The first part, about paying producers is a general misconception. Product in exchange for exposure is most valuable. Soft dollars. Production requires product on screen and for crew. You off-set the budgets of various departments by getting them requested cleared products for usage and negotiate. If it's a local brewery, have them provide the "hop water" for on-screen (saves Prop money for having them made, getting product cleared, etc. etc.) and throw us the wrap party. If it's a large restaurant chain, have them provide second meal plus crew gifts.. Costs Brands much less than "cutting a check" and production saves money by not paying retail for the product they needed anyway. I could go on.. but I never ask for money and I never take it on behalf of a film. I always advise against, whether I'm supervising or consulting. It's a nightmare and never worth it (also, you can't guarantee "final cut") and those deals do not feel like organic integration (natural usage). As mentioned above, TV was always too tough for Product Placement due to commercials. The Coke offices will just give you pre-made greeked Coke stickers if you're doing a TV show just to help you out. Back to TV..
I liked the introductions to those Quinn Martin production shows like The Streets of San Francisco where they actually give us names for all of the guest stars on that night's episode.
yeah, there is a tendency to get side track. for years people laughed at how unrealistic it was for june cleaver wore high and pearls. they even read some kind sociological meaning into it. however there was a very simple that. in the beginning shows, barbara wore flats. however, as the boys got taller, she wore heels to make sure she looked taller them on screen. she wore the pearls to cover the deep "hollow" which caused an unpleasant shadow on her neck when she was filmed by the less sophisticated cameras and film stock of 1950s tv. she also wore high collars and scarfs to covers her neck.
one good thing about old time radio it was to suspend disbelief when it came to casting . when harold peary quit the great gildersleve, they simply brought in sound alike william waterman and nobody seemed to think twice about it. four or five guys played the shadow including a 23 year old orson wells. adults would also frequently act in children's parts.
And had the announcer read the opening credits to us if we couldn't see the screen. This was marvelously parodied in Police Squad.
^^^^^^^Wow!...look at all the guest stars ...that must of been some episode of Cannon...that must've been a 2 part episode You know you made it if you were listed as a special guest star
I miss episode teasers that ran before a show’s opening theme (back when shows had opening themes). Most teasers were cleverly edited and were effective in getting the audience pumped up for the following episode.
I've been watching Dallas on DVD and I find these so annoying that I look away until they're over. I understand their purpose was to keep people from changing the channel but they give away a lot of what's going to happen. The Battlestar Galactica reboot also had a stylized fast cut preview before the episodes but I avoided looking at those too. I don't want any spoilers!
I’ve always found the spoiler issue to be more common within movie trailers (some of which give away the entire film) rather than television episode teasers. I can see a teaser not being very effective, or necessary, for a show like Dallas considering that it was basically a prime time soap opera. However, for an action/adventure show, (e.g. Magnum, P.I., The A Team, The Greatest American Hero, Hawaii Five-O, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, etc.) teasers helped build anticipation and excitement for the viewing audience.
A Quinn Martin Production... Starring William Conrad and Efrem Zimbalist Jr..... Tonights episode, "Who stole my cookie..." This follows right after Starsky and Hutch..
But their main purpose was to quickly sell the episode to the viewer so they won't change the channel. They were like commercials for the episode.
Remember that in the age of teasers, the show before it had ended with its own end credits. Then there was usually a short, verbal network promo, followed by a local commercial minute and a TV station ID. The teaser for the show in question then was slammed on the screen to hook you back to the TV if your attention had drifted during that minute between shows. Today, a show ends with credits scrunched an reduced in size while a promo plays in the bulk of the screen. Immediately as that stuff ends, the next show starts. Nothing else is between shows. Even the required station ID is flashed on the screen as the show is running, and there are no theme tunes anymore, just a quick logo and maybe a blaat of music - and they now happen almost ten minutes into the show. Actor and showrunner credits then appear on top of the action. One of these days - wait - this is a prediction: A QR symbol will flash on the screen, and your phone will then take you to the credits of the show!
I remember The Wild Wild West opened with an animated sequence that contained panels similar to comics. Then at commercial breaks a scene from the show at that point in time would appear in one of the panels from the opening sequence. It was inessential to the story but gave you the impression you were watching something significant, a bit like puzzle pieces fitting into place.
Extreme product placement. Everybody who drove a car in Mister Ed coincidentally drove a Studebaker, while everyone on The Andy Griffith Show and Hawaii Five-O drove a Ford product (though I saw an episode of Hawaii Five-O on Pluto TV a few days ago where somebody drove a Cadillac).
