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I'll be the voice of the Daytime Craft Emmy Awards again this year in L.A.. That's the non-broadcast event on May 14th; the one where there's more booze! The broadcast event is 6 days later on May 20th from Radio City Music Hall. I'm starting to get the details and, as I haven't seen a list anywhere else, I thought I'd share the info on all the game show nominees. I'm looking forward to congratulating some of the TPiR family who are up for the statue this year, as well as Gary Johnson from Jeopardy! One of the nicest in the biz.
SFX: Tymp roll
Announcer: "And the nominees are..."
Outstanding Game/Audience
Participation Show
JEOPARDY! * SYN
HARRY FRIEDMAN, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
LISA FINNERAN, SENIOR PRODUCER
ROCKY SCHMIDT, SENIOR PRODUCER
GARY JOHNSON, SENIOR PRODUCER
THE PRICE IS RIGHT * CBS
BOB BARKER, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
ROGER DOBKOWITZ, PRODUCER
WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE *
SYN
MICHAEL DAVIES, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
PAUL SMITH, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
LEIGH HAMPTON, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
VINCENT A. RUBINO, CO-EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
DEIRDRE COSSMAN, PRODUCER
RICHARD SIROP, PRODUCER
DENNIS F. MCMAHON, PRODUCER
Outstanding Game Show Host
JEOPARDY! * SYN
ALEX TREBEK, HOST
THE PRICE IS RIGHT * CBS
BOB BARKER, HOST
WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE * SYN
MEREDITH VIEIRA, HOST
Outstanding Directing In A Game/Audience Participation Show
JEOPARDY! * SYN
KEVIN MCCARTHY, DIRECTOR
WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE * SYN
MATTHEW COHEN, DIRECTOR
Outstanding Achievement in Live & Direct To Tape Sound Mixing
THE PRICE IS RIGHT * CBS
DIRK SCIARROTTA, PRODUCTION MIXER
MARYANN JORGENSON, PRODUCTION MIXER
DENISE PALM STONES, SOUND EFFECTS MIXER
JACK BELLER, RE-RECORDING MIXER
Technical Direction/Electronic Camera/VideoControl
JEOPARDY! * SYN
JOHN PRITCHETT, TECHNICAL DIRECTOR
ROBERT ENNIS, JR., TECHNICAL DIRECTOR
MIKE TRIBBLE, ELECTRONIC CAMERA
RAY REYNOLDS, ELECTRONIC CAMERA
DIANE FARRELL, ELECTRONIC CAMERA
JEFF SCHUSTER, ELECTRONIC CAMERA
MARC HUNTER, ELECTRONIC CAMERA
L. DAVID IRETE, ELECTRONIC CAMERA
ROSS ELLIOTT, VIDEO CONTROL
WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE * SYN
MANSE SHARP, TECHNICAL DIRECTOR
JIM TUFARO, ELECTRONIC CAMERA
ERIC KENDRA, ELECTRONIC CAMERA
KEITH CONOD, ELECTRONIC CAMERA
BILL AKERLUND, ELECTRONIC CAMERA
FRANCIS J. BOURASSA, JR., ELECTRONIC CAMERA
BRUCE NOVICH, ELECTRONIC CAMERA
RON WASHBURN, ELECTRONIC CAMERA
MIKE CUNNINGHAM, ELECTRONIC CAMERA
JAMES J. MILLER, ELECTRONIC CAMERA
YONEET COMMARE, VIDEO CONTROL
Outstanding Special Class Writing
JEOPARDY! * SYN
STEVEN DORFMAN, WRITER
JOHN DUARTE, WRITER
KATHY EASTERLING, WRITER
HARRY FRIEDMAN, WRITER
DEBBIE GRIFFIN, WRITER
SUZANNE JACK, WRITER
GARY JOHNSON, WRITER
JIM RHINE, WRITER
MICHELE SILVERMAN, WRITER
STEVE D. TAMERIUS, WRITER
BILLY WISSE, WRITER
MARK GABERMAN, WRITER
ANDREW SHEPARD PRICE, WRITER
Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction/Set Decoration/Scenic Design
THE PRICE IS RIGHT * CBS
BENTE CHRISTENSEN, ART DIRECTOR
RICHARD DOMABYL, SET DECORATOR
ELIZABETH FOWLER BEACH, SET DECORATOR
Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design/Styling
THE PRICE IS RIGHT * CBS
ROBIN GURNEY, COSTUME STYLIST
Outstanding Achievement in Hairstyling
THE PRICE IS RIGHT * CBS
MIRA WILDER, HAIRSTYLIST
Randy
tvrandywest.com
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I usually do this every year, but this year I did it within an existing thread rather than kick off a thread as I normally do. But it's good to have it all in one place.
