JJ Abrams Live Web Chat Transcript

Thanks to Carolina for the heads up on this article.

Welcome to our live webchat with JJ Abrams, the award-winning American writer and producer behind hits such as Lost, Felicity, Alias and Cloverfield and his new drama Fringe.

6.10pm BST -

Fox - not noted for their commitment to genre shows... have you plotted out as far as 7 seasons like Lost or do you see Fringe as being a 4-5 Season arc ?
from - djbollocks

JJ - Yes [on Fringe]. We have a big picture which we are working to. We have a six chapter idea. That inevitably changes along the way. You make discoveries which you can't anticipate.

I've enjoyed the shows you've helped create, in particular Alias, and enjoyed the pilot of Fringe which was shown in the UK last week. One common theme seems to be the shadowy organisation (SD-6, Dharma, Massive Dynamics) - I wondered if this reflects any views of yours from the real world?
from - baydr

JJ - I am sure it does. The idea of mystery and hidden agenda is fertile ground for drama. While I am not especially a conspiracy theorist it is hard not to suspect decisions are being made behind closed doors that affect us all. I try not to be paranoid. It is hard to look at things politically about the corporate world and not be a little suspect.

You have never been seen in the same room as Dr Who renvigorator Russell T Davies- are you actually the same person?

If you aren't (and the jury is stll out), would you like to director or script an episode of Dr Who?

from - Sydney2K

JJ - It would be an honour to be asked to participate in Doctor Who. They are doing a spectacular job. That is not to say I am not already involved as Doctor Who! It would be a wonderful thing and I am a fan. If Russell would ever like to direct anything in my place I would be equally honoured.

With Fringe, you have moved away from heavily serialised storytelling towards the procedural. What sort of challenges have you faced with this?
from - GavinElster

JJ - It is hard mostly because it is not the kind of storytelling I tend to be drawn to. It was an experiment I was desperate to try. One of the challenges is for character development to happen despite the format. One thing that gets me excited are the clues and revelations. We are trying to do some of that even in the standalone episodes.

Do you have a fear of flying?

Is there some grand overarching general statement you are attempting to make to the world at large through your explorations into the fringe, the metaphysical, the unexplainable, such as 'there's more to life than meets the eye' or are you simply trying to tell an interesting story.

From - nosoup4u

JJ - I don't have a fear of flying. I have always had an appreciation for stories that have lived in this arena, whether it is Frankenstein or the films of David Cronenberg. I loved Altered States. The idea of science as a constantly evolving infinite possibility is as exciting as it is scary. The subject matter has always interested me.

To you, is there an upcoming episode that you are especially proud of and you think will be a fan favourite when the series is finished?

Also, I have noticed a certain formula in the structure of the episodes so far. Is this something that is going to carry on, or will there be variations on this formula? Sorry if that isn't too specific.

From - owlwaxer

JJ - We are still finding our rhythm. If you look back at the early episodes of your favourite shows you will find they are a little bit to the left of what the show ultimately became. I feel we are still arriving. The fourth episode, The Arrival, is closer to what the show will be.

Lost - was it vaguely planned out from Season 1 to Season 6/7 in terms of what you wanted to happen (depending of course on how many seasons you were allowed), or did you have a start point and an end point and how you got from one to the other was to be decided?
CBPodge

JJ - We had a lot of possibilities as to where the show would go. The truth is, I haven't been running it since i went off to do MI:III. The evolution of what the show has become now is something that we could never have completely planned out. Like any great showrunner, Damon Lindelof has been decisive as he has become flexible. As to what the ultimate resolution is, there is just a vague resemblance to what we decided when we first started doing the show.

Why do you think writers/creators such as yourself and Joss Whedon are getting so much attention? You're almost a celebrity in your own right; whereas writing scripts used to be very much a behind-the-scenes job.....
sharppencil21

JJ - I would much rather be an almost celebrity rather than a celebrity. I don't think anyone really cares much about anything I do or say but when people are surrounded by the kind of people I have been lucky enough to work with it definitely makes you look good. It is flattering that people are interested in what I do.

LOST has a been big success but do you have any specific regrets about the series so far?
Marenco

JJ - The only thing I regret is that i have ADD and I have been so busy with other things that I miss being there full time. I miss hanging out with Damon. I miss the actors with whom I had such an incredible time on the pilot. If I have any feelings about the show it is pride and amazement in what Damon has done.

Is it true that there will be a Cloverfield 2?
Titan777

JJ - There is an idea that we are working on that I hope will come to fruition. We are playing with it right now. Obviously we don't want to commit to something we don't love and feel inspired by but we have a pretty cool idea we are playing with.

Is Fringe going to be a big mystery as Lost is, with all the cryptic clues.
Or will Fringe be a light venture?
yamatoEva

JJ - There will be and there already is, and episode 4 begins it, the over-arcing mystery of the show. The goal is to do both - to tune in and enjoy without knowing anything that comes before it but also if you watch every week you will see things you understand and that are connected to the larger picture. We are looking at both of them.

