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Home , Abby Lockhart, Anthony Edwards (actor), Doug Ross, Eriq La Salle, ER (season 1), ER (season 10)

by Carly Reichert ’05

The phenomenon known adjusted to reflect medical advances and relocated to 11 on the Warner today as ER is on a completely different give minor hints of story lines to pique Brothers lot in Burbank, where a set A non-medical, path than the one on which it started. interest in some of the similar to the original hospital was character-based story In the 1970s, science fiction characters.” Still, most of the networks constructed. The two-hour episode was a medical student were uninterested. ABC, Fox, and CBS aired on a Tuesday night in September begins the process and at General Hospital. He thought the pace was too frenetic for 1994, with the second episode in its was writing novels, including The audiences to follow the plot. permanent time slot of 10 P.M. Thursday. the medicine is molded Andromeda Strain, for extra money, and After much debate, NBC gave the ER was an instant hit in that first season, decided to do a screenplay based on a trio the green light to produce a pilot scoring the most Emmy nominations in around that plot. One day he spent studying in the emergency episode. was chosen to the . story often leads into room. Crichton called it “Emergency direct it with a cast comprising relative Ward,” the common name back then, unknowns: as preproduction another, generating and pitched it to director Steven Nurse Hathaway, as The Spielberg as a feature . Spielberg Dr. , as The ER writing staff consists of some of a domino effect. liked it, but was even more interested in Dr. , as Dr. Peter the most talented scribes in . something else Crichton was working Benton, and as novice Writers include R. Scott Gemmill, Dr. Once the initial ideas are bounced on. Together, they turned Jurassic Park medical student John Carter. Anthony , Yahlin Chang, Bruce Miller, around and the medical story lines are into a blockbuster thriller. Shortly Edwards as Dr. was the Julie Hebert, Dr. , David discussed, the writers come up with an thereafter, “Emergency Ward” was exception; he had been in several . Zabel, Dr. Mark Morocco, Dee Johnson, outline to firm up the plot of that returned to the front burner, this time The production team had very little , and others invited to write episode. Each writer on the staff as a . money and Warner Brothers had not yet annually. critiques the outline. Suggested Spielberg, Crichton, and veteran given them a stage on the Burbank lot, Housed in production building 133, alterations are considered and a first John Wells tried to so they used the recently closed Linda they turn out up to 24 scripts a season. draft, typically running up to 80 pages, interest the networks. Crichton had Vista Hospital in for all At first, it was a difficult process since is produced. The first draft is reviewed since changed the title to Emergency interior and exterior scenes. , many of them had no background in again; corrections are made; multiple Room and updated it with newer 157 pages of nonstop action with medicine. Sachs, Zwerling, and Morocco drafts are produced. Gemmill said medical information. Writer Janine almost 80 speaking parts, was filmed have since filled that gap, and Jacy “Writing is like a Rubik’s cube; it is two Pourroy, in her 1995 book Behind the over 21 days—an extremely fast rate. Young, a medical researcher, is part of dimensions and you have to make it Scenes at ER, said, “A few scenes were Actors got a crash course in medical that team. The staff falls into one of three three dimensional.” dialogue by visiting hospitals and categories: staff writer, story editor, and Even when the final draft is speaking with medical personnel. executive story editor. The latter writes complete, a writer still must be willing After viewing the completed pilot, the most episodes in a given season. to shift directions. When a script goes NBC executives worried it still was Scott Gemmill, ER’s co-executive into production, the director may favor TV’s hit ER: too fast paced, that a novice audience, producer and a writer, had an early some changes, whether it is dialogue or unaccustomed to this type of filming, interest in motion pictures, but decided the overall mood. The actors, too, may would be unimpressed. to write when he found he couldn’t seek changes. Gemmill said the entire They were totally wrong. A test afford the film stock. “You don’t choose process should be collaborative and the Learning how it’s made. audience raved. Former ER actress writing; writing chooses you,” he said. writers may have to allow adjustments. Julianna Margulies once explained, Now he writes from four to five is always an issue, and “It was so fast paced. In an era of episodes a season, and aids the other produces conflicting views on whether remote controls, where people like to writers the rest of the year. or not restrictions have been loosened flip channels, ER was the one where you A non-medical, character-based story over the years. The cable television age, never had to. One second you’re in one begins the process and the medicine is which has ushered in obscenity, violent story and five seconds later you are in molded around that plot. One story scenes, and lots of sexual content, has another story.” Finally, NBC picked it often leads into another, generating a brought fewer limits on network prime- up for the new fall season. The crew domino effect. time programs. Gemmill said