It would be particularly nice to see Steve Dorfman get a final recognition to add to the ones he's received in the past.
I still wish that "H2" and "Pyramid" had taken advantage of the eligibility year beginning while they were still airing first-run shows and submitting entries just to get one last bit of satisfaction. I would've love to have heard Bergeron's speech if he had been nominated and if he won.
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Where's Bart?
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Don't have a cow, man! ;)
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[quote name=\'chris319\' date=\'Apr 13 2005, 04:32 PM\']Where's Bart?
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Bart's direction has pretty much stunk for the past few years, especially this year. Have you noticed that switching between shots has been especially choppy lately? Sometimes we don't even get the price reveal of a game in the shot (Grand Game is one that I've definitely noticed), and Master Key has frequently been screwed up with him trying to get a shot of the contestant while missing the "WIN" sign as it reveals.
Plus, who can forget the Plinko sign debacle? He canned it because they weren't able to get the contestant's reaction? Bull plop. Why don't we just stop having cars behind the doors and Rich can come up behind the contestant and scream in their ear what they're about to win, just to see the contestant's reaction.
He's just a bad director and doesn't even deserve to be nominated, let alone win an Emmy.
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[quote name=\'jmangin\' date=\'Apr 14 2005, 08:04 AM\']
Eskander's just a bad director and doesn't even deserve to be nominated, let alone win an Emmy.
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Bart is someone who worked under both Breslow and Alter, two of the all-time greats, no less.
Would those of you in the business consider Kevin McCarthy or Matthew Cohen any better, however?
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Zach, working under Breslow and Alter doesn't change the fact that Eskander isn't all that great.
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Bart Eskander is the worst kind of director out there - the clock-puncher. You'll find plenty of these types of directors in local news.
Bart is simply there to get the show on tape with the least required amount of brainpower and inconvenience on his part. He has simply taken the book that Marc Breslow created (and Paul Alter refined) and followed it very lazily. The end result is a show that is, at best, nowhere near as visually interesting as it used to be, and at worst, usually sloppy.
Jeopardy! is tough to judge because it is exceedingly rare that the show deviates from format drastically enough to require quick thinking on the director's part. The only offensive thing I find about that show's direction is the use of a handheld camera on Alex during contestant interviews.
Millionaire's story is similar to Price's, in that an experienced director has created the book for the show and handed it off to an inexperienced director. The main difference is that Millionaire hired an ambitious young man from their production staff to replace Mark Gentile, rather than just promoting the grumpy old AD like Price did. Matthew Cohen's direction is not nearly as polished as Mark Gentile's, but I suspect it's just because of a lack of experience, rather than a lack of ambition or passion for the show he's directing.
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Also, Kevin McCarthy, like Bart, was the old AD (presumably less grumpt) promoted to director. The only other game show he's done work on is "Click," where he surprisingly, considering what kind of show it was, kept it rather traditional in set-ups and seemed to keep up with a frenetic format.
Another reason why "H2" should've gone ahead and submitted nominations--you can never give Chris Darley too much recognition.
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[quote name=\'jmangin\' date=\'Apr 14 2005, 08:04 AM\'][quote name=\'chris319\' date=\'Apr 13 2005, 04:32 PM\']Where's Bart?
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Bart's direction has pretty much stunk for the past few years, especially this year. Have you noticed that switching between shots has been especially choppy lately? Sometimes we don't even get the price reveal of a game in the shot (Grand Game is one that I've definitely noticed), and Master Key has frequently been screwed up with him trying to get a shot of the contestant while missing the "WIN" sign as it reveals.
Plus, who can forget the Plinko sign debacle? He canned it because they weren't able to get the contestant's reaction? Bull plop. Why don't we just stop having cars behind the doors and Rich can come up behind the contestant and scream in their ear what they're about to win, just to see the contestant's reaction.
He's just a bad director and doesn't even deserve to be nominated, let alone win an Emmy.
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Can't get the CONTESTANT'S REACTION...??
PUT ME ON THE FREAKING CAMERA CREW!!
What's so hard about doing this?
