Joseph Mallozzi's Blog, page 363

January 19, 2016: Pick our Episode 201 title!

I was planning to rant today but, after a morning spent writing and an afternoon in editing, I am too exhausted to snark.  And so, instead, I’ve decided to leave you with a little something…

A photo of director Bruce McDonald and our favorite Android in action.

A little something from 1st Assistant Art Director Kelly Diamond…

Apparently, we’ve been asked to give the episodes titles this season.  Conceptually, it doesn’t bother me so much given that the numerical conceits of season one (character names and episode titles) were thematically tied to this notion of identity – or lack thereof.  With the events of the previous 13 instalments under their belts, the crew has come a long way and we’ll see a dramatic shift in the second season narrative toward more dynamic, big picture stories.  So, yes, there’s no reason not to come up with episode titles beyond the fact that, well, I hate coming up with episode titles.

Which is where YOU come in.  Choose from one of the following for Episode 201.  The context will become much clearer…once you’ve actually seen the episode.

Take Our Poll

Tagged: #DarkMatter, Dark Matter

January 18, 2016: A Monday night meander down Dark Matter memory lane!

Yesterday, I featured an old Stargate prep schedule on this blog, breaking it down for you and offering insights into the pre-production process.  Today, I’d like to follow up with something a little more recent by giving you all a peek at a call sheet from last year’s final day of main unit shooting on Dark Matter –

Production day 89 of 89!  Our final day on set!  (Not counting the next day’s second unit shoot of Jodelle (FIVE) crawling through vents.)  Note the nice late call time (0900 as opposed to the usual 0730), meaning we get to sleep in!  But also means we don’t get to eat lunch until 3:00 p.m.  To tide us over, however, the production arranged for a special wafflerific crew breakfast!  Also a reminder that we would be snapping the crew photo in the underbelly that day.  Even though we were shooting indoors, we received the weather report nevertheless.

First shots up = scenes 80 and 81 from Episode 113.  “Trading Accusations when GA docks.  Locked in.  Gas!  Two stunned.  Mole.”  This was a big one and took most of the day.  Originally, the mole was intended to be revealed here.  TWO goes down.  We REVERSE and TILT UP to the perpetrator looming over her.  He removes his mask to reveal…the mole!  While down on the ground, Melissa O’Neil (TWO) snapped this awesome photo –

Photo c/o Melissa O’Neil

I’d taken pains to keep the mole’s identity a secret until the very end and then finally let the cast know just before seconds before they were to shoot the reveal…

Of all the scenes we shot over those first 13, it was the last one – of the crew members being dragged out in order, one after the other, until the mole is finally revealed to the audience – that really really hit me the hardest.  I still get goosebumps every time I watch it.

And then, we go to the various shots of the G.A. troops trespassing on OUR home – the corridors, the bridge, the underbelly and infirmary – as they secure The Raza.

Pictured above: The G.A. troops prepare to take the ship!

The Production Notes for this particular episode covering every department. Reminders!  Art Department, we need the docking collar in place for that shot of the G.A. troops boarding the ship.  Playback, don’t forget the “Access Denied” message that flashes up when FIVE tries to unseal the doors.  Props, we’ll beed comms, guns, handcuffs and gas canisters.  Stunts, we’re going to be dropping our crew and dragging them off.  Hair and Make-up, the G.A. officers wear eye black, making their appearance all the more fearsome behind those masks.  Costumes, we’re going to be doing a shot tracking SIX’s booted feet.  Electrics, we’re going to need different lighting to distinguish between the corridors.  SPFX, we’re going to smoke out the corridor so be prepared for some heavy atmosphere.  VFX, we’ll need to accentuate the flash bang and do some electrical arcing on the contact point when TWO is hit with the stun wand.  To mention just a few.

A look-ahead to our final second unit day.  Lots of vent crawling and two scenes that we didn’t end up shooting because the episode was already running long: 1) Five twitching in her sleep and, 2) A flashback to a pre-amnesia scene that I already posted for you here:

https://josephmallozzi.wordpress.com/2015/09/02/september-2-2015-dark-matter-deleted-scene/

Boy, this takes me back.

