GateWorld: What was the creative genesis for this story idea? Did the project start with the idea itself, or with the desire to do something and the specific story came later in the brainstorming process?
Mark Savela: The genesis really started with a story to tell and a really good time to tell it. I came up with the general premise for the show, the backdrop, the characters. I then approached Ken Kabatoff to write the pilot script with me. We broke down the pilot, where it was going and went so much further into the potential for a series. We saw right away that there wasn’t just a great idea for a pilot, we saw it truly was a great idea for an ongoing series as well. Ken did so much of the heavy lifting for the script and we just fell in love with the characters right away, they were so rich, so multi-dimensional.
We then approached our producing partners (Andrew Karr, owner of Atmosphere VFX, and Craig VandenBiggelaar, owner of Darkroom Digital) to see if it could be done. We then got the location we were writing for (the Watchmen set in Vancouver) on a certain date and we basically had two weeks to pull it all together.
What we did was shoot four adapted scenes (because of time constraints and location) from the pilot script. We really wanted to show the versatility and range of the show so we picked four very different scenes in terms of tone. We sent out the the teaser and Act 1 of the pilot to the cast and crew we wanted involved and were just overwhelmed by the response to the script. A lot of people got on board right away based on the strength of initial tease and first act. Mike Dopud, Victoria Pratt and Lochlyn Munroe fly up from L.A. to come play with us for the weekend. That was incredible. I’m sure you’ve heard the Mike story already — I could never say enough about the guy, he is incredible.
GW: What have you and your team learned on Stargate that you are ready to put into practice on your own series?
MS: I think one of the things Stargate was amazing at was having such an amazing, well run production. When you work with Brad Wright, Robert Cooper, Carl Binder, John Lenic, Joe Mallozzi and Paul Mullie for so long you learn a lot about how a great show is run. It’s one of the things we really tried so hard to do, because everyone was volunteering their time, was make the shoot fun and have it be well run. There was such a family atmosphere to the shoot, to the whole production in general. Everyone walked away and said they had a really good time and really enjoyed the shoot, and that was so important to us.
We (the four producers) were living and breathing this project day in, day out. We would text, call, e-mail each other 24 hours a day. It was easy to forget that not everyone was doing that. People were working and had paying gigs and were working in their spare time to help us out. It really was a testament to how amazing the film community is here in Vancouver. Everyone worked so hard so we had to have a well run, professional, fun shoot. It definitely was something we took from Stargate.
GW: Where do you hope the series would end up? Would Syfy Channel be your ideal broadcaster?
MS: It’s really hard to pinpoint a preferred destination for the series. We would hope that we would team up with a broadcaster who would support the show, see the vision of the show, see it’s potential. I think it’s kind of like a “soul mate” thing. I think we’ll just know when we talk to the right people. We are open to any broadcaster/network. We just want people to be able to get a chance to see the show and see the stories we are ready to create.
We have had some successful initial talks and people seem to “get” it right away which I think shows the strength of the premise and the vision we have for the series, so we shall see.
GW: Also, are you planning to release the promo piece to viewers online when it is complete, in addition to showing it to networks?
MS: We will definitely be releasing something in some form online for the fans. We are planning on finishing the four scenes completely (VFX, CC, sound mix, score), which is a perfect companion for the scripts for the first two episodes. We are also in the process of cutting a more trailer-like sequence that we will release. It’s going to be very cool, very dynamic. I think it will really show the tone and style of the show.
We also have a lot of behind the scenes interviews with the cast and crew that we are cutting together. It really shows how people got involved with the project and how much they believe in it and their commitment. So, we do have a lot of material so far. We just can’t wait for people to see it.
Jennifer Spence = YES! I love her as Park.. I just hope SyFy doesn’t pick it up
YES! This sounds great Spence & *Dopud* mmmm and scifi. Really hope this will fly! Does sound good
Just need to air it on a channel that isn’t named “SyFy”, and i’ll watch.
Not gonna follow anything SyFy has to offer from now on, other than Eureka. After that inevitably get’s cancelled by the SyFy execs, i’m done with SyFy for good.
