Post by -|E|- on May 22, 2007 16:44:49 GMT -5
May 8, 2007
The Shield Blog
One of the great things about being the creator of The Shield is I get to meet people whose work I really admire. And occasionally they’re big fans of the show which is a real treat for me. That’s how I met David Mamet, who I learned was a fan of the show and who ended up directing one of our best episodes of the series during Season 3 (of course that episode did get us a Worst 10 citation from PETA for Dutch’s run-in with an alley cat). David and I went on to work together on The Unit and it’s been amazing for me to work side by side with a true legend like him.
I met Survivor host Jeff Probst recently. I had read in some interviews that he was a fan of The Shield and so when I saw him and Julie at the table next to me, my wife and some friends, I got the courage to go over to him and say hello. It turns out he was a BIG fan of the show, and The Unit as well. He even mentions both shows in this week’s TV Guide as “What he’s watching.” He recently sent me a bag of Survivor buffs, DVDs and such (I’m putting together a reciprocal bag of swag Jeff, I just need a little time!) and turns out he’s a pretty cool guy.
I met the great artist Todd White because he was a fan of the show. Ended up buying one of his paintings. Met James L. Brooks, the wonderful writer/director whose work includes The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Taxi, Terms of Endearment, Broadcast News and The Simpsons. I’m working on a movie with him right now because he’s a fan of the show. It’s beyond my wildest dreams as a kid growing up in Rockford, Illinois.
Occasionally, I’ll just hear anecdotally that certain people are really into the show. Tobey Maguire, Axl Rose and Shia LaBeouf are some names that I’ve heard. Is it true? I don’t know, but it’s cool to think so. The fact is that as an artist you admire other artists and really crave their approval and respect.
A few years ago I met Frank Darabont at the home of Deb Aquila. Deb was our Casting Director for the pilot of The Shield and she had cast for Frank on The Shawshank Redemption and The Majestic (where she brought in Catherine Dent right off the set with her 50’s hair-do still intact to audition for Danny). Deb told me before the dinner that Frank was a big fan of The Shield. When Cathy and I arrived for the dinner, Frank could not have been smarter, funnier or more pleasant to be around. And boy, was he ever a fan of the show. He started talking about the episodes that he enjoyed so much and the moments that he found fascinating, to the point that I had a hard time keeping up with him. He seemed to remember a lot of The Shield mythology better than I did.
That night I asked him if he’d be interested in directing an episode for us. He said he was interested, but his writing and directing responsibilities would make it tough. That night was almost over three years ago, but I never gave up trying to get him to join The Shield family. A couple of times he came down to the set just to see us film. Finally, last year, his schedule cleared up just long enough to commit to doing an episode.
The writers and I decided right away that we had to make the episode as special as possible for him. We decided at the beginning of the season that we would give him the episode where Vic discovered that Shane had killed Lem. We built up to it with the first five episodes of the season and really tried to give Frank a real powerhouse to work with. I claimed a little Executive Producer privilege and co-wrote the episode, so I could always say that Frank Darabont directed something I wrote.
I was worried a little going in. Frank’s movies were fantastic, but they were cinematic, where our show was down and dirty and gritty. The pacing in his movies were slower and moodier than our show. Would he be able to adjust and film this 60 page script in 7-8 days?
I shouldn’t have worried. Frank was like a fish in water. He literally dragged the cast and crew along in what turned out to be an incredible love fest. The actors were in heaven. We finished early. And when I got the Director’s Cut from him and watched it, I e-mailed him immediately to let him know I thought it was the best Director’s Cut of the show I had ever seen. The truth is I often spend a lot of time in the editing room making these shows as perfect as we can get them. On Frank’s episode, I barely changed anything. What you saw tonight is pretty much what Frank handed in (with the great assistance of our editor Hunter Via) and I think it’s easily one of the show’s top five best five episodes of all-time.
When people talk about dreams coming true in Hollywood, you usually think about fame and fortune. But for me, working with someone like Frank, someone whose art you truly admire and whose work has helped you craft a story that you can be proud of and show to your children one day… that’s the real Hollywood dream come to life. Thanks Frank.
-- Shawn Ryan