(no subject)
Vampires are all the rage these days. Teen girls and goth-kids with low self-esteem want the super-powers of flight, transformation, strength, and sexuality that vampires are imbued with...and then ignore all the murder, bloodiness, and cravings that come with it. They neuter the character, and turn the vampire into nothing more than a high school bad-boy with a heart of gold.
Bleah!
For my money, the best vampires around can only be found on episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This show first aired on March 10, 1997. After seven seasons, the final episode aired on May 20, 2003. The show had its genesis in a 1992 film written by 28-year-old television writer Joss Whedon. Whedon had imagined a scenario where the blond girl duped into going down a dark alley does not end up disemboweled but rather is empowered to save not only herself but her male companions. The idea was radically feminist, but also up-ended the traditional vampire and horror film narrative. It was not an uncommon idea at the time (the Scream franchise was also in the works), as the horror films of the 1980s (Halloween, Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, etc.) had run out of gas and turned the horror genre into a huge joke. Therein lay the problem: The final film (directed by Fran Rubel Kuzui) interprets the script as a joke, rather than seriously. All the performances are done for comic effect, not as drama.
In 1995, Fox Television approached Whedon and asked him to turn his movie into a series. Whedon wrote a pilot ("Welcome to the Hellmouth") that turned "Buffy" back into a drama. It also had a new emphasis: Rather than focus the show on feminism, the show pivoted on the idea of "high school as hell." Henceforth, Buffy and her friends' adventures would mirror, mimic, and serve as metaphor for the trials and tribulations all high school kids suffer through.
Torrance High School in Torrance, Calif., served as Sunnydale High. A private residence three blocks away was used throughout the series for exterior shots of the Summers house. The Ennis House, a National Historic Landmark located in Los Angeles' Griffith Park, served as Angel and Spike's mansion in the second season. Cemetery scenes were shot at Angelus-Rosedale Cemetery in Los Angeles, although in due time a fake cemetery was built in the studio parking lot. Three areas served as exterior locations for the fictional "UC-Sunnydale": UCLA, Cal State-Northridge, and the CF Braun Business Park in Alhambra, Calif. Cal State-Northridge also doubled for the rebuilt Sunnydale High. Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works, located 60 miles east of Los Angeles, served as the headquarters of "the Initiative" in Season Four. The Santa Ana Zoo, Stoner Recreation Center playground in West Los Angeles, Linda Vista Hospital, the BASF Corporation manufacturing complex and warehouse at Willow Street and South Santa Fe Avenue in Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Natural History Museum, and the Rye Canyon Loop at the north end of Kelly Johnson Parkway in Santa Clarita, Calif., are all used several times throughout the series. However, the nightclub known as The Bronze and its alleyway/entranceway were studio sets and never existed.
Although casting for the lead role of Buffy Summers occurred first, the role was the second cast. Both Nathan Fillion (Firefly) and David Boreanaz auditioned, but Boreanaz was cast almost immediately due to his more physical presence and brooding looks. (Fillion would later appear in Season Five as the evil preacher who paves the way for the evil demi-god, Glory.)
Julie Benz (who later appeared as Darla), Elizabeth Anne Allen (who was later cast as the teenage witch, Amy Madison), Julia Lee (who later appeared in two episodes as the bubble-headed, sad blonde, Chanterelle/Lily), and Mercedes McNab (who later had a recurring role as Harmony Kendall) all auditioned for the role of Buffy. Sarah Michelle Gellar did not originally auditon for the role of Buffy. Rather, she auditioned for the role of Cordelia Chase, as did Bianca Lawson (who later had a recurring role in Season Two as Kendra the Vampire Slayer). Gellar won the role of Cordelia, but kept coming back for auditions as Buffy. After four weeks of near-daily auditions, Whedon cast Gellar in the title role. Charisma Carpenter, who was also auditioning for the role of Buffy, was cast as Cordelia Chase. Anthony Stewart Head was offered the role of Rupert Giles, and accepted it. Nicholas Brendon had held a large number of odd jobs, and tried acting as a last resort. After just four days, he won the role of Xander Harris. He beat out Danny Strong (who later appeared in numerous episodes as Jonathan) and Ryan Reynolds (who went into movies and TV, and will appear as the Green Lantern on film next summer). Whedon had initially cast a young actress named Riff Regan for the role of Willow Rosenberg, but was dissatisfied with the choice. After filming a 25-minute demo for the Fox network, Whedon re-cast the role. An extensive search was cut short when Alyson Hannigan won the role after interpreting Willow as the most upbeat, most happy, most positive person in the world. Whedon had seen Willow as insecure and nebbishy, but Hannigan's interpretation changed his mind and won her the role. Kristine Sutherland was cast as Buffy's mother, Joyce Summers, because Whedon felt she resembled Gellar, and exuded a warm, motherly demeanor.
