N. John Smith - Producer

[SerenityS]

An inteview that Gateworld did with Producer Smith sometime last year has been published on their main page:
http://www.gateworld.net/news/2011/02/letting-go/

He is one of those people who were very influential but who we rarely hear about.
He stepped away from Stargate (and Sanctuary, which he also was involved in) before Season 2 of Universe (how many stories like that, huh), and there are some interesting observations in the interview.

 

[THX1138]

An inteview that Gateworld did with Producer Smith sometime last year has been published on their main page:
http://www.gateworld.net/news/2011/02/letting-go/

He is one of those people who were very influential but who we rarely hear about.
He stepped away from Stargate (and Sanctuary, which he also was involved in) before Season 2 of Universe (how many stories like that, huh), and there are some interesting observations in the interview.

Also an indirect confirmation that SGU had a budget in the $3 million area.
" Again, on the new show [Stargate Universe], our budgets are double what Sanctuary spends."
Sanctuary started out with a budget of over CAD$1.6 million.

Which backs up a comment by Damian Kindler that Sanctuary (S3) costs about 2/3rds of shows like SGU & Caprica.

 

[SparklyPinkUnicorn]

Also an indirect confirmation that SGU had a budget in the $3 million area.
" Again, on the new show [Stargate Universe], our budgets are double what Sanctuary spends."
Sanctuary started out with a budget of over CAD$1.6 million.

Which backs up a comment by Damian Kindler that Sanctuary (S3) costs about 2/3rds of shows like SGU & Caprica.

I love how these little gems keep getting dropped by the peripheral players in the SGU behind-the-scenes drama. Just one more thing for TPTB for SGU to be humiliated about, which is fine by me.

 

[Rac80]

He is like Wright and Cooper complaining about the big amount of work, which two series at once make. He even says, that it may have influenced the quality of both series.
It is more than clear, that they killed SGA, so that they could concentrate on SGU.

Wonder how these bozos would ahve survived in the 50s and 60s when tv series did 32 eps a year...or heven forbid they work on a daytime soap... a new ep every freaking damn day!

 

[stclare]

Wonder how these bozos would ahve survived in the 50s and 60s when tv series did 32 eps a year...or heven forbid they work on a daytime soap... a new ep every freaking damn day!

They wish they could write daytime soap.

 

[Overmind One]

Oh my, Im old enough to remember LIVE BROADCAST soaps!

Wonder how these bozos would ahve survived in the 50s and 60s when tv series did 32 eps a year...or heven forbid they work on a daytime soap... a new ep every freaking damn day!

I remember the LIVE soaps! I remember some flubbed lines, some video glitches, stray sounds...those days are over

 

[SparklyPinkUnicorn]

Do you remember "Dark Shadows"?

I remember the LIVE soaps! I remember some flubbed lines, some video glitches, stray sounds...those days are over

Some years ago "Sci-Fi" channel replayed the "Dark Shadows" series. It was great! I forgot how cheaply it was done and how any flubs they made couldn't be edited out. Some of my friends and I still laugh at the ridiculous lines we caught on that show("What do you want from me? -- I brought the hand!"). The bloopers were just unbelievable. I've seen stage hands walk into shots. I've seen hands reach out from off scene and straighten props. I've heard them rehearsing lines as they came back from commercial. -- There are too many to mention. I love that show. I wish I could get every episode on DVD but I think it's only available in compilations. I know I say this a lot but in this case it's true: "Dark Shadows" was so bad it was good!

 

[nakedwesley]

I've had the opportunity to talk to N.John Smith a few times over the years, and I have to say, he's probably the only producer involved with the show I'd actually trust. He's a nice guy, very knowledgeable, and he's been around a long time. He was more the money guy, not so much involved with the writing/directing decision making.

He told me, back when they were still producing both shows, that it was actually cheaper to run both of them concurrently. Possibly because they shared sets and crews and staff. I don't remember it all now. It sounded like they saw the logistical problems as more of a challenge. Could have just been his way of spinning it for the fans, I guess. Of course, this was all around the time M&M took over and destroyed everything. I don't blame NJS for backing away and going into semi-retirement. Run away from those freaks as fast as you can!

