Tom Kapinos:
Producer, Writer, and Drama Queen
Tom Kapinos:
Tom Kapinos is best known for his work as a writer, and executive producer of the hit WB drama from the 90’s, Dawson’s Creek. He produced 93 episodes and wrote close to 30 episodes contributing to the dramatic evolution of Dawson, Joey and the gang over the 4 years he worked for the show from 1999 to 2003. Although Kapinos made a name for himself in Hollywood for his work on Dawson’s Creek mainly throughout the casts college years, he stated that working on that set was similar to a “a four-year boot camp,” and when asked to elaborate stated, “It was the four monstrous actors at the core of it.” Dispite Kapinos’ diss to main actors from the series, Katie Holmes, James Van Der Beek, Joshua Jackson and Michelle Williams, he managed in the past few years to make a comeback as a successful figure in the television world.
Kapinos evolved as a producer and most recently created his own hit television series, Californiacation, currently on its third season which started in 2007. Californiacation revolves around a blocked writer, Hank, played by David Duchovney, struggling his way through family relationships, drugs, alcohol, parenting, and girls in California. In 2008, Californiacation was nominated at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards (BAFTA Awards) for Best International Series, but unfortunately did not win.
Although Dawson’s Creek and Californiacation seem to many viewers as very different television programs with conflicting themes, from a tweenage love drama, to a raunchy adult humor-based comedy, the two actually have many similar thematic motifs and mise en scene qualities which define Tom Kapinos as a television producer and writer. Kapinos started his career with Dawson’s creek during the third season of the show and twisted the storylines more toward adult content instead of the high school drama it previously focused around, and similar to the plotlines and content of his current work, Californiacation. Similar thematic motifs between the two revolve around modern family dynamics including relationships between parents and children, death of family members which evolve characters, and a overriding theme of, “the fading smile,” which Kapinos refers to as the never-ending conflict which seems to only create desire, pain, and unending suffering for the character. The mise en scene qualities which distinguish Kapino as a talented writer and producer include incorporating flashbacks to interpret conflict and evolution of characters, as well as witty and intelligent dialogue and banter between main characters.
First off, Tom Kapino consistently portrays the relationship between father and child as dysfunctional and destroyed throughout numerous episodes which he has produced and written. For example Dawson’s Creek introduces Joey Potter’s father in jail, and throughout a string of episodes, proves him to be the irresponsible, drug-dealing father he always was. Joey tries to trust her father and support him, but he constantly betrays her and the rest of the Potter family. He is an absent father and the relationship between the two is clearly destroyed. Similarly, Pacey Witter battles with his father verbally and even physically throughout seasons three and four, produced mainly by Kapinos. Pacey and his father, the local policeman, hardly see eye to eye and in the end continually to bump heads and argue. Pacey’s father shouts obscenities toward his son and discourages any dreams or aspirations he exhibits. The episode entitled, “Parental Discretion Advised,” strings together the dysfunctional relationship between Pacey and his father as well as Joey and her dad. The first two parts of this episode can be viewed below at
In Californiacation, the father-child dynamics are a bit different. Although the father figure Hank portays seems like a relatively normal situation, It is clear that Becca, Hank’s only daughter, continually acts much more mature and responsible while Hank is trapped in negative situations for example, participating in careless sexual escapades tied up with drugs and alcohol. In episode five of the first season of Californiacation, Becca calls Hank in the middle of the night because she, “got a feeling that he couldn’t sleep.” Becca speaks softly to him and calms his nerves after an interesting night Hank got himself caught up in with a hooker, paying for sex. Hank constantly turns to his daughter to calm himself and check back into reality. Becca clearly feels the need to protect his father and look after his well-being, opposite of a typical parent-child relationship. Californiacation also highlights another disfuctional relationship between parent and child between Mia and her father Bill. Within the series, Bill, Hank’s ex-lover’s fiancé, deals with Hank’s escapades along with the rest of the family. Bill and his daughter Mia’s relationship hardly exists at all. Mia, a sixteen year old still in high school, fooled around with Hank and gets herself into situations way over head, such as three-sums with coke addicts and older men, while her father continually views her as a sweet, innocent angel. Bill and Mia are never seen speaking or doing things together except for when the entire family is together. Bill, although not physically separated from his faughter, is just as much as an absent father as Mr. Potter is to Joey Potter. The dysfunctional parental and child relationships within both Californiacation and Dawson’s Creek evolve into common themes within the works of Tom Kapinos.
