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The Nightmares and Dreamscapes thread
I received a press kit from TNT for the Nightmares and Dreamscapes series. It came in a large box decorated with sheep (as in--counting sheep). Inside is a large pillow, stacks of photos and press releases, and DVD copies of seven of the eight episodes. Only Autopsy Room Four is missing--apparently it's not completed enough. The DVDs are not final versions of the episodes, but they're pretty close. I noticed some audio dropouts in the one episode I watched last night, but otherwise it looks fantastic.
The episode I watched was Umney's Last Case, and it's fun, fun, fun. William H. Macy plays Umney and his creator. The story was one of my favorites when it was published and they've done a nice adaptation of it. I look forward to watching the others, and will write up my thoughts on them here when I do.
In the meantime, this thread will contain information from the press kit. Starting with:
The episode I watched was Umney's Last Case, and it's fun, fun, fun. William H. Macy plays Umney and his creator. The story was one of my favorites when it was published and they've done a nice adaptation of it. I look forward to watching the others, and will write up my thoughts on them here when I do.
In the meantime, this thread will contain information from the press kit. Starting with:
Comments
Play Pattern
[table]
[tr][td]Battleground[/td] [td] [/td]
[td]Wednesday, July 12, at 9 p.m. - Commercial-free[/td][/tr]
[tr][td] [/td] [td] Encore[/td]
[td]Thursday, July 13, at 11 p.m.[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Crouch End[/td] [td] [/td]
[td]Wednesday, July 12, at 10:00 p.m.[/td][/tr]
[tr][td] [/td] [td] Encore[/td]
[td]Thursday, July 13, at 12 a.m.[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Umney's Last Case[/td] [td] [/td]
[td]Wednesday, July 19, at 9 p.m.[/td][/tr]
[tr][td] [/td] [td] Encore[/td]
[td]Thursday, July 20, at 11 p.m.[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]The End of the Whole Mess[/td] [td] [/td]
[td]Wednesday, July 19, at 10 p.m.[/td][/tr]
[tr][td] [/td] [td] Encore[/td]
[td]Thursday, July 20, at 12 a.m.[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]The Road Virus Heads North[/td] [td] [/td]
[td]Wednesday, July 26, at 9 p.m.[/td][/tr]
[tr][td] [/td] [td] Encore[/td]
[td]Thursday, July 27, at 11 p.m.[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]The Fifth Quarter[/td] [td] [/td]
[td]Wednesday, July 26, at 10 p.m.[/td][/tr]
[tr][td] [/td] [td] Encore[/td]
[td]Thursday, July 27, at 12 a.m.[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Autopsy Room Four[/td] [td] [/td]
[td]Wednesday, August 2, at 9 p.m.[/td][/tr]
[tr][td] [/td] [td] Encore[/td]
[td]Thursday, August 3, at 11 p.m.[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]You Know They Got A Hell of a Band[/td] [td] [/td]
[td]Wednesday, August 2, at 10 p.m.[/td][/tr]
[tr][td] [/td] [td] Encore[/td]
[td]Thursday, August 3, at 12 a.m.[/td][/tr]
[/table]
Production Facts and Figures
[table]
[tr][td]The average number of days it took to film each episode[/td][td]9[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]The number of days it took to film the series overall[/td][td]73 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]The number of costumes made for the show[/td][td]480 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]The number of extras utilized overall[/td][td]1,482 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]The number of locations overall[/td][td]95 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]The number of animals used in the series[/td][td]10 dogs[br]2 cats[br]5 dead wasps[br]2 kilos of maggots[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]The number of paintings made for The Road Virus Heads North[/td][td]50[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]The number of stunts performed in the series[/td][td]28[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]The number of stunt performers[/td][td]40 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]The number of weeks it took to build the town for They've Got a Hell of a Band [/td][td]5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]The amount of water dumped from a helicopter in The End of the Whole Mess[/td][td]5,000 litres[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]The number of guns used in the series[/td][td]20[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]The number of Studio sets built for the series[/td][td]41[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]The number of Location sets built for the series[/td][td]64[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]The number of vehicles used in the series[/td][td]208[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]The number of miniature soldiers used in Battleground[/td][td]204[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]The average amount of film shot per episode[/td][td]80,000 feet[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]The number of people who worked on the series[/td][td]1,000[/td][/tr]
[/table]
The Master of Horror Invites Repeat Visitors
Few authors in today's world can claim the immense celebrity that Stephen King commands. As the most widely read author alive today, his is a household name that immediately evokes recognition from even the most non-literary people.
