Joseph Mallozzi's Blog, page 296

September 26, 2017: A Final Spin!

Yesterday, I dropped by our second stage at Evans Avenue to say goodbye to what was, for the past two years, our home away from home (The Raza standing sets being home of course).  Over those two years, it has held sets like the Marauder, the Ishida cruiser, the Hyperion-8 Galactic Super Max, Rook’s lab, the Dwarf Star pod facility, the Ferrous Corp shipyard, space station underbellies, the munitions factory, Sarah’s room, the Zairon transit chamber, the Zairon guest rooms, and others.  Had we returned for a fourth season, we would have expanded our footprint here and built a Ferrous Corp lab, some space station interiors, and an alien ship (!).  Ah, what could have been.  I guess you’ll just have to Imagine Greater.  No, wait.  Wrong one.  It’s A Fan Thing.  No, wait.  That can’t possibly be right either, can it?

Anyway, a few photos from our little farewell expedition…

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Deconstruction has begun.  That little hut holds the Ishida bridge.  The cleared area once held Sarah’s room and various labs, and before that the Hyperion-8 Super Max.

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Ivon Bartok, Rick Fernandez, yours truly, and Frank Consiglio.  I’m going to miss these guys.

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The Marauder.

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Taking it out for a final spin.

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Oh crap!

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Brace for impact!

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Phew!  Disaster averted!

Except for that whole Syfy cancelling us thing.

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The Ishida Cruiser – like the cold, empty shell of a syfy programming executive’s soul.

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The long view.

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You know the party’s over when they pack away the torture chair, cuffs and bits.

Tagged: #DarkMatter, Dark Matter

September 25, 2017: Read the Dark Matter script you chose!

Well, it was close but our winner nudged out second place by 2% of the vote.

Here are the results…

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And here is (the final shooting draft of) your winning script –

DM3 EP309 17_03_07 Script COLLATED DOUBLE BLUE

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Tagged: #DarkMatter, Dark Matter

September 24, 2017: Next Steps

So, let’s discuss next steps.  I know there are those of you who would prefer to have your imaginations finish the story for you.  And I’m fine with that because it looks like another season or miniseries is off the table (for now).  But there are those of you who would like some closure – or, at the very least, answers.  Here are the option presently open to us:

Continuing the series as a comic book:  This would seem to make the most sense since Dark Matter started off as a four-issue arc for Dark Horse Comics (although it technically existed as a pilot script first, but for the sake of argument, let’s ignore that for the time being).  The comic realm offers the opportunity to tell the planned final two season arcs OR possibly a condensed version of seasons 4 and 5.  The only thing working against this would be any copyright issues that might prevent me from using the characters from the t.v. series in the comic book.  The original characters were somewhat different in the original comic books (ie. FIVE was much younger and the Android was male), so I need to be sure I can use the characters we have come to know as the crew of The Raza – otherwise, continuing the story is pointless.  In any case, I’ve put out feelers and hope to hear back later this week about the possibility.

I write some scripts: The operative word being “some”.  At this point, the prospect of writing any more scripts is daunting, but I do like the idea of maybe scripting my plan for the first few episodes and making them available to you online.  Still, this would be a long way from that two season plan.

I offer a breakdown of what I had planned: Which might be kind of fun.  Dedicate a separate blog entry to an episode by offering a summary of each proposed episodic story.  In this case, however, the devil would be in the details since much of my season-long writing has consisted of me jumping back and forth between scripts to ensure consistency and flow – something that might be a little difficult to achieve in this scenario.

I offer “answers”: This would no doubt be the easiest option.  Line up the questions (Where was TWO’s story with her daughter headed?  What were your plans for Ryo Ishida?  How would the reunion between THREE and Sarah play out and where would it go from there?  What happened to SIX?) and then give you my intended broad stroke game plan for each.

There are several ways to go and I leave you to think about it – or suggest options I haven’t offered (although if I haven’t offered them, chances are it’s because I’m not exactly keen on them) – while I look into a few scenarios.

