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"Interview with Executive Producer Matt Asendorf" by Howard Wen
Q: As the Executive Producers now, virtually, for Millennium, is one of you or both playing the "spiritual role" of Chris Carter?
A: I never got the impression Chris Carter had much interest in the series after its first season. He was somewhat involved at the start of the third, altering scripts and such, but not to the extent Dan and I are. We live and breath this project. We're both stubborn individuals and that's about all we have in common with Carter.
Q: Where does your personal knowledge of TV scriptwriting come from? (I noticed that you even appear to have Writer's Guild crediting assigned appropriately on the scripts.)
A: We're essentially recreating the formatting and technique of other television scripts that we've read, trying to make our own as professional as possible.
Q: Each season of Millennium was different in format from one another, either slightly or, as with Season 3, radically. This series had a difficult to pin-down format throughout its brief history. If I were a FOX programming exec and I wanted you to pitch to me quickly what kind of series and format it would be now under your reign, you would say: Or, say I'm an Entertainment Weekly reporter skeptical of yet another season of Millennium, what would you tell me to convince viewers to see your series now - why should viewers come back or check out Millennium now?
A: Each season of Millennium had its own unique qualities, but I would attribute its low ratings and negative criticism on lack of overall direction. We're not trying to reinvent the series (we're not under network pressure to do so) and so far, readers have appreciated our natural progression from one season to the next.
Q: Had the series been renewed, what do you think Season 4 would have been really like, compared to what you devised? Or, do you feel that your version is just that - your best educated guess?
A: I would hope an actual fourth season would be similar to ours in that they'd try to bring the series' mythology around full circle to an eventual conclusion. If there was pressure from FOX executives to boost ratings, they'd probably include "special guest stars" or pull off stunts during sweeps. We can afford to keep things low key and concentrate on the *quality* of the writing.
Q: How stringent are you in keeping Millennium Season 4 as "realistic" as possible (the way it would really have been had the series been renewed) and away from feeling "fan-fiction-y"? (I've noticed that from the scripts I've read thus far, it appears they are written with the series' original Vancouver production location in mind.) Basically, what are the storytelling "rules" for Season 4? (i.e. What kind of story ideas have you turned down and why?)
A: We want to elevate our writing above the standard levels of fan fiction -- "virtually" recreate the series and not just mimic it. Most of our rejected story ideas were sequels/follow-ups to previous episodes and involved the resurrection of former characters. It's important we form our own identity.
Dan and I have been rather displeased by the amount of mythology episodes (and episodes that we refer to as having mythology sub-plots) that have appeared so early in the season. Lately, the rule has been: standalone episodes without cults, secret socities, etc. The second half of the season will be a lot more diverse than the first.
Q: Describe to me how the process goes from story idea to final script approval. How closely does this parallel the way it works with a real TV drama series writing staff?
A: We obviously can't have physical discussions, so we're limited to message forums and email. That makes communication difficult, but I imagine we follow the process closely enough: We look at the episodes completed and those currently in production and think of new ideas. If a writer suggests an original ideas, we green light it. Usually, the writer works on the script and Dan and I will read it when it's completed. From there, it goes through a series of revisions until we're satisified.
Q: Have you had any professional scriptwriters comment on your and your colleague's work? Anybody from the series' original production?
A: We're not actively advertising the project so no professionals have contacted us to my knowledge. I've been tempted to ask some of the show's actual staff, who actively post on the newsgroup, if they've read any of the episodes, but I haven't yet.
Q: Even though the property doesn't belong to you, have you ever considered making at least a little money from your and your colleague's work? (For example, like I mused to you before, sticking banner ads between the scripts' acts or something of the like.)
A: The reason we've decided to not have advertisements on the site isn't because of the legal problems we may face, but the general unattractiveness of them. Our only rewards are the satisfaction we get from the project and the feedback from the readers.
Q: How would you describe audience reaction thus far? How many readers are there now?
A: I've heard few negative comments, most are enthusiastic and appreciate the effort we're making. One of our biggest fans translated the entire virtual season site and individual scripts into French (without permission, but we're not complaining). We prefer the readers spread the word about the virtual season because we're uncomfortable with advertising ourselves. To help make the experience as realistic as possible, we create print ads for each episode. Those with Millennium fan sites can place the ads on their page and link to us.
We have a hidden counter on the site that measures the flow of traffic to "current" episodes. An episode receives an average of 350 hits in its premiere week, although that's no where near an exact number. We can, however, surmise that following heavier advertising (ex. a reader wrote two positive reviews on the newsgroup), our ratings increased and, following a two week break, our ratings dipped. I take that as proof that the virtual season is as realistic as possible.
Q: Though you say Season 4 might be all you guys will do, what would it take to convince you to "renew" for another season?
A: We plan on airing twenty-two episodes with a finale in December, a conclusion to the series in time for 2000. There really isn't reason to continue past then and I don't think anything can convince us. We have some story ideas that we've been unable to fit in, so they may end up as ordinary fan fiction.
Q: If no professional credits, are you aspiring to work as a scriptwriter?
A: I've always enjoyed writing, although I'm not sure if I could make a career of it the way I procrastinate. I have a tendency to look up every word I type in the thesaurus for something better, rephrase every sentence I type three or four times until it's perfect... I get exhausted and discouraged easily.
So far, I've been producing the project and maintaing its website. Webdesigning is something I could always fall back on. Perhaps some reputable online magazine would hire me... Salon perhaps???
Q: Why choose to write fan-scripts for Millennium and not another cancelled series?
A: Millennium is the only series I've invested this much energy in. Frankly, it was the most intelligent drama on television at the time, with fully dimensional characters, rich symbolism, an engaging mythology...
Q: Why cooperate with others and not work alone on your scripts?
A: It's a monumental task as it is and the idea of writing twenty-two episodes by myself is frightening. Also, I'm not sure how interesting it would be to have one person's perspective, one person's technique. We wanted to recreate the experience as faithfully as possible.
Q: About how long does it take for you to write one script?
A: It takes me longer than most, but I'd say a typical script is finished within a month or a month and a half. We have episodes completed one or two weeks before they air and others in production long before they air. It's important to not fall behind.
Q: What kind of personal experience and skill-set (i.e. book smarts) do you bring as a writer to the Millennium fourth season?
A: I've been a viewer of Millennium since "The Pilot" and I have been active in its fan community since. I bring my knowledge of the series and a lot of enthusiasm to the project.
I'm not ashamed to say my passion is watching television, because I get more out of it than most people -- the virtual season is proof of tha. When people say there's nothing good on, I'm curious as to watch they're watching because there's a lot of great programming. Aside from Millennium: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Star Trek, Babylon 5, and the cancelled American Gothic.
I don't see as many films or read as much as I'd like. I have several favorite films: The Joy Luck Club, Eve's Bayou, Trainspotting, and, most recently, The Red Violin. Favorite authors: Amy Tan and Stephen King. My favorite musician is Loreena McKennitt and I love movie soundtracks, but in the car, the radio is off.
excerpts of this interview were used in Howard Wen's Salon.com article, printed September 9th 1999
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