Whedonesque Mobile : Comments on 16135 : Joss Whedon Strikes Again.

The accompanying picture says, "What are you doing with a copy of my script?"

I predict the entire script will be online soon. I'm agin it! Though fat lot of good that'll do. Sigh.

Joss Whedon Strikes Again

To better effect than the Dark Knight hopefully.

When I saw the headline I thought Joss had started a unilateral strike. Which, y'know, noble fer sure - not sure how effective though ;).

(and why though, why does he write in 4 acts ?)

Saje | April 21, 23:29 CET

Are 4 acts a bad thing?

I must now debate whether or not I'll peek at the script...

Hmm... toughie.

korkster | April 21, 23:34 CET

Oooo. She's vague, but I really like what she's said about it. I don't think I've ever looked forward to any new show as much as I've looked forward to this one. I'll try not to seethe with jealousy that she�s read the script, heh.

Dizzy | April 21, 23:40 CET

I'm starting to think I've got the only site on the internet who hasn't leaked the sides or the script now.

[ edited by gossi on 2008-04-21 23:54 ]

gossi | April 21, 23:41 CET

Sorry, gossi, we figured you had them, too, so we didn't bother leaking them to you ;)

zeitgeist | April 21, 23:48 CET

:P I've just emailed the author, Jill, saying they're on Whedonesque.

gossi | April 21, 23:54 CET

Four acts is pretty common for TV scripts. What's wrong with four?

orphea | April 22, 00:08 CET

So are people thinking Dollhouse leakage will be greater than Buffy/Firefly leakage, or does it seem to be pretty much the same? I was not reading fans sites when those shows were in production.

Sunfire | April 22, 00:16 CET

(and why though, why does he write in 4 acts ?)

[impressive, majestic voiceover voice]
TO DEFY THE LIMITS OF THE ART FORM AS WE KNOW IT.
[/voice]

I have no idea, really.

ETA: Actually it looks like in this case the last act is used for maximizing the twistiness. 1: setup; 2: relationships; 3: martial arts; 4: twist on 1&2.

[ edited by Sunfire on 2008-04-22 00:26 ]

Sunfire | April 22, 00:18 CET

Add me to the clamour of curious people wanting to know what's wrong with 4 acts

Let Down | April 22, 00:44 CET

Traditionally, a one-hour drama was a Teaser and 4 Acts. These days, a lot of networks want 6 acts or sometimes even 7 acts.

[ edited by Kristen R on 2008-04-22 01:17 ]

Kristen R | April 22, 00:54 CET

I don't think Jill was making any judgment on 4 acts.

No, but people are reading Saje as making a judgement.

theonetruebix | April 22, 01:06 CET

HA! That makes sense. Somehow, I missed that part and was confused when I looked at Jill's post.

Too much coffee = Bad reading comprehension.

Kristen R | April 22, 01:09 CET

I am going insane with anticipation. Will they just shoot the pilot already so that... well...

I can't really think of how their shooting the pilot will help with my anticipation, besides the obvious fact of having something to show me in the fall. But still :(

Good reviews make me happy though.

Jobo | April 22, 01:12 CET

I think the question is why does he write such strong four acts?

QuoterGal | April 22, 01:13 CET

It's something to do with his father.

gossi | April 22, 01:14 CET

I think the question is why does he write such strong four acts?

Because you keep asking him that question :-)

Also, the entire script? It's out there? I needs it! I needs to read it!

crossoverman | April 22, 01:44 CET

I'm trying so hard to overcome my need to read the pilot. At this rate, I think I'm going to crack. And soon.

Not helped by being intrigued that in the casting side, feet were described as being "perky". For a shoe-aholic like me, that's just teasing!

missb | April 22, 03:08 CET

Oh, I thought he was down picketing again.

