Supernatural Paley Festival Panel
Mar. 5th, 2006 10:33 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
serafina20I went to the Supernatural Panel at the Paley Festival tonight. It was a blast. The boys were hilarious, as was the rest of the panelists. And, thanks to ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
dawnybee, I had a great seat.
I almost didn't make it, though. In true Serafina style, I went to the wrong place at first. I never bothered to read my ticked because I'm a moron, but it turned out okay. My brother knows everything about Hollywood and was able to give me directions (I can't use the Thomas Guide and drive at the same time).
I hate driving in LA. There's always traffic, it takes an hour to get down the street, etc. etc.
And, just like everywhere, you can't read the fucking addresses on anything. Oh! And no one can drive, so I had to tell everyone what fucking morons they were and yell at people who are probably actors or something who are trying to cut me off!
Hence, I almost past the Director's Guild. Almost. I got lucky, because as I past it, I happened to glance right at it. Or, rather, at the person getting out of a car in front of it. And he looked familiar.
My thought process: "Dude, he looks famil.... Fuck, that's Jensen! Shit, I'm driving right past it."
Luckily, I was in the right lane, so I just pissed off the person behind me by slowing real quickly and doing a fast turn.
And that's how Jensen Ackles saved me 28 bucks.
They started by introducing the panelists (Peter Johson, producer; Kim Manner's, co-executive producer and writer; John Shiban, writer; Jensen; Jared; someone who's name I didn't get (Robert Singer?), and Eric Kripke.
Kripke got up and said something. Then he told a story that happened on set the night before:
They were filming a scene at Stanly Park in Vancouver when they got a call that there was a man 100/200 yards away with a gun. They shut down production, called the boys and told them not to come, called police/SWAT and spend about 2 hours looking. In the end, it turned out it was one of their special effects crew.
Fun times.
They showed "Scarecrow" next. I was hoping for "Shadows" or a new episode, but whatever. Kripke said that he felt this episode encapsulated everything the show was about: family drama, comedy, supernatural/urban legend thriller, plus it introduced Meg and brought Daddy!Winchester in. And, on top of all that, it was written by Shiban and directed by Manners, so it all fit.
After the show, they reintroduced everyone, brought them on stage, and the moderator started with the questions. (Warning: I didn't write the questions/answers word-for-word, and I also stopped about halfway through before picking up again. For a fuller account, seedawnybee
Q: What was the inspiration/evolution of the show
KRIPKE I've been wanting to do a urban legends/American folklore show ever since he started out. I started pitching it when I was new in the business, only with reporters. I had, at one point, this idea of a bunch of reporters in a van a la Scooby Do. When "Tarzan" tanked, the WB asked if I had anything else to pitch. I pitched it as a reporter going around investigating, which turned out to be too much like "Nightstalker". They said, "Eh, no. So then, I tried pitching it as 2 guys on a road trip, like "Route 66". They liked that.
Q: How did the family element get into:
KRIPKE Well, I write what I know. I come from a close knit family and know the brother dynamic, how they communicate without communicating anything. I wanted problems between a rebellious little brother and a smartass big brother, and the groundng of te show to be the supernatural influence.
Q: Did you know who you wanted for the role, or did you audition everyone?
KRIPKE We brought in everyone to read. My wife was a huge Gilmore Girls fa, so she knew Jared's work.
Jensen was originally brought in for Sam. After he left, we were all, "We found our Sam!". Then we met Jared and went, "No, that's our Sam. So they switched.
JARED I didn't originally want to do a supernatural Charmed/Buffy type show. But then I read the script and really liked the family grounding. I knew the myths and such from my mom, who's an English teacher (here, Jensen drifts off to sleep).
[I missed some interplay about the reluctant hero and Jared falling over his words]
JENSEN (Jared immediately falls asleep, snoring loudly) I was brought in to read or Sam. I knew David Nutter. I read the script and I really liked Dean. I was like, "What about Dean? I like Dean. He's funny." But, I studied for Sam, although I did a little for Dean as well, went in and read then went home. That night, they called and said they were thinking about this guy Jared Pala.... Pada.... something for the part of Sam, so I looked him up online. (JARED: You thought I was hot. JENSEN: So smokin' hot.) Then I got cast as Dean.
Usually, when you go in for your final read, there's like five guys there that you're competing against, but they just pulled the 2 boys in. They met, read the scene
JENSEN: And we've hated each other every since. (picks up water)
JARED: I poisoned your water.
