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Post by Major Hathaway on Mar 12, 2009 11:15:25 GMT -5
Gina Gionfriddo has agreed to do an exclusive interview with us.
Our rules are the same - submit all your questions here or in a pm to me ..... I will edit and consolidate all the questions (so I don't want to hear it if your exact wording doesn't get in the final form) and submit them to Ms. Gionfriddo.
Then I will post the questions and her answers on a new thread.
No questions about the personal lives of other people in the business. Personal quesitons about Ms. Gionfriddo will be accepted & may or may not make it into the final form. Any questions ask with legitimate and respectful curiosity can be submitted. I hold the final decision making on what will be submitted to Ms. Gionfriddo.
THANK YOU Ms. Gionfriddo for agreeing to give us your time for this exciting interview.
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Post by Patcat on Mar 12, 2009 11:51:36 GMT -5
Yes, thanks to Ms. Gionfriddo and the moderators for arranging this.
Some of my questions:
How did you become a writer for LAW AND ORDER and for CRIMINAL INTENT?
Is there a bible for the shows?
Could you describe the process for writing an episode?
Do the writers get to watch the filming of the episode?
Is there a moment where the actors sit down and read the script with the writers present?
Are there other writers, particularly of crime and/or mysteries, that influence you or that you admire?
I'll probably have more later.
Patcat
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Post by tjara on Mar 12, 2009 12:37:36 GMT -5
First, thanks for the moderators for arranging this!
I might come up with more questions later, but here's one that popped into my head right away.
I noticed you've also written for other crime shows, for example, Law & Order (original) and CBS "Cold Case". How is writing for Criminal Intent different from writing for other shows?
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Post by jeffan on Mar 12, 2009 14:12:31 GMT -5
This is a nice surprise and I also thank the moderators for arranging this interview.
Like T'j, an off the top of the head question:
From a writer's perspective, do you think that product placement dumbs down/interferes with the quality of LO:CI?
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Post by ragincajun on Mar 12, 2009 14:30:51 GMT -5
One of my favorite Episodes she wrote was "Vacancy". Alice turned to Goren to be her white knight. I wonder are the writers told not to write any love or sexual relationships for Goren? Is that a Rule? If so by who?
This could be worded differently.
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Post by jeffan on Mar 12, 2009 14:41:18 GMT -5
That's a good question Ragin which made me think of this one:
Is there a list of definite "no go areas" for any of the characters?
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Post by Major Hathaway on Mar 12, 2009 15:57:01 GMT -5
All good questions so far ..... a member here is preparing a bio of Gina's work which I will post when I get it - that will give you some of her background -
Point of Interest: Gina USED to be a writer for CI - she is currently on the mothership doing writing and producing and has written broadway plays - so CI questions are just fine - but please give us your mothership questions and general questions also.
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Post by jeffan on Mar 13, 2009 12:11:18 GMT -5
A few more questions for consideration:
Which is the biggest challenge: writing a play for the theatre or an episode for a tv show?
Do you suffer from "first night" nerves?
Do experiences in your own life inspire you to write a play?
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Throwing this one in but will probably be tossed out:
Do you think Jeff Goldblum a good casting choice for Criminal Intent?
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Post by tjara on Mar 13, 2009 13:26:25 GMT -5
Which of the Detectives (Goren, Eames, Logan, Wheeler) was the toughest to write and why?
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Post by annabelleleigh on Mar 13, 2009 13:48:23 GMT -5
This is a nice surprise and I also thank the moderators for arranging this interview. Like T'j, an off the top of the head question: From a writer's perspective, do you think that product placement dumbs down/interferes with the quality of LO:CI? ..and I would add, necessarily -- since it's her current gig -- L&O. I'm so glad J-Fan suggested a product placement/integration question. This was a big issue during the Writers Guild strike and I imagine Ms. Gionfriddo has a strong opinion about having to accommodate this growing form of advertising into her scripts. I've seen fewer product placements for Wolf Film productions than I have for series that are wholly owned by NBCU. Have writers in the Wolf Pack been spared contractually from integrating products into stories. Maybe Ms. Gionfriddo can answer that too. AL |
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Post by annabelleleigh on Mar 13, 2009 13:52:14 GMT -5
...Is there a moment where the actors sit down and read the script with the writers present?... As I understand it, PC, these are called "table readings" and include not only the writers and actors but the producers, the unit manager, location scouts etc. Anyone on staff who has to provide something needed for the story. I'd also like to learn more about table sessions -- and would love it if Ms. Gionfriddo would be willing to compare and contrast table readings for CI with those for L&O. AL |
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Post by quietfireca on Mar 13, 2009 14:41:36 GMT -5
How do you prepare for writing for a show that is new to you? When you first wrote for Criminal Intent, did you hunker down for a weekend watching past episodes? Are there certain specific elements you look for when you study shows in preparation for writing for them?
Thanks!
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Post by ragincajun on Mar 13, 2009 15:21:11 GMT -5
I have really enjoyed the Original Law and Order the last two Seasons. One episode in particular, that you were involved in was "Pledge" I love the ending, How Cutter used a woman and made the defendant believe it was the woman he could have had. Because of this he got the conviction he wouldn't have otherwise been able to get. Now my questions.
1. Was this checked out by a legal team, or just done for entertainment purposes? ( using a false witness)Cause it was wonderful.
2. In this episode we learn a little about Cutter's background, he didn't go to a high priced college, will we learn more about his personal life in the future?
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Post by DonnaJo on Mar 13, 2009 15:54:09 GMT -5
Excellent questions, ragin.  I am also a big fan of Season 18 and the current Season 19, in terms of lead casting & writing. Was it challenging to write for basically a new team of Detectives & ADA's, especially the very new Det. Bernard (Anthony Anderson)? Is it difficult to flesh out these new cast members by adding little personal tidbits of info into your scripts? As someone who is very much against the death penalty, I was deeply affected by "Executioner." The scene in the courtroom of the strapped, comatose prisoner was especially moving. Is that based on a real situation? You have written several scripts for the mothership concerning religious cults. Do you have any personal knowledge of such groups, or is it just your excellent researching that makes it seem so? |
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Post by Techguy on Mar 14, 2009 0:27:10 GMT -5
Thanks to the mods for arranging this and to Ms. Gionfriddo for agreeing to do it. If I think of anything else before the deadlline I'll post more. In the meantime, I'd like to ask this:
Ms. Gionfriddo, I read that you consider yourself "an absolute encycolopedia of true crime." In the lexicon of fictional and non-fictional villains, who has most impressed you with his/her intelligence and audacious behavior, and why?
Also, please expand on your belief that "crimes motivated by money, power and status are the most compelling and transgressive. "
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Patrick Roy, 2006 inductee into the Hockey Hall of Fame