Friday, March 24, 2006As much a gift as it is for a fan to get to see the inner workings of his favorite television show there is definitely a down side. I know, some of you have got to be saying 'Down side?? You brat!' But picture it this way: You're a cult fan of a magician, and he becomes aware of your interest and independent promotion. In exchange for your continued support he offers to show you around backstage. Simultaneously, he will unveil all of his tricks.
Spoils it, doesn't it? Well in terms of
Stargate the spoiling isn't that great a magnitude. You
know that Atlantis isn't in the
Pegasus Galaxy. You know that the settings for both Cheyenne Mountain Complex and the Ancient city are just feet away from each other. Still, it unravels some of the magic when you look at S.G.C.'s Level 27 elevator and can say to yourself, 'I know what's on the outside of that portion of the set -- Jan Newman's makeup stand.' Or to look into the ceiling of the Atlantis Gatrium and not find a portal into the bay of the Puddle Jumpers, but rather the high ceiling of Stage 6 and a plethora of lights.
Listen to me. I'm complaining.
Like last year, Friday is not as productive for GateWorld as Thursday. I'm not quite sure what it is about Fridays at The Bridge. It's almost like it's crunch time for the entire crew. It's 10 a.m. and already both shows are in full swing. SG-1 is dealing with [a familiar nemesis] in the briefing room, and Atlantis is shooting the teaser for "Irresistible" at the village stage.
Carole takes us over to see the teaser filmed. The village has been reconfigured since we saw it last year. The overpass is gone and almost every section of the entire set appears ready to represent an entirely different planet from the other. Brick houses, stone houses, wooden houses. It's even more spectacular than last year. Today it's a marketplace, and the Atlantis crew has just arrived. Extras, all adults minus one young man, have shown up in full force. Let's just say that Howard Stern would be very pleased with this cast.
Carole finds us a corner to stand and wait while they set up the shot. David Hewlett and Joe Flanigan are the first of the actors on set. Both are wearing their mission uniforms. David comes over and says hello, eager to catch up with us later in the day. Joe eventually comes over to great us as well. "We were just discussing polygamy," he says, stepping away from director Martin Wood.
Soon the Atlantis expedition will be meeting Richard Kind's character, an individual that sounds a little like a nasal Gilbert Gottfried -- completely unlike
Dr. Gary Meyers. Eventually Richard himself emerges onto the set. Kind is a much bigger man than I thought he would be. He is very tall, and looks as though he could clobber Darren.
The teaser is a pretty straightforward sequence, but even so -- when you add rehearsals and the various camera angles -- it takes about an hour to get just right. Martin Wood is extremely picky, and as far as I am concerned it is terrific that he is intent on getting it just the way he wants it.
After filming the teaser we are allowed a quick word with Mr. Wood. We take seats in a cafe area to discuss what he's up to. "It's a wonderfully comic episode," Wood says about "Irresistible." "I did
"Avenger 2.0" and
"The Other Guys." You do so much of the drama of science fiction that it's nice to be able to do the comedy episodes, too, and I have a really good time with it. It's nice to say 'cut' and have everyone laughing behind the camera."
After Martin we return to Stage 5. It is the funniest thing for me when we get upstairs and look into the monitors: Beau and Peter are coming
out of the elevator -- finally! It's very funny. The shot takes Landry and Barrett into the briefing room, where a full wall of monitors have been set up. It's like nothing we've seen in the briefing room before. Quite impressive.
While waiting in the wings of the stage I reintroduce myself to makeup artist Jan Newman. I first met Jan at Gatecon 2004, sitting next to her in the front row during Amanda, Michael and Chris's panel. Lovely woman. I made a point to run into her last year, and she remembered me then, but I'm not sure if she knows who I am now.
Others sure do, however. During a break in the action Amanda, Ben, Claudia and Beau emerge from the stage. We say our hellos to Beau, who is eager to unsnap his tie and take a break. Amanda goes over and grabs herself some chicken soup from a portable stand. Darren and I are on the opposite side of the room, but I eventually make my way over and wait until she gets done talking with a crew member.
Amanda Tapping has the best memory of any actor I have ever encountered. She
knows and
remembers her fans. She sees me and there isn't even a hello. She takes me into her arms and gives me a long hug. After a brief chat she goes over and does the same to Darren. We catch up with her and Ben for probably five minutes before they are called back into the scene. Same sequence, different angle. We remain for a few more minutes to watch.
Yesterday Rob Cooper finally finished directing "Sateda." He was out on-location shooting, but now we finally get some time with him. Rob's office is a lot like Brad's. He has a couple of absolutely gorgeous and comfortable black couches, and the room is adorned with all sorts of
Stargate stuff. (You might have caught it in the first SCI FI Lowdown -- Amanda was playing put-put golf in there.)
"I'm having a great time," Rob says in response to Darren's question of whether or not the executive is still having fun. "The directing has certainly been a great, invigorating aspect of my creative energies. But I still like writing the show. I still love the characters and I want to see it -- it's like reading a book, and why would you put it down before the end? In some ways I want to help tell the end of the story."
After more than a half hour with Rob we leave for lunch.
Stargate lunch ... It doesn't get much better than this.
To Be Continued ...
There are many certainties in my life. Here is Number 3:
The only person who doesn't say Thank You when I hold a door open for them is aways, regrettably, the most beautiful woman I will encounter that day.
David has been a member of GateWorld since early 2003. His interests
include Stargate, Battlestar Galactica, writing, and
multimedia. He is a DJ at a hometown radio station.
I've not had a chance to read any of the blogs here for a while so I'm pleased I've been able to catch up on all three of the set diaries in this one sitting. Thanks for sharing, I've enjoyed reading it all through and look forward to the rest.
*snicker* You've just come up with the perfect name for the new third SG series... Stargate: Lunch. "Next time on Stargate: Lunch, can the cafeteria team fix lunch in time for SG-1 to eat and suit up for their next mission?! Will they remember not to put any shell-fish in Srgt. Harriman's seafood salad?! Find out the answers to these and other earth-shaking questions on Food Nework's Sci-Fi Saturday morning!" Hope your lunch was fantastic.
SFgrl4Jesus