Make or Break: Chris Carter, Frank SpotniTz, and Lance Henriksen talk about Millennium's future!

This is the big interview! This is Lance Henriksen, Chris Carter, and Frank Spotnitz talking about the future of Millennium. Is there a future? Listen to the podcast and find out how this conversation has shaped the future of this campaign! Don't miss this!

How to listen to this FREE podcast:

Flash Player: Listen directly!

To download click this link!

Available on iTunes. Search for "Back to Frank Black" or "BacktoFrankBlack" and click "subscribe"!

Also available on iPhone and Android as part of the Back to Frank Black app! App version includes an Xmas message from Lance and a PDF greetings card from the team! (Extra features are included in most app versions of the podcasts. Nominal app fee goes towards supporting the campaign. No profits come from this app service.)

Ezekiel Editorial: Make or Break? Make!

Time for an official update. If you follow us on Facebook -- or if you follow Lance on Facebook -- you'll have heard that we had a meeting midweek with Lance Henriksen, Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz on the future of Millennium.

The meeting was amazingly positive. All involved were on the same page, which was very exciting indeed. We will be releasing that podcast on the 4th February, as announced.

However, there was a sacrifice. As with the Christmas podcast featuring Lance, Megan and Brittany, it evolved into something more than we planned. There was, brutally, no need for questions. Chris, Lance and Frank talked about the show's future.

We had many questions asked of us, however, so many that we had to run through three drafts of potential questions just to reduce the questions to a manageable amount. Even then I doubted we'd get through that final set... We didn't even use one.

As such, we're looking at scheduling a special questions session in the future that uses those fan-submitted questions -- so we can get a chance to put your queries directly to the Millennium big names. Again, apologies they couldn't be used in this podcast, but when you've got the three main voices of Millennium naturally communicating without prompting, you want to let that run its own course!

On top of this, we have more good news from other quarters coming soon to this blog! Keep your eyes peels, m'friends!

Make or Break: Podcast update!

Just an update on the Frank Spotnitz, Lance Henriksen and Chris Carter interview we had scheduled to record today - the interview has been delayed due to some unforeseen difficulties and Chris was unavailable. We're hoping to reschedule this week. All parties are still eager to take part, so no worrying!

On a very positive note, Lance and Frank took this opportunity to have a chat together about the show, their work and the show's future. It was a very encouraging and exciting moment. Both love the show and the concept. Both are aware of the hurdles and challenges. Both would love to see the concept taken further.

We will let you guys know when the reschedule is - we aim to meet the same release date if possible, but given you've all jumped on this event with such interest it seemed inappropriate not to keep you all up to date with what's going on.

The response to this interview from readers of this page has been enormous. We've had to whittle down the possible questions we could use through three drafts for it to be even near manageable and we know even that set probably won't get used in its entierity. You've all been an invaluable resource for preparing this event and we thank you for that. We will keep you posted!

Second Sight: "The Well-Worn Lock"

“The Well-Worn Lock” (20 December 1996)

Writer: Chris Carter
Director: Ralph Hemecker
Editor: Steve Mark

Quote: “You’re doing the right thing. I have a strong feeling about it.” --Frank Black


Overview: And so, we come to “The Well-Worn Lock.” This episode is well-known for being unique in the series, presenting a glimpse down the road not taken by Millennium. Here is a powerful and sobering installment concerned not with apocalyptic conspiracies or sadistic serial killers but with child abuse and the structures of power and lies that protect abusers. The story prompted author Andy Lane to suggest that “Millennium is so realistic it tears away the last vestiges of the lies we try to tell ourselves about the way the world works.” The hero of this hour is not the dauntless forensic profiler but his wife the social worker, Catherine Black. With “The Well-Worn Lock,” Chris Carter explores the untapped potential of Millennium’s characters, format, and central premise.

Given the set-up, it is perhaps surprising that the episode features any of Frank Black’s trademark visions at all. In this installment there is no “mind of the killer” for the profiler to inhabit. We do, however, witness a single visualization lasting all of four seconds, a brief experience that reveals the true purpose behind the titular well-worn lock. The rest of the episode is peppered with similar sporadic sequences conveying disturbing memories of a painful history of sexual abuse. While previous episodes such as “Pilot” or “522666” have relied on Millennium’s fleeting, stochastic displays of aggression and gore to convey the fantasies of killers, “The Well-Worn Lock” utilizes the same affecting cinematic techniques to represent the traumatic experiences of victims. The functional purpose of these sequences remains the same in spite of the shift in storyline: horrifying, painful imagery is conveyed rapidly, forcefully, in a fashion that does not allow the viewer to dwell on any one image but does nothing to lessen the overall emotional impact of the experience. In the end, the visions of “The Well-Worn Lock” force us to assimilate the sort of memories that are usually repressed, compel us to feel the uncommon compassion possessed by the likes of Frank and Catherine Black, and, once again, reinforce Chris Carter’s overarching philosophy that the profiler’s gift is, above all else, empathic.

Connections: Though the visions of Millennium are predominantly used to represent the mindset of murderers, visions from the point of view of a victim were previously seen in “Gehenna,” also scripted by Chris Carter.

