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June 14, 2007

And they said it couldn’t be done…

The powers that be (often referred to as “TPTB”) said it couldn’t be done. “You can’t make it cool”, they said. “It’ll end up being goofy!” And they spoke from experience, because as many of you know, so many “creature features” end up looking more like the Muppet Show than Aliens. So that’s all Carl Binder heard when he pitched the idea and wrote the script for the Atlantis episode “Vengeance.” And Carl, being the sort of person that likes to take on challenges, did what any good television producer would do… he challenged the director to make it happen. Yup, he passed the buck right over to Andy Mikita.

Andy explained the challenges he faced… the creatures – 7 feet tall in their rubber suit and wearing prosthetics – could barely stand. The rubber suit was so cumbersome it took three helpers just to keep the monster from banging into the walls. And these are supposed to be agile, fearsome creatures, as you will see. But, alas, with smoke and mirrors (more smoke than mirrors), talented set dressers and our crack camera crew, Andy did in fact make it happen. As Carl put it, he hit the ball out of the park.

Of, I forgot – lots of careful editing went into this one too. I recall one shot in dailies where the monster was supposed to be attacking someone who was lying on the ground. But the result was hilarious; it looked a lot more like the monster was rifling someone’s pockets, looking for his wallet. Of course that shot didn’t make the cut, but we had some good times watching dailies. Lastly, the show was shot in one of Vancouver’s best locations – the tunnels under the old Riverview mental hospital. It really doesn’t get any creepier than that.

This week on SG-1, you’ll see “Dominion”. And check the credits people, because this one was conceived by a young and talented, up and coming writer who goes by the name of …. (drum roll, please)… ME. Yup, the kernel for this one was an idea that came to me late last season, like a flash of light.

The process of pitching is usually a bit gut-wrenching and this was no exception. The general rule of thumb is, the more people that are in the room when you pitch, the steeper the climb. It’s like threading six needles at once. So on this occasion, I ambushed Rob in his office, gave him the 25 word pitch and watched and waited. He was quiet for a moment, staring off into the distance. Then he said those four words every young writer is hoping to hear: “I don’t hate it.” A month later, after letting me spin my wheels on an outline for a while, he merged my concept into some other story ideas of Alan’s and set Alan to work on the screenplay.

I really hope you like it. But if you don’t, definitely send your complaints to Alan. Kudos letters can be sent directly to me.

Enjoy!

ATL

Posted by Alex Levine at June 14, 2007 11:57 PM