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Days: Why Things Happen Offscreen
Topic Started: May 30 2008, 09:42 AM (1,151 Views)
DramaKing
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from former soap writer sara bible http://thebiz.fancast.com/2008/05/deep_soap_take_the_day_off.html#more

Quote:
 
NBC, in a rare moment of respect for its lone surviving soap, also scheduled a new episode of the increasingly interesting Days of Our Lives. Which brings me to my next topic…
If A Tree Falls In The Forest… On Daytime It Will Happen Off-Camera
Friday and Monday’s episodes of Days Of Our Lives were all about a drug bust on the docks – part of the battle between John Black and Phillip Kiriakis. Sounds exciting huh? Well, “sounds” is the operative word, because the entire scenario was dramatized via patrons at the Brady pub hearing sirens followed by characters describing what had happened off-camera.
It’s not the writers’ or the producers’ fault. DOOL’s executive producer, Ed Scott, formerly of Y&R, is fantastic. Someday a smart film executive will hire him to make a one million dollar indie movie look like a big-budget Jerry Bruckheimer extravaganza. The problem is that soap budgets are getting slashed to the point where it is becoming impossible to tell a story effectively. Fans joke about how soap characters always have sex on their living room couches. It’s because it’s too expensive to build a bedroom set. Not only are writers limited to a certain amount of sets per episode, they can only have a specified number of set moves a week. (Taking down one set and putting up another on a soundstage requires skilled labor. And skilled labor costs money.) The problem is most apparent on the particularly low-budgeted Guiding Light where for months every character seemed to live in the same hotel bedroom.
I bet that DOOL had to choose between letting Sami and E.J. have sex in an actual bedroom and the drug bust on the docks. The show definitely made the right choice. But it’s a shame that a show which once sent the entire cast to England for Hope & Bo’s wedding can no longer afford to use all the sets that it already owns.
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Sariah
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And we got a bedroom set for Phloe. Good to know how much that means! :D
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Rakesh198
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Thanks for that. She is so right.
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DrewHamilton
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Yeah, Philip and Chloe got a bedroom set. Steve and Kayla have gotten bedroom sets. Bo and Hope have a bedroom set. Not buying it.
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Sariah
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Quote:
 
Yeah, Philip and Chloe got a bedroom set. Steve and Kayla have gotten bedroom sets. Bo and Hope have a bedroom set. Not buying it.

Oh, I like the idea of Philip and Chloe being in the same group as Steve/Kayla and Bo/Hope. :D
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☼ Jinx ☼
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Live. Love. Laugh. ♥

Isn't the bedroom set the same as the one Phillip previously had with Belle. I vaguely remember it from when Claire was born and Belle was going through a state of depression.
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DramaKing
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Yeah, Phils bedroom is an older set.

and S&K got Lumi's old set.
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jcar03
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DrewHamilton
May 30 2008, 11:15 AM
Yeah, Philip and Chloe got a bedroom set. Steve and Kayla have gotten bedroom sets. Bo and Hope have a bedroom set. Not buying it.
When was the last time we saw Bo and Hope's bedroom?

The point is they chose the romance (if you want to call it that) over a shoot out. We can do without violence for once.
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Steve Frame
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This is all just part of why many soaps should just give up. If the money is not there to tell the story the way it should be - then it is time to say goodbye.

Just look at poor old GL. Look at what it has become because of budget. Is that how we want all these soaps to go out? Not me. I would rather them go out with some glory left than die like GL is. It is just too sad to watch it.

It is like sitting and watching a loved one suffer.

When things start happening offscreen all the time and proper points of the story missed as well as people living under the same roof and stuff like that - that doesn't make sense it is time to start thinking what is the best for the show.

I used to not think that way. When GL was going through all of it's troubles in the beginning, I thought to myself well at least it is still there. It is better than them taking it away. No way do I feel that way anymore.

Folks ratings aren't getting any better. And as long as the shows can't produce good quality shows that make sense they aren't going to get any better. They can't do the big stunts and stuff all the time and that seems to be the only things that pull viewers in these days in big numbers, but pretty soon the money is not even going to be there for them every now and then. Ratings are just going to keep going down and so is the money.

IN a few years you will see more shows look just like GL.
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PhoenixRising05
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I won't agree that soaps should give up because to me it depends on the network. Just look at ABC. Ratings suck but OLTL and AMC still had big sweeps events this month. Days still had one in February. It can still be done. The thing is soaps can't do it consistently anymore. They have to pick and choose and with Days they don't have a network fully behind them to provide support like ABC does. I'm glad Days chose romance this time over violence because we get enough violence as it is and many fans said they wanted it and even if it was EJ/Sami at least it provides fans who want romance with the sense that they may get it.

I think since Ed Scott came on Days has done a good job managing things. Sure, sometimes it's annoying but they make do well enough IMO.
Edited by PhoenixRising05, May 31 2008, 01:28 AM.
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