JENSEN (shrugs)
[here my notes fall apart some. They talk to/about Kim Manners for a bit and how well he works with the boys. He mentions what great chemistry they have with each other. In response, they give each other a long, lingering look. They both tilt their heads and Jared puckers up, leaning in.]
[Jared's mic falls off (again). A cute male employee goes to fix it. As he tries to pin it over Jared's chest, Jared jumps like he's been goosed, eyes wide. Jensen cracks up and puts a (possessive?) hand on Jared's knee.]
[huh; for some reason I decided Robert Singer's name was Peter Johnson; I'm not sure why]
SINGER: I was brought in to guide the young 'un (not a direct quote). I go at everything form a character point of view. How does the character react to what's going on around him, and then I figure the plot will follow from there. Eric goes at everything from a plot point of view and the character follows from there. [and that, in a nutshell, is why I won't ever be able to write for TV].
Q: How do you decide when it's time to get back to the main mythology of the show and away from the FOTW?
ERIC: The season is really driven by sweeps. We do about 5/6 episodes of non-mythology, then tie back to the family character/monster/myth.
SINGER: The first 7 episodes were one-shots to pick up new viewers.
ERIC: I feel that while Lost is a great show, it's very frustrating because it's question on question on question with no answers. I want to give some kind of answers to these questions as we go along.
Q: Do you know where it's going
ERIC: The nature of TV, it's hard to plan out too far. You don't know if you're going to get canceled right away, or keep running for years and years like "Gunsmoke". [Jensen acts like old Dean with a walker]. That being said, he knows where it's going and what the final battle is [leading me to the conclusion that Smallville is the only show running right now that has no fucking clue where they're going and never did.]
Q: John calls Sam and Dean from Sacramento. Is that significant.
SIHBAN: I can't tell you. Maybe. [I think no.]
ERIC: There is a significance to Lawrence, Kansas, and if you Google it, you'll come up with an urban legend tat happened near there.
Q: What urban legend scares you?
MANNERS: nothing
SHIBAN: late scripts. Eric callling wanting to know where the scrip is.
JENSEN: all of them. Bees.
JARED: the Shadowman (he said some long story about some TV show that I couldn't follow)
KRIPKE: Hookman
Q: Something about what happened "2 years ago", the last time Sam and Dean spoke, because Sam's supposed to be a senior and what up, man?
KRIPKE: (laughing) Sam was supposed to be a junior, and all that happened to him put him back a bit, but no one really believed that (which is stupid because, there are so many older college students these days). But, in the end, it was just a continuity mistake and in no way worthy of all the meta on it.
Q: Has anything creepy ever happened on set or has there been anything creepy to be around?
JARED: When we were filming "Skin" this clock fel for no reason. We were all, "Let's just ignore it."
JENSEN: WE shot "Asylum" at an actual abandoned asylum. There were all sorts of things going around, like "don't go on the fourth floor". One day, I decided to take a short cut and went into this long, dark hallway because the only place lit was where we were filming. Anyway, I was all, "It's not that long. I can make it."
Q: Any shows about the brothers growing up?
KRIPKE: We just shot a show where they're fighting something they fought as kids. There's flashbacks to wee!Sam and Dean.
JARED: We want more because when the little Sam and Dean are filming, Big Sam and Dean are sleeping [together].
Q: Is Dean's necklace significant?
A: Yes.
Q: You're Christian. How can you do this show?
A: It's called acting. It's a job. (he did not say it that way; but that was the gist of it)
Q: What's your favorite scene?
MANNERS: Shadow's "I need you scene" which was very hard for Jensen.
Also meeting dad at the hotel and in the alley.
Q: Why was that scene hard for you, Jensen?
JENSEN: I'm very protective over Dean and I'm hesitate to have him take those walls down and show what's inside.
SHIBAN: Skin, when Dean takes off his skin
JENSEN: Dead in the Water, waiting to film it, holding the kid and keeping him afloat while divers were ready to tug them both down.
JARED: some scene from Wedingo
SINGER: The end of Faith, with Lyla
KRIPKE: Home, where Dean calls his Dad BUT, really, it's the hand in the disposal bit.
Then, there was a mad rush to the stage for pictures/autographs. I was having a hot flash, and I didn't have a camera, so I didn't bother. When the aisle was clear, I left and hung outside. Dawynbee and I talked a bit. Some guy hit on me. It was uncomfortable. Then I went home.