TCNJ MAGAZINE / SPRING

2004 Here is a closer look at the major plot of the story. If a “patient” goes into over a vest with several bars that attach a doctor, Visnjic visited hospitals, elements of the production team. ventricular fibrillation, the monitor has to the camera. They keep it from consulted with ER’s medical staff, and been preset to show that result. bouncing when he walks, allowing him even practiced suturing daily until his Props Each character has a bevy of props. to move in an out of spaces that are first shoot. The prop department is a group of men The props crew has a bag for each actor inaccessible to a regular dolly. The Cast members get the script only five managed by head props masters Rick similar to one in the makeup department. director of the pilot, Rod Holcomb, had to seven days before filming. A read- Kurns and Rick Ladomade. While Kurns The bag contains everything that would the original idea. He said, “I wanted to through three days before the filming works on one episode, Ladomade be on the person. It contains ID tags, use the steadicam a lot because I thought helps work out any dialogue difficulties. prepares to work on the next. They and glasses, wallets, watches, stethoscopes, I needed to get in and out. The floors Since both Croatian and medical censorship is less now, but he expects year the show sponsors a “nurse’s night” assistant props master John Fairchild rings, and anything else important to were so bad we couldn’t use the dolly.” terminology have Latin at their , more restrictions will return. for local area nurses to share their have been with ER since the first season his or her character. Each bag has ER is now shot in widescreen format, so Visnjic had less difficulty with his lines Television has a much larger impact interesting, disgusting, funny, and 10 years ago. Roman Mykytyn is in multiple copies of these props as well, the viewer sees just what the camera does. than he first anticipated. He tries to on viewers today than ever before, unique stories with the writers and charge of everything electrical, including in case of damage or loss. Some have memorize them in bulk rather than Gemmill said. A television episode can executives. Oftentimes ER writers meet heart monitors, pulse oxygen machines, larger props, so the crew keeps three Talent and direction day by day. reach 30 million viewers one night, and with representatives from the federal and other devices. copies of the cane used by ’ ER always has been known for its acting In the years he’s been on ER, Visnjic’s the next day a catchy phrase used by Centers for Disease Control and All of the blood, vomit, and other character, Dr. Weaver. ensemble. Actors including George character has faced many physical one character can be heard from coast Department of Health. Many fun medical paraphernalia is created, Clooney and have demands. Kovac has run around at the to coast. But there is another side to this of them visit actual emergency rooms built, or placed there by the props Wardrobe walked through the doors of County site of a train wreck, survived an explosion impact: Commercial advertisers want to for more personal experience. department. The needles used in many The wardrobe department consists of a General. Actor Noah Wyle is the in the hospital, and (his personal reach those viewers. Television and film, Each program is filled with complex episodes are amazingly realistic fakes. busy, highly organized staff to manage “senior” cast member, the only one to favorite) nearly died in a Congo civil war. Gemmill said, were meant to have a medical dialogue and nothing is left to One of the props masters constructs almost two-thirds of a mile of clothing be in the show since the pilot. The cast He revels in the physical acting and does three-act structure. But modern chance. ER employs two professional them for about $300 each, using tiny racks in a number of buildings. Each of also includes Laura Innes as brilliant yet it all himself. Visnjic takes that athleticism television has changed that tradition. emergency room physicians, Fred springs to make it appear they penetrate the main characters and recurring guest difficult Dr. . Sherry to a new level as he plays the lead role in Today, he said, “TV has a four-act Einesman and Jon Fong, one of whom the skin, while actually being pushed stars has several copies of each outfit. If Stringfield was a member of the original Spartacus, a new mini series. structure to fit the commercials in.” For is on the set during