03-06-2008, 05:28 PM
IF Magazine
Television: Review: GUIDING LIGHT - NEW PRODUCTION FORMAT - February 29, 2007 episode
By CARL CORTEZ, Contributing Editor
Published 2/29/2008
Let me preface this by saying, I’m not the core demographic audience that sits around in the afternoons glued to the set watching my soap operas.
There’s something archaic in the acting and production design of the shows that has obviously made the networks airing these series perk up and take notice as well. With ratings down and many series getting pruned from daytime line-ups, it’s a grim time for these older-skewing mainstays.
Which is why, I must also add, I might be the perfect person to review the new format CBS is debuting today for the GUIDING LIGHT, now in its 55th season.
Trying to be hipper, faster and more current in its strorytelling devices, CBS is shaking up a format that has been etched in stone for decades and while it may bring in younger viewers, it’s going to be shock treatment for older watchers who will be thinking their favorite soap has been hijacked by cable access filmmaking punks featuring shaky camera work, bad lighting and audio that sounds as it came directly from the microphone on the video camera.
That said, there’s some good and very bad examples of what is working as they try to accomplish something groundbreaking with its new milieu. Gone are the soap sets and two or three cameras capturing it like a live show (as are the nice lighting to make the actors look perfect, perky and poised).
Now the series is filmed like a regular TV series – handheld cameras, multiple cuts, tons of outdoor scenes – but more with an independent film aesthetic. It’s a pretty ambitious undertaking – especially considering they have to crank out five of the puppies in this format every day, every week, but once they work out the kinks, this could very well be the future of soaps.
To prepare myself, I did a quick once-over on the old format earlier this week on GUIDING LIGHT. And you could already see the show mixing the old style, will elements of the new, hoping it won’t be too jarring a transition for its fan base.
And now watching a full-on episode done this way, you sort of wished they left well enough alone.
While a lot of the inter-personal daytime soap opera clap trap was definitely on display (most of it completely went over my head, which means I can’t tell you what was going on if my life depended on it), there did seem to be an “A” story circling around Jonathan Randall (Tom Pelphrey). As the press notes thankfully explain, he’s a young guy who got involved with the wrong girl – a prissy prima donna named Lizzie Spaulding (Marcy Rylan) – and had a baby together. He eventually faked his and his daughter’s death, but he’s back in town and wanting to get back with Lizzie.
Of the scenes in this first episode with what CBS is dubbing “the new production model,” they were the most natural with Pelphrey and Rylan shining in this more naturalistic setting. It also helps that they represent the younger generation on the show, so emphasizing their storyline makes sense in grabbing the new viewers GUIDING LIGHT so desperately craves.
On the other hand, the older actors, the seasoned daytime pros, seem to be having an uncomfortable transition. The very proper, somewhat stilted acting that was allowed when the series was shot in its traditional format, starts poking holes through any actor with limited chops in this new setting. In fact, it comes off downright amateurish. There are times where the acting wouldn’t pass muster on a student film. These people are pros, but it’s clear some are struggling with this new way of storytelling. It’s also hard to hide the older actors with soft lighting which is also a daytime mainstay. So it’s warts and all, and if you don’t like it, well, I don’t know what the real solution is.
Throw in an attempt at a brand new hip musical theme (sort of soft rock, by way of Christopher Cross) and having that song play throughout the episode, you can tell they're definitely throwing out the old and shoving down audiences throat the new for better or for worse.
Again though, this is the first episode of something that is likely to be perfected, within in a couple short weeks. In order to shoot so much film and coverage, it’s obvious the series is using the new generation High-Def cameras that don’t need excessive amounts of lighting. This probably allows for them to book through set-ups like crazy. Shooting outdoors – specifically in the daylight – also seems to cut down on that time-eating part of the production process.
However, please, someone please, hire sound people. It sounds like they’re using the microphones off of the cameras themselves, with sounds of cars and people’s feet on gravel overriding actor dialogue on many occasions.
The camera work too, is at times, too jarring. The handheld stuff works in certain instances, but in some cases, a tripod will do fine, because you can see someone going overly crazy with the clever angles and abstract close-up compositions. The producers shouldn’t feel afraid to go backwards on occasion, because as CLOVERFIELD’s handheld camera work proved, you can’t afford to make your core audience sea sick with all that motion.
The big question: Is GUIDING LIGHT the savior of daytime television or its death knell? While this new format will offer better film and traditional TV training to its thespians, and it might also open up doors for writers wanting to do something a little more challenging and dare we say, “cinematic,” it’s still not a good thing if your actors look like ass and the writing doesn’t rise above a student film (especially when you’re shooting the series like one).
It’s a big “what if,” because I find it hard to believe most die-hard viewers of the show are going to be able to handle the big change, but then again, stranger things have happened. Who would have figured reality TV would be more entertaining at times than scripted television? This new “production model” is a daring risk, but despite the inherent missteps during this first crack, once they work out the kinks, this may very well be the only way to ensure the survival of the daytime soap. And if it doesn’t work? Well, I’m sure we’ll all know by Monday morning how many seizures they show induced and that will be a deciding factor in whether or not the show returns to its original “production model.”