Are you happy with the development of the female characters in Lost? It seems that Kate started out as a feisty take no shit kind'a girl, and now...shes..err...not.
Butch01

JJ - That really should be a question for Damon. Kate is extraordinary. The character is far more complex than someone who can be described by one or two descriptors.

Do you think that Alias ended early?
corpulent

JJ - I don't actually. I feel like Alias was an interesting thing. We started it like a much more serialised show and we were told by the network that it had to become much more of a stand alone show. It made it difficult to have the series perceived as it was originally intended. It was always a niche success and I don't think it ended too early.

What's the best thing about being a writer? Do you have any tips/advice for those just starting out?
sharppencil21

JJ - The biggest and best piece of advice is probably silly sounding but - keep writing. A lot of people who want to be writers talk about it a lot but they don't write as much as they discuss it. The key is writing. The great news is you don't need anything apart from some paper and pencil or a laptop. You don't need permission or anyone's cooperation. It really is the key - just do as much of it as you can. If you keep it up, things will start happening for you.

Do you have the same enthusiasm working on FRINGE that you have whilst working on LOST? Is the energy the same, if not, in which ways is it different?
Fringie

JJ - I have as much enthusiasm working on any new project. Obviously certain things get complicated. For example, working on Fringe I really wanted to work on the pilot but I was also working on Star Trek so I was unable to do both. It was a very surreal thing having to give up that opportunity. I was so jealous. The hardest thing for me on that was just being involved in other things. Every project is different but the enthusiasm is always at the core of why I am involved with it at the beginning.

What made you touch Star Trek?

JJ - I think it was the opportunity to tell a story that was based on a world and characters that I felt were just compelling and optimistic and the opportunity to treat that universe with a kind of energy and excitement and the resources we had. It didn't feel like a classic reboot or prequel. It is a brand new thing inspired by characters that are poised to make a big comeback.

One of the many great things about LOST is it's international cast - the story has had characters from all different types of backgrounds and many different nationalities. Do you plan to intergrate such a global make-up into the Fringe story-line, or is this more difficult to achieve with a story that's primarily based in Boston?
Fringie

JJ - It will be hard to make the show as universal as Lost simply because the international flight lent itself so perfectly to that. We do have ideas of expanding the world that Olivia travels. In the first season we have her leaving the country and travelling elsewhere. I love that and certainly hope to do that with Fringe.

Now with your string of hits behind you do you feel you can pitch anything and get a studio to green light it? If so do you see a downside to this?
Nige365

JJ - Absolutely not.

The second question: I think it would be a frightening and disastrous situation if we are not working and collaborating with people like those at Warner Bros. They are very helpful with making things better. I rely on the comments that I get from the people I work with. It would be a disaster if they said yes to everything.

Is the mythology behind the island in Lost that we see in season 4 the same mythology that you originally envisaged when you created the series? I have a sneaky feeling that it has been manipulated over time to keep staying one step ahead of the guessing fanbase...
JerzyBondov

JJ - There are some elements close to what Damon and I discussed when we first discussed it. Damon has taken it in a far more sophisticated and interesting direction because he has had to. Damon has brilliantly expanded upon that and created an amazing narrative for that.

Hey JJ, Lost is weird and wonderful - something I'd imagine some silly TV people wouldn't get or would turn down, how on Earth did you pitch it to get it commissioned by ABC? Thank-you!
Polite

JJ - That is a good question. The answer is the head of ABC at the time asked me to come up with a show that was about survivors of a plane crash. We turned in a 20-page outline in five days. Lloyd Braun at ABC greenlit the show immediately and we scrambled within 11 weeks to write and cast it and it was a two-hour pilot. If we had gone in and pitched it we would have been met with a rejection. As they came to us it provided us with a very different set of challenges.

Let's say that someone here in the UK wanted to write for Fringe. Would this be possible if they had the right story idea, and how would you recommend they proceed?
Eighthours

JJ - Legally we can't accept anything from an unsolicited writer. If I didn't have any connections I would try and contact someone or call an agency and find out who their newest literary agent was and send them a copy of your script. If your ideas are good enough and you are not cocky but confident and find a way to get some kind of representation. The key is to get to someone who is looking for a great client list and get added to that list.

I'm currently working on the final episode of a ten part series. The writers have started writing peculiar events that wouldn't appear to the audience to relate to the series or have resolution within the episode. When I question them about this, they confidently respond, "LOST does it all the time." Which you don't, do you?
onemore

JJ - The answer is yes. We often plant seeds of storylines that we know will not connect with the matter in hand but will play a role down the line. That is a fairly intriguing way of creating a tapestry of stories so they don't just begin in a way that allows you to see where it is going. It can also confuse the hell out of people so I can see people resisting it. I enjoy it.

Apparently you're the 29th smartest person in Hollywood. If that's true, whats 6 times 9?
CBPodge

JJ - I'm the 29th smartest person? I truly pity number 30. I will challenge anyone to a math-off any day. I will proudly say 54 after 10 minutes thought.

Source: Guardian