the production of back up into the barrel of the syringe. a scene requires that someone throw up cast and returned in season eight after a While each of these stars has an a 30-second prime-time commercial each episode. They make sure every Vomit is a favorite of the prop crew, or drip blood on a shirt, there must be five-year absence to reprieve her role as intriguing story, the experience of actor spot, advertisers pay NBC $456,000. He technical word is pronounced correctly who produce a substance the consistency more identical shirts. There is no way a Dr. Susan Lewis. Paul McCrane joined Paul McCrane has been shared by said “good writers have to write their and every single instrument is handled and color of the real thing, while still director is going to get it just right in the cast in season four as Dr. Robert several others in the cast: After arriving way through it.” They must get the exactly as a professional would. having an acceptable taste in the actor’s one take, so the wardrobe department “Rocket” Romano. as an actor, he gradually became stories through the third act with all the Before every medical scene, the mouth. It has a tomato soup and milk stands by with the extra copies. Costumer (Nurse ), Goran Visnjic involved in directing as well, balancing characters intact. “techs” it with all the base with other soups added for texture. Radford Polinsky is a one-man wardrobe (Dr. Luka Kovac), and Ming-Na Wen two very different and demanding roles. Even after filming is complete, some actors. They do a read-through and get The result is a thick, almost nauseating emergency squad, loaded with pins and (Dr. Jing Me “Deb” Chen) started in He joined the ensemble in 1997 as the writers want to remain involved. It is the medical dialogue down the best prop durable enough for use in six or clips in of a small tear or other season six. Sharif Atkins and Mekhi conniving surgeon, Dr. Robert “Rocket” their ideas, their words, and their story. they can. Actor told Emmy more takes. mishap, ready to fix or switch an article Phifer (Drs. Gallant and Pratt) joined Romano, a guy you love to hate who They want a say about anything that Magazine last year the biggest challenge All of Roman’s medical equipment is in the wardrobe. in season eight. Finally, in season 10, has since been written out of the cast. may be cut. Though many of them do is “just getting the medical jargon, completely functional. Some is actresses and Linda Actually, McCrane is friendly and very sit in during post-production to put in making it second nature, so the borrowed from or donated by major Cinematography Cardellini appeared as medical student nice, a complete 180 from his former what they think may work, Gemmill is language just rolls off your tongue.” companies. Each monitor in the two ER is filmed in a fashion similar to a Neela Rasgothra and nurse Sam Taggart. television character. one of the few authorized to make “the trauma rooms on the set is worth an major motion picture, on 35mm film Their remarkable work keeps ER in the Last year, McCrane stepped behind final cut” on all his scripts. production estimated $25,000. For the filming, the with large Panavision cameras. From the top ten every week. the lens to direct season nine’s episode The production of ER is a tightly monitors are silenced to avoid problems inception of the series, the filmmakers Goran Visnjic emigrated to the U.S. “Next of Kin.” Written by Dee Johnson, Medical realities scheduled, finely tuned process. It has with sound. Those and other sounds are thought it would be better for the pace from his native Croatia 15 days before the story follows Abby as she deals with As viewers know, ER is jam-packed with to be to coordinate the work of several added in post-production. All the of the show to use what was then a new ER started filming in 1994. He joined her bipolar family, while Dr. Pratt takes medical information and activity. crews totaling about 100 on-set workers, monitors attached to the main character and underused tool—the steadicam. the cast in the beginning of season six care of a young boy who has been living Medical story ideas are not hard to find, 11 main cast members, recurring guest “victims” are rigged. The props Cameraman Terrence Nightingale straps as Dr. Luca Kovac, a medical attending. life as a girl. and come from many sources. Every stars, stand-ins, and dozens of extras. department sets the vital signs to fit the this 75-pound contraption to his body When he learned he was going to play

