The People Who Brought You “White Tulip” (Part 3)

By Stephen Tulley (@Stephen_Tulley)

Read 'The People Who Brought You “White Tulip” (Part 1)'

Read 'The People Who Brought You “White Tulip” (Part 2)'

To wrap-up the closing credits of White Tulip we begin with several cards listing the twelve co-staring actors credited in the episode.

Co-Starring

Waitress: Marie Avgeropoulos

ND Agent #2: Jackson Berlin

Worker: Zoltan Buday

Uniform Cop: Robert Gauvin

Teenager: Richard Harmon

Female CSI: Jennifer Kitchen

Assistant M.E.:Tariq Leslie

Professor Lime: Andrew McIlroy

M.E. Tech: C. Douglas Quan

Arlette Turling: Kristen Ross

ND Tac Agent/Sniper: Duncan Spencer

Commuter: Michael Vairo

Casting By 

April Webster, CSA

April has worked closely with J.J. Abrams in the past and did all the principal casting for the pilot episode of Fringe. In this case she, or her assistant, might have cast the two “guest-starring” actors listed in the opening credits, but she certainly did cast the lead character for Fringe, and so, deserves credit.

I would bet good money that all of the co-starring actors listed above are local Canadian actors, as we saw many used later on by J.H. Wyman in Almost Human which also filmed in Vancouver. And just below we see that there is a local casting category.

Canadian Casting By 

Corinne Clark

&

Jennifer Page

Main Title Design

Andrew Kramer

Main Title Theme

J.J. Abrams

How many Fringe fans remember that J.J. himself wrote the opening title music?

Set Decorator

Louise Roper

Costume Designer

Jenni Gullett

Department Head Make-Up

Dana Hamel

Department Head Hair

Ian Ballard

These are various “heads” of departments. Set Decorators are in charge of all the furniture and “things” lying on tables, chairs, etc, and are constantly moving them out of the way for the cameras on coverage shots, whereas “props” crew members are in charge of all things that an actor might wear on their costume or carry in a scene. There is usually only one Costume Designer for a TV show. Hair and Make-Up departments might have two or three people working on a given episode, but only the heads of the departments are listed here.

Music Editor

Paul Apelgren

Post Production Supervisors

Amanda Lencioni

April Nocifora

VFX Supervisors

Jay Worth (LA)

Robert Habros (VC)

These are people who work in post-production with the editor to get the final footage in order for airing. VFX refers to “visual effects” and we see there are two: one with Bad Robot Productions in Los Angeles and one working locally in Vancouver.

Property Master

Rob Smith

Key Grip

David Dawson

Gaffer

David Warner

Script Supervisor

Alexandra La Roche

All these people work on set. The Property Master, with some assistants, choose and purchase and/or rent any of the props that the actors and background actors will be using in a scene. The Key Grip is in charge of all the grips on set and his assistant is referred to as the “Best Boy.” The Gaffer is the chief lighting technician and he and his crew is in charge of placing and maintaining all the lighting on the stage. The Script Supervisor works closely with the Director and 1st Assistant Director, and usually sits up front at the camera monitors for the shot (a place called “video village”). Her job is to keep track of which take is being marked on the slate and she is also in charge of maintaining the continuity of the actors in the scene across a series of takes and ensuring that the actors speak the dialog that is written in the script. In the British system this position is often called the “Continuity Girl” since the overwhelming number of script supervisors are women.

You might be interested to know that “grip” is an old circus term for anyone who lifted and carried stuff around the stage. The term “gaffer” comes from the oldest days of film. Before the era of large electric lights stages were often lit with the help of large mirrors on tracks which were moved around to reflect sunlight coming in openings around the building. To focus the light, “gaffers” used gaffing hooks on long poles to move the mirrors on tracks, hence that particular term!

