Are the current producers ruining Home and Away?

[cadyctslover]

I'll be happy to see her continue. I think she's doing a reasonable job.

Really John I'd like a script producer that can do more than a reasonable job. I would describe Louise Bowes' performance as 'competent' but lacking in emotional involvement in the program. I think it's time for a change.

[Jezz]

I was an avid fan in 1994 in the UK and I could really relate to Shane, Angel, Damo, Nathan, Sarah, Tug, Selina and Jack always being barked at by Don at school and Alf outside school for trying to get one over on those two. It was required viewing and as a lot of the show was involved in storylines surrounding Sumemr Bay High, H&A for me in 1993-1995 felt like real life, too much like real life I think.

Sad new that Louise Bowes may be around for a couple more years. I;d love her and Lucy to go or get their cards off the Cahnnel 7 bosses and get a producer who respects H&A. Neighbours has improved under Richard Jasek. Before him Neighbours was in a rut to me. H&A needs a Richard Jasek type producer.

Richard Jasek just left Neighbours recently.

I do feel that the show still has a lot of improvement left in it, but I still enjoy what we're seeing nevertheless.

[John]

I'll be happy to see her continue. I think she's doing a reasonable job.

Really John I'd like a script producer that can do more than a reasonable job. I would describe Louise Bowes' performance as 'competent' but lacking in emotional involvement in the program. I think it's time for a change.

I think the job confronting the writers, producers and those who map the content of the show is extremely difficult.

They have to move the show into the modern era in style, content, characterization, production values etc. while at the same time trying to retain a cohort of viewers who grew up with and loved the show in a different era.

How do they decide how much to change to attract new viewers without alienating the older ones. How much do they hang onto the feel and content of the early years while still producing a show that attracts new viewers in the modern era?

How much can content be updated while still retaining the spirit of the show? How do they go about doing that?

Who decides what the spirit of the show is? Surely it's not any particular group of fans but is determined as understood by the whole fan base.

Given the almost impossibility of that task I do think the writer/producers are doing a reasonable job. I'd go with competent as well.

I think where the passion is displayed is in their willingness to work to develop the show to meet changing times. Sometimes they hit the mark, sometimes they don't. You only have to read this thread to see how widely divergent views are on where the mark is.

I think it's an intriguing journey and I'll be watching with interest.

[Light of the Bay]

My biggest issue with Louise Bowes and Lucy Addario is the blatant favouritism shown by them - you only have to watch an episode to work out who the favourites are.

There are some fine actors working on H&A who are having their talents utterly wasted IMO.

Also, if you watch an early 00s episode of H&A, it's entirely different in both style and production values to the early years yet the stories were engaging, relatable and true-to-life! They managed to modernise the show for many years but keeping that 'feel' that is the spirit of Home and Away.

It's long gone now... I hope it can be rediscovered.

[alexx]

I agree with you, John. It would be a huge, huge task. I do think that the show can be produced in a different way so as to keep the spirit of the original show (the first 15 years at least) alive whilst moving with the times though. The production values are already there and as modern as can be at the moment, they've done a great job on that front. It's the storytelling and the way the characters are written, including the balance or lack of balance that they could certainly improve on.

The overall tone of the show is very confusing these days too. I don't think they can steer too far away from what made the show popular in the first place because then it becomes a different show entirely - which is what I think has happened at the moment. They should do better than a reasonable or competent job Imo because I don't think that is good enough. The fact that many fans have turned off or dissatisfied shows that they really aren't being very successful producers of Home and Away.

[John]

I agree with you, John. It would be a huge, huge task. I do think that the show can be produced in a different way so as to keep the spirit of the original show (the first 15 years at least) alive whilst moving with the times though. The production values are already there and as modern as can be at the moment, they've done a great job on that front. It's the storytelling and the way the characters are written, including the balance or lack of balance that they could certainly improve on.

The overall tone of the show is very confusing these days too. I don't think they can steer too far away from what made the show popular in the first place because then it becomes a different show entirely - which is what I think has happened at the moment. They should do better than a reasonable or competent job Imo because I don't think that is good enough. The fact that many fans have turned off or dissatisfied shows that they really aren't being very successful producers of Home and Away.

How many fans have actually turned off? I know there is a significant group of fans on this Board who are dissatisfied but how big a part of the whole audience or more importantly the target audience do they represent?

I'd be the last to argue that everything about the show is great. But I don't think it has departed anything like what I understand the spirit of the show to be to be running campaigns to sack writers, producers etc. There is much about it I still really enjoy.

My main issue would be the lack of depth in the drawing of characters and the structure of storylines. I think the writers have the pace of the show too fast at the moment. I'd slow it down just a little. Enough to allow more depth to the exploration of characters and storylines to develop a little slower.

That said the faster pace of the show is probably dictated by the demands of much of the audience so they'd have to be careful not to "lose" the newer part of the audience.

[alexx]

My main issue would be the lack of depth in the drawing of characters and the structure of storylines. I think the writers have the pace of the show too fast at the moment. I'd slow it down just a little. Enough to allow more depth to the exploration of characters and storylines to develop a little slower.

That said the faster pace of the show is probably dictated by the demands of much of the audience so they'd have to be careful not to "lose" the newer part of the audience.

Yeah I agree with this. I think they can still keep the pace reasonably fast but they need to allocate more scenes to character development and backstory instead of jumping to the next storyline. I'd say out of the current characters they've got it right with John, Jett and Marilyn in terms of pacing.

Character driven writing is a different way of writing entirely which is why I think the current producers are more suited to weekly dramas because they're all about fast self contained plots.

Another example which seems to be brought up a lot is the first half of the 2008 season. It was fast paced and modern but allowed for lots of character focus and I've only ever heard positive reviews on that era.

[Jacklost]

They should make a home and away movie

[Light of the Bay]

It would be a flop!

Somehow I don't doubt that Network 7 are planning a 'River Boy' movie which will excite teenage girls around the world.

Mod Edit:

[Pierced Musie]

^ Yet again us Braxton fans are being stereotyped. Last time I checked I wasn't a teenage girl and from what I can tell I don't think John is either.

Unless our dear moderator has something to tell us !