Tuesday, January 29, 2008

GUIDING LIGHT Launches New Production Model
Soap's bold new look to debut on CBS Feb. 29, 2008

New York, NY-- Guiding Light , the Procter & Gamble Productions soap opera that is the longest-running television show in broadcast history, today announced its plans to take on a revolutionary new production model. The production changes, which will take effect immediately and begin airing on CBS on Feb. 29, 2008, will bring a modern, more realistic look to the show, allowing viewers to be entertained by the stories and characters they love in a more intimate way.

Guiding Light' s new model will represent an end-to-end transformation in the way the show is created, from direction to editing to scenic design. Permanent sets inside the show's New York City studio will now feature four walls and a ceiling and will increase in number from eight to forty, allowing viewers to see much more of the fictional town of Springfield. Handheld cameras will shoot the actors inside the sets and deliver a higher level of realism and intimacy to the audience. In addition to the changes inside the studio, the show has adopted the town of Peapack, NJ to shoot all of its exterior scenes, which will total approximately 20% of production--an unprecedented amount for a contemporary daytime drama.

"Our new production model enables us to truly bring Springfield to life for our viewers," said Executive Producer Ellen Wheeler. "Our fans want to see more of our characters' lives -- from the houses they live in, to the cars they drive, to the experiences they have in their everyday lives. The changes will enable us to tell stories in a more intimate way, capturing real moments and engaging the audience on a deeper level."

The bold move to modernize Guiding Light is the result of a yearlong development process by the show's production team and Procter & Gamble Productions, who in that time were experimenting with new methods and technologies. The resulting new model will combine elements from film, reality and daytime to deliver the more realistic feel for which Guiding Light fans have asked.

In contrast to the handheld cameras and newly crafted four-wall sets the old production model -- one pioneered by Procter & Gamble Productions and Guiding Light in the 1950's -- featured three pedestal cameras that shot the action from outside a proscenium wall. Location shooting was limited to once or twice a year. More than 50 years later, this form still dominates soap opera production.

Feb. 29 will also mark the re-launch of Guiding Light 's website, guidinglight.net . The interactive, video-rich site will showcase the new look of Guiding Light , providing daily new content on the happenings of Springfield's favorite residents. In addition, the site will feature a robust community section, offering an engaging area that will foster a stronger connection between the fans and the show, and an interconnectedness between the fans themselves.

8 comments:

SuperSage said...

And, when will there be improvements in the storytelling?

schiffeg68 said...

Wasn't this very same change to be occuring for As The World Turns as well?

WorldTurner said...

I am curious too as to what is happening with ATWT? We were told the same changes were being made there but all is silent now. Can somebody update us as to the status on this production model for ATWT? It looks very interesting.

Anonymous said...

This change to hand held cameras, more exterior shots, and four-walled sets isn't necessarily a bad idea. It could work beautifully under the right circumstances but:

1) The writing for GL just absolutely sucks. It is so horrible that it's almost surreal. Unfortunately, it's not bad in an almost entertaining "Plan 9 From Outer Space" kinda way, it's just bad. The kind of bad that makes you apathetic lose hope for improvement. Storylines, if they even qualify for that moniker, make no sense and almost every character has been changed and mangled left and right to accomodate these dumb "stories" that make no sense. This won't address any of that. The content of the show itself is virtually unwatchable, how it's shot will be irrelevent to the large number of viewers that have been completely driven away by the writing and it's disrespect towards the show's history and it's longtime fans. Shooting unsympathetic characters that everyone hates, boring couples nobody except certain actors want, and lame shock driven plots more intimately isn't the answer to any of these problems. If the writing and production decisions don't improve dramatically, this won't amount to a hill of beans.

2) Alot of the "practice" scenes we've seen have been far from impressive. Most were filmed in parking garages, stairwells, and public bathrooms. I know that the ever-shrinking Beacon hotel room, Main Street, and TikiHut Cedars sets are bad but parking garages and public bathrooms? No thanks. A few of the actual outdoor scenes have been good but there have also been scenes filmed in a hail storm making dialogue unintelligible at best and shaky, unprofessional-looking camera work with gratuitous use of extreme closeups and bad sound mixing. There needs to be far better execution and better locations chosen for this to come close to working. And seriously, no more public bathrooms. They've done that like three times. It's not gritty, Ellen, it's just gross.

Unknown said...

I agree with others on various message boards that the writing absolutely sucks so this won't help. I'll watch a few episodes and marvel at the new look, but the storytelling is horrible.

ATWT is even worse with Jean Passanante's disgusting writing for the women.

Anonymous said...

I'm going to give Guiding Light a chance. Yes, the writing is not to par as on my favorite show One Life To Live, but I've watched this show for over 30 years and I still have hope for it. The real changes need to be made over at ATWT. The writing, directing, editing and everything else is horrible.

Anonymous said...

I'm going to give Guiding Light a chance. Yes, the writing is not to par as on my favorite show One Life To Live, but I've watched this show for over 30 years and I still have hope for it. The real changes need to be made over at ATWT. The writing, directing, editing and everything else is horrible.

Barb Stanfield said...
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