Joseph Mallozzi's Blog, page 388

May 16, 2015: The last days of production on Dark Matter’s first season!

Here’s hoping that, five years from now, I’ll be looking back on these photos of how it all began…

Dark Matter Executive Producer, President of Prodigy Pictures, and our show’s #1 fan Jay Firestone surprises the Dark Matter Whisky/ey Club with its most impressive bottle to date: a sublime Balvenie 21 year old PortWood Finish Whisky.  It doesn’t get much better than that.

Our proud accomplishments: one for every episode in Dark Matter’s first season.  And, hey, we even got a jump start on season 2!

Dark Matter Executive Producer Vanessa Piazza and Dark Matter Consulting Producer Ivon Bartok – best of buds.

Fellow Dark Matter EP Paul Mullie and I pose for a pic with one of our favorite guest stars: Boxy!  We’ve already contacted his rep and started negotiations to bring him back for season 2.

Watching the blocking!

Akemi bakes up a final batch of bourbon-brown butter cookies for the cast and crew.

Director Andy Mikita thanks everyone with a return visit of The Gelato Spot!

And that’s a main unit wrap!

And a fond farewell to Dark Matter sound recordist Dan Daniels who heads sails off on an around-the-world excursion July 1st.  All prepped and ready to go!

Dark Matter VFX Supervisor Lawren Bancroft-Wilson is left to steer the ship home.

Tagged: Dark Matter, Dark Matter t.v.

May 15, 2015: And, that’s a wrap! Almost! Production on Dark Matter’s first season nears an end!

I can’t believe it.  After ten years developing it, several years trying to set it up, over ten months of prep and four months of production, we are finally done.  Today was our last main unit day on Dark Matter’s first season.  We’re off for the long weekend, come back to shoot a final day of second unit, then cap it all off with our wrap party Wednesday night.  I deliver my final prod cut at the end of May and then head back to Vancouver where I’ll weigh in on the mixes, color corrects, and visual effects.  Oh, and start work on Dark Matter’s second season.  Yes, I’m that confident.  Because the show is THAT good.

But you all get to be the judges when we premiere in a little less than a month!

So who’s who on the Dark Matter crew?  Follow this link to find out:

http://www.syfy.com/darkmatter/cast/1

Then check out some of the first official behind-the-scenes photos:

http://www.syfy.com/darkmatter/photos/dark-matter-season-1-preview-gallery

Tagged: Dark Matter, Dark Matter t.v.

May 14, 2015: The Dark Matter rollout continues! Introducing Alex Mallari Jr. as FOUR!

As the Dark Matter premiere draws ever closer, allow me to introduce you to our cast – and the characters they’ll be playing.  Today, let’s talk about Alex Mallari Jr., Dark Matter’s FOUR.

This was part of the original breakdown that went out for casting:

“Possessed of a quiet strength and dignity that belies an exacting ruthlessness. The part is written as male but could be female.  Written as Asian but can be open to all ethnicities.”

This character pays tribute to the many inspirations that helped shape the creation and development of the series: comics, t.v., film, and directly, in this case, anime.  The latter was a particularly big influence, specifically, a show called CowBoy Bebop that offered a wonderful mix of humor and scifi in it’s all too brief 26 episode run.  The sword-wielding character of FOUR is a tip of the hat to SF-themed anime, from classics like Gundam to more contemporary titles like Code Geass. Fans of the genre will no doubt recognize many familiar elements.  FOUR is Lupin III’s Goeman, Berserk’s Griffith, One Piece’s Rorona Zoro.

In creating the character, and his storyline, I consulted with many of my friends in Japan and girlfriend (who also happens to be Japanese) who were absolutely thrilled at the prospect of a North American scifi series with recognizable anime trappings.    FOUR was as much a tribute to them as it was a nod to those early inspirations.

As stated above, we opened the role up to all ethnicities and genders.  One of the early front runners was a young actor named Alex Mallari Jr.  What really made him stand out was his performance in what I dubbed “the interrogation scene”.  Unlike a lot of the other actors who came in to audition, his read was incredibly cool and controlled.  There was a sense of quiet menace about him I found wholly enthralling.

When it came time for the call-backs, I got on the phone with each and every actor to prepare them, talking them through the context of the scene and what we would be looking for.  It was also a great opportunity for me to learn a little about the actors – and after my conversation with Alex, I knew we could have something special in him.  He was intelligent, humble, and very enthusiastic.  I wanted him to succeed.  But it would all come down to that second round audition.

Which he nailed.

You’d be hard pressed to find a more dedicated individual.  Here’s a guy who’ll wake up at 3:00 a.m. to get in a workout before his early call.  Under the tutelage of our fantastic stunt coordinator, John Stead, Alex has trained and become proficient in almost every weapon in the training room, from swords to sai’s.

