The Swamp

tennbengal wrote: ↑Tue Apr 16, 2024 1:26 pm Didn't we have an 80s v 90s thread at some point? Or I am hallucinating that?

Not sure if this is pro or con. Both.

I'm very curious about the writers' room on shows like that. How does that work? Are they hacks? Are they embittered old writers who've given up and and are just doing whatever pays the bills?

What's wild is that he's wearing his jersey. I mean, there' a lot going on there, but I guess he wasn't a household name at that point... or something?

Nonlinear FC wrote: ↑Tue Apr 16, 2024 1:51 pm What's wild is that he's wearing his jersey. I mean, there' a lot going on there, but I guess he wasn't a household name at that point... or something?

Don't all pro athletes go about their lives in uniform?

tennbengal wrote: ↑Tue Apr 16, 2024 1:26 pm Didn't we have an 80s v 90s thread at some point? Or I am hallucinating that?

Not sure if this is pro or con. Both.

here

And did she say "grab the can"?

That was amazing but the best was she just had to stand up and walk out of the water.

P.D.X. wrote: ↑Tue Apr 16, 2024 2:56 pm That was amazing but the best was she just had to stand up and walk out of the water.

Honestly, she could have crawled out. That's not exactly how rip tides work.

The Sybian wrote: ↑Tue Apr 16, 2024 2:20 pm

Nonlinear FC wrote: ↑Tue Apr 16, 2024 1:51 pm What's wild is that he's wearing his jersey. I mean, there' a lot going on there, but I guess he wasn't a household name at that point... or something?

Don't all pro athletes go about their lives in uniform?

Remember Chris Henry?

Henry, as you probably know, was not a poster child for good deeds since the Bengals drafted him in 2005. He had been arrested multiple times, suspended by the NFL multiple times. He once was arrested on gun charges while he was wearing his own Bengals jersey.

Link

Shirley wrote: ↑Tue Apr 16, 2024 1:32 pmI'm very curious about the writers' room on shows like that. How does that work? Are they hacks? Are they embittered old writers who've given up and and are just doing whatever pays the bills?

There is a much broader level of storytelling used in shows like "Baywatch", which was reliant on international syndication for a significant portion of its revenue. A similar, current example is that terrible action movies still do extremely well in the international market due to their "universal language", as shown by a large portion of the movies that go direct to DVD or streaming now. If you wonder why Van Damme, Dolph Lundgren, and Steven Seagal are still making movies with poor production values and worse scripts, they are aimed at this international market.

In this case, that was an absolute throwaway self-contained scene that had nothing to do with the rest of the episode. It was a one-minute scene inserted strictly so they could promote the episode as "with Mike Piazza". He wore his jersey, practiced his swing, and was asked by the rescued woman if he was Mike Piazza solely to highlight that he was, in fact, Mike Piazza and "Baywatch" was paying off what it promised. And wearing his jersey was basically noting for international viewers that this person is special, even though they don't know who he is, he is going away (with this girl), and you will never see him again.

Yes, it is exactly as rudimentary (and stupid) as it sounds.

Sure, I get that. It wasn't hard to decipher. The international angle is an interesting part of it.

But what I'm talking about is a room full of highly-paid (maybe?) writers who have a job writing for an extremely popular show. And they have to write shit like that. And while that may have been a drop-in scene unrelated to the main plot ... I'm fairly confident the main plot wasn't much less dumb.

So who writes this stuff? And do the people on it wish they were in the Better Call Saul room instead? Or do they not care because presumably their show makes way more money? (You can plug in NCIS or CSI or that kind of shit as today's equivalent)

Interesting point about the international angle for that particular scene. Because, really, that's a fucking bizarre 60 seconds without that context.

But, also, answer Dave's fucking question Drugs!

(j/k obvi)

I'm getting there, NLFC.

Shirley wrote: ↑Wed Apr 17, 2024 9:07 am Sure, I get that. It wasn't hard to decipher. The international angle is an interesting part of it.

But what I'm talking about is a room full of highly-paid (maybe?) writers who have a job writing for an extremely popular show. And they have to write shit like that. And while that may have been a drop-in scene unrelated to the main plot ... I'm fairly confident the main plot wasn't much less dumb.

So who writes this stuff? And do the people on it wish they were in the Better Call Saul room instead? Or do they not care because presumably their show makes way more money? (You can plug in NCIS or CSI or that kind of shit as today's equivalent)

The bottom line is just the money piece. Always and forever. The industry has changed in the last couple decades, there will never be a show as profitable as "Baywatch" ever again. An article in Forbes from three years ago cited it was available in over 120 countries at that time (and an article from last month in Variety about how they are rebooting the show (Fox bought it) mentions it has aired in over 145 countries total). You have to write a dumb show to do that.

