Talk:Jeopardy! set evolution

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Articles for deletion This article was nominated for deletion on 27 July 2006. The result of the discussion was keep.

Contents

[edit] Merger attempt

Merging this article with the main Jeopardy! article is not a good idea, in my opinion, as this would make the main Jeopardy! article much too large. Andy Saunders 07:25, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Images needed

As of October 30, 2006, there are no corresponding images for most of the Jeopardy! sets. I suggest that a screenshot from each set not pictured be taken. The official Web site has images of the 2002-2006 Jeopardy! set. As of November 17, 2006, the Season 2 and Season 13 sets are not pictured. Decimus Tedius Regio Zanarukando 03:26, 30 October 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Image size

I think each image is too large for this article, so I was thinking about reducing its pixel size not in the image page, but just the thumb part. What do you think? --Gh87 10:34, 30 November 2006 (UTC)

The images are designed so that on a 1600 × 1200 monitor display resolution they align in one row, and on a 1024 × 768 display resolution, they align on two rows (i.e., form a 2 × 2 grid). Before deciding on a new size for the images, check the article out on larger monitors. What's too big for your display may be too small for others' displays. The images are quite small on my monitor. Robert K S 11:07, 30 November 2006 (UTC)
What if we could change them from "thumbs" to "galleries"? --Gh87 08:13, 6 December 2006 (UTC)
Note that at the moment, the images are being displayed improperly because of a change made in the MediaWiki software (see here). A feature of Wikipedia seems to have been misreported as a bug and was "fixed", damaging image display functionality. I have drawn attention to the issue. If the problem is not remedied, galleries may be our only solution. I previewed the page with galleries when I was trying to find the best display method when I started adding pictures, and decided the CSS method allowed better control, clearer pictures (because they could be larger), and more space for captions (which would be squished in a gallery). Currently there is no way to adjust the size of pictures in galleries. Robert K S 10:51, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Alex Trebek Pilot screenshots

Is there a way that we could get a higher-resolution screenshot of the Alex Trebek pilot episodes? I'm finally happy to see that there's been some light shed on what the sets to these pilots looked like, but unfortunately the resolution and image quality is so poor that no real detail can be admired. The debut episode and subsequent screengrabs, however, are superb! Srosenow 98 11:00, 21 December 2006 (UTC)

Until there is some official release of these pilot episodes mastered from a good-quality source, you won't find anything better. Don't hold your breath! Robert K S 23:00, 21 December 2006 (UTC)

[edit] When did computer-generated category reveal start?

The current category reveal is very clearly computer generated. In the old days of the show--as recently as the Sushi Bar set, and possibly more recently than that--the reveal was done by panning a camera across the category placards/monitors; the effect was imperfectly timed and somewhat shaky, but this is no longer an issue. It is obvious that the CG categories were present at the beginning of Season 23 with the HD-friendly set, but I suspect that they were CG earlier than that. There was no camera-shake noticeable, for example, in Season 22; however, it is possible that this was achieved with a robotic camera pan. Can anyone elaborate/confirm? Robert K S 13:58, 3 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] AfD

This is a great article. I can't believe it was nominated for deletion. --DangApricot 00:50, 12 January 2007 (UTC)

Well, that was a long time ago, before all the pictures, and most of the text. Sushi bar pictures coming up. Robert K S 00:52, 12 January 2007 (UTC)
Most of the text? Are you sure about that? Not to sound a little off here, but most of the text pertaining to the Trebek version of Jeopardy! in regards to the set design was written by me on the main article. In fact, it was constantly removed from the main article until I basically threw a fit about it, claiming that other game show entries on Wikipedia had just as detailed sections regarding the set design of the show. It was then suggested that this page be created, and it was using much of the original text I wrote in the main article (with minor edits here and there).