SFX Make-Up Design

Todd Masters

SFX Coordinator

Bob Comer

Production Coordinator

Anita Truelove

Assistant Editor

Elizabeth Barnette

SFX here refers to “special effects” so Todd Masters was probably instrumental in designing Dr. Alistair Cook’s contorted Faraday Cage body. The others listed are most probably assistants to those “higher up” the food chain on set.

Stunt Coordinator

Michael Mitchell

Location Manager

Scott Walden

Music Supervisors

Billy Gottlieb

Charles L. Scott IV

Location Managers play an important role in not only scouting out places for location shots, but also coordinating filming with local municipalities, neighborhoods, and the general public.

Sound Mixer

Eric Batut

Supervising Sound Editor

Paul Curtis

Re-Recording Mixers

Rick Norman

Brian Harman

Post Production Services By

Technicolor Creative Services, Vancouver, Level Post 3

These are all post-production positions responsible for the final soundtrack of White Tulip, including all the sound effects that have to be added in.

Promotional Consideration 

Paid For By

Ford Motor Company

Promotional Consideration

Paid For By

Microsoft Corporation

What would a season of Fringe be without some sponsored content? Car companies heavily use this as a means of promoting their newest model automobiles.

Film Processing By 

Technicolor Creative Services, Vancouver

The characters and events depicted in this motion picture

are fictional. Any similiarity to actual person, living or dead,

or to any actual events, firms, and institutions or other entities

is coincidental and unintentional.

This motion picture is protected under the laws of

The United States and other countries, and its

unauthorized duplication, distribution, or exhibition

may result in civil liability and criminal prosecution.

Copyright © 2010

Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

All Rights Reserved

Production # 3X5117

Country of First Publication United States of America

NS Pictures Inc. is the author of this film/motion picture for

the purpose of article 15 (2) of the Berne Convention

and all national laws given effect there to.

The legal disclaimer that we all see at the end of an episode, but I’m sure no one actually takes the time to read it! The symbol you see on the left is for the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, called IATSE, which is the union for most of the crew members.

And those are the people who brought you White Tulip! My thanks to those of you who have followed this blog submission over three posts, with lots of film and TV trivia thrown in.

Read 'The People Who Brought You “White Tulip” (Part 1)'

Read 'The People Who Brought You “White Tulip” (Part 2)'

The People Who Brought You “White Tulip” (Part 2)

By Stephen Tulley (@Stephen_Tulley)

Continuing on from my previous post about credits and job titles on TV productions, let’s review the rest of the opening credits from the iconic “White Tulip” episode of Fringe.

Co-Producer

Tanya Swerling

Producers

Zack Stentz

Ashley Edward Miller

These are most probably senior writers for Fringe.

Producer

Kathy Lingg

In this case we do know that Kathy Lingg is the Head of Television Programming for Bad Robot Productions, so in this case she is representing J.J. Abram’s company in the planning and filming of White Tulip.

Supervising Producer

Josh Singer 

Supervising Producer

Jeff Vlaming

Supervising Producer

Reid Shane

Reid Shane is listed as a production manager on IMDB, so he might be one of the so-called “odd-even” producers for this episode. In TV production sometimes two people will fill a high-level job, such as 1st Assistant Director or Key 2nd Assistant Director. One will supervise the shooting schedule for an episode while the other will stay in an office and coordinate all the scheduling and planning of the next episode. These people are listed as “odd-even” on the call sheet. Not all production works in this manner, it just depends on how the production company wants to structure the crew.

And on a completely unrelated note, as a one-hour TV drama Fringe ran for 42 minutes an episode from Season 2 on (48 minutes in Season 1). It takes a cast and crew eight days to shoot a one-hour drama for television.

Consulting Producer

Akiva Goldsman

Consulting Producers

Alex Kurtzman

Roberto Orci

The Consulting Producer credit is given to someone who has provided some feedback on the production. Without knowing how the script was developed for White Tulip we don’t know if these people had actually provided some input on the final product, or whether this is a courtesy title given to three writers who were important in the development of Fringe.

