Joseph Mallozzi's Blog, page 329

November 9, 2016: My wholly unscientific opinion survey gives Dark Matter season 3 a 93.67% chance of starting production November 18th!

Guys!  Guys!  Come on!  I had one simple request.  Couldn’t you have saved public discussion on the subject until Monday?

Well, I can honestly say that last night’s season finale of Election 2016 was surprising, but not shocking.  Surprising because almost ALL of the polls were wrong.  Not shocking because polls (which, oh by the way, use a methodology similar to that used to gauge television ratings) have been pretty damn inaccurate lately.  Given burgeoning technological advancements, you’d think predictive modeling would actually get better, not worse.  But we seem to be heading the wrong way down that particular information highway.

Of course, polls that proclaim seismic shifts in voter intention over the course of mere days should set off alarm bells instead of signaling the commencement of victory celebrations.  That would be like resting all your starters with a ten point lead and two minutes to go in the game, or, uh –

Clinton and Democrats are looking past Trump, focusing on winning house and senate seats.

Anyhoo, I’ll just leave this here:

Those polls your reading?  They’re bullshit.

My wholly unscientific opinion survey gives Dark Matter season 3 a 93.67% chance of starting production November 18th.

1st Assistant Art Director Roxanne Borris shows off the cell’s window.

A final pass on the drone by concept artist Henry Fong.  We’re going to lose the color and/or pin-up design and go straight black and grey.

Our Solara Shockley (more on her in next week’s press release!) demonstrates proper choke hold etiquette.

Just letting director Ron Murphy know that whole no-cutting-between-takes approach aint gonna fly.

I continue my casual prep look in advance of my formal production wear next week…

Bubba steals the shot.

It’s a power color, y’know.

Ladybugs because I’m in tune with nature.

And my favorite dogs-riding-bicycles socks.

Tagged: #DarkMatter, Dark Matter

November 8, 2016: Dark Matter behind the scenes goodies!

Great news!  For me.  I pushed through that pesky hitherto unyielding scene and made it to the top of Act II.  Along the way, I finally got to write that pre-mindwipe Raza crew flashback scene.  Oh, that’s a keeper.

The final look of “the chair”, compliments of Lee Fitzgerald at North Front Studio.

Now, all the art department has to do is build it!

Costumer Designer Noreen Landry dropped by today to show off the new Ferrous Corp guard masks.  Once we tint the lenses, they’ll look downright nefarious.

Also, a concept sketch for a new outfit.  But who’ll be wearing it?  My money’s on SIX!

Speaking of outfits, today’s ensemble… 

All business.

The pocket square had a bit of an emerald forest theme.

So it was only appropriate I went with the frog cuffs.

Matching belt and tie with digital camo socks.

Who knows what tomorrow will bring?

Probably a new U.S. President, which is why we all filled out sheets for the Quadrennial Electoral College Pool.  My prediction: 269-269 with the tiebreaker dance-off!

Tagged: #DarkMatter, Dark Matter

November 7, 2016: Dark Matter season 3 concept art! What lies ahead!

Okay.  Seriously.  I’ve been spinning my wheels on this same damn scene for days. I think, tonight, I’m just going to have to break open the sake and power through. I get this done, segue into the flashback to the pre-mindwipe crew, end the act and, after that, it’l be smooooooth sailing.

A little somethings from North Front via the Dark Matter art department.  Have been loving their work, and their design for the “Maglev Platform” is pretty damn awesome.  But, you may ask, what IS a maglev platform, what does it do, and what episode will it make its appearance?  All very good questions.

And a little something from 1st Assistant Art Director Roxanne Borris.  With the galaxy on the brink of corporate warfare, the players need to look their best.  Choose your favorite Traugott Corp insignia.

Back to prep means back in fine form…

Shades of blue.  Hey, check out the pocket square!

I picked it up in – where else? – Japan.

My Star Trek-themed cuffs.

Blue shoes.  I switched out the black laces for baby blues and went with cloud socks.

