Just wondering if the writing process for the current show differs from the routine on "Buffy" and "Angel."* * The LOST staff seems to be at least twice as big as the Buffy staff.* Do you break into smaller groups and work on outlines for multiple episodes at one time?* Or does everyone just get into a room together and brainstorm for the same episode?* (If you worked at a software company, you might be working on Windows 2008 while another team was still working on Windows 2005.* Just wondering if TV is ever similar.)* LOST had a long streak without any re-runs, and I was wondering if that required a special scheme for organizing the writers.

Speaker started a similar topic at
http://www.thefuselage.com/threaded/index.php?topic=43.0

...but it had the unfortunate title of "Damon vs Joss" making it look like a request for rating them relative to each other.* Which wasn't what the body of the post actually was.

Also, you should consider directing an episode of LOST.* Maybe Drew Goddard's ep. if he ever gets one.

The writing process is a lot different for reasons you didn't mention.

First of all, LOST has the same amount of writes that BUFFY or ANGEL had. Roughly seven. What makes it trickier is we have to write for a SIX ACT structure, as opposed to ME's TEASER PLUS FOUR ACT. We tend to treat the first act as a teaser, and I personally approach the sixth act as the coda scenes we'd do after the ACT FOUR climax on B or A.

There's also a sh*tload of more characters to have to service, and that makes for some unwieldy storytelling. As far as the rerun cycle... it plays no part in our writing process. We still produce a new episode every eight weekdays whether it airs next week or in two months.

As far as directing, it's come up several times, but, frankly, I can't see leaving my family for three weeks or so to accomplish it. If the show shot on this lot in one of the stages outside our offices, as ALIAS does, I'd enjoy it. Besides, I don't know about you, but I'd hate to think of Hawaii as a workplace. Just feels wrong.

What makes it trickier is we have to write for a SIX ACT structure, as opposed to ME's TEASER PLUS FOUR ACT. *
Is this the personal preference of the EPs or does the show just need more commercial breaks to offset LOST's higher budget?

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First of all, LOST has the same amount of writers that BUFFY or ANGEL had.

- Buffy (Season 7) -
joss whedon marti noxon david fury jane espenson doug petrie rebecca rand kirschner drew greenberg drew goddard

- LOST -
damon lindelof carlton cuse david fury javier grillo-marxuach christian taylor leonard dick paul dini jennifer johnson lynn e. litt (?)

I don't know why it feels like the list for LOST should be longer.

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There's also a sh*tload of more characters to have to service, and that makes for some unwieldy storytelling.

Also, you're working with all those characters in multiple time periods.* Juggling all those flashbacks must be difficult for you guys.

( I like when the show goes into the flashback immediately after the commercial, without an intro.* I think it's sometimes awkward when we see the character in the present on the island and he or she gets a far-away look to lead into the flashback. )

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As far as directing, it's come up several times, but, frankly, I can't see leaving my family for three weeks or so to accomplish it.

Family road trip!* :)

I always forget that directors spend so much extra time working on an episode before and after the 8 days of shooting.
Besides, I don't know about you, but I'd hate to think of Hawaii as a workplace.

I hate to think of one of the other states as my workplace.** :)

I guess when you work in sunny California, working in Hawaii isn't as tempting as it would be if you worked in Philadelphia or Camden.