2nd Stephanie SenGupta Interview -Submit questions

[Major Hathaway]

Ms. SenGupta has agreed to do a second interview with us.

This is great timing considering all the changes that have gone on with CI for this new season.

Please think about questions you would like to ask her, keep in mind no questions asking about the personal lives of the actors or anything outside the scope of work related on these actors will be permitted.

All questions about Ms. SenGupta, writing, CI production & characters are fair game.

Please submit your questions here with any comments you may have.

THANK YOU Ms. SenGupta for thinking of us.

[Patcat]

Oh, fantastic! Thanks to the Administrators and Ms. SenGupta!

Here goes:

Could you offer any light on Mr. Vance and Mr. Sheridan's departures?

What is Rene Balcer's role with the show now?

What are the differences in writing for Goren/Eames versus Logan/Wheeler?

Could you comment on Warren Leight's work as the showrunner?

Will there be 18 or 22 episodes this season?

Many people on the board noted several differences in BLIND SPOT--including lighting, sets, etc. Will these changes continue through the season?

While not wishing for behind the scenes gossip, how are Ms. Erbe and Mr. D'Onofrio? It appeared to me that their energy levels rose near the end of the fifth season and were very high in BLIND SPOT.

I've noticed that a lot of LOCI writers are playwrights. Could you comment on this?

Patcat (who's really excited about this and grateful and apologizes for monopolizing space with so many questions)

[LOCIfan]

Oooooh, yippee!! ;D Thanks mods and Ms. SenGupta!

So here goes:

Are there any major differences in how you write scripts with Mr. Leight vs. Mr. Balcer?

How do you feel about the new time slot?

Will we see a return of Nicole Wallace this season?

"In the Wee Small Hours" is my all-time favorite episode of CI. How was it different writing a two hour episode? And will we get another one this year?

[Metella]

Wonderful ! Thank you so much for doing this again.

Q: Did you have to re-write any scripts due to cast changes; if so, did it force you into all nigher work sessions? How do you cope with outrages deadlines?

Q: What is your favorite drink - Alcoholic and Non-Alcoholic

Q: With all the new people involved - what routine has changed the most with the new personalities in play?

[NikkiGreen]

Thank you Ms. SenGupta and mods:

Most of the questions I had in mind have already been asked, except one:

Will we be seeing a return of Whoopi Goldberg's character (C Watkins) in Season 6?

[Techguy]

This is fantastic! Thanks once again to the admin/mods and Ms. SenGupta for arranging this.

Most of what I would like answered has already been submitted. However, I have a few more:

1---How is the writing similar--or different--for the nemesis characters Nicole Wallace and Chesley Watkins compared to other CI villains?

2---Chesley Watkins seems to have been a planned nemesis, whereas Nicole Wallace's role seems to have evolved "on the fly." What are the similarities and differences between these two characters, most especially with respect to their ongoing relationships with Goren and Logan?

3---Eric Bogosian's character Captain Ross already comes across as a complex individual who has issues with Goren. In general terms, how is the Ross character going to play out and possibly evolve over the course of Season 6?

4---The mentor issue seems to be a prominent topic already--Goren meets his mentor Declan Gage, Logan's new partner Wheeler is a Ross protege who was mentored by him, and Logan is supposed to take on the mentor role with Wheeler. Was it a conscious decision to introduce this element, and how will it impact the stories and personal lives of the characters?

5---In his live blog after the season CI premiere, Warren Leight suggested that we may get to see Goren's mother and brother this season, and perhaps Eames' nephew too. This seems to contradict Vincent D'Onofrio's statement from an interview before CI started, that we would never get to see Goren's mother. What can you tell us about these family-related developments?

6---In your previous interview, you said you don't read fan forums very frequently because you didn't want to get hurt by negative comments. Do you still feel this way, and are you aware of any other cast and crew members who do on occasion check out sites like this one?

7---CI episodes can stand alone, but I'm wondering if there is a specific plan for the overall tone of the combined episodes for Season 6? I guess what I'm most curious about is this notion of a "different CI this year" which sounds ominous. What can we expect from the show and the characters that might be different from what's gone on before?

