FUCK ME, WE'RE TWO WEEKS OUT...

I can't believe we are two weeks away from the premier.  Time, in the throes of this process, becomes such an odd phenomenon.  Everything seems to be moving at a normal rhythm until about script number four.  Then it slips into this warped speed-hole, where one episode just dovetails into another and it feels like one big move.  All of a sudden, I'm staring at my white board in my home office and I see beats for 313.  Really?  I guess that's a good sign.  If we were agonizing over story, scripts and cuts, time would be passing much more slowly.

I've given a few interviews about season three and I'll be doing a few more before we air.  I'll tell you what I've told the press.  At least this way I know the story will get to you in it's intended construct, unlike those douche-bags who fucked with Mo Ryan's story to make Charlie sound disgruntled, then baited me into a reaction before I was bright enough to do the due diligence.  Those hit-whore motherfuckers should all die.  But I digress...  Season three is a bit different for us.  I felt like after two seasons of serialized character development, fans would be open to learn more about the history of the club.  This season we delve into the mythology of the Sons connection to the IRA and John Teller's relationship with Belfast.  It's a huge season for Jax.  In fact, it's all about the three generations of Tellers -- John, Jax and Abel.

Folks keep asking me about numbers -- will the premier be as big as last year, bigger, what do I expect?  To me, the growth of Sons of Anarchy between season one and season two was an extraordinary anomaly.  It was a result of the show's season one premier getting sideswiped by the RNC Palin speech and the steady increase of fans we added as season one continued.  We had like a 90% increase between the season one and season two premiers (something close to that).  Unfortunately, this season, anything less than another huge increase will most likely be labeled a failure.  Look at Mad Men -- they retained their big season three growth and even added a few percentage points this season, but the press tagged it a disappointment.  I would gladly accept that disappointment.  I will be very happy if all the fans we had last year show up again this year.  Yes, it would be awesome to grow, but in this TV landscape, retaining that huge growth between season one and two would be very satisfying. 

I really dig the season.  It's an important one for me.  There are a lot of deeply personal themes weaved throughout this mythology and this season we experience a chunk of them.  I hope the fans embrace it.  I also want to say on-the-record that everyone involved in this show brought their A-game to the court.  It was a brutal production this year.  We had two big story-lines running simultaneously -- Charming and Belfast.  A two-week second unit in Ireland.  A huge guest cast.  Actors and crew have been on overdrive since episode three.  And if I haven't said it lately, I'll repeat myself now -- I have the most talented cast working in television and the hardest-working, most dedicated fucking crew in Hollywood.  

With the bigness of this season, my producers and I have been working hard to figure out a way to make our pattern (budget) and even though we've been struggling to do so,  the studio and the network has been awesome this year.  They've really given me room and support to tell these expansive stories.  I'm still responsible for my bottom-line, but everyone has been extremely diplomatic in the way they've put my feet to the fire.  As a guy who easily rants my gripes, it's equally important that I share my gratitude.  FX, Fox 21 and Twentieth have been great creative partners this season.  And I thank them for that.

I'll try to post a couple more updates before we premier.  Again, thanks for all the support and I hope you all spread the word about SOA.  September 7th.  Aye.

COUNTDOWN TO SEASON 3

I thought I'd take a moment from my bombastic walk down the dark, rocky road I travel upon to update fans as to the current status of the show.  

All 13 episodes are broken.

A writer's draft of 313 is being written.

I am currently working on my draft of 312.

Adam Arkin is prepping 311.

Gwyneth H-Payton is directing/shooting 310.

Stephen Kay is working on his director's cut of 309.

I'm working on my producer's cut of 308.  This will be a 90 minute episode. 

Craig Yahata, my post producer, is working on the pre-mix for 307.

306 is mixed and in layback.

305 is getting final post touches and is ready for final mix and layback.

304 is done and out to critics.
303 is mixed and waiting for a re-shoot to drop in.  A temp version is out to critics.

302 is done and out to critics.

301 is done and out to critics.  The name of the premier episode is "SO".

The SOA iPhone app should hit the week that episode 308 airs.  It'll make sense why.  

Thanks for checking in.  More to come as we get closer to the premier date.