The father-figure is used again by Tom Kapinos, in both Dawson’s Creek and Californiacation, as he continuously creates a storyline around the death of the main character’s father which spins the main characters, Hank and Dawson, into a whirlwind of negative repercussions which adds to the creation of the main characters, “new identity.” Kapinos also uses this storyline to portray a significant mise en scene quality of using flashbacks to distinguish the new identity from the old identity. In the first season of Californiacation, episode 8 titled, California Son, Kapinos uses intense emotional flashbacks of the last encounters between the two father and son before the death of Hank’s father. The flashbacks examine the resentment Hank feels towards his father and the misunderstandings between the two. The repercussions of his fathers’ death are clearly seen through the different lifestyle Hank had while his father was alive and now that he is dead. After the death, Hank lost his wife and “perfect” family by abusing drugs and alcohol, lost all motivation as a successful writer, and lost any chance of getting his family back by lying, cheating, and constantly engaging in random and meaningless sex.
Similarly, the death of the Dawson’s father in Dawson’s Creek spins his life out of control, first by dropping out of college and abandoning all dreams and aspirations of becoming a successful movie producer. Dawson’s relationships with long-time pals Joey Potter and Pacey Witter wither to practically nothing and Dawson is left lonely, confused, and stressed without the straight path he once envisioned. In the episode entitled, “The Longest Goodbye,” Dawson prepares for his fathers’ funeral, and feels the pressure of how his father’s death will negatively affect his family, as his mother and baby sister Lilly are left to fend for themselves. Kapinos uses this opportunity to cut back into Dawson’s old identity, on a successful path to living out his dreams as a movie producer by using flashbacks of unique father and son moments between the two, beginning with Mr. Leary giving Dawson his first video camera. This scene shows Dawson’s father encouraging him and the audience sees all his dreams shatter through the death of Mr. Leary. The past obviously holds huge bearings on the types of people Dawson and Hank evolve into throughout the rest of the series. As a producer, Kapinos made a name for himself by portraying these similar conflicts of death as a significant character transformer by using flashbacks and jumping from past to present creating a distinct difference between the old identity and the new. (This link below shows a flashback to a moment between Dawson and his father when he was still alive.)
Finally, the “fading smile” Kapinos identifies within his plot easily refers to the complex relationship between Dawson and Joey within Dawson’s Creek, and Hank and Karen in Californiacation. Easily, Dawson and Joey are portrayed throughout the entire running of the show, as the happy next-door-neighbor couple that never seems to work out in the end. The audience constantly pulls for the couple to be reunited and it simply does not happen. The audience is able to see the two falling more and more out of sync throughout the college years of the show which was mainly produced by Tom Kapinos. Kapinos uses dialogue and banter between the two lovers as well. Dialogue, defined by dictionary.com as, “the conversation between characters in a novel, drama, etc. and also an exchange of ideas or opinions on a particular issue, with a view to reaching an amicable agreement or settlement,” allows for Dawson and Joey to talk about their relationship openly and discuss almost anything. Consequently, the audience is able to see how comfortable and compatible they are for each other, and at the same time have so many dynamic and complicated conflicts which block them from being together in the end. Kapinos is able to show the tight-knit relationship between Joey and Dawson through this type of back and forth constant flowing conversation which is depicted in almost every episode. Hank depends on Karen for approval of his writing and also many important lifestyle choices including parenting, and career decisions, and the dialogue between the two acts as a reasoning device for him while the audience is allowed to see deep into the relationship between the two and the forces keeping them apart. Hank and his ex-lover and mother of his daughter, Becca, represent the “fading smile” relationship in a sense that the audience constantly pulls for them to work out their issues and in the end be together, but the consequences of Hank’s actions and the differences between the two appear too strong to overcome. The dialogue between Hank and Karen portrays the power struggle between the two and always leaves Karen with a smirk on her face and Hank alone in the dark with a door slammed in his face. Hank constantly tries to use his charming voice and poetic phrases to win Karen’s heart back, yet the conflicts between them have left wounds that simply cannot be mended.
The thematic motifs and mise en scene qualities that shape Tom Kapinos as a producer and writer have appeared throughout both Dawson’s Creek as well as Californiacation which as set his work apart from others. The importance of family, more specifically the relationship between parent and child obviously proves itself as a major important cultural theme to Kapinos as well as the death of a parent and the consequences that death has on the formation of a person. Through the continuous battle of reality, conflicts, desire and passion, Kapinos is able to formulate the, “fading smile,” he is most known for throughout his works. The cultural motifs and themes are thus able to formulate the mise en scene qualities which Kapinos uses within both Dawson’s Creek as well as Californication such as flashbacks and constant dialogue.
