This is what was posted today at the official board
TREEHOUSE NEWS 04 11 02
SUMMER HIATUS
The lonely Lost World outpost of post-production will close in Australia in just a few
weeks with the delivery of the final episodes of Season Three. (On a positive note, last
week’s e-mail update for TLW’s production team referred to the next few months as a
“break” in production.)
SEASON THREE BROADCAST SCHEDULE
Each week, Treehouse News lists the next four episodes to air in the U.S.
A run of six all-new episodes begins this week.
04/08/02 – 04/14/02 Episode 317 “The Imposters”
04/15/02 – 04/21/02 Episode 318 “The Elixir”
04/22/02 – 04/28/02 Episode 319 “Tapestry” (Veronica returns.)
04/29/02 – 05/05/02 Episode 320 “Legacy”
Two more new episodes will follow before summer repeats begin.
The status of Season Four remains the same: Still completely unofficial and subject to change—Season Four is currently expected to begin the week of September 30.
CHICAGO CONVENTION
As mentioned last week, Jeff Hayes is working on ways to support the first Lost World
convention. Details re the involvement of Coote/Hayes and New Line will be posted as
they become available. In the meantime, is there any consensus on what Lost World fans
are called, and on what the name of the very first convention will be?
CHANGE IN TOPICS
Over the Northern hemisphere’s summer, Treehouse News will continue to post
behind-the-scenes background pieces for previously-run episodes. But the First-Look
comments for the new episodes will be much briefer, so as not to spoil the fun by giving
too much away (especially concerning the symbol on Summerlee’s mask and what it
means to Veronica!).
SHOP TALK: THE CONCEPT MEETING
In a perfect world, in which everything is done on schedule, a TLW script begins life as
an “unnumbered first draft.” This simply means it’s the writer’s first draft, based on an
approved and detailed outline, and that the script’s scenes have not yet been given the
production numbers necessary for scheduling.
—A scene is typically an extended piece of continuous action which takes place in one
location. The term includes everything from a quick establishing shot of the Treehouse,
over which we hear the gramophone playing, to an extended dinosaur chase through the
jungle.
—In a script, scenes are indicated as being interior or exterior, written as “EXT. TREEHOUSE – DAY,” and “INT. TREEHOUSE – NIGHT.”
—A TLW scene number is three to four digits long. The first one or two digits indicate the episode number; the last two digits indicate the scene number. For example, the scene numbers for Episode 314, “The Secret,” ran from Scene 1401 to 1439.
—When scenes change after a script has been “locked” (meaning that, for ease of scheduling, no scenes or page numbers will be allowed to change from this stage onward), deleted scenes will appear in subsequent drafts of the script as “OMITTED.” New inserted scenes will be numbered 1410A, 1410B, and so on.
The first step in the long journey to final script is when the unnumbered first draft is circulated to the cast, department heads, key production personnel, and everyone else on the show who’s interested to know what’s going to happen next (especially to Arthur the Beetle). This is when the Story Department receives its first set of reactions to the story’s structure and requirements. These reactions usually deal with broad issues such as casting possibilities, scheduling and budget concerns, and, of course, overall story logic.
Sometimes the schedule is such that the Story Department has a chance to address these initial concerns before the first formal production meeting – the Concept Meeting. If this is the case, the Story Department replaces the unnumbered first draft script with the “numbered white production draft.” (This script is called a “white” draft because it’s printed on white paper.)
More often than not, it is this numbered white draft that is the focus of the Concept Meeting.
The TLW Concept Meeting takes place at the show’s production offices, right beside the open kitchen, where four or five large conference tables have been pushed together into a square to make room for between twenty to thirty people. Attendees include the episode’s director and assistant director (the A.D,, who usually runs the meeting), along with all department heads – make-up, hair, wardrobe, stunts, locations, casting, special effects, digital effects, continuity, art, props, writers – and the key producers, including Executive Producer Jeff Hayes, and those who’re responsible for the budget, logistics, and post-production.
The meeting starts with everyone opening his or her copy of the white-draft script to page one, scene one. And then an intensive production analysis begins. (Interestingly enough, story content is rarely, if ever, discussed at the Concept Meeting. That occurs at smaller, follow-up meetings with the Story Department, the producers, and the director.)
What follows next is a big brainstorming session. The art and prop people have read the script using highlighters to mark every prop, set, and scenic element. Make-up has begun tracking the characters’ physical conditions through the story. Wardrobe has made notes about any new costumes that have to be designed and sewn for guest characters, and at the same time has begun to calculate how many versions of the regular casts’ costumes will have to be sacrificed for bullet hits, knife wounds, or other specified mayhem.