But when it comes some of Hollywood's top actors, producers, directors and writers, it's more than just King's status as a "Master of Horror" that keeps bringing them back to his material over and over again. There's something magic in the way King is able to build compelling drama, nail-biting suspense and, yes, blood-curdling horror with a skill that makes other writers look like rank amateurs.
As TNT gears up for the July premiere of the high-profile anthology series NIGHTMARES & DREAMSCAPES: FROM THE STORIES OF STEPHEN KING, several King veterans are on hand to lend their talents to the literary legend's stories. Heading up the list is producer Jeffrey Hayes, making the return to King's world after having previously produced TNT's wildly popular adaptation of King's Salem's Lot. But bringing King's short stories to the screen in NIGHTMARES & DREAMSCAPES provided unique challenges for the producer. "Stephen King's short stories are extremely unique tales th!lt lend themselves to an anthology type series, which hasn't been done for many years," he says. "It's a massive undertaking in the sense that there is not a regular series set or leads. We are shooting eight shows that are basically each a stand-alone mini- movie. Our biggest challenge is to ensure each one has its own distinct look and feel."
For actor Steven Weber, star of NIGHTMARES & DREAMSCAPES' You Know They Got a Hell of a Band, this is his fourth Stephen King project. "I've always been a fan of his work," he says. "I did The Shining a long time ago. I just finished his miniseries Desperation. And I adapted and directed another short story that he wrote for The Outer Limits. It's a real privilege to act in one of his productions. King is an amazing guy. He's at the same time both odd and yet incredibly accessible. There's so much depth to his stories. They're not just about being scared or frightened."
"I think that Stephen appeals to the fantasy that we all are looking for in both our childhood and adult lives." That's how Henry Thomas, who appeared in the King miniseries Desperation and who stars in The End of the Whole Mess, describes King's magic. "He comes up with ideas that are readily accessible that appeal to that need for fantasy. And the key to it is that he adds elements of believability and an environment where the fantasy seems plausible."
Writer Peter Filardi, who adapted King's Salem's Lot for TNT, has returned to pen an adaptation of The Road Virus Heads North. "I decided to write this screenplay because I had a great experience with TNT adapting Stephen King's Salem's Lot into a four-hour miniseries," he recalls. "I knew that TNT would bring first-rate actors, directors and production values to their NIGHTMARES & DREAMSCAPES series. I also jump at the chance to work on any Stephen King project. He was the first 'adult' author I read as a 12 year old and undoubtedly turned me into the horror fan I am today."
Also working on TNT's Salem's Lot and returning for NIGHTMARES & DREAMSCAPES is acclaimed director Mikael Salomon, who is helming one of the most difficult adaptations in the series, The End of the Whole Mess. For him, King's magic lies first and foremost in his imagination and that successfully bringing a King project to the screen "...is a matter of extracting the best from his imagination and putting it on film."
But imaginatlon is just the beginning. Salomon also puts emphasIs on Kmg's ability to create mterestmg and believable characters. "When it comes down to it, It's really all about character," he says. "Stephen King is all about character and build-up, and then we get the payoff in the very end."
Actress Samantha Mathis (The Fifth Quarter) has also worked with King material before, starring in TNT's Salem's Lot. She enjoys King's work because "it's always incredibly character driven. He writes about interesting people who are complicated, flawed and identifiable. For me, it's as much about the characters as it is about the supernatural or thriller aspect."
