Joseph Mallozzi's Blog, page 368

December 1, 2015: We’re going to space jail!

Awwww.  One of the pictures sent in from Mrs. Faversham’s first grade class over at Admiral Farragut Elementary on Torren-5’s third moon.

Prisoners are a resourceful bunch.  And, occasionally, violent.  Arts & Crafts classes offer them a great venue for their hidden talents.

Some of the Do’s and Don’t’s on Hyperion-8.  Missing: “Bathing caps must be worn when entering the prison swimming pool”.

Medical supplies.  Or futuristic pudding containers.  You’ll find out in 2016!

Pharmacological Skittles!

Today, we made Elliot Sokolsky model one of the prison tattoos we’re considering for our opener.  At first, he was all like: “It’s temporary, right?”  And, of course, we were all like: “The temporary ones aren’t as convincing and our viewers demand realism.”  Anyway, it all worked out in the end.  Except for Elliot who we had to let go because the production charter prohibits us from employing individuals with gang designations, even if they are fictitious futuristic gang designations.

Other things we accomplished today: the Episode 201 Art Department meeting, the Episode 201 stunts and SPFX meeting, the Episode 201 wardrobe meeting, more casting, AND I hit the 50 page mark of this script.  Transfer Transit 3.0!

On tap tomorrow: the Episode 201 VFX meeting, the Episode 201 background meeting, the Episode 201 location look-see, the Episode 201 schedule meeting. AND I’ll hopefully complete work on the fifth act of this script.

Hey, check this out.  That jerk THREE is played by a pretty big-hearted Anthony Lemke:

http://eclipsemagazine.com/dark-matter-star-official-ambassador-for-handicap-international-canada/

Tagged: #DarkMatter, Dark Matter

November 30, 2015: It’s on!

Today was our first official day of prep on Dark Matter’s second season.  Yeeeeah!  Following a props meeting to discuss “the claw”, we all hopped in the van and headed over to our second stage for a tour of the sets-in-progress with Episode 201 director Amanda Tapping.

Check out the pictures above.  What a difference a week makes.

“So future prison like Japanese capsule hotel!” – Akemi.  Yep.

Love the detail that went into the corridors.  Doors are, of course, of the sliding variety.  Floor will be faux-metal similar to what we have on The Raza. 

High angle overviews of the various sets in our new stage.  I envision a James Bond set roof hop sequence somewhere down the line.

As always, it’s the little details that really make a set – and Production Designer Ian Brock is a stickler for details!  Check out this ceiling element that will house an overhead fan in the antechamber outside solitary.

Our first concept meeting went off without a hitch, setting up tomorrow’s festivities:

9:30 : Episode 201 Art Dept / Set Dec Meeting

10:30 : Episode 201 Props Meeting

14:30 : Episode 201 Stunt / SPFX Meeting

15:30 : Episode 201 Wardrobe Meeting

9 days to the commencement of principal photography on Dark Matter’s second season!  You ready?

Whew!  An exhausting day.  It’s so nice to finally be home…

So I can finally get to work on those blue pages for Episode 201 – and, time permitting, make some headway into the fifth act of that other script.

No doubt that, in a few hours from now, I’ll be feeling like these two:

Tagged: #DarkMatter, Dark Matter

November 29, 2015: Noooooooooo!

Noooooooo!

Nooooooooo!

 (Photo by Buddhika Weerasinghe/Getty Images) 

Nooooooooooooo!

My Snow Monkeys were trounced in week 12 fantasy football league play, blowing an opportunity to secure a first round bye in the upcoming playoffs.  Relegated to third place following this humiliating loss, my team must win next week AND hope This Ones For John loses in order to avoid a potential first round post-season match-up against either the red hot Tramp Stamps or the Ivon Bartok’s dominant Running Dead.

Sad monkey.

On the bright side, tomorrow, official prep begins on Dark Matter’s second season.  On tap tomorrow – director Amanda Tapping leads the proceedings with:

9:45 – 10:00 : Episode 202 Props Meeting – Re: The Claw

10:00 : Set walk-thru

15:00 : Episode 201 – Concept Meeting

 

Tagged: #DarkMatter, Dark Matter

November 28, 2015: Dinner at Parcae!

