As expected, I spent most of the day in editing working on my producer’s cut of Broken Ties. I trimmed the Previously On segment, made some changes to the opening walk and talk, and was making good progress – until I was stymied by the conference room scene. I considered my options, tried to formulate a game plan, suggested playing part of the scene on Sheppard (which didn’t really work), tried to stay in the wide (which didn’t really work either), tried to stay off Woolsey’s right shoulder (which proved impossible). Eventually, I gave up and moved on, reasoning I’d probably have more success tomorrow because tomorrow is Tuesday and, historically, Tuesday’s have always been good editing days. I skipped the scene and forged ahead, putting back the reference to Sarif Sur, losing the foibles gag, adding head here, tail trimming there –
“Wait, Joe!”I can hear you shouting. “Back up! What the hell does adding head and tail trimming mean? Is it just me or do those sound like naughty euphemisms.” To answer your question – Yes, it’s just you. In the editing room, “head” refers to the head/top of a shot and when you “add head”, you are cutting in a little sooner, adding a few frames or seconds to the beginning of said shot. When you “trim the head”, you are doing the opposite, cutting in a little later, perhaps shaving a few seconds or frames off the top of that shot. Given the preceding explanation, it’s not that hard to figure out what “adding a little tail” or “tail trimming” means. When you “add tail“, you’re adding a few seconds or frames to the end of a shot (if, for instance, you want to linger on a reaction for another half-beat to really drive home the point). Alternately, when you “tail trim”, you are losing a couple of seconds or frames from the end of a shot (if, say, you feel we hang on a reaction too long). It may seem like small stuff, but you’d be amazed at how a couple of frames here and there can make the difference between a well-timed dramatic moment and a beat that just falls flat.
Anyway, I managed to almost reach the end of Act II before breaking for lunch, then made some headway into Act III (the parallel montage sequence proved trickier than I expected) before time ran out on me.
I returned to the production offices where director Pete Woeste and I did the dvd commentary for Kindred I, covering everything from the mispronunciation of the name “Caldwell” to Chris Judge‘s run-in with a fearsome deer. Oh, yeah, and we also talked about the episode. A big thank you to the office guy for organizing the session in Rob Cooper’s office which, I don’t mind admitting, is a hell of a lot closer than the Sharpe Sound studios in North Van.
Oh, I also found time to join with the other writers in giving Marty G. notes on the (still untitled) first part of the mid-season two-parter and watch half of Paul‘s producer‘s cut of The Seed before the dvd froze on us (Ah, the wonders of modern technology!). Between giving Alex notes on his revised version of Inquisition and reading Alan’s first draft of The Queen, I’ll no doubt be in editing all day tomorrow as well. But not before heading down to stage 5 for the new and improved creepy creature test.
Today’s pics: Carl and I enjoy a late-afternoon producer’s cut. Hey, kid! Build your own death trap!
Hey, lookit what I found! The mailbag –
PJ writes: “Do people get paid for doing DVD commentaries?”
Answer: We don’t.
Jeunas writes: “Any chance we could see Aris Boch ever again?”
Answer: Sorry, no plans to revisit Mr. Boch.
MysteryMadchen writes: “Is there any hope that we will get to see more of sheppard’s past in season 5?“
Answer: Possibly.
Dovil writes: “Now to be fair what about that time when I got caught in that rip tide and I asked you for advice? Because you did in fact tell me to go with the flow…”
Answer: Actually, I said “Hey, there’s J. Lo!” as I spotted the diva sunning herself not some twenty feet away. I apologize for the confusion.
Trevor writes: “Your first demand that I find examples of “the producers” telling fans to go with the flow is also taken out of context as that exact sentiment was attributed to both the producers and the “megafans” that post here hoping to silence the criticism in a din of praise and adulation.”
Answer: Ah, I totally misinterpreted your earlier statement. When you wrote: “Yeah, that’s usual lame response that megafans and often producers give when faced with criticism. “Oh, come on, just forget about it and go with the flow.”” I erroneously assumed you meant: “Yeah, that’s usual lame response that megafans and often producers give when faced with criticism. “Oh, come on, just forget about it and go with the flow.”” What the hell was I thinking?
Trevor also writes: “And please, try to move past the laughably baseless notion that “all opinions are equally valid” or that “my interpretation is just as right as yours”.
Answer: Ah, my mistake. Everyone is entitled to an opinion – but yours is just slightly better than everyone else’s. Happy?
Trevor also writes: “As for the assertion that Scifi didn’t demand Ben, well, you’re going to have to excuse me for thinking that’s bull. Rob Cooper’s interview pretty clearly states otherwise…”
Answer: Hey, feel free to interpret his words as you wish, but I’m quite clearly stating that “I was the one who suggested we cast Ben Browder”. No room for misinterpretation in that quote. But if you really feel that riled up about this issue and are seeking some kind of closure, then I urge you to question Rob about it.
