Joseph Mallozzi's Blog, page 401

November 26, 2014: Welcome to the Gun Show – Part II!

Prep continues on Dark Matter!  The other day, we had our follow-up gun meeting as we move toward arming our kick-ass crew.  It’s a dangerous galaxy out there!

The base model for the weapon of choice the Ferrous Corp soldiers (corporate guards) will be carrying.  Each corporation (Ferrous Corp, The Mikkei Combine, Traugott, Volkov-Rusi) will have a different color scheme – basic black with color elements and corporate emblems – reflected in their gear and guns.

Suggested changes – in addition to the aforementioned color schemes – including a build on the stalk and chunking out and squaring of the barrel for more heft.

The base model for One and Four’s sidearms.  Something simple for both as One is not a gun enthusiast while Four’s weapon of choice is the katana.  Comes with a detachable light source.

Alterations include the addition of a side scope.

The base model for Two’s gun.  I wanted something sleek and easy to handle. Alterations to this one will include losing the top.

And refashioning the barrel.  She would sport two, one in each hip holster, for balance.

The model for Three’s big-ass gun (Bubba).  Pretty damn big!  He’ll lug this one around – in emergency cases – but will otherwise rely on his sidearm (Lulu).

And the base model for Six’s weapon of choice  = the sawed-off shotgun which will fit snugly in the holster strapped to his back.  All he’ll have to do is reach up over his shoulder for a quick unslinging and he’ll be ready to rock.

And presenting the man behind the firepower, our resident arms dealer and gun aficionado: Jason Ehl.

Tagged: Dark Matter, Science Fiction Television, scifi television, SF television

November 25, 2014: Akemi opining, Snow Monkeys winning, doggies relaxing!

“Tastes like old man who likes pachinko.”

- Akemi on the smoked trout I picked up last weekend.

Well look at which team is sitting in second place in our fantasy football League of Accommodation.  Yep, my Snow Monkeys, on the strength of a close-shave two-point victory this past weekend, wrapped up a playoff spot and are gunning for the #1 seed heading into this final weekend.  Stargate SG-1/Atlantis/Universe guest star Thobias Slezak’s Mighty Merkins also snagged a playoff berth as did longtime Stargate Executive Producer Robert Cooper’s Landsharks and former Stargate script coordinator Lawren-Bancroft Wilson’s Fighting Hyphens.  Our buddy Ivon’s team, The Running Dead, hope a win will secure him on of the final spots.  Sadly, Stargate VFX Supervisor Mark Savela’s Savela Skitterers and Orphan Black writer-producer Alex Levine (last year’s champ) are out of the running this year.

Yeah! Playoffs, baby!

A couple of weeks ago we were at a pet shop looking for new doggy beds when I came across one I thought the dogs would love.  Akemi thought I was crazy, insisting the beds were too small.  And they are.  But that’s exactly why I knew my dogs would love ‘em.  Bubba enjoys nestling into the laundry hamper so I just knew he’d take a liking to my purchase.  And I was right!

Kinda squishy

Lulu, on the other hand – well, there’s no telling how she’ll make use of her dog bed…

November 24, 2014: Introducing Dark Matter Set Designer Doug Slater!

Look!  It’s a scifi fan!

I love working with talented people.  Pleasant talented people?  Even better.  Pleasant talented people who also happen to be scifi fans?  Best of all!  Such is the case with Dark Matter Set Designer Doug Slater.  He’s a good guy, great at what he does, AND loves SF.  And his love for the genre is clearly evident in his work. When the time comes, I’ll show you a couple of the video 3D walk-thrus he did of our bridge set.  And he’s currently working on a video 3D walk-thru of the entire ship!  That, like the man himself, is all kinds of awesome.

Doug contemplates life.  And ship layouts.

Taking a stroll through The Raza

Click on the pic below for a sneak peek at Doug’s work-in-progress – the bridge of The Raza:

Then check out some of Doug’s previous work here: http://slatersetdesign.com

You can follow him on twitter: https://twitter.com/@slugore

Or listen to his rambling podcast here: http://slugisdoug.wordpress.com

And this one in which he engages hapless telemarketers.  Baron Destructo would be proud!  http://dougvsthephone.wordpress.com

November 23, 2014: News of Note!

Why do Japanese people hate root beer?  http://en.rocketnews24.com/2014/11/21/why-almost-all-japanese-people-hate-root-beer/

But, on the other hand, they do seem to LOVE their tomato/cherry and carrot/orange ice creams:  http://www.tsunagujapan.com/40-haagen-dazs-flavors-only-sold-in-japan/

Polish lawmakers take stand against pantsless “hermaphrodite” I used to spend time all the time in my younger years: http://www.vanityfair.com/vf-hollywood/2014/11/winnie-the-pooh-hermaphrodite

13 character posters for the upcoming live-action Attack on Titan movie: http://www.toplessrobot.com/2014/11/13_character_posters_for_live-action_attack_on_tit.php

Mmmmm.  21 Truly Upsetting Vintage Food Advertisements: http://www.buzzfeed.com/rachelysanders/upsetting-vintage-food-advertisements

6 Movies That Got Banned by Countries for Hilarious Reasons: http://www.cracked.com/article_21726_6-movies-that-got-banned-by-countries-hilarious-reasons.html

November 22, 2014: Akemi’s inspired creations!