This tweet from Alex nicely sums up who he is:

 Humble, grounded, and extremely appreciative.  A hard guy not to like.

Tagged: Alex Mallari Jr., Dark Matter, Dark Matter t.v.

May 13, 2015: The Dark Matter rollout continues! Introducing Jodelle Ferland as FIVE!

Continuing our Dark Matter rollout – today, we turn the spotlight to actress Jodelle Ferland and her character, FIVE.

This was part of the casting breakdown that went out for the role:

“AKA The Kid. THE SHIP’S PIXIE-ISH MASCOT WITH MYSTERIOUS ABILITIES – SHE’S THE KID WITH ALL THE SECRETS. And a propensity for getting into trouble. EASILY BORED, QUICK TO MOUTH OFF, she is nevertheless innocent among her unsavoury company.”

In the comic book, the character is a tomboy and a lot younger (I originally envisioned her as about 12) but production considerations made the casting of a minor very difficult. We would have had to provide schooling in the form of a tutor and limited her hours on set. I suggested we circumvent the problem by hiring a high school dropout, but that brilliant idea was roundly refused. And so, we decided to cast older to play younger.

I had plenty of requests for the general auditions, actors I’d worked with over the years who I wanted to see read. And, when it came time to find a FIVE, actress Jodelle Ferland was at the top of my wish list. I’d had the pleasure of working with her eight years ago on an episode of Stargate: Atlantis on which she’d played a bratty princess. She was, far and away, one of the greatest guest stars I’d ever worked with. At only 12 years of age, she’d known her dialogue down pat – and even prompted our leads whenever they forgot their lines. She was brilliant.

So when it came time for the FIVE auditions, Jodelle sent in a self-tape from Vancouver, made the second round, and, ultimately, won the role on the strength of her adorably quirky performance.

So what is Jodelle Ferland like? Well, surprisingly – or not! – a lot like the character she plays. Cute, perky, wide-eyed and animated, funny, excitable, and suuuuuuper sweet. I sometimes imagine her as an anime character come to life!

And yet, at the same time, she is professional, focused, and possessed of astounding onscreen instincts. I’m always amazed because I have never walked onto set and asked her to readjust her performance. It’s as if she reads my mind, offering up the perfect interpretation of the character beats EVERY SINGLE TIME. And, I supposed it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise given that, at 20, this former child actor is the most seasoned member of our entire cast! The editors LOVE her because she always delivers great reactions on her off-camera moments, another sign of a wily veteran.

One on one, she’s delightfully normal – but when the camera is on her, she POPS. As more than one person has said: “When she’s onscreen, you can’t take your eyes off her.”

Tagged: Dark Matter, Dark Matter t.v., Jodelle Ferland

May 12, 2015: Who’s ready for some ship-based SF?! A Dark Matter sneak peek! News! Behind the scene pics!

SyFy offers up a sneak peek of Dark Matter in this awesome video highlighting the show, the crew and – finally! – some of the visual effects: http://www.syfy.com/darkmatter/videos/dark-matter-season-one-sneak-peek

Geo-blocked…but here’s hoping it gets uploaded to youtube soon!

Hey, Canadians!  We finally have an air date!  Dark Matter premieres Friday, June 12th at 10:00 p.m. on Space Channel.

Other Dark Matter premiere dates:

U.S.: Friday, June 12th at 10:00 p.m. on SyFy

Germany: Saturday, June 13th on SyFy Germany

U.K.: Monday, June 15th at 8:00 p.m. on SyFy UK

France: Monday, June 15th at 9:00 p.m. on SyFy France

Spain: Monday, June 15th on SyFy Spain

Ever closer!  Excited?  We sure are!  Yesterday, I attended the mix for #101 and got the chance to watch the near-finished episode on the big screen.  It looked like a feature film – gorgeous, riveting, with dazzling visual effects.  I can’t wait for you to see it.

Probably sooner than later as we’re making plans to offer up a sneak peek of our first episode in the coming week.  Our first teaser trailer was fantastic (https://youtu.be/1TqwBlTQfTg – 151k+ views and counting, thanks!) despite the fact that contained no visual effects.  The scene I have in mind, however, will highlight what you all can look forward to in the months to come: action, adventure, kick-ass visuals, and humor!  Stay tuned.

The above image adorned the tryptic in the ship’s mess hall compliments of Dark Matter playback operator Greg Whiteside.  Pictured: SIX (Roger Cross) pilots the phantom class marauder.

Anthony Lemke (THREE) and Melissa O’Neil (TWO) running lines on the bridge.