Trances in Total: 1 (0:04)

Gore Score: 1/10

Make or Break? The biggest podcast yet: Revealed!

This is it, as close to make or break as it comes...

This is very much a crossroads. The campaign has reached a point where it will take a turn for the better or for the worse. We've had all these guys on previous podcasts -- they all know about the campaign, they know what we're about. And here they are, willing to talk together with no coersion or arm-pulling.

Lance Henriksen
Frank Spotnitz
Chris Carter

One podcast.

And your chance to send us questions! This is the big one!

We don't know where this will go and, as I was saying to Lance and Troy last night, it feels like the podcasts we've done before have all been leading to this one. It's an event unto itself which is both exciting and scary. And with your questions, you get a possible chance to shape that event.

We've asked you to be patient in the past. Campaigns are unusual things and this has to be one of the most unique campaigns ever fought in television and film -- one that has had the support of virtually the entire cast and crew of the show, which has devoted friends supporting it wholeheartedly in the media and entertainment industry, and has a fanbase that stretches across the world. All this for a decade-old, three season show. There's been a reason to be patient, and that's because at every corner we've found people willing to support and believe in it -- so much so, the lead actor is now campaign staff. It's a show that touched many hearts and one that has a lead cast that feels perfect for the entertainment market today. These things take time, and we will find out this month whether, indeed, the time is now.

So: questions! Send them to us at info@backtofrankblack.com! Be sure to include where you are from so we can read your name and location on the show! Send in those questions!

Second Sight: "Dead Letters"

“Dead Letters” (8 November 1996)

Writers: Glen Morgan & James Wong
Director: Thomas J. Wright
Editor: Chris Willingham, A.C.E.

Quote: “Do you know all about bad dreams?” --Jordan Black looks to her father for comfort


Overview: “Dead Letters” is a powerful and affecting story largely because of Jim Horn, the prospective profiler played with such tragic desperation by guest star James Morrison. Horn serves as a brilliantly effective foil for Frank Black; he is a flawed and wounded character who, by contrast, shows us what is so special about Millennium’s singular hero. Horn is utterly incapable of the sort of incredible insights that have been harnessed by Frank Black. In attempting to avoid problematic descriptors such as “paranormal” or “supernatural” in discussions regarding Frank Black’s gift, Chris Carter has often described the profiler’s abilities as “empathic” in nature. It is that uncommon empathy for his fellow man, that selfless willingness to become one with the thoughts and feelings of both victims and killers, which shows Frank to be such an exceptional hero. “Dead Letters” reveals just how essential empathy is to the equation by progressively eroding Horn’s own facility for emotional and intellectual identification. Without the empathetic connection, Horn is blinded and soon becomes a reckless and vengeful man who is only able to see the serial killer they seek as a dimensionless bogeyman. “These killers can’t be simply cases or psychological anomalies anymore,” Horn bemoans. “They’re just... monsters. Just monsters.”

This episode is also noteworthy for its preoccupation with young Jordan Black. With “Dead Letters,” Glen Morgan and James Wong slyly add a significant layer to the mythology quickly building up around Frank Black’s unusual flashes of insight. It is an idea acknowledged by Frank Spotnitz when he conceded, “I can see why people thought there was a psychic component to it.” Spotnitz attributes this impression of Frank’s gift in part to the inheritance implied in this episode’s unnerving teaser: “It was certainly hinted that his daughter, Jordan, had the same gift, if you will… that Jordan had the same ability.” Jordan’s nightmare--a darkly playful sequence dominated by the figure of a fearsome clown--is not easily forgotten. At its heart this is an episode about “bad dreams,” a story concerned with the imaginative visions that torment slumbering children and the grim knowledge that can torture waking adults. (Given the role such visions will play in our understanding of Frank’s own abilities, Jordan’s nightmare has been included in our usual tally of trances below.) Though Jordan’s dreams are of a sort that have troubled every boy and girl at one time or another, as the sleepover with T.C. Horn implies, their prominence in the episode poses a persistent question, a question that would come to serve as a key component of Millennium’s continually evolving mythology: Could Jordan Black have inherited some abnormal ability from her visionary father? The first hints of the prophetic bond between father and daughter are to be found in the chilling cackle of that black-and-white clown.

Connections: The nameless figure that inhabits Jordan Black’s nightmares instantly evokes Pennywise, the monstrous, clown-faced antagonist of Stephen King’s It (1986).

Trances in Total: 6 (1:00)

Gore Score: 1/10

Happy Birthday Chris Carter!

A very warm Happy Birthday from all of us at BacktoFrankBlack and all those who follow this blog. Today is 13th October -- 1013, if you will (a company name followers of Chris' work will be familar with).

So raise your digital glasses and toast the creator of Millennium and the wonder we celebrate here on this blog everyday. Have a great day!

