Looking At A Legacy – By Alice Jester
Looking back at the last year since the loss of Kim Manners, it’s amazing how much his legacy still sticks with everyone. Sure, he holds a spot near and dear to Supernatural fan’s hearts, but he touched many lives throughout his long and brilliant career and was very well respected by the time he made his way to our little cult show. The world of TV Producer and Director is a low profile one and one appreciated most by those whose lives are personally affected by that person more than the scores of viewers watching every week. Given the two immensely dedicated fandoms Kim Manners impacted, The X-Files and Supernatural, his legacy will live on stronger and longer than most televisions directors.
Kim’s greatest influence without a doubt came from eight seasons with that other paranormal drama, The X-Files. He directed 52 episodes overall, or three times as many as Supernatural. Considering there were 202 overall episodes for The X-Files, one fourth were directed by one man. That’s a staggering statistic, especially for such a complex show. He was a major force in setting the tone for the series and without him it would have been a profoundly different show. It is also might not have been as successful.
The only “in-depth†profile I could find on Kim Manners came from a 2002 Article when he was filming the final season of The X-Files. His joy and enthusiasm during the entire process - reading the script, going into pre-production and doing exhaustive preparation, shooting the episodes, and even putting his touch on post production is what made him more than an exceptional director. He was a producer too with expertise people could rely on. Those that worked with him on that show had plenty of wonderful things to say about him:
Assistant Director Barry Thomas: ”The crew appreciates his ability to compromise, to shoot efficiently, and to not waste time. It’s so important in episodic television, where you’ve got to be quick on your feet and come up with compromises and solutions quickly.”
Gillian Anderson: ”He has an extraordinary visual eye. He knows everything about the camera and about what one will see — where to put the camera in a shot in order to move the story forward.”
Executive Producer Frank Spotnitz: ”But it’s never tired, it’s never just ‘another episode of television’ to him. He kills himself every time out, puts his heart and soul into it. And everybody sees it.”
Co-Executive Producer Michelle MacLaren: ”The most powerful thing he said to me was that he imagines it all cut together, and he sees the movie in his head, really visualizes it.”
What did Kim Manners have to say about his experiences? Plenty, but that article ended with this: “”I’m hoping to move into long forms. I’d love to do films for theatrical release. But leaving the X-Files family will not be easy. This is a very difficult show. And we each help each other get through it. It’ll never be that way again. I’m savoring these last episodes that I have to direct. And they’re memories that I’ll never forget.”
To think he went on from that and did it all over again with another Vancouver based series. He won over far more than the hearts of fan, actors, writers, directors, and crew that worked with him. Misha Collins told a group of us at the Supernatural Cherry Hill convention that Kim Manners lived in the same hotel in Vancouver for 19 years. After he passed, the staff of that hotel was devastated. They took his passing like they had lost a member of their family. Their grief was quite something.
When I published my article about Kim’s passing last year many comments were left on blogcritics from all fandoms sharing their memories, including a few people that knew him. Here are a couple of comments that stood out:
Liz Frankfather – Kim was one of my late husband’s students at Hancock College in Santa Maria, CA — which became PCPA. (My husband was actor William Frankfather.) Bill and I watched with pleasure and pride as Kim’s career took off, and his talent — so evident even as an undergraduate — grew, and was shared with so many. After Bill crossed over, one of my remaining pleasures was continuing to follow Kim’s work, always stamped with his unwavering requirement for high quality…My heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues. In addition to his amazing talent Kim was a special man; he is sorely missed.
Macleod – Kim was what television can be. After working as a crew member over the years with Kim I can say that his “Rip the heart out of this Thing, and eat it” speech before the first shot Day 1 on a pretty insurmountable pilot still gives me chills. Cheers Kim.
Even Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles at the most recent Chicago convention in November still had stories to share. When they were asked what were their fondest memories on the show, Jensen answered working with Kim Manners.
