Yes, Zoie Palmer kicked ass today. For about eleven hours - punching, blocking, shoving, kicking, hurling, staring down, and choking out multiple opponents. And that was just in the lineup to get lunch! The extended action sequence we shot was intense, and Zoie looked like she'd been beating up guys all of her life (food…
January 13, 2015: Dark Matter – from cast to characters!
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 9, 2015: Dark Matter, Episode #101, Production Day One!
One day down; about ninety more to go. And what a day it was! Sparks! Steam! Camera shake! An unexpected downpour almost taking out a camera! Stasis pods! Reveals! And apricot-coconut cookies! What more could I ask for? Unfortunately, Zoie Palmer was the only cast member not present today (She's enjoying a nice, relaxed long…
January 8, 2015: Last day of prep! There’s no turning back now!
Well, as a result of the injury I sustained yesterday (see last entry for all the gory details), I was unable to turn or put any pressure on my side and had to spend the entire night lying flat on my back. I also can't twist, jump, run, or perform aerial gymnastics (the latter is…
January 7, 2015: Read-thrus, camera tests, cast dinners, and sound medical advice!
Today, we had our very first read-thru (episodes #101 and #102). A great time was had by all - but especially Paul and I who had our expectations far surpassed. This cast is amazing! The rest of the day was spent doing camera tests of the ship's corridors and bridge. We tried different cameras, different…
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 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 19, 2014: Prep hiatus! I’ll sleep ’til January!
Today marked the end of our final week of prep before the holidays - and despite the fact that it wasn't all that busy (it WILL get busier), I'm exhausted. Some of that may be attributable to the last mad dash to get pink drafts of episodes #101 and #102, and production whites of #107,…
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…