Second Sight: "Pilot"

Last week, Adam Chamberlain performed an act of televisual profiling by offering us a glimpse inside the mind of a serial killer with What the Killer Sees. This week, I am proud to introduce a companion to his bi-weekly column: Second Sight. Millennium lingers in the minds of its faithful viewers in part because it left us with many enduring enigmas, mysteries that are discussed and debated still today. Chief among these is the true nature of Frank Black’s extraordinary gift. Was our peerless forensic profiler employing a brilliant but purely intellectual deductive skill? Or was there something miraculous, something inconceivable, about his astonishing insights? Identifying connections as well as discrepancies, statistics as well as disputes, Back to Frank Black’s newest regular column is concerned with confronting these lingering questions. On alternating Fridays, episode-by-episode, Second Sight will endeavor to offer viewers a fresh perspective on Frank Black’s mysterious talents by investigating the inner eye of Millennium’s visionary hero...


“Pilot” (25 October 1996)

Writer: Chris Carter
Director: David Nutter
Editor: Stephen Mark

Quote: “I see what the killer sees... I put myself in his head. I become the thing we fear the most... I become capability. I become the horror, what we know we can become only in our heart of darkness. It’s my gift. It’s my curse. It’s why I retired.” --Frank Black


Overview: One of many stunning stylistic elements that separate Millennium from earlier crime dramas--indeed, one of the show’s trademark hooks--is to be found in the attempt to offer a distinctive visual representation of the hero’s deductive methods. “Pilot” takes full advantage of this device by offering us a string of gruesome, sometimes symbolic montages representing the unique vision of both the Frenchman and Frank Black. Whilst they often serve to illustrate the particulars of the crimes that have been committed, these visceral sequences are also undeniably surreal, immediately evoking the supernatural sensibilities already associated in the minds of the audience with creator Chris Carter.

As a result, the script for the episode goes out of its way to defend Frank’s so-called facility as purely intuitive or intellectual. In what is undoubtedly the show’s best-remembered monologue, our favorite criminal profiler emphatically insists that there is nothing psychic about his deductive feats. Carter has repeated this mandate on countless occasions. In his audio commentary for the episode, the show’s creator describes Frank Black as a man “who doesn’t necessarily have an in-born gift but something he has developed through his hard work with catching criminals, seeing how they operated, knowing them, and ultimately being able to see like them.” For the Millennium devotee, “psychic” is a dirty word.

From the very start, however, there exists an undercurrent of the miraculous that troubles our understanding of Frank Black’s extraordinary gift. At least two specific aspects of “Pilot” leave us wondering about the true extent of Frank’s mental talents. Firstly, there is his refusal to use his eyes as he repeatedly turns down opportunities to personally view the bodies of murder victims hidden by tarps or body bags. (It is this quirk that prompts a coroner to glibly dub our hero “the man with the x-ray eyes.”) Then there is the Frenchman, who, in the midst of his ravings, instinctively insists that he shares a sort of apocalyptic power with the retired lawman who has hunted him down: “You can see it, just like I do. You know the end is coming.” Should we simply shrug this off as a tirade from a murderous madman? Or is there something unusual, something unavoidable, about the implied prophetic connection between the two? Is there more to the hero’s gift than meets the eye? Millennium’s exceptional pilot episode, like so many of those installments that would follow, raises just as many questions regarding Frank Black’s gift as it seemingly answers.

Connections: The blood-and-fire visuals associated with the Frenchman’s point-of-view are inspired by evocative imagery to be found in “The Second Coming” (1920) by William Butler Yeats and the biblical Book of Revelation. Frank’s attempt to describe the precise nature of his abilities recalls “Heart of Darkness” (1902) by Joseph Conrad, a novella that explores the capacity for darkness inherent to the human heart. Whoever Fights Monsters (1992) by Robert K. Ressler and Mindhunter (1995) by John E. Douglas--both men who served as models for the character of Frank Black--offer insight regarding a factual approach to the psychological profiling of serial killers.

Trances in Total: 5 (0:20)

Gore Score: 9/10

Muir speaks to Chris Carter.. and BacktotoFrankBlack

Last month, John Kenneth Muir - the popular writer, reviewer and all round repository for cult, horror and fantasy - published an interview between himself and Millennium creator Chris Carter.

We are proud to announce BacktoFrankBlack will be interviewing John later this month - an interview that has been in the wings for nearly a year now. In the meantime, for those who haven't, I strong recommend reading his interview with Chris Carter - an excerpt follows:

JKM: I know that you're paying attention to this. There's been this fantastic movement, and a group, called Back to Frank Black, dedicated to the resurrection of Millennium. The show seems more popular now than ever. Is a Millennium feature film something you are interested in pursuing?

CARTER: I would like to do it. But it is going to take interest on the studio side for it to happen. Everyone involved with Millennium has left the studio. The people there now know it ran for three years and that it starred Lance Henriksen, and that's all. You have to find reasons to interest them.

JKM: Given that the Millennium is passed -- and without giving away specifics -- what kind of storyline would interest you for a Millennium motion picture?

CARTER: Considering we're engaged in a War on Terror that is ongoing, I'd like to see Frank and the Millennium Group distill something from that war that is...interesting..

The rest of the article can be read here. It is a long and fascinating interview - I strongly recommend any Millennium fan digesting it.

Though I would thoroughly recommend following John's blog anyhow. We have updates to his blog regularly posted on our Affiliates panel on the right side of this page.

