Valentine’s Day graphic
There is still plenty of lingering resentment coming from certain staffers on the show, though I can’t say it’s all that bad being treated like I’m invisible. There are even comical moments, like people pretending you’re not in the kitchen so they can talk loudly to each other and say how they really feel (when it’s written all over their faces). And the glares and whispered “fuck you”s are going to be there at any job. If they want to put their energy into that kind of thing, I say let ‘em.
But it’s getting better. A few angry folks are at least making the effort to be nice, that sort of red-in-the-face, “I’m thinking about you in a coffin” expression that you see on little leaguers’ faces during the “good game” handshake, but I’m willing to take it at face value. And someone finally took down the “Jay is Better Without Writers” article in the kitchen, giving me more time to think about jokes while putting cream cheese on my onion bagel.
Putting that aside, getting back to the grind has been strange. The feeling is like walking out of a movie that takes place at night, only to remember it was a matinee and it’s suddenly daytime again. And one thing that has certainly changed is the new, permanent 4pm tape time: that’s early!
From a writing standpoint, I can deal. When it comes to main pieces and monologue, that stuff is done well ahead of time. But I also do graphics for the show, from the titles you see before bits to special effects, mostly in drop-ins. And those get approved late, or shot in the afternoon and have to be turned around fast.
Take as an example the Valentine’s Day Products title shown above. The day before, I built the 3D beating heart, the flying scroll and the product letters and let them render overnight. I comped the whole thing together the morning of the show, rendered to Teo’s Avid for about an hour, and was ready to wash my hands of it. Then they changed the title.
Yesterday it was worse. I was trying to do a special effect that shows Hillary Clinton tripping a reporter, but the footage was handheld and the copy was low-quality. I jammed on that thing for three hours, and actually finished, but I was literally one minute late. I was furious, mostly out of frustration, and lost my temper. I apologize right away, realizing that I hadn’t felt the deadline pressure like that in a while. It worked out okay, because the joke worked without the effect.
This morning gave me a chance to step back and be objective: So I have to work a little faster sometimes. So the wall between creative and production has never been higher. So what? At least I’m not holding a picket sign and mooching off of Drew Carey. And so what if there’s a little more pressure when I’m doing graphics? At least I get to do them with my door closed.
You don’t have to talk extra loud to be heard through the door, either. At this point everyone has made it clear how they feel.