Television: Review: GUIDING LIGHT - NEW PRODUCTION FORMAT - February 29, 2007 episode
By CARL CORTEZ, Contributing Editor
Published 2/29/2008
Let me preface this by saying, I’m not the core demographic audience that sits around in the afternoons glued to the set watching my soap operas.
There’s something archaic in the acting and production design of the shows that has obviously made the networks airing these series perk up and take notice as well. With ratings down and many series getting pruned from daytime line-ups, it’s a grim time for these older-skewing mainstays.
Which is why, I must also add, I might be the perfect person to review the new format CBS is debuting today for the GUIDING LIGHT, now in its 55th season.
Trying to be hipper, faster and more current in its strorytelling devices, CBS is shaking up a format that has been etched in stone for decades and while it may bring in younger viewers, it’s going to be shock treatment for older watchers who will be thinking their favorite soap has been hijacked by cable access filmmaking punks featuring shaky camera work, bad lighting and audio that sounds as it came directly from the microphone on the video camera.
That said, there’s some good and very bad examples of what is working as they try to accomplish something groundbreaking with its new milieu. Gone are the soap sets and two or three cameras capturing it like a live show (as are the nice lighting to make the actors look perfect, perky and poised).
Now the series is filmed like a regular TV series – handheld cameras, multiple cuts, tons of outdoor scenes – but more with an independent film aesthetic. It’s a pretty ambitious undertaking – especially considering they have to crank out five of the puppies in this format every day, every week, but once they work out the kinks, this could very well be the future of soaps.
To prepare myself, I did a quick once-over on the old format earlier this week on GUIDING LIGHT. And you could already see the show mixing the old style, will elements of the new, hoping it won’t be too jarring a transition for its fan base.
And now watching a full-on episode done this way, you sort of wished they left well enough alone.
While a lot of the inter-personal daytime soap opera clap trap was definitely on display (most of it completely went over my head, which means I can’t tell you what was going on if my life depended on it), there did seem to be an “A” story circling around Jonathan Randall (Tom Pelphrey). As the press notes thankfully explain, he’s a young guy who got involved with the wrong girl – a prissy prima donna named Lizzie Spaulding (Marcy Rylan) – and had a baby together. He eventually faked his and his daughter’s death, but he’s back in town and wanting to get back with Lizzie.
Of the scenes in this first episode with what CBS is dubbing “the new production model,” they were the most natural with Pelphrey and Rylan shining in this more naturalistic setting. It also helps that they represent the younger generation on the show, so emphasizing their storyline makes sense in grabbing the new viewers GUIDING LIGHT so desperately craves.
On the other hand, the older actors, the seasoned daytime pros, seem to be having an uncomfortable transition. The very proper, somewhat stilted acting that was allowed when the series was shot in its traditional format, starts poking holes through any actor with limited chops in this new setting. In fact, it comes off downright amateurish. There are times where the acting wouldn’t pass muster on a student film. These people are pros, but it’s clear some are struggling with this new way of storytelling. It’s also hard to hide the older actors with soft lighting which is also a daytime mainstay. So it’s warts and all, and if you don’t like it, well, I don’t know what the real solution is.
Throw in an attempt at a brand new hip musical theme (sort of soft rock, by way of Christopher Cross) and having that song play throughout the episode, you can tell they're definitely throwing out the old and shoving down audiences throat the new for better or for worse.
Again though, this is the first episode of something that is likely to be perfected, within in a couple short weeks. In order to shoot so much film and coverage, it’s obvious the series is using the new generation High-Def cameras that don’t need excessive amounts of lighting. This probably allows for them to book through set-ups like crazy. Shooting outdoors – specifically in the daylight – also seems to cut down on that time-eating part of the production process.
However, please, someone please, hire sound people. It sounds like they’re using the microphones off of the cameras themselves, with sounds of cars and people’s feet on gravel overriding actor dialogue on many occasions.
The camera work too, is at times, too jarring. The handheld stuff works in certain instances, but in some cases, a tripod will do fine, because you can see someone going overly crazy with the clever angles and abstract close-up compositions. The producers shouldn’t feel afraid to go backwards on occasion, because as CLOVERFIELD’s handheld camera work proved, you can’t afford to make your core audience sea sick with all that motion.
The big question: Is GUIDING LIGHT the savior of daytime television or its death knell? While this new format will offer better film and traditional TV training to its thespians, and it might also open up doors for writers wanting to do something a little more challenging and dare we say, “cinematic,” it’s still not a good thing if your actors look like ass and the writing doesn’t rise above a student film (especially when you’re shooting the series like one).
It’s a big “what if,” because I find it hard to believe most die-hard viewers of the show are going to be able to handle the big change, but then again, stranger things have happened. Who would have figured reality TV would be more entertaining at times than scripted television? This new “production model” is a daring risk, but despite the inherent missteps during this first crack, once they work out the kinks, this may very well be the only way to ensure the survival of the daytime soap. And if it doesn’t work? Well, I’m sure we’ll all know by Monday morning how many seizures they show induced and that will be a deciding factor in whether or not the show returns to its original “production model.”