SEE THIS PICTURE - http://bigjonpcgames.net/downloads/plink.jpg (http://\"http://bigjonpcgames.net/downloads/plink.jpg\")
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All game show directing falls into a rut eventually -- Millionaire, Jeopardy!, WML?, Password, Concentration, you name it. The Price Is Right is an exception in that it happens to have an odd combination of ever-varying staging and photographic requirements and, at the moment, an incompetent (IMHO) director.
The true test of a game show director is how well he can mount a new show. Inasmuch as the rate of studio game show pilots being produced has dwindled to roughly zero, the likes of Bart will probably never be put to this test. I shudder to think what it would have been like if Bart had to direct the pilots of MG or FF in the '70s.
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[quote name=\'BigJon06\' date=\'Apr 14 2005, 04:27 PM\']Can't get the CONTESTANT'S REACTION...??
PUT ME ON THE FREAKING CAMERA CREW!!
What's so hard about doing this?
SEE THIS PICTURE - http://bigjonpcgames.net/downloads/plink.jpg (http://\"http://bigjonpcgames.net/downloads/plink.jpg\")
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It seems to me that they would probably say that it would be hard to keep the contestant in the circle if they were jumping up and down or running around... etc. That's supposedly one of the reasons the wheel-spinning screen was retired, right? It would be a difficult shot to do well live, though of course not impossible.
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[quote name=\'jmangin\' date=\'Apr 14 2005, 08:04 AM\'][quote name=\'chris319\' date=\'Apr 13 2005, 04:32 PM\']Where's Bart?
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Plus, who can forget the Plinko sign debacle? He canned it because they weren't able to get the contestant's reaction? Bull plop. Why don't we just stop having cars behind the doors and Rich can come up behind the contestant and scream in their ear what they're about to win, just to see the contestant's reaction.
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And to me, that's a dumb reason. What's the difference between getting the contestant's reaction to a car behind the doors and seeing some plywood sign reading $50,000? To be honest, the contestant reactions to Plinko isn't half as apeshit as how they react to one of those fugly Chevy Aveos. True, when they see the car, the reaction shot is a couple seconds longer, but if they really want a reaction, is it really that much trouble to say "You're going to play Plinko! (:02 reaction from contestant and audience, then go to shot of the Plinko sign) where you have the chance to win up to $50,000!" Will the :02 really kill them?
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[quote name=\'chris319\' date=\'Apr 14 2005, 03:34 PM\']The true test of a game show director is how well he can mount a new show.
[/quote]
Bart has trouble blocking new pricing games properly, let alone an entirely new show.
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[quote name=\'MYosua\' date=\'Apr 14 2005, 05:39 PM\'][quote name=\'BigJon06\' date=\'Apr 14 2005, 04:27 PM\']Can't get the CONTESTANT'S REACTION...??
PUT ME ON THE FREAKING CAMERA CREW!!
What's so hard about doing this?
SEE THIS PICTURE - http://bigjonpcgames.net/downloads/plink.jpg (http://\"http://bigjonpcgames.net/downloads/plink.jpg\")
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It seems to me that they would probably say that it would be hard to keep the contestant in the circle if they were jumping up and down or running around... etc. That's supposedly one of the reasons the wheel-spinning screen was retired, right? It would be a difficult shot to do well live, though of course not impossible.
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I believe its a skill, you can simply zoom out and plus a great cameraman should be able to "predict" the subjects movement and be ready to make the appropriate zooms if neccessary
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[quote name=\'BigJon06\' date=\'Apr 15 2005, 04:08 AM\']I believe its a skill, you can simply zoom out and plus a great cameraman should be able to "predict" the subjects movement and be ready to make the appropriate zooms if neccessary
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Y'ever push a camera before, Jon?
Until you have, sit the hell down.
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I did some camera work on a studio talk show and believe me, as a cameraman I never did anything without the director telling me to do it.
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[quote name=\'Jimmy Owen\' date=\'Apr 16 2005, 09:48 AM\']I did some camera work on a studio talk show and believe me, as a cameraman I never did anything without the director telling me to do it.
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Even more difficult, our news studio doesn't have camera operators, period. It's all robotics. Look up "Parkervision" for more.
Sure hate to see THAT on a game show, though I think we were close with "Whammy".
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Thankfully, we still have live bodies pushing cameras in our shop. We just need to pay them more than $8.50 an hour so they actually care what the shot looks like. Hard to be a motivated employee on a 5 AM morning show when you don't get paid squat.