Tom Kapinos is best known for his work as a writer, and executive producer of the hit WB drama from the 90’s, Dawson’s Creek. He produced 93 episodes and wrote close to 30 episodes contributing to the dramatic evolution of Dawson, Joey and the gang over the 4 years he worked for the show from 1999 to 2003. Although Kapinos made a name for himself in Hollywood for his work on Dawson’s Creek mainly throughout the casts college years, he stated that working on that set was similar to a “a four-year boot camp,” and when asked to elaborate stated, “It was the four monstrous actors at the core of it.” Dispite Kapinos’ diss to main actors from the series, Katie Holmes, James Van Der Beek, Joshua Jackson and Michelle Williams, he managed in the past few years to make a comeback as a successful figure in the television world.
Kapinos evolved as a producer and most recently created his own hit television series, Californiacation, currently on its third season which started in 2007. Californiacation revolves around a blocked writer, Hank, played by David Duchovney, struggling his way through family relationships, drugs, alcohol, parenting, and girls in California. In 2008, Californiacation was nominated at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards (BAFTA Awards) for Best International Series, but unfortunately did not win.
Although Dawson’s Creek and Californiacation seem to many viewers as very different television programs with conflicting themes, from a tweenage love drama, to a raunchy adult humor-based comedy, the two actually have many similar thematic motifs and mise en scene qualities which define Tom Kapinos as a television producer and writer. Kapinos started his career with Dawson’s creek during the third season of the show and twisted the storylines more toward adult content instead of the high school drama it previously focused around, and similar to the plotlines and content of his current work, Californiacation. Similar thematic motifs between the two revolve around modern family dynamics including relationships between parents and children, death of family members which evolve characters, and a overriding theme of, “the fading smile,” which Kapinos refers to as the never-ending conflict which seems to only create desire, pain, and unending suffering for the character. The mise en scene qualities which distinguish Kapino as a talented writer and producer include incorporating flashbacks to interpret conflict and evolution of characters, as well as witty and intelligent dialogue and banter between main characters.
First off, Tom Kapino consistently portrays the relationship between father and child as dysfunctional and destroyed throughout numerous episodes which he has produced and written. For example Dawson’s Creek introduces Joey Potter’s father in jail, and throughout a string of episodes, proves him to be the irresponsible, drug-dealing father he always was. Joey tries to trust her father and support him, but he constantly betrays her and the rest of the Potter family. He is an absent father and the relationship between the two is clearly destroyed. Similarly, Pacey Witter battles with his father verbally and even physically throughout seasons three and four, produced mainly by Kapinos. Pacey and his father, the local policeman, hardly see eye to eye and in the end continually to bump heads and argue. Pacey’s father shouts obscenities toward his son and discourages any dreams or aspirations he exhibits. The episode entitled, “Parental Discretion Advised,” strings together the dysfunctional relationship between Pacey and his father as well as Joey and her dad. The first two parts of this episode can be viewed below at
In Californiacation, the father-child dynamics are a bit different. Although the father figure Hank portays seems like a relatively normal situation, It is clear that Becca, Hank’s only daughter, continually acts much more mature and responsible while Hank is trapped in negative situations for example, participating in careless sexual escapades tied up with drugs and alcohol. In episode five of the first season of Californiacation, Becca calls Hank in the middle of the night because she, “got a feeling that he couldn’t sleep.” Becca speaks softly to him and calms his nerves after an interesting night Hank got himself caught up in with a hooker, paying for sex. Hank constantly turns to his daughter to calm himself and check back into reality. Becca clearly feels the need to protect his father and look after his well-being, opposite of a typical parent-child relationship. Californiacation also highlights another disfuctional relationship between parent and child between Mia and her father Bill. Within the series, Bill, Hank’s ex-lover’s fiancé, deals with Hank’s escapades along with the rest of the family. Bill and his daughter Mia’s relationship hardly exists at all. Mia, a sixteen year old still in high school, fooled around with Hank and gets herself into situations way over head, such as three-sums with coke addicts and older men, while her father continually views her as a sweet, innocent angel. Bill and Mia are never seen speaking or doing things together except for when the entire family is together. Bill, although not physically separated from his faughter, is just as much as an absent father as Mr. Potter is to Joey Potter. The dysfunctional parental and child relationships within both Californiacation and Dawson’s Creek evolve into common themes within the works of Tom Kapinos.