BACKTOFRANKBLACK.COM WISHES YOU ALL A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Thank you all for supporting our Midnight of The Century week and for all the kind comments you good folk left for team. As Christmas Day is all but upon us, the team at BackToFrankBlack will be taking, if I say so myself, a well deserved rest to enjoy the festive season but rest assured we will return in the New Year to continue to fight the good fight. From myself and all the team, a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and thanks for everything folks. We couldn't do it without you.

Before we begin stuffing our turkeys and supping our eggnog here's a few little treats to keep the Millennium spirit alive in our briefest of hiatus'. Respected writer and journalist, and friend to this campaign no less, John Kenneth Muir recently had the undoubted pleasure of speaking to the great man himself, Chris Carter. We cannot recommend this interview to you enough as it was evidently conducted by an individual who is as passionate about Millennium as we are and we are indebted to John for being so kind as mention our campaign to Mr. Carter in the process, to enjoy this sterling read, click here!

Now deep the in bowels of Lapland, our very own Santa Claus, DiRT, has been working away on a very special something to help all you Millennium fans enjoy the festive spirit. This is something a little different from DiRT's usual offerings and I know you will all agree with me that is brilliant. So grab the fat-free eggnog, the cranberry bread and the pumpkin bead and enjoy this little gem in the glow of your Christmas Tree and join with me in wishing DiRT and his family, a very merry Christmas!

Now before we disappear into the punch-bowl let me leave you all with on final dangle of the carrot. BackToFrankBlack will be back, briefly, between Christmas and the new year with something rather exclusive and rather exciting starring a very special Millennium cast member reprising their role, yup you read that right, for the first time in over a decade. We think legions of you will be happen with the result. Till then. To the Midnight of the Century!

Mark

Here's Dirt's Thing: Omerta Video Review!

Ladies and gentlemen it's time, once again, for our masked avenger, wrestlemaniac and super powered reviewer DiRT to cast his x-ray vision upon another episode of Millennium and direct his considerable following in our direction in the process. Christmas is coming and the Millennium fans are getting fat and what better way to usher in the festive season than to turn our attention to season three's majestic festive offering, Omerta.

Penned by fan favourite, Michael R Perry, Frank Black decides to take Jordan on a Christmas vacation rather than allow her to dwell on the fact that this will be their first holiday without Catherine. The small Vermont town they travel to proves to be less quiet than expected, however, when the two become involved with a dead Mafia hit man who appears in the woods looking very much alive! So we sat DiRT down to watch this with his notepad, a glass of sweet sherry and a piece of Christmas Cake and here's what he thought of it. Let the show begin.

So now you know, that's DiRT's view of Omerta and now we want to know yours. Did DiRT hit the nail on the head for you or was he so wrong you considered for a moment if he has spent a good few years from away from the television in a forest with a few rather appealing Christmas angels. So, dust down those keyboards and tell us what you think. Rest assured, DiRT reads all the feedback he gets so don't be shy.

As always, every new video we add to Youtube, or is added to Youtube for us, reaches out to a whole new audience and may find a Millennium fan who never knew of our campaign in the process. Don't forget, keep sending those letters and postcards to Mr. Steve Asbell.

As always, lend your considerable support to the man and go visit his own websites and find out what it's all about. Remember, every video made for the this campaign is an indispensable way of reaching out to a potential new campaigner.

Mark

• To visit his website and enjoy the numerous things he has on offer, click here!

• To check out his Youtube channel and view more reviews from the man himself, visit here!

HERE'S DIRT'S THING: HUMAN ESSENCE!

Ladies and gentlemen it's time, once again, for our masked avenger, wrestlemaniac and super powered reviewer DiRT to cast his x-ray vision upon another episode of Millennium and direct his considerable following in our direction in the process. This time we venture into the strange world of ancient eastern magic and pharmacology for season three's Human Essence.

If ever there was a Millennium episode that inspires unilateral uncertainty from fans then Human Essence is, sadly, that episode. Written by the then show-runner, Michael Duggan shortly before his departure from the show, Human Essence tells the story of a tormented Emma Hollis forced to choose between her half sister and her career as an FBI agent as she embarks on a journey to discover the truth behind a series of drugs related deaths.


What we want to know is the episode as problematic as people would have you believe? Is this episode a misunderstood gem, an unfairly criticised outing or an episode worthy of its reputation as something of a misfire. I asked DiRT to take and look and let us know what he thinks. Enjoy the show.

So now you know, that's DiRT's view of Human Essence and now we want to know yours. Did DiRT hit the nail on the head for you or was he so wrong you actually wondered if he was on the same drug as the one in the episode. Dust down those keyboards and tell us what you think. Rest assured, DiRT reads all the feedback he gets so don't be shy.

As always, every new video we add to Youtube, or is added to Youtube for us, reaches out to a whole new audience and may find a Millennium who never knew of our campaign in the process. Don't forget, keep sending those letters and postcards to Mr. Steve Asbell.

As always, lend your considerable support to the man and go visit his own websites and find out what it's all about. Remember, every video made for the this campaign is an indispensable way of reaching out to a potential new campaigner.

Mark

• To visit his website and enjoy the numerous things he has on offer, click here!

• To check out his Youtube channel and view more reviews from the man himself, visit here!