Throughout the show, several minor characters become major ones. The character of Jenny Calendar was originally designed to be a love interest for Rupert Giles. Robia LaMorte was cast after an extensive audition. Joss Whedon introduced the character of Daniel "Oz" Osbourne as an homage to a college friend. Intended to be Willow's love interest in Season Two, Oz was originally supposed to die during the Season Two two-part finale, "Becoming" (his throat slit by Drusilla). But Whedon and the writers decided to give that dubious honor to Jenny Calendar instead. Seth Green, a character actor who'd had a minor career up to that point, was cast as Oz.
The vengeance-demon Anya was only supposed to appear once, but fan reaction to veteran actress Emma Caulfield's performance led Joss Whedon to give her a recurring, the regular, role on the show. That's similar to the character Spike, who was only supposed to appear for four episodes in Season Two and die in the two-parter "What's My Line?" But fan reaction to the first Spike-themed episode ("School Hard") led Joss Whedon to keep the character alive. Actor James Marsters had been cast for the role out of hundreds, and only adopted a British accent for Spike after encountering Anthony Stewart Head. (Head's natural British accent is a heavy London one, although he affects a light Received English accent for the show.) Bianca Lawson also affected a Jamaican accent for the show -- although she did not plan to do so. The producers felt that Kendra should appear more exotic, and so two days before filming was to begin they brought in a dialogue coach. The dialogue coach was from Jamaica, and so trained Lawson in a Jamaican accent. Lawson heartily disliked it, as the writers, directors, and producers kept arguing over whether she should say certain things ("is that legitimately Jamaican?"), or say them in certain ways ("would a real Jamaican say it this way, or that way?").
The character of Faith was another one supposed to die early. Eliza Dushku had had a serviceable career as a child and teen actor, and auditioned for the role of the anti-Buffy, Faith. She received the role due to her sexual appeal, her physicality, and her sarcastic delivery. Faith was only supposed to last for five episodes. But, once more, fan response led Whedon to bring the character back for the entire third season. The character of Drusilla was conceived of as a companion for Spike. Juliet Landau, daughter of Oscar-winning actor Martin Laundau and wife Barbara Bain (they starred together on the syndicated science fiction TV show Space: 1999), had spent the previous decade as a professional ballerina. She made the move to acting, and almost immediately landed the role as Drusilla due to her exotic facial features and her physical ability to handle the role. Drusilla was not intended to be formally British, but Landau decided to adopt a British accent (she spent much of her childhood there) because she saw the Spike-and-Dru relationship as a sort of "Sid and Nancy thing" (a reference to rocker Sid Vicious' relationship with rocker Nancy Spungen). The character of Dawn Summers was introduced partly as a plot device for the season-long "Glorificus" story arc, but kept around as a way of giving Buffy Summers someone to love as intensely as she once did the vampire-with-a-soul, Angel. Michelle Trachtenberg had already had a brief career on film and television, and beat out a number of other young actresses for the role.
Bleah!
For my money, the best vampires around can only be found on episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This show first aired on March 10, 1997. After seven seasons, the final episode aired on May 20, 2003. The show had its genesis in a 1992 film written by 28-year-old television writer Joss Whedon. Whedon had imagined a scenario where the blond girl duped into going down a dark alley does not end up disemboweled but rather is empowered to save not only herself but her male companions. The idea was radically feminist, but also up-ended the traditional vampire and horror film narrative. It was not an uncommon idea at the time (the Scream franchise was also in the works), as the horror films of the 1980s (Halloween, Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, etc.) had run out of gas and turned the horror genre into a huge joke. Therein lay the problem: The final film (directed by Fran Rubel Kuzui) interprets the script as a joke, rather than seriously. All the performances are done for comic effect, not as drama.
In 1995, Fox Television approached Whedon and asked him to turn his movie into a series. Whedon wrote a pilot ("Welcome to the Hellmouth") that turned "Buffy" back into a drama. It also had a new emphasis: Rather than focus the show on feminism, the show pivoted on the idea of "high school as hell." Henceforth, Buffy and her friends' adventures would mirror, mimic, and serve as metaphor for the trials and tribulations all high school kids suffer through.
Torrance High School in Torrance, Calif., served as Sunnydale High. A private residence three blocks away was used throughout the series for exterior shots of the Summers house. The Ennis House, a National Historic Landmark located in Los Angeles' Griffith Park, served as Angel and Spike's mansion in the second season. Cemetery scenes were shot at Angelus-Rosedale Cemetery in Los Angeles, although in due time a fake cemetery was built in the studio parking lot. Three areas served as exterior locations for the fictional "UC-Sunnydale": UCLA, Cal State-Northridge, and the CF Braun Business Park in Alhambra, Calif. Cal State-Northridge also doubled for the rebuilt Sunnydale High. Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works, located 60 miles east of Los Angeles, served as the headquarters of "the Initiative" in Season Four. The Santa Ana Zoo, Stoner Recreation Center playground in West Los Angeles, Linda Vista Hospital, the BASF Corporation manufacturing complex and warehouse at Willow Street and South Santa Fe Avenue in Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Natural History Museum, and the Rye Canyon Loop at the north end of Kelly Johnson Parkway in Santa Clarita, Calif., are all used several times throughout the series. However, the nightclub known as The Bronze and its alleyway/entranceway were studio sets and never existed.
