World

Pens Down: What Writers Not Working Really Means for the Shows in Production

Published

1 year ago

May 5, 2023

Pens Down: What Writers Not Working Really Means for the Shows in Production

When A.C. Bradley was employed to write down on the 2022 Disney+ collection “Ms. Marvel,” a part of her job entailed going to set daily to assist with re-writing scenes on the fly whereas the present was being filmed.

“It was a combination of every thing from wanting so as to add new characters into the present to needing to alter issues due to location,” Bradley tells Selection. Only one instance: The day the manufacturing was set to shoot a chase sequence at Marriott resort, she helped so as to add a beat the place the chase entered the kitchen as a result of it was close by. “Why not use what you may have?”

This sort of situation is, after all, not potential throughout the ongoing writers strike. “Pens down” means no WGA member can write or change scripts in any way, earlier than, throughout or after manufacturing. In lots of instances, that has meant that showrunners have left their exhibits fully, like “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Energy” govt producers J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay or “Cobra Kai” govt producer Jon Hurwitz. Different writers rooms have shut down prematurely of manufacturing on their subsequent seasons, like “Abbott Elementary” and “Yellowjackets.”

Some showrunners are nonetheless concerned with their collection, nonetheless. “Home of the Dragon” govt producer Ryan Condal is on set throughout manufacturing of the HBO collection’ second season within the U.Ok., however with scripts already accomplished, Condal is working in what a supply near the present says is strictly a non-writing capability: no modifying, no community notes, no writing. Equally, whereas “Andor” govt producer Tony Gilroy will not be on set and not writing — scripts have been locked months in the past — sources say he’s nonetheless working as a producer on particular, non-writing parts like casting and scoring for the Disney+ present.

(Representatives for HBO and Lucasfilm declined to remark for this story.)

However carving out writing from a showrunner’s duties stays a tough tightrope to stroll. “There’s plenty of producing duties that go hand in hand with being a author,” says a veteran filmmaker who has labored as a author and director in TV and movie. “Typically, there are questions that the actors have. Typically, you’ll rewrite one thing whilst you’re on set for readability or to assist with the scene or with appearing.”

Surprising delays may drive a manufacturing to condense or reduce a scene; shedding a location because of unexpected circumstances could drive a last-minute change within the script. “If one thing is really locked — like, we’re not going to alter a phrase of this, we’re simply gonna go shoot it precisely how it’s — then that’s truthful recreation,” says the veteran. “It’s simply hardly ever the case.”

For that motive, WGA management has requested showrunners not go to set.

“The principles are very clear that just about nothing {that a} showrunner does is permitted,” says Lowell Peterson, govt director of WGA East. “Nearly every thing a showrunner does includes writing, and that’s clearly prohibited.”

Provides WGA East president Michael Winship, “The minute I determine, ‘He ought to put on a purple hat and he ought to put on a inexperienced hat,’ that’s an editorial resolution. All of these items basically come right down to writing.”

Within the case of “Home of the Dragon,” a separate supply with expertise engaged on the precursor collection “Sport of Thrones” says that the gargantuan scope of that present meant that scripts have been certainly very hardly ever modified as soon as they have been accomplished, since so many various departments needed to work far prematurely to arrange for manufacturing. (This supply couldn’t, nonetheless, communicate to if the identical have been true for “HotD.”)

Whether or not or not showrunners stay on set amid the writers strike, the absence of any writing all through the manufacturing and post-production course of nearly definitely restricts the inventive freedom of the manufacturing — even when scripts have been completed prematurely.

“While you’re banking scripts, particularly on brief collection, you’re writing them in a vacuum,” Bradley says. “You haven’t began location scouting but. You haven’t usually forged it but. You don’t actually perceive the character totally till you forged, as a result of the good TV characters, it’s a wedding of the actor, the author and the fabric. And that’s what the author does on set. We deal with every thing from small adjustments to, does this character even speak the identical manner anymore?”

