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Date Posted: 22:14:42 08/08/01 Wed
Author: Susan W.
Subject: CQS4 Panels: Rene Bonniere and Pam Simons


Back to my continuing series.

This turned out to be my favorite panel of CQS4, but here's the rub: I only saw half of it. As wonderful as the food was in the restaurant, the service, especially for this particular meal that I was eating, was abysmally slow. So afterward, after pausing to introduce myself to Babe of the HH board, I raced back to the auditorium and slid into an empty seat just off of the main aisle toward the rear of the room.

Rene Bonniere and Pam Simons were up on the dais. Mr. Bonniere, as everyone respectfully called him, has been widely admired for his directing work on LFN. He was not only appearing at the con, but had also been quite visibly *attending* the con, having been seen at Don's concert and several of the other panels. Doug MacRae had originally been scheduled to appear alongside him, but for some reason was not present. Instead, Pam Simons, the production coordinator for LFN, was sharing the panel. Pam, who had worked with Don Francks, David Hemblen, and Maury Chakin on various projects before LFN, acted as the day to day schedule keeper and trouble-shooter for the show.

I started listening intently. Someone in the audience had asked Mr. Bonniere if he kept the audience in mind as he directed an episode. Reflecting on the director's job, he responded: "Thinking about the audience is essential...[but] at the same time, there is a decision to make." Then, in response to another query, both he and Pam talked about their deep respect for producer Jamie Paul Rock. Pam said that about 70% of the technical crew followed Jamie to the "Mutant X" project (some familiar names on that project include Rocco Matteo, Laurie Drew, film editor David B.Thompson, Doug MacRae, along with many keys, grips, etc. Jay Firestone is one of the executive producers.) Pam said the reason that Jamie is accorded such loyalty is that, "He really looks out for us." Rene interjected: "Jamie is really an extrordinary producer." Pam continued, "...and always the sense of humor...when you work 16 hour days, you have to have a sense of humor."

While their comments were of interest, I felt a growing sense of agitation. I turned to the fan seated to the left of me and asked urgently, "Has anyone asked him about 'War' yet?" No, she replied. I was stunned. I tried again: "Not Was?...Half Life?" She shook her head in response. My head was swimming...clearly this situation needed to be rectified. I was moved to do something that I hadn't done in a *very* long time: I got into the microphone line! :-)

When it was my turn, I complimented Mr. Bonniere on his directing, particularly for the episode "War". I talked about how I thought the lighting, visual references, and deliberately dark atmosphere were extraordinary, specifically mentioning his collaboration with director of photography Nikos Evdemon (on his first assignment with the show). Mr. Bonniere's face lit up, and he spoke with enthusiasm about their work together. I complimented Mr. Bonniere on his ability to evoke nuanced, memorable performances from the show's actors. Hogging the mike a bit, I asked him if the decision to have Roy Dupuis behave like a vulnerable, innocent tabula rasa in "Not Was" resulted from his choice, Roy's choice, or a meeting of the two minds. [Writer's note: Okay, I confess. I was looking for a Roy story. Mr. Bonniere, being a good sport and nobody's fool, gracefully obliged.] He stated: "You can't tell Roy to do anything...you can suggest...and *react*...he watches the reaction. You are the first audience...I ask myself...do I believe that?" Very well satisfied by this response, I thanked him and finally relinquished the mike. Later, a number of people told me that in expressing my appreciation for his work, I had spoken for them as well.

Later, Mr. Bonniere reflected, "If you don't have it [the scene] by the third take--there might be something wrong with the scene."

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Replies:

[> SusanW... let me say again THANK YOU for posting these for us and taking us down memory lane again.. -- Northstar, 12:44:51 08/09/01 Thu


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[> Ahhhh, Susan W. RB is such a sweetheart of a man. How I wish I could have a half hour with him to ask all the questions I have about his lighting and direction. I missed your question. What a wonderful response! YGG :D :D :D -- Shirleym, 01:10:49 08/12/01 Sun


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[> [> I asked him about how some kind of magic always seems to happen when he directs an episode, like the scene where Michael gives Nikita the "medicine" which was apparently, not scripted. I don't remember his exact words, but he said in effect that if you just let things happen (sometimes by doing nothing), wonderful things can happen. He quoted a writer I'd never heard of. Does anyone remember who that writer was? -- Shirleym, 00:05:45 08/14/01 Tue


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[> I attended that panel as well... -- KT, 03:37:40 08/12/01 Sun

and also got Mr. Bonniere's autograph later, which he graciously put in my copy of "La Femme Peta" on the page for "War". He was very personable and willing to discuss his work, and when I told him that "War" was my favorite of his episodes, he said, "Mine too."

His wife was also very engaging, and they discussed their travels a bit. I have cousins in France, and we talked a bit about the region, and he encouraged me to go and visit them.

I really liked the way he described Roy's doing pretty much as he pleased despite the director's advice, and how he admitted that Roy was usually right about something, so he felt like he could give him a lot of space. Your question was really excellent and I felt that Mr. Bonniere's replies were always honest and open. So refreshing...

Later, ^!^


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