I was just backing into a spot when I got the call. It was Carl and he sounded genuinely panicked. “It’s closed!” “Closed?” I stopped the car. “What do you mean closed?” “There’s a sign on the door. It says they’re closed for a special event. The staff took the night off to go watch…
July 22, 2008: Remnants Day #1
Martin Gero was stumped. The Art Department needed a name for the venue in Brain Storm. You know, the one where Tunney gives his big speech and demonstration. “So what do I call it?”he asked the room. Before anyone else could even consider the possibilities, Paul already had the answer: “The Carl Binder Memorial Theatre”.…
July 17, 2008: Congratulations to our VFX crew, suggestions for this year’s crew gift, Jeff Carlson’s trailer for Plague War
I’d like to kick off today’s entry by congratulating our visual effects department on their well-deserved Emmy nomination in the category of “Outstanding Special Visual Effects For A Series” for last year’s season premiere, Adrift. Mark Savela and the gang outdid themselves in season 4 and they’re managing to top that effort with the work…
July 16, 2008: Meetings, book discussion, and lazy dogs
Today’s notes session on Remnants was long and involved but went very well. No requests to tone down or lose any of the key beats. Mainly requests for clarity and thematic reinforcement. We followed up with our final meetings of the week - 1) Stunts and SPFX in which we discussed squibs (What’s a squib?…
July 14, 2008: Unwelcome Bodies, by Jennifer Pelland
A short story anthology is not unlike a season of television. You’ll have your high points, your low points, and all else in between. More often than not, it’s the latter, those in-between entries making up the bulk of the assembly, that will determine whether a show or author warrants a repeat viewing. Take Jennifer…
July 12, 2008: Bookly Things and Behind-the-Scenes on Search and Rescue
I’d like to begin today’s blog entry by once again thanking K.J. Bishop for stopping by to spend time with us. As expected, her novel, The Etched City, engendered some fairly strong and wide-ranging opinions. According to Kirsten, she was “just amazed at the detail and thoughtfulness of the responses”. So, kudos to all those…
July 8, 2008: Meals, Musings, and Mailbag
Napkin at m:brgr My surf 'n turf combo at Club Chasse et Peche: lobster and veal Hmmm. I’m busier now at home than I was back at work. So much for time off. And with Fondy out of town, my meals have tended toward the uninspired: tuna, chicken, soup, and salad. A far cry from…
June 30, 2008: In the Garden of Iden
I was first introduced to the works of Kage Baker through Lou Anders’ Fast Forward 1: Future Fiction from the Cutting Edge, a former book of the month club pick. Baker’s contribution to the collection, “Plotters and Shooters”, was far and away my favorite of the short stories in FF1 and so, when it came…