Weekly Update: 12/3 - 12/6: Los Angeles production winds to a close

I would like to try a raisin snail, please.

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Lovin’ that moon model!

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Um… is “backstage” a Home Depot??

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ps I would eat a raisin snail

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I get where your coming from, but I guess it’s a big difference from the original run where they had a bespoke space used solely for filming the show and now where they are using short term rented studios split between the East and West coasts. You’d have to factor in either building everything twice or exorbitant transportation costs, and I’d rather the Kickstarter cash was being used for content as much as possible personally.

As ever, thanks for the update @ivan.

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Cant wait for my digital episodes!!! Gonna be a nice few days off binging all that cheesy riffage, and enjoying the cinematic Turkey with leftover ACTUAL turkey!!!

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I’m really looking forward to the season and hope MST3K is here to stay on the Gizmoplex. And I love the cast and LOVED the Netflix seasons. But based on the way the Turkey Day host segments came out, I am less optimistic than I once was about the huge lack of physical objects on their set. Unless things look dramatically better than the TD host segments, which to be fair they certainly could, given the quick turnaround time needed for those clips, I think a lot of people will be put off by the look of this season. The ugliest part of the Netflix seasons were the green screen shoots with the big name celebrity guests. This time around, everyone will look like that.

The go-to complains for the Netflix season were that the riffs came too fast and too often (I somewhat agree but think the complaints are way overblown) and that it was overproduced (meh, don’t agree on that one). I’m mentally preparing for the deluge of complaints about the high use of green screen for the new season.

Have to remind myself that if they didn’t take this approach they wouldn’t have been able to make the new season at all. And I know everyone involved is very passionate about MST and is working very hard, so in a big way I even hate to bring this stuff up.

Maybe someday in the future they can go the Red Letter Media route and buy/rent a space out in the midwest where it’s more affordable and have a more permanent studio space that’s appropriate for filming. We’ll see what the future holds!

Some big positives:

  • The model sets look amazing, big time classic MST vibes. Always love the model work the team does!
  • Digital episodes before Christmas is a nice bonus! Guess we’ll have access via VHX for now until the Gizmoplex launches.
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Excuse me… EXCUSE ME…

That update said there’s stuff involving Pearl and DR. ERHARDT. WE GOT J. ELVIS BACK AND NO ONE TOLD ME?!?!?!?

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There’s a 40 year embargo on every milk carton.

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I visited the original studio back in the '90s, and backstage looked very much like that.

There’s a lot of ‘stuff’ involved in TV and film production, and you have to have a place to put it.

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I could swear something was mentioned during the KS that J Elvis was coming back. But I might be wrong.

Nice update, as always @ivan and @Lesley! Can’t wait for access to the classic episodes.

Nice to meet David! Titanic historian, 'eh? We must talk sometime.

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Of the Cinematic variety, perhaps?

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I don’t get what the Big deal is, everyone loves eating snails!..oh wait there were also raisins? Euugh

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That was me, and I stand by the charge, though perhaps it could be phrased “over-rehearsed”. While I admire the crew’s dedication that gave them such precise Off Broadway timing, I actually prefer the old rough-and-ready shoots of the original Joel years, where you could tell they went with whatever take got closest that day. I think as the actors get more comfortable their delivery will become more natural. We already saw signs of that in the second Netflix season, and if they can carry over some of the spontaneity seen in the livestreams then we’ll be good.

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Growler and Waverly in boxes


spits out water for 4 seconds

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I was quite worried about the fate of the remaining virtual set visits (how do we get to visit a set that will very soon be gone?). I’m glad that was addressed in the update. I’m fine with pre-recorded video for the non-interactive portions. It seems like a reasonable solution.

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How long until authentic MST3K Craft Service Raisin Snails become available as a pledge add-on?

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Oh yeah, I’d say that’s a separate thing from over-produced, at least to me. The complaints I commonly saw were about the big set, the band, and losing the “small time” feel of the older episodes. I think performers being a little stiff and feeling like they need to strictly adhere to the script is a legit complaint, and like you said something that they seemed like they were well on track to improve on year after year.

My guess is that they had a very tight shooting schedule which would have also kept the pressure high. Would also explain why they had to hide jump cuts with random bubbles when they didn’t have a single take that was good enough for the final cut. (I’m still not TOTALLY sure why they don’t shoot more coverage for MST… but I guess that would change the vibe a bit if they did, so hey whatev.)

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I need one of those M Waverlys, you have 3. No reason you can’t share. My home office could use a little pick me up, and he would make the perfect officemate!

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Raisin Snails are apparently also available in a snail-free form:
61znYtpqaCL.AC_SL1500

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We’re on the same page, my friend. And I dig the bands, both the SOL House Band and the Bone Symphony *.

I’ll be honest that I was initially lukewarm to Waverly and Growler, but I enjoyed them a ton in the second season. Having GPC bring them in via the bucket and letting them throw in extra quips was pure gold. They gave me some of the biggest laughs in Killer Fish.

* Not this Bone Symphony, which was a one-EP band I liked back in the day. I mean the Moon 13 Bonehead Band.

Bone Symphony

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