Re: ATTN JMS: Story Timing in General

 Posted on 3/11/1998 by jmsatb5@aol.com to rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated


>One of the things that annoys me about some TV shows is the
>unbalanced timing. The main crisis takes too long to build
>up to, and the resolution takes place in the last 5 minutes,
>or in some cases, during the last commercial break.

>B5 seems to me to be a lot more balanced in this respect. Do
>you try to begin the resolution by a certain time to allow
>time to show the actual resolution before the final break,
>and use the epilogue for something else? Or just how do you
>try to do it? Is it in the editing?

It's generally the same...I use a straightforward approach to the stories:
teaser sets the tone for the episode, hooks the audience, makes you wonder what
the heck's going on. First act introduces the problem in greater detail; here
and in act two you get the characters dealing with the problem, with a major
problem or complication hitting at the bottom of act 2...act three prepares
your characters to deal with the situation, and act four deals with the
situation, leaving the tag (and sometimes part of the fourth act) to have some
nice character moments.

jms

From: (jmsatb5@aol.com)
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