How did they do it?

[Oscarfan]

You ever wonder how on earth CTW was able to make 130 shows, plus inserts? They had to make at least 5 different scens for the show, write original songs for the scens, films, cartoons and Muppet bits. Plus, they had to animate the cartoons, film the new films, tape more Mupper sketches, edit them together and get them on the air in a short amount of time.

 

[maniacal muppet]

They must be verrrrry patient people. I have been to a few Sesame tapings and even for the simplest things, a lot of effort(not to mention time) is put in.

 

[fuzzygobo]

I find it amazing, too, especially in the first two seasons. In a recent interview posted on youtube, Danny Epstein (drummer for Joe Raposo's band, and eventual Musical Coordinator for the show) explains how everybody was putting in 12-to-16 hour days just to get the show ready for the November 10 premiere. A lot of the Muppet segments were cranked out in one or two takes. On top of that, Danny and Joe Raposo also had another job playing music at WNEW/Channel 5 across town. This was their regular job that they were encouraged to hold on to, just in case Sesame Street didn't work out.

But it's remarkable how everybody was committed to giving the show their all. They knew it was going to be different. They knew it was going to be revolutionary. It was a total labor of love. and the reward would be us here today, still treasuring moments they created nearly four decades ago. Makes all the effort worthwhile, doesn' it?

 

[Boober_Gorg]

The constant repeating of inserts certainly helped pad out the episodes. The more they had under their belt, the easier it became.

 

[Drtooth]

The constant repeating of inserts certainly helped pad out the episodes. The more they had under their belt, the easier it became.

Oh yeah. Repeated episodes and skits... they must've been a Frogsend. I mean, sometimes I wondered if they repeated the same skits in the same episode due to the "Repetition equals learning" research, or just to give them a 30 second break to pad the episodes.

I wonder how they co-ordinated all the different independant animation firms. And I still wonder which ones they used.

I'm working on a theory they were using Pantomime Studios for a lot of the animation. Mainly since Jim Thurman (one of the writers and major members of the SS team) was a writer for the show "Roger Ramjet" (animated by Pantomime) and had connections to that studio.

 

[minor muppetz]

And of course, these days there are only 26 episodes a season.

 

[Oscarfan]

Yeah, that makes it somewhat easier, considering the show the same segments every season.

 

[mikebennidict]

I find it amazing, too, especially in the first two seasons. In a recent interview posted on youtube, Danny Epstein (drummer for Joe Raposo's band, and eventual Musical Coordinator for the show) explains how everybody was putting in 12-to-16 hour days just to get the show ready for the November 10 premiere. A lot of the Muppet segments were cranked out in one or two takes. On top of that, Danny and Joe Raposo also had another job playing music at WNEW/Channel 5 across town. This was their regular job that they were encouraged to hold on to, just in case Sesame Street didn't work out.

But it's remarkable how everybody was committed to giving the show their all. They knew it was going to be different. They knew it was going to be revolutionary. It was a total labor of love. and the reward would be us here today, still treasuring moments they created nearly four decades ago. Makes all the effort worthwhile, doesn' it?

Here's the interview Fuzzy's referring to?


http://video.google.com/videosearch...ion+Interview+with+Danny+Epstein"&page=1&lv=1

 

[Ilikemuppets]

They also used to have weekly plot lines.