[janethyland]

This is really kind of her to give a second interview given her busy schedule.

1) How did the terms "teaser" and "aria" come about? Is there an opera buff amongst you?

2) Im interested in the Art in LOCI,particularly Paintings. How are the paintings on set chosen? Can you tell me who painted the tree painting on the wall behind Goren in the brother's appartment in "Acts of Contrition"? It appears again in Dollhouse. If not,how can i find out? Sorry,but its an obssession of mine!

3) Does having an international background give you a sense of the universal in your stories about New York and American city society? Would you see a sort of universal city culture?

4) In Vacancy Kushners "Angels in America" and Millers "Death as a Salesman" are shown as part of Raineys Method in Acting. Are these plays being shown as crucial for Americans understanding their own psyche,as well as being pivots in American Drama ?

5)I get the impression there is close liaison between all aspects of production(writers,actors,directors,set design,camera work,editors etc),so that what we see,despite your differences,is an agreed Whole. Would that be true?

6) Goren is a powerful character who has leapt off the page and entered into peoples hearts and minds,evoking strong reactions. Are you aware of this when writing? Has he as a character affected you as a person?

7) Can you identify the street in Blind Spot where the dog sniffs Eames hand? It seems most unusual and rocklike for New York.

[gorenrocks]

Here are my questions.

Does VDO have any input on the stories chosen to be told by CI? Does he have any input on changing stories and dialogue once they come in?

VDO was famously quoted as saying that he'd agreed to do CI because he wasn't interested in typical television soap. Have his views changed? How did he react to the plot of Blind Spot?

[LOCIfan]

Additional questions. And a shout out to all newbies -- please, please, please post questions on this thread. This is a great chance to ask a REAL insider all those burning questions, both big and small, that we form whilst watching CI!

1) Eric Bogosian as the new Captain has certainly made a splash. Some are not fond of him and some are. Why was he cast?

2) Is there a conscious effort this season to use Eames more?

3) Are the stylistic changes in the show designed to capture the new eyes of SVU fans who may have been missing out on CI?

4) Is there anything about the procedure of how you write and work on the show that's changed significantly since your last interview with this site?

5) Who are your favorite writers of this show, both current and past? and, why?

6) According to my count, there have been at least twelve writers on the show over the years, with various writers coming in and out over nearly every season. Can you comment on why this is?

[Patcat]

Another one from me (sorry...I can't seem to turn it off)

Are there "Bibles" with the backstories of the main characters?

Patcat

[Metella]

another question from me - I see the changes in the drama/lighting in parts of the show as more CSI style; so I think it is an obvious ripoff of a sucessful show's MO and not purely an attempt to gain SVU viewers. This is often used & even CI has been ripped off - I'm just wondering if the styling was indeed trying to immulate the US's #1 show? Totally understandable if so, but I personally do not like those changes - but it may bring in new viewers and keep the show alive.

[trisha]

What's going on with the new ADA?

Does Mr. Leight read us, too? If so, do you think he might pop in and have a little chat with us?

Thanks so much for doing this again!

[DNA]

• Do you have a favorite team: Goren and Eames or Logan and Barek/Wheeler.
  (We promise we wont tell )
  
  
• After the "hooha" a few years ago regarding the mention of Tom Delay, are you ever tempted to write similar lines about other people just for the fun of it.
  
  

[Cassie]

Thanks for spending time with us

When it comes to the creation of a new character like Captain Ross, or Det Wheeler. Where does the writer begin? Do you have any input on who is hired for the part? Or is the actor hired…and you look at them, as a piece of clay And start to think about who they could be in and how their appearance could be molded to the character they are going to portray.


I know Rene Balcer, was on the show in the form of a mug shot, for the episode “Blink” Would you, or any of the other writers, do a cameo appearance on the show?

[filmnoir5]

I always look at the names of writers for the teleplay and story for each episode. I like your episodes because they have a great deal of humor. I also like G.W. Conway and Warren Leights episodes a great deal. Will G. W. Conway write episodes this season? Which other writers are still with the show this season?
Will Warren Leight still write teleplays for the show since he is the showrunner?