Quinn- tessential Beth Sullivan, Part 2
BS: Students would come up to me all the time and ask, 'Do you think I have it?' 'Should I go on?
LMS: What did you tell them?
BS: I told them that every famous writer has a letter in a drawer, or framed in their memory that says, 'Forget it, kid, you'll never do it.' But anyone with half an ounce of talent and persistence can do it, whether you're a grinder or a natural. And, by the way, the good news is age is irrelevant You can be ancient. It's what's on the page that matters.
LMS: What you're saying is if you love what you're doing, you'll make a living, if not more.
BS: What I'm saying is that if you keep honing your skills, finding your weaknesses, money follows talent. Success follows achievement.
LMS: Now let's look at what you have achieved: A hit show, and another in the works.
BS: We're pitching our new series for mid-season. It's called 'California.' Unlike 'Dr. Quinn,' which is a period drama set in the west, we want 'California' to be a true western.
LMS: A tried and true western?
BS: And knock down, too. It's about Hank, a bartender, who goes west with his son to Los Angeles in 1870--at the time the most lawless town in-America.
LMS: Sounds like another big cast and crew.
BS: On 'Quinn' I'm in charge of 300 people. You wouldn't believe it, but I have 20 pages filled with descriptions from everyone including a caterer, paymaster, standby painter, cutters and fitters, wranglers and horses.
LMS: So a typical day must be...
BS: I think you mean'days.'
LMS: At what time do you begin shooting, and for how long?
BS: We shoot 7 days a week. If we end an episode on Tuesday, on Wednesday we begin again. There's pre-production, production, and post production to worry about. It's a precision machine.
LMS: On Day One, what would I find you doing?
BS: I always begin each week with a tone meeting. We do preparation, then read the script aloud to the director and writer.
LMS: Both? That sounds somewhat unusual.
BS: It's for their benefit. We all have to be in tune with one another and
have the same vision.