Sometimes you shoot for 40 or 50 hours for a one-hour show, and you have to make some very hard choices.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
In television you don't have a lot of time to spend with the role or the script. Typically you get a script a week prior to shooting. Sometimes it's even less time, not enough time to dream about the role.
It's a very long and difficult schedule on a single-camera show.
Doing a sitcom is like doing a play - you rehearse for three or four days, and then you shoot what you rehearsed on Friday night in front of an audience. An hour-long drama is like shooting a movie. You're shooting 13-14 hour days. The endurance itself is different.
People don't realize how long hours are when you're shooting a movie.
It's a lot of a workload doing an hour dramatic show. It's just incredible what little time off you get.
It's amazing the hours you pull when you're the lead of a show.
On 'B&B,' we shoot so fast and eight episodes a week, so we have to always be on our A-game. There's really no time to make certain adjustments. We usually shoot a scene in one take, maybe two or three only if needed.
I've never seen a schedule where you just go in two hours almost every day of the week and then all day on one day. Then you shoot it at night with an audience and you're out of there.
Directing television is really hard - it's so fast. You shoot an hour show in seven days.
TV is designed a certain way where you have three, four days on stage and three or four days out. You're basically making a feature every seven days. You have to shoot an hour's worth.