*Please note the next post is spoilery but since it's a letter from Raymond Thompson I'm leaving it in to be perused later.

scapebabe
posted August 01,2003 2:00:40 PM EST
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Hey chica345,
You might find this interesting. It's a letter that Raymond wrote to one of the Undead fans with regard to the current 'scandal' regarding S5:
[spoiler start]



Dear Heike,
Thank you very much indeed for your email of 29th July which has been forwarded to me.
The situation is that story lines evolve and at one point we were considering developing a relationship between Salene and May as I have always been intrigued to explore a guy relationship in The Tribe. I think it is important to treat various elements of society with truth and sensitivity (i.e. I believe it is the responsibility of broadcasters and production companies along with people in the arts to reflect all areas of society ... especially where young peoples programming is concerned).
Broadcasters around the world who show The Tribe are as liberal as they can be in their attitudes - but they themselves tend to have to adhere to various statutory bodies. And, although no issue is ever ruled out, there are various complications considering that some younger children watch The Tribe.
Some of these younger children are obviously aware of guy rights and issues. Others are not.
So it is a difficult balancing act trying to satisfy each and every party (i.e. not solely the UK broadcaster, Channel FIVE, but global broadcasters who transit the series and have differing requirements stemming from regulatory bodies.)
The complexities concern every aspect. Heterosexual relationships, for example, or themes of justice, or self reliance, et cetera. Though these complexities are in no way confined to the gay community.
The actresses were willing to portray their characters however they were written - with conviction and integrity.
But slowly it became apparent that there were so many elements involved that to do the theme justice we really had to research in greater detail - and with the production going at full steam ahead and over taking the writing process ... we ran out of time.
The writing team along with myself started to ask a lot of questions. Was it realistic, for example, for Salene to suddenly "become gay" considering her relationship with Ryan and Pride for instance? Likewise May. Would they be bisexual as opposed to gay? And if they suddenly discovered their true sexuality ... would they ever enter into a heterosexual relationship again or would we be confined to gay relationships?
Also it felt a little confusing to know if the motivation of the characters stemmed from a dimension of female friendship given that they were let down by the male world.
At one point we pondered that perhaps May was gay and that Salene looked to her solely as a friend - though she did ponder whether or not she herself had gay feelings - or whatever.
I quickly discovered that I was making a bit of a mess of it, Heike. And there was a danger of the story lines and relationships becoming superficial and not truthful. I was worried that we might be accused of trying to sensationalise or trivialise a gay relationship just for the sake of exploring one almost as a token gesture. And all the time ... we were running out of time.
So in the end I abandoned the notion and left it open that perhaps May has discovered some gay awakenings but Salene does not share those feelings.
Some of the story synopsis were probably not amended in time because everything was changing so much. We actually shot the kiss but I edited it out because it seemed confusing without the characters motivations being properly defined.
I take on board your points, which I think are very valid. The gay community have a right to be represented in drama in a caring and sensitive way. But also in a truthful way. And although all at Cloud 9 are certainly caring and sensitive (not homophobic, respecting all peoples rights) deep down I did not feel that we were being truthful in the writing.
This can easily be solved through research and knowing more about the motivations and complexities of the gay community. The loves and doubts and even prejudices people suffer coming to terms with who they are.
There is a vast amount of material there. And I just did not want to portray a gay relationship in a stereotypical way.
So please be rest assured that in the right circumstances and especially given the time to research and portray a gay theme in a proper manner ... then we will most certainly address those issues.
The Tribe is a very difficult series to write and produce given all the constraints we have - especially time. We really do try our best but on occasion we don't get it right.
I apologise for this.
Thank you for taking the time to write to me and for your interest in The Tribe.
With kind regards,
Raymond Thompson
Executive Producer and Creator
The Tribe, Atlantis High
Cloud 9 Screen Entertainment Group



[spoiler end]

Raksha
posted August 01,2003 3:33:53 PM EST
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Well that explains a lot. I'm glad he was putting so much consideration into it because it is such a complex issue. Maybe next season.

chica345
posted August 01,2003 7:15:49 PM EST
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I understand. Still a bummer though.

Stardancer2001
posted August 01,2003 11:00:50 PM EST
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I wish I could go to Dragon Con, too.

kellygirl
posted August 02,2003 10:14:14 AM EST
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Woo-hoo! September WAM schedule is up and here's what's in store. Labor Day - Monday September 1st - there will be a Season 4 marathon starting at 7am with the first ep of the seaon and ending with an ep at 2:30am. And that 2:30 ep? It's a new one (#196) for those keeping score. It will reair on Friday Sept. 5th at 8pm and we go back to the schedule of new eps Friday at 8pm with the previous week's ep at 8:30.
As usual, if anyone wants the full schedule just email me and I'll send you the Word document.

Stardancer2001
posted August 03,2003 10:01:59 AM EST
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Wonderful!!!!

scapebabe
posted August 05,2003 2:45:50 PM EST
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Just an FYI, folks!
The Tribal Gathering Website has a new FAQ up about con etiquette for folks who have never been to a convention before.
Also, over at www.panfandom.com you'll find an interview with me where I talk a little bit about the track! The article's entitled: 'An Insider's View Of DragonCon 2003'.
Enjoy!

scapebabe
posted August 07,2003 8:32:04 PM EST
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The Gathering Schedule is now available at the website, link posted above. :)

scapebabe
posted August 18,2003 4:15:00 PM EST
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An excellent article about some of the plans Cloud 9 has for The Tribe and using it in education:
http://media.guardian.co.uk/mediaguardian/stor y/0,7558,1020611,00.html

Stardancer2001
Aug 23, 2003 @ 9:20 pm
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Using The Tribe to educate children is pretty cool!