Guy Norman Bee Panel and Other Updates, Salute To Supernatural In Burbank

It was another great weekend, plenty of guests, plenty of fun, and lots to share.  Let’s begin. 

Here’s some information about the Guy Norman Bee panel.  No worries, there are no spoilers, except one little possible detail.  

I had a great time on Friday night talking with Guy at Karaoke Friday night.  He had brought a guest, Michael Cudlitz of “Southland” and he was certainly amused by this little Supernatural fandom experience.  I was able to go up to him for a few minutes and welcome him to our crazy little fandom.  At first he stood in the back and laughed, but eventually Richard Speight Jr., who knew him from “Band of Brothers” had him on stage singing and goofing around with everyone else.  It was so exciting to see the “Supernatural” love spread to other shows.  
 
Guy had also promised a special guest for his panel the next morning.  That guy turned out to be Sam Hennings, or the man who played Samuel Colt in “Frontierland.”  He was a great guest.  He had some things to share not only about “Supernatural” but about shooting TV and film in general.  
 
Before I get started about the details with the panel though, here’s a key question that was asked that’s on everyone’s minds.  Guy Norman Bee is scheduled to shoot episode 7.22 in 12 days.  Anything he can share?  Nope, he knows absolutely nothing about the episode.  He believes it’ll be a big episode, part 1 of part 2 in the season finale.  He did part 2 of the opener.  He’s 99 percent sure that Ben Edlund will be writing it, which will mean all episode that he’s shot this season have been written by Ben.  He really misses everyone because he hasn’t been up there since October.  As for the episode though,  “I get the same information you all do….When I do find out, I won’t share anything.”
 
Sam Hennings started the session by talking about how he researched Samuel Colt.  He was a short guy was a beard.  Obviously his approach wasn’t going to work.  “I just dirtied the guy up, gave him a couple of drinks and went to work.” 

                                                                                                          (Photo courtesy of Rita K)
 
Later in the panel he elaborated on that a bit further.  He was asked (by none other than Becky at Winchester Bros) if he knew that Samuel Colt was a big part of the history of the show.  “Would you be impressed if I said yes?”  he joked.  No, he didn’t.  He’s done a lot of period pieces in his career.  He loves the nitty gritty of the 1800’s and loves to do research.  It wouldn’t have been appropriate for him to play the part like the real Samuel Colt.  He had to take direction from Guy to find out how to approach Colt in terms of “Supernatural.”  They gave him three DVDs to watch.  He loved it. 
 
Guy admitted he instructed him to have fun with it, because Sam H. was over thinking it. 
 
In other questions, Guy was asked about differences between shooting “Supernatural” and “Southland.”  “Couldn’t be more different.”  He stopped before explaining that his episode of “Southland” airs Tuesday.  
 
In shooting an episode of Southland, he does the scene four times and moves on.  It’s the nature of the reality angle of that show.  A two page scene on “Supernatural” takes six hours while on Southland it’s 45 minutes.  It’s a different style of show, shorter filming. 
 
Guy was a camera operator for Titanic.  He worked under James Cameron and talked about that film.  It involved some crazy 18 hour days but it was fun.  He found the “Titanic” references in “Supernatural’s” “My Heart Will Go On” hilarious.  He also loved “Titanic because of its look at history.  One of Guy’s favorite movies is Forrest Gump because it focuses on history.  
 
On a side note, he did mention that “Frontierland” was filmed before “My Heart Will Go On” but the network changed it so that “My Heart Will Go On” would air on the anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic.  Or at least he thinks.  
 
A fan compliment him on Dean picking up Castiel’s jacket, mentioning was a beautiful moment.  That wasn’t scripted.  Is there any other moment like that?  There’s always those little things in rehearsal that they find.  Take the scene in the warehouse in “Hello, Cruel World.”  When the real Dean comes in the door, it wasn’t scripted to show Jensen saying “Oh, look another me.”  It was Mark.  They changed that while shooting.  
 
