I think the production side of things is Conboy's doing. He did equally brilliant work at Capitol and I thought his GL was one of the best looking soaps on air.

From the Conboy days, things certainly evolved with Ed Scott, I wouldn't say he was sitting pretty. Considering Bill Bell was also writing B&B for so many years, I can't see him having too much imput in the production side of things.

David Shannessy did a great job yes, but I thought the show was doing well with Scott too. So far his DAYS has been good as well. It instantly looks and feels like a new show. Did you see the scenes with Max and Stephanie in the cave today? With Wyman it would look cheap and cartoonish, but he managed to make the same set look like something out of primetime.

He has proven on his own that her understands production and what works for a particular show. He's not doing Y&R at DAYS, he's just doing DAYS better. Thats the mark of a good EP, IMO.

You can look at Y&R and tell he's gone. The performances have gone way down since LML cancelled all rehersals and fired the acting coach (she replaced him with a dialogue coach). Plus Ed Scott reshot scenes and gave the actors notes. The editing has also suffered, IMO. They often cut during the middle of a sentence or a big acting moment.

I firmly believe LML is worse as a Producer than she could dream of being as a writer.

[Toups]

Don't forget that Y&R's other EP, Josh Griffith, has never produced a soap opera before. He's been a writer his whole soap opera career and then all of a sudden, he's the Co-EP??!! Makes no freakin sense.

[RuAsRuAnAu]

Why doesn't John Conboy ever get credit for establishing Y&R's classic production values? Bill Bell was the writer, but I think the production side of things is Conboy's doing. He did equally brilliant work at Capitol and I thought his GL was one of the best looking soaps on air.

Many people strongly dislike or are indiferrent to Conboy. When he gives it his all, he's a very good producer. Unfortunately, he & Rauch almost ran GL into the ground, financially speaking. Thus, the infamous massive budget cut of 2005. That year is burned into GL's history as the point of no return. When a show's budget goes, so does the show. Why do some people write: RIP GL (1937-2005)?

The performances have gone way down since LML cancelled all rehersals and fired the acting coach (she replaced him with a dialogue coach). Plus Ed Scott reshot scenes and gave the actors notes. The editing has also suffered, IMO. They often cut during the middle of a sentence or a big acting moment.

Yes, every show should have an Acting Coach, but to be fair, the actors went to school to learn how to act; they are earning a living by acting; so therefore, they should already know how to act. Who has Y&R's acting coach prior to LML's firing of him/her? Are you sure it was LML that fired the person or was it SONY's cost-cutting measure action?

All shows have choppy editing from time to time. It's a way to keep the runtime under 37 minutes so the network can sell more spots. Anyone notice that Y&R has slowly declined in air-time since early summer 2007? Episodes are now in the 35 minute range, down about 2 minutes from its average in the winter & spring. OLTL seems to clock in the 34 minute range. Having a DVR really does help. Y'all better invest in one.

I firmly believe LML is worse as a Producer than she could dream of being as a writer.

There was an article about LML's promotion to EP last year about how some cast members were pleased with her as HW, but were hesistant about her producing skills. The first few months as EP were really good. Perhaps she's burnt out. Some said she looked "sick" at this year's Daytime Emmys. any truth to that? Since you don't like her as EP, whom would you like to see replace her? John F. Smith? Scott? LML's husband?

[R Sinclair]

Why doesn't John Conboy ever get credit for establishing Y&R's classic production values? Bill Bell was the writer, but I think the production side of things is Conboy's doing. He did equally brilliant work at Capitol and I thought his GL was one of the best looking soaps on air.

From the Conboy days, things certainly evolved with Ed Scott, I wouldn't say he was sitting pretty. Considering Bill Bell was also writing B&B for so many years, I can't see him having too much imput in the production side of things.

David Shannessy did a great job yes, but I thought the show was doing well with Scott too. So far his DAYS has been good as well. It instantly looks and feels like a new show. Did you see the scenes with Max and Stephanie in the cave today? With Wyman it would look cheap and cartoonish, but he managed to make the same set look like something out of primetime.

He has proven on his own that her understands production and what works for a particular show. He's not doing Y&R at DAYS, he's just doing DAYS better. Thats the mark of a good EP, IMO.

