Today kicked off our first full week on our standing sets before we shift to Hamilton/Waterloo. Corridors and quarters were the order of the day and director T.J. Scott continues to deliver in a BIG way. I received the latest set of dailies late last night and was downright giddy by the time I’d finished reviewing them. The sets look amazing. A big round of applause for T.J., the crew, and, of course, Production Designer Ian Brock and the gang in the Art Department who thoroughly surpassed expectations. Now I look forward to seeing what they do for an encore: specifically with our phantom class marauder and space station.
Alas, it wasn’t all positive vibes on set this morning. Line Producer Norman Denver and 1st A.D. Brandon Tataryn were still smarting from the playoff loss suffered by their beloved Broncos. On the one hand, they were crushed by the defeat but, on the other hand, I’m sure they drew solace from the fact, at 34-1, my still-in-contention Indianapolis Colts could pay off quite handsomely for me with a Superbowl win.
A delightful surprise came our way this afternoon via longtime Stargate associate “Golden Boy” Martin Gero who sent us two bottles of 18 year old Bunnahabhain scotch as a “Congratulations! You’re actually getting your show made!” gift.
Bunnahabhain. Very hard to pronounce but quite easy to drink.
Adhering to Scottish film labor regulations, the gang takes a union-mandated scotch break.
As promised, here’s the second instalment in our “Snap of the Day” feature, showcasing a single frame from a recent shoot:
And what blog entry would be complete without a Sword and Dance sequence, compliments of Alex Mallari Jr. (FOUR) – #FOURCLAN https://twitter.com/AlexMallariJr #DarkMatter
I LOVE this guy’s energy!
In other show-related behind-the-scene news, check out this podcast interview with Dark Matter Set Designer Doug Slater in which he reveals how The Brady Bunch led him to design the deck of a spaceship: http://www.tv-eh.com/2014/12/31/tv-eh-b-cs-podcast-10-doug-slaters-designs-on-television/
And finally, in rare non Dark Matter-related news, check out this trailer for Carl Binder’s new show, premiering in April:
The Messengers looks great, though I’m disappointed that the CW put it on Friday, its chances don’t look great. Though in other news, the CW renewed its entire fall lineup, more Arrow and The Flash 🙂
Ha! I love Alex’s dance routine, he seems awesome already.
The Messengers looks very interesting, I’ll have to check it out but you’ll need to remind us when we get closer to the premiere.
The shot of the day looks like there were a some gravity issues on the Raza? 🙂
I like the idea of an afternoon scotch break.
Yes, indeed.
Bunnahabhain. I picked up a small bottle on the island of Orkney last summer. Now I’m dying to try it. But tomorrow. I already brushed my teeth and scotch tastes nasty with toothpaste.
Alex is a cutie! But Joe, you better stand WAY BACK when he is dancing with his sword. With your luck, you’ll get poked in the eye.
Cool snap of the day. Must be that space zero gravity.
Carl’s new show looks good. Hope it doesn’t go up against Dark Matter.
Question: How does it feel to see your ideas made into a television show? Is this the biggest thing you have ever done?
How are your ribs today? Better, I hope.
I listened to Doug Slater’s podcast and he said those wacky art/set designers leave easter eggs everywhere to amuse themselves and… because they can. Within reason, of course. So Joe, go for it! That was a good interview with Doug, but he is even more entertaining when he is driving home from work, in his car, just talking to himself (and the occasional crazy driver in front of him).
I am very pleased to announce that when I yawn in front of my beagle, she yawns too!! Yeah!! 🙂 That means we are in tune with each other. I’m so happy because my last dog would not yawn when I yawned. She would just look at me like, “shut your mouth, your breathe is stinky”.
I loved the Sword Dance.
And Carl’s new show looks interesting. I would watch it.
Uh-ih…’Four’ dances like a middle-aged white chick. 😛
😉
das
PS…
He also somehow makes the middle-aged white chick dance look disturbingly sexy…
😛
das
@Ponytail Hillbilly dumplings are made by dunking a spoon of batter made from self-rising flour into boiling chicken broth (and chicken). It takes little space and hands-on time to make, but the broth is made very strong and can take some time. The dumplings go from spongy in the middle to wetted from the broth on the outside and the broth thickens a bit, too. Dumplings can also be made by dunking the same batter into a “broth” of blackberries and sugar.
T.J., always with a big smile!
It was very nice of Martin to send the scotch. Martin, where’s mine?