Today’s entry is dedicated to blog regular Tam Dixon.

January 17, 2016: A Sunday afternoon stroll down Stargate memory lane!

I was cleaning out my inbox today when I happened across a bunch of old prep schedules and call sheets.

For those of you who are wondering, “prep” is, of course, short for “preparation” and “prepping” an episode involves (in my t.v. producing experience) a little over a week of meetings with director and departments heads in which an episode is detailed, drawn up and discussed.  Here, for example, is the prep schedule for the Stargate: Universe episode “The Hunt” –

Even though it was prep week on “The Hunt”, early prep work began on later episodes.  There’s a preliminary art department meeting for “Common Descent” and “Epilogue” (suggesting BIG plans for what would turn out to be our final two episodes) followed by a prosthetics life cast with actor Louis Ferreira (to help him achieve that “Old Young” look, as Akemi coined it).

Director Andy Mikita was away and, with the director away, the meetings are pushed to other days.  Note that, while a director begins prep on one episode, another director starts shooting another – in this case, Episode 215, “Seizure”. Also, 2nd unit shoots scenes for Episode 214, “Hope”.  2nd unit usually involves a scaled down crew shooting smaller scenes from a given episode. Also on this day – a casting session!  I remember heading down to the lot and watching auditions in the casting trailer, trying to ignore the trucks that would rumble by at the most inopportune times.

Finally, prep begins early Monday morning with the concept meeting.  With all of the department heads in attendance, we would go through the script, page by page, and break down each scene.  We followed with an art department meeting in which we no doubt discussed the builds for this episode (as I recall, a cave set and a design for the creature)…

…then headed over to props to discuss what was required from them (besides our standard guns, there’s that makeshift spear one of the character wields late in the episode) –

And, oh yeah, that severed arm.

…followed by a sit-down with the costumes department (we would need to get our uniforms dirty and, in some instances, torn and bloodstained), and, finally, a field trip to scout out some suitably rough terrain in Lynn Canyon where we planned to shoot some of the exteriors.

Nice day for a field trip.

Prep week continued full force on Tuesday with some of our biggest meetings: stunts and SPFX (there was that stunt sequence off the top where our camp is attacked by the creature), a playback (not too many big onscreen elements in this one if I recall correctly), and visual effects (the creature was pure CG as was that space deer we see in the tease).

The following day was the extras meeting (always a number of background players in every episode), and then hair & make-up (cuts, bruises, and general disarray).

That’s an ouchy.

Preliminary budgets from the various departments were due to give us a sense of how the episode was costing out.

No meeting scheduled for the Friday, but that didn’t mean we weren’t busy having discussions, finalizing the details.  A tech survey in the a.m. to Lynn Canyon during which we all sign off on the location and the director finalizes his visual game plan for the exterior sequences.  

Hmmm. Seemed a lot warmer and dryer on the scout.

And then, finally, the production meeting which is a mirror image of the concept meeting except that, by this point, the director and all of the departments know exactly what they’re doing and are in the process of putting the finishing touches on their work.  And, of course, final budgets are due and we find out where our budget stands on the year (which, of course, has a direct effect on ensuing episodes).

Speaking of prep, prep week kicks off on Dark Matter Episode 204 tomorrow with a 10:00 a.m. concept meeting headed by director John Stead.  It’s gonna be fun!

Tagged: SGU, Stargate, Stargate:Universe

January 16, 2016: Edits, dogs, and tasty coffee drinks!

Whew!  I spent a good chunk of the day reviewing and writing up notes on Amanda Tapping’s excellent director’s cut of Episode 201.  An incredibly dynamic opener. I look forward to getting in the room with our incredible editor, Wendy Hallam Martin, Monday and Tuesday.