But whatever we decide to go with, it won’t be for a little while.  I am, to be honest, exhausted.  On the one hand, I’m fortunate enough to have worked some 20 straight years in this business without interruption.  On the other hand, I’ve worked 20 straight years in this business without interruption.  I went from teen sitcoms straight into action adventures directly to 12 years of Stargate followed by another series, then a miniseries, a year spent writing pilots, and finally three straight years of Dark Matter  which consisted of overseeing a room, writing scripts, prepping, producing, and posting a season, then overseeing another room, writing scripts, prepping, producing and posting another season…  350+ hours of produced television, 115+ hours of scripted television, and one immense fan campaign later – I am exhausted.  I think I could use a break.

So, I’m going to take a little time.  To read.  Take some meetings.  Consider my options.  But that doesn’t mean I’m going to stop keeping you informed – of my fight to give Dark Matter a proper conclusion, or of the other exciting projects I have in the works.  You’ll still be able to connect with me on twitter (@BaronDestructo), find me on reddit (https://www.reddit.com/r/DarkMatter/), and interact with me here where I’ve been blogging daily for over 10 years.

All that said, I really, REALLY appreciate how amazing you’ve all been throughout the show’s run but especially over these last few difficult weeks.  I often talk about family – how the crew of The Raza are like family, and how the cast and crew of the show have become like family to me.  Well, you’ve all become family to me and I thank you for that.  And, as a token of my appreciation, I’d like to offer you continued access to exclusive BTS materials.  Last week, I posted the first production draft of the Dark Matter pilot.  Today, I’d like to give you the final shooting draft of…well, you choose.

I went through the imdb listing for the show and came up with the six highest-rated episodes as chosen by fans.  Cast your vote for the script you’d like to read. Polls close in 24 hours!

Take Our Poll

 

Tagged: #DarkMatter, Dark Matter

September 23, 2017: The End

All good things must come to an end – some much sooner than expected.  Sadly, such is the case for Dark Matter. Despite word of the cancellation by syfy, fandom rose up and gave us new hope. We sought to buck the odds and find our little show a new home.  But unfortunately, I just learned that our final option has proven unworkable due to contractual issues.  It’s a shame because these potential saviors reached out to me and offered a creative solution that, had it worked, would have been a sci-fi fan’s dream scenario.  But, alas, it was not to be.  In time, I would love to tell you all about it.

As for what’s next for Dark Matter?  My first choice would be to complete the story in comic book format where it originally began, but I’ve just started to look into the possibility now.  Beyond that, I’m not sure.

Thank you to my cast and crew who made it all possible.

And an especially HUGE THANK YOU to all of you, the viewers and fans, who made Dark Matter one of syfy’s most watched shows and who rallied and made your voices heard these past few weeks.

I said it before and I’ll say it again…

You all deserved better.

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Tagged: #DarkMatter, Dark Matter

September 22, 2017: Ready to storm the castle?! Again!!!

Today, I feasted on chicken broth, congee, and all of your questions.  Check out my answers in the comment section of yesterday’s blog entry.

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Are we doing this?  We’re #TeamRaza.  You’re damn right we’re doing it!

Prepare to take twitter by storm,  9 pm EDT/6 pm PDT.  Follow @DarkMatterFTL for all the details including tonight’s secret hashtag!

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Looking for a Dark Matter-themed screen saver?  Well, you’re in luck.   Dark Matter Playback Operator @Videogreg1 assembled and forwarded me a slew of graphics from our awesome playback team (Kelly Diamond, Sumeet Vats, Victor Mare, Seth Molson)  I’ll be posting them throughout tonight’s twitter event. Download them to your laptops as a first step toward building your very own Raza!  

A little something from one of my favorite illustrators, @bannister01, to kick things off:

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See you all on twitter tonight!

Tagged: #DarkMatter, Dark Matter

September 21, 2017: Let’s do a Dark Matter mailbag!

Apologies for not checking in sooner.  I’ve been out of commission today, sick and sleeping off what I assume to be a touch of food poisoning.   Was it the curry ramen?  A fried oyster?  The lychee sake that tasted like dish washing soap?  I’ll avoid a Murder on the Orient Express gag here out of respect for spoilerphobes, but let me be clear – it WAS one of them.

