We’re three days out from the start of production on Dark Matter – and things seem to be moving along quite nicely. I mean, it’s still very early and I’m sure we’ll encounter a few bumps along the way but, right now, everyone is feeling really good about where things stand and what lies ahead. I have to say, it’s soooo much easier when you work with people who are not only good at what they do, but also genuinely fun to work with. As I’ve already mentioned, the vibe is reminiscent of Stargate – very positive, very confident, and very supportive.
This morning, Paul and I went on our daily walkabout of the standing sets: bridge, infirmary, underbelly, mess, training room, airlocks, quarters, and corridors. The lights are in, the monitors are up, and the screens are on.
Back in the (Stargate) day, this is what we used to refer to as a BLU –
Blinky Light Unit.
Afterwards, I finished my second pass on episode #112 and sent it Paul’s way, then jumped on the blue pages for episodes #101 and #102. Only small adjustments at this point: dialogue tweaks, losing the montage, and swapping out the description of the shuttle launch (replacing the retracting shell with a sliding bay door drop).
Stopped by the costumes department today to talk hair (head and facial) with actor Alex Mallari Jr. (aka FOUR) who was in for a costume fitting. While there, I spoke to our costume designer, the lovely Noreen Landry, about the Ferrous Corp. guard armor. We’ve envisioned a future where colonization of space has been spearheaded by multi-corps, major intergalactic players with the money and the resources to seek out new worlds. Oh sure, there are a few independent colonies out there (the Principality of Zairon and the Republic of Pyr come to mind) but, aside from the autonomous space stations and GA (Galactic Authority) outposts, much of colonized space is run by one of the major multi-planetaries:
Ferrous Corp
The Mikkei Combine
Volkov-Rusov Industries
Traugott Corp
And others we’ll get to know as the series unfolds.
Of course policing and protecting their territory requires some heavy, heavy muscle in the form of cruisers, destroyers, shuttles and, of course, soldiers (aka “corporate guard”). We’re trying to give each multi-planetary a unique look, from the corporate logos to color schemes. In the case of Ferrous Corp., we’re looking at red accents in the armour – and guns…
We will, of course, weather it down a bit to suggest some wear and tear.
And finally…
This afternoon, we had our production meeting – our final big conference in advance of Production Day #1 – attended by 30+. Brandon Tataryn, our 1st AD, took us through both scripts, setting a torrid pace that saw us finish in about an impressive hour and a half!
Tomorrow, it’s all hands on deck for the hair/make-up/camera tests, the cast read-thru, the tone meeting, and the cast dinner! I’m going to get soooooooooo drunk…
That many people in a room looks stressful. Eek!
That carpet you stole will look good in that first picture.
Make sure someone gets a video of you “soooooooooo drunk”!
So excited for you, the cast, the crew, all the prep work to get this off the ground is almost done! Can’t wait to see it on the small screen!
It all seems so overwhelming. I don’t know how you do it.
Could you get a picture of Alex Mallari Jr. hanging around costumes or make-up? Will he be the only “wigged” one? He is very nice looking… He looks perfect for the part. Good job Joe!
Of course, you know that we are all here if you need to consult with us about those needed dialogue tweaks, costume decisions, color schemes, etc. We are experienced, opinionated sci-fi watchers. We can’t help it. Oops, I mean, we can help.
Oh, and, don’t drink and drive!!! Anyone! I don’t want to see a,,, “In memory of,,,” at the end of your first show.
How about a darker red? That red on the gun looks…cheesy. It’s like…Toys R Us red. I’m thinking a darker – or perhaps a more metallic – red would be better. You need badass red on a gun. Maybe like a blood red, or even darker, like garnet. Heck, even shiny fire engine red would be better. Granted, it may just be the quality of the picture, but that red just looks too… PINK!
AAAAAANNNNND doncha just love it when I throw my 2 pennies in? And this is just about a paint job. Just wait and see what happens if you start killing off my favorite characters…
😉
das
Getting close…I can’t wait! It looks like things are moving smoothly, which just shows how professional everyone is on this production. It sounds like your Wednesday is going to be very busy, so I wish you good luck and smooth sail…I better not say it. Let just leave it at good luck. 😉
@Ponytail:
My CES is going well, but exhausting. Thanks for asking. I’ve been doing 12 hour days on the booth, taking customers out to dinner and then getting up at 6 am the next day to start it all over again. I probably won’t be able to take in the main show this year as I’ll just be too busy.
if you’re interested, the main new things this year are Internet of Things (house security, connected thermostats and sensors, etc.), health monitors (BP and heart rate wristbands), exercise monitors, and cellphone accessory watches. I’ll let you know if I can get pictures.
