Greg Fienberg Satiates True Blood Fans at Cinematheque

Boston University College of Communication Hosts Greg Fienberg

True Blood's co-producer Greg Fienberg satiated fans at the Boston University College of Communication by giving a lecture about the hit series. As part of a series entitled "Cinematheque," Greg screened an episode of True Blood and then discussed the process of how a show moves from the original development to broadcast, while also giving great advice for those considering a future in the film and television industries. As a producer for the television series "Twin Peaks" and the film "Gods and Monsters," Greg is knowledgable in the difference between the visual genres. He noted,

"with movies, you have two hours to work with; you shoot, edit, then prep and you're done. But with television you never know how long you're gonna go. Sometimes you're shooting, editing, and prepping all at the same time. It's chaotic."

Although most television shows involve 20 to 22 scripts per season, True Blood dedicates its season to only 12 scripts, putting a lot of pressure on the writers. Gregs was very adamant that:

"Every single script better be damn good...It is very sophisticated writing, the tone is shifting all the time...the people who develop the script, buy the script, and put it on the air are all the same people. Usually it's a bunch of different studios. This makes the whole process more cohesive; it really works well."

What Greg enjoys about working with True Blood is that the audience doesn't have to be spoon fed ideas; the fans are intelligent and thoughtful viewers, looking for more than a cheap thrill. The Emmy award winner was able to connect with such fans during his lecture and he compared it to being at Comic-Con...without girls screaming for Eric Northman, that is. It seems that Greg and True Blood have changed the minds of even the most skeptical person when it comes to television and what it means to have creative stories brought to one's living room. To prove his point, Greg screened "New World In My View" (the tenth episode of season two) to prove the progression of a script and the hard work involved to create a well crafted story. Attendees were asked to read the first and last drafts of the scripts in order to realize the evolution good writing takes. Many BU students left excited and with their questions answered; he truly gave them material to work with for their future careers in the film and television industry. Now all we have to do is figure out how Greg Fienberg can come to a campus near you. To hear some of the advice that Greg gave to the BU students, watch the video below. Sources: www.dailyfreepress.com — "True Blood" producer dissects script with more than 300 at Cinematheque hollywoodeastconnection.com — The Vampire Behind "True Blood" Speaks to BU Students youtube.com — Gregg Fienberg at Boston University (Photo Credit: hollywoodeastconnection.com)

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