The truth is, the rising follow of excluding TV writers from the manufacturing course of — with writers rooms ending all scripts nicely prematurely of filming — is likely one of the key elements within the WGA’s contract dispute with the AMPTP. Historically, a TV author has been successfully the producer of no matter episodes they’ve written, charged with guiding administrators via the method to make sure the collection stays tonally constant, in addition to scripting any last-minute adjustments throughout manufacturing itself.

However rising follow of excluding most writers from producing has put much more producing weight on the shoulders of showrunners. “It’s type of horrible for the showrunners,” says the veteran. “Writers don’t produce the remainder of their episode. They only type of go away, after which the showrunner is left to do all of the work that will usually occur on set. It’s such as you’re the captain of a ship. You have got a complete crew. You provide you with a shell, you disband the crew, and you then’re simply the captain with no crew.”

Writers can even play a important position within the post-production course of. “They think about in case you are slicing dialogue to make a scene make extra sense, or slicing for time and deciding what dialogue to extract,” the veteran says. “That’s additionally thought-about writing.”

With the strike, that important ingredient of the inventive course of is not out there, which may particularly hamstring a technique — like that of Marvel Studios — that depends on discovering and reshaping the story all over the edit. “Typically on large motion pictures, particularly, they’re rewriting on a regular basis,” says the veteran. “It’s a relentless course of.” No less than eight Marvel titles — characteristic movies “The Marvels,” “Captain America: New World Order,” “Blade” and “Deadpool 3” and TV collection “Secret Invasion,” “Agatha: Coven of Chaos,” “Surprise Man” and “Daredevil: Born Once more” — are presently nonetheless in manufacturing or post-production. (A consultant for Marvel Studios declined to remark for this story.)

For any TV present or characteristic movie, the will to proceed working amid the writers strike may change into moot as soon as the contract deadlines for SAG-AFTRA and the DGA expire on June 30, which may result in each guilds additionally becoming a member of the picket strains. For now, productions that do transfer ahead are, within the phrases of the veteran, working “with one hand tied behind their again.”

“I can’t think about taking pictures something with out a author on set,” Bradley says. “You can, however you’ll not get the perfect materials — for the administrators, for the actor, for the viewers.”

Jennifer Maas contributed to this story.

VIP+ Information: The Media Firms Most Impacted in a Strike

World

‘SNL’ Cold Open Riffs on Trump Trial and His VP Picks

Published

1 hour ago

May 19, 2024

Press Room

‘SNL’ Cold Open Riffs on Trump Trial and His VP Picks

The 49^th season finale of “Saturday Night Live” opened with James Austin Johnson as Donald Trump speaking at the barricades of a Manhattan courthouse, in a nod to Trump’s ongoing legal woes amid his presidential campaign.

During the sketch, Johnson as Trump spoke about his “weird and depressing” state at the courthouse, saying, “I don’t like being in court because they say very mean things about me as I’m trying to sleep.” (It was reported that Trump fell asleep in court during proceedings.) He goes on to say, “Now that my defense is supposed to begin on Monday, I would love to testify; I’m not afraid to testify at all, I’m just not going to out of fear.”

He continues to say how he doesn’t want to go back to the White House, “But it appears people want to send me there.” Johnson’s Trump pokes fun at Trump’s rigged election claims, too. “For me, it’s much better for me to not win and say it was rigged.”

Making fun of Trump’s sexist comments about women (and how he once said Heidi Klum is “no longer a 10”), Johnson, as Trump says of a juror at his trial, “They call her juror 9, but to me, she’s like a six, baby.”

Johnson’s Trump then introduced three of his potential VP candidates. “We love to say ‘VP’, like ‘Veep’ with Elaine from ‘Seinfeld.’ She can’t dance!” He says he won’t announce his VP just yet. “In many ways, it will be determined by the winner of the Jake Paul-Mike Tyson fight.” Trump says he’s invited a few people from “my short bus––I mean my shortlist.”

He brings out South Carolina Governor Tim Scott (played by Devon Walker). “I’m here to help Trump win the Black vote,” he says. Trump adds, “I’m more popular than you among the Blacks, which is really saying something.” Walker, as Scott says, “Black people have called my support humiliating, but trust me, I am my own man!”