BACKTOFRANKBLACK EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: JAMES JORDAN LOOKS BACK ON VIRTUAL SEASON FIVE OF MILLENNIUM!

With news that the Virtual Sixth Season of Millennium has now gone into production, coupled with the stellar response we received to our previous retrospective on Virtual Season Four, James Jordan kindly agreed to talk to BackToFrankBlack about his time working on twenty new episodes of Millennium. Millennium Virtual Season 5 was created by a dedicated group of Millennium fans eager to continue the journeys of retired FBI Agent and Criminal Profiler Frank Black. Each professionally written weekly episode aired online from January to June 2007. This is a behind the scenes look at their journey.

MARK HAYDEN: Could you tell us a little about yourself in terms of any writing projects you were involved with prior to Virtual Season Five? Was this a steep learning curve for yourself or something you had dabbled in to some degree previously?

JAMES JORDAN: I’d written a few odd scripts and I was honing the craft, so the mechanics of screenwriting weren’t new to me but I’d never undertaken such a huge, collaborative project before. I don’t think you can truly be prepared for how much hard work it is until you’re caught up in everything.

MH: At the time the Virtual Fourth Season was created the team involved were fuelled by the very recent cancellation of the show and a desire to see it reach the millennium and tie up the loose ends of the televised series. Considering that they felt they had achieved their mandate what inspired the Virtual Fifth Season and what story did you believe there was left to tell?

JJ: That’s a very good question! It was Tony Black, my fellow executive producer, who first proposed it. At first I wasn’t sure if it was viable or something I’d be interested in for those exact reasons, but the more we talked about the storytelling possibilities and the enduring character of Frank Black, the more tempting it became.

When we hit upon the idea of tying together all the post-millennial catastrophes and how that could be interpreted as an apocalypse unfolding in very real terms, that seemed to be the key to making the series relevant and interesting to our present times. Plus of course, Frank and Jordan hadn’t stopped living in the intervening years and there would always be lots of opportunities for standalone episodes, so the chance to expand on this compelling world that Chris Carter created proved irresistible.

MH: I am fascinated by the mechanics that went in to the creation of any virtual season. From working on BackToFrankBlack I am all too aware of the sheer hard work that goes into a fan product of any kind, work that remains undetected by those who enjoy the results. Could you describe the experience of working on that season and offer a brief synopsis of the highs and lows of it?

JJ: We approached it as much like a television production as possible over the internet, which I suppose is the main difference between a virtual season and fan fiction, if you will. We worked out of a private forum where the staff would gather together to plan and structure the skeleton of the season, break individual episodes and organize deadlines and such. I’d take a pass on each script in the tradition in which US shows are run, then the final versions would go up on the website every Friday.

The highs were seeing all these people doing great work and getting some very gratifying feedback from readers. But of course we had our hits and misses and it could be both tiring and stressful. I think the hardest it got was when I got a draft in very late that was basically half finished, and I was up all night feverishly rewriting to get it out on schedule that Friday. Thankfully it only went down to the wire that once, and most of the time we were having fun with these characters and telling their stories.

MH: Could you tell us a little about the Virtual Five crew? From where did you draw supporters and contributors, how were roles assigned and so on and whether the team has continued to communicate and contribute to further projects of this kind?

JJ: At first there was an open call at the well-known fan site This Is Who We Are, which is where Tony and I first started working together and assembling a staff of volunteers. As we realized we needed confident scriptwriters as much as we needed dedicated Millennium fans, we moved over to a network that Tony had set up with ties to an existing writing community which is where we teamed up with Angelo Shrine who wrote some of our most popular episodes.

We also got Ian Austin to step in fairly late on and pick up some of the slack, and one of the unsung heroes of the project, JT Vaughn, who did all of the graphics and images for all our promos as well as our variant of the main title sequence. One or two of the other writers have lost touch, but Tony and Angelo have written episodes of a Night Stalker continuation that I’ve been running, and all those guys have got projects of their own on the go at MZP too. I would never have imagined how much I’ve been sucked into this world back when we first started VS5.

MH: Once you'd established a creative team what ground rules, or guidance, was implemented to ensure that the final product felt like a Millennium project rather than an original work with the Millennium characters inserted into it. Are there any particular televised episodes that you allowed to flavour the tone of the season you were writing?

JJ: To start off, I put together a bible that established the basic points that Tony and I had agreed on, along with where we saw characters like Frank Black at this point in time and the overall tone and direction we were aiming for. So all the writers had that to keep us on the same page, plus we’d break all the episodes together to make sure things stayed consistent, or sometimes I’d write the outline and hand it to a writer to do their script from, because some people prefer to work that way. We’d try and pick out as many little details as we could to evoke the visual sensibilities of the show, the opening epigrams and the legends for example, just to add to that authentic Millennium experience. I don’t think there were any specific episodes we picked out for reference, but broadly speaking we always said we’d try to hearken back to the tone of the first season while bringing our own flavour to it all.

MH: You introduced a number of original characters in the Virtual Fifth Season. Were you aware of any differences between writing for characters you had created as opposed to those you had enjoyed as on screen creations. Is it harder to ensure a consistent personality and voice for an original creation than one who was already very established?