Meanwhile, the stunt coordinator has marked every physical interaction in the script, from Roxton having an all-out fight with one of his abductors in Episode 315 (“Finn”) to Marguerite being pushed aside in Episode 316 (“Suspicion”). The stunt and safety coordinators mark the script for action the cast can safely accomplish, noting any shenanigans that will have to be assigned (usually over the casts’ objections) to stunt doubles. (The number of stunt doubles and the type of action they’ll have to perform will directly affect the plans of wardrobe and make-up, as well. The messier the stunt, the more frequent the make-up applications, and the greater the number of duplicate costumes.)
At this first discussion of the script, the special effects and digital effects coordinators often speak with the director about the best way to achieve what the script has called for. For example, in an upcoming episode, there was a long discussion about whether to present a massive explosion by actually firing off explosives in a set (looks great, is potentially dangerous, can only be done once), or by using a CGI flame effect (can also look extremely realistic with the proper editing and sound effects provided by post-production). In the end, several techniques were combined: The CGI element was used at the apparent source of ignition, while large air cannons were used to blast debris into the air. The final arrangement involved input from special effects, digital effects, the stunt and safety coordinators, and the construction team, as well as careful planning regarding cost and schedule.
At the end of the Concept Meeting, which can last anywhere from just under an hour to more than two hours, depending on a script’s technical complexity, everyone usually walks away with areas to investigate.
Another example: After the Concept Meeting for Episode 305 (“The Knife”), the props department began work on a prototype “soft” knife that could be treated with a new finishing compound so it would gleam like polished steel, yet still be completely safe during fights. The director, Michael Offer, set off to film some test transition sequences to see how to get into and out of Malone’s visions. Casting had to come up with a selection of actors who would be suitable for the guest roles of Gull and Anderson (and who would be available at the time the episode was scheduled to be shot). And wardrobe had the fun assignment of researching Victorian clothing to create new costumes for actors Rachel Blakely and Jennifer O’Dell in their dual roles.
Meanwhile, the episode’s writer – in this case, Executive Producer Guy Mullally – headed back to the keyboard to expand some scenes and decrease others to address technical issues. (When a writer revises a script, the resulting revised draft will have an asterisk in the margin to the right of any lines that have changed. The asterisks are used to alert readers to a change between the new script and the one that preceded it.) If only a few pages of the revised white draft have changes, then these pages are printed out as “pink” pages (on pink paper) and are placed in the white script. The changed white pages are pulled out and replaced by the new pink ones, so at a glance, the readers can tell which pages have changed.
However, at this first stage of reworking the script, there are usually so many changed pages that often the next script that is distributed for review is not a pink and white script but a “full pink” with changes on virtually every page.
For subsequent revisions of the script, many times only the changed pages (each new revision having its own particular color) are printed and distributed. So when a set of changed pages comes in, everyone takes apart his/her script, tosses out the old pages, and slips in the new ones. By the time a script is actually in production, it is a veritable rainbow.
On TLW, the script order of revisions runs: white, pink, blue, green, yellow, then repeats with 2nd white, 2nd pink, and so on, occasionally reaching even into triples. It’s no wonder that scripts are bound with easy-to-remove brads or other removable connectors.
But, before that colorful bunch of pages goes into production, it must first survive the Production Meeting. More on that next week.
A FIRST LOOK AT THIS WEEK’S EPISODE: “THE IMPOSTERS”
“For two days each year, two different worlds are brought together by a freak of nature.
But when the earth has moved just a little, and the sun no longer hits that cluster of
sparkling rocks, everything returns to normal…. Last year it was a frozen wasteland. The
year before, a desert. Every year, it's something different.” – EDGAR GRAY, in “THE
OUTLAW” (Episode 216)
Which brings us to Episode 317: Even when things looked darkest last summer, Jeff Hayes thought positively and asked the Story Department to start thinking of Season Three stories. And one of the first story areas to be considered was: What if the Explorers returned one year later to the “Outlaw” cave to see if the strange phenomenon would repeat?
And the answer? Well, let’s just say that this year, with Finn around, it’s not the landscape that does the changing…
NEXT WEEK: More news, and A First Look at “The Elixir.”
J&G
March 28th
TREEHOUSE NEWS 03 28 02
SEASON THREE PRODUCTION
SEASON THREE BROADCAST SCHEDULE
03 25 02 – 03 31 02
04/01/02 – 04/07/02
Then, the last set of all-new episodes begins.