Anyway, following my four hour mid-afternoon nap, I jumped online and discovered the Dark Matter Council was in the midst of another fabulous twitter campaign, perhaps my favorite yet –

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I’m amazed by all of you who were inspired by many of the same mainstays of sci-fi that led me down this road.  Asimov, Clarke, Ellison, Alien, The Thing, Planet of the Apes, Star Trek: The Original Series…to name but a few.

I’m also touched and grateful to those of you who mentioned my name and my work, alongside those of my incredible cast and crew, as one of the things you love about Dark Matter.

Tomorrow night, we launch another tweet storm (9 pm EDT/6 pm PDT) to batter twitter…and whoever you care to tag with our deluge of ten of thousands of tweets!  Who, hunh?  Who, HUNH?!  WHO?!!  Follow @DarkMatterFTL for all the latest and tomorrow’s secret hashtag!

But before we storm the castle yet again, I’m going to dedicate this blog to you, the fans, and your healthy curiosity.  Got some burning questions about the campaign, yours truly, or anything Dark Matter-related?  Well post them in the comments section because I’ll be wading in with answer, ANSWERS, ANSWERS!!!

Dark Matter Playback Operator Greg Whiteside meanwhile (follow him here: @Videogreg1) has sent me a slew of Dark Matter-related graphics!  I’ll be tweeting them out throughout the event!

Tagged: #DarkMatter, Dark Matter

September 20, 2017: One Down, One To Go!

And then there was one.

Another potential partner dropped out of the running today in our mad dash to save Dark Matter.  In the end it came down to money.  As much as both sides wanted to make it work, it was clear the gap separating us was too wide.  A valiant effort but to no avail.

And so, we switch focus to our final suitor – a delightful wildcard with a creative proposition.  Unfortunately, said proposition comes with its own set of complications, chiefest of which is a timeline that may stretch far past our drop dead date.  And yet, if the pieces come together and all the parties sign off (and that’s a pretty big [image error]

I mean, look the size of it!), then we’d be looking at mini-series that would run, depending on budget, between 4-8 episodes – offering Dark Matter fans some form of closure.

In the meantime, time has officially run out on our second stage.  I heard the strike team is in place and ready to move.  I’m hoping we can move the Marauder to the breezeway in our remaining stage and buy our shuttle some more time while the Ishida cruiser, labs, and the Ferrous Corp shipyard come down.

It’s crazy to think that, not that long ago, we were actually thinking of expanding our stage space to make room for an alien ship interior, Galactic Authority facility, and underground bunker.  What a difference a month – and an altogether baffling network decision – make.

Regardless of how things go down between now and week’s end, the Dark Matter Council is planning on another enormous fan tweet storm this Friday night.  And, as a little thank you to you all for your continued support, I’m going to talk to Playback Operator Greg Whiteside about showcasing some of the amazing graphics our playback team has created over the show’s three seasons.

Whelp, still not dead yet!  But we’re in an 11th hour life or death scramble.  This gif, by Robert Ek, about sums it up –

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Tagged: #DarkMatter, Dark Matter

September 19, 2017: In a Hold-Your-Breath Holding Pattern! Here, have a script!

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I mean, seriously.  I respect the need for due diligence, a desire to do a thorough analysis before making a decision.  But could we pick up the pace here?

As another day comes and goes without word, my writerly mind goes places.  Have they forgetten about us?  Did the individual we were talking to go on vacation and forget to tell anyone?  Is he or she trapped under a fallen refrigerator, hoping against hope that someone will send help, blindly assuming: “I was supposed to get back to them on Friday!  I didn’t, so they’re going to assume something is wrong and send help!”.  How long can someone go without water?  We’re going on five days now!

As we wait, let’s discuss the various options that have been bandied about…

A 26 Episode 2 Season Order

Kind of scary insofar as it would require us to shoot straight through – and, oh yeah, come up with twenty-six scripts in a compressed time frame.  Yes, we used to do a full 22 back on Stargate and, for a few years, actually produced 40 episodes a season between SG-1 and Atlantis, but back then we had a full writers’ room stacked with defacto showrunners (Brad Wright, Robert Cooper, Paul Mullie, Martin Gero, Carl Binder, Alan McCullough, and myself).  In this case, I’ll be doing the lion share of the writing and rewriting – and prepping and producing and post. Yes, I would probably suffer a nervous breakdown shortly after wrap but this scenario offers the best creative option, allowing me to unfurl my 5-season narrative as planned.

