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

Could be, but I must admit that after seeing the other photo of her dancingin ORDEAL, the woman I see in MINDBENDER doesn't look very much like her to me.
 
Jeff

--- On Sun, 3/28/10, Rob <[hidden email]> wrote:


From: Rob <[hidden email]>
Subject: [SHADO] Re: Sylvia Anderson
To: [hidden email]
Date: Sunday, March 28, 2010, 6:43 AM


 





Sorry, but having met Sylvia, I can GUARANTEE that that is her in Mindbender.
To be honest, I didn't even notice someone referring to her by name, I justrecognised her.

http://www.tinyurl. com/yztqn4m

Rob

--- In SHADO@yahoogroups. com, "Marc Martin" <marc@...> wrote:
> That woman in MINBENDER is not Sylvia Anderson... she's just named
> "Sylvia" in the episode. Watch it in high-def if you don't believe
> me:
http://ufoseries. com/hdtv/ sheep.wmv
> Marc








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Hi All :)

Well to my eyes - and I have met Sylvia many times over the years - there is NO QUESTION that the woman in 'Ordeal' IS Sylvia... ...and George Sewell WAS there also, but ended up on the cutting room floor.

But, I am certain the woman in 'Mindbender' (prompter) is not Sylvia...

Well, there's my 50 cents.

Regards,

Griff

P.S. Finally just watched the hi-def clip Marc posted the link to. If thewoman in the photo dancing in ORDEAL is DEFINITELY Sylvia Anderson, then the woman in the hi-def clip from MINDBENDER...DEFINITELY IS NOT. COMPLETELY different facial structure. Sorry Rob.

Jeff

--- In [hidden email], Jeffrey Nelson <1shado1@...> wrote:

Hi,

This might help :)

http://www.griffwason.com/UFO/SylviaAnderson-x3.jpg

Also, the 'Mindbender' prompters voice does not sound anything like Sylvia.The 'Mindbender' female prompter has what I suppose could be called an East End London accent, whilst Sylvia's is most certainly not...

Given that the UFO producers took the trouble to cast the 'Mindbender' offset film crew:

Film Director Stephan Chase
1st Assistant Director Norton Clarke
2nd Assistant Director Paul Greaves

The chances are that the lady concerned (who does has a speaking part) is either a bought-in extra, a member of the UFO production team, possibly Doreen Soan who really did do continuity in UFO and Space 1999 (and many others)

Anyway...

Regards,

Griff

--- In [hidden email], "nafofu" <1shado1@...> wrote:
>
> P.S. Finally just watched the hi-def clip Marc posted the link to. If the woman in the photo dancing in ORDEAL is DEFINITELY Sylvia Anderson, thenthe woman in the hi-def clip from MINDBENDER...DEFINITELY IS NOT. COMPLETELY different facial structure. Sorry Rob.

> The chances are that the lady concerned (who does has a speaking part) is
> either a bought-in extra, a member of the UFO production team, possibly
> Doreen Soan who really did do continuity in UFO and Space 1999

Don't think its Doreen Soan:

http://www.telegoons.org/Bios/Bio_DS.htm

All you really need to do is compare the facial structure -- Sylvia Anderson
has "pointy" facial features (nose, chin), while the woman in MINBENDER has
rounded facial features. I also think the woman in MINDBENDER looks at least
several years younger than Sylvia Anderson.

Marc

> http://www.griffwason.com/UFO/SylviaAnderson-x3.jpg

By the way, one thing that was not originally clear to me,
the "girl" in the cap in this photo *is* Sylvia Anderson:

http://ufoseries.com/photos/btsGerryGirl.jpg

I've seen some similar (but head-on) photos that make that
much more obvious.

Also, the MINDBENDER continuity lady has a larger and
taller face than Sylvia.

Marc

Hi Marc,

Yes, I am certain you are right. Thanks :)

Rgds, Griff

--- In [hidden email], "Marc Martin" <marc@...> wrote:

--- On Thu, 3/25/10, [hidden email] <[hidden email]> wrote:


From: [hidden email] <[hidden email]>
Subject: [SHADO] Re: SHADO PLASTERING
To: [hidden email]
Date: Thursday, March 25, 2010, 5:49 PM


 



James wrote:
Looks like it was filmed in the bowels of a real building somewhere.

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It's an easy mistake to make but in the context of the way such shows were made, highly unlikely.

The ITC filmed series were, unlike some of the later Euston series, based and shot almost entirely within film studios. As many as possible exterior shots were filmed within the studio grounds and virtually all interiors weresets. Off-hand I can only think of one interior location off the studio lot used in any of the classic ITC series. That was, I think, Woburn Abbey inan episode of Randall and Hopkirk - an interior which would have cost a fortune for any reasonable studio replica.

Certainly any regular interiors were sets. On any film, but especially on these series, time was and is a great deal of money. It would be cheaper to build a set than to waste time having the cast and crew travel to an unnecessary location.

Regards
John









     

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