Creative Arts And Prime Time Emmy Nominees And Winners Share Reactions

BY: Marjorie Galas, Editor

George R.R. Martin may have said it best. The author of the novels that gave birth to Emmy nominated “Game of Thrones” broke down his reaction to the show’s critical success, numerous nominations and fan adoration by saying:

“I’ve been writing for a long time, and I can remember times at Comic Con when I would have an autographing and no one would come, so I’m very grateful that people do show up and like the show, and I try to give them what they want.”

Throughout the course of the Creative Arts and the Prime Time Emmys, many of the nominated and Emmy winning talent were able to marvel at the recognition bestowed upon them for their achievements. Bear McCreary, who won an Emmy last year in the category for Outstanding Main Title Theme Music for “Da Vinci’s Demons”, was making his third trip down the Emmy red carpet in the same category for his work on “Black Sails.” The composer was surprised to be returning to the Creative Arts Emmys as a nominee.

See Also: Mix Of New And Standards At Creative Arts Emmys 2014 

“It’s always a shock and this year especially. I was not expecting this little pirate drama to get attention of the critics and the Academy, so I’m just tremendously honored. It was a real surprise.”

When creating a main theme and a score for any series, McCreary always has audience engagement in mind.

“I’m always thinking of the ramifications of what’s about to come up. I want to plant a seed for what will come up later. I try to think of the larger service of enriching the experience of the viewer.”

Noah Hawley, writer and producer of Emmy winning Outstanding Miniseries “Fargo” found the entire experience of the nominations and attendance at the Emmy festivities surreal. The first time nominee couldn’t get over rubbing elbows with writers he’s admired for years. Recognizing so many of the craftspeople and talent were also nominated for the series gave him great joy.

“It’s great; every one of them is so very deserving. You go so fast, that’s the whiplash of it. Five months ago it premiered, and we weren’t done editing it, and hadn’t started on a lot of episodes, so you have to put all that excitement aside to get the creative work done.”

Stephen Full, a first time nominee for Outstanding Character Voice Over Performance for his portrayal of “Stan”, the dog from Disney Channel’s “Dog with a Blog” was as thrilled to be part of the Award ceremony as he was being part of a Disney production.

“When you go to work, you are kind of in a bit of a bubble. Disney is so good to us. When you get this kind of recognition, that’s outside of that bubble, it is pretty humbling. If I represent the Disney brand and I’ve made the producers and the executives at Disney happy, that’s more than enough for me. All the other stuff is like whipped cream on an amazing cake.”

Jeff Russo, another first time nominee for his Outstanding Music Composition for a Miniseries for “Fargo” was not only thrilled to be recognized for his contributions to “Fargo” but was equally as excited to see the attention television scores received from both the critics and the public.

“You don’t really expect people to take real notice of it, and I think it’s a really great thing that people are taking notice of something we work really hard on. I think the story really did help the music, and the music really did help the story, and I was able to really do things I’ve not been able to do on a television show before.”

Choreographer Christopher Scott was also making his first trip down the red carpet for his work on “So You Think You Can Dance.” Scott was completely overwhelmed by the experience of fan adoration and interviewer’s attention.

“It kind of trips me out, as you are walking further down this carpet it gets more real and you say ’Oh it’s really happening.’ I never thought this was possible for a hip hop dancer back in the day, so it’s tripping me out a little bit.”

Emmy winning cinematographer for his work on “Sherlock” Neville Kidd love the script he shot after reading only two scenes, and was thrilled the project received an outpouring of Emmy love in so many categories. He felt being hired for the final episode was the real reward.

“The way Sherlock sees the world is completely different than anyone else. As a cinematographer you can have great fun with it, and try new tricks and techniques and the lighting can be more adventurous and extreme than a tradition drama. For a cinematographer, it was a dream job.”

For the producers behind “Flipping Out”, a nominee in the Outstanding Unstructured Reality Series, their first stroll down the red carpet was a memorable one for their seasoned show.

“It feels amazing; Jeff (Lewis, host and talent of the show) has just been delivering every season for seven seasons. He’s so funny, he just brings it and he’s so entertaining. That we can keep the shelf life is amazing, and to have it nominated is really great.”

“After seven years of hard work it’s finally come to fruition. We’re looking forward to a great night, and just to seeing who wins.

The Emmys were capped this year with big wins for “Breaking Bad,” including editing, writing, supporting actor, supporting actress, lead actor, and Outstanding Drama Series. After thanking AMC and Sony, Vince Gilligan thanked the “best damn crew ever in Albuquerque, New Mexico.”  Back in the press room, Gilligan stated that he never expected to receive an Emmy last year, and to receive one for the final season was “indeed, the icing on the cake, the hot fudge on the sundae.” He admitted the wealth of award nominations bestowed to many of the craftspeople, writers, directors and actors over the years exceeded any of his expectations.

“While the Emmy is the icing on the cake, I have to say it is a pretty amazing cake. Everyone has put their hearts and souls into this series over the years, and I am so proud of all their dedication. We created something truly special, and it will be impossible to ever top it."

Bryan Cranston wrapped up the evening by expressing his appreciation to the press.   “Thank you so much for all your work over the years. We really do appreciate everything you have done.”

To review all 2014 Emmy winners (Creative Arts and Prime Time) please visit: www.emmys.org