A non-"prestige" show will often have a combination of younger and mediocre, more experienced writers. I am certain that all of them wish they were writing for more prestigious fare (with how hard it is to break through to a staff writer job, there are some who are thrilled to get a weekly writing paycheck, as well as a separate check for writing credit for an episode). The thing about even a "dumb" show like "Baywatch" is the episodes are extremely formatted. Writing one is more like decorating a Christmas tree than creating a script from thin air. The framework is there (literally, hitting minute marks for story beats, commercial breaks, etc.) and you add the main story (lights) and supporting B-story (tinsel) and C-story (ornaments). It is less creative/artistic, but still has a significant degree of skill involved because it's still a script that will have to be shot in its entirety in five or six days with budget limitations that affect locations (in number and the cost of the actual locations), set decoration, casting, and every other expense.

Everyone writing on that show will also have a project they are writing on the side on spec (a movie or episode of another TV show to try to get a staff spot on a better show) because the writers do not get enough money from a "Baywatch"-type show to give up on more money from other opportunities. Production companies and distributors get far, far more out of a cut of the finances. No one who solely wrote for "Baywatch" retired on that money unless they were almost there when they took the job.

Do they get residuals?

P.D.X. wrote: ↑Wed Apr 17, 2024 11:27 am Do they get residuals?

Yes, but they taper off in value as time passes/the number of times the show re-airs.

DSafetyGuy wrote: ↑Wed Apr 17, 2024 11:37 am

P.D.X. wrote: ↑Wed Apr 17, 2024 11:27 am Do they get residuals?

Yes, but they taper off in value as time passes/the number of times the show re-airs.

I would just like to agree with every point that DSafe made.

Any writer who has made a living as a writer has worked on many shows that they would never watch. But it's a living. I can pretty much guarantee that the person who wrote that Mike Piazza scene has at least one university degree.

Pruitt IV wrote: ↑Wed Apr 17, 2024 12:31 pmI would just like to agree with every point that DSafe made.

Any writer who has made a living as a writer has worked on many shows that they would never watch. But it's a living. I can pretty much guarantee that the person who wrote that Mike Piazza scene has at least one university degree.

If I had a list of every project I ever worked on in nearly 27 years, the number I (and almost every Swamper) would have chosen to watch would almost certainly be less than one per year.

Damn, I never even heard of Post News...

The Sybian wrote: ↑Fri Apr 19, 2024 6:51 pm Damn, I never even heard of Post News...

Same. And I'm pretty online.

For reference: that's a lyric from a new Taylor Swift song. It led people to Google her childhood home. It's a really nice home. Shocker.

https://trending.knowyourmeme.com/edito ... -explained

Johnnie wrote: ↑Thu Apr 25, 2024 9:52 am

For reference: that's a lyric from a new Taylor Swift song. It led people to Google her childhood home. It's a really nice home. Shocker.

https://trending.knowyourmeme.com/edito ... -explained

Of course she came from a nice home. She also went through hell.

(Edit: Lewinsky went through hell. Not Swift.)

Johnnie wrote: ↑Thu Apr 25, 2024 9:52 am
For reference: that's a lyric from a new Taylor Swift song. It led people to Google her childhood home. It's a really nice home. Shocker.

https://trending.knowyourmeme.com/edito ... -explained

My dad worked for a pool/fence company and installed her fence. It's in a really nice neighborhood of one of the most expensive suburbs. The house next door is absurd when you consider it was built in the 1920's.

testuser2 wrote: ↑Fri Apr 26, 2024 10:08 am

Johnnie wrote: ↑Thu Apr 25, 2024 9:52 am
For reference: that's a lyric from a new Taylor Swift song. It led people to Google her childhood home. It's a really nice home. Shocker.

https://trending.knowyourmeme.com/edito ... -explained

My dad worked for a pool/fence company and installed her fence. It's in a really nice neighborhood of one of the most expensive suburbs. The house next door is absurd when you consider it was built in the 1920's.

Jesus, what's stunning is the price. Only $1.2m for that?

govmentchedda wrote: ↑Fri Apr 26, 2024 10:13 am

testuser2 wrote: ↑Fri Apr 26, 2024 10:08 am

Johnnie wrote: ↑Thu Apr 25, 2024 9:52 am
For reference: that's a lyric from a new Taylor Swift song. It led people to Google her childhood home. It's a really nice home. Shocker.

https://trending.knowyourmeme.com/edito ... -explained

My dad worked for a pool/fence company and installed her fence. It's in a really nice neighborhood of one of the most expensive suburbs. The house next door is absurd when you consider it was built in the 1920's.

Jesus, what's stunning is the price. Only $1.2m for that?

Yeah, that's incredible. It's 16K sf! And gorgeous as well. You'd think "next door to Taylor Swift's childhood home" alone would jack up the price. Or maybe you get a lot of crazies and it hurts the value?

I know some people who grew up in shitty family situations in houses that look nice from outside.

Funny, I was gonna say the same. My wife's bestie is from a very wealthy family (dad was president of the board at Congressional) and that family is a SHITSHOW.

(Also, aside from that, I highly doubt TS is talking about her actual childhood home... poetry/lyrics aren't usually that literal. Just sayin.)

I figure to the extent Swift is being autobiographical at all, she’s talking about early years in the music business.

Completely agree that there may be more behind the scenes, but money wasn't one of those things. It just shows the deck is stacked towards those with money.

My brother in-law was sandwiched between Taylor and John Gosselin. Didn't really know either of them.