Pumps | April 22, 04:26 CET

The teaser and four acts are dictated by the ad breaks. Lots of people have said that Joss should be on HBO, and that would be interesting, because the four-act structure wouldn't be necessary. I wonder how he'd adjust, especially after years of using that format.

shambleau | April 22, 05:06 CET

I want to read the script.:(

Donnie | April 22, 09:08 CET

I'm sure it'll be in PDF format when the DVD comes out.

Simon | April 22, 09:11 CET

For once I don't want to see the script, I want to be suprised by the show.

Krusher | April 22, 09:31 CET

Wondered if "in four acts" might be too far from "strong female characters" for it to work. Now I know ;).

Saje | April 22, 11:00 CET

To be surprised by the show -- that's what I want too. Got to figure out something else to obsess over through the summer. Politics? Or not.

doghouse | April 22, 14:47 CET

I have admiration for those of you who don't want to read the script. I started the spoiler habbit as a youngster. At Christmas time, I would sneak into our living room in the middle of the night and unwrap and then rewrap my presents. So I can't say I understand those of you who can wait. But I do admire you. Mommy, is it Christmas yet? Heh.

Dizzy | April 22, 15:14 CET

Personally I don't want to be spoiled, even by Joss' script, because I think the finished episode/premier/pilot is going to be awesome. Luckily there isn't a chance in the world that anyone would leak anything to me, so I don't see that I'll have occasion to be tempted anyway. *whew?*

embers | April 22, 16:12 CET

It goes against my usually pretty firmly held principles, but I would do extreme things to read that script. Such is the degree of my anticipation for this show. I have a feeling that Joss will have a cult success on his hands. The premise is so damned compelling.

Naw, gossi, I frequent dollverse sites and the only leaks I've seen out there are the casting sides (casting script pages?) from a month or so ago. The full script is not out there, at least not yet. I can't help but feel that all this positive buzz building is a great marketing strategy. The "leaking" of this script to certain bloggers must be on purpose, mustn't it?

phlebotinin | April 22, 17:49 CET

Oh, I really don't want to be spoiled at all... but it's so hard to resist. I've never watched a Whedon show while it's actually on ther air (didn't have a tv) and it's a lot harder than I thought it would be to not yield to temptation.

Do we know when it'll be showing? Do we know any scheduling stuff?

JCapra | April 22, 18:05 CET

There's no firm schedule yet. We should know when the upfronts are announced, which is about 3 weeks time.

gossi | April 22, 18:06 CET

I feel like Joss is playing a game with us. Granted, a raw, stab-wound to the ribs that salt has trickled into, all the while being tickled by a feather... trying not to laugh kind of a game. If we win and don't laugh (or we win by laughing and not caring about the immense pain from our side), I wonder what we win?

korkster | April 22, 18:16 CET

I'd like the script to have so I could read it afterwards. Treat it as more and different Joss even if the filmed version is c___n. ;)

Lioness | April 22, 18:50 CET

Jill has now commented twice on the whole four acts thing.

[ edited by Leaf on 2008-04-22 20:15 ]

Leaf | April 22, 20:12 CET

Jesus, i've created a monster ;-).

(that's a very informative response though - see, mighty oaks from small facetiousnesses grow ;)

Saje | April 22, 20:31 CET

Man, we've taken the mystery out of television, haven't we? As a viewer, perhaps I am better off not knowing how television shows are made, when they are made, how far along they are, etc. etc. I remember coming across BtVS by chance, by channel surfing. A living, breathing thing with real people and relationships. Not just characters yet to be filled in by actors. That sense of discovery is gone now. I know in the near future I am going to be watching "a 4 act pilot script featuring strong female characters whose actions will tell me what it means to be human". Seems less fun than that chance encounter I had one night, many years ago, with a bunch of pretty people acting like a pack of wild dogs...

Caroline | April 22, 21:38 CET

I get where you're coming from Caroline, maybe it's harder to be surprised or just enjoy the moment but for me that's at least partially offset by getting to see behind the curtain. It's like as you grow up you stop enjoying magic tricks for the sense of wonder and start enjoying them for the skill of their performance (or maybe as puzzles to be solved).