Overall, I was impressed by the panel. The questions were reasonably intelligent, no one told the panel they were huge fans, no one bashed any characters (like the last SV panel I went to). As Kripke pointed out, this was the real first gathering of SPN fans in any official capacity, which was cool. I really hope they go to Comic Con this year.
dawnybee, I had a great seat.I almost didn't make it, though. In true Serafina style, I went to the wrong place at first. I never bothered to read my ticked because I'm a moron, but it turned out okay. My brother knows everything about Hollywood and was able to give me directions (I can't use the Thomas Guide and drive at the same time).
I hate driving in LA. There's always traffic, it takes an hour to get down the street, etc. etc.
And, just like everywhere, you can't read the fucking addresses on anything. Oh! And no one can drive, so I had to tell everyone what fucking morons they were and yell at people who are probably actors or something who are trying to cut me off!
Hence, I almost past the Director's Guild. Almost. I got lucky, because as I past it, I happened to glance right at it. Or, rather, at the person getting out of a car in front of it. And he looked familiar.
My thought process: "Dude, he looks famil.... Fuck, that's Jensen! Shit, I'm driving right past it."
Luckily, I was in the right lane, so I just pissed off the person behind me by slowing real quickly and doing a fast turn.
And that's how Jensen Ackles saved me 28 bucks.
They started by introducing the panelists (Peter Johson, producer; Kim Manner's, co-executive producer and writer; John Shiban, writer; Jensen; Jared; someone who's name I didn't get (Robert Singer?), and Eric Kripke.
Kripke got up and said something. Then he told a story that happened on set the night before:
They were filming a scene at Stanly Park in Vancouver when they got a call that there was a man 100/200 yards away with a gun. They shut down production, called the boys and told them not to come, called police/SWAT and spend about 2 hours looking. In the end, it turned out it was one of their special effects crew.
Fun times.
They showed "Scarecrow" next. I was hoping for "Shadows" or a new episode, but whatever. Kripke said that he felt this episode encapsulated everything the show was about: family drama, comedy, supernatural/urban legend thriller, plus it introduced Meg and brought Daddy!Winchester in. And, on top of all that, it was written by Shiban and directed by Manners, so it all fit.
After the show, they reintroduced everyone, brought them on stage, and the moderator started with the questions. (Warning: I didn't write the questions/answers word-for-word, and I also stopped about halfway through before picking up again. For a fuller account, see
dawnybeeQ: What was the inspiration/evolution of the show
KRIPKE I've been wanting to do a urban legends/American folklore show ever since he started out. I started pitching it when I was new in the business, only with reporters. I had, at one point, this idea of a bunch of reporters in a van a la Scooby Do. When "Tarzan" tanked, the WB asked if I had anything else to pitch. I pitched it as a reporter going around investigating, which turned out to be too much like "Nightstalker". They said, "Eh, no. So then, I tried pitching it as 2 guys on a road trip, like "Route 66". They liked that.
Q: How did the family element get into:
KRIPKE Well, I write what I know. I come from a close knit family and know the brother dynamic, how they communicate without communicating anything. I wanted problems between a rebellious little brother and a smartass big brother, and the groundng of te show to be the supernatural influence.
Q: Did you know who you wanted for the role, or did you audition everyone?
KRIPKE We brought in everyone to read. My wife was a huge Gilmore Girls fa, so she knew Jared's work.
Jensen was originally brought in for Sam. After he left, we were all, "We found our Sam!". Then we met Jared and went, "No, that's our Sam. So they switched.
JARED I didn't originally want to do a supernatural Charmed/Buffy type show. But then I read the script and really liked the family grounding. I knew the myths and such from my mom, who's an English teacher (here, Jensen drifts off to sleep).
[I missed some interplay about the reluctant hero and Jared falling over his words]
JENSEN (Jared immediately falls asleep, snoring loudly) I was brought in to read or Sam. I knew David Nutter. I read the script and I really liked Dean. I was like, "What about Dean? I like Dean. He's funny." But, I studied for Sam, although I did a little for Dean as well, went in and read then went home. That night, they called and said they were thinking about this guy Jared Pala.... Pada.... something for the part of Sam, so I looked him up online. (JARED: You thought I was hot. JENSEN: So smokin' hot.) Then I got cast as Dean.
Usually, when you go in for your final read, there's like five guys there that you're competing against, but they just pulled the 2 boys in. They met, read the scene
JENSEN: And we've hated each other every since. (picks up water)
JARED: I poisoned your water.
JENSEN (shrugs)
[here my notes fall apart some. They talk to/about Kim Manners for a bit and how well he works with the boys. He mentions what great chemistry they have with each other. In response, they give each other a long, lingering look. They both tilt their heads and Jared puckers up, leaning in.]
