Post by Sirenna on Aug 27, 2005 23:04:27 GMT -5
LAW & ORDER: PRODUCERS' INTENT
"The Interview"
by Carole Panick
FADE IN:
EXT. CHELSEA PIERS - DAY
Torrents of rain have turned day to night in Manhattan. A woman, CAROLE, tries unsuccessfully to navigate the flooded sidewalk as the howling winds flip her umbrella inside out.
The unrelenting sounds of water hitting earth combined with New York's midday traffic noise swirl around her. She reaches an office door and fights to open it against the pounding elements.
INT. PIER 62 LOBBY - CONTINUOUS
The noise is instantly reduced to a soft pulsing beat as the woman shakes the rain from her umbrella and pats down her damp hair.
She sets out to find her victim, Criminal Intent Executive Producer/Co-Creator, Rene Balcer.
Her boots leave wet imprints in the carpet as she navigates a maze of stark white hallways. Finally, she reaches the production office, which is buzzing with activity, and decorated with clippings of Criminal Intent accolades.
INT. RENE BALCER'S OFFICE
A large, bright space despite the thundering storm outside. Tastefully decorated to include a desk, armoire and large white sofa. One entire wall has been transformed into a floor-to-ceiling dry erase board, the far left corner of which is filled with multi-colored notes and story ideas.
Rene is dressed casually in (of all things) shorts. He speaks with cautious enthusiasm as Carole begins the interview.
CAROLE
Do you think the show has changed since its original concept of telling stories through the criminal's point of view?
RENE
I don't know if it's changed that much. A lot of it has to do with the motivation - the "criminal's intent" - and how Goren tries to get inside their head and turn their intent and pathology against them. That was established in the first episode and that's still certainly the M.O. of the show. We still spend as much time with the criminals now as we did back in the first season. I think what has changed is how much attention Vincent's portrayal of Robert Goren has received. It's kinda of taken a life of its own. It wasn't necessarily my intention, and it certainly wasn't Dick Wolf's intention to create a single lead show, but that's pretty much what it's turned into.
CAROLE
Do you compete with the other Law & Order shows in the franchise for stories?
RENE
I try to have communication with the other shows. I stay away from things they've done. There's been duplication in the past,
RENE (cont.)
mostly because [the other shows] weren't paying attention to what we were doing. Even though crime is sort of an endlessly renewable resource, there are just certain crimes that capture the imagination of writers. Whether it's for the other Law & Order shows or even CSI. CSI has done episodes on crimes that we've done in the past. There are certain intrinsic things about popular crimes that just really get to you. Naturally, writers will gravitate to those stories.
CAROLE
How do you structure your writing season?
RENE
We don't really arc out stuff. All the writers meet at the beginning of the season and we critique the past season. We talk about Goren's character - where we want to take him. This year we made a decision to try and get him a little more engaged with the perps, and move him a little closer to his edge, into his zone of discomfort. We don't just want to do a mystery show.
CAROLE
(sincerely) The show is well-known for its great characters, which makes viewers want to know more about those characters.
RENE
(smiling) That's nice to hear. During the year, I meet with individual writers to work out the stories and outline the stories. As you can see on the board, that's two acts of a story. Then the writer will go off and do their teleplay and I'll give them notes and do a polish on it.
CAROLE
Do you do a polish on every Criminal Intent script?
RENE
Oh yeah. I'm like the standardizing voice [for the show], and that's really what a show runner does or a head writer does. You don't drop what the other writers bring, but you also try to make sure that it does sound like a Criminal Intent episode.
CAROLE
Is your polished draft the one that makes it to the table read?
RENE
Yes, that's the draft that gets published.
Note: A table read is when actors, writers and producers gather (usually around a table) to read through the final script.
The interview continues. The pounding rain has slowed to a steady shower.
CAROLE
How open are you to actors' changes to dialogue or script content?
RENE
While we're shooting [there can be no changes]. And they rarely come up. Whatever needs to be addressed is addressed ahead of time because you just can't afford to stop production to accommodate a line change or argue about this or that. We deal with it ahead of time so when [the actors] are on stage or shooting, they know what they have to do and what to rehearse. They can move more efficiently [through a scene].
An intercom erupts from Rene's desk. An unseen assistant tells Rene of an important call. Rene shouts that he'll call them back and continues the interview.
CAROLE
Do you ever write characters for specific guest stars?
RENE
No we don't write for specific guest stars. In my experience, that's kind of a trap. On Law & Order we got burned a couple of times. A guest star will say "yes, I'm very interested" so you start rewriting for that guest star. Then they're no longer available, decided to go to Hawaii or whatever, and you're stuck.
RENE (cont.)
We write what's true to the show and the character we created and whomever takes the role is taking the role because of what's on the page, not because once they've gotten the role they want to rewrite it.
CAROLE
How did Neil Patrick Harris' recent appearance, in the episode entitled "Want", come about? It's quite a departure for him, since he's best known as loveable teen genius, Doogie Howser.