Tagged: #DarkMatter, Dark Matter

November 6, 2016: My weekend summed up in 3 Bubba pictures!

Kicked back and relaxed a little.

Headed out and hung out.

Now feeling dazed and confused as I head back into prep.

One of the nice things about the weekends is that it’s a time when I can set aside my eating routine in favor of more, uh, adventurous culinary pursuits.  Like, pictured above, the dozen fried dumplings at The Dumpling House on Spadina.

With a double hit of chili paste and sweet and spicy chili oil.

We checked out the oddly-named but delicious Rasta Pasta serving everything from ox-tail and fried plaintain to jerk chicken panini sandwiches in Kensington Market.

And happened by this taste of Osaka –

Takoyaki – octopus balls.  The best part of the octopus!

 Tomorrow, it’s back to the office where festivities include:

10:00 – 13:00 = Mold making

11:00 = Hair and Make-Up meeting

13:00 = Editor interview

14:00 = SPFX/VFX meeting

16:00 = Playback/Graphics meeting

And between those meetings = script work!

Yep, this about sums it up.

November 5, 2016: Thanks and a Lulu update!

Now that I can finally take a breather from prep, let me thank Drea, Gary, Hilda, Tam, Kathy, Jan, Randy, Maggie, Jeff, Zoe, and everyone else who contributed to my anniversary video.

On November 21st it will be 10 years of daily blogging.  Wow.

Thanks to all everyone who has supported this decade-long endeavour by helping to build a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere for veterans and newbies alike.  It’s nice to know that no matter where I go – whether it be Japan for vacation or Toronto for work – the lot of you will always come along for the ride.

Today, I took a break from rewrites and schedule reviews to run some errands, get a crappy haircut, and, of course, spend some quality time with Akemi and the dogs.

It’s been kind of sad to witness Lulu’s gradual physical deterioration.  Whereas 14 year old Bubba is always up for a nice long walk, my once tireless frenchie has slowed down considerably.  There was a time not too long ago when she was constantly on the move, chasing after her toys, but now she spends much of her day curled up in her dog bed or sprawled out on the floor.  When other symptoms began to manifest, we brought her in to see a specialist who diagnosed her with neurological issues, issues we’d hoped to address with surgery.  Approximately five weeks ago, Lulu went under the knife for what was a six hour surgery to remove some problem scar tissue and bolster her spine.  The hope was that we would see some improvement in her condition and, initially, we did. But, as the days have passed and we draw closer to her six week follow-up, it’s become increasingly clear that the surgery wasn’t quite as successful as we’d hoped.

Today, while out on a walk, we documented some of the troubles our 9-year old gal is facing…

Lulu walks relatively fine on carpets, grass, and pavement although Akemi has noticed she tends to lose her balance whenever she shakes her head.

A couple of months ago, her mobility issues manifested whenever she tried to walk on deep gravel.  Now, they’re even more pronounced.

Well, let’s see how the next couple of weeks play out.  Here’s hoping we see some progress.

November 4, 2016: Dark Matter Props and Stunts!

 

Props Master Victoria Klein lays out a veritable smorgasbord of goodies for the Episode 301/304 block props meeting.

Director Ron Murphy must be dissuaded from bringing his own “props” from home.

Arming our new merc, Ash.

Solara Shockley selects.

Commander Delaney Truffault sees some season 3 action.

Identify the prop from a previous episode.

Identify this prop from a previous episode.

First fan to correctly identify both props AND the episode in which it first appeared will receive a cast-signed script!

Well look who’s back from hunting The Most Dangerous game.  It’s stunt coordinator John Stead!  Really looking forward to working with him again.

Today’s look…

Dark blue suit to convey a sense of seriousness.  Natasha, our Art Department Coordinator, said she liked the shirt’s gradients.  The gradients!

And a little splash of the color purple in the pocket square.

And, of course, the high point of the ensemble = blue and purple jellyfish socks with the textured blue shoes.

