DAYS: Behind the Scenes, Articles/Photos

[j swift]

Of all the valid reasons to criticize DAYS, advanced taping is the least of their crimes.

Also @JAS0N47, correct me if I am wrong, but the basis for this entire discussion feels like the misinterpretation of a joke made by an actor on a podcast.  Given that we know they just filmed Doug's memorial in April, which was a milestone episode, airing the first week in December 2024.

It seems like an Occam's razor situation.  Which is more likely?  Greg Vaughn made a crack about DAYS taping far in advance that got misconstrued on X (formerly known as Twitter).  Or, that the production will be able to produce 12 months' worth of stories, written since the WGA strike, between May and December.  The simple solution is most often true.

 

Edited May 3, 2024 by j swift

[Contessa Donatella]

Oh, I think it is egregious. I understand how they got in this fix & I do think it is a problem, not an asset. Over the years, we are told, trying to deal with NBC & literally avoid cancelation, they cut their budget by half. Now that they are better placed where they are, it seems to me this should be a huge priority to try to right this wrong. And taping 8 months out ahead of the writing somehow "advanced taping" sounds too tame for what it is. Being completely out of touch with the seasons, with fashion, with your audience, to me it's just way too much. 

[janea4old]

"Does anyone know what the name is of that island? Either fictional name or real location?"
Its name is "Stefano's Island".  Listed that way in Jason47's lists of sets, and in recaps, etc.   Supposedly somewhere in or near the Caribbean or the western Bermuda Triangle region. 

https://web.archive.org/web/20080614054157/http://www.bethsdayspage.com/days/prisms.html

and

https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/soaptv/summary-of-the-three-prisms-storyline-t157.html


Does anyone know what real-life place was used for filming these scenes? 

[Contessa Donatella]

Thanks so much! A friend & I have even asked Bing & Google to compare the landscape, of the cliff & the beach below & suggest a real life location, to no avail, so far. 

[j swift]

I recall that the characters were supposed to be going to Eugene's home in Haiti.

I think 90% was filmed on a set in a sound stage. Except for the cliff was obviously an exterior, but I don't recall that it was actually a remote location, more likely just Malibu or Newport filling in as the island. 

[Contessa Donatella]

A poster has just said it was Palos Verdes, CA. 

[janea4old]

The recaps say they were en route to Haiti when they crashed on Stefano's Island.

Edited May 3, 2024 by janea4old

[janea4old]

Greg Vaughan wasn't joking.  He was on Jacob Young's podcast on Feb. 29, 2024.  He said at that time (i.e. 2/29/24) they were 7 months ahead; but with the schedule as is, by end of 2024 they'd "have a whole year in the can".
He starts talking about the schedule at 49 minutes in:
https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/jacob-young1/episodes/Greg-Vaughan-e2gg82a

Edited May 3, 2024 by janea4old

[janea4old]

More on the taping schedule:
Podcast of April 12, 2024, interview with Wally Kurth, Carson Boatman, and Eric Martsolf.
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1909166/14721957-interview-with-the-day-players

Right at the beginning, Wally says they tape 10 episodes per week.
Carson cuts in and says no it's 9 1/2 episodes per week. Then Wally says, well it's basically 2 episodes per day. 

[Soapsuds]

That is nuts! 

[janea4old]

Several interviews with cast say that sometimes they tape parts of several different episodes in one day.  I think the taping is planned by what set is being used, or groupings of actors, or when guest actors are available, etc.

So when an actor says sometimes they tape "four or five episodes in one day" --  that's only pieces of episodes, or the number of episodes containing scenes that the particular actor is taping that day.

But overall, if you average all the episodes being taped over a couple of weeks, it averages around two per day, 
or 10 per week, or 9.5 per week.

Edited May 3, 2024 by janea4old

[te.]

Yes, exactly. Kassie DePavia filmed a three week stint in like three days. I don't think they film *episodes* in that manner, which makes sense if they're going to be that far ahead. 

[Contessa Donatella]

The last time I discussed this with the director Scott McKinsey he said they taped 8 per week & that he could not imagine that they could possibly tape more than that. ......... so, in a matter of months they have increased.

[janea4old]

Back on July 28, 2023, Judi Evans said on Linda Dano's podcast that 
Days was taping  9 1/2  episodes per week.
It's at 20:35 
https://open.spotify.com/episode/1AbmkWHvQJqOTAzh70RCBt

[Contessa Donatella]

I checked the post in my forum where Scott said 8 episodes per week & it was June 15, 2023, so almost a full year ago, not several months as I had previously said. I'm now thinking that perhaps they changed as part of Janet taking over? I can provide the link & a copy of the post if desired.