tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post2496811796504250568..comments2024-03-27T00:26:22.316-05:00Comments on The MacGyver Project: Calvin Clements, Jr.: A ConversationNicholas Sweedohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00437092592253460266noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-47596457979001787312016-04-16T21:57:43.674-05:002016-04-16T21:57:43.674-05:00The bit about the Phoenix Foundation made me chuck...The bit about the Phoenix Foundation made me chuckle. It really is a MacGyver organization. We should start it and work there. :P<br /><br />"or taking the space shuttle up to the MIR to ferret out a mole or whatever"<br /><br />You know, they never did have a space travel thing. I guess maybe the alien episode, but that doesnt really count.<br /><br />Great interview. Shame you didnt get it all recorded. No tape recorder around? :PMikeynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-1945788671838350522015-04-13T23:12:18.509-05:002015-04-13T23:12:18.509-05:00NCIS:LA? Yeah - he's part of an ensemble cast...NCIS:LA? Yeah - he's part of an ensemble cast - there's like 5 or 6 ppl in the main cast from what I recall, so it's not all on him. But it's still a pretty big commitment if he's doing TV, music and that Lip Sync show too. That's a LOT of things going on.<br /><br />But - other actors make movies between production seasons/schedules for TV, so anything's possible I suppose.Highlander_IIhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12390532917085374247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-41873246050850189002015-04-13T23:03:47.856-05:002015-04-13T23:03:47.856-05:00Yeah I tipped my hat to Clements for introducing H...Yeah I tipped my hat to Clements for introducing Harrison to the series as well. He really did incredible work. Good point that "Quantum Leap" was another series that started anew with different sets and production locales every week. I'm guessing it was one of those situations where the challenge for the production team made the work simultaneously fun and stressful as all hell.Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04953380288384883179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-54486735235749264952015-04-13T22:25:17.190-05:002015-04-13T22:25:17.190-05:00Pretty sure it's 7-8 days of actual filming. ...Pretty sure it's 7-8 days of actual filming. Probably a few further days of post-production after that. Really hard for me to wrap my mind that someone like LL Cool J is putting in the kind of hours that is required to produce an action show. Nothing against him or his show, but it seems like it would be way too big of a commitment for someone in the music business. I'm guessing his presence on that series is less consuming than was RDA's on "MacGyver", but still.Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04953380288384883179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-9943064713632869212015-04-13T08:36:38.226-05:002015-04-13T08:36:38.226-05:00I think it's probably just the filming in 7 da...I think it's probably just the filming in 7 days and then the post after that. Nicholas Sweedohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00437092592253460266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-74681262500743547002015-04-12T23:25:34.413-05:002015-04-12T23:25:34.413-05:00This was a lot of really interesting information. ...This was a lot of really interesting information. And, I agree, his break into the business is definitely an unusual one.<br /><br />Did they do the whole episode, shooting through post, in 7 days or just the filming? I always assumed it was filmed in 7 days and post happened for a few days after that.Highlander_IIhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12390532917085374247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-79036137548642664432015-04-12T23:14:55.647-05:002015-04-12T23:14:55.647-05:00Also interesting that he knew Ken Harrison previou...Also interesting that he knew Ken Harrison previously and suggested him as a composer. Thank goodness! Nicholas Sweedohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00437092592253460266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-54714183453627822712015-04-12T23:10:55.207-05:002015-04-12T23:10:55.207-05:00The diversity of locales and story lines in this s...The diversity of locales and story lines in this series was absolutely incredible, and I notice it even more as I watch the episodes out of order. I remember as a kid thinking how I wanted to work for a "think tank" like the Phoenix Foundation but as I got older I realized that there's no organization quite like it in the real world. Maybe I need to start one! And Quantum Leap is a lot like that too in that every episode was in a completely different environment - it's a good formula for stories but a lot of hard work to pull off well. <br /><br />I thought the LA/Vancouver dynamic he talked about was interesting too. Amazing that the whole process of making an episode could get done in 7 days (though I guess the pre-episode stuff went on beforehand). Nicholas Sweedohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00437092592253460266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5788875373841955612.post-21681592364834686112015-04-12T22:39:54.901-05:002015-04-12T22:39:54.901-05:00Another great interview. Interesting context to h...Another great interview. Interesting context to have this interview done over the phone rather than e-mail. Seems like it worked well. Wild story of how he broke into the business.....and interesting that his tenure on "MacGyver" ended right at the dawn of another writers' strike in 1988 meaning her probably had to do some of the same stuff....stockpiling script ideas in advance of the pending strike.<br /><br />Rick Drew made similar comments in his 1990 interview with The Hollywood Reporter regarding MacGyver being something of an anthology given how many different situations he could get into week to week. From a writers' standpoint I suspect that would be a dream, but it had to have been a nightmare for producers to start anew with different locations for every episode and never be able to count on falling back on a generic standing set like all the sitcoms and even many dramas did back in the 80s.<br /><br />Most interesting to me was that Clements did most of his work in L.A. dealing with the writers and wasn't frequently on set in Vancouver. It sounds as though his role as supervising producer was quite a bit different than his successor Michael Greenburg. Good to hear him speak of the overall production quality....although it still burns me up that the television industry never recognized that at the time considering how big of lightweights most other programs were in that era, particularly from a production value standpoint.<br /><br />Surely there have to be some people who didn't have a good experience working on the crew of this show but you've yet to find any yet. Thanks again for taking the initiative. The results have been very gratifying.Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04953380288384883179noreply@blogger.com