I do wholeheartedly acknowledge the efforts of the individuals who've added details to this article, though, and continue to do so.Srosenow 98 12:26, 18 January 2007 (UTC)
Well, that depends on your definition of "most", I suppose. When I found the article, there wasn't a lot of concrete detail--the whos, whats, whens, wheres, and whys. I tried to hunt down the names of the set designers and when the sets were built, and on what soundstage lots; I added the portions about the Fleming-era sets (the details about the sound effects come from my examination of the original transcripts in the NBC Daily Broadcast log at the Library of Congress) and the two Trebek pilots; I tried to expand and revise the other sections for clarity as I added pictures. The article is still lacking appropriate sourcing, something it could sorely use. Robert K S 21:58, 18 January 2007 (UTC)
The only major sourcing you'll find are from two books which are unfortunately out of print. "The Jeopardy! Book" by Alex Trebek (1990) and "Inside Jeopardy!" (1994) by former Editorial Associate Producer Harry Eisenberg offer quite a lot of insight into the article.
For one, both books concur that by the show's second season, the set became what is known in the television industry as a "dedicated set" which means it doesn't get taken down or stored; it stands fully assembled whether or not the show's taping. In this article, the mention of a dedicated set takes place in 1991 when the show moved to a different studio at Hollywood Center Studios (the location where the show was taped from season two up to season twelve according to the credits) The reason Jeopardy! got a dedicated set early in the second season was due to the tape schedule of the show (went from 140 shows the first season to 230, which it remains to date).
Off the top of my head, I can list a number of errors (not including the ones I just mentioned) in the Alex Trebek-era portion of the article, mainly sourced from numerous episodes I had on tape at one time and and excerpts from both the Jeopardy! Book and Inside Jeopardy!
  • The move to Hollywood Center Studios was made sometime in the show's third season, and was taped at Stage One during the entire production run there. I have a series of episodes from that year on tape and in the crawl it reads "TAPED AT HOLLYWOOD CENTER STUDIOS" with a copyright date of 1987 at the end of each episode. Additionally, the Jeopardy! Book by Alex Trebek (published in 1990 by HarperCollins) provides an exact, word-for-word, full run of the show's crawl (as it was then) in one of the book's chapters, and it mentions Hollywood Center Studios as well.
  • The move to Sony Pictures Studios happened at the beginning of season 11. The end of Season 10 and the beginning of Season 11 on Jeopardy was particularly notable because it marked the 5-time run of Steve Chernicoff, who had his 5-day run interrupted by the late-summer hiatus (his first three shows were at the end of season 10, his last two were at the beginning of season 11). At one time, I had his entire five-day run on tape and when the show's 11th season debuted, you could easily tell the set had been moved by looking at the lighting grid and the improved lighting of the set (the lighting grid for the set from seasons 8-10 was actually the exact same grid used on the season 3-7 set).
  • By the show's 10th season, references to "Sony Pictures" and "Columbia-Tristar Television" were already happening at the end of each show. Instead of "This is Johnny Gilbert speaking. Jeopardy! is produced by Merv Griffin Enterprises..." in season 10 the ending was "this is Johnny Gilbert speaking. Jeopardy! is a production of Columbia-Tristar Television."
I probably have a few more, but I can't seem to think of any. Srosenow 98 13:07, 19 January 2007 (UTC)
I have the The Jeopardy! Book and both versions of Inside Jeopardy! (the first version signed by Eisenberg, but not made out to me—I bought it used!). At first I was surprised to hear you say that a 1987 episode had "TAPED AT HOLLYWOOD CENTER STUDIOS" in the credits, but I checked the Richard Cordray games (also from '87) and sure enough, that's what it says. All I can say is, Eisenberg said differently in his book, on page 315 of the original version, in the Epiologue. He's talking about how the staff finally got their hands on a tape of the German version of the show, Riskant—apparently the PAL to NTSC conversion was the biggest hurdle—and how they were horrified to find that the high-tech German set put their set to shame. "The 1991-1992 season saw a great many changes at Jeopardy!... Merv finally decided it was time for Jeopardy! to take on a modern look and arrangements were made to install a new game board while moving to a new studio location in Hollywood. In July Jeopardy! moved to the Hollywood Center Studios on the old Zoetrope Pictures lot, which they had been considering back in 1986. The lot is owned and managed by the same people who run the KTLA lot where we'd been for the past six years but the control rooms were much more modern." It puzzles me how Eisenberg could so thoroughly contradict the show credits on this point. Or, if there is no contradiction, what is the explanation? Robert K S 10:38, 22 January 2007 (UTC)
It could've been a management thing with the studio, then, which might've required the show to list Hollywood Center Studios instead of the KTLA lot. I know that the Jeopardy! Book mentions the KTLA lot at one point. And while we're at it, I do have a scan of the image of the third season set of Jeopardy! (featured in the photo album section of the Jeopardy! Book, around the middle of the book itself) which I colorized in Photoshop. I would like to upload it here, but there are copyright issues attached with it.
FWIW, you mention you have both versions of the Eisenberg book, right? If I recall, the first version had an image of the third season set on its cover whereas the second printing had the "metal grid" set from season eight, right? I think I may only have the second printing, which also mentions the info you quoted above. It is quite odd that there would be a contradiction, but all I know is that my tapes from '87 list Hollywood Center Studios as the origination in season three. Also, does the first version contain any images at all besides the cover? If you could, I'd like a scan of the cover from the first one, if possible.
I would love to get ahold of the copies of the promotional photos taken by Steve Crise that have been taken of the Jeopardy! set throughout the years. Srosenow 98 11:28, 22 January 2007 (UTC)
Eisenberg version 1 has a painted illustration of the Season 6 set (distinguished from the Season 3 set by the lack of spotlight over the O) as well as a photograph of Eisenberg holding his Emmy. The subtitle of the book also differs: What Really Goes on at TV's Top Quiz Show. There are no other illustrations or photographs. I don't think I will be able to get a scan of the cover just now, but keep in touch (you can find me on the official Jeopardy! message boards) and I should be able to get it for you eventually. Robert K S 01:52, 23 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] KTLA lot vs. Hollywood Center Studios (continued)

