MovieChat Forums > Roseanne (1988) Discussion > Intros

Intros

posted 8 years ago by ShinnickNeth
14 replies | jump to latest

Does anyone know how the intros (where the Conners are gathered around the table) were done? Were they scripted? Were they improvised? Was it ever revealed by cast/crew what they're saying to each other in them?

I've always been curious about this. 

[–] jname967 8 years ago

HA! Great thread, and I'm surprised no one's brought this up. I think it's warranted.

To go further: I always wondered how they shot Season 6's (TWO) intro's: one without Becky, one with the new Becky! Because they both look nearly identical, save for that one difference—but the new Becky wasn't introduced until November of that Season's run!

Did they know ahead of time and cast the new Becky before the whole season began? Or did they truly just "recreate" that initial intro so expertly, with the new Becky added???

[–] daletterjay180 8 years ago

I never noticed that before! Going to pay closer attention when i rewatch Season 6.

[–] banjo-peppers 8 years ago

I noticed that a while ago, that the two season 6 intros look identical besides Becky being there or not. Someone should edit a video to show them side by side for a better comparison.

[–] ShinnickNeth 8 years ago

HA! Great thread, and I'm surprised no one's brought this up. I think it's warranted.

Thanks, buddy! 

To go further: I always wondered how they shot Season 6's (TWO) intro's: one without Becky, one with the new Becky! Because they both look nearly identical, save for that one difference—but the new Becky wasn't introduced until November of that Season's run!

I had never noticed there's 2 different intros for season 6. Wow...I'm not very observant! 

Looking at the 2 intros, they reshot the scene with new Becky in the second. There are some differences, which reveal it to be an entirely different shoot:

- There's the one with neither Becky in it. Example is S06E01. Intro starts on Roseanne who smiles, laughs, and pulls her hair back out of her face. As the camera pans over to Dan, Jacky grabs something, smiles, and then walks out of shot. Then Darlene comes into the kitchen from the backdoor (outside), walks around the table where Dan is, and sits next to DJ where she pushes him out of shot for being annoying. No becky in between Darlene and Jacky at the table. The rest remains the same.

- Then there's the one with Becky like S06E22. Intros starts on Roseanne who is busy scraping Chinese food out of a container onto her plate and talking across the table. Before camera pans away, she picks her teeth. Jacky does pretty much the same thing as in the other intro. Instead of Darlene coming into the kitchen from the backdoor (Darlene is already sitting at the table in this one), NEW Becky comes into the kitchen from the backdoor (outside), passes around Dan/Darlene/DJ, and sits. Darlene, instead of pushing DJ like in the other take, she uses her chopsticks to play with some noodles and tease DJ with them. DJ doesn't see what Darlene is doing (or possibly ignores her), passes around Becky, takes some chopsticks from Becky, and sits next to Roseanne. This leaves Becky in between Darlene and Jacky. Intro ends with Roseanne doing the same as in the other take.

[–] jname967 8 years ago

Right, I mean: of course there's small differences in actions and expression of the characters, etc... but the lighting, costumes, and sets are identical.

[–] ShinnickNeth 8 years ago

Right, I mean: of course there's small differences in actions and expression of the characters, etc...

Yes...I was agreeing with you. I only described each one for those who may be curious about the differences between the two intros.

but the lighting, costumes, and sets are identical

The lighting and set wouldn't be hard to recreate given that it was a main set for the Roseanne show (the Conner house) - they would leave a main set like that intact pretty much 24/7.

TV/movie Wardrobe departments usually keep several copies of any given costumes in the show, so I don't that was too much of a hassle to have the characters wear the same thing. 

[–] jname967 8 years ago

I know; I've worked on (indie) sets before, and they document everything to replicate a scene for later shooting. Still—I'm always in wonder that both versions of Season 6's intro are identical, lol.

[–] Brainlock2 8 years ago

I didn't realize s6 had two table intros, I thought it had already gone to portraits?
because I remember John's FAUST Beard in the first handful of s6 eps, but when he shaved, they did it to his portrait, albeit digitally, and pretty bad at that, even back then. Probably would have been easier to have him do another photo sitting to reshoot that spot.

....and I can't find a pic to link to, but I have a couple shots saved on my laptop.
hell, I can only find one pic of John's beard from this period!
plenty of pics from his role in "Alberto Ui" tho!

=-=
#HowardWasRight

[–] jname967 8 years ago

(Buzzer): EHHHHH.

John did NOT have a beard until Season 8.

[–] Brainlock2 8 years ago

I thought it was before the Jerry arc, which he was born Hallowe'en s8?
then again, they are using the portraits intro by that time, not the dinner roundtable, so it makes more sense.

=-=
#HowardWasRight

[–] ShinnickNeth 8 years ago

I think you're referring to a later season. Here is a screenshot I took from S06E02 of John Goodman:

https://s24.postimg.org/z09kjmrh1/John_Goodmanseason6.png

[–] novastar_6 8 years ago

I always wondered about that too, like the pizza intro and the poker intro, I always wondered what they were saying to each other.

[–] alanjobe 8 years ago

There are two different intros for the season 3 and 4 years as well.

In the one shown more often, it ends with Roseanne winning the hand and taking the poker chips.

but in another one, DJ tries to take her chips and Rosey goes ballistic and then takes them away from him.

[–] Strannger (2007) 8 years ago

Probably improvised and they did around a table full of food as a skit.