RENE
Our co-executive producer, Fred Berner, saw him in (the Broadway musical) "Assassins". I had seen him in a feature film, where he played something very different from Doogie Howser. Also, he was in a movie of the week I wrote like 20 years ago. He played this rebellious Vegas teenager who had an accident and became an amnesiac. From seeing that he had this vulnerable quality, while still seeming dangerous, it seemed he'd be good for the part.
NOTE: The movie, A Stranger in the Family, aired on CBS in the early 1990s.
CAROLE
It's also a nice dichotomy to have such a baby-face actor playing such an evil part.
RENE
People are used to seeing him play nice guys, good guys. Playing against type is always interesting. It always worked for Jack Nicholson and Cary Grant, so why not Neil Patrick Harris?
The two chuckle, sure that Neil would appreciate being in such a great acting category.
CAROLE
How about Olivia D'Abo as Goren's nemesis? Fans just voted to keep her alive rather than kill her off.
RENE
We did something that had never been done on television, and it came about by accident. We'd written an episode last May where her character, Nicole Wallace, came back and there was a certain outcome that worked very well. Over the summer, we started to rethink the outcome and decided it would work well with the opposite outcome as well. So we shot "version B" and put it together. Each option sends Goren into a different type of hell. If he kills her, it creates angst in one way. If she lives, it will cause him problems in another way. Both versions were dramatically and creatively sound. They both worked. I'd also been keeping a pulse of what online fans were talking about.
RENE (cont.)
They talk about Olivia D'Abo obsessively. A lot wish she'd just go away, and a lot wished she'd keep coming back to torture Goren. It was really split.
CAROLE
Did the network have any say?
RENE
We had one version we were ready to air and the network said, "You're going to be sorry. The audience is going to want something else." So, we thought what if we aired one version on the east coast and one version on the west coast and had people decide. Out of that came the idea of letting people vote online [on whether she lives or dies]. I don't think that's ever been done before. We will abide by the country's decision [to let her live.]
CAROLE
Did you, in the back of your mind, have a preference?
RENE
Well, the easiest thing would be if she died because then I wouldn't have to think up with any more adventures for her.
CAROLE
In general, what future adventures do you have planned for Criminal Intent?
RENE
(LAUGHS) Beyond the next episode? Hopefully it'll keep going and Vincent will be around for a few more seasons. If people like the format and the mystery, it's then a question of what happens after Bobby Goren hangs up his spurs.
CUT TO:
EXT. CHELSEA PIERS - LATER
The storm has picked up again just in time for Carole to make her way back uptown. As the rain pelts her thin, Los Angeles coat and the wind remains determined to send her umbrella flying into the Hudson River, Carole smiles.
Another interview, complete.
FADE OUT
"The Interview"
by Carole Panick
FADE IN:
EXT. CHELSEA PIERS - DAY
Torrents of rain have turned day to night in Manhattan. A woman, CAROLE, tries unsuccessfully to navigate the flooded sidewalk as the howling winds flip her umbrella inside out.
The unrelenting sounds of water hitting earth combined with New York's midday traffic noise swirl around her. She reaches an office door and fights to open it against the pounding elements.
INT. PIER 62 LOBBY - CONTINUOUS
The noise is instantly reduced to a soft pulsing beat as the woman shakes the rain from her umbrella and pats down her damp hair.
She sets out to find her victim, Criminal Intent Executive Producer/Co-Creator, Rene Balcer.
Her boots leave wet imprints in the carpet as she navigates a maze of stark white hallways. Finally, she reaches the production office, which is buzzing with activity, and decorated with clippings of Criminal Intent accolades.
INT. RENE BALCER'S OFFICE
A large, bright space despite the thundering storm outside. Tastefully decorated to include a desk, armoire and large white sofa. One entire wall has been transformed into a floor-to-ceiling dry erase board, the far left corner of which is filled with multi-colored notes and story ideas.
Rene is dressed casually in (of all things) shorts. He speaks with cautious enthusiasm as Carole begins the interview.
CAROLE
Do you think the show has changed since its original concept of telling stories through the criminal's point of view?
RENE
I don't know if it's changed that much. A lot of it has to do with the motivation - the "criminal's intent" - and how Goren tries to get inside their head and turn their intent and pathology against them. That was established in the first episode and that's still certainly the M.O. of the show. We still spend as much time with the criminals now as we did back in the first season. I think what has changed is how much attention Vincent's portrayal of Robert Goren has received. It's kinda of taken a life of its own. It wasn't necessarily my intention, and it certainly wasn't Dick Wolf's intention to create a single lead show, but that's pretty much what it's turned into.
CAROLE
Do you compete with the other Law & Order shows in the franchise for stories?
RENE
I try to have communication with the other shows. I stay away from things they've done. There's been duplication in the past,
RENE (cont.)
mostly because [the other shows] weren't paying attention to what we were doing. Even though crime is sort of an endlessly renewable resource, there are just certain crimes that capture the imagination of writers. Whether it's for the other Law & Order shows or even CSI. CSI has done episodes on crimes that we've done in the past. There are certain intrinsic things about popular crimes that just really get to you. Naturally, writers will gravitate to those stories.
