Today, we interviewed some great Directors of Photography, talked cameras, shooting style, pre-lighting, then sat down with our stunt coordinator and discussed how our characters’ varied personalities are displayed in their respective fighting styles. After lunch, we visited the art department where the gang had a bunch of goodies awaiting our perusal: designs of the ship corridors, quarters, mess hall, air locks, training room, and bridge. It’s all coming along nicely. Tonight, it’s dinner with Brad Wright. Tomorrow, we sit down with the director of our opening two episodes – and, maybe, in honor of Carl Binder, dinner with our script coordinator at his favorite Toronto restaurant.
Fielding some of your early show-related questions…
arcticgoddess writes: “Since your team is writing scripts a year in advance, what happens if one or more of your actor choices go awry and do not work for your series?”
Answer: This is a very serialized show, so we’re approaching the 13 episode first season as an extended mini-series. We’re not writing the scripts a year in advance but will have all 13 scripts completed by November – roughly a month a half before the commencement of principal photography – so that we can plan ahead and make the most efficient use of our time and resources. It also allows us to make adjustments to any of the scripts early, for whatever reason, rather than have to scramble and make last-minute changes that compromise the story.
Bailey writes: “Sometimes actor chemistry just changes things on a show and can’t be predicted.”
Answer: True but, like I said, we know the story we want to tell, but can certainly make adjustments to the various character relations based on performance and onscreen chemistry. I liken it to adapting a book. You need to be flexible enough to make necessary changes but you’re not going to overhaul the entire script.
Line Noise writes: “So is there a ready-made production company for you to use in Toronto? Or did you have to build your own? You seem to already have a production team and art department on tap so I assume they come with the studio?”
Answer: Yes, we’re working with a production company here in Toronto. Over the course of the past couple of days, we met all the department heads and they’re a great bunch. We’re really looking forward to working with them.
It’s time to play Guess the Show by the Teefury t-shirt!
P.S. Under the terms of the deal as this blog’s resident film critic, Cookie Monster is sitting through Kick-Ass 2. You can expect an angry review within the next few days. Screen the movie if you have time and want to commiserate!
Thanks for answering my question.
Nice T-shirts. I have no idea what shows they represent. However, I must say that your workout regime is very effective. You look great!
Well, “Kick-ass” 1 was a lot better! 😉
Say hi to Brad for us!
Thanks for the Q&A – as you know we always like the background info. I did have another question (that’s only tangentially related) but you can wait until the next mailbag – what’s your feeling on the CRTC hearings about “de-bundling” cable? A recent article on CBC (http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/u-s-tv-networks-may-abandon-unbundled-canadian-cable-for-online-1.2791568) was talking about how the US networks are threatening to remove their shows from Canadian channels if that happens and only provide content via streaming. What do you think would happen to Canadian channels and specifically, would it impact your production? I have to admit, I don’t think it’s ever going to happen, so hardly a worry. (I realize this all probably makes no sense to US readers!)
I’m going in search of KA2 right now!
I like that Dark Matter is still at the top of you “stuff I’ve worked on” sidebar.
And I agree with articgoddess, you’re looking slim and trim! And after all that vacation eating. I envy your metabolism.
Hmm, Fighting imps, Game of Thrones>?
Glad to hear things are going well for you at the new job. Looking forward to the big reveal. Are there cool space suits involved and where is the bathroom?? lol.
Exciting times!
Joey, you need to come to Jersey so I can fatten you up! 😀
das
“After lunch, we visited the art department where the gang had a bunch of goodies awaiting our perusal:…”
Well I bet all those designs were really cool, but I admit, I was expecting you to say, …brownies, cookies, doughnuts, chocolate, cakes. You have me brainwashed to think food, namely dessert.
I agree with Das. Joe you should eat more. You want one of my casserole recipes? 😉
Thanks for answering the questions! Hope all comes together in fine fashion!
You must have a supersonic metabolism to stay so thin!
Ugh, not a big fan of meetings but I hope they all go great for ya!
I used to check teefury every day. I have many shirts from there. And then they stopped having artistic shirts entirely and every other one was a Dr. Who reference and I realized they were almost all now designs that I wouldn’t mind on a magnet or something but don’t have any desire to wear.
You’ve mentioned talking about cameras. Do you know already which one it will be? A lot of cinematographers seem to prefer the Arri Alexa because of it’s film-like look. But that camera’s max. resolution is 2.8k meaning everything shot with it will forever be stuck at Full-HD resolution basically. I’m really hoping you will be using a camera like the Red Epic or Sony F-65 and finish your show at 4k, so that it will be future proof. I’m still sad that the first 6 or 7 seasons of Stargate SG-1 will propably never come out on Blu-Ray because the effects were finished at a low resolution only. I just can’t bring myself to watch DVDs anymore. They just look to bad.
Will you have a single DoP for the whole season or will you change between episodes?
Did you shop around for a production company or did you already have this company in mind or were you forced to use it by the people bankrolling the production?
Do all my questions turn into multiple choice or is it just the natural Australian need to try to answer questions within the question itself?
I’ve got no idea about the T-Shirts. The second one does seem to be a Game Of Thrones reference but I don’t understand it.
Hi Joe,
a while back you wrote that you cant disclose any information about the new serie you are working on because of the lawers who need to do some work.
Does that mean that the show still can be canceled before it even aired?
if so what would happen with the show, can you sell it to another network or are the rights allready with the current network witch would make it impossible to air it on a different network?
allso, do you still get paid for the work you have done or is that a risk you take when starting on a new show? (something like no cure no pay)
on a side note, will it be broadcast in Europe as well?
With kind regards
Jasper
The netherlands
@ Ponytail – Let’s face it – Joey has worms. 😛
das
@Tonight, it’s dinner with Brad Wright.
Who is easily one of the best Science fiction writers around. I genuinely don’t think I’ve seen a bad episode from him. Okay Earth was kinda meh, but everything else he nailed perfectly.
@Does that mean that the show still can be canceled before it even aired?
LOL don’t jinx him.
Das: 😆
I am so bad at the guessing t-shirt game. I don’t recognize either.
Wait – wait, did I miss something? Rob is back in Vancouver and he helped write the new show scripts. You just had dinner with Brad there in Toronto. Is the old band getting together for Dark Matters?
Please correct me if I misunderstand, oh, and safe flying!
2cats