Although casting for the lead role of Buffy Summers occurred first, the role was the second cast. Both Nathan Fillion (Firefly) and David Boreanaz auditioned, but Boreanaz was cast almost immediately due to his more physical presence and brooding looks. (Fillion would later appear in Season Five as the evil preacher who paves the way for the evil demi-god, Glory.)
Julie Benz (who later appeared as Darla), Elizabeth Anne Allen (who was later cast as the teenage witch, Amy Madison), Julia Lee (who later appeared in two episodes as the bubble-headed, sad blonde, Chanterelle/Lily), and Mercedes McNab (who later had a recurring role as Harmony Kendall) all auditioned for the role of Buffy. Sarah Michelle Gellar did not originally auditon for the role of Buffy. Rather, she auditioned for the role of Cordelia Chase, as did Bianca Lawson (who later had a recurring role in Season Two as Kendra the Vampire Slayer). Gellar won the role of Cordelia, but kept coming back for auditions as Buffy. After four weeks of near-daily auditions, Whedon cast Gellar in the title role. Charisma Carpenter, who was also auditioning for the role of Buffy, was cast as Cordelia Chase. Anthony Stewart Head was offered the role of Rupert Giles, and accepted it. Nicholas Brendon had held a large number of odd jobs, and tried acting as a last resort. After just four days, he won the role of Xander Harris. He beat out Danny Strong (who later appeared in numerous episodes as Jonathan) and Ryan Reynolds (who went into movies and TV, and will appear as the Green Lantern on film next summer). Whedon had initially cast a young actress named Riff Regan for the role of Willow Rosenberg, but was dissatisfied with the choice. After filming a 25-minute demo for the Fox network, Whedon re-cast the role. An extensive search was cut short when Alyson Hannigan won the role after interpreting Willow as the most upbeat, most happy, most positive person in the world. Whedon had seen Willow as insecure and nebbishy, but Hannigan's interpretation changed his mind and won her the role. Kristine Sutherland was cast as Buffy's mother, Joyce Summers, because Whedon felt she resembled Gellar, and exuded a warm, motherly demeanor.
Throughout the show, several minor characters become major ones. The character of Jenny Calendar was originally designed to be a love interest for Rupert Giles. Robia LaMorte was cast after an extensive audition. Joss Whedon introduced the character of Daniel "Oz" Osbourne as an homage to a college friend. Intended to be Willow's love interest in Season Two, Oz was originally supposed to die during the Season Two two-part finale, "Becoming" (his throat slit by Drusilla). But Whedon and the writers decided to give that dubious honor to Jenny Calendar instead. Seth Green, a character actor who'd had a minor career up to that point, was cast as Oz.
The vengeance-demon Anya was only supposed to appear once, but fan reaction to veteran actress Emma Caulfield's performance led Joss Whedon to give her a recurring, the regular, role on the show. That's similar to the character Spike, who was only supposed to appear for four episodes in Season Two and die in the two-parter "What's My Line?" But fan reaction to the first Spike-themed episode ("School Hard") led Joss Whedon to keep the character alive. Actor James Marsters had been cast for the role out of hundreds, and only adopted a British accent for Spike after encountering Anthony Stewart Head. (Head's natural British accent is a heavy London one, although he affects a light Received English accent for the show.) Bianca Lawson also affected a Jamaican accent for the show -- although she did not plan to do so. The producers felt that Kendra should appear more exotic, and so two days before filming was to begin they brought in a dialogue coach. The dialogue coach was from Jamaica, and so trained Lawson in a Jamaican accent. Lawson heartily disliked it, as the writers, directors, and producers kept arguing over whether she should say certain things ("is that legitimately Jamaican?"), or say them in certain ways ("would a real Jamaican say it this way, or that way?").
The character of Faith was another one supposed to die early. Eliza Dushku had had a serviceable career as a child and teen actor, and auditioned for the role of the anti-Buffy, Faith. She received the role due to her sexual appeal, her physicality, and her sarcastic delivery. Faith was only supposed to last for five episodes. But, once more, fan response led Whedon to bring the character back for the entire third season. The character of Drusilla was conceived of as a companion for Spike. Juliet Landau, daughter of Oscar-winning actor Martin Laundau and wife Barbara Bain (they starred together on the syndicated science fiction TV show Space: 1999), had spent the previous decade as a professional ballerina. She made the move to acting, and almost immediately landed the role as Drusilla due to her exotic facial features and her physical ability to handle the role. Drusilla was not intended to be formally British, but Landau decided to adopt a British accent (she spent much of her childhood there) because she saw the Spike-and-Dru relationship as a sort of "Sid and Nancy thing" (a reference to rocker Sid Vicious' relationship with rocker Nancy Spungen). The character of Dawn Summers was introduced partly as a plot device for the season-long "Glorificus" story arc, but kept around as a way of giving Buffy Summers someone to love as intensely as she once did the vampire-with-a-soul, Angel. Michelle Trachtenberg had already had a brief career on film and television, and beat out a number of other young actresses for the role.