The definitive, behind-the-scenes look at the most popular sitcom of the last decade, The Big Bang Theory, packed with all-new, exclusive interviews with the producers and the entire cast.
The Big Bang Theory is a television phenomenon. To the casual viewer, it's a seemingly effortless comedy, with relatable characters tackling real-life issues, offering a kind of visual comfort food to its millions of dedicated fans. But the behind-the-scenes journey of the show from a failed pilot to a global sensation is a fascinating story that even the most die-hard fans don't know in its entirety.
The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series is a riveting, entertaining look at the sitcom sensation, with the blessing and participation of co-creators Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, executive producers Steve Molaro and Steve Holland, as well as Johnny Galecki, Jim Parsons, Kaley Cuoco, Simon Helberg, Kunal Nayyar, Melissa Rauch, Mayim Bialik, and more. Glamour senior editor Jessica Radloff, who has written over 150 articles on the series (and even had a cameo in the finale!), gives readers an all-access pass to its intrepid producing and writing team and beloved cast. It's a story of on-and-off screen romance told in hilarious and emotional detail, of casting choices that nearly changed everything (which even some of the actors didn't know until now), of cast members bravely powering through personal tragedies, and when it came time to announce the 12th season would be its last, the complicated reasons why it was more difficult than anyone ever led on. Through hundreds of hours of interviews with the sitcom's major players, Radloff dives into all this and much more. The book is the ultimate celebration of this once-in-a-generation show and a must-have for all fans.
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
A USA TODAY BESTSELLER
NAMED A BEST BOOK OF 2022 BY GLAMOUR
Talking with Jessica, I realized how easy it had been for me to kind of put all 12 years of my time on Big Bang Theory under one general umbrella, as it were. The questions she asked and the information she'd reveal to me from someone else she'd interviewed forced me into a frame of mind where each season - and sometimes each episode - became it's own, separate entity again. . . Frankly, it turned into a version of therapy I hadn't realized I'd needed and couldn't have known how much I'd enjoy. --Jim Parsons
The Documentarian is the ultimate go-to source for making documentaries. It explains how to conceive, shoot, and sell a documentary, along with specific advice overall in how to succeed in the independent film business.
The definitive, behind-the-scenes look at the most popular sitcom of the last decade, The Big Bang Theory, packed with all-new, exclusive interviews with the producers and the entire cast.
The Big Bang Theory is a television phenomenon. To the casual viewer, it's a seemingly effortless comedy, with relatable characters tackling real-life issues, offering a kind of visual comfort food to its millions of dedicated fans. But the behind-the-scenes journey of the show from a failed pilot to a global sensation is a fascinating story that even the most die-hard fans don't know in its entirety.
The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series is a riveting, entertaining look at the sitcom sensation, with the blessing and participation of co-creators Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, executive producers Steve Molaro and Steve Holland, as well as Johnny Galecki, Jim Parsons, Kaley Cuoco, Simon Helberg, Kunal Nayyar, Melissa Rauch, Mayim Bialik, and more. Glamour senior editor Jessica Radloff, who has written over 150 articles on the series (and even had a cameo in the finale!), gives readers an all-access pass to its intrepid producing and writing team and beloved cast. It's a story of on-and-off screen romance told in hilarious and emotional detail, of casting choices that nearly changed everything (which even some of the actors didn't know until now), of cast members bravely powering through personal tragedies, and when it came time to announce the 12th season would be its last, the complicated reasons why it was more difficult than anyone ever led on. Through hundreds of hours of interviews with the sitcom's major players, Radloff dives into all this and much more. The book is the ultimate celebration of this once-in-a-generation show and a must-have for all fans.
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
A USA TODAY BESTSELLER
NAMED A BEST BOOK OF 2022 BY GLAMOUR
Talking with Jessica, I realized how easy it had been for me to kind of put all 12 years of my time on Big Bang Theory under one general umbrella, as it were. The questions she asked and the information she'd reveal to me from someone else she'd interviewed forced me into a frame of mind where each season - and sometimes each episode - became it's own, separate entity again. . . Frankly, it turned into a version of therapy I hadn't realized I'd needed and couldn't have known how much I'd enjoy. --Jim Parsons
Running the Show takes you inside building a show from the ground up and what a showrunner's life looks like in Hollywood. This unique job covers aspects from the creative to the managerial and everything in between.
Seasoned showrunner Jeffrey Melvoin shares his fascinating insider's perspective on how to call the shots and make the final decisions when choosing and writing scripts, hiring staff, casting, making the budget, and juggling schedules. Along with the managerial responsibilities that keep the show afloat, they are also the visionary for the series and the characters. Melvoin describes how to confidently communicate abstract ideas so they can become the show's reality.
