|
NEW INTERVIEW! Conducted
September 2003 by Craig Byrne (PlanetKrypton@aol.com)
Imagine
being 22 years old and working on one of the most popular shows
on television, and imagine getting the opportunity to pitch
a story for that show.
The
story of Corey Miller follows, where you can follow the road
from lowly production assistant to staff writer for one of TV's
top drama series. Read on...
KRYPTONSITE:
When did you become involved with "Lois & Clark?"
COREY
MILLER: I started working on "Lois & Clark"
in November of 1993. During the episode "Illusions of Grandeur."
For months, I had faxed my resume to anyone who would accept
it. Feature films, television shows, even game shows. Even though
I did have two previous jobs on my resume, as an intern for
Oliver Stone's production company, and as Production Assistant
on a TV miniseries, I quickly found that 99% of shows hired
people they already knew, or people recommended to them. Getting
in the door was a difficult prospect, and I am still grateful
to the Production Coordinator, Janice Carr, for looking at outside
resumes.
K-SITE:
What was your job description as a P.A. for the show, and how
old were you?
COREY:
I was 22 years old when I started on the show, and was so
excited to have my first steady gig on a high-profile show,
and on the Warner Brothers lot to boot. The job description
for a P.A. is all over the place. I was an office P.A. Really,
you're the main "go-to" person in the office. Go to
get food, go to get coffee, go to make copies, go to answer
phones, go to deliver mail, go to pass out scripts to 300 people
...very glamorous. You basically run around helping everyone
with everything. It's a daunting position, in that you work
horrible hours and have to do all the grunt work (and, at the
time, all for $350/week -- an amount which we were afraid to
break down by hour, because it could make us crawl into the
fetal position and weep), but if you find yourself working under
a good group of people, which I thankfully did, you have an
amazing opportunity to meet everyone on the show and really
find out from a unique perspective who does which job and how
the show runs from the bottom up.
K-SITE:
Did the mood of the production change between the first season
and the rest of the years the show existed? (What with all the
departures, DJL, Landes, John Shea, etc).
COREY:
There was definitely a huge difference in the show from
first season to the second. Television shows are not unlike
a Presidential administration. In TV, the President is the Show
Runner, and the Show Runner is going to surround himself or
herself with people who support and carry out their vision.
Naturally, with one administration leaving and another taking
over, there will be a large amount of turnover. Usually, in
TV, this means a whole new set of writers will come into play,
and many departments (assistant directors, costume, production
design, set dressing, or camera, for instance) will see a change
in personnel. So, when Deborah Joy Levine left and Robert Singer
replaced her, many jobs changed hands. And a whole new set of
writers took over the direction of the show. Happily, I got
to stay, and be with the show for some time.
One
thing I remember about L & C was that we ended every season
wondering if we'd get picked up for the next. The show was decently
rated, but never seemed to catch on fire. It's funny to think
that the show usually hovered around a 13 to 15 share, which
ten years ago was mediocre. Now, with the television landscape
constantly in flux, networks would be very happy with a 15 share.
The WB network and UPN have yet to even reach that level. So,
after the end of the first season, we waited to hear whether
the show would come back. So, the network decided to renew it,
but I think they wanted to move the show in a more action-oriented
direction. With that decision, some changes were made.
K-SITE:
Were there any particular episodes that gave the folks in
the office a really good vibe, that they knew would be a hit
before they aired?
COREY:
Well, I wasn't really privy to the vibe going on in the
writers' office on a daily basis, especially during the first
season, when I was really getting my feet wet. But speaking
for myself, I really was excited and proud to be on the show
when I saw the episodes "Barbarians at the Planet"
and "House of Luthor" come together. They really demonstrated
what the show was capable of doing. They had action, and romance,
and pathos. They ended the first season on a definite high note.
Later
on, I got excited about a few particular episodes. I remember
us watching dailies from "The Phoenix," and John Shea
was just so amazing, and mesmerizing to watch. I also liked
"Tempus Fugitive" and "Tempus, Anyone?"
because they were fun, and had the feel of the comic book.
K-SITE:
How did you and Philip Chung come about pitching the story
that eventually became "Seconds?"
COREY:
After I had worked there for awhile, and began to really
get involved with the show, ideas for possible storylines would
pop into my head. Of course, I never really expected them to
go anywhere but my computer. It was just a fun exercise. I had
no particular aspirations to be a writer at the time, because
it just seemed so out of reach. I started talking about ideas
with Philip, who has been a friend since high school. We fleshed
out a few of them, and decided to write a spec script together.
At the time I had no idea what we would ever do with it when
we finished it. But it was fun to do, and we thought it came
out pretty well.
The
plot, in a nutshell: An explosion of Substance Y, the world’s
most powerful energy source, sends Superman to an alternate
Earth. In this reality, Superman/Clark has been dead for three
years. Lex Luthor is married to Lois, and is running for President.
Clark must find a way to stop Luthor from using Substance Y
to destroy Metropolis, with the help of a Lois who has lost
her zeal for life since Superman died, and must return to his
own world if he can.