@major intergalactic players with the money and the resources to seek out new worlds
Realistically, given the worlds reliance on money at present, if that doesn’t change you could easily see profit driven companies doing this. And when it comes to money I’m sure some wouldn’t be as friendly to anyone who gets in their way.
What an exciting time! And, I’m so happy for you that all this hard work and effort for the last few years is finally paying off and coming down to this. Again, I can’t wait to see the results.
How are you, Akemi and the dogs doing with the cold there in TO? We’re getting the same thing here out East with wind chills yesterday down into the -30s. Brrr. It’s a little better today as the temps have moderated slightly, but the winds have dropped off which a big improvement.
Yeah, I’m with das: the gun color needs a little tweaking – but it may just be photograph/computer monitor color issues. I’m sure it will be fabulous once you get the weathering on it. And I like the red accent idea. If you’re a galactic power, you want everyone to know it’s you when your troops are out there flexing their muscles.
And hair for #4. Hair is good. 😉
@JeffW: Sounds like you are working yourself down to a nub. Stay healthy! And I would get the inside scoop on one of those new heart monitor wristbands.
WOW! Quel belle manière de nous faire un peu participer au développement d’une série télévisée. J’apprécie vraiment cette délicatesse de votre part bien que, je ne suis pas naïf; vous ne nous révéler que peu de choses ce qui est bien compréhensible. On se fie à votre jugement pour nous en dire le plus possible sans compromettre vos obligations contractuelles!
Ponytail: If you have twitter, Alex Mallari Jr. has been posting pictures. Thanks for asking about how the root canal went. So far, so good!
JeffW: Thanks for the CES show updates! How do those new TV’s look? Last year, didn’t you get to sample a few nice restaurants? Hope you get some down time in Vegas!
How does it feel to see the show coming together?
Everyone: How’s the weather where you are? Here, it’s supposed to get cold (8F) tomorrow morning but at least there’s no snow.
Randomness: “And when it comes to money I’m sure some wouldn’t be as friendly to anyone who gets in their way.”
I don’t think you have to wait for the future to see some of that.
It’s a very exciting time!
Well, just make sure that if you do get drunk, there are no 7-11s nearby for fear of another drunken, multi-eclaired rampage. 😉
-Mike A.
@gforce
True enough, which is why I think it could be a possible, no probable future when space is finally colonized in earnest. But that seems more like a distant dream, we haven’t even got people back on the moon yet lol.
@Tam Dixon
Nothing but cold weather here.
Anyway, some frightening stuff happened in France today, my gosh. How can people do something so evil.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2900259/Gunmen-kill-11-Charlie-Hebdo-attack.html
dasndanger said,
“How about a darker red? That red on the gun looks…cheesy. It’s like…Toys R Us red. I’m thinking a darker – or perhaps a more metallic – red would be better. You need badass red on a gun.”
Seeeeee, what did I just say…?,
“…you know that we are all here if you need to consult with us about those needed dialogue tweaks, costume decisions, color schemes, etc. We are experienced, opinionated sci-fi watchers.”
@ JeffW – Yeah, post pictures of your CES show if you got any. The media has been flipping out over it. Get some rest! You would be a perfect candidate for the flu with being around all those people and being so busy.
@ Tam – I have checked Alex Mallari Jr out on the internet and just a little bit on his Twitter. He’s another cutie – like Jason Momoa. 🙂 I’ll have to tell you about my root canal from a quack dentist sometime. Not now though…. 🙂 (Maybe your next one.)
I wish the Dark Matter staff, cast and crew all success!
I also wish I had a better day at work. Gotta find another job, can’t take much of the crap anymore.
In the showbusiness vernacular—break a leg! Best wishes on the production of Dark Matter. It has been so much fun following along behind the scenes. Can’t wait until we can see the actual show!
to dasndanger:
it will probably look different under the lights on set.
to Tam Dixon:
it’s f**king cold here, with snow.
there were so many fine SciFi programs back then, but SG1 was king. It was all replace by those vampier series. I like that design of the personal side arm. It even has slots for a hand grip.
This is really, really exciting. I can’t believe it is all finally happening (getting to the really good parts of production).