Tagged: #DarkMatter, Dark Matter

November 3, 2016: Checking in with the Dark Matter wardrobe department!

Birthday festivities were in full swing today in the Dark Matter wardrobe department!

Birthday gal, Costume Designer Noreen Landry, enjoys champagne.  And because today was her birthday, she did it with cake!

Assistant Costume Designer Anna Dal Farra provided the cake – and has already started sourcing the Dark Matter dog pics of season 3!  Oooh, she’s got some good ones for our first two episodes.  Note Anna drinking her champagne out of a mug.

Head Cutter Anita O’Toole enjoying a well-earned respite from cutting heads.

Director Ron Murphy.  Suave.

A preliminary sketch of Ash’s outfit.

The changing room displays some of the wardrobe department’s past work.

The birthday party in full swing.

Today’s ensemble in celebration of Noreen’s big day –

I want to call it…plum?

I did remember the pocket square this time, but went cufflink-less today.

And, to complete the look, Darth Vader socks.

Tagged: #DarkMatter, Dark Matter

November 2, 2016: Nails it!

Well, look who it is!  Dark Matter Director of Photography Craig Wright was in the office today, fresh off his whirlwind working tour of Vancouver.  Now, back in the familiar environs of The Raza, he’s ready to LIGHT IT UP!

The base model for “the clock” that isn’t REALLY a clock, certainly not after Production Designer Ian Brock and Prop Master Victoria Klein get through with it. File this one away in your memory banks and compare to the finished product coming your way…soon!

Speaking of comparisons to finished products – check out Production Designer Ian Brock, model for “The Guy in the Chair” (see yesterday’s blog entry for the concept art).  Nailed it!

Today’s ensemble: blue suit, pocket square, octopi cufflinks, lavender kicks and flamingo socks.

Tagged: #DarkMatter, Dark Matter

November 1, 2016: More Dark Matter concept art!

Art Department meeting today to discuss the builds for Episodes 301 and 304. Production Designer Ian Brock, as always, has a creative vision – and everything is under control.  Today’s secret keywords were: “drone”, “the clock”, and “Volkov-Rusi”.

A little break, and then we rolled into a rare prosthetics meeting.  Yep, Episode 304 is going to raise a few eyebrows – especially among the Fandroids.

The concept illustrations for “the chair” are nothing short of stunning.  Kudos to artist Lee Fitzgerald at North Front Studios.

Three intriguing options to choose from, but I lean towards V1, with a few tweaks.

Today’s ensemble…

Yeah, I forgot the pocket square.

It always breaks my heart to leave the doggies in the morning.  They always look so forlorn…

Tagged: #DarkMatter, Dark Matter

October 31, 2016: Prep officially begins on Dark Matter’s third season!

I wanted to look my best for the first day of prep, so I decided to go with this black, grey, and burgundy ensemble.  Note the turtle cuffs (a present from Akemi) and the cat socks (another gift from Akemi).

Akemi marked the occasion by baking up a bunch of home made chocolate oatmeal with dried cherries and coconut flakes.  They were a hit and Props Master Victoria Klein declared them “Ten on ten!”.

Hey!  We got the band back together!  And director Ron Murphy is back on lead vocals!  We positively breezed through today’s concept meetings for Episodes 301 and 304.

We followed with a brief walk-thru of our second stage to refresh our memories and make sure no one had taken the Marauder for another joyride.

Careful!  These walls are out of control!

Construction has already begun on that room for scene 8.

It’s going to be austere yet cozy in its military simplicity.

Hey, guys, relax!  The Marauder’s exactly where we parked it.

Six boxes of Marauder control parts and two boxes of chicken hearts.  Don’t ask.

Reconfiguring the former Hyperion-8 cells for far-out future use.

We returned to the Production Offices and gathered to review casting, finally nailing down the roles of Adrian Maro and Ash.  Whenever I sit down to watch auditions, I’m always amazed by the many great performances we have to choose from.  And the occasional out-of-left-field interpretation of the material that will yield the following stunned response from yours truly –

Wha- happened?