Yep.  Creepy.  And perfect.

Time to tuck in the guns.  It’s way past their bed times!

Tagged: Dark Matter, Dark Matter t.v.

May 11, 2015: The Dark Matter rollout continues! Introducing Roger Cross as SIX!

Continuing our Dark Matter primer in the lead-up to the show’s June 12th premiere (10 p.m. on SyFy, part of their new SyFy Friday lineup), I’d like to turn our attention to the character of SIX played by veteran Roger Cross.

This was the initial casting breakdown that went out for the role:

“AKA Tiny, AKA Griffin Jones. ON THE SURFACE, HE’S A LOW-KEY BRUISER, AN IMPOSING FIGURE among a group of intimidating individuals. HE’S A MAN OF FEW WORDS, A TOUGH AS HELL GOON WITH LITTLE PATIENCE FOR BULLSHIT. Cross him at your own risk. Beneath the rough and tumble exterior, however, is a heart of gold- 14k, the softest! A SURPRISINGLY SIMPLE GUY, HIS QUIET CONFIDENCE BELIES A FIERCE INTELLIGENCE AND PHILOSOPHICAL NATURE.”

Going out, we made a few adjustments as the physical aspect of the character become of considerable less importance and the role was opened up to both genders. In my mind, SIX would be defined through his/her relationship with “the kid”, the character of FIVE. I wanted someone dangerous and intimidating but protective and empathetic toward the youngest member of our crew.

One of the great things about the casting process for Dark Matter was the wealth of material we were able to draw from for the auditions. Many productions barely have a single script to work off. At the time we started, we had nine – and this allowed us to pick the perfect scenes for each character.

There are many things one looks for during the audition phase. Talent, obviously. Chemistry with the other actors. A sense of humor. You take a look at the performance as a whole. And I did. But, inevitably, whenever someone came in to read or sent in a self-tape, I always fixated on the delivery of one line – a single line that perfectly encapsulated the character for me. That line: “…I’m going to miss you, kid. I’m going to miss you a lot.” It was a deceptively simple, straightforward line, but it was possessed of so much subtext, said so much about SIX that it “getting it” was absolutely crucial.

Surprisingly few “got it”, made me believe. At the top of the list was actor Roger Cross who I was indirectly familiar with. He’d been my top choice for the role of a series regular back when I was on Stargate, but just – barely! – missed out. I knew his future wife, Josephine through our dogs. Her pug Tinkerbelle and my pug Jelly used to be best of friends when they’d hang at the dog park. I was, of course, familiar with his extensive credits (24, Continuum, First Wave). Roger “got it”.

Unfortunately, getting Roger was another matter. He was committed to a couple of other productions and, despite our best efforts, it didn’t look like we were going to be able to make it work. And so, resigned to the fact that we weren’t going to land him, we redirected focus to other candidates.

However, through the magic of our line producer, Norman Denver, working in conjunction with the line producers of the other shows, schedules were readjusted and – voila! – we finally had our SIX. And he WAS Roger Cross.

So, what is Roger Cross like to work with?  In a word: fantastic.  You’d be hard pressed to find a happier, warmer, more gregarious guy.  He’s known for his upbeat attitude, infectious smile, and cartilage-cracking hugs.

Tagged: Dark Matter, Dark Matter t.v., Roger Cross

May 10, 2015: As we head into our final week of production on Dark Matter’s first season!

Walked onto set the other day to find the above adorning the triptych in the mess hall. ��From left to right: Anthony Lemke as Han/THREE, Marc Bendavid as Luke/ONE, Melissa O’Neil as Leia/TWO, Alex Mallari Jr. as Chewbacca/FOUR, Zoie Palmer as C3PO/The Android, and Roger Cross as R2D2/SIX.

Greg Whiteside, in charge of Futurama and Family Guy triptychs. ��Also the��Dark Matter��playback operator.

Andy Mikita directs a mess hall scene.

Actor Anthony Lemke (Dark Matter’s��nefarious bad boy, THREE) and actress Melissa O’Neil (Dark Matter’s��kick-ass commander) share some downtime.

The latest meeting of the��Dark Matter Whisky/ey Club. ��We’ve come a long way from that one guy sitting alone in his office drinking Jameson’s.

13 bottles down – one for every episode in our first season. ��Time to get started on season 2!

Tagged: Dark Matter, Dark Matter t.v.

May 9, 2015: Your Dark Matter primer! The crew! The designs! And the dogs!

Awesome collage c/o Melissa O’Neil

Here’s your crew. ��And to find out a little about them, head on over to the SyFy UK homepage for the��breakdown:

And, while you’re there, check out some of the early concept designs for the show…

http://www.syfy.co.uk/galleries/feast-your-eyes-on-this-dark-matter-concept-art-introduced-by-exec-producer-joe-mallozzi

I was in at 8:30 this morning for our final Saturday production day!

