wahrman%WHITE@sri-unix.UUCP (05/12/84)
From: Michael Wahrman <wahrman at WHITE>
From: decvax!watmath!bstempleton @ Ucb-Vax
Subject: Invasion of the Space Nazis, the final battle
What I don't get is why they never asked their engineers any
questions about the plot. With all the money they spent, they could
have easily hired one educated consultant. Anybody with any
knowledge of science would say that the idea of aliens coming here
to steal our water and eat us is really silly.
I think I can answer this question from the times I have worked with people
who write for television. What follows is obviously a generalization but
I believe it explains what one sees on the tube.
TV writers (producers and directors) have a model of the viewer that watches
their work. They believe that the viewer (1) doesn't care about accuracy,
(2) doesn't care about consistancy, (3) is basically very stupid and (4)
needs to have everything explained many times and (5) needs a lot of action
or suspense on a regular basis especially right before a commercial or the
channel will be switched.
The last time I discussed accuracy with a writer who was working on a pilot
she told me "Dont waste my time."amigo@iwpba.UUCP (amigo) (05/14/84)
Michael Wahrman says: >> TV writers (producers and directors) have a model of the >> viewer that watches their work. They believe that the viewer >> (1) doesn't care about accuracy, (2) doesn't care about >> consistancy, (3) is basically very stupid and (4) needs to have >> everything explained many times and (5) needs a lot of action >> or suspense on a regular basis especially right before a >> commercial or the channel will be switched. In other words, as H. L. Mencken put it so well: "No one ever when broke underestimating the taste of the American public." That probably also goes for the intelligence of American public as well. John Hobson AT&T Bell Labs--Naperville, IL ihnp4!iwpba!amigo (NOTE TEMPORARY MACHINE)