(like ma boiee Greg - House that is ;) - said "If the wonder's gone when the truth is known, then there never was any wonder." ;)

Saje | April 22, 22:02 CET

Man, we've taken the mystery out of television, haven't we?

And the joy sometimes as well. You got to wonder what it'd like not to be a "fan".

Simon | April 22, 22:28 CET

I like the view from where I'm sitting. Even if I know certain tidbits and the such, all of that washes away while I'm watching the show, as if I've been thrown into their world and all the things I may have known have no merit in their world. It's quite nice.

Afterward that amazing 60 minute experience (~40 minutes without commercials), those tidbits of information on how that story was created come floating back to me like a night-cap before bed. It's just a moment to let the events fully interact with your senses while you're still riding the high of Dollhouse (or any Joss show) for the night.

I love it. :)

korkster | April 22, 23:55 CET

I'm happily avoiding all spoilers, indeed any information about the show other than what I have to see doing my duties here. Once I've experienced the show, that's when I come back and look at how and what and why and who. And when.

SoddingNancyTribe | April 23, 01:57 CET

So you don't know about the alien invasion ? Or Ripley arriving to save the day ? Boy are you in for a surprise SNT ... Well, you were anyway.

I took Caroline to mean Jill Golick's "structure" stuff which I find really fascinating (to me, knowing about arch scaffolding and spandrels doesn't detract from how beautiful I find the cathedral, knowing how paint's mixed leaves the work of art undiminished). Spoiler wise I totally agree though, personally I take frankly ridiculous steps to avoid them. On a totally unrelated note BTW, Bin Laden's cave actually isn't that bad, he has cable (it's just the basic package but still ...).

Saje | April 23, 10:02 CET

I compare it to reading magazines like Sound on Sound. Totally takes the myth and mystery out of music. If you like a song, you want to think of it as divine inspiration, not something that was a 'left over bass line' combined with 'some words scribbled on a tissue'.

Caroline | April 23, 13:08 CET

Ah, like it just sprang fully formed into the artist's mind ? I get more out of seeing it as the result of human sweat and toil (don't get on so well with the divine, what with not believing in it and so on ;) but each to their own Caroline ;).

(it tickles me when a songwriter will say something like "oh yeah, this came to me while watching a toothpaste commercial", reminds me that big clouds condense around small particles, y'know ? Rich tapestry of life and all that malarkey ;)

Saje | April 23, 13:25 CET

Heh. Yeah, fully formed. I don't believe in divine, really, I see art as a result of the left part of brain conquering the right part of brain. But you know, metaphorically speaking.

Caroline | April 23, 18:03 CET

Who else has the image of the brain's right and left side fighting with boxing gloves as Judge Mills Lane presiding over the match?

*crickets chirping*

Just me then? I'll be quiet now.

crazygolfa | April 23, 18:34 CET

I get what you're saying, Caroline. However, Jill Golick's blog isn't for general fan news or even critical reviews. Her audience is mostly made up of other writers. They're studying the "science" so they can better give the impression of the "divine" in their own work. It's like how a master magician studies the mechanics and theory behind a trick before making it look miraculous and effortless.

orphea | April 23, 23:51 CET

I find myself somewhere in the middle, spoiler-wise. I want to know enough to know I'm very interested, so I can look forward to the work-in-question, and will be sure not to miss it through inattention. In this case, the joss connection is enough for that. But with most tv, and most movies, the involvement of one individual doesn't do it for me. (Okay, there are exceptions, but I suspect nobody wants to wade through my personal list.) Generally, I'm looking for something resembling a tiny sample.

But then, once I know a little bit, the temptation to chip away at the surprise, when offered the opportunity, well, it's pretty strong, isn't it? The bottom line, I suppose, is that (apart from the show itself) I'm more interested in construction than surprise. Which is why I can watch the same thing over and over, if it's really good.

As Saje (and Dr.House) point out...that's where the real magic in the magic is for me.

toast | May 03, 13:47 CET

April 21 2008