Producer Hayes agrees, "The true test of a good drama is caring about the characters that are put forth. One of the things that ties (these stories) together is really interesting character relationships and situations in which the characters fmd themselves. In reading the short stories, you fmd yourself involved very quickly with the characters' dilemmas, predicaments and relationships."
(continued)
Cohen sums up everything nicely when it comes to Stephen King and why he is so successful. He agrees that it's character that drives the King machine. "King writes really strong, identifiable characters drawn with great specificity and emotion," he says. "When stuff happens - and stuff always happens - the sense of horror is all the greater."
A Conversation with Executive Producer Bill Haber
Q: What is the concept behind NIGHTMARES & DREAMSCAPES?A: NIGHTMARES & DREAMSCAPES is a group of widely different and unexpected experiences from the most prolific and clever mind in American writing, Stephen King. There are eight entirely different individual movies. Each has different writers, directors and casts, the only common thread being Stephen King's genius. Each story must stand alone and be engrossing and engaging by themselves. Each must be as successful, clever and unique as the others.
Q: How did you select the eight stories to adapt, and do you think they are representative of Stephen King's vast body of work?
A: We selected these short stories from Stephen King's anthologies, one of which was titled Nightmares & Dreamscapes. We picked eight that we thought we could adapt most successfully. We had to pick the ones that were available because some had already been adapted into motion pictures. The stories we selected are not horror stories. We are creating a group of never-be fore-seen adventures out of the mind of Stephen King. Some of the stories are more worldly, and some are like Stand by Me, which is straight dramatic Stephen King brilliance. We have been successful in the eight movies in ranging the full scope of Stephen King's short story work.
Q: How did you select the directors and casts?
A: We found the best actors for each part, which is why we have a great deal of movie stars attached to the project. We also found the best directors available using previous relationships from the producers and TNT.
Q: How do you define drama, and where is the drama in NIGHTMARES & DREAMSCAPES?
A: Drama is the ability to access the inner workings of other people's lives and experiences. Drama is the decision to delve into the psychology of each viewer's past. Stephen King, more than any other writer, has always been able to touch us, scare us, move us and make us weep and laugh more than anyone else.
A Conversation with Producer Jeffrey Hayes
Q: What is the concept behind NIGHTMARES & DREAMSCAPES?
A: Stephen King's short stories are extremely unique tales that lend themselves to an anthology type series, which hasn't been done for many years. It's a massive undertaking in the sense that there is not a regular series set or leads. We are shooting eight shows that are basically each a stand-alone mini-movie. Our biggest challenge is to ensure each one has its own distinct look and feel.
Q: What is so dramatic about Stephen King's writing?
A: The true test of a good drama is caring about the characters that are put forth. One of the things that ties them all together is really interesting character relationships and situations in which the characters find themselves. In reading the short stories, you fmd yourself involved very quickly with the characters' dilemmas, predicaments and relationships.
Q: Stephen King is known for his horror works, but many of the stories in NIGHTMARES & DREAMSCAPES are not horror. How did you select which stories to adapt?
A: Diversity is an important element in all of Stephen King's short stories. Each one is different in the sense that they utilize different styles; some use humor, some use horror and some use extreme drama. They all have twists and turns; some are more straight forward with a twist at the end while others start right off with the twist and carry us further into the world of his imagination. We tried to pick and choose the ones that will give the series the most diversity and the best tasting of the extraordinary canvas of short stories Stephen King has written.
Q: With the diversity and scope of this project, how do you keep the productions moving along smoothly?
A: It's a big production. The movies range from 1938 Los Angeles to small town Oregon to a heavily laden visual effects episode where toy soldiers attack an assassin with no dialogue. Each show presents a unique production challenge. You don't see many projects like this on TV because it is so massive. You have to be very organized to shoot eight episodes back to back. But when it comes to nightmares or dreamscapes, from a producing standpoint, this project is a dream and an opportunity I don't get very often.