JJ: Absolutely, yes. When it comes to Frank Black, you’ve got the benefit of 67 TV episodes and everything an actor brings to the character, all Lance Henriksen’s brilliant facial reactions and mannerisms, not to mention that fantastic voice. There’s so much to draw on and replicate with points of reference an audience would recognize. With an original character you have none of that. A reader will never hear an actor reading the lines, never see them bring it to life, so you have to try and compensate for that on the page as best you can.

We had our young detective Brad Locke as our second lead, and to try and get him to stand up to Frank Black and not feel overly similar to any other past characters could be very difficult. The same could be said for Miranda Graff, the romantic interest for Frank who couldn’t just be another Catherine but at the same time had to be carefully written so as not to disrespect her memory either. I think most people would agree that it’s generally easier to write for Frank, and I know that I certainly found the same to be true for the likes of Lucy Butler.

MH: For the fans, a virtual season allows them to enjoy another slice of the characters and the show they support but wherein lies the enjoyment for those behind the scenes? Given the amount of sheer hard slog involved with creating something like this how does all that hard work reap its dividends?

JJ: The writing is its own reward, in many respects. As much as it is hard work, the enjoyment is just as you say in revisiting these characters and having fun with them in their world. We did it for the love of it and nothing more, after all. But I suppose the greatest reward is when someone reads our work, or I should say when someone tells us they’ve read it and what they thought, be it good or bad. Otherwise it’s like a tree falling in the forest. As enjoyable as it is to do, the scripts are written to be read, of course, and when someone spends their free time reading 60-odd pages of fan-written stuff and maybe even sending us a little feedback, it’s the most gratifying thing in the world.

MH: Virtual Season Four was heavily inspired by the mythology of Season Two of Millennium. What particular mythology drove your own season and can you give us a brief, spoiler free version, of what the particular arc for your season was if any.

JJ: We agreed fairly early on that we wanted to go in a different direction to the season two style mythology. Just as all three seasons of Millennium had their own unique identity by virtue of three different sets of showrunners, we decided we’d follow that pattern and establish our own identity compared to VS4 since, true to history, we were yet another different creative team. But we were always very firm on respecting the great work of our predecessors and treating it as canon, or “fanon” if you will. Our mythology episodes are basically about the idea that the apocalypse is in progress having only just got started in 2001.

We sort of follow the concept of “an apocalypse of our own creation” posited towards the end of season three. We look at things that are happening all around us like H5N1, missile defense platforms, natural disasters and terrorism with an eye for how they might be interpreted as symptomatic of the end times. There’s also quite a lot of what fans would call “Legion” throughout the season and how this force of evil may be turning its eye from Frank to Jordan.

MH: The virtual Fourth season was able to bring itself to the attention of Chris Carter who, almost, appeared to endorse it. We know Lance was particularly impressed with the project as was Kay Reindl who passed comment and offered praise regarding the project. Were you able to bring your own season to the attention of any of the cast and crew?

JJ: Not that I’m aware. We got a brief mention in Sci Fi Now magazine once, but that’s about it. The internet is such a different beast now to what it was in the 90s, there’s no novelty value to this kind of thing now, and of course the show had been off the air for a long time before we got started. I’d be very surprised if anyone outside our little corner of the internet knew VS5 existed.

MH: With hindsight and experience what advice can you give those who are currently in the process of working on Virtual Season Six of the show?

JJ: Give yourself plenty of time! You really don’t get a sense of how much work it is until you’re in the thick of it all. And focus on making the scripts the best they can be. As much fun as it is to come up with new ideas and play with promos and extras, if you haven’t got the scripts you haven’t really got anything. Best of luck!

Please join with me in thanking James for taking the time to answer our questions and if you have not had the chance to enjoy the Virtual Season Five of Millennium then may I urge you, as one who has enjoyed it many times, to do just that. You won't regret it.

HERE'S DIRT'S THING: BEWARE OF THE DOG!

Ladies and gentlemen it's time, once again, for our masked avenger, wrestlemaniac and super powered reviewer DiRT to cast his x-ray vision upon another episode of Millennium and direct his considerable following in our direction in the process. This time it's time for a wander down to Bucksnort for season two's Beware of The Dog.

Beware Of The Dog sees Frank travel to Bucksnort, a small town where residents fear for their lives outdoors after the sun goes down, when packs of blood-thirsty dogs roam the streets. Here he discovers that the Millennium Group and its members may be far stranger than is common knowledge and that there may be truth to legends of demons who took on the form of canines. Whatever you think of this episode, kudos has to be given for introducing R.G. Armstrong as The Old Man, a character who was to become beloved of fans and rightly so. So grab some coffee with half-fat cream (and don't forget the cinnamon this time) let's see what DiRT thought shall we?

So did he get it right or do we we have to send a pack of baying hounds after his blood? Here's where you tell us what you thought of his thoughts. Rest assured, DiRT does check out your comments so please do share them. And whilst I'm here, I hope you will join me in wishing all our US friends, including DiRT, a truly wonderful Thanksgiving Day.

As always, every new video we add to Youtube, or is added to Youtube for us, reaches out to a whole new audience and may find a Millennium who never knew of our campaign in the process. Don't forget, keep sending those letters and postcards to Mr. Steve Asbell.