Running the Show reveals the ethical side of show running and writing with humor, integrity, and wisdom.
As a writer/producer/showrunner, Jeffrey Melvoin has worked on over a dozen series including Designated Survivor and Killing Eve. He has taught courses at USC, UCLA, and Harvard, led workshops at the Sundance Institute and the American Film Institute, and chaired the Writers Guild of America's Showrunner Training Program. He lives in Los Angeles, CA.
A Director Prepares is a thought-provoking examination of the challenges of making theatre. In it, Anne Bogart speaks candidly and with wisdom of the courage required to create 'art with great presence'.
Each chapter tackles one of the seven major areas Bogart has identified as both potential partner and potential obstacle to art-making. They are Violence; Memory; Terror; Eroticism; Stereotype; Embarrassment; and Resistance. Each one can be used to generate extraordinary creative energy, if we know how to use it.
A Director Prepares offers every practitioner an extraordinary insight into the creative process. It is a handbook, Bible and manifesto, all in one. No other book on the art of theatre comes even close to offering this much understanding, experience and inspiration.
In the midst of a superhero takeover with groundbreaking films bringing comic books to the big screen on an unprecedented scale, one cinematic saga would forever alter the landscape of superhero movies and Hollywood ...
Batman. Superman. Wonder Woman. As three of the most iconic heroes of all time, the task of translating these beloved DC Comics characters and their stories to film would be the ultimate challenge for any director. By embracing this challenge, Zack Snyder-who gained popularity following successes with 300 and Watchmen-would find himself at the epicenter of controversy. Shaped by studio conflicts, creative differences, increasingly divisive public opinion, social media, the COVID-19 pandemic, and personal tragedy, the making of Snyder's films (Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Justice League) would come together to form a remarkable tale.
In The Snyderverse Saga, entertainment journalist Daryn Kirscht chronicles the epic behind-the-scenes true story of Snyder's DC Comics films, their revolutionary impact on superhero movies and Hollywood, and the power of the fandom in fighting for creative freedom. After achieving victory following the #ReleaseTheSnyderCut movement, a new wave is on the rise with #RestoreTheSnyderVerse to adapt the cinematic landscape to the modern world... a Knightmare world.
Will the Snyderverse continue? Only time will tell...
While every new TV series has to face some problems, no show had to overcome greater obstacles than Gilligan's Island. In spite of that, no series has achieved greater success, as measured by the fact that Gilligan's Island has given rise to three TV movies, two animated series, and is the most rerun program in the entire history of television.
Now, Sherwood Schwartz, creator, writer, and producer of Gilligan's Island, tells the life story of the show: from the labor pains of scripting, casting, and production to its golden years of afternoon reruns. Fascinating history that could be known only by the show's creator is enhanced by wonderful photos, sketches, and other illustrations from the author's personal collection, as well as the guest forewords by all seven Castaways. An appendix lists plots, writers and directors for every episode. All this behind-the-scenes information makes the book a special treat, not only for fans, but for anyone interested in an inside look at the television industry.
This updated third edition of Studio Television Production and Directing introduces readers to the basic fundamentals of studio and control room production.
Accessible and focused, readers of this updated third edition will learn about essential studio and control room terminology and the common technology package. This book is your back-to-the-basics guide to common technology--including principles of directing, assistant directing, technical directing, playback, audio ops, basic studio lighting, an introduction to set design, camera ops, floor directing, story types (VO, VO/SOT, PKG), basic engineering, and more.
Whether an established professional or a student, this book provides readers with the technical expertise to successfully coordinate live or recorded multicamera production.
In this new edition, author Andrew Hicks Utterback offers an expanded glossary and new material on visualization walls, alternative camera mounts, basic engineering, and news narrative diagramming.
This book explores female authorship in UK television comedy, with a focus on British and Northern Irish writers/performers. More specifically, it examines comedy texts produced between 2010 and 2020, a period marked by a proliferation of female-centric and female-created comedy. In the following order, comedians Julia Davis, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Caitlin/Caroline Moran, Michaela Coel, and Sharon Horgan will be analysed as key case studies.
Drawing from these case studies, the book has two objectives. First, it seeks to update Kathleen Rowe's concept of the 'unruly' woman, shifting the emphasis from visibility and performance to the labour and contexts behind on-screen portrayals. Building on Rowe's existing scholarship, the book introduces the term 'fastidious' to describe how comedians display delicacy, precision, and control over their carefully crafted TV series. Secondly, the book aims to extend this concept to British and Northern Irish TV writers/performers who have been either overlooked or examined within broader transnational projects. In doing so, it 'reclaims' the authorship of women from the UK.In the midst of a superhero takeover with groundbreaking films bringing comic books to the big screen on an unprecedented scale, one cinematic saga would forever alter the landscape of superhero movies and Hollywood ...