There was a nice long discussion about shooting to a director’s tastes when a fan asked about how a director like David Fincher wants multiple takes.  He finds that with multiple takes he can capture something new on each take.  Sam Hennings clarified that television moves so quickly.  The directors push things as much as they can within the time allowed, but there’s always constraints.  Scorsese does six takes per scene.  They’re juggling a thin line between what the actor can do and the time.  
 
Guy has only worked in TV and is constantly watching the time with the AD.  That mentality of multiple takes in old school.  “I won’t make you do it again unless there’s a specific piece of direction.”  In other words, if he wants to do a closeup or far away or from a different angle.  Guy doesn’t want to burn out the actors or take away that spontaneity.  He might have them do a take where they don’t make eye contact for example.  There might be that one moment in the editing room where he’s excited he made them do that way.  But he has to watch how far he takes such choices.  
 
When shooting for an episode, Guy does thinks about references from the show to work in here and there.  For example in “How To Win Friends and Influence Monsters,” They had the waiter in Biggerson’s carrying a pie.  They had a camera on the tray focusing on the pie because Dean loves pie.  They ended up not using it because it didn’t fit the story. 
 
“You’ve got to know the speed of the direction, you’ve got to know what the texture of the characters in order to participate in the dance.”  said Sam Hennings in balancing creative choices with shooting.  
 
Guy explained that with “Supernatural,” Serge has defined the look.  He’s shot every episode except for the pilot.  “That’s the third brother, oh, that’s the fourth brother.”  
 
He wanted to try a different angle in Hello Cruel World with Kim pulling the IV, but Serge didn’t agree.  It didn’t fit the tone of the show.  Guy would rather come in with ideas and be shut down rather than come in with nothing.  “It’s a collaborative art.  You’re in the wrong business if you don’t want to listen to your cast and crew.”  
 
Moving on, in “Frontierland” Jensen had ideas about the wardrobe before he even read the script.  He loved approaching the idea that it turned out not to be what he thought it would be.  Jared and Sam’s scenes were shot on day 7, late on the schedule.  It was an hour and 20 minute drive each way.  
 
Sam Hennings talked about in the script for “Frontierland” he was supposed to have the colt in a holster, but he was sitting down and he couldn’t pull it out easily.  It was too long.  He came up with the idea they put the pistol under the papers all the time so he could just pull it out.  Unfortunately, that cut up his hand.  The trigger was rusted and old.  Guy loved how Colt could be a drunk, but when it mattered he could pull it together.  He thought it was really cool.  
 
Sam further accented this point by saying that as a actor, they had to make it work.  He was in a film where they had two cool looking GTOs, but neither worked.  “Something will not work, you as an actor have to make it work.”  Guy said that’s why they have five Impalas.  Even then, Jared and Jensen with the car find a way to make the scene work.   
 
A question came up about fighting for creative choices.  Guy went on to elaborate what it’s like being a guest director for shows.  “It’s a business full of large egos,”  Guy joked.  Like when he comes to a convention and tells people watch “Southland” Tuesday night.  “On TNT.”  He recognizes he’s always a guest when he comes in.  He picks his battles selectively.  
 
What is it like shooting location shoots and night shoots?  The crew is very used to it, especially bad weather. He’s always happy with the finished product.  They know how to light difficult scenes, like when they backlight the rain. 
 
Sam Hennings talked about the dedication of an actor for each project.  He’s obsessed from start to end.  He wouldn’t do it differently if he was doing it for free as if it’s a 100 million dollar movie.  Guy has found that, “Sometimes the best direction is no direction.”  He learned that from “Drop Zone and director John Badham.  He became a real mentor to him.  
 
That was the end of the panel.  Up next, Sebastian Roche and Mark Sheppard.  Oh yeah, things were about to take a very raunchy turn.  
 

Here’s photos from the Sunday Gold Ticket breakfast:

Pictures from Saturday:

All photos are were taken by me.  You may share, but please give credit to the Winchester Family Business. 

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