July 11, 2005
Inside The Producers' Lounge
Well, it’s not the lounge actually. It’s more of a wing. Well, not a wing… more of an area. A loose collection of offices, really, joined by a common hallway. Okay, you got me. It’s an office. Nothing more. Nothing less. Welcome to the producers’ offices.
This is where it all goes down.
Well – not all. Because the show is shot on sound stages below us (Stages 5 and 6), and across the way on the other sound stages (the Effects Stage, Stage 3, Stage 2), and of course on location. And costumes isn’t here either. They’re downstairs. The art department isn’t too far away. Casting happens in a nearby trailer. Props is downstairs too, as is construction. Our visual effects department is in another building. And, well, the trailers where the actors hang out are outside and not in here. So I guess, this is where some of it goes down. The producing part. Oh – and the writing part!
And that’s why I’m here. I’m Alex Levine and nope – I’m not a writer. I’m the “script coordinator”, which means I work for the writers, proofing and reviewing scripts, keeping a handle on versions, mistakes, names, product placements, clearances and whatever else they need done over here.
And so now you’re asking yourself: “why is the script coordinator writing a blog, for goodness sake!”, because you would probably rather hear what Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper, the executive producers and show runners of Stargate SG-1 and Stargate: Atlantis, have to say. And I don’t blame you. Or how about Joe Mallozzi and Paul Mullie – they’ve been writing Stargate for years and are executive producers of SG-1 and Atlantis in their own right. What about their blogs? Or Damian Kindler – he’s right across the hall. Or Carl Binder or Martin Gero. Those guys are producers and writers too…
What about the directors, you ask? Martin Wood, Peter DeLuise, Andy Mikita. They’ve all got offices within a stone’s throw of mine too. And I’m sure those guys have something to say. Can’t they write a blog? Can’t any of these guys write a blog instead of the stupid script coordinator?
And the answer is… NO! They’re too darn busy! They’re writing, producing and directing 40 hours of television a year these days. And that’s a lot of television. Think about it: a big order for a season of television is 26 hours. And these guys are making 40. So cut ‘em some slack, alright? You want good sci-fi on television, leave ‘em be. Let ‘em do their thing – dreaming up the Jaffa, the Replicators, the Ori, the Athosians, the Wraith, the Runners… creating compelling characters and stories that make us think about life beyond this puny little rock we call earth…
Which means… you get me and my blog. And I don’t want to hear any complaints. (Actually, any feedback would be okay, even if it’s a complaint. Looking forward to it, really.)
So that’s the bad news.
But here’s the good news!
I’m in the trenches, baby! I’m in the eye of the storm. It’s all happening right outside my office. When Beau Bridges’ costume doesn’t fit right, I hear about it. If Joe Flanigan’s character Major Sheppard is getting a new gun, I know. When new villains and characters are coming down the pipe – yup, you guessed it – I find out about it just as soon as they’re thought up. I’m the fly on the wall, the eye in the painting, the bug in the lamp.
Think about it this way: if all the writers are talking story and I walk in the room, they just keep on talking. And at lunch, when all the writer/producers are watching dailies and cracking jokes, yeah – I’m in there too. You want gossip? You want dirt? Well I know it all (not that I’m going to put it in here… but maybe I’ll slip? Maybe some of it will fly under the radar. Who can say?)
For example, right now, Chris Judge is across the hall in Joe Mallozzi’s office, with Damian Kindler, Paul Mullie and Robert C. Cooper, and he’s wondering why he’s not in scene 53 of Babylon. He’s got a point – it’s a Jaffa story, and they’re saying goodbye to a Jaffa who was in the SGC for a while. So why isn’t he saying goodbye in the gateroom? Well in this case Chris is just giving Damian the gears – his story line ends the scene before. Now they’re talking about whether a particular show is looking good in the director’s cut. Now they’re just talking about movies and poker. Shoot. I’ve said too much.
And this morning I was hanging out with Paul McGillion, who plays Dr. Beckett on Atlantis. He’s pretty excited about “Duet”, an upcoming episode in which he has some great comedic scenes with David Hewlett’s character, Rodney McKay.
So maybe this isn’t so bad, after all. Maybe you’ll find out a little bit more than you thought you would by reading this blog? Maybe the bigwigs aren’t the best guys to be writing the darn thing after all. Maybe this is all going to work out. You’ll just have to keep reading.
Okay, so before I sign off, I’ll bring you up to speed on what’s happening in the world of Stargate SG-1 and Stargate: Atlantis this season:
· We’ve shot 12 shows of each series, and we’re taking a break for our summer hiatus. But don’t worry, I’ll be writing this blog in chronology with the broadcast season so I don’t get ahead of myself.
· On Stargate SG-1, get ready for Ben Browder as Lt. Colonel Colonel Mitchell, Beau Bridges as General Landry, Lou Gossett Jr. as Gerak, and Claudia Black, back to reprise her role as Vala Mal Doran.
· Also get excited for Jason Momoa as Ronon, the alien soldier from the planet Sateda.
So there you go! Just a little bit to get you started. Stay tuned for more…
Posted by Alex Levine at July 11, 2005 09:28 PM