The father-figure is used again by Tom Kapinos, in both Dawson’s Creek and Californiacation, as he continuously creates a storyline around the death of the main character’s father which spins the main characters, Hank and Dawson, into a whirlwind of negative repercussions which adds to the creation of the main characters, “new identity.” Kapinos also uses this storyline to portray a significant mise en scene quality of using flashbacks to distinguish the new identity from the old identity. In the first season of Californiacation, episode 8 titled, California Son, Kapinos uses intense emotional flashbacks of the last encounters between the two father and son before the death of Hank’s father. The flashbacks examine the resentment Hank feels towards his father and the misunderstandings between the two. The repercussions of his fathers’ death are clearly seen through the different lifestyle Hank had while his father was alive and now that he is dead. After the death, Hank lost his wife and “perfect” family by abusing drugs and alcohol, lost all motivation as a successful writer, and lost any chance of getting his family back by lying, cheating, and constantly engaging in random and meaningless sex.
Similarly, the death of the Dawson’s father in Dawson’s Creek spins his life out of control, first by dropping out of college and abandoning all dreams and aspirations of becoming a successful movie producer. Dawson’s relationships with long-time pals Joey Potter and Pacey Witter wither to practically nothing and Dawson is left lonely, confused, and stressed without the straight path he once envisioned. In the episode entitled, “The Longest Goodbye,” Dawson prepares for his fathers’ funeral, and feels the pressure of how his father’s death will negatively affect his family, as his mother and baby sister Lilly are left to fend for themselves. Kapinos uses this opportunity to cut back into Dawson’s old identity, on a successful path to living out his dreams as a movie producer by using flashbacks of unique father and son moments between the two, beginning with Mr. Leary giving Dawson his first video camera. This scene shows Dawson’s father encouraging him and the audience sees all his dreams shatter through the death of Mr. Leary. The past obviously holds huge bearings on the types of people Dawson and Hank evolve into throughout the rest of the series. As a producer, Kapinos made a name for himself by portraying these similar conflicts of death as a significant character transformer by using flashbacks and jumping from past to present creating a distinct difference between the old identity and the new. (This link below shows a flashback to a moment between Dawson and his father when he was still alive.)
Finally, the “fading smile” Kapinos identifies within his plot easily refers to the complex relationship between Dawson and Joey within Dawson’s Creek, and Hank and Karen in Californiacation. Easily, Dawson and Joey are portrayed throughout the entire running of the show, as the happy next-door-neighbor couple that never seems to work out in the end. The audience constantly pulls for the couple to be reunited and it simply does not happen. The audience is able to see the two falling more and more out of sync throughout the college years of the show which was mainly produced by Tom Kapinos. Kapinos uses dialogue and banter between the two lovers as well. Dialogue, defined by dictionary.com as, “the conversation between characters in a novel, drama, etc. and also an exchange of ideas or opinions on a particular issue, with a view to reaching an amicable agreement or settlement,” allows for Dawson and Joey to talk about their relationship openly and discuss almost anything. Consequently, the audience is able to see how comfortable and compatible they are for each other, and at the same time have so many dynamic and complicated conflicts which block them from being together in the end. Kapinos is able to show the tight-knit relationship between Joey and Dawson through this type of back and forth constant flowing conversation which is depicted in almost every episode. Hank depends on Karen for approval of his writing and also many important lifestyle choices including parenting, and career decisions, and the dialogue between the two acts as a reasoning device for him while the audience is allowed to see deep into the relationship between the two and the forces keeping them apart. Hank and his ex-lover and mother of his daughter, Becca, represent the “fading smile” relationship in a sense that the audience constantly pulls for them to work out their issues and in the end be together, but the consequences of Hank’s actions and the differences between the two appear too strong to overcome. The dialogue between Hank and Karen portrays the power struggle between the two and always leaves Karen with a smirk on her face and Hank alone in the dark with a door slammed in his face. Hank constantly tries to use his charming voice and poetic phrases to win Karen’s heart back, yet the conflicts between them have left wounds that simply cannot be mended.
