Today, we were back in The Hammer for some interior run and gun... This morning, I took no chances, opting for not two, not three, not four, not five, but SIX layers of clothing. I felt like Ralphie's little brother from A Christmas Story. I left my place for Hamilton at 6:15 a.m. The drive over…
February 9, 2016: Shooting in the wilds! Dark Matter season 2!
Today, the cast and crew hit the wilds of Hamilton for a little main unit photography. Some exclusive behind the scenes pics... Gator alert! Avoid the swamp! Setting up the day's first shot. It was chilly, but not unbearably so. That, I suspect, will change tomorrow. Script Supervisor Matti Huhta, dressed for the weather. For…
February 8, 2016: Name another Dark Matter episode!
Yesterday, I watched the Superbowl with some of my co-workers: co-creator Paul Mullie, VFX Supervisor Lawren Bancroft Wilson, Line Producer Norman Denver, 1st Assistant Director Brandon Tataryn, and their respective families (almost all of who were rooting for the Broncos), and actor Anthony Lemke who, always the contrarian, was rooting for the Panthers. We gathered…
February 7, 2016: The Dark Matter noodle bar!
Yesterday, after visiting the alley set, Dark Matter Executive Producer Vanessa Piazza, Akemi, and I stopped by a nearby noodle bar. How nearby? Well, try two sets over from that alley set. Following through on that Blade Runner vibe. Steam and neon! The place was new. How new? Well, when we walked in, they were still painting the tabletops! You're all…
February 6, 2016: Dark Matter – behind the Saturday scenes!
Today saw a wrap on two different directors and their respective episodes - Steve Dimarco (Episode 203) and John Stead (Episode 204). I dropped in for about an hour in the morning for the alley scene. Two (more like three) outstanding scenes will find their way into the pre-existing director's cut of 203, a dynamic…
January 22, 2016: Dark Matter props! Another fan Q&A!
While we await the responses from our previously announced guests, I thought I'd get the ball rolling on one more Dark Matter crew member Q&A. Victoria Klein, pictured above, is the show's props master. She and her team are our resident MacGyvers, crafting futuristic weapons and otherworldly tech using anything from electric toothbrushes to paper clips. Over the…
December 19, 2015: Dark Matter Mailbag!
baterista9 writes: "Are you requested by “powers that be” to cast guest stars from other NBC /Universal /Syfy /SPACE network series or films?" Answer: In fact, quite the opposite. We try to avoid casting actors who have appeared in other scifi shows on the same network. "2. Do you anticipate any 21st-century product placement in…
December 18, 2015: Dark Matter! Last day of production – for 2015!
And...that's a wrap on Dark Matter 2015! Just in time too as I simply cannot spare another Saturday what with the holidays on deck. I have banking to do, presents to pick up, and dog harnesses to buy before our Monday morning road trip to Montreal. It's hard to believe that, same time last year, I was…
December 17, 2015: Dark Matter production! And the return of Cat T-Shirt Thursday!
The onscreen greeting awaiting us in Warden Treihan's office on Hyperion-8! Playback mayhem courtesy of this man, Dark Matter playback operator Patch Whiteside. Cat T-Shirt Thursday returns! Best Boy Andy Gondek partakes in the grand tradition. As does 1st Assistant Camera Marcel Janisse. And stand-in Alyssa Pawlak. 10 Shows to Binge Watch Over the Holidays. Check out #7:…
December 16, 2015: Dark Matter season 2 is going to be epic!
Only two more days to go on Amanda Tapping's directing tour-de-force and I miss her already. She's is going to deliver one hell of a second season premiere episode and, quite frankly, it's bittersweet. Sweet because it's sooooo damn good and will cause many heads to explode. Bitter because you'll have to wait until summer of…
December 15, 2015: Dark Matter Episode 201! Production continues!
It's hard to believe, but we're looking at only three more days of production on Episode 201 before we break for holiday hiatus. Director Amanda Tapping has been all-systems-go and is set to deliver one hell of a season premiere. With an assist from stunt coordinator John Stead, today's on-set action was simply...Wow! Tomorrow, it's…
November 21, 2015: Dark Matter season 2 – new sets in progress!
With our second walk-thru of the new sets (at the new stage) scheduled for this Tuesday, I thought it might be nice to show you all what the Art Department and Construction have been working on for our season 2 opener. Structures, shapes, textures and details - it's all coming along nicely. More than anything,…
November 11, 2015: Costumes and Canines!
Last year, whenever I went down to the costume department, I'd notice the dog pictures lining the far wall - funny photos of pooches dressed up as samurai or miners, running a science experiment or playing cards. A new one would go up, roughly once a week, and I didn't think anything of it until I…
October 20, 2015: Gearing up for Dark Matter season 2!
I was back in the production offices today for my first full half-day of work! Well, more like third-of-a-day's work, lunch inclusive. And that also counts the roughly half hour I spent sorting through the various items I stored away in my office during my five month hiatus. Akemi needed her knitting needles and yarn.…
October 19, 2015: The Snow Monkeys’ Miracle Win! Let’s celebrate with some exclusive Dark Matter season 2 concept art!
There was the 1980 Miracle on Ice that saw a team of gutsy American amateurs best a powerful team from the USSR/ There was the Boston Red Sox 2004 defying seemingly impossible odds to rally from down 0-3 in a series to beat the heavily favored Yankees. And now, it's the 2015 Snow Monkeys who…