Behind the Scenes (U.S. TV series)

Behind the Scenes
Presented by Penn Jillette
Teller
Starring Penn Jillette
Teller
Country of origin United States
No. of episodes 10[1]
Production
Executive producer(s) Alice Trillin
Jane Garmey
Running time 28–30 minutes
Release
Original network PBS
Original release 1992

Behind the Scenes was a 10-part television miniseries aimed towards 8- to 12-year-olds about various aspects of the arts, that was broadcast on PBS in 1992.[2] The series was executive produced by Alice Stewart Trillin and Jane Garmey, produced and directed by Ellen Hovde and Muffie Meyer, and hosted by Penn & Teller.[3] It was developed to illuminate the creative process underlying the working of artists.

Style

The show used a wide variety of short films, computer animation, and music to illustrate certain abstractions associated with the artistic process. Each of Penn & Teller's skits were specifically geared towards demonstrating an aspect of that episode's theme.

"'To show rhythmic patterns in a song, we produce a mouse each time the pattern goes one way and when there is a variation, we produce a frog,' Teller said. 'This continues until there are quite a number of mice and frogs all over the place.'"
"Penn and Teller said they didn't want to talk down to the series' young viewers. 'Kids tend to be desperately curious,' Teller said. 'There is a certain element we are doing in this that is making the analogy between the arts and a magic trick. When you think of something like perspective in a painting, it really is a magic trick.'"[4]

Episodes

Ep. #TitleFeatured artistAdditional artistsCentral theme(s)Comments
1"Drawing: Illusion of Depth"David HockneyBobby McFerrinDrawing
2"Framing"Carrie Mae WeemsPhotography
3"Texture"JoAnn Falletta Music
4"Line"Wayne ThiebaudMatt Groening
5"Setting a Scene"Julie Taymor TheatreFeatured scenes from Taymor's production of William Shakespeare's The Tempest
6"Melody"Allen ToussaintJane Ira Bloom, Bobby McFerrinMusic
7"Color"Robert Gil de Montes
8"Pattern"David ParsonsB.H. Barry Dance
9"Rhythm"Max RoachMC Lyte, The Blue Man GroupMusic
10"Balance"Nancy Graves Sculpture

References

External links


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