Today, we shot two of the most important scenes of this first season (if not the entire series), and every member of our cast - Marc Bendavid, Melissa O'Neil, Anthony Lemke, Alex Mallari Jr., Jodelle Ferland, Roger Cross, and Zoie Palmer - delivered BIGTIME. Sitting at the monitors, watching them in their first scene together,…
January 12, 2015: Scotch, Swords, and Dance! Dark Matter Production Day #3!
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…
January 11, 2015: Sleepless in Toronto! Looking ahead! A brand new Dark Matter feature!
Between my 5:30 a.m. wake-ups, the nagging rib injury, and one elderly fitfully slumbering pug, sleep has been very hard to come by lately. And it isn't going to get any easier anytime soon. When the doctor said "It's going to feel worse before it gets better.", I just dismissed his words as a worst…
January 10, 2015: Dark Matter, Episode #101, Second Unit Day #1!
It was just the boys today, Anthony Lemke (THREE) and Marc Bendavid (ONE), in for some anti-gravity fun and stunts. Later, at the craft service table, they both had a special request: more Zero-G sequences! I'll see what we can do for them. While we were chatting, I couldn't help but notice Anthony playing with…
January 6, 2014: Three days to the start of production!
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.…
January 4, 2015: Introducing…Director T.J. Scott!
One of the most important decisions we had to make early in process was the selection of our first director. Whoever we chose would be shooting our first two episodes and, as such, would not only be responsible for setting the tone for the series, but would be charged with the task of "working out"…
December 31, 2014: Best Books of 2014!
"Top 25?!"said Paul. "How many books did you read this year?" Well, after the paltry 65 I got through in 2013, I decided to make a concerted effort to improve on that embarrassing number in 2014. My goal was a lofty 120 - which I ended up far exceeding, racking up a very respectable 180…
December 20, 2014: The Dark Matter pre-holiday wrap-up! Alex Mallari Jr. in action! THE katana!
One of the last things we did before packing it in for the holidays was go on a walk-thru of our standing sets. Of course, not all of them are quite yet standing (ie. the shuttle, parts of the space station) and those that are still have a ways to go, but our Art Department…
December 18, 2014: Introducing the Dark Matter cast!
In case you hadn't heard, we finally have our cast: https://www.nbcumv.com/news/syfy-announces-casting-new-acquired-scripted-series-dark-matter?network=33143 "NEW YORK – December 18, 2014 – Syfy today announced casting of the new acquired scripted series Dark Matter, which will feature Melissa O’Neil (Broadway production of Les Miserables), Marc Bendavid (Bitten), Anthony Lemke (White House Down), Alex Mallari Jr. (Robocop) and Jodelle Ferland (Twilight)…
December 17, 2014: Akemi scrooged! Everything is coming up Dark Matter!
So much for the Christmas spirit. Today, Akemi did something she rarely ever does. She actually bought herself something. The girl hardly ever spends on herself but, this afternoon, she made an exception when she came across a cup emblazoned with the letter A at a local shop. Being a big tea drinker - and…
December 16, 2014: Introducing 1st Asst. Art Director and Graphics Maestro Roxanne Borris!
I've only been working with her a couple of weeks and I already a huge, HUGE fan. "Why?"you may ask. Well, why don't I just let her a few samples of her work answer that question... She also designed our future currency - but those pictures are on my other laptop. Do remind me to…
December 10, 2014: The shuttle!
We're heavy into prep on episodes #101-102 and, with the commencement of principal photography about a month away, sets are coming together nicely. Our ship, The Raza, has come a long way in the past couple of weeks. The corridors have been textured with faux-grate flooring, pipes, vents, and grills, its walls painted in metallic…
December 5, 2014: Introducing Locations Manager Zachary Beckwith! And our first official Dark Matter locations scout!
Remember that guy back in the day? The one with all the connections? The one who could get you and your friends in anywhere, no matter how popular or exclusive the place? Well, that guy now works on Dark Matter. His name is Zachary Beckwith and he is our Locations Manager. If you're looking for somewhere…
December 3, 2014: Introducing Dark Matter Visual Effects Supervisor Lawren Bancroft-Wilson!
Our Visual Effects Supervisor arrived today - all the way from Vancouver, B.C.! Some of you may recognize him as the manager of The Fighting Hyphens, a team my Snow Monkeys crushed back in Week 4 of fantasy football league play: Some of you may identify him as the guy who was offered $1000…
November 26, 2014: Welcome to the Gun Show – Part II!
Prep continues on Dark Matter! The other day, we had our follow-up gun meeting as we move toward arming our kick-ass crew. It's a dangerous galaxy out there! The inspiration for the weapon of choice the Ferrous Corp soldiers (corporate guards) will be carrying. Each corporation (Ferrous Corp, The Mikkei Combine, Traugott, Volkov-Rusi) will have a…