Carl’s new show looks good! It’s going on the Watchlist.
Woohoo, I finally have a laptop back! I can post easier. Maybe. I got a whole new hard drive and Chrome sync… is not. Eek.
I hope your rib heals quickly. Ouch. Ginger will be your friend, cuts down on inflammation.
Everything looks so exciting, I am still playing catch up on the last two blogs.
What a buzz it must be for you to see the daylies… I envy you !
@Joe and Sparrow_hawk on Scotch:
Scotch breaks…I could’ve used a few of those over the past week! I’m in the wrong union; actually I’m in no union. Electronic Engineers don’t have one…poor me for the consequences of a career choice made in high school 30+ years ago! No scotch breaks! 😣
How is Bunnahabhain 18 year on peatiness? I like mine very peaty and was looking at Bunnahabhain Toiteach, but I can never find it locally without a special order (something that I never seem to find time to do).
And I’ll try to check out The Messengers when I get a chance…looks Intriguing.
@Das:
I’m not one that watches dancing, and I generally ignore it when I see others do it, but Yikes! That definitely has a “middle-aged aged white lady” quality to it! Not that I know a lot about that (cough), or that (clearing my throat) anyone I know dances that way… (now I’m wondering where Barb is and if she’s reading this). Whelp, gotta go!
Another mailbag question:
Was it ever announced on what network Dark Matter would air in Canada? For some reason, I’m assuming it’s Showcase, since they seem to carry a lot of up and coming sci-fi/fantasy stuff lately, but I’ll admit that I have a soft spot in my heart for Space channel.
@ JeffW – That dance, also known as the Clarence Clemons or, more famously, as the Carlton, was ‘The’ dance of the ’80s. I’m pretty sure it had something to do with the rhythm of the music. Just play Idol’s Dancing With Myself, or Modern English’s I Melt With You and you’ll be dancing that way, too. Here give a listen to this and just see what happens to your feet…and maybe even your hips… 😉
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=129kuDCQtHs
das
@Das: I didn’t know it actually had a name! That’s exactly the way I “dance”. I had to laugh when I watched Alex’s video since it’s exactly the way I do it. Which is why I never do it. 😉
@Das:
Sorry, Bruce doesn’t do it for me (and Barb refused to answer whether she’d dance to Bruce Springsteen, but she did say she’d dance to Thriller). I’m more of a swing dance classic/southern rock and roll kind of guy.
Have been lurking for a while, checking out Dark Matter. Excited to see the show, thanks for the glimpses behind the scenes!
@LizG
You should post more, everyone is welcome here. Same applies to anyone who may view Joes blog but not post, come join the fun.
@ gforce – Not sure if it has an official name…that’s just what I call it. 🙂 My friends started calling it the ‘Clarence Clemons’ (Bruce’s sax player) after seeing videos of him dancing like that. We’d be on the dance floor and they’d yell, ‘Hey, look at Dee – she’s dancing like Clarence Clemons!’ 😛 😛
Most people think of it as the Carlton Dance because of this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zS1cLOIxsQ8
🙂
@ JeffW – Swing…and southern rock? LIke…Glenn Millynyrd Skynyrd? 😉
das
WAIT!!! How come no one has commented on the hand sticking out of the gaffer bag in the first picture!?!?
I can’t wait to watch the show! Keep coming with all the behind the scenes stuff.
What’s with that hand sticking out of the gaffer bag??
😉
@ Lee – I just thought disembodied hands laying around a television set were pretty common. Didn’t you? My bigger thought was, is that a disembodied foot too?
Yep, with a little Jerry Lee Lewis, Sammy Hagar, the Eagles, and Enya thrown in. 😉 Yeah I know it’s a mess, but my musical tastes go all over with maybe the exclusion of synthetic pop (e.g. flock of seagulls) and techno.
Carl’s show looks like a good one……..:)
It has been forever since I stopped in to see what is happening with you, and now I’m extra sorry because I missed the fantastic news about DM. Congratulations!! I am so excited! And so very happy for you & Paul. (Thanks for the heads up on Carl too). Wishing you all the greatest success.
Poor Ivon. How is ever going to compete with cookies & scotch?
I thought Carl was working on Echoes. I guess I had the wrong show. This looks pretty awesome. The CW has really upped its game with all these great shows it is producing. And JD Pardo? Wonderful casting. I’ve missed seeing him since Revolution was cancelled.