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[quote name=\'chris319\' date=\'Apr 14 2005, 05:34 PM\']I shudder to think what it would have been like if Bart had to direct the pilots of MG or FF in the '70s.
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There wouldn't have been a game board. Just some chyroned graphics.
From what little Price I've watched in the last 2-3 years...I must say, from what I've seen--is garbage. What's with that camera angle on the wheel, anyhow?
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[quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Apr 15 2005, 05:16 PM\'][quote name=\'BigJon06\' date=\'Apr 15 2005, 04:08 AM\']I believe its a skill, you can simply zoom out and plus a great cameraman should be able to "predict" the subjects movement and be ready to make the appropriate zooms if neccessary
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Y'ever push a camera before, Jon?
Until you have, sit the hell down.
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Actually I have, so i'll stand the hell up. Thank you
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I'm going to guess that maneuvering a camera is not as easy as "Big" Jon makes it sound. And it's pure folly to suggest that someone could predict anything, even with a show like TPIR. Too many things can go differently than planned-just think about trying to catch up with a big winner who does a lap around the stage, for one.
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[quote name=\'TLEberle\' date=\'Apr 18 2005, 12:30 PM\']I'm going to guess that maneuvering a camera is not as easy as "Big" Jon makes it sound. And it's pure folly to suggest that someone could predict anything, even with a show like TPIR. Too many things can go differently than planned-just think about trying to catch up with a big winner who does a lap around the stage, for one.
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Oh yeah, i never said it was easy. I know, i personally just think on a show that caliber, some things you'd just expect. I mean things were done on the show like that on the past but some things seem to have vanished. I sure miss the plinko sign.
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[quote name=\'BigJon06\' date=\'Apr 18 2005, 01:37 PM\']I sure miss the plinko sign.
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They haven't thown it out, yet...
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Im sure they wont. Discard the most popular pricing game's intro prop after all these years? If they do, we might have to go way back to the original intro thing with the "jewelry prop" coming down from the ceiling.
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[quote name=\'BigJon06\' date=\'Apr 18 2005, 01:48 PM\']Im sure they wont. Discard the most popular pricing game's intro prop after all these years? If they do, we might have to go way back to the original intro thing with the "jewelry prop" coming down from the ceiling.
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Johnny's podium was almost thrown out. Granted it was pretty much gutted...
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[quote name=\'cmjb13\' date=\'Apr 18 2005, 01:07 PM\'][quote name=\'BigJon06\' date=\'Apr 18 2005, 01:48 PM\']Im sure they wont. Discard the most popular pricing game's intro prop after all these years? If they do, we might have to go way back to the original intro thing with the "jewelry prop" coming down from the ceiling.
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Johnny's podium was almost thrown out. Granted it was pretty much gutted...
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Rich's podium is pretty decked out, was that an LCD screen he has now at the top of his podium?
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[quote name=\'BigJon06\' date=\'Apr 18 2005, 02:12 PM\']Rich's podium is pretty decked out, was that an LCD screen he has now at the top of his podium?
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Yes, but I prefer the monitor buried inside like the old one was.
I prefer this newer slimmer podium than the bulky one they had built about a year ago. (Search the forum here. I believe the pics are still valid)
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The issue is not the camera work, it's the director. Other directors had no problem getting a contestant reaction for Plinko, but all of a sudden now Bart thinks there is an issue?
He's just trying to put his own "pizzaz" into the program and show that he's not a carbon copy of his predecessors, however in this case it has backfired.
It's just like coming into a new job where a stellar team is already present. There's not much you can do to make it better, yet you feel that you need to suggest something to show that you have ideas and aren't just a sheep. That's what Bart is trying to do; he's just not doing it well.
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[quote name=\'jmangin\' date=\'Apr 18 2005, 01:45 PM\']The issue is not the camera work, it's the director. Other directors had no problem getting a contestant reaction for Plinko, but all of a sudden now Bart thinks there is an issue?
He's just trying to put his own "pizzaz" into the program and show that he's not a carbon copy of his predecessors, however in this case it has backfired.
It's just like coming into a new job where a stellar team is already present. There's not much you can do to make it better, yet you feel that you need to suggest something to show that you have ideas and aren't just a sheep. That's what Bart is trying to do; he's just not doing it well.
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I feel ya on that, like i said, i know its been done before so it'd be nice to see it again. Maybe one day it will return, just like Penny Ante ;)
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[quote name=\'cmjb13\' date=\'Apr 18 2005, 11:29 AM\']Yes, but I prefer the monitor buried inside like the old one was.
