An almost perfect football day. Sadly, the Atlanta Falcons just came up short in their match-up against the 49ers. The second game of the double-header was doubly pleasing in that it not only offered up a Baltimore Ravens win, but a New England Patriots loss as well!
Thanks to Robert Cooper for hosting this afternoon’s festivities…
A good time was had by all. With the possible exception of any Atlanta Falcon or New England Patriot fans.
As we continue our trip down Stargate: Atlantis memory lane…
WHISPERS (507)
One of the many great things about working on Stargate was that you were essentially making a varied mini-movie each episode. One week, it would be a space opera, the next a scifi comedy, another week it cross over into fantasy and, yet another, it you could be doing a mystery. Or, in the case of Whispers, you’d be delving into the world of SF-Horror.
This particular episode presented a host of obstacles but the ever-awesome Will Waring was more than up for the challenge. First there was the issue of filming in the fog. The initial tests that saw us fogging up the entire Stage 5 (where stood the Atlantis gate room and control room) proved incredibly tricky. We needed to ensure the fog was thick enough for filming purposes but it would disperse too quickly in the cavernous room. Any thicker and it would make everyone sick. Ultimately, Production Designer James Robbins came up with the brilliant idea of erecting tents, limited/controlled areas that could be fogged up for the requisite scenes. This way, it was always a quick in and out for actors.
Another issue were those flares the team members needed to use to find their way in the dark and fog. We were informed that actual flares gave off a toxic residue. They were also a fire hazard. So it was James Robbins to the rescue again, pitching the idea of the chemical flare.
One of the more inspired solutions to a production issue came in the scene where Beckett leans up against a wall to catch his breath only to have one of the creature crawl along the wall toward him. This was achieved by building a duplicate portion of the wall and having actor Paul McGillion lie down atop it – but giving the impression he is leaning up against it. The creature then scuttle along beside him, seemingly defying gravity…
This was an incredibly demanding episode that saw every department step up. Props outdid themselves of course –
As did hair and make-up along with the prosthetics team –
The eye covering permitted only limited visibility – and the fact that the stunt performers were working in fog made their scenes all the more demanding.
A great guest cast for this one. In addition to Paul McGillion, the off-world team in this episode included Christina Cox, Nicole de Boer, Janina Gavankar, and Leela Savasta – all wonderfully talented and equally wonderful to work with.
Finally, while writing the script for this episode, I held a contest on this blog promising the winner I would name a character after them. The eventual winner, long time blog reader Kelly Hurt, requested I use the name “Anne Teldy” (her blog handle and a nod to her young niece) and, thus, Major Anne Teldy was born. Sadly, Kelly passed away last year following a brave battle with various health issues. I like to think that Major Teldy is still out there, exploring other worlds in memory of her.
I was on set for this entire episode so plenty of pics and vids in previous blog entries. If you’re interested…
Costume fittings, fog tents, and gun school: April 23, 2008: Whispers, Day 1
Stunts, Song of Fire and Iced, Creepy Well sequence: April 24, 2008: Whispers Day 2
Paul McGillion and co.: April 25, 2008: Whispers Day 3
Hopscotching, Christina Cox, and hair issues: April 26th, 2008: Whispers Day 4 and The Return of Author Jeffrey Ford
Catacombs and chocolate: April 28, 2008: Whispers Day 5
Fog, catacombs, Paul McGillion: April 29, 2008: On the set of Whispers
Story inspiration and production challenges: September 5, 2008: Whispers
Pics, vids, and a scene by scene breakdown: September 6, 2008: Whispers Breakdown, Part 1
More pics, vids and continuing that scene by scene breakdown: September 7, 2008: I Suffer a Field Injury, The Whispers Breakdown Part II, and Oodles of Pics and Vids
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