Q: How did you select the directors for each story?
A: The directors were chosen fIrst and foremost because they've got talent. They're the A list directors in the movie and television business. We also tried to marry the right script with the director's style and shooting capacity to make things come to life.
A Conversation with Producer Mike Robe
Q: Explain the concept of the eight one-hour stories of NIGHTMARES & DREAMSCAPES.
A: We are really excited because it's a fresh look at Stephen King's stories. I think he's the acknowledged master of horror in America. It hasn't been done in this way in a long time, and it's never been done with the strength of a writer like Stephen King. In the eight stories, we have a nice cross section of suspense, human drama, mainline horror and psychological insight. It is a nice mixed salad of Stephen King moods.
Q: Is creating eight separate one-hour dramas a daunting task?
A: We're all very proud of the fact that there is a unique attention to details and a spectacular collection of talent to pull off these stories. I don't think this has ever been done before on this scale. It's a limited series but of epic proportion. It does take work to get your mind around these different stories and feelings within one genre. We are doing everything from the darkness of the undead to the unsettledness of losing your place in the woods, and all the moods in between. It has been a challenge to unify a massive production effort and get these stories happening one after the other in a way that is complete and detailed, and that is in touch with Stephen King's vision.
Q: What is so dramatic about Stephen King's work?
A: I think Stephen King, unlike any other author in the world, makes us contemplate our mortality. He unsettles us and tickles us all at the same time in a way that is wholly unique to Stephen King. He works from a unique imagination, and he sees the world through a prism that is his alone. All of these stories come from his view of what disturbs him and what keeps him awake at night.
A Conversation with Producer John McMahon
Q: What is the concept behind NIGHTMARES & DREAMSCAPES?
A: We are shooting eight completely different stories that fall into a nightmare/dreamscape landscape. It is very exciting, and I think the variety is why an audience will tune in. Stephen King has such a fertile mind. I think shorter is better in a lot of ways. In an hour, we can create something tighter, scarier, dirtier and stranger, which is really what makes his stories special.
Q: Is there a common thread to the stories?
A: The common thread is Stephen King, so the audience already knows it will not be any ordinary kind of storytelling. I hope we are able to express the main title, NIGHTMARES & DREAMSCAPES, as where the world of imagination and reality cross. That is a blurred line.
Q: Where is the drama in NIGHTMARES & DREAMSCAPES?
A: The drama comes from the storytelling and the tensions and conflict that Stephen King creates within these one-hour segments.
Q: What is the biggest challenge of this project?
A: It is complicated to keep the whole production together logistically. We are doing eight hours, with eight different directors, eight different casts and eight different stories. The production must keep moving because they are shooting back-to-back. It's a domino effect. If one episode goes over, it affects the next episode, which can also affect casting. It's a nightmare and a dreamscape, but it's possible to do with planning.
Q: How did you select the eight directors?
A: A good director can tell a good story. Some directors tend to gravitate towards a certain kind of material, but it doesn't mean they can't do something else. We went out to good, experienced, creative directors who are good shooters that we thought were the top of the field. The camera work in this genre is very important in order to tell the story and create tension and fear.
I won't see these until they come out on DVD. Based on my latest experience watching Desperation on tape I can no longer put up with the image/sound quality but most of all those darn station watermarks -animated especially, drive me up the frigging wall.
Welcome aboard, Cordelia!
I want one
Here is a new official site for the series:
http://alt.tnt.tv/nightmares/nightmares.shtml
Lilja
www.Liljas-Library.com
These aren't release-quality discs. Most of them aren't color corrected, the sound isn't complete, special effects aren't finalized and a few of them don't have closing credits. Even so, they look pretty darned good. They aren't widescreen. They're screeners for review purposes.
It should be online later today. Online now!