“This tea tastes like the bitter sweat from a salaryman’s collar.”

- Akemi, the other day, on the green tea she was served at a hotel restaurant.

So it’s come to this.  Bubba is now an unwitting model for Akemi’s inspired creations.  Here a simple towel transforms him into a cross-special Princess Leia.

Keeping with the Star Wars theme, here is Bubba again, this time doing his best ewok imitation (hat courtesy of Akemi and her knitting skills).

Check out Lulu’s “Why are you doing this to me?” look.

I feel kind of sorry for the dogs but Akemi insist they actually enjoy dressing up.  They LOVE it!

Fortunately, Akemi’s creativity isn’t limited to the dogs.  Check out the bento box she prepared for this past Wednesday’s breakfast.  Kawaii, ne?

So, what inspired/creative thing have YOU done of late?

November 21, 2014: The New York Play By Play!

5:00 a.m.: I wake up so early that not even the dogs will get out of bed and join me.

6:15 a.m.: I catch a cab to the airport with my fellow Executive Producer Paul Mullie.  As we pull away from the curb, I lament the fact that the production office didn’t drop off my car last night (off getting winter tires) because my hat is in the back seat and I fear I may need it in New York.

7:00 a.m.: At the airport, meet up with fellow Executive Producer Jay Firestone who has packed his tux in one of his carry-on suitcases because he’ll be staying in New York for the International Emmys.  (Note: I didn’t even know there was such a thing.)

 7:30 a.m.: Our flight departs for Toronto.  When Jay mentioned we’d be flying in a “prop plane”, my mind immediately went to the “prop guns” and “prop gadgets” we used to build on Stargate, reasonable facsimiles of the real thing.  I imagined the airline buying one of these phoney planes from a production and retrofitting it with an actual working engine.  Beats having to build a real one from scratch!  But, alas, Paul disabused me of the notion by informing me that “prop” is actually short for “propellor” – which didn’t make me feel any better.  Since it was my first time flying one of these things, I got to swing the propellor to start the engine while, inside the cockpit, the pilot shouted: “Contact!” letting me know I had less than thirty seconds to scramble aboard before the plane took off.  Enroute, we dusted some crops!

The east coat is a veritable winter wonderland!

We flew into Newark Airport and, from there, it was smoooooth sailing into New York City.  So smooth, in fact, that we arrived half an hour early for our meeting. We informed the front desk at 30 Rock.  They told us to beat it.

Check it out!  They’re working on the big Christmas tree!

11:00 a.m.: After going out for coffee and chapstick, we returned to 30 Rock, met up with fellow Executive Producer Vanessa Piazza, then headed up to the SyFy offices where we met up with our long-time favorite SyFy Exec (and longtime Stargate fan and supporter) Executive VP of Programming and Original Movies for SyFy and Chiller Tom Vitale!  We also met our Dark Matter point person at the network, Senior VP of Programming Chris Regina who struck me as both super nice and super sharp.  And he’s also a fellow foodie and fantasy football enthusiast!

We chatted about the show for an hour and then headed off for a lunch of lamb burgers and polenta fries at Bolud Sud.

2:00 p.m.: With approximately two hours to kill before our meeting with SyFy Marketing, we accompanied Vanessa to the Nike Store where she spent approximately 90 minutes browsing and trying stuff on including a pair of running shoes that apparently light up under headlights – and camera flashes.  I put ‘em to the test -

Yep!

Apparently, 90 minutes wasn’t enough time for Vanessa so she set some items aside for a post-meeting perusal, and we headed back to 30 Rock for our meeting with the Marketing team.

4:00 p.m.: I pitched our show: the opener, the themes, nature vs. nurture, redemption, twists, turns!  Paul backed me up.  Jay delved into marketing and licensing.  Vanessa fielded questions related to production and scheduling.  I think it went over well.  Nobody left the room or fell asleep while I was speaking (always a good sign).

5:00 p.m.: Paul and I leave and spend the next 30 minutes trying to hail a cab. We eventually succeeded and spent over an hour in gridlock. finally arriving at the airport an hour before our scheduled departure.

I had time to grab this not-so-delicious $12 sandwich.

11:00 p.m.: By the time we arrive, go through customs, catch a cab, and get in – I take a shower and crawl into bed thoroughly exhausted.  Then remember I have a blog to update.

Tagged: Dark Matter, New York

November 19, 2014: Introducing Dark Matter Art Director Kim Zaharko!