04 08 02 – 04 14 02
04 15 02 – 04 21 02
04 22 02 – 04 28 02
04 29 02 – 05 05 02
05 06 02 – 05 12 02
05 13 02 – 05 19 02
The next set of reruns will continue through the summer, beginning with “Finn,” and
ending with a reprise of “Heart of the Storm” in the week of September 23.
Completely unofficially and subject to change, that points to Season Four beginning the
week of September 30.
Watch for updates.
FOR THE RECORD
The best news of all for TLW are the local ratings from major markets, such as New York
City, Chicago, and Los Angeles, where TLW ratings in the threes and fours are very
common. And, in most of these markets, TLW is consistently number one in its timeslot,
in addition to improving on the ratings of whichever program airs just before it. All this
factors in New Line’s enthusiastic early renewal of the series for a fourth season in
advance of the NATPE convention when such announcements are usually made.
TLW PROMOTIONAL MERCHANDISE
BEHIND THE SCENES FOR THIS WEEK’S EPISODE: “HOLLOW VICTORY”
Fortunately, after sitting out the second season, the balloon basket was in great shape,
having been wrapped up and stored on the lot. Though it looks to be a lightweight
basket made of wicker and wood, the wicker is only a covering. Underneath is a welded
steel frame – completely unsuitable for flight, but exactly what’s needed to hold five
extremely valuable actors as they dangle from a crane on location, or from a hoist on the
stage.
For “Hollow Victory,” many of the safety issues concerned the balloon basket and the
precautions required to film the cast in it. When it was shot on location, the basket was
actually suspended from a large crane which could simultaneously lift and swing it. But
the real drama for the safety crew came during the launch and landing sequences, when
the actors had to jump on and off while the basket was in motion. In these shots no one
could wear the hidden safety harnesses that are usually used whenever an actor is put
into a position from which he or she might fall.
Because safety is always an overriding concern on TLW (that is, for everyone on the
production except for the actors themselves – they’re fearless), the initial concept
meeting for each episode always includes the safety supervisor, and careful planning
goes into every action that might present the slightest degree of risk. When an episode’s
shooting breakdown is issued, the breakdown also includes a detailed report of all the
safety measures to be taken in each scene. Basic safety measures include being sure
there are enough mats and pads to protect all the actors and “stunties” (as they’re
called Downunder), for any action that requires anyone to hit the ground, during fights,
chases, and dinosaur attacks.
Weapons, in particular, are treated with exceptional care. Most weapons in the series
have soft rubber duplicates—used whenever there’s a chance an actor might come into
close contact with the weapon, especially by accident. (In one of the new episodes to
come, there is a spectacular fight involving bladed weapons. Though the fight’s prop
weapons are not really metal, they are rigid so they’ll look believable when they make
contact—which means that the slightest miscalculation on the part of the actors
engaged in battle could definitely have serious consequences.)
Safety notices also appear regularly on the call sheets for each day’s planned shooting,
often warning the crew of dangerous flora and fauna in the location area, even, at times,
reminding the crew when to tuck their pants into their boots. And while on location,
safety officers call attention to any particular plants and insect infestations to avoid.
(During the production of Episode 320, just as action was about to be called for an
on-location scene, one of the lighting team politely asked for a brief delay because a
snake was attacking his boot! All held their positions, the snake eventually gave up, and
the show went on.)
NEXT WEEK: More news, and Behind-the-Scenes for “Witch’s Calling.”
J&G
March 21st
TREEHOUSE NEWS 03 21 02
FROM THE LOST WORLD STORY DEPARTMENT
SEASON THREE PRODUCTION
NEW OF SEASON FOUR
MARKETING TLW
BEHIND THE SCENES FOR THIS WEEK’S EPISODE: “DEAD MAN’S HILL”
Season Three began with Jeff Hayes again asking for a Western, especially now that time
was on the side of the set-building crew. So the Story Department began its discussions
anew, and Nick Jacobs suggested using the discovery of a hangman’s noose to pull
Roxton into a classic story of justice denied. The Story Department developed the
outline, and Nick got first crack at writing an early draft.
When it came to finding all the various Old West locations for the story, history repeated
itself on two occasions—a fitting occurrence for the Plateau. First, a portion of Maylene’s
ranch already existed, having been built for a Western movie of the week that was filmed
at a nearby, never-before-used-by-TLW location a few months earlier. Second, after
several different possibilities were considered (including the Western-themed area of the
Movie World Theme Park next door to the studio), the Western Street, complete with
Violet’s bar, the blacksmith’s, and the sheriff’s office, ended up being built at a
well-known TWL location—the old Zanga Village—which had been the Season Two “The
Outlaw” village! Obviously, true destiny cannot be denied.
