The Friends writers’ room was simultaneously a party room and a prison cell. Read an excerpt from saulausterlitz's book 'Generation Friends'
Here’s proof that they were really friends. Photo: Copyright © Bruza Brother Productions, LLC Every writer knew the sinking feeling in the pit of their stomach. David Crane would enter the room, toting a script full of notes scribbled in the margins. He would sit down in his chair and begin drumming his fingers on the table before announcing, “All right, we’ve got a lot of really good stuff here.
The Friends writers’ room was simultaneously a party room and a prison cell, a wild daily gathering whose participants, like the dinner guests in Luis Buñuel’s The Exterminating Angel, could never leave. Participants were thrilled to be granted the privilege of being a part of the work of writing Friends. Each day was a marvel, and it was an honor to be granted the opportunity to work alongside such gifted, committed, fiercely original imaginations.
This was in part because Crane and Kauffman themselves were still relatively new to the ways of television. They had never been writers in someone else’s room, having gone directly from theater to freelancing to running Dream On. Crane, by his own estimation, lacked time-management skills, content to let his staff wander far afield before returning to the task at hand.
Writers would have to endure the process of watching their scripts be slowly, steadily dismantled and rebuilt. To bristle at the process, or to attempt to defend a rejected joke, was counterproductive and would reflect poorly on the writer who attempted it. Writers soon learned that it was far better to jump in and help fix your own script than attempt to protect your original work.
It was fun to be in a room of raconteurs, entertainers, and one-liner machines bantering, debating, and performing for each other. But there also was no specified end to the workday, no moment when the writers would punch out and head home. Ordering dinner at the office was a matter of course. All-nighters were a fairly standard occurrence. On David Lagana’s first day on the job as a writers’ assistant, he showed up for work at nine-thirty a.m.
On the rare evenings when he was able to leave the office early , Adam Chase would get home, smoke some weed, and turn on the eleven p.m. rerun of Law and Order. Working on Friends was so intense that Chase needed some time to decompress at the end of the day, but he found that his mind was still coming up with jokes — only now they were for Jerry Orbach’s Detective Lennie Briscoe.
Kauffman, who had two young children, particularly feared having a story collapse during run-through, since this would inevitably lead to another very late night. Kauffman had a private rule: She would not miss her children’s bedtime two nights in a row. On late nights, Kauffman would drive home, put her children to bed, and then return to the office.
Astrof, half-conscious, muttered something to himself, and Adam Chase, hearing his comment, quieted the room: “Wait. What did you just say? Say that again.” Astrof repeated his suggested line for Joey: “We promised we’d find this monkey. If you see him, he’s about yea high, and answers to the name Marcel, so if we could get some pictures of you, you’d really be helping us out.” It was a left-field joke, only made possible by a room too tired, at three or four a.m.
Quicker than Sikowitz could even form a cogent thought, Jeff Astrof burst out with a line: “The fifth dentist caved, and now they’re all recommending Trident?” Sikowitz was stunned. Had Astrof known somehow? Had he prepared the joke in advance? It was a huge joke, guaranteed to get an audience response, and Sikowitz had been nowhere near coming up with anything, let alone something as good as that line. It was maddening to be surrounded with people who were that good at being funny.
Jeff Strauss believed that Crane thought of the writers’ room as an expansion of his brain. This was not to say that Crane was anxious to take credit for anyone else’s work, but rather that, when the room was working in the fashion it was supposed to, Crane would turn to the writers to ably and rapidly flesh out every emotional, uproarious, tender, or bawdy idea he might have, or wish he had.
And the writing staff felt a distinct, and at times surprisingly intense, sense of ownership over their work. During the filming of “The One with the Baby on the Bus,” Chase was watching Lisa Kudrow perform “Smelly Cat” and growing increasingly distressed.
The trick was not only to mine your own life, but to know which parts were serviceable for the show, which characters might be best served with the autobiographical morsel, and how a funny anecdote might be extended, exaggerated, or adjusted. Photo: Copyright © Bruza Brother Productions, LLC Comedy writers had a relationship to the world that differed notably from that of civilians. Where the average person sought to bury moments of profound embarrassment or failure, a comedy writer might look at the most humbling or humiliating moments as potential material. One day early in the show’s run, Adam Chase was playing with Marta Kauffman’s son, Sam, then a toddler, who was visiting the set.
The squabbles and absurdities of the writers’ room found their way into scripts as well. On one occasion, a late-night session was interrupted by someone from the show’s office, who poked their head in to tell Greg Malins his fiancée was on the phone. After Malins left the room, writer Michael Borkow said, “Huh. Wapah!” All the other writers turned to Borkow, confused. He responded, “You know. He’s running out to take a phone call. He’s whipped.
Junge was disturbed by the girl-fight vibe of the episode, complete with the wardrobe choices. Why were Monica and Rachel wearing flimsy T-shirts on a cold set on what was supposed to be a winter day, their nipples instantly visible beneath their clothing?
Indonesia Berita Terbaru, Indonesia Berita utama
Similar News:Anda juga dapat membaca berita serupa dengan ini yang kami kumpulkan dari sumber berita lain.
'Westworld' actor Jonathan Tucker's artful connection | My Favorite RoomThe living room of actor Jonathan Tucker’s 1927 Hancock Park home echoes Africa, India and old New England, marrying the unique past he and his wife, Tara Tucker, share through art and a surprise family connection.
Baca lebih lajut »
Jeffrey Epstein Spent Time Alone With Young Woman In Prison's Attorney RoomThe woman—who may have been part of his legal team—visited a day after financier was taken off suicide watch.
Baca lebih lajut »
Q: How Do I Organize My Art Supplies and Craft Room?If it's hard to eat dinner because your table is covered in canvases, you can't find a place to sit because the chairs are piled with paint supplies, or your counter is crowded with crafts, it might be time to take these tips for organizing your supplies!
Baca lebih lajut »
With Room-Defining Chairs and Playful Plates, Shoopy Studio Is One to WatchThough she grew up around plates—her parents are porcelain manufacturers—Laetitia Rouget’s work takes a fresh look at home accessories with exclusively one-of-a-kind pieces, all funky with a chic French refinement.
Baca lebih lajut »
6 Ikea Items That *Make* the Room, According to Interior Designers6 Ikea items that *make* the room, according to interior designers.
Baca lebih lajut »