All
of the coffee and food were in the production office, where
my desk was. This gave me the opportunity to get to know a lot
of people, because wherever the coffee and food are, that's
where everyone gathers. I took this as an opportunity to get
to know people and ask about what they do, and how they got
to where they are. At that point in my life I knew I wanted
to work in film and television, but didn't know in exactly what
aspect. I had always gotten along with John McNamara, one of
the writers. And I always enjoyed the scripts he had written,
so I respected him. At some point, when I was comfortable, I
got up the nerve to ask him to read a spec script I had written
for the show. Now, looking back, I'm sure I was probably a big
pain in the ass, this wide-eyed, naive P.A. with a script. But
John said that he would take a look at it.
I
became even more annoying later on, when I kept stalking him
until he'd read it. It took a number of months. By now, we're
in our third season, and I had moved up to Assistant Production
Coordinator. One day, John called me into his office. He told
me that he had read about half of it, and had to put it down.
Immediately I'm thinking I stink -- who the hell did I think
I was to try and write a script? But, turns out it was a good
news/bad news situation. John said he had to put it down because
he was working on an episode that was about a similar topic
-- alternate realities. That episode was "Tempus, Anyone?"
But
John said he liked the writing, and liked that we were on the
same wavelength with him. He said that Philip and I could pitch
to him. He told me that they were planning on a three-episode
arc, one in which Lois is kidnapped, her memory zapped, and
a clone put into her place. If we had a story that would fit
into the second episode of that arc, then he wanted to hear
it. Philip and I thought of a story like "Manchurian Candidate,"
where Lois would get brainwashed to kill Superman. At the time,
John said that Mindy Church would be the villain. So, our story
revolved around Mindy kidnapping Lois, brainwashing her into
thinking she was an assassin working for LexCorps. And, knowing
Lois' relationship to Superman, she gave Lois her new mission:
to get close to him, and kill him. We also pitched the idea
that Lois' clone would become "humanized," and sacrifice
itself in order to help Clark, who she fell in love with.
John
talked it over with the head writers at the time, Eugenie Ross-Leming
and Brad Buckner, and the news was broken to me: they wanted
to use the story. I will always remember the experience, too,
because everyone was so gracious. They let Philip and I sit
in on a writers' meeting, and let us throw out ideas to flesh
out the story, then entitled "Memory Lane." In the
end, Philip and I were responsible for coming up with an outline,
and John would write the teleplay. It was an amazing learning
experience, to see how stories change from their initial concept
to the production draft, and then again through the shooting
and post production process. And I will always be indebted to
John McNamara, for taking a chance on a production office P.A.
It's practically unheard of, and I still cannot believe he did
it.
Read
the various drafts of "Memory Lane"
K-SITE:
Did the cast or crew follow the online following of the
show at the time?
COREY:
Yes, many of us kept up on what the online community was
saying about the show. It's funny to think about it now, because
the internet was so new and fresh back then. And it was so amazing
to everyone to think that we were getting instantaneous feedback
from the fans, right after the episode aired. Literally, the
minute after the New York feed was over, people would jump into
AOL chatrooms and discuss every last detail of the episode.
K-SITE:
Any particular funny stories to tell about that?
COREY:
Well, I do remember that Dean Cain used to go into the AOL
chat room. And I had known his e-mail address. One night after
an episode I was in the chat room, and saw he was there, along
with Grant Rosenberg, one of the Writer/Producers. Dean was
a really cool guy, and I had always played little practical
jokes on him. When he would call the office from his trailer,
I would see his extension come up, like caller ID, and knowing
it was him, I used to answer in various voices. I'd pretend
he called the wrong office, and try to keep him on the line
as long as possible before telling him it was me. In that tradition,
I started harrassing him in the room. Asking him dumb questions
like "If you were a tree, what kind of tree would you be?"
He figured out it was me in the room, and I figured I'd get
my ass kicked when I got back to work. I lived, and got to keep
my job.
K-SITE:
Was there anyone on the show that was particularly a pleasure
to work with?
COREY:
There were a lot, but I'm sure you really want to know about
the actors, right? :) I really did enjoy working with all of
our cast. Like I said earlier, you really see a lot from the
P.A. perspective. And a lot of times, people will treat you
like dirt. But our cast was not like that at all. They were
all so down to earth, and so nice to me. I know as I say this
is sounds like total b.s. cheese. But really, Dean Cain and
Teri Hatcher were funny, easy to talk to, and great to be around.
I'd hang out in Dean's trailer, joke around with him and talk
about writing, and Teri invited me to one of her birthday parties.
I'd have all these long phone conversations with K Callan about
the business. Lane Smith would always crack me up. And John
Shea was so professional, and so dedicated to his craft, it
was really inspiring. And all of them were so supportive when
the episode came out with my story.
There
were some writers who were also very nice to me, and didn't
fire me when I grilled them for advice. John McNamara, like
I said. And Tim Minear. And Chris Ruppenthal. And Grant Rosenberg.
And Kathy McCormick. Really good people. And I really learned
so much from my boss, Janice Carr. She was an amazing Production
Coordinator, and taught me so much about how things run.
