a few simple questions

[Valion1]

I've been a fan of Pr since i was a kid back during the fox kids period and i think the classic stuff (MMPR-Time Force) was the best work that you and your crew put out.

i wanna ask a few questions


1). Did you have any major disagreements (non personal) with Jonathan Tzachor in terms of your styles of adaptation relative to your style in comparison to his (i'm straining myself to be objective and not sound like a Tzachor basher even though i don't care for his style.)

2) Did you ever believe your work would be so well received by its intended audience while at the same time having such a seemingly negative stigma for the actors who participated in its productions. because i know many actors (i refuse to name names as a few have mellowed in recent years and aren't deserving of hate mail.) but i digress do you think that said reputation is really deserving. yes its a children's show but many actors have taken the pretentious stance that a role on power rangers is "Credibility poison" and ruins their chances for legitimacy in later parts of their acting career.

 

[Infiknight]

Life is a Series of Crossroads

In response to your first question... if you work at a factory welding widgets for the rest of your life, you will forever escape the turmoil that is creative disagreement. But if you do anything, and I mean ANYTHING, that involves making something, especially something out of thin air... prepare yourself for battle.

Yes, Jonathan and I had disagreements, but that is GOOD! In fact, all the producers have opinions. Show me a TV show where everyone agreed with the man in charge, and I'll show you a show that got cancelled quickly. Disagreement is the life-blood of creativity. Disagreement is what opens up the possibility of discovering something better than ANY of the participants dreamt of at the start. Disagreement is proof that people care enough to spend the time an energy to be the best they are capable of. Disagreement makes everyone involved smarter about the subject, sharper in the next debate, and more respectful of each other.

And by disagreement, I do not mean animosity. Yes, sometimes a debate becomes heater, but that is normal too. Yes, plenty of ours were heated, but then again, none of us ever doubted that the other people cared deeply about the show.

If there is a downside to disagreement, it is that sometimes you end up at a place where you are a bit confused. You've agreed to write it in a manner you don't love, but you don't know exactly what the other person wants. This happened now and then, but you work through it.

In summary, when you work for someone, whether it's me working for Jonathan, or Jonathan working for Haim, you don't always have to agree, but you always have to make a decision and move forward. If you don't like that, then quit and instead get a job welding widgets.

In regards to the second question... Actors, writers, producers... everyone makes career decisions one inch at a time. I mean, you work through this episode, then the next, and pretty soon, the whole season is over. Ok, now you're offered another season. There are pros and cons, but let's say you decide to stay on. And after a few months, another season is over. And after a few seasons, the show decides to change casts completely. Now you're out on the street. You made decisions an inch at a time, and now you've gone a mile.

If, at the beginning, you had had the foresight to see where you would be at the end, you might have taken a different path. (This is what managers are for) You might have ended up flipping burgers at McDonalds, you might have played opposite Tom Cruise in a blockbuster, or... you might have ended up going to endless auditions but never working again as an actor. You never know. But to blame it on Power Rangers? I don't think I totally buy that. I'm not saying it might not make your path harder in some respects, but it certainly makes it easier in others. There is no better place to learn a craft, whether as an actor or writer, than Power Rangers. The key is to get in, learn, and then get out... without getting stuck in a rut. But if you do get stuck in a rut, take responsibility for those decisions and move on. There are lots of ruts in life, you better learn to get out of them.