Meanwhile, back on the home front…

Jelly.

Bubba.

And Lulu.

Looks like summer is almost upon us!

Tagged: Dark Matter, Dark Matter t.v., Science Fiction Television, scifi t.v., SF television

May 8, 2015: The Dark Matter rollout! Introducing Marc Bendavid as ONE!

1s Assistant Director Brandon Tataryn goes to extreme measures to ensure actor Marc Bendavid learns his dialogue.

In the lead-up to our big season premiere (June 12th at 10:00 p.m. on SyFy, in case you were wondering), I thought I’d start the ball rolling with some insight into our actors, their characters, and the process by which they won their respective roles. First up, appropriately enough, is the character of ONE played by Marc Bendavid.

This was the casting breakdown that went out for the role:

“ONE:��AKA Hero, AKA Jace Corso. HANDSOME, BOYISH, GOOD-LOOKING. CHARMING BUT A BIT OF A GOOF, HE IS THE CREW’S MORAL CENTER, A GUY WHO ALWAYS TRIES TO DO THE RIGHT THING, despite the odds being stacked against him and no matter how unpopular the course of action. HE IS A SPACE COWBOY, A BIT OF A DAREDEVIL, AND THE CLOSEST THING TO A HERO ONBOARD THE SHIP. Sure, he screws up – but he means well.”

To which I added: “If it helps, in terms of character and tone, think of Ben Browder’s character (John Crichton) from Farscape.”

What I absolutely loved about Browder’s portrayal of��Crichton��was his everyman quality. ��I imagined viewers at home watching Farscape��thinking: “That could be me!” ��More often than not, he was way over his head, struggling to keep up with his far more seasoned crew mates but, at the end of the day, he was three very important things: heroic, funny, and incredibly charming.

Which is what I was looking for in the character of ONE. ��He was our unlikely hero, the fish out of water who, despite the odds stacked against, always managed to persevere – in amusing fashion. ��We wanted him to be principled, a little vulnerable and, possessed of a sense of humor. ��I’d often described him as the voice of reason, an individual driven “to do the right thing even though, at times, doing the right thing wasn’t necessarily the right thing to do.”

The casting process inevitably defies expectations. ��Roles you figure will be easy to cast prove exceptionally difficult while those you assumed will be a challenge END up being slam dunks. ��In the case of ONE, it was the former, not because we couldn’t find anyone for the part but because we had several worthy candidates, each of whom brought very different, equally interesting interpretations to the table.

But, in the end, one stood out above the rest. ��Marc Bendavid was talented, good looking, and funny. ��And he delivered that crucial vulnerability I was looking for in the character. ��I wanted our audience to sympathize with the rest of the crew, but empathize with ONE.

On set, Marc is soft spoken but incredibly focused. He is a true student of the craft, constantly considering and questioning his character’s motivation. He’s one of the kindest individuals I’ve ever had the good fortune to work with. And, when he’s not working, he’s an avid reader and gardener.

And a not so avid tweeter: https://twitter.com/marcbendavid

Tagged: Dark Matter, Dark Matter t.v., Marc Bendavid

May 7, 2015: Space Cat! Oh, and the rest of the Dark Matter cast!

A sneak peek at the��Dark Matter��season finale. ��In the final shot, the crew enters the bridge as this season’s mysterious Big Bad swivels around in the command chair to reveal their true identity: Space Cat!

See, this is the type of behind the scenes photos fans love. ��Actor Anthony Lemke (Dark Matter’s��THREE) eats an egg salad sandwich.

While actor Roger Cross (Dark Matter’s��SIX) enjoys his morning coffee. ��Try to take it away from him and THIS happens –

Meanwhile, back on the ship –

Someone forgot actress Jodelle Ferland (Dark Matter’s��FIVE) in the airlock!

Actor Alex Mallari Jr. (Dark Matter’s��FOUR) shuttles our special guest star back to her trailer between scenes.

Actor Marc Bendavid (Dark Matter’s��ONE) wants your coffee.

Actress Zoie Palmer (Dark Matter’s��Android) keeping Space Cat’s seat warm.

And, yes. ��Actress Melissa O’Neil (Dark Matter’s��TWO) also wants your coffee.

Tagged: Alex Mallari Jr., Anthony Lemke, Dark Matter, Dark Matter t.v., Jodelle Ferland, Marc Bendavid, Melissa O'Neil, Roger Cross, science fiction, Science Fiction Television, scifi, scifi television, SF, SF television, Zoie Palmer