THE ART OF THE TEASE

The creative process of promoting a show is an entirely different animal than the creative process of making the show.  One is based on a need to engagingly communicate story, the other on the need to entice and stimulate an audience's desire for that story.  

I am fascinated by both processes.  

My background is in mass media and advertising.  As an undergraduate at Rutgers, I had my sites set on being a copywriter and a marketing creative.  My senior project was a 50 page thesis on Frequency vs. Reach - The Most Effective Use of Advertising Dollars.  Even though my career went in a different direction, I am still very plugged into the phenomenon of audience and fan awareness.  It's one of the reasons I blog; and the only reason I use Twitter and Facebook.

I'm not sure how other showrunners react when they see trailers for their new seasons.  But my reaction is always mixed.  It's the thrill of seeing those first on-air glimpses of the show, the excitement of the cool song, the sexy, slick presentation.  It gets my heart racing.  Then there's the part of me that sees the first six episodes manipulated into a marketing tool, where narrative arcs and revelatory moments get dispensed like Raisinettes.  It gets my heart sinking.  I fear that the impact, surprise and relevance of the season will be compromised.  I worry, a lot.  It's what a parent does when they think their three-year old is in potential danger.

But when I put on my marketing hat (which is about twenty years old and ill-fitting), I need a completely different point-of-view and a whole different set of worries.  If I'm spending millions and millions of dollars to promote a show, what is the most effective use of those advertising dollars?  You have to excite and entice existing fans, as well as intrigue and draw in new viewers.  To do that you must tap into story arcs, character relationships and in the case of this show, kick-ass action.  You have to reveal enough information to satisfy a very hungry audience.  They want to know what's gonna happen without really knowing what's gonna happen.  So how do you do milk that cow without ripping its teats off?  

It's a very delicate sucking. 

I'm sure other writer/producers reading this may ultimately utter the phrase, It doesn't matter what I think, marketing is a suit job.  Alas, that is true.  Many networks outsource the promotion of a show so the writers and producers are completely in the dark.  They see the promos when the audience does.  Thankfully, that is not the case with FX.  The marketing and promotions are all done in-house.  So I am lucky enough to be kept in the loop.  I see the print and on-air promotions before they are released.  Doesn't mean I can change them, but at least I'm not blindsided.  Truth is, I am in awe of the job Stephanie Gibbons and her team does at FX.  I make it a point to publicly acknowledge her enormous contribution to the success of this show.  Last month we did a seminar together on this very subject -- the relationship between marketing and the showrunner.  We discussed in detail the challenges of all those things I worry about juxtaposed against all the things she worries about.  It was an eye-opening hour. 

But let's look at the target, Kurt, the audience member.  When I watch a TV or a movie teaser, what entices me?  What draws me to tune in or spend ten bucks?  I know from experience that when I watch a movie trailer I'm pretty much seeing ALL the best moments from the film.  In fact, most movies only get greenlit when someone can "see the trailer".  And one could make the argument that studio movies have simply become extended trailers.  It must work, because they've been promoting movies the same way as far back as I can remember.  And I confess, I'm guilty of anxiously waiting to see those trailer moments when I sit in my Arclight seat.  

But what of television?  Do I really want ALL the best moments revealed to me?  I say no, but I'm not sure if that's the truth or just my job knowledge seeping in.  My relationship with a television show is much deeper than my relationship with a film.  When I buy a movie ticket I'm making a two hour investment, when I watch a serialized show, I'm making a 13-22 week commitment (coincidentally, the length of most of my relationships before I married Katey).  I'm investing in the world, the characters and the story.  Yes, I want to be teased and aroused, but I don't want to cum.  Or do I?  I mean, who wants to wait a week to get off.  Who the fuck am I, Sting? 

It's a chicken-egg conundrum.  Not unlike sex, it will continue to confuse and frustrate me.  Ultimately, as with most things in my life, it comes down to trust.  If I do my job well, share my truth as best as I can, and do the next right thing in front of me -- I have to trust that I will be heard and that others, who know more than me, will do their jobs as well.  

FYI: Trust is the ultimate challenge for big personalities with control issues.