On the recommendation of Montreal radio personality Sarah Bartok (http://www.thebeat925.ca/an/sarah-bartok-1060.html – P.S.: I know her brother!), Akemi and I checked out one of the latest entries on the Toronto restaurant scene: Parcae.  Tucked away in the Templar Hotel, it’s a sexy, dimly lit place offering up “globally inspired, locally-sourced” cuisine.  The plates are delightfully creative.  Chefs Danny Hassell and Joseph Awad bring a mighty impressive resume to the table, with previous kitchen experience at Buca (my favorite Toronto restaurant), Cabana a Sucre Au Pied de Cochon (my favorite Montreal restaurant), and Osteria Francescana (ranked one of the world’s top restaurants and profiled, along with its head chef, Massimo Bottura in my favorite episode of Netflix’s Chef’s Table).

A few of the evening’s culinary highlights:

Nduja ravioli: nduja sausage, stracciatella, basil.

This one packed one nice, fiery punch.

Risotto: sturgeon bone marrow.

A festival of textural contrasts.  Apparently, the sturgeon is braised for some 30 hours before plating.

Lamb brains: deep fried lamb brains, cicoria, mushrooms.

Somewhat reminiscent of KFC – and I mean that in the best possible way.

Clams: clams, guanciale, tomato.

Akemi’s favorite.

Duck ravioli: duck, mascarpone, tomato, olive oil.

My favorite dishes on the menu – the two raviolis.

Octopus and bone marrow: braised octopus, bone marrow.

Definitely a unique take on surf ‘n turf.  The toast was the perfect accompaniment to the marrow.

Some of the other menu highlights not pictured: the romanesco (with guanciale, served with mom’s sauce) and the buttermilk-fried quails.  Have yet to try the branzino (whole European seabags), porter house (20 oz veal bone on porter house served with salsa verde), or tomahawk chop (tomahawk pork chop with cipollini onions).

And, to finish: The pouding chomeur.   Clearly, the Au Pied de Cochon influence was at work here.  One of my very favorite desserts.

Cocktails and service were terrific.

Once we were done, I felt like my french bulldog Lulu after a satisfying meal and drink (see last entry).

PARCAE

348 Adelaide Street West

Inside the Templar Hotel

(416) 398-5335

M-Th 5pm–12pm

F-Sa 5pm–2am

http://www.parcae.ca

Tagged: Parcae, Parcae restaurant, Parcae Toronto

November 27, 2015: Rude dogs and Dark Matter!

This is what Akemi gets up to with the dogs while I’m at work…

According to her: “They love to wear their hats when they go out!”

I remain dubious.

Meanwhile, back on the work front: a little something props has been working on…

We’re going to lose the light at the bottom.

Work continues on the script front.  Act 4 was looking a little short, so I moved a scene up from Act 3 which was a little.  Now, Act 4 is perfect.  But Act 3 is a little short.  Tabor, meanwhile, has been an utterly delightful guest.  We need to get him on the ship more often.

Back to my dogs.  Lulu has no manners…

I think she broke the sound barrier on that one.

Tagged: #DarkMatter, Dark Matter

November 26, 2015: American Thanksgiving Treats and Teasers!

I’m pleased to report that I finally pushed through that pesky today.  In the end, I went with the one tried and true writer’s block-breaking method I failed to mention in yesterday’s blog entry: When in doubt, use humor!  With that done, it was a nice segue into that delightful Android-Tabor scene.  One more scene to cap the act and it’s smooooooth sailing!

This week has been like Magic: The Gathering, but without the magic part.  The other day, Anthony Lemke (THREE) dropped by the production offices with his family.  Today, it was Melissa O’Neil (TWO) with her adorable frenchie.  Yesterday, it was Alex Mallari Jr. (FOUR) who took the time to stop in and regale us with tales of his summer in Moscow.  Next time you see him at a convention, ask him to tell you the one about the receptionist, the Brad Pitt lookalike, and the drunken overprotective co-worker.

Happy Thanksgiving to our American fans!  Let’s celebrate with behind-the-scenes pics of our sets-in-progress: It’s okay.  You know the showrunner.  Come on through.

