18 September 2007

It's 11:30....

Saw a show the other week about SNL - sort of a retrospective, with lots of interviews with previous cast members, etc. It was a fun show (I love hearing creative people talk about their projects, processes, etc), but one line in particular jumped out at me.

Lorne Michaels , creator of SNL, said "We don't go on because it's ready. We go on because it's 11:30." He also said something about television with mistakes (i.e. live television) being more interesting than the polished, "perfect" recorded stuff...

I love the idea of moving out, doing something, doing your thing, just because it's time and the show must go on, not because you think it's all perfect and ready. There's something magic about that kind of pressure.

(and speaking of live television, remember when shows used to say "This show was filmed before a studio audience," as the opening credits rolled? Why did they feel compelled to tell us that, and why/when did they stop?)

1 comment:

Michelle said...

I really like that quote. As writers and other creative types, sometimes we feel like nothing is ever "ready" or finished. There's a time we you just have to say it's time. It's 11:30. Move on. Thanks for the reminder.