The TLW location scout, in particular, faced a unique challenge on “Dead Man’s Hill.” The
Hanging Tree had to appear in the overgrown jungle where Roxton and Marguerite first
find it, as well as in the bleak Old West desert where Roxton first appears. The simplest
solution would have been to use two different trees in two different locations, counting
on the presence, then absence of jungle greenery to fool the eye. Second simplest would
have been to use one tree in one location. In this scenario, an appropriate tree in a
desert location would be “dressed” by the greens department with several truckloads of
potted jungle plants, thus transforming the “desert” into a “jungle.”
But often the simplest solution isn’t the most satisfying, and so for maximum visual
effect, the production decided on a third solution: one tree in two different locations.
First, a suitable dead tree was found and cut down. Unexpectedly, the dead tree
Archieved News
News from August toOctober
No change since last week’s posting. Only a skeleton crew remains in post-production,
working to deliver the final episodes of Season Three. So, in place of new developments,
here’s the line-up for the rest of the season.
First, the current set of reruns will continue for two more weeks.
Episode 308:“Hollow Victory”
Episode 309:“A Witch’s Calling”
Episode 317:“The Imposters”
It’s been one year since“The Outlaw,” which means it’s time to go back to that cave...
Label this one “unusual.”
Episode 318:“The Elixir”
Catherine Wilkin, who’s married to Peter McCauley, returns to the Plateau in a new role
she’s especially suited to play: Challenger’s wife, Jessie.
Episode 319:“Tapestry”
Veronica returns in a tale of intrigue that could have been titled, “The Secret, Part II.”
Episode 320: “ Legacy”
The first episode ever to begin somewhere other than the Plateau. Where—and when—it
goes from there is even more unexpected.
Episode 321:“Trapped”
There are some things our explorers just can’t escape.
Episode 322:“Heart of the Storm”
It’s finally time for those three little words that mean so much: “To be continued…”
The ratings that are kindly posted here each week are certainly good news for everyone
connected to TLW. Even better news is that these figures are only part of the story
because they’re the overall national numbers—arrived at by combining ratings from all the
individual airings of TLW across the United States, including those markets where the
show airs in less than optimal timeslots.
Jeff Hayes’s office has unearthed a treasure trove of TLW promotional items—instant
cameras, Swiss Army Knife tool cards, giant jawbreakers (dinosaur eggs?), autographed
scripts, a canteen and binoculars, and even a crew jacket—which Coote-Hayes is happy
to donate to a charity auction or charity raffle as part of a TLW convention. Please keep
Treehouse News apprised of how plans are proceeding.
“Hollow Victory” was yet another episode that emerged from the first story conference of
Season Three. Jeff Hayes, a big fan of classic science-fiction adventures, wondered if
the Explorers could take part in a new Journey to the Center of the Earth story, without
repeating Season Two’s, “Under Pressure.” The Story Department was already eager to
use science-fiction settings popular at the time Doyle was writing the original Challenger
stories, and one of the best of those settings was the Hollow Earth. Plus, by having the
Explorers travel into the earth by balloon this time, the story setting and atmosphere
would be distinct from the dark cave and tunnel look of “Under Pressure.”
The final six episodes of Season Three are nearing the end of post-production, with
Episode 322 scheduled for completion around the second week in April. As always, the
multi-talented people in post were the last to begin work this season, and now with
everyone else off on vacation or onto other productions, they’re the last—and the
loneliest—on the job. For the rest of us, their amazing work will be worth the wait!
No official change in status yet from last-week’s posting. Since New Line has announced
renewal of the series for a fourth season, the next step will be the producers’ official
announcement of the start date for actual production. Unofficially, all concerned are
hoping to begin Season Four sometime in July. Stay posted.
Everyone involved with TLW is truly appreciative of the efforts made by the members of
this board towards getting publicity for the series. As information becomes available,
Treehouse News will report on plans currently under discussion by TLW’s producing
partners for raising the show’s profile in a variety of media—including, perhaps,
announcements of long-awaited TLW merchandise.
All the way back in Season One, TLW Executive Producer Jeff Hayes and series star
Jennifer O’Dell were among the first to suggest setting a classic Western on the Plateau.
Season One came and went without a Western, but in Season Two, it almost happened
because, as originally conceived, Guy Mullally’s “The Outlaw” was set in the Wild West.
Unfortunately, as the Season Two production schedule unfolded, it became clear there
was no time to build a true Western street. So it was that the old Zanga Village was
quickly transformed into an old English-village setting for what became one of Season
Two’s most popular episodes.
News from November to January
News from February
