BTG: History, Behind the Scenes Articles & Photos

[vanguard]

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Does anyone remember this primetime show from years past? It actually aired 5 nights per week as a telenovela. It was The Bold and The Beautiful primetime campy version. But this is not my point of sharing this video. What if Beyond The Gates took this show's look and feel, along with that wonderfully suspenseful background music?

FASHION HOUSE was the name of this show with Bo Derek and Morgan Fairchild as rivals.

[Liberty City]

I vote no because it looks cheap, boorish and really bad.

[Khan]

CUT TO:  The first Friday cliffhanger, and it's Hattie Winston with a faux Jamaican accent, warning Tamara Tunie, "Doom, darling, doom!"

[Maxim]

OMG, that background music is even louder than in General Hospital. I got heart palpitations just listening to part of this episode on headphones.

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 From that bass! While I do realize this may be someone's cup of... something, it's not mine. I will develop hearing damage if I have to listen to this every day. Even parts of the dialogue are mushed with the music to this incredibly cheap vibe... And the action-series transitions at the end of some scenes, the sound effects... Boy, oh, boy. I hope to God BTG is nothing like this. I'm sorry - definite Pass for me. It's just horribly dated. 

[vanguard]

Lol. It looks and sounds movie-like honestly. That being said, and speaking now of background music, it's something else of emphasis that I hope BTG has and showcases very well. Background music REALLY highlights certain scenes. Y&R and OLTL used to utilize background music so very well back in the day.

[Maxim]

I'm sorry... but this does not look or sound movie-like. It looks and sounds high-budget cheesy porn-like. Or maybe we have different understandings about what is "movie-like". You asked... that's my opinion. I can't lie. 

[Liberty City]

I agree; it's bad and cheap.

[vanguard]

OK, some of y'all are a tad too serious around here. Disregard the video as my purpose was not to argue about it, but I think BTG will not go wrong with some kind of background music. Again, Y&R and OLTL were both very good with it back in the day. That's my opinion.

Edited November 13, 2024 by vanguard

[Maxim]

I know your purpose was not to argue. But you asked and I gave you my honest truth, that's all. And there is no second opinion about background music - of course it is important and that's exactly why the video you posted is a great example of badly done background music (in my POV). This music is not staying background, but overtaking dialogue. Restless and OLTL, even Bold are great examples for background music done amazingly in they heyday. I agree. If BTG is a modern-take on that... I'm all for it. My family is full of musicians and my grandpa was a well-known composer... so I am one to know the importance of music. This is something we agree on.

[Chris B]

I feel like the American soap model can work if it was done in the way it was 20 or more years ago, but the only soap that pulls it off now is GH. Days it's not even worth mentioning it's production model and the Bell soaps have finally been hit with the shrunken sets and limited amount of sets which limit what they can do in terms of story. I don't think having location shooting and exterior sets is anti-soap, it just opens the movement up and prevents things from getting repetitive. 

[te.]

I would definitively love it if they had some sort of Salem Place-type of location at least. IIRC it was actually quite tiny, so it would be doable as the studios in Atlanta shouldn't be too cramped.

Edited November 13, 2024 by te.

[Chris B]

The soap that I feel has the perfect hybrid model is Neighbours. They have two studios, one indoors and one outdoors. It enables them to have a seamless transition between scenes since everything is designed by the same people. They do go on location on occasion, but having those standing outside sets give it more of a community feel.

[Liberty City]

Same. People pan the UK model for not feeling soapy, but it absolutely IS soapy. Just don't think they're watching the right soap. Plus, UK soaps have permanent sets, so they're able to do more.

Find me a clip that matches the production quality EastEnders has presented us:

And TOLN production model was very mirroring of what Hollyoaks does but cheaper-looking.

Realistically, production is going to look different. It's a CBS soap producing in Atlanta. CBS always had a specific vision for their daytime soaps.

And some primetime / streaming series filmed at Assembly:

And some of the façades and overall spaces at Assembly, which they say are all filmable:

Honestly, they lucked out landing Assembly Studios.

[te.]

I've been re-watching Peyton Place lately and they had a rather large outdoor town square with store fronts that definitively helped it pop. Of course, that's unrealistic, but some sort of smaller outside set with fronts would be nice to make it less claustrophobic. I'm hoping that there was a strategic reason for choosing the studio in Atlanta that wasn't just dictated by cost.

[Chris B]

I don't think that's unrealistic with the studio they chose. The potential for cliffhangers and event stories is also much bigger if they do utilize all that Assembly has to offer. 

@Liberty CityThank you for that post! I do agree, I don't get the sentiment that the overseas soaps are less soapy. Hell, I'd argue that Coronation Street looks exactly like a US soap just with some outdoor shooting. Eastenders is the gold standard, but I think Hollyoaks and Neighbours also do a really good job from a production stand point. 

My hopes for a more modern production model is just steeped in my desire for the show to be a proper success. The better the show does on streaming, the longer it'll be on the air. International sales are going to be important as well. Also, it's been 25 years since our last soap. Why not be ambitious?