Trump then brings out South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem (played by Heidi Gardner), wearing a red MAGA hat, holding a stuffed dog, and pointing a fake gun at the dog (a reference to her shooting a dog). “She shot a dog, which you really can’t do…but on the other hand, she shot a dog, which is pretty awesome.” Gardner, as Noem chimes in and says, “I kill goats, too!”

Finally, he wheels out his final VP pick, “The late great Hannibal Lecter!” Trump says, as Mikey Day as Hannibal Lecter is wheeled out in an orange jumpsuit and wearing the famous mask. “I think he’d really scare everybody at the border. “Get him out of here, he’s giving me Pence vibes,” says Trump, as Hannibal Lecter is then wheeled away.

Trump says it’s going to be “the summer of Trump. You’re gonna get that Trump espresso,” he sings in a reference to a Sabrina Carpenter song. Johnson, as Trump says he’ll be selling more Trump Bibles as well, along with a “Trump Torah.”

Trump finishes the cold open shouting, “In the words of my mentor, the late great Hannibal Lecter, “Live from New York, it’s Saturday night!”

This week’s “SNL” host is actor Jake Gyllenhaal, and Sabrina Carpenter stars as the week’s musical guest.

Watch the sketch below:

World

Blue flash caught in night sky over Spain, Portugal lights up social media

Published

2 hours ago

May 19, 2024

Press Room

Blue flash caught in night sky over Spain, Portugal lights up social media

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It’s a bird… it’s a plane… it’s a blue meteor? Fireball? Piece of a comet?

Whatever it was, it lit up the night sky for millions of people early Sunday morning in Spain and Portugal. Social media users took stunning pictures and videos for all to revel in the natural science phenomenon.

The spectacular sight crossed the night sky at 12:46 a.m., according to CCTV footage released by the mayor’s office in Cádiz.

The European Space Agency (ESA) Operations says the “blue meteor” everyone is referring to was actually “a small piece of a comet” that flew over the European countries at the speed of 45 kilometers a second, which is equivalent to almost 28 miles.

MERGER OF MASSIVE BLACK HOLES FROM EARLY UNIVERSE UNCOVERED BY WEBB TELESCOPE, SCIENTISTS SAY

It burned up over the Atlantic Ocean at an altitude of 60 kilometers, or more than 37 miles above the surface.

“The likelihood of any meteorites being found is very low,” ESA Operations tweeted after the agency’s Planetary Defence Office analyzed the size and trajectory of the object.

SCIENTISTS DISCOVER LARGE, ‘COTTON CANDY-LIKE’ PLANET WITH UNUSUALLY LOW DENSITY

The night sky in Cadiz, Spain, prior to the fireball’s appearance. (Ayuntamiento de Cadiz via Storyful)

Cadiz mayor's office camera captures fireball

The moment the blue fireball first appeared on the camera rolling at the Cadiz mayor’s office. (Ayuntamiento de Cadiz via Storyful)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration explains the color was likely due to magnesium, and that “meteor color depends on whether the metal atom emissions or the air plasma emissions dominate.”

The blue fireball lit up Spain’s sky early in the morning May 19, 2024. (Ayuntamiento de Cadiz via Storyful)

“Short-period comets, also known as periodic comets, originate from a disk-shaped band of icy objects known as the Kuiper Belt beyond Neptune’s orbit, with gravitational interactions with the outer planets dragging these bodies inward, where they become active comets,” Space.com states.

Many on social media referred to what they witnessed as a “once in a lifetime sight,” according to news.com.au, with at least one joking, “That’s no meteor, that’s Optimus Prime.”

Fox News’ Mitch Picasso contributed to this report.

World

How is Azerbaijan involved with France and New Caledonia?

Published

3 hours ago

May 19, 2024

Press Room

How is Azerbaijan involved with France and New Caledonia?