CAROLE
How do you structure your writing season?
RENE
We don't really arc out stuff. All the writers meet at the beginning of the season and we critique the past season. We talk about Goren's character - where we want to take him. This year we made a decision to try and get him a little more engaged with the perps, and move him a little closer to his edge, into his zone of discomfort. We don't just want to do a mystery show.
CAROLE
(sincerely) The show is well-known for its great characters, which makes viewers want to know more about those characters.
RENE
(smiling) That's nice to hear. During the year, I meet with individual writers to work out the stories and outline the stories. As you can see on the board, that's two acts of a story. Then the writer will go off and do their teleplay and I'll give them notes and do a polish on it.
CAROLE
Do you do a polish on every Criminal Intent script?
RENE
Oh yeah. I'm like the standardizing voice [for the show], and that's really what a show runner does or a head writer does. You don't drop what the other writers bring, but you also try to make sure that it does sound like a Criminal Intent episode.
CAROLE
Is your polished draft the one that makes it to the table read?
RENE
Yes, that's the draft that gets published.
Note: A table read is when actors, writers and producers gather (usually around a table) to read through the final script.
The interview continues. The pounding rain has slowed to a steady shower.
CAROLE
How open are you to actors' changes to dialogue or script content?
RENE
While we're shooting [there can be no changes]. And they rarely come up. Whatever needs to be addressed is addressed ahead of time because you just can't afford to stop production to accommodate a line change or argue about this or that. We deal with it ahead of time so when [the actors] are on stage or shooting, they know what they have to do and what to rehearse. They can move more efficiently [through a scene].
An intercom erupts from Rene's desk. An unseen assistant tells Rene of an important call. Rene shouts that he'll call them back and continues the interview.
CAROLE
Do you ever write characters for specific guest stars?
RENE
No we don't write for specific guest stars. In my experience, that's kind of a trap. On Law & Order we got burned a couple of times. A guest star will say "yes, I'm very interested" so you start rewriting for that guest star. Then they're no longer available, decided to go to Hawaii or whatever, and you're stuck.
RENE (cont.)
We write what's true to the show and the character we created and whomever takes the role is taking the role because of what's on the page, not because once they've gotten the role they want to rewrite it.
CAROLE
How did Neil Patrick Harris' recent appearance, in the episode entitled "Want", come about? It's quite a departure for him, since he's best known as loveable teen genius, Doogie Howser.
RENE
Our co-executive producer, Fred Berner, saw him in (the Broadway musical) "Assassins". I had seen him in a feature film, where he played something very different from Doogie Howser. Also, he was in a movie of the week I wrote like 20 years ago. He played this rebellious Vegas teenager who had an accident and became an amnesiac. From seeing that he had this vulnerable quality, while still seeming dangerous, it seemed he'd be good for the part.
NOTE: The movie, A Stranger in the Family, aired on CBS in the early 1990s.
CAROLE
It's also a nice dichotomy to have such a baby-face actor playing such an evil part.
RENE
People are used to seeing him play nice guys, good guys. Playing against type is always interesting. It always worked for Jack Nicholson and Cary Grant, so why not Neil Patrick Harris?
The two chuckle, sure that Neil would appreciate being in such a great acting category.
CAROLE
How about Olivia D'Abo as Goren's nemesis? Fans just voted to keep her alive rather than kill her off.
RENE
We did something that had never been done on television, and it came about by accident. We'd written an episode last May where her character, Nicole Wallace, came back and there was a certain outcome that worked very well. Over the summer, we started to rethink the outcome and decided it would work well with the opposite outcome as well. So we shot "version B" and put it together. Each option sends Goren into a different type of hell. If he kills her, it creates angst in one way. If she lives, it will cause him problems in another way. Both versions were dramatically and creatively sound. They both worked. I'd also been keeping a pulse of what online fans were talking about.
RENE (cont.)
They talk about Olivia D'Abo obsessively. A lot wish she'd just go away, and a lot wished she'd keep coming back to torture Goren. It was really split.
CAROLE
Did the network have any say?
RENE
We had one version we were ready to air and the network said, "You're going to be sorry. The audience is going to want something else." So, we thought what if we aired one version on the east coast and one version on the west coast and had people decide. Out of that came the idea of letting people vote online [on whether she lives or dies]. I don't think that's ever been done before. We will abide by the country's decision [to let her live.]
CAROLE
Did you, in the back of your mind, have a preference?
RENE
Well, the easiest thing would be if she died because then I wouldn't have to think up with any more adventures for her.
CAROLE
In general, what future adventures do you have planned for Criminal Intent?
RENE
(LAUGHS) Beyond the next episode? Hopefully it'll keep going and Vincent will be around for a few more seasons. If people like the format and the mystery, it's then a question of what happens after Bobby Goren hangs up his spurs.
CUT TO:
EXT. CHELSEA PIERS - LATER
The storm has picked up again just in time for Carole to make her way back uptown. As the rain pelts her thin, Los Angeles coat and the wind remains determined to send her umbrella flying into the Hudson River, Carole smiles.
Another interview, complete.
FADE OUT