 

[Gatefan1976]

I've had the opportunity to talk to N.John Smith a few times over the years, and I have to say, he's probably the only producer involved with the show I'd actually trust. He's a nice guy, very knowledgeable, and he's been around a long time. He was more the money guy, not so much involved with the writing/directing decision making.

He told me, back when they were still producing both shows, that it was actually cheaper to run both of them concurrently. Possibly because they shared sets and crews and staff. I don't remember it all now. It sounded like they saw the logistical problems as more of a challenge. Could have just been his way of spinning it for the fans, I guess. Of course, this was all around the time M&M took over and destroyed everything. I don't blame NJS for backing away and going into semi-retirement. Run away from those freaks as fast as you can!

Who is M&M? Mallozi and Mullie?

 

[Overmind One]

Of course! The first horror/soap (theres a model they will probably try again)

Some years ago "Sci-Fi" channel replayed the "Dark Shadows" series. It was great! I forgot how cheaply it was done and how any flubs they made couldn't be edited out. Some of my friends and I still laugh at the ridiculous lines we caught on that show("What do you want from me? -- I brought the hand!"). The bloopers were just unbelievable. I've seen stage hands walk into shots. I've seen hands reach out from off scene and straighten props. I've heard them rehearsing lines as they came back from commercial. -- There are too many to mention. I love that show. I wish I could get every episode on DVD but I think it's only available in compilations. I know I say this a lot but in this case it's true: "Dark Shadows" was so bad it was good!

Seeing an episode of it today almost looks like it was done by neighborhood friends and a camcorder. Barnabus Collins...when he turned into a vampire. LOL! And yes, I remember them saying lines after the commercials were over and you would hear them again later in the scene. I remember once seeing stagehands all the time, as well as shadows of them being cast from offscreen. I found some bloopers for that show on YouTube!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UeZtYriyFk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEClni8J2z4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROp_u5U8POY&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvCBgSO3kjw&feature=related

 

[Rac80]

I remember the LIVE soaps! I remember some flubbed lines, some video glitches, stray sounds...those days are over

My favorite flub was the announcer for the Edge of Night. He must have been a bit hungover, one day he said "We now return to the Nedge of Night....OH SHIT" on LIVE tv.



@Om1- used to watch dark shadows from behind my nana's couch when i was little (6 or 7) cause is scared me.

 

[SerenityS]

Wow, do those Dark Shadows clips bring back memories!
There was a comment to the interview on GW regarding costs of production that I though was interesting:

"What’s really interesting is that the talk of budgets mentioned that the budget was defined in US dollars. That means that through the lifetime of SG1, the amount that could be gotten for the budget would have gone from a ratio of like 1.8:1 to around 1:1. And even with SGA it would have probably gone from 1.3 or so to 1:1. This means SGU would have been much, much more expensive from the beginning. So it’s ratings would have had to have been much better to be kept around since it didn’t have an established fanbase. I don’t know that any new Stargate show could have made it with that in mind. They really should have just stuck with SGA. It’s ratings were slowly moving back up and it at least had an established fanbase. Even another Stargate show that wasn’t so different probably wouldn’t survive. The producers really failed in not realizing the financial aspect would have been almost insurmountable from the beginning."
mythos

 

[Rac80]

Wow, do those Dark Shadows clips bring back memories!
There was a comment to the interview on GW regarding costs of production that I though was interesting:

"What’s really interesting is that the talk of budgets mentioned that the budget was defined in US dollars. That means that through the lifetime of SG1, the amount that could be gotten for the budget would have gone from a ratio of like 1.8:1 to around 1:1. And even with SGA it would have probably gone from 1.3 or so to 1:1. This means SGU would have been much, much more expensive from the beginning. So it’s ratings would have had to have been much better to be kept around since it didn’t have an established fanbase. I don’t know that any new Stargate show could have made it with that in mind. They really should have just stuck with SGA. It’s ratings were slowly moving back up and it at least had an established fanbase. Even another Stargate show that wasn’t so different probably wouldn’t survive. The producers really failed in not realizing the financial aspect would have been almost insurmountable from the beginning."
mythos

Even former producers are aware what a mistake sgpoo was!