One of the most notoriously elusive member of the Dark Matter production team is Kim Zaharko.  For days, rumors abounded of a supremely talented Art Director frequenting the lower offices, coordinating the design and construction of our awesome sets.  There had been sightings but no visual confirmations.  Intrigued, I set out to get photographic proof of her existence.  After numerous failed attempts, I was finally able to snap the above pic during an Art Department meeting which I attended, disguised as an innocuous photocopier.  Note the discerning eyes for detail, the tell-tale look of seasoned professionalism, the the keen sense of fashion!

Now note her exceptional handiwork…

Coming along nicely, no?

Tomorrow, I’m New York-bound for the day.  Out at 6:00 a.m.; back at 11:00 p.m! I’m tired already.

Tagged: Dark Matter

November 19, 2014: Introducing Dark Matter Production Designer Ian Brock!

The first time I’d ever heard about Production Designer Ian Brock was several months ago when I was having dinner with a fellow producer.  We were discussing production challenges and the benefits of hiring talented people capable of making efficient use of often limited resources when my dining companion suddenly sat back and informed me: “Ian Brock!  He’s a genius!”.

Genius?  “That’s a mighty big word,”I remember thinking.  According to my associate, he was not only incredibly good at production design, he was incredibly good at production design without going over budget.  “But GENIUS?”I asked.

“His work,”I was assured, “is efficient but visually stunning.”

And that’s something I can now personally attest to.  With the help of his Art Department team and the construction department, Ian’s vision for our ship, The Raza, is rapidly taking shape.  And it’s looking mighty awesome…

Ian heads up the Art Department meeting

Photo c/o (stolen from) Trevor Finn.

Yep.  Genius!

Tagged: Dark Matter

November 18, 2014: Notes! Notes! And notes!

Executive Producer Jay Firestone has had it up to HERE with us.

Today, Paul and I sat down with fellow Dark Matter Executive Producer (and President of Prodigy Pictures) Jay Firestone for a marathon notes session.  Well, it was only three scripts, so not so much a marathon as it was, say, a 5k sustained jog through episodes #101 through #103.  And, I’m pleased to report, a good time was had by all.  Oh, sure, there were a few disagreements.  A couple of impassioned arguments.  And, at one point, (apparently) I almost jumped out of my seat.  But, in the end, it was a productive meeting and I have no doubt that all three scripts will be the better for it.  Jay flagged some murky moments in need of clarification, had some great suggestions related to character motivations, relationships, and arcs, and even offered up some pretty good dialogue tweaks.  No absurd requests or annoyingly illogical proposals or demands for reams of exposition to ensure that even a trained chimp can follow the story.

If all of our future notes sessions go this smoothly, I may actually look forward to attending them – instead of hiding under my desk and hoping people will simply lose interest and move on to more pressing matters.

Tomorrow = round #2 (eposes #104 to #106)!

Tagged: Dark Matter, Dark Matter Executive Producer, Executive Producer Jay Firestone, Jay Firestone, President of Prodigy Pictures

November 17, 2014: Welcome to the gun (sword and miscellaneous weapons) show!

My writing partner, Paul, got in yesterday for what should be a big week.  We’ve got budget meetings tomorrow, script meetings with Jay Tuesday and Wednesday, and a whirlwind trip to the SyFy offices in New York that will see us flying out early Friday morning and flying back later that night.  Today, we sat down with (well, actually, we all stood but you know what I mean) the Art Department, Costumes, and Props.  In the case of the latter, it was all about the guns, guns, guns!  And some swords and miscellaneous weaponry…

A veritable smorgasbord of firepower!

So we’re looking to use replicas of established guns as the base models for the futuristic sidearms and ordnance our crew – and everyone from Galactic Authority officers to Corporate Guards – will be packing.  Both Three and Six will wield big-ass guns and carry chunky holstered handgun variants (something along the lines of what you see bottom left).  One, Two and Four will go with sleeker shooters.  Holster options range from hip and leg to shoulder and back.

Yo, Slashy McStabberson!

Apparently the longer swords are your go-to blades if you’re looking to decapitate someone – but you already knew that.  Four, our resident swordsman, would be adept with all four sheathed varieties – so we’ll keep all four in his quarters so that he can always have a choice.

And this lovely medieval pruning knife can be yours…if the price is right!

The ship’s training room will house a variety of weapons, from simple training staffs to more exotic blades.  Here, Property Master Victoria Klein shows off a little something from her personal collection.

Trevor gets mouthy with Alison.  She responds in kind.

Our Props Buyer’s (Susan Woorts) shopping list will include: milk, eggs, cheese, and a half dozen fresh Berettas.

Testing Alison’s reflexes.  Her rubber training sword is no match for my steel!

And you thought today was fun!  I can’t wait for tomorrow’s two hour script note session!

Tagged: Dark Matter, science fiction, Science Fiction Television, scifi, scifi television, SF, SF television