Sally writes: “You’ve said that rob cooper is going to stop by and answer questions from fans concerning ‘ark of truth’, but is there a chance of brad wright doing the same for ‘continuum’?”
Answer: I could ask him when the time comes.
Wolf359 writes: “If you give Joe an opportunity to avoid the question, especially controversial ones, he’ll take it.”
Answer: Actually, I’ve already covered this particular topic (about a year and a half ago). Feel free to do a search and look up my response if you feel inclined to rehashing the subject. Otherwise, here‘s a novel idea: try not to be obnoxious or, in your case, post using one of various alternate screen names all hailing from the same IP address in Virginia.
SusantheTartanTurtle writes: “ Where are the ‘facilities’ on the puddlejumper?”
Answer: I believe I’ve already explained this. Okay. One more time. Whenever someone needs to go to the bathroom while in a puddle jumper, everyone else moves into the cockpit and the rear compartment is sealed for privacy. Then, when the individual has finished their business, they knock three times on bulkhead and hold on tight. The jumper’s back ramp is dropped, the rear compartment depressurized, and anything not nailed down is whisked away. The ramp is then raised, the internal pressure stabilized, and the journey continues. Simple, no? Much more problematic are the toilets on Atlantis which, unlike a lot of Ancient technology, cannot be initiated and can only be flushed by someone with the Ancient gene.
Rosie writes: “How’s that affect your Final Four bracket?”
Answer: Not looking too good, but I’ll know more tomorrow. I think I still have an outside shot provided Kansas upsets North Carolina and Memphis wins it all.
Ruffles writes: “Any chance on seeing Nancy or David Sheppard in S5?”
Answer: Nancy – quite possible. David – unlikely.
Inpa writes: “Oh and any word on the bloopers yet?”
Answer: There is one final stumbling block that hopefully will be dealt with before day’s end. Otherwise, Ivon and I will just re-enact them for you.
Tba writes: “1) What happened to the Wraith’s ability to regenerate from bullet impacts very fast, and to create hallucinations? 2) When you are writing a script, at which point in the story you usually begin writing? Beginning, middle, end, or does that differ each time?
3) What’s the general direction s5 is heading? (i.e. in s4 it was allying with the wraith to fight a common enemy, the asurans) 4) Any Traveler or Genii stories in s5?”
Answers: 1) They are still capable of regenerating, but we’re using different ordnance. They’re also still capable of creating hallucinations. 2) Always at the beginning. 3) S5 will focus on the changes in a post-Wraith ascendant Pegasus Galaxy. 4) We’ll be seeing the Travelers again. As for the Genii…their presence will be felt as well.
Shirt ’n Tie writes: “Any news on Lt Col Anne Teldy?”
Answer: Still waiting for word on MAJOR Teldy. Oh, and I can no longer recommend C Restaurant. I’d advise taking it off your “to visit” list.
Anais33 a ecrit: “1)Il est prévu que vous commentiez combient d’épisode de la saison 4 dans les dvd? 2)Aimez vous le catch?”
Responses: 1) Seulement les trois episodes que j’ai ecrit. 2) C’est quoi le “catch”?
Cherish4 writes: “Do you know if any of the Atlantis Cast Members are taking part in the Episode Commentaries for the Season 4 DVD Boxset?”
Answer: To the best of my knowledge, no actors will be taking part in the episode commentaries for the show’s fourth season.
Rebekah writes: “How is the decision made who among your recurring characters get added as regular cast members?”
Answer: That’s a decision made by the producer and it’s based on the screen time a character is expected to see. In Jewel’s case, for instance, we envisioned more screen time for Keller and, after her first season on the show, promoted her to regular. Michael, on the other hand, is not a character we envision appearing in more than a handful of episodes and, so, will remain a guest star.
Light writes: “I’d like to encourage people to forego ordering from amazon if possible, in light of their strong-arm tactics against print-on-demand publishers…”
Answer: Thanks for the link. What would you suggest as an alternative to Amazon for my online shopping? Barnes & Noble? Yes? No?
MajorSal writes: “argh, i’m really coming off anti mitchell and i’m not!”
Answer: Hey, it‘s obvious that a lot of Carter fans feel the same way and you have every right to express your frustration for what you perceive as a sleight to your favorite character. And, quite frankly, even if you were anti-Mitchell, I’d approve your posts so long as you made your case in a respectful manner.
Suse writes: “You seemed to have missed the bit where he did ask “like an adult” and was ignored.”
Answer: Actually, if you’ll refer to the first post, it was only slightly less obnoxious.
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