K-SITE:
What WAS the real reason Michael Landes was replaced?
COREY:
From what I gathered at the time, it was purely a network
decision. Everyone on the show was happy with Michael and what
he brought to the show, as far as I knew. I believe it was a
decision from the network. They thought they should make the
character a little more hip and dangerous, a little more "Teen
Beat." In came Justin Whalin.
K-SITE:
Who from the series are you still in contact with (cast
or crew)?
COREY:
I am still in contact with a few people, mostly crew members,
although I run into people frequently (it's true what they say
about it being a small town). K Callan and I still keep in contact
with trusty e-mail. It's great to see people I started with
rising in the ranks, and doing what they want to do.
K-SITE:
After L&C you did an independent film called "Border
to Border" which included K Callan among its cast. Can
you tell us about that, and what that experience was like?
COREY:
I left L & C in the middle of the fourth season, but
I kept in touch with a lot of the L & C gang. One of my
friends was Tom Whelan, who was working as the assistant to
the Executive Producers Eugenie Ross Leming and Brad Buckner.
He had a script that he wanted to direct, and the writers of
the script pitched in twenty grand of their own money to get
it going. He had asked me some time before that to read the
script and let him know if I thought it was any good. I told
him I thought it needed a lot of work. He was so eager that
he started shooting anyway. He later came back to me and showed
me the footage he had shot over a weekend. And it was very professional-looking.
He said he knew the script needed to be rewritten. Would I take
a crack at it?
I
had left L & C to work for a writer, Christopher McQuarrie,
who did "The Usual Suspects." And I had much more
time on my hands than when I was on the production side of things.
So I told him I'd give it a shot. Long story short, I was involved
with the movie for the next nine months. I first had to rewrite
it in parts. The production schedule had already been worked
out for the next shoot, and those scenes were towards the end
of the script. So I had to try to rework the ending and then
work backwards, piecemeal.
Tom,
the Producers, and I would basically stalk actors into doing
cameo parts. At first, literally anyone with a recognizable
face. And whenever anyone approached an actor, I would quickly
rewrite a particular scene to suit that actor, to make it more
attractive. There was one part we were shooting in Seattle.
The two main characters run into an odd character in a coffee
shop, and he makes them get into an argument. First they tell
me that they got Harry Anderson to play the role. So I reworked
it, and threw in some weird magic tricks, since I knew Harry
was into magic. Then they call me, and say Harry can't do it.
Then someone runs into Scott Baio. I change it again. This would
happen time and time again, so I'd literally have five versions
of certain scenes. We ended up with Tim Thomerson, who to me
looked like an aging Woodstock hippie, so the part became more
of a bohemian poet.
We
ended up getting Jonathan Silverman, and I wrote three new scenes
from scratch to insert into the movie. We let him choose the
one he liked the most. And Abe Benrubi, Rue McClanahan, Marla
Gibbs, Brion James, and Gary Owens. All of them were so great
to do parts for very little money or perks. The highlights for
me were getting Curtis Armstrong and K Callan to help out. The
movie "Better Off Dead" was one of my favorite comedies
growing up, and I thought he'd be great for a part. I got ahold
of his phone number, and we cold-called him. He liked the part,
and just came and did it. That was a huge moment for me, to
see him nail every single part of the scene. His comic timing
is so perfect. It's my favorite in the movie.
And
K Callan. Such a great actress, and so encouraging to emerging
talent. I recommend that anyone pick up her books on screenwriting
or acting. They are very inspirational. I thought K would be
great for this one part, a roadside mechanic. It was so against
type, and she really had fun with it and hit it out of the park.
So,
we shot this over a nine month period, on weekends and holidays,
and occasionally during times where we could all take some vacation
days from work. The initial footage shot attracted more investors,
and we ended up finishing the film for around $200,000. And
we shot in Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada Arizona and
Mexico, with no permits and a shoestring crew. It was so much
better than film school. And I got away with so much, because
there was no time to second guess. I'd rewrite it, we'd shoot
it, and it would be done. I got to be on set, and went through
the entire editing and post production process.
We
went to some film festivals. New York, Las Vegas, Napa, Breckinridge.
And we won a couple of awards. Best Comedy in New York, and
Best Film in Vegas. We were featured on Entertainment Tonight,
and on E!, and were in some articles in the trades. It was a
great ride. Unfortunately, we got stuck in distributor hell.
And the movie still sits in a vault at some company called Independent
Artists. We do hope to still get at least a video deal out of
it.
K-SITE:
What are you doing now?
COREY:
I am now a staff writer
on "CSI: Miami." I co-wrote a freelance episode for
"CSI" in the second season called "You've Got
Male," which lead to me getting an opportunity to write
one on my own last season, called "One Hit Wonder."
That led to me doing another freelance episode, this time for
"CSI: Miami," called "Tinder Box." And that
lead to a job offer! I'm grateful to the "CSI" franchise
for giving me a shot on such cool shows.
Interview conducted via e-mail in September 2003
by Craig Byrne (PlanetKrypton@aol.com) -
Read more interviews
|