Co-Executive Producer

David Wilcox

Co-Executive Producer

Joe Chappelle

Executive Producer

Bryan Burk

Executive Producer

J.H. Wyman

Executive Producer

Jeff Pinker

These people, basically, are all writers. We know that Josh and Jeff were the so-called “show runners,” (also sometimes called “hyphenates” as in “writer-producer”) meaning the head writers. In television writers have a great deal of control over the production of the show, whereas in film that authority is usually exercised by the Director.

Executive Producer

J.J. Abrams

From previous interviews I know that before a season of Fringe began J.J. liked to sit down with the writers and work out the full 22 episode season as one long play broken into three acts with different trajectories within those acts. Writers were then invited to provide a treatment for certain episodes, which is a detailed narrative description of the story. Only when it had been accepted did the writers actually begin to work on the script for the episodes.

Written By

J.H. Wyman &

Jeff Vlaming

Even though in television there are many writers working on the script, the Writer’s Guild of America and its Canadian counterpart have specific rules governing who gets credit based on how much that writer has contributed to the final product.

Directed By

Thomas Yatsko

The Director has all creative authority over the episode, but doesn’t manage or coordinate the crew as they set-up for a shot. Generally after a rehearsal the Director will “fine-tune” a performance with the actors away from the set as cameras are moved and the lighting is changed.

That concludes the opening credits. Now let’s start with those many names you see listed at the end of a TV episode, the so-called “closing credits.”

Music By

Michael Giacchino

&

Chris Tilton

Of course the composers of the music should be listed as having contributed to the episode. Michael Giacchino was continued to be given a credit in future seasons even though he ceased to compose music for Fringe sometime in Season 2.

Production Manager

Vladimir Stefoff

First Assistant Director

Greg Zenon

Second Assistant Director

David Baron

These are important people who manage and supervise the crew while on set. The “Unit Production Manager” is someone who has served as a 1st Assistant Director for many years. In this case Vladimir Stefoff coordinated the scheduling and funding of the episode with the Line Producer (see previous post). For instance, the call sheet for the next day of filming can only be confirmed once the Unit Production Manager (also called the “UPM”) signs off on it.

The 1st Assistant Director is the individual who directly oversees the crew while on set. In this case Greg Zenon created the shooting schedule for this episode and gave the command to the camera and sound departments to begin rolling once the Director was ready to start filming. The “1st” as he/she is often called, is a very powerful position on set, and it takes years to have accrued the necessary days in the lower ranks of Key 2nd Assistant Director and 2nd2nd Assistant Director (called the 3rd Assistant Director in the UK system.)

David Baron is the “Key 2nd Assistant Director” who implements the wishes of the 1st Assistant Director on set. He most probably directed all the background actors (i.e., “extras”) while on set. The “2nd” also creates the call sheet for the next day of filming and supervises all the contract paperwork for the guest starring actors. In general, the 2nd2nd AD (or 3rd in the UK) isn’t given a credit in most television productions.

Next time I’ll conclude the closing credits of White Tulip and describe some of those strange job titles you might have wondered about.

The People Who Brought You “White Tulip” (Part 1)

By Stephen Tulley (@Stephen_Tulley)

In my previous posts to the All Fringe Blog I’ve related my experiences as someone who works in the entertainment industry about some of the types of jobs people do on set or in production. I believe even the most casual of TV viewers are curious about the names and positions they see listed on the screen.

Today, and in two more posts to come, I’m going to describe what those names and positions mean using one of the Fringe Fandom’s favorite and iconic episodes 2.17 “White Tulip.”

There are generally two types of credits: opening credits and closing credits. Generally the more important people such as permanent cast members, guest starring actors, producers, the director, are listed in the opening credits, while minor guest starring actors, so-called “below the line” crew members, post-production personnel, etc, are listed in the closing credits at the end of the episode. This also means more prestige in the industry, and generally more income, for those people listed in the opening credits. I should note that these descriptions are particular to television credits, film and stage productions have their own unique history and hierarchy of credits.

