At the turn of the 21st century, the TV landscape had changed. "You're going to see almost nothing but reality shows," Aaron Spelling remarked. Even on daytime - the home of soap operas, once popular dramas were now "a shinning gem in the dark time." Agnes Nixon observed, "There are so many channels, so much competition...Ratings have gone down on all shows. Our network and the other 2 shows opposite us at 1:00 p.m., all 3 have lost 20% of audience. Advertisers don't pay as much but the costs of production have gone up." In 2004, to the surprise of many, 'Desperate Housewives' became a successful scripted show on nighttime television. Marc Cherry used his instinct for storytelling to apply to a new genre - drama and comedy. "Without changing it too much," Charles Pratt Jr. revealed, "we worked on adding dark flair and open-ended story arcs while protecting the comedy all the way through. I resisted adding melodrama as much as Marc resisted the straight-on-sitcom style."
"If you think about it," Josie Bissett made the point, "there are hundreds of people who work on a show and only a handful are actors. A lot more goes on behind the scenes than many people realize...." Victor French added, "One of the problems with having your own show is that people have a tendency of wanting to subordinate themselves to you. They'll tend to say things like, 'Oh gee, you're a big TV star and I'm just a plumber.' Well, I've been a plumber, a furniture mover and dozens of other things...The only difference is that I'm more recognizable because you see my work." John Conboy maintained, "Casting a soap is different from other series in some respects...I look for the fantasy quality (in the actors and actresses) and it's not easy to find. Young people...have discovered how much hard work goes into a soap opera." Of soap operas, Agnes expressed, "When I look back, everything in my life has pointed me toward understanding what makes people tick. Current events, for me, all get reduced to people and what makes them do the things they do. What I always wanted was to entertain people, first of all, but I also hope that I taught them a bit and out of that teaching, maybe some people rose out of their prejudices and their fears." Of acting, it was explained, "Every character has a history." The job of the actor or actress was to "put that into perspective."
Of working on a soap opera, a typical day normally started at 8 o'clock in the morning and finished at 5 o'clock in the afternoon. A day would consist of: "Dry rehearsal" where the stars would read through the day’s script. At 10.30 a.m. time for "camera blocking" - the director normally visualized the scene in his or her head before he or she directed the actors and actresses. "Most soaps," it was said, "are trapped by the 3-camera technique. They are still haunted by boom shadows – which limits the movement of the actors...On 'The City' it's difficult (to tell who was the director) because in one episode, 2 or 3 directors might have had a hand in it." It was noted, "Since continuity is vital, creating one's own style could disrupt the flow of the episode, since we don't direct the whole show." On 'Sunset Beach', Aaron made known, "We shot for 2 weeks on the beach before going to a soundstage."
Lunch break commenced at approximately 12.30 to 1.30 in the afternoon. 'Loving' was usually shown at 12.30 (eastern) in America. "We break for lunch at 12:30 and sit and watch the show together," one actor said. After lunch would be "dress rehearsal". One costume designer disclosed, "The clothes you see in daytime reflect the styles of what people are wearing today...People are often judged by their clothes." The show's stars often approached the costume designer with questions such as "Does this red tie match this blue shirt?" or "I need something red to break up this black and white look, any suggestions?" At 2.30 p.m. time for "notes" (last minute input) and "taping". "At (university)," one actor shared, "you had to audition for roles and one guy got everything. Now he's not even acting. I think it gave me a preview of the business. I was disappointed that I didn't get better roles but I didn't agonize over it." By 5.00 p.m. time to wrap, go home and study tomorrow's script. Victoria Principal believed, "I think in order to answer the requirements of the American public, whose attention span has gotten shorter, you must have quicker cuts, faster stories and multiple storylines."
"If you think about it," Josie Bissett made the point, "there are hundreds of people who work on a show and only a handful are actors. A lot more goes on behind the scenes than many people realize...." Victor French added, "One of the problems with having your own show is that people have a tendency of wanting to subordinate themselves to you. They'll tend to say things like, 'Oh gee, you're a big TV star and I'm just a plumber.' Well, I've been a plumber, a furniture mover and dozens of other things...The only difference is that I'm more recognizable because you see my work." John Conboy maintained, "Casting a soap is different from other series in some respects...I look for the fantasy quality (in the actors and actresses) and it's not easy to find. Young people...have discovered how much hard work goes into a soap opera." Of soap operas, Agnes expressed, "When I look back, everything in my life has pointed me toward understanding what makes people tick. Current events, for me, all get reduced to people and what makes them do the things they do. What I always wanted was to entertain people, first of all, but I also hope that I taught them a bit and out of that teaching, maybe some people rose out of their prejudices and their fears." Of acting, it was explained, "Every character has a history." The job of the actor or actress was to "put that into perspective."
Of working on a soap opera, a typical day normally started at 8 o'clock in the morning and finished at 5 o'clock in the afternoon. A day would consist of: "Dry rehearsal" where the stars would read through the day’s script. At 10.30 a.m. time for "camera blocking" - the director normally visualized the scene in his or her head before he or she directed the actors and actresses. "Most soaps," it was said, "are trapped by the 3-camera technique. They are still haunted by boom shadows – which limits the movement of the actors...On 'The City' it's difficult (to tell who was the director) because in one episode, 2 or 3 directors might have had a hand in it." It was noted, "Since continuity is vital, creating one's own style could disrupt the flow of the episode, since we don't direct the whole show." On 'Sunset Beach', Aaron made known, "We shot for 2 weeks on the beach before going to a soundstage."
Lunch break commenced at approximately 12.30 to 1.30 in the afternoon. 'Loving' was usually shown at 12.30 (eastern) in America. "We break for lunch at 12:30 and sit and watch the show together," one actor said. After lunch would be "dress rehearsal". One costume designer disclosed, "The clothes you see in daytime reflect the styles of what people are wearing today...People are often judged by their clothes." The show's stars often approached the costume designer with questions such as "Does this red tie match this blue shirt?" or "I need something red to break up this black and white look, any suggestions?" At 2.30 p.m. time for "notes" (last minute input) and "taping". "At (university)," one actor shared, "you had to audition for roles and one guy got everything. Now he's not even acting. I think it gave me a preview of the business. I was disappointed that I didn't get better roles but I didn't agonize over it." By 5.00 p.m. time to wrap, go home and study tomorrow's script. Victoria Principal believed, "I think in order to answer the requirements of the American public, whose attention span has gotten shorter, you must have quicker cuts, faster stories and multiple storylines."