As always, lend your considerable support to the man and go visit his own websites and find out what it's all about. Remember, every video made for the this campaign is an indispensable way of reaching out to a potential new campaigner.

Mark

• To visit his website and enjoy the numerous things he has on offer, click here!

• To check out his Youtube channel and view more reviews from the man himself, visit here!

A NEW MILLENNIUM - VIRTUAL SEASON SIX MOVES INTO PRODUCTION!

It was a show that some say was too dark for television, too disturbing for its audience, but it is now almost universally accepted that Chris Carter's Millennium was ahead of its time. Before CSI, before Criminal Profiler, before Numbers, Millennium terrified and thrilled for three outstanding seasons. In the countdown to the landmark year 2000, it revealed the darkest layers of the human soul, and those who would sacrifice everything to fight it's corruption and evil.

In 1998, the show was cancelled, but that wasn't the end. The following year a dedicated group of fans created their own continuation, a virtual season 4, that addressed many of the unanswered questions left by the show's premature end, and posed some of their own, in a series of weekly published screenplays, professionally formatted and produced. Another team, inspired by their success and creativity, produced a virtual season 5 in 2007, again to critical acclaim.

It seems the appeal of former FBI agent Frank Black and his battle against the evil that men do continues to grow with DVD sales and the BackToFrankBlack campaign, which supports both series' star Lance Henriksen and creator Chris Carter's wish to see a Frank Black feature film. In the meantime, fans do not only have the VS4 and 5 to enjoy, but over the past year, rumours and whispers of a proposed Virtual Season 6 have surfaced.

"Well, those rumours are true," confirms showrunner Barry Renshaw, a comic book and storyboard artist, and a longtime Millennium fan. "After months of development, plans have been laid down that will see Frank Black through not just a season 6, but a final season 7 as well. Millennium was, in my view, never just about reaching the year 2000. What happens afterwards to these characters is just as important, if not more so, than that date itself."

With a team of writers forged from the forum This Is Who We Are, including co-showrunners Joe McBrayer and Harry Smyth, Renshaw understands that everyone has their favourite aspect of the show, which had different executive producers on each season. "There are a few frustrating inconsistancies natural with any TV show, and indeed, with real life," he suggests. "Up to now, however, we at VS6 believe you have only seen certain aspects of the world of Millennium. Even Frank Black, with all his insight and heightened facilities, could never see the whole picture. With VS6, we aim to reveal the whole tapestry, and more importantly, ask what new questions and dangers and mysteries such a reveal will mean for Frank and and his now teenage daughter Jordan."

Episode 6.01 will be released on Friday 3rd September 2010, with each episode released weekly. In the lead up to that date, there will be teasers, special events, and multimedia material that will be released. In fact, some secrets of VS6 are already out there on the internet, if you know where to look.

However, the VS6 is not yet set in stone: "What we need right now are writers," explains Renshaw. "Each season has 22 episodes to fill, and although we at VS6 are few, the Group is Legion. So we're inviting interested writers to get in touch via the TIWWA forum. If you would like a chance to help define the future of Frank Black, and to help raise public awareness for the BTFB campaign, now is the time to get involved. We need writers who can not just bring ideas to the table, but who know how to format and pace a screenplay for TV. Your ideas don't need to be fully formed, as of course the showrunners and story editors will help shape them for the season and fit them into our planned arc, but we would like all potential writers to have submitted their interest in the project by 25th December 2009."

The clock is ticking. The time is near. And for some, it's running out.

BackToFrankBlack.com, throws it's support behind this project and behind Barry and the team and if your are interested in being part of this virtual season and helping the team in the way they have described above simply email us at info@backtofrankblack.com and we will forward your correspondence to them.

Here's Dirt's Thing - Maranatha Video Review!

Ladies and gentlemen it's time, once again, for our masked avenger, wrestlemaniac and super powered reviewer DiRT to cast his x-ray vision upon another episode of Millennium and direct his considerable following in our direction in the process. This time it's Maranatha and Frank Black's battle with a Russian Antichrist.

In Maranatha, Frank Black and Peter Watts investigate a series of brutal killings in the Brighton Beach Russian community of New York City. The shotgun slayings seem to be the work of mysterious Russian diplomat Sergei Stepanovich, a man recognized by the local immigrants as Yaponchik, a mythical Russian figure destined by prophecy to be revealed as the Antichrist. Now it might just be me but Yaponchik could well be a near rival for Lucy Butler as one of Frank's most chilling adversaries.

To my mind, Maranatha had the feel of a gothic melodrama with few spoons of Russian religious thinking mixed with global unease about nuclear power but you're not here to listen to me right? So grab a Vodka, a dish of Soleniye Ogurscy and settle back for more from the man with the mask.....

Is he right or wrong? What do you think of Maranatha? Did Chip write his Millennium magnum opus way back in season one or was his later attempts much better. And what about Lance, great acting or do better next time? Whatever your opinion about this episode and this review we want to hear about it.

As always, every new video we add to Youtube, or is added to Youtube for us, reaches out to a whole new audience and may find a Millennium who never knew of our campaign in the process. Don't forget, keep sending those letters and postcards to Mr. Steve Asbell.