I want to thank "Game Show Steve" McClellan for reminding me that Schwartz et al.'s Encyclopedia of TV Game Shows had years and sites of studio moves, information that corroborates Eisenberg's memoir, show credits notwithstanding. I have added this information, properly cited, to the article. Further along these lines:

Eric Newhouse, whose Teen Tournament and ToC were in 1989, remembered for Bob Harris:

"When they taped at the old KTLA studios in Hollywood, before the Age of Sony, you used to get to have lunch next door on the set of Soul Train."

Privately, Leah Greenwald (whose original 5 came in Season 4, January 1988) related to me:

"...it was DEFINITELY in a rather seedy part of Hollywood in 87 and 88, and I remember the Soul Train studio was on the same lot."

Eugene Finerman, who played in 1987, had this to say:

"I can say that the studio complex during my glory days was smaller and less imposing than the site of the dotage tournament. However, the name KTLA is unfamiliar to me; in 1987, the location was called the Merv Griffin Studio."

I could not find any information online to corroborate Eugene's memory. The "Merv Griffin Studio" usually refers informally to the site of Merv's talk show theater on Vine Street where Trebek pilot 1 was taped.

And I also confirmed the set transplant between Season 10 and Season 11 with Steve Chernicoff, and have added this information to the article. (Although, according to Steve's memory, he taped the last two games of Season 10 and the first three of Season 11, not vice versa.) Robert K S 07:36, 24 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Contestant entrance arch

I've noticed that the article now no longer lists the debut of the old contestant entrance arch used from season two to season 7. I've now included it in the article. Srosenow 98 12:17, 25 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Second Season Set

As I'm looking through this article, I think I've come to the realization that it should also include images from the show's second season of the Trebek incarnation. I think the images could especially be used to show the variances in how colorful the lighting was (and how enhanced, as well), as well as illustrate the differences between the gameboard and set construction versus season one and season three. I can come up with some image sources, but they'd be rather small, as they're screengrabs from an old Randy Amasia clip I found a long time ago off of the internet. Srosenow 98 12:49, 27 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Current Set Background During Final Jeopardy!

Is it just me, or is the blue background of the current set turning red during Final Jeopardy!? If it is, does this merit mention in the article? crazyviolinist 04:46, 17 October 2007 (UTC)