Fw: [SHADO] Re: SHADO PLASTERING

If it wasn't for the inconsistencies the SHADO forum would become pretty boring, don't you think?

All The Best,

BRIAN



----- Forwarded Message ----
From: "[hidden email]" <[hidden email]>
To: [hidden email]
Sent: Sun, 28 March, 2010 13:35:38
Subject: [SHADO] Re: SHADO PLASTERING

 
"Lightcudder" wrote:
I wonder if the Andersons really planned out the UFO series. There are so many inconsistencies.

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As I've written before, UFO scripts were not developed in the way that a serial like a soap opera would be, with a storyline centrally generated by the production team and writers merely filling in the "paint by numbers" templates for each episode.

UFO scripts were commissioned more like those for most other ITC filmed series, i.e a central premise and maybe an introductory episode or two would be generated by the creators and the production company. Then a "bible" withthe premise, brief character bios etc would be sent to trusted freelance writers and writers agents. Writers would pitch an idea for an episode and then, with some imput from the Script Editor and other production members, complete a script.

The benefit of this script commissioning approach - which I think it is useful to think of as "Variations On A Theme" - is that it frees the imagination of individual writers and you are likely to have a wider range of stories.

The drawback, especially given the speed of production, was that inconsistancies were inevitable in a series with as complex a premise as UFO and especially where you would expect a development over the length of the series -eg SHADO would get to know more about the aliens and the tactics of both would change based on previous events.

Most of the series using this "Variations On A Theme" approach had much simpler premises, eg Man in a Suitcase, The Saint, Department S, where there were few recurring characters and where each episode is much more self-contained. There may be the odd inconsistancy but they are probably about minor character quirks or a characters history and less noticable. The more development inherent in the premise e.g. The Champions and Randall and Hopkirk, to a certain extent and in particular The Prisoner and UFO, the more problematic the inconsistancies.

Ultimately, while not wanting to spoil anyone's fun, I think that desperately trying to reconcile inconsistancies, trying to deduce "correct" episode orders etc, are doomed to failure because this was not the priority for themakers. They were trying to make the most interesting, entertaining seriesthey could in difficult circumstances, believing that episode orders were likely to be jumbled by TV stations and viewers would probably only ever see any episode once anyway. They certainly never imagined that 40 years later anyone would be interested, let alone forensically dissecting their work.

As for the point about "padding", we can all agree or disagree about the pacing or necessity of certain scenes but it was common practice, and very sensible, to have in any episode of a series of this type, some scenes which were flexible in length.
The delivery requirements for such series was rigid. It was common for US Networks, (and ITC shows were designed to be sold to the US) to allow an episode to be up to 30 seconds short, as the shortfall could be made up with traillers etc, but not one second long because then they would risk having fewer commercials.
Writing, shooting and editing a story to these tollerances is very difficult and it's not surprising if occassionally an episode has scenes which seemeither rushed or drawn out.

Regards
John





     

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hi,

I think that's what I've always loved about UFO. UFO doesn't explain everything in stark detail, and leaves plenty of room for ones imagination to soar.

Sure, the are lots of inconsistencies, but as in love, sometimes it is the quirkiness, the fallibility, the vulnerabilities and the strange little defects that are most admirable...

Regards, Griff

--- In [hidden email], Brian Serridge <brianserridge@...> wrote:
>
> If it wasn't for the inconsistencies the SHADO forum would become pretty boring, don't you think?
>
> All The Best,
>
> BRIAN