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The Town Hall Archives
Ahh, the nostalgia.
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AndyGHarvey
Junior Member
Joined: 01 Dec 2002
Posts: 270
Location: WV
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 Posted: Mon Feb 17, 2003 10:04 pm Post subject: |
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| I love Alex, and Sarah and Liz and Mandy and I wish they would keep them instead of makin another transition! The last big one like this was Virtual Realties...and I can't stand Colby! But at least Wooton is an adult and he'll stay! |
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Dave
Cursor Always on Submit Button Member
Joined: 01 Feb 2003
Posts: 943
Location: Here
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| Posted: Fri Feb 21, 2003 11:10 pm Post subject: |
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I hope Alex does not go. Does anyone want him to go? Alex is probably the best kid on the show at this currrent time. Cal was okay. They should keep him around so Alex has someone. I wish Nathaniel was still around. Mandy's okay. I dislike Colby. Please get rid of him, AIO writers!
Dave |
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DrBlackgaard
Ancient Member
Joined: 24 Nov 2002
Posts: 1306
Location: Sing a song about the heart land, sing a song about my life...
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| Posted: Sat Feb 22, 2003 4:54 pm Post subject: |
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| Yeah, it's really annying. Ever since the '95 or so, they can't seem to keep any kid characters around long enough for you to learn their last names..Except Rodney and Connie, and they really don't count as kids, since technicly they should both be in their 30s.. |
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Nathan Hoobler
AIO Writer
Joined: 23 Nov 2002
Posts: 155
Location: Colorado Springs, CO
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| Posted: Sat Feb 22, 2003 10:37 pm Post subject: |
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| Bennett Charles wrote: | | I hate this! Why can't Odyssey keep at least one kid to go unto he teens?? I mean, this is really dumb! I always get mad on this subject! |
The answer to this question (as has been mentioned before) is simple. Once a kid starts sounding like a teenager, there are three choices.
Option 1) Let the character age to a teenager and start doing teen things. This is a real option, but a difficult one because you have to start exploring teen issues. Odyssey has done a few teen episodes, mainly as "pre-emptive strikes" so kids will be influenced on an issue before they have to make the decision. Episodes like "First Love," "Pamela Has a Problem" and "The Model Child" are along these lines. However, "teen" episodes need to be very rare. Do them too often and your audience wonders when you'll do shows with kids again. And, as you may have noticed, by their very nature, teen episodes tend to be issues-oriented and negative. Do this too often and the show gets depressing.
Option 2) Let the character age to a teenager, but still act like a kid. This has happened with a few kids when they were just on the edge of childhood. (Lawrence Hodges toward the end and a few Jimmy Barclay shows are examples.) However, this tends to break the reality of Odyssey because it seems unnatural for a teenager to still be acting like a 10 year old.
And that leaves us with...
Option 3) The character leaves the show or becomes a secondary character. Most often, the former happens. Jimmy and Donna Barclay were about the only case where the latter happened. You'll notice that VERY few shows after "Coming of Age" had Jimmy and Donna as their focus. The focus was on the entire Barclay family, which enabled the show to tell episodes that families in general could relate to, rather than the specific family members.
The only exceptions to the above are when actors' voices stay the same and so they can stay kids indefinately. Lucy Cunningham-Schultz and perhaps Mandy Straussberg are examples of this. And sometimes, the actor either moves away or joins a TV show and isn't available anymore. We've joked on the team that Odyssey "launches" actors. Though that isn't really true, it IS true that many child actors start working with us when they are largely unknown and then a few months or years later, they become well-known and sometimes become too busy to work on Odyssey.
Personally, I like the changing dynamic of the ever-shifting kids. You get to see fresh faces around Whit's End and (for Whit, anyway) it's like real life where people you know grow up and move on.
Nathan |
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hawkeye
Linux Geek
Joined: 23 Nov 2002
Posts: 2408
Location: Inventors Corner
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| Posted: Sat Feb 22, 2003 10:49 pm Post subject: |
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Nathan: I agree the dynamic nature is great, but I also think it important to have at least one person you can grow up with, sort of becomming an old friend, even if they play a minor role through the latter years. Life is dynamic, but some things never change. Sure, Whit is still around, Connie is still there, but they have always been the same relative age; they are older than the target audience so the (target) audience can't relate to them very well. However, if a character were to exist that the target audience could grow up with and relate too perhapse 70% of the time, it would be appropriate, in my oppinion. I think this was one reason the Barclays were so popular....
Perhapse FOTF doesn't agree with this, or perhapse it just isn't (yet) practical, since God is the one in control, not FOTF, but I agree with the general sentiment... |
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Bennett Charles
Town Villain
Joined: 24 Nov 2002
Posts: 2410
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| Posted: Sun Feb 23, 2003 10:39 am Post subject: |
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Okay, Hawkeye, for once, I completely agree with you. We always have teens on the show, and we don't call it a teen show. But just because a kid might turn into a teen, it shouldn't make it a teen show either. We need one or two kids to grow with (maybe a girl or a boy.) . Like the barcklays. It is very annoying to know that when we meet a kid, he won't be around more then one or two years.
If I ever become an odyssey writer, that would be the first thing I'd try to put into play. Sure, you could add in kids, but it's good to keep one or two around.
Also, I think you should bring back old characters that haven't been around for Ten years or so. I mean, if you need another adult on the show, you should bring a kid up. And, actually announce that the kid is an adult. But, that might also confuse Connie's time life. |
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Ferder-
Brickfilm Maker Extraordinaire
Joined: 14 Jan 2003
Posts: 1730
Location: BC, Canada
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| Posted: Sun Feb 23, 2003 11:17 am Post subject: |
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| Sometimes the reason a character leaves is because they have moved and/or they are now working in a TV show or something, like Jared. |
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hawkeye
Linux Geek
Joined: 23 Nov 2002
Posts: 2408
Location: Inventors Corner
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| Posted: Sun Feb 23, 2003 9:55 pm Post subject: |
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Ferder: yea, but if God permitted, it would be great if they could perhapse introduce someone we can grow up with, much like happened with Donna and Jimmy Barclay.... Perhapse, God permitting, every 8 years.... As they age, they fade into the background just like Jimmy dod, but please don't have them all move away!
I mean, in a town of 35,000, there has to be one kid who will grow up there!
| Bennett Charles wrote: | | And, actually announce that the kid is an adult. But, that might also confuse Connie's time life. |
Lol! Just a little.... |
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