Warden Treihan’s office window.  Room with a view.

All the comforts of home.

Hyperion-8 is a doorknob-less environment.

Come on, guys.  Let’s move things along.  My laundry isn’t going to do itself!

Damn, our Construction and Art Departments do good work!

And, of course, this is the…well, I’d tell you, but then I’d have to hire you.  And make you sign a non-disclosure agreement because the only way to keep you from talking about it would be to kill you and that, of course, would be illegal.  And very troublesome.

Tagged: #DarkMatter, Dark Matter

November 26, 2015: Dark Matter season 2 teasers!

Presenting : our Dark Matter season 2 mystery concept sketch of the week. What’s going on up there?  Who are those guys?  What is that room?  What’s the deal with those green things?  Any guesses?

Today was a day fraught with audition screenings, tattoo discussions, and much spinning of creative wheels on this script I’m trying to complete before next week. I have been battling this scene for going on three days now and the usual breakthrough methods haven’t helped.  They are, in order of efficacy: 1) driving around, 2) bourbon, 3) ignoring the problem until the solution arrives in a panic-fueled inspiration.  Tick tick tick.  Meanwhile, every other aspect of production continues to speed headlong toward next week’s start of official prep!

Speaking of every one being incredibly constructive – in this case, literally – check out the work-in-progress modeling being done on the Hyperion-8 Galactic Detention Facility by VFX Supervisor Lawren Bancroft-Wilson and the gang –

They’re, to refresh your memories, the same people who brought you…

And –

And –

Set walk-thru today!  Pictures tomorrow!

Tagged: #DarkMatter, Dark Matter

November 24, 2015: Dark Matter graphics!

I feel like my head is about to explode.  And it’s only Tuesday.  I’m juggling revisions and rewrites on six different scripts, casting, prepping, and trying to figure out the most efficient way to schedule a bursting-at-the-scenes action-heavy Episode 202.  Also, fantasy football.

But mostly fantasy football.

Anyways, before I resume script revisions on Episodes 201 and 202 (while simultaneously trying to swing a deal for a Tier 1 QB), I thought I’d take a moment to show off some of the graphics that will adorn the monitors in same episodes.

Graphics by Second Assistant Art Director Kelly Diamond!

Graphics by artist Victor Mare!

Can’t wait to see them up and running in glorious HD!

Tagged: #DarkMatter, Dark Matter

November 23, 2015: YOUR Ishida Imperial Shuttle!

Last week, I asked you all to play producers by assisting me in selecting the design for the Ishida Imperial shuttle (to be introduced in season 2).

There were 11 options to choose from, all skillfully conceived and illustrated by artist Bartol Rendulic under the direction of Dark Matter Production Designer Ian Brock. Between this blog, Facebook, and twitter, we received tremendous feedback – and votes!

It came down to two candidates, #1 and #11 but, in the end, one just proved the slightly more popular choice.

Ladies and gentlemen, I submit your choice for the Ishida Imperial shuttle in glorious color!

It will undoubtedly see a few more tweaks as it makes its way through visual effects modeling and texturing but, all in all, I think it looks pretty kick-ass.

P.S. I made sure to upload a hi-rez version of the photo so you can use it as your desktop wallpaper.

Tagged: #DarkMatter, Dark Matter

November 22, 2015: Dim sum and dogs!

Recently, someone lamented the fact that I haven’t posted food porn or dog pics for quite a while.  Lately, it’s been nothing but Dark Matter this, Dark Matter that.  So, tonight, I’m going old school with this throwback entry.  Pictured above, Akemi shows off her new sweater purchase at dim sum.

After coming across the food-themed instagram account of my co-worker, Natalie Cooper (CoopDuJour: https://www.instagram.com/coopdujour/), Akemi was inspired to – ask me to make a reservation at Toronto’s top dim sum restaurant: Lai Wah Heen.

To ensure lunch didn’t conflict with fantasy football, we dined nice and early at 11:00 a.m.  The food was delicious, but it was the presentation that truly impressed.  Check out the lobster dumpling pictured above.

The deep-fried Berkshire pork dumplings with garlic chip ears.

Crispy-skin pork belly!

And now, onto the dog pics!