A Single Season 13 Episode Order

Sure, this is the scenario I’ve been operating under since we got the green light to do the show in the first place and, while the temptation would be there to proceed business as usual and script another season ending cliffhanger setting up the show’s fifth and final installment as per my original vision, this recent unpleasant experience would give me pause.  Would I be better off not risking it and, instead, taking the 13 episode order to tie up all the loose ends – in which case I would be done after four seasons.  Not the show, mind you, but I would be done.  This one would present a real creative dilemma.

A Miniseries Order

Now while I know everyone (fans, cast, crew, and production) would prefer the two season order, I’m drawn to the prospect of being given anywhere from 6-8 episodes to wrap things up.  While it would definitely be a challenge to tie up all those loose ends in such a small order, it would ensure that those 6-8 episodes would be packed with huge twists, turns, shocks, surprises, revelations and reveals.

A Two Hour Movie Order

Many would see this as a small “better than nothing”  victory, but this option would be…well, creatively restrictive.  It’s hard to imagine a scenario in which I’d be able to wrap up anything in satisfactory fashion within a two hour time frame.

To everyone asking – the sets remain standing.  For now.  We in a hold-your-breath holding pattern until another production comes along and asks for the stages, at which point we have to clear out.

So – more waiting.  And, tomorrow, a follow-up phone call with Suitor #2 who has always had my heart.  If it’s not Dark Matter, I hope we partner up on something real soon.

I thank you, Dark Matter fandom, for you patience – and, in some cases, impatience.  Please accept this as a small token of my appreciation:

DM EP101 14_11_27 Script PRODUCTION WHITE

 

September 18, 2017: Deadline Man Walking!

“I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by.” – Douglas Adams

Me =

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Reality =

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For those of you wondering, our deadline to hear back was Friday.  Then, the weekend at the latest.  Then, today at the absolute latest because, tomorrow, we have to start wrapping out our second stage.

Look, I’ve been saying all along – it’s a longshot.  And sure, no news is…well, no news.  Or, at the very least, not bad news.

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Yes, I’m that guy now.  Still, it would be great to finally have an answer because if this wait extends much longer, the only way this show comes back is as a radio play.

Anyway, I have the following two gifs on the deck and waiting.  One for YES! and the other for NOOOOOO!

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OR

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Thank you for your patience and continuing support.

Hey, since you stopped by, enjoy a look at the alien ship design by the good folks at Darkhorse10:

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Hoping to see more of their stuff (like that alien fighter swarm!) sooner than never!

September 17, 2017: Dark Matter Update!

The Dark Matter movement is growing stronger!

First, here’s the data from our first tweet storm back on Friday, September 8th – #RockTheRaza

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Now here’s the data from our last big tweet storm on Friday, September 15th – #LightTheRaza

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The fact that we continue to build momentum is nothing short of amazing.  I have forwarded these fan metrics to the, uh, relevant parties.  Speaking of which…

Well, it all comes down to this week.  Specifically, in all likelihood, it will all come down to tomorrow.

Late Friday, we heard back from one of the three potential new partners we’ve been in discussions with regarding a fourth season pick-up for Dark Matter.  Even though it was a no, we took it in stride because this one was the longest of the long shots.  The show, admittedly, wasn’t the best fit for them, but the executive who championed us was a Dark Matter fan and gave it a go nonetheless – and for that, I am extremely grateful.

And, I am grateful to every one of you – from the members of Dark Matter Council who organized and ran this amazing campaign to all of you who took the time to tweet your hearts out.  It’s all come down to this…

So, it looks like tomorrow is THE day.

Or it really needs to be with time about to run out on our second stage holding the Marauder, the Ishida cruiser, and our swing sets.  Tick, tick, tick…

Tagged: #DarkMatter, Dark Matter