But it wasn’t all work today.  This morning, Akemi and I took a trip to the farmer’s market with Jodelle (FIVE) Ferland and her sister.  Highlight purchases included quail eggs, fresh fava bean leaves, and a delicious sweet potato and peanut butter soup.   Jodelle, meanwhile, pretty much cleared out one local baker of his entire inventory of lemon loaf and carrot cake.  Then, we met up with Ivon for lunch…

The highlight of this little foray was this…

It’s called a bicerin and apparently originates from Turin, Italy.  It’s comprised of espresso, dark chocolate, and cream.  I ended up getting one for Jodelle out of fear she’d finish mine.

Akemi was, as usual, thrilled to hang out with Ivon (who, according to Jodelle’s sis Marisha, bears an uncanny resemblance to one of the strippers from Magic Mike).

Later, Jodelle and Gena came by for a play date.

January 15, 2015: Sleep ‘n schnitzel!

“Hey, Joe!”said Ivon.  “Pretend you’re sleeping.”

“Oh, no,”I said.  “I couldn’t.”

“Come on!”he said.

So I shut my eyes and pretended I was sleeping.

“No,”he said.  “Rock your head back and open your mouth like you’re in mid-snore.”

“Okay,”I said, rocking my head back and opening my mouth like I was in mid-snore.

“Goofier-looking,”he said.

I complied.

All this to say, this explains that photo (ex) Consulting Producer Ivon Bartok is circulating of me seemingly asleep on the van ride back from today’s tech survey.

On a totally unrelated note, there’s something about riding in the back of a car, bus, train, or van driving back from a tech survey that puts me right out.  I can only imagine my mom did a lot of traveling while pregnant with me.

On a related note, I went on a tech survey today for Episode 204.  For those not in the know, tech surveys – not to be confused with location scouts – are field trips on which we scout locations for upcoming episodes.  With my writing partner Paul on set on Episode 202 with director Steve DiMarco, I was fully expecting to spend the day writing…until I was reminded about our little outing.

All in all, I was glad I went.  It’s always a treat to tour parts of Ontario I’d probably miss out on if I wasn’t seeking out suitable seedy bars and dilapidated warehouses for my t.v. show.  And there was the added bonus-presence of stunt coordinator John Stead (who’ll be taking the director’s reins for 204).  But the highlight of the day had to be lunch…

The initial plan was to eat at a place that essentially turned out to be a drugstore cafeteria.  We elected to double back and check out THIS place we passed on the way.

Over a dozen varieties of schnitzels to choose from.  Ivon was quick to snap a pic of the menu and send it to our old Stargate (and schnitzel) buddy Carl Binder.

To quote an Austrian: “Schnitzel as big as a toilet seat!”

And for dessert…

January 14, 2016: Cat Shirt Thursday on the set of Dark Matter season 2!

Cat Shirt Thursdays!  The tradition continues…

Jayson Clute – B Camera Operator, Dark Matter

Matt Purdy – Stand in, Dark Matter

Chris Toudy – Key Grip, Dark Matter

Alyssa Pawlak – Stand in, Dark Matter

Kelly Anastasiou – B 2nd Assistant Camera, Dark Matter

Drew Williams – Boom Operator, Dark Matter

Nicola Moss – On Set Key Props, Dark Matter

Well, today marked our final day on Episode 202 and we were back on the Raza for a little trip down memory lane via some carefully orchestrated flashbacks.  It was home sweet home…for as long as it lasted.

Today’s blog entry is dedicated to “Cowboy” Bruce McDonald who did a hell of a job directing our most ambitious episode to date – while showing us all a hell of a good time!

Creative Consultant Ivon Bartok and Director Bruce McDonald on the set of Dark Matter season 2

Thanks, Bruce!  Until we meet again…

In about three weeks when you come back to direct Episode 206!

Tagged: #DarkMatter, #DarkMatterSeason2, Dark Matter

January 13, 2016: Director Bruce McDonald’s (space) salad days!

Director Bruce McDonald serves up madness, mayhem, and remaindered produce.