You can look at Y&R and tell he's gone. The performances have gone way down since LML cancelled all rehersals and fired the acting coach (she replaced him with a dialogue coach). Plus Ed Scott reshot scenes and gave the actors notes. The editing has also suffered, IMO. They often cut during the middle of a sentence or a big acting moment.

I firmly believe LML is worse as a Producer than she could dream of being as a writer.

And, didn't Bill Bell write the show in Chicago? I would think if the show tapes in California, he'd need to be a little closer to the set on a day to day basis to actually SEE what's going on production-wise. He was most likely the creative EP.

[Sylph]

Bill wrote the show from Chicago ages ago, he and his wife lived (she still does) in an ex-Howard Hughes villa in LA. (Also, Brad Bell's house was featured in a magazine about houses, interior design etc., I don't remember which one.) Every day, Bill Bell was joined in his office in Studio City by Jerry Birn and had conference calls with Kay Alden (Chicago) and Trent Jones (upper New York).

[Sylph]

Spot on.

Why doesn't John Conboy ever get credit for establishing Y&R's classic production values? Bill Bell was the writer, but I think the production side of things is Conboy's doing. He did equally brilliant work at Capitol and I thought his GL was one of the best looking soaps on air.

He did get credit, I think many people here mentioned Conboy's decisive influence. To think that Y&R was made from only 72 pages of show bible... Bill's bibles were always short, but he sure knew how to develop them.

You can look at Y&R and tell he's gone. The performances have gone way down since LML cancelled all rehersals and fired the acting coach (she replaced him with a dialogue coach). Plus Ed Scott reshot scenes and gave the actors notes. The editing has also suffered, IMO. They often cut during the middle of a sentence or a big acting moment.

I firmly believe LML is worse as a Producer than she could dream of being as a writer.

Of course, I would be more than happy to have him back at Y&R. But in recent years he was only supervising producer. What a hell does that mean? (I know in theory, but in practice...) I actually dislike many of Y&R's sets and blame him for that. Make that all sets.

[Sylph]

I really don't know what is that guy doing there. I'm sure that this mess we're witnessing is Latham's and Hamner's. As for Josh, does anyone have any idea about his role in this?

[Chris B]

Months before Ed Scott was fired, it was mentioned in SOD that Scott had been pushed out of the control room (replaced with Josh Griffith), so I guess he ran the show day-to-day. Of course the show denied it at the time, but that's obviously what happened.

I think GL was the wrong soap for him since it wasn't a glamourous soap. I understand he didn't manage the budget well, but GL still looked amazing and he got people talking about the show. I think the poor writing is why his tenure is so disliked. If the writing were good I don't think anyone would be complaining.

Right now the writing may be better but the show looks so awful it's difficult to watch everyday.

LML very proudly announced that she ended any rehearsal and just brought a dialogue coach when she arrived. I agree with you about acting, but you never just throw actors out there with no direction. It's not a matter of knowing how to act, but getting the best performances out of the actors.

I recall many reports that actors were upset bc the set had such an unpredictable schedule and they were working longer hours with LML. Before Y&R was a very tightly run ship even with rehearsals.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

To be fair, the HW and EP trend started with Jack F. Smith and that didn't work it well either. I don't know what idiot at Sony made the decision that the HW must also be the EP. How is that a balanced system? When the hell will it change?

Wasn't it said a few months back that Josh Griffith might create a new show? If he leaves, I can only imagine who Latham will replace him with.

Bell might have started B&B, but he never forgot that Y&R was his legacy's mothership, he was still heavily involved in Y&R's duties, while crafting what became B&B.

Also, not all soaps give rehearsals, they all give shorter more precise readings/runs, but not a full-out dress rehearsal. I remember when Sarah Brown did her short stint on ATWT, she said ATWT's way of doing things was more cut-throat and she had to be prepared because they didn't rehearse the way she was used on GH.

[Sylph]

Besides, he was a true master just because of that - he knew how to run in paralell two shows, never undermining a quality of any of those two shows. It must have been wonderful to watch his DOOL... And he created B&B for Brad to run, he just set things in motion.