France has accused Azerbaijan of meddling in its Pacific territory, New Caledonia, by supporting independence movements and spreading disinformation, amid broader geopolitical tensions.

France has accused Azerbaijan of meddling in its Pacific archipelago territory of New Caledonia.

Despite the vast geographical and cultural distance between the Caspian state and the French Pacific territory, this claim is rooted in a complex web of historical, political, and diplomatic tensions.

The Crisis in New Caledonia

New Caledonia, located between Australia and Fiji, is a French territory with a history of striving for independence.

The recent unrest in New Caledonia was ignited by a new electoral law perceived by the indigenous Kanak population as discriminatory.

This law allows people who have lived in New Caledonia for at least ten years the right to vote in local elections, which pro-independence supporters argue will dilute the Kanak vote.

France’s Accusations

France’s Interior Minister, Gérald Darmanin, has publicly stated that Azerbaijan, along with China and Russia, is interfering in New Caledonia’s internal matters. “This isn’t a fantasy. It’s a reality,” Darmanin told the France 2 TV channel, emphasizing the seriousness of the allegations.

The French government points to the sudden appearance of Azerbaijani flags at Kanak independence protests and the backing of separatists by groups linked to Baku.

Azerbaijan has vehemently denied any involvement, calling the accusations baseless. “We completely reject the baseless accusations,” said Ayhan Hajizadeh, a spokesperson for Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry. “We refute any connection between the leaders of the struggle for freedom in Caledonia and Azerbaijan.”

A significant element in this story is the Baku Initiative Group, established during a conference in July 2023 in Azerbaijan. This group, which includes participants from various French territories seeking independence, aims to support anti-colonial movements against France.

The group has expressed solidarity with the Kanak people and condemned the recent electoral reforms in New Caledonia. “We stand in solidarity with our Kanak friends and support their fair struggle,” the Baku Initiative Group stated.

Why are France and Azerbaijan clashing diplomatically?

The tensions between France and Azerbaijan extend beyond New Caledonia. France is a traditional ally of Armenia, Azerbaijan’s historical rival, particularly regarding the contentious Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Following the 2020 war and a subsequent 2023 offensive by Azerbaijan to reclaim control of Nagorno-Karabakh, France has openly supported Armenia.

This support includes defence agreements and military equipment supplies, fuelling further animosity from Azerbaijan. Darmanin referred to Azerbaijan as a “dictatorship,” highlighting the deep-seated distrust.

France has also accused Azerbaijan of engaging in disinformation campaigns to destabilise its territories. Pro-Azerbaijani social media accounts have been linked to the spread of misleading content about the French police’s actions in New Caledonia.

A French government source mentioned a “pretty massive campaign, with around 4,000 posts generated by (these) accounts,” aimed at inciting violence and mistrust.

This follows France recalling its ambassador to Azerbaijan in April, with President Macron expressing regret for Azerbaijan’s actions, along with his hope that the Azerbaijanis would clarify their intentions.

Why New Caledonia?

While Azerbaijan’s direct interest in New Caledonia might seem far-fetched, it fits into a broader strategy of challenging the French colonial legacy and supporting separatist movements.

By aligning with anti-colonial sentiments, Azerbaijan aims to position itself as a champion of liberation movements, simultaneously discrediting France on the international stage.

This effort is seen as part of a broader geopolitical manoeuvering, including Azerbaijan’s efforts to tarnish France’s image, as noted by its alleged disinformation campaign against France’s capability to host the Olympic Games.

The heightened tensions have had further repercussions. The French Sports Minister cancelled the Olympic flame’s journey through New Caledonia, for security reasons, but also an action that reflects the severity of the unrest and the accusations of foreign interference.

The involvement of Azerbaijan in New Caledonia’s unrest is a multifaceted issue rooted in broader geopolitical rivalries and historical grievances.

For Azerbaijan, supporting independence movements in French territories is a way to strike back at France for its support of Armenia and to bolster its own international standing.

For France, these actions represent a direct challenge to its sovereignty and stability in its overseas territories, prompting strong accusations and heightened tensions between Paris and Baku.