“I think in the last four and a half years people from like Kim Manners and Bob Singer who respect the work and respect the people around you and work hard and sort of find joys in the day and Kim would always say, ‘If I didn’t like what I was doing I wouldn’t be doing it. I see more of you guys than my wife, my kids, my dogs and home. So really try to find happiness in whatever you’re doing.’ The search for happiness is the root of all happiness. And I know this getting off tangent talking about work but just try to enjoy life more, ride the ride.â€
The story of filming that one heartbreaking scene in “All Hell Breaks Loose Part II†still gets me teary. Here is how Jensen told it in Chicago:
“It was in “All Hell Breaks Loose Part 2†and it was when Sam was lying dead on the bed and that scene of Dean talking to him. I knew it was going to be really tough so I went and talked with Kim about it and he was so good. Through that whole scene he blocked off the set. You know there’s normally 30 guys staring at us grips and electricians and camera guys and sound guys and they’re all like right there. So Kim cleared all of those guys out and literally put a black tarp around the set and had a camera in the corner where I could not even notice it and just let me play the scene by myself with him. I just remember being so proud with the way that turned out. I was like ‘wow, he’s such a great director.’â€
Such a great director indeed. It’s kind of appropriate that one of his episodes, “Shadow,†airs on TNT on the anniversary of his death. It was his contributions that helped Supernatural overcome the huge obstacles it did and who knows if we’d be watching the show in syndication (or at all for that matter) if he wasn’t part of the team. He again helped set that tone and deserves much of the credit every time one of those older episodes airs at 10 am. It’s a legacy that so many fans can watch with pride. That’s true every time the X-Files airs on SYFY as well.
Today you see Kim Mnnners’ impact on just about every Supernatural episode. When Eric Kripke took over the directing role for the season four finale, “Lucifer Rising,†a spot usually reserved for his premiere director, he wanted it to look like a Kim Manners episode. He tried angles and shots that were trademarks of his late Director and Executive Producer. The same can be said for season five too, but it comes now from every director. They want those unique touches to live on, those that defined this series thus far, like the close-ups of faces that exclude the actor’s head. Those shots maximize the emotional impact of the storytelling, especially when there are great actors to pull that off. Kim Manners knew how to play the strengths and others have learned from that.
This video tribute was done for the X-Files convention fans in Berlin late last year. It certainly shows what impact he had on the X-Files. From everything we’ve heard, it’s the same spirit and love for the job he brought to Supernatural. It’s likely what he did on every set he ever set foot on. I honestly can’t put it into words what he means to fans any better than this.
You are still missed Kim, but you left us with plenty to treasure. For that, the fans and everyone else you’ve inspired couldn’t be luckier.
Alice, man, this was amazing. You found some fitting words for a great man.
I can’t believe it’s been a year already. I remember it was such a blow when I heard of his passing, I didn’t even know he was sick. But the wonderfull thing is, his work will forever be here to remind us of his incredible skills.
I went back to see which X-files eps he’d directed and was suprised to see so many personal faves on the list, allthough I shouldn’t have been, since I allready knew he could bring amazing stories to life. His eppies are like movies, and you can see he loved to do his work.
A truly remarkable man. You are missed.
Alice,
Very beautiful tribute you’ve put together here. He was a great man with a phenomenal body of work.
While doing some ‘research’ for a tribute I intended to write (but was unable to bring to fruition) I found some commentary from Peter Deluise (21 Jump Street) about working with Kim. He expressed that the set with Kim Manners was always fun because he let them do their own thing – much like he did on Supernatural. Peter Deluise, who later went on to be a director on Stargate, credited Kim with teaching him a lot.
It’s wonderful to see so much love and so many fond memories – it’s the mark of a great man who leaves behind such a wide-spread and positive influence in his wake.
Beautiful Alice.. Love all the comments you posted.
Alice, I’m deeply moved. When a man is appreciated in a way Kim Manners was, he must have been a genuinely good person. Apart from his talent, his unique ability to enchant us with his work and his knowledge of the trade, that is the one thing that touches me the most. There are so many egos in this business – when you find a true human being there, well… that leaves me speechless.
Thank you. If there is a heaven, I hope Mr Manners is smiling down at all this… and probably cracking the odd joke. He might give the angels a hard time with pranks, though…
Love Jas
Lovely tribute, Alice. And I had no idea he directed that many episodes of The X-files. That’s amazing! He really did leave behind a wonderful legacy, not just on film but in life.
Fantastic tribute, Alice. Every time someone of note passes, there’s an endless parade of “he/she was wonderfuls” but here, it *really* seems to be the case, that Kim was supremely dedicated to his craft and had the respect and love of everyone because he treated them in the same way. A rarity.
A beautiful and heart warming tribute Alice! Thank-you.