[Jared's mic falls off (again). A cute male employee goes to fix it. As he tries to pin it over Jared's chest, Jared jumps like he's been goosed, eyes wide. Jensen cracks up and puts a (possessive?) hand on Jared's knee.]
[huh; for some reason I decided Robert Singer's name was Peter Johnson; I'm not sure why]
SINGER: I was brought in to guide the young 'un (not a direct quote). I go at everything form a character point of view. How does the character react to what's going on around him, and then I figure the plot will follow from there. Eric goes at everything from a plot point of view and the character follows from there. [and that, in a nutshell, is why I won't ever be able to write for TV].
Q: How do you decide when it's time to get back to the main mythology of the show and away from the FOTW?
ERIC: The season is really driven by sweeps. We do about 5/6 episodes of non-mythology, then tie back to the family character/monster/myth.
SINGER: The first 7 episodes were one-shots to pick up new viewers.
ERIC: I feel that while Lost is a great show, it's very frustrating because it's question on question on question with no answers. I want to give some kind of answers to these questions as we go along.
Q: Do you know where it's going
ERIC: The nature of TV, it's hard to plan out too far. You don't know if you're going to get canceled right away, or keep running for years and years like "Gunsmoke". [Jensen acts like old Dean with a walker]. That being said, he knows where it's going and what the final battle is [leading me to the conclusion that Smallville is the only show running right now that has no fucking clue where they're going and never did.]
Q: John calls Sam and Dean from Sacramento. Is that significant.
SIHBAN: I can't tell you. Maybe. [I think no.]
ERIC: There is a significance to Lawrence, Kansas, and if you Google it, you'll come up with an urban legend tat happened near there.
Q: What urban legend scares you?
MANNERS: nothing
SHIBAN: late scripts. Eric callling wanting to know where the scrip is.
JENSEN: all of them. Bees.
JARED: the Shadowman (he said some long story about some TV show that I couldn't follow)
KRIPKE: Hookman
Q: Something about what happened "2 years ago", the last time Sam and Dean spoke, because Sam's supposed to be a senior and what up, man?
KRIPKE: (laughing) Sam was supposed to be a junior, and all that happened to him put him back a bit, but no one really believed that (which is stupid because, there are so many older college students these days). But, in the end, it was just a continuity mistake and in no way worthy of all the meta on it.
Q: Has anything creepy ever happened on set or has there been anything creepy to be around?
JARED: When we were filming "Skin" this clock fel for no reason. We were all, "Let's just ignore it."
JENSEN: WE shot "Asylum" at an actual abandoned asylum. There were all sorts of things going around, like "don't go on the fourth floor". One day, I decided to take a short cut and went into this long, dark hallway because the only place lit was where we were filming. Anyway, I was all, "It's not that long. I can make it."
Q: Any shows about the brothers growing up?
KRIPKE: We just shot a show where they're fighting something they fought as kids. There's flashbacks to wee!Sam and Dean.
JARED: We want more because when the little Sam and Dean are filming, Big Sam and Dean are sleeping [together].
Q: Is Dean's necklace significant?
A: Yes.
Q: You're Christian. How can you do this show?
A: It's called acting. It's a job. (he did not say it that way; but that was the gist of it)
Q: What's your favorite scene?
MANNERS: Shadow's "I need you scene" which was very hard for Jensen.
Also meeting dad at the hotel and in the alley.
Q: Why was that scene hard for you, Jensen?
JENSEN: I'm very protective over Dean and I'm hesitate to have him take those walls down and show what's inside.
SHIBAN: Skin, when Dean takes off his skin
JENSEN: Dead in the Water, waiting to film it, holding the kid and keeping him afloat while divers were ready to tug them both down.
JARED: some scene from Wedingo
SINGER: The end of Faith, with Lyla
KRIPKE: Home, where Dean calls his Dad BUT, really, it's the hand in the disposal bit.
Then, there was a mad rush to the stage for pictures/autographs. I was having a hot flash, and I didn't have a camera, so I didn't bother. When the aisle was clear, I left and hung outside. Dawynbee and I talked a bit. Some guy hit on me. It was uncomfortable. Then I went home.
Overall, I was impressed by the panel. The questions were reasonably intelligent, no one told the panel they were huge fans, no one bashed any characters (like the last SV panel I went to). As Kripke pointed out, this was the real first gathering of SPN fans in any official capacity, which was cool. I really hope they go to Comic Con this year.
