2008: The Directors and Writers Thread

[JAS0N47]

Just noticed this topic tonight, so I researched for confimation on Cherrill/Colson. It turns out that Christopher David Colson's wife is named Cherrill, so that's where he got the fictitious last name from!

Here's the 1976 article mentioning it:

NEW YORK - Life doesn't always imitate art. Take the case of C. David Colson (Tom Hughes on "As the World Turns"). David's wife Cherrill is expecting their second child in November.

[GladGirl]

Nice find, Jason! Wow!

And to respond to the previous posts re: Iacobuzio and Johnson. I like Janet's scripts better than her breakdowns. And Fred's input in the weekly meeting is beyond invaluable. Treat him well, OLTL! (And his breakdowns are a dream... sigh...)

[Toups]

Great investigating, Jason! We can always count on you to find this type of info. LOL

[Toups]

If you want to see one of the worst example of bad breakdown writing, catch the end of today's B&B episode with Rick/Phoebe. The sad thing is it was written as a serious scene and it wasn't played for comedy at all.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Blame Elizabeth "Betsy" Snyder... LOL!

How Brad and Alden let that s-hit pass is beyond me. Bill Bell would be ashamed of both of them.

[MarkH]

Okay, I have the credits frozen on my screen just as you two posted this.

Snyder is the BDW, but Jack Smith is the SW. Jack Smith SHOULD KNOW GOOD STUFF, no? I mean, this plot will draw on both

. This should be the most moving thing.

As HW, Jack Smith guided one of the

. Yet here, it was this horrible, histrionic thing.

I keep not understanding how these highly competent people who have excelled elsewhere can afflict such horrors on us at B&B.

Last week, Brimike said of Days that it was cursed...in effect that all writers turn out bad crap there (and all actors too, etc). Is there something about the way B&B runs that creates the same cursedness at B&B?

Is it the "adult son of soap greats" curse?

[Y&RWorldTurner]

The funny thing is, I believe that Jack F. Smith wrote both the breakdown and script or just the breakdown when Cassie died on Y&R

However, you can't blame Smith for the scenes he was given to write. All he does is add the dialogue, he has no control over the overall scenes or storyline

Then again, Smith knows B&B more so than any other writer on that team, and his scripts are a total flop.

[Toups]

I can't believe Alden or Smith (who wrote the script) let this breakdown of this scene happen. As if nobody could come up with something more dramatic due to the seriousness of this story.

[MarkH]

Yes! I mean Smith and Mulcahy are so overwrought.

Phoebe clawing and screaming and professing angry betrayal AND risking their lives like that in the car MADE NO SENSE.

It would have made more sense if she was on drugs or drinking.

The scene could have worked fine if the they had been verbally fighting, so Rick accidentally veered out of his lane, or didn't notice an oncoming truck. All of that would have worked. I cannot imagine a worse way to do it than they did.

And some of those swing dancers were....awful.

[brimike]

Will there be a Brimike axiom like there's a JackPeyton axiom?

[MarkH]

Well, Sylph identified the JP axiom. He seems to be gone now .

So, if you want to be known as the progenitor of the idea that "Days is Cursed", I'd be happy to put your name on it .

[JackPeyton]

I have to disagree with ya.

I thought the scenes worked. Was she drunk? No. One drugs? No. Was she a scorned hurt girl lashing out and going crazy? Yes.

I liked it.

Hey there buddy, back off! lol.

[brimike]

Yikes. No thanks. I take it all back.

HAH! Love ya, JP!

[SOAPSFOREVER]

B&B doesn't write breakdowns, and that isn't Snyder's role there. She writes up the layout meeting notes, plugs them into the layout page, and passes them on to Alden. According to my source, Alden shapes the notes into what passes as a "breakdown" (but not in the sense that other shows use), then sends it to the scriptwriters. Whatever dialogue hits the screen may or may not be the fault of the scriptwriter. Alden and Minnis edit as does Brad. They've been known to make a lot of changes in some scripts and none in others, for various reasons. But don't pin bad dialogue that shows up on air or the story on Snyder. She's just passing on what happened in the layout meeting.

[SOAPSFOREVER]

I have to wonder about the directors on this show. They don't seem to give much guidance to the actors, and some of the actors need it desperately. I understand there's no rehearsal time. They do a run-through and shoot, doing two episodes a day, eight shows in four days. That's got to impact performances and rhe overall look and sound of the show. I know the directors have it in them. They've done some great stuff in the past. But I wonder how much budget cutting is impacting this show, too, and it's showing up in over the top performances and less subtle direction. Just a thought.