But… Mike Dopud in a lead role series, does sound interesting. I’ve enjoyed every appearance he’s made in Stargate (SG1, SGA and now SGU).
*Crosses fingers, hoping that BBC America funds it*
Lets face facts. SyFy doesn’t give a sh*t about sci-fi. However, BBC have been doing succesful sci-fi for years (Doctor Who). Come on BBC!!! Make the americans proud, like you have done with the British all these years!
Hey! I object to the statement that Australia is little fish trapped between the superpowers!!!
However, this does sound like a very cool concept :) and I hope they fire Brian K Smith because he’s a great actor. He was one of the standouts for me in SGU.
This looks pretty good. Jennifer Spence ( park ) stood out for me amongst the crowd of secondary characters in SGU. I’ll have to keep an eye out for this.
Interesting concept as well. SGU handled aliens and different civlisations very well. I’m curious to see how ‘Echoes’ would do it.
I love this idea even if SyFy picks it up I will watch it but I would rather BBC America or someone else.
@scribe31oz its Brian J Smith not Brian K Smith
Oh great, more montages of people crying in the dark.
I’m in the same boat as many others. Other than anything Battlestar or Stargate related, the last shows I watch on SyFy are Eureka, Warehouse 13 and Sanctuary.
Concept sounds interesting. Reminds me of a real-time strategy game that came out a couple years back, can’t remember the name, but it had the same story where humans were pitted in between two warring alien races. It was made by Petroglyph I think. I think this would do well on a network like TNT or AMC (airing as a lead-in/lead-out to The Walking Dead).
Universe at war: earth assult?
As an Australian I find that offensive
Sounds like Starcraft instead of it being set on earth. Terrans somehow got in between the war with Protoss and Zergs and blah blah blah :D
I’ll keep an eye out for “Echoes”. I hope it airs on a network other than SyFy.
If it is indeed supposed to be set in Australia, then the cars in the pics are all wrong. The drivers seat is on the wrong side (should be right not left side)
Looks great!
I would TOTALLY watch this! I hope it gets picked up!
I’m rather excited about this. Sadened that it is likely destined for SyFy who won’t give it a fair chance… and will cancel it just as it gets REALLY interesting.
This sounds interesting and I love the enthusiasm the creators are approaching it with. Don’t think anyone needs to worry it’ll be picked up by SyFy.It’s too SF for them.TNT has Spielberg’s $4 mill. per episode Falling Skies coming up,so I now they won’t be interested. But BBC,AMC,Starz…could happen.I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for this one. I don’t know why Australians find themselves so offended by that example,if USA and China would decide to fight it out in Australia,what else could they be but collateral damage?Besides we all know that the collaterals in the middle will win in… Read more »
Maybe TNT will pick it up and pair it with Spielbergs “Falling Skies” alien invasion series – assuming it gets more than its first 10 episodes.
I agree with the anti SyFy sentiment. SyFy will probably change its name again to something like IMAGINE (playing off its Imagine Greater motto). Though I cant “imagine” I will watch any new series on SYFY again. Though Stargate suffered from some self inflicted wounds of late SyFy did what it could to help exterminate the last vestiges of the franchise.
Hrm, could be good – depends though, the alien designs in these things leave a lot to be desired and usually use overdone tropes (reptillians, insectoids, arachnids, humanoids ect) – if they can make some INTERESTING looking aliens for once and pair that with solid-story telling – then ill definitly watch.
I agree with others on it NOT being on syfy though. It would only last a season and get cancelled.
Wow, best idea for a new show I’ve heard in a long while. Although to be frank, at this stage, I’d be happy to have any new actual sci-fi show, without horrid phrases like “supernatural abilities”, “vampires”, “ghosts” or “reality TV” being mentioned.
I do particularly like the premise for the show though, aliens v. aliens rather than the usual aliens v. humans, sounds creative. What I think I always most loved about Stargate was the massive “background universe” developed throughout the series. This show sounds like it might have the opportunity to do the same.
[…] breaks. In the meantime, you can read more about Echoes in 2011 interviews with Mark Savela over at GateWorld and SciFiAndTvTalk. You can also follow Echoes on Facebook. Posted in Echoes | Tagged […]