|
It used to be that a series regular getting killed off was because the actor was moving on to other things, or for dramatic reasons (or they really did die). In the second case, he or she was likely to reappear in an equally dramatic fashion (or so the producers hoped). Now it's usually just a sign of stalled contract negotiations and the easiest way to predict whether or not they will return is to follow the trade gossip.
I worked on a feature film where we killed of THE main character about 2/3 of the way through. Those at the screenings talked about how brilliant and unexpected it was, and how it really worked for the film. (Film snobs use the word "brilliant" a lot. For everything.) The truth? He turned into a diva during shooting and made a bid for more money, breaking his contract in the process. He made the mistake of thinking he was irreplaceable. Rookie.
But to be mostly on topic, because of the frequency of these types of "deaths" it is now hard to convince me that a character is really dead, even when they are, and that definitely sucks the drama right out of it.
|