As always, lend your considerable support to the man and go visit his own websites and find out what it's all about. Remember, every video made for the this campaign is an indispensable way of reaching out to a potential new campaigner.

до свидания

Mark x

• To visit his website and enjoy the numerous things he has on offer, click here!

• To check out his Youtube channel and view more reviews from the man himself, visit here!

THE CURSE OF FRANK BLACK WEEK BEGINS: HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Happy Halloween dear friends and may the season be full of tricks and treats for each and every one you! What better way to celebrate Halloween than to turn our attention to one of the most celebrated episodes of our beloved franchise, "The Curse of Frank Black", with a week of themed happenings dedicated to Glen Morgan's finest creation. Something wicked this way comes....

To launch event, movie director and campaign supporter Brett Hart put his team to work creating a trailer that we could use to help publicise the event and ourselves in the process. Brett Hart should need no introduction to you all, his film Bone Dry (starring Lance Henriksen) is heralded as one of the true greats of Lance's memorable career to date and his support of this campaign has been unswerving. In the last few weeks he has been the subject of considerable speculation that he is to helm a potential Millennium Movie Project and though he is as much in the dark as we are about such speculation he remains a confirmed admirer of Chris Carter's vision and of Millennium. Sit back, and enjoy the show.....

Now here's where you come in. Brett has kindly allowed us to share this trailer with you as a download in the hope that you will join us in spreading the word about BackToFrankBlack and The Curse of Frank Black Week. Download the movie by clicking Frank's Jack-O-Lantern below and upload it to your Youtube profiles, social networking profiles, video hosting sites: anywhere you can put a video put one. Join Frank's Army and help us spread the word this Halloween.

Mark x

Here's hoping you will enjoy the rest of the week, stay around for a few surprises, but join with us for the first push. You can all make a difference and in such a simple way. Happy Halloween folks!

In addition to Brett Hart (Editor), BackToFrankBlack would like to thank Chuck Taylor (Motion Graphics), Johnathan Stapleton (Assistant Editor) and Liz Rodriguez (Mr. Hartt's Publicist) for making this trailer possible and for continuing to support us and Millennium. You guys are the best.

OPERATION FOX - SEND THOSE POSTCARDS!

We know that you good people are enjoying the efforts of the people behind this campaign and we cannot thank you enough for the kind words you have shared with us. Every comment and every email really brings it home to us how many passionate fans there are around the world who wait, worry and care about the return of Frank Black. Delighted though we are, if you've written to us but you haven't written to 20th Century Fox then we aren't doing our job right!

Whilst writing to us is greatly appreciated, writing to 20th Century Fox is what really, really matters. No amount of blog posts, interviews or general madcap ideas that we come up with will bring Frank back to the screens and that's why we need you all so badly.

Richard has been an undoubted asset to this campaign, as have you all, and sending a postcard or a legion of them, as he has is the single most important thing you can do. It need not be The Gettysburg Address, a few impassioned lines will be enough to get the message across to those that matter. If you're not in the mood for writing, send a Polaroid with the website's address on the reverse, a quick, easy and fuss free way to achieve the same end.

To Richard and every other supporter of our efforts who has sent a postcard to Fox I am indebted to you. I hope the impassioned support and efforts of people like Richard will inspire you all to follow suit and print out a few postcards, scribble a few words and deliver them to Mr. Steve Asbell at 20th Century Fox.

To join the cause you can now print out an updated pack of postcards, with an address included, by clicking the envelope icon below.

Just one postcard can make all the difference and that postcard could be yours.

Mark x

Here's DiRT's Thing: Force Majeure

Ladies and gentlemen it's time, once again, for our masked avenger, wrestlemaniac and super powered reviewer DiRT to cast his x-ray vision upon another episode of Millennium and direct his considerable following in our direction in the process. This time it's Force Majeure as DiRT wanted to pay homage to one of his favourite genre stars, Brad Dourif, as we enter the Halloween season. Something wicked this way comes......

Force Majeure is something of a mind bender, with many fans proclaiming confusion as to what it was all about, and it is certainly one which provokes debate. A man in an iron lung, a bevy of blue eyed girls and a planetary alignment heralding the apocalypse: this was Millennium dipping its toes in the waters of Season Two for the first time. Confused as to why the girls killed themselves, wondering if the narrative was peppered with too many ideas but spellbound by Dourif as Hoffman? Well you're not alone but let's have a look what DiRT thought of it. Grab the popcorn guys....

So what do you guys think of the episode and of DiRT's review of it? It was Millennium's first move away from the 'Serial Killer Of The Week' format that it adopted throughout much of season one and many responded positively to a little tinkering with the format. What say you?

As always, every new video we add to Youtube, or is added to Youtube for us, reaches out to a whole new audience and may find a Millennium who never knew of our campaign in the process. Don't forget, keep sending those letters and postcards to Mr. Steve Asbell.

As always, lend your considerable support to the man and go visit his own websites and find out what it's all about. Remember, every video made for the this campaign is an indispensable way of reaching out to a potential new campaigner.

Mark x

• To visit his website and enjoy the numerous things he has on offer, click here!

• To check out his Youtube channel and view more reviews from the man himself, visit here!