Expose
Channel Ten is promoting their new US import, Supernatural as coming from “The Director of X-Files“. So, just who is the director of The X-Files, given that the show ran for nine seasons with the usual cycling of directors? Is it writer/creator Chris Carter, who directed a about an episode a season? No. Is it Rob Bowman, the director of numerous episodes as well as the 1998 movie? No — he’s too busy making quality films like Elektra.
So who is it? Well, it could be David Nutter, but it seems that Channel Ten mean be Kim Manners — who has directed boodles of times for The X-Files and twice for Supernatural, and is also co-executive producer on both shows. So it’s “from” him. And not, say, “from” Eric Kripke, the creator and writer of the show. Why not? Why, because then they’d have to say “From the co-creator of Tarzan” and I think we can all see that that’s not so impressive.
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Andy
January 8th, 2006 at 8:57 pm
Advertisers talk their product up!?! Gasp I wonder how many people are enticed by such tenous linkages.
What if they said “From one of the directors of The X-Files”?
Tom
January 8th, 2006 at 10:40 pm
Gimme a chance, gov’nor. I’ve got to start somewhere. In four years I’ll be uncovering political conspiracies. Having done the research, I thought I might write about it.
What if they said “From the people that brought you fabric softner?” My chief amusement was that they referred to “the director” of a TV series.
I think a lot of people are swayed to watch a particular show by the most tenuous of links. If a show is percieved to be more Relic Hunter than X-Files then it’s chances aren’t so good. It’ll reek a little bit — especially being on Channel Ten, which has had in the past a poor reputation for quality of US imports (though now it often picks up the good ones that are trickier to market).
Shannon
January 9th, 2006 at 6:55 pm
I did have a chortle myself at the “from the director of a tv-series” tag line, however you are fogetting one key thing Tom, that channel ten are clearly aware of and are utilising – and that is that the majority of people in the world are stupid. Or perhaps naive is a better word. Why wouldn’t a tv series have only one director? That makes perfect sense – just like the movies have one. And we know that because at the oscars, which we watch to see celebrities in pretty outfits, they give an award for directing and it goes to one person. So thats how it must be in tv too.
I strongly believe that the majority of channel 10’s audience for Supernatural will not even blink an eye at the sense that that makes. Or rather, the blatant lack thereof.