The general form for listing production credits is that you begin with the important names, go down the list in prestige, and end with the “really big” names. Also, if your name is the only one listed under a title, such as “Executive Producer” which appears on the screen, that is a big honor, whereas minor players in the production appear on a list under a title. In the business these title descriptions are often called “cards” which appear on screen.

White Tulip begins with a recap about Peter from previous episodes and then goes straight into the scene with Dr. Alistair Cook making his appearance on the ill-fated train. That type of scene, by the way, is called the “cold opening” meaning it comes before the opening title and credits.

Under the Fringe title at the end of the opening theme music we see:

Created By
J.J. Abrams
& Alex Kurtzman
& Roberto Orci





Of course the three guys who created Fringe should be listed, even if they have different jobs and responsibilities in production.

Starring

Anna Torv

Joshua Jackson

Lance Reddick

Blair Brown

Jasika Nicole

And

John Noble

All the main actors appeared on a separate “card” instead of together, which I am doing here to shorten this post. We can see that the two most important actors listed are Anna and John. The “And” designation has an unusual history in Hollywood. Most actors of distinction request their talent agents to ask for an “And” credit at the end of the main cast list. This is a means by which production can give a special recognition to one of the cast members, but doesn’t automatically translate into any higher salary for that actor.

You might also be asking “Why is Blair Brown credited when I don’t remember her in this episode?” It is current practice in television to list all the major cast members even if they do not make an appearance on a particular episode.

Guest Starring

Peter Weller

Laara Sadiq

These are the lead guest stars who will generally be more compensated for their performances than the twelve other guest stars who are listed in the closing credits.

Edited By

Michelle Tesoro

There’s an old adage that you haven’t learned the art of film making until you try your hand at editing. It’s a difficult and highly creative job, and that’s why they give Oscars and Emmys to TV and film editors. The Director doesn’t usually just hand off all of the takes to the Editor, rather they work in tandem to create the final product.

Production Designer

Ian Thomas 

The Production Designer is in charge of the overall “look” of the show to set the mood of the episode. That means before filming Ian Thomas worked with the various heads of departments such as Art, Wardrobe, Make-Up, Props, Set Construction, etc, to coordinate with them what the “mood” should be. Production Designers also work closely with Unit Production Managers and 1st Assistant Directors before filming commences.

Director of Photography

David Moxness 

In my previous post about working with Thomas Yatsko I described how the D.P. works closely with the Director to get his/her vision of the shot by coordinating the camera and lighting crews.

Next is a list of producers. Even though there is a “Written By” credit given later on, television productions often have a roomful of writers and in many cases they are given certain types of producing credits.

Generally, the production credits in most television shows from most to least important are:

1. Executive Producer

2. Co-Executive Producer

3. Supervising Producer

4. Producer

5. Story Editor

6. Staff Writer

I have a friend who used to work in scheduling for Fox Television and he informed me that you will sometimes come across the title “Assistant Producer.” That “Producer” is actually just a gopher-assistant for the Associate Producer, if there is one listed!

Without knowing exactly what each producer did for the episode it is highly difficult to determine whether they were actively engaged in supervising the episode, in the planning of the episode, or just a member of the writing team. For instance there is a job title of “Line Producer” who represents the interests of the studio and by training is usually someone who has been a 1st Assistant Director. This person controls the funding supply from the studio to production and works closely with the “Unit Production Manager” who has a similar role and training but represents the interest of the production team and crew, but more on that later.

Co-Producer

Tamara Isaac

Tamara is listed as production manager on IMDB so she is probably engaged in overseeing the overall filming and post-editing production in addition to the funding of the episode.

I hope the reader of the All Fringe Blog find this bit of Hollywood trivia just a little bit interesting. Next time I’ll finish the titles in the opening credits and begin to describe what the jobs and titles mean in the closing credits.