Batman. Superman. Wonder Woman. As three of the most iconic heroes of all time, the task of translating these beloved DC Comics characters and their stories to film would be the ultimate challenge for any director. By embracing this challenge, Zack Snyder-who gained popularity following successes with 300 and Watchmen-would find himself at the epicenter of controversy. Shaped by studio conflicts, creative differences, increasingly divisive public opinion, social media, the COVID-19 pandemic, and personal tragedy, the making of Snyder's films (Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Justice League) would come together to form a remarkable tale.
In The Snyderverse Saga, entertainment journalist Daryn Kirscht chronicles the epic behind-the-scenes true story of Snyder's DC Comics films, their revolutionary impact on superhero movies and Hollywood, and the power of the fandom in fighting for creative freedom. After achieving victory following the #ReleaseTheSnyderCut movement, a new wave is on the rise with #RestoreTheSnyderVerse to adapt the cinematic landscape to the modern world... a Knightmare world.
Will the Snyderverse continue? Only time will tell...
G L Franklyn is a former Public Access Educator and Alliance for Community Media Award Winning Producer that is on fire for helping everyday people speak for themselves using the medium of video. In The Basics of Video Production he gives useful information anyone would need to know to set themselves up for success right from the start. Working from over a decade of hands on experience teaching and assisting Community Producers in the productions of Public Access Television programs, Franklyn presents the basic things you need to know. With a light-hearted tone he covers The Basics of:
How to plan your program
How to compose a shot
The Rule of Thirds
Program Pacing
How to include Audio
The Different Kinds of Lighting
The basics of Editing
How to use Transitions
How and when to use Graphics
When and why to include Music
What to do once your program is complete
The tools used and the different formats of how video is recorded and shared is changing every day. But there are basic things about video that never change. This guide is focused on those aspects. It's a quick and easy read and you'll end up with everything you need to know regardless of the equipment or the video format you're using. Anyone wanting to post video on YouTube, Vimeo, Tik-Tok or whatever is next will find this guide to be indispensable.
The notion of seriality and serial identity performance runs as a strong undercurrent through much of the fields of gender studies, feminist theory and queer studies, although the explicit analysis of a serial enactment of gender is surprisingly rare. Whereas media studies and cultural studies-based seriality scholarship can often overlook gender as an ongoing process, this book defines gender as a serial and discursively produced, intersectional entanglement of different practices and agencies. It argues that serial storytelling offers such complex negotiations of identity that it is never adequate to consider the 'results' of televisual gender performances as separate from the processes that produce them. As such, gender performances are not restricted to individual television programmes themselves, but are also located in official paratexts, such as making-of documentaries, interviews with writers and actors, as well as in cultural sites like online viewer discussions, recaps and fan fiction. With case studies of series such as Girls, How to Get Away With Murder and The Walking Dead, this book seeks to understand how gender as a practice is generated by television narratives in the overlapping of text, reception and production, and explores which viewer practices these narratives seek to trigger and draw on in the process.
While Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball are most closely associated with the classic situation comedy, I Love Lucy, the production company they founded in the 1950s, Desilu, made several other television series - some memorable like The Lucy Show, The Untouchables, Mission: Impossible, and Star Trek, and many almost forgotten such as Willy and Grand Jury.
This book focuses on another aspect of Desilu - the all but forgotten TV pilots and unproduced specials contemplated by Desi and Lucy. Chronicled in this work are projects like Desilu's version of Dallas - not a soap opera but a Western, an anthology series hosted by the artist Salvador Dali, Gene Roddenberry's cop dramas, Code 100 and Police Story, parodies of The Untouchables and The Flintstones, Desi's unproduced sitcom comeback titled Chairman of the Board, and a 1961 unproduced TV special that would have starred Lucy along with Vivian Vance and William Frawley and perhaps Desi Arnaz in a cameo role. These and many other such projects are chronicled for the first time in The Forgotten Desi and Lucy TV Projects: The Desilu Series and Specials that Might Have Been.
Richard Irvin is the author of several books about television history including Four Star Television Productions: A History of the Business, Series, and Pilots of the Iconic Television Production Company, The Early Shows: A Reference Guide to Network and Syndicated Prime-Time Television Series from 1944 to 1949, and Spinning Laughter: Profiles of 111 Proposed Comedy Spin-offs and Sequels that Never Became a Series - all from BearManor Media.