The crew on recycling duty.  One prisoner’s trash is another’s treasure.  You never know what you’re going to find…

Mr. Orange snap compliments of Matti Huhta

From the inside looking up.

A rare shot of yours truly in action compliments of Alyssa Pawlak.

A spooky walking tour of the Hyperion-8 set:

Today’s blog entry is dedicated to Tam Dixon and her Ruby.  Condolences.

Tagged: #DarkMatter, Dark Matter

January 12, 2016: Dark Matter and doggy doings!

Anthony Lemke (THREE) and director Bruce McDonald discuss tattoos and such between set-ups.

Is it possible to have any more fun on set?

Bruce sets up his first shot of the day.

A meeting of the minds.

Meanwhile, back on the home front, the dogs express their delight for their winter wear…

He’s saying: “Noooooooooo!”

Tagged: #DarkMatter, Dark Matter

January 11, 2016: Mayhem! New sets! Flaccid chicken!

We tried out a new caterer today.  On the menu: flaccid boiled chicken, dressing-free salad, and fat slices of disquietingly gooey eggplant parm topped with cold cheese.  Mmmmm.  There were a lot of crew members ordering pizza this afternoon. In retrospect, I suppose it was apropos.  Prison food for our prison set…

Today, stunt coordinator John Stead and his crew were front and center for the BIG extended action sequence.  Fists and feet weren’t the only things flying on this day. John did a brilliant job choreographing the scene and director Bruce McDonald did an equally brilliant job capturing the on set mayhem.

Also today, we took a little walk-thru one of the new sets.  Some terrific work by Production Designer Ian Brock and both the Art and Construction departments.

Oh, you do NOT want to go in there.

Well, this is creepy.

Down and dirty.

Textures, colors, and filth!

Tagged: #DarkMatter, Dark Matter

January 10, 2016: A rare rest day!

Today was the calm in the eye of the hurricane, that brief respite before the inevitable storm that will be tomorrow’s BIG extended action sequence.  When I said that this was our most ambitious episode to date, I was, for the most part, referring to THIS particular scene.  Can’t wait to see stunt coordinator John Stead’s masterpiece come together.

As I mentioned the other day, I’d like to offer fans a chance to get to know the talented people behind the scenes by bringing back the guest Q&A’s.  And I’d like to kick things off by announcing our first Dark Matter crew member Q&A with our key make-up artist, the lovely Linda McCormack.  When she’s not back at her trailer creating nasty-looking wounds like this one –

Or getting in at 5 a.m. to cover tattoos for that day’s shirtless scene, she’s usually on set discussing Italian dishes with yours truly.  Having worked on a scores of movies, mini-series, and shows (Dark Matter and Lost Girl among them), I’m sure she has plenty of interesting stories to tell.  Let’s find out!

Post your questions for Linda in the comments section.  I’ll gather them over the next few days and then send them her way at week’s end!

Some set pics you may have missed…

Why so bummed, THREE?  c/o Caitlin Brown.

Between set-ups, we seal our cast in individual cells to ensure they don’t wander off.  c/o Jodelle Ferland.

Dinner is served on Hyperion-8!  c/o Anthony Lemke.

Me practicing my fake smile.  c/o Ivon Bartok.

Double trouble!  c/0 Alex Mallari Jr.

In addition to being a rest day, today was – after a week of early morning work-outs and clean eating – CHEAT DAY!  I still worked out.  And I still ate a healthy lunch and dinner.  But I DID snack on these…

Astoundingly good eclairs from Nugateau, Toronto’s first eclair-only patisserie (717 Queen Street West).

https://www.instagram.com/nugateau/

The three varieties we sampled (dark chocolate, pistachio, and vanilla) were…well…unbelievably delicious.  The pistachio, in particular, was one of those bites the foodie in me will dream about for some time to come.

Or at least until next week’s Cheat Day!

Tagged: #DarkMatter, Dark Matter, Nugateau