I prefer this newer slimmer podium than the bulky one they had built about a year ago. (Search the forum here. I believe the pics are still valid)
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I have to ask.
What's the difference?
(and by that I mean: why does it matter?)
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[quote name=\'jmangin\' date=\'Apr 18 2005, 01:45 PM\'][Bart]'s just trying to put his own "pizzaz" into the program and show that he's not a carbon copy of his predecessors, however in this case it has backfired.
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Maybe Bart'z pizzaz have too many anchoviez on them. Maybe he zhould try thoze new cheezeburger pizzaz.
[ducks]
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If we were gonna worry about anyone's "pizzaz" with too many anchoviez, it'd be Phil's.
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Matthew -
He didn't say he doesn't like the way the show looks, he said the syndicated version has less polish than the prime-time version, which is understandable given the constraints you've listed. Thank you for setting the record straight.
Directing Millionaire is a wonderful opportunity for you, but the question that lingers in my mind is, why isn't Mark Gentile directing the syndicated version?
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[quote name=\'macohen\' date=\'Apr 19 2005, 09:26 AM\']
I usually don't respond to these posts, but this one was so inacurate, I had to.
I am the "ambitious young man" to which you refer. About the only thing you got right is the fact that Mark Gentile is an experienced (and brilliant) director. If you don't like the way the show looks, that's fine. Let's get some facts straight though.
1. Primetime taped 1 show a day, 3-4 days a week. Syndicated tapes 4 shows a day 3-4 days a week. Not nearly as much production time per show.
2. Syndicated has 2 less cameras than primetime did, not to mention a much smaller staff and budget.
3. Primetime was shot is pieces. Whenever a contestent lost or walked away, they stopped, reset and did a pickup which was later edited together. Syndicated is done completely live to tape, only stopping for commercial breaks
You get the idea. When you criticize someones work, it is important to know the situation that they were in. The 2 shows are completely different , and it is unfair to compare the 2.
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Welcome to our board Matt C. You direct the show as best you can given the constraints you describe. Thanks for the insight on the show. It doesn't look that much different to me than the primetime show did/does. Congratulations on getting that coveted gig. Good luck at the Emmys next month.
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[quote name=\'chris319\' date=\'Apr 19 2005, 07:41 AM\']He didn't say he doesn't like the way the show looks, he said the syndicated version has less polish than the prime-time version, which is understandable given the constraints you've listed.
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What he said.
I'm sorry if me mentioning your work in the same post as trashing the direction on Price looked like I was trashing your work - I was not.
Let me clarify by saying that where I find Mark's direction on the primetime show superior to yours is not in the use of extra cameras or stopdowns - it's in the timing. Millionaire, more than any other modern game show, is directed like a talk show. Your timing in cutting the more talk show-y moments is definitely good. Mark's was great.
That's not a knock on your talent at all, but a tribute to Mark's. It may also have a lot to do with him having the more-seasoned Regis and you having Meredith, who might not be as easy of a read for you as Regis, but is still a great host in her own right. More years and more shows under your belt, and it's very likely you'll have developed timing instincts as good as Mark's -- maybe better. And hey, you've got all the time in the world to do it.
It does say a lot about your passion for your job that you take the time to defend criticism from an anonymous person on the internet. However, I hope you realize you were defending a far harsher criticism than the one I actually intended to give. :)
Good luck at the Emmys.
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Look at it this way...you're a hell of a lot better than Bart!
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[quote name=\'jmangin\' date=\'Apr 19 2005, 07:32 AM\']If we were gonna worry about anyone's "pizzaz" with too many anchoviez, it'd be Phil's.
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I thought something smelled fishy.
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[quote name=\'chris319\' date=\'Apr 19 2005, 09:41 AM\']Matthew -
He didn't say he doesn't like the way the show looks, he said the syndicated version has less polish than the prime-time version, which is understandable given the constraints you've listed. Thank you for setting the record straight.
Directing Millionaire is a wonderful opportunity for you, but the question that lingers in my mind is, why isn't Mark Gentile directing the syndicated version?
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Perhaps he didn't want to give up "The View," if that was the choice--although if Meredith can go right from "The View" to "WWTBAM" four days a week, four months a year...
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I thought something smelled fishy.
That line really floundered. :-D
Chuck Donegan (The Pun-Loving "Chuckie Baby")