Where Has Character Connection Gone On Daytime?

[Saving ATWT]

Brad Bell recently made a comment about it getting too expensive to put more than two or three contract players in the same scene. I don't pretend to know how soap actors are paid, guessing it must relate to number of scenes, and figure this is why Y&R and ATWT have used non-contract players for major roles.

This may explain why we see less interaction and friendsips on soaps. It seems like characters are only placed together for plot purposes these days. They then cut these scenes down into mini scenes to save money and build what is supposed to be suspense.

I love te idea of letting maybe one episode per week center around one character and their perspective in terms of the story. Y&R has done this with Victor, Billy, Ash+Sharon with only mixed results. Maybe every show should reduced their bloated casts and really focus on key players.

[All My Shadows]

I'd love to see some one/two/three-handers! I always thought US soaps could pull it off more easily because our soap episodes are so slow-moving as it is (as opposed to UK soaps...EE usually covers a whole day in each episode), so having an entire episode focused on two or three characters interacting in something close to realtime would work so well. I guess that's why I always get a tad bit excited when soaps have big thunderstorms that keep all the right characters stuck with each other for an episode or two.

Technically, Erica's intervention was a six-hander (seven when Mark showed up). It's a stretch, but all of the characters were in Erica's penthouse, it was mostly realtime, and it focused primarily on one storyline while also touching on others.

Ugh, I remember that. ITLs should have been just for character/recap stuff, not important plot stuff.

[Soaplovers]

I remember Y & R did something where it focused on one or two characters... I think it was in the late 90's and it featured only Nina and cricket. It featured Cricket debating over whether she should be with Danny or Paul while flashbacks were shown and Nina throwing in her two cents.

Another time on OLTL, it focused on what Viki did the whole day before she had open heart surgery (or maybe it was before she underwent treatment for breast cancer).

The problem isn't that the shows aren't doing it, they just don't have the proper people behind the scenes to execute those types of episodes.

[EricMontreal22]

But shouldn't this mean MORE long scenes between two or three characters? Dark Shadows--at least the first few years could only afford, was it 4 characters an episode? Anyway a lot less than we're used to--which caused some boringness--often 5 mins into an episode you'd have an idea who you'd see all episode long and if you weren't too interested you were in for a dull episode. But it did cause some good scenes.

[EricMontreal22]

Why don't they though? Most of the people behind the scenes on the soaps were working on soaps in the 80s if not before... I'm not arguing your good point, just that I don't see it as an excuse.

I love that too... And actually that was the one thing that made it hard for me to get into UK soaps was that, most episodes, they are a ton of VERY short scenes--though often for the key climaxes they do pull them out.

[DeeeDee]

Because every scene is plot driven.

There used to be a time where characters could have actual conversations about life, love, religion, etc & not solely to move plot.

[EricMontreal22]

No, I totally agreed--we hardly ever have characters just talking like friends do (when Broderick was briefly interim HW at AMC she did try her best to shoehorn a few of these scenes back in).

But my point was directed at the original point that said that the shows simply don't have the people behind the scenes who are capable of doing those kinds of scenes anymore... And I don't buy that excuse.

[Gray Bunny]

I remember my dad making that same comment years ago when I had him tape both DAYS and GL for me for a number of days in a row. He commented on how it seemed like there were a lot less commercial interruptions on GL versus DAYS which seemed to go to break every 4 minutes.

[EricMontreal22]

I know when I used to try to watch DAYS when I'd be home sick some days (it was never a soap I followed enough to tape) that I found it damn obnoxious--glad it wasn't just my imagination.

[juniorz1]

My apologies for the snark, but I have one- Quit With the Capitalizing of Every Other Word because it Makes Your Posts so Much more Difficult to Read and Actually Comprehend.

Again, sorry, but it had to be said. It's driving me banananas! [/Michelle Tanner]

[Gray Bunny]

"How rude!" --- Stephanie Tanner.

J/K... I thought the same thing.

[John]

Sorry But Its Just The Way I Post & I Dont See That Changing

[EricMontreal22]

[Michael]

LOL. Oh dear.

[John]

So Can We Get Back To Discussing The topic.? Thanks!!!!