The thematic motifs and mise en scene qualities that shape Tom Kapinos as a producer and writer have appeared throughout both Dawson’s Creek as well as Californiacation which as set his work apart from others. The importance of family, more specifically the relationship between parent and child obviously proves itself as a major important cultural theme to Kapinos as well as the death of a parent and the consequences that death has on the formation of a person. Through the continuous battle of reality, conflicts, desire and passion, Kapinos is able to formulate the, “fading smile,” he is most known for throughout his works. The cultural motifs and themes are thus able to formulate the mise en scene qualities which Kapinos uses within both Dawson’s Creek as well as Californication such as flashbacks and constant dialogue.
References:
"Dawson’s Creek." Episode Guide.com. Web. 14 Oct. 2009. http://www.episodeguides.com/scripts/getshow.php?s=dawson&p=index&m=.
"Tom Kapinos." IMDB: The Internet Movie Database. Web. 10 Oct. 2009. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1093513/.
"Tom Kapinos." TV Guide. 27 June 2008. Web. 14 Oct. 2009. http://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/tom-kapinos/289559.
YouTube: Broadcast Yourself. Web. 14 Oct. 2009.
I think you described the motif of conflict between parent and child really well, and I found it interesting that the daughter in Californication takes the more mature role in the father/daughter relationship. I wonder if this theme relates to Kapinos' real life? I also thought the concept of the fading smile was a good, I have never heard that idea described that way. In most shows people get what they want in the end and the two characters end up together, but it doesn't seem like it happens in these shows and I would imagine viewers tune in to see if the characters finally do get together. Overall I think you described the themes/motifs of Kapinos really well!
ReplyDeleteI would have never guessed that the person responsible for Dawson's Creek is the same person who is responsible for Californiacation! Growing up I always watched Dawson's Creek (who didn't) and I am currently a HUGE fan of Californiacation. Therefore, your blog was very interesting. I think the themes of the dysfunctional parent-child relationship and the perfect pair who never end up together are very insightful and creative. Kapinos uses two very different storylines and plots in which he embeds these themes. I wonder if he will stay with his "fading smile" concept in which Dave and Karen don't end up together? Or will he break his own rules and give the audience what we want... Dave and Karen finally together (for real)! After reading your blog I could only imagine that Kapinos will keep them apart since it drives the audience crazy... I guess we have no choice we will have to wait and see!
ReplyDeleteAs said before, i cannot believe that the same person who directed dawson's creek in responsible for californiacation! but i really like this idea of a fading smile, and would love to see where Kapinos goes next!
ReplyDeleteErin -
ReplyDeleteI thought you did a great job of comparing the two shows! You might have wanted to introduce the characters relationship a little more so those who haven't seen the shows understand what you're talking about. Growing up I watched Dawson's Creek obsessively! Now I own every single season to the show and feel like I am a part of that cast! I have never seen Californication before but if it is written by the brilliant person who wrote for Dawson's Creek it has to be good! It sounds like Californication is just as dysfunctional as the families portrayed on Dawson's Creek. Did you find anything out about Kapinos' life that lead the the portrayl of dysfunctional familys on the TV shows that he was involved with? I know a lot of the time people's lives filter into the things they write...which turn out to make for amazing story lines! Thank you for letting me read your blog and I hope you have a great rest of the semester!
Brodi
erin,
ReplyDeletefist off i have to say, great set up! I love the title of your blog and the picture, too funny that you put your face on Heidi Klum's body on the red carpet.
I agree with Allie, if someone would have told me that the director for Dawson's Creek was the same for Californication, I would not have believed them; but you really took the key points and tied them to the same look. Good Job!
The theme of the parent-child relationship is something great to point out; and very true. overall, you explained the motifs right on to what was actually going on.
Good job!
I think you took on some really hard shows to compare but did really good at it. I really like how you incorporated flashbacks as a part of the mise en scene for both. You chose to focus on aspects of both shows that I wouldn't have noticed to even compare. It shows you really thought about the two in depth to compare the father figures and how the affect of the death of a father affects the characters. Makes me wonder if Kapinos had anything in his life to base it off of?
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your blog you had alot of great insight about Tom Kapinos and his work. I used to watch Dawson's Creek religiously and love Californication, but I agree that at first I wouldn't relate the two shows to each other.
ReplyDeleteI think you did a good thorough anaysis on how the two shows relate, like the father and daughter dysfunctional relationships as one of your examples. I was interested when you talked about the "fading smile", and I enjoyed how you connected the two shows. Great Job!
Which show of his do you like more?