TV’S HIT ER: LEARNING HOW IT’S MADE. TCNJ MAGAZINE / SPRING

2004

As he began his preparation for the department, set decorators, set designers, difficulty hearing the dialogue, episode, the Director’s Guild of wardrobe and music people, special sometimes due to an actor’s low or soft A day in Carly’s Journal America, which establishes work rules effects, and the writer. The writer and voice. When necessary, actors are called Thursday, August 14, 2003 for that part of the film industry, director must have a clear understanding back to rerecord their lines. Other Thursday’s call time was pushed back allowed him 10 days of preparation. He about the tone of the episode. Once in equipment sounds, which would have a bit to accommodate the company and Author Carly Reichert with actor tried to follow what he called the best production, there is no time to waste; caused problems during filming, are equipment move from stage 11 to the Noah Wyle on the set of ER. piece of advice he’s ever received about eight days of shooting is the usual limit added at this point, as is any music the back lots known as New York Street. Below, the schedule for the day directing: “Be prepared in the right for an episode. Script changes may force director wants for dramatic effect. There are several exterior locations and floor plans of the basic way,” a reference to the fact that many an extra day. This does not include any Another frequent problem is that the including the ambulance bay and emergency room set. directors will over prepare, literally time spent in where the city director has filmed 10 or 15 minutes corridor, entrance to the “L” train, driving themselves crazy. street scenes are filmed. over the mandatory 44-minute limit and mockup of the tracks. In those 10 days he took several steps Whether he be an actor or a director, required to allow for commercial There is also one interior location Photos on the front cover, and pages 10,12, & 14 to prepare for the episode. The first was if McCrane wants to change anything in placement in a 60-minute show. that can fit very few people. Dr. Kovac’s © 2003 Warner Bros.Television Production Inc. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All rights reserved. “to read the script a lot and understand a script, a line or a movement, that The first cut goes to the editors, who apartment was built up above the the motives of the characters.” Second, must be approved by the writer of the take all the filmed footage and trim it to ambulance bay. It is fully furnished and he identified the basic theme. In “Next episode. Even if the change was subtle, size. They assemble it all. Then the has a little bit of pre-set lighting. Only 8 / 14 / 2003 ER “Shifts Happen” of Kin,” the idea of family was central it could alter the whole tone or affect director, who generally wants to stay the director, director of photography, SET DESCRIPTION Scene Cast No. Pages Location to the episode. The third step was to be other parts of the scene. While in closely involved in the final editing, camera (and assistants), essential cast, Int. Kovac's Apt. Door/Living Rm. 20 4, 5, 73 1-1/8 pg Backlot clear about the point of view, which production, script changes are unlikely, decides what he feels should be altered stand-ins, boom operators, and the Ext. Ambulance Bay 50A 10, 13 6/8 pg Ambulance Bay really is the answer to the question: but not impossible. The writer may or fixed. Then it goes to the producers, lighting crew were allowed in during the Int. Sutures/Trauma 2/Trauma 1 28, 29 10, 13, 14, 18 2 5/8 pg. Stage 11 “Whose story are we following?” want a change, and a script may who have the option of further cuts but shoot. They let me come up and watch Int. Trauma Hallway/Main ER 36 2/10, 18, 69, 72 2 pg Stage 11 McCrane added an extra step for this, undergo numerous changes. But rarely require any changes. Those 44 the short scene between Maura Tierney, Int. CT Room 37 2, 5, 84 1 pg Stage 3 his first directing job, coming in late because every day in production costs minutes are the key. The whole editing Goran Visnjic, and Simone-Elise Girard. some nights and weekends with some about $100,000, speed is important. process takes about seven days. They completed filming of this spot by of the actors who volunteered to help ER has made television history. It has 11 A.M., a bit behind schedule. set all the camera angles. Next, he post-production won awards, broken records, pioneered We then transported all of the marked all the camera moves and Because ER is shot on 35mm film, it is new techniques, and become a equipment down to the ambulance bay angles on a map of the set. “In the necessary to transfer images to another household favorite. It was a huge success for a short scene between Mekhi Phifer end,” he said “Every cut was in my head format before the editing process can from the start, a far cry from what the and Glenn Howerton. There was a bit before anything was filmed.” take place. As soon as a day’s shoot is NBC executives envisioned. In the first of construction going on across the street Directors, however, cannot prepare complete, the film goes to the Warner episode of its 10th season, it had the top which was halted just about every five alone. They must meet with the casting Brothers transfer to be put viewership for its 10 P.M. time slot and seconds to accommodate the filming. on DVD, so the won the 18-49 demographic. It beat its It was a relatively short filming, 6/8 of a producers can comedy counterpart , and came page. They quickly moved back to stage view it the next day. in third place for the week. Not bad for 11 for two more scenes. I observed Once the DVDs are an old favorite. the two on stage 11 while focusing on in the hands of the the jobs of the script supervisor and the editors, they can Carly Reichert ’05 majors in communication medical technical adviser. begin to cut, studies.This article is a digest of a 50-page Around 7 P.M., they made one more correct, and add independent study research paper based on company move to stage 3 for the final elements before observing eight days of ER filming during scene of the day. It was a quick one-page the program August 2003. After graduation, she plans scene that wrapped in a little over an can air. to enter the Director’s Guild of America hour. There was a total of 7 4/8 pages Often during Trainee Program in hopes of someday with only five scenes because of all of post-production, directing television dramas. the necessary moving. editors will have

TV’S HIT ER: LEARNING HOW IT’S MADE. TCNJ MAGAZINE / SPRING

2004