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November 16, 2007

Special Features and Story Arcs

I was in LA this week, assisting Ivon Bartok, the Stargate Special Features producer and director with some interviews. We got to meet with some members of the armed forces who help us with the shows – specifically Captain Mary Danner. Mary has been so helpful over the years, giving notes on scripts, making sure uniforms and protocols are correct, and generally being a really pleasant person to work with. Ivon was doing the interviews for a special feature about Continuum, I believe. So look for her in the ‘making of’ documentary on that DVD when it comes out.

Ivon, by the way, has a job any Stargate fan would kill for. He interviews all the actors, directors, producers and cuts that footage in with clips of the show and other footage to make behind-the-scenes featurettes. He also does a “Directors Series” in which he follows around a director for an episode so you really get to know that director and how he works. Lastly, he does some special features that are more specific, about a particular set or stunts or visual effects. Those special features are almost like a film school, in terms of how much information you get by watching them. So if you haven’t checked them out on the DVD’s, you should! Ivon also does the web featurettes as well on this Scifi site, so you can get a taste of his work here too.

This week on Atlantis you’ll see “The Seer”. I pulled Alan out of the writer’s room and spoke to him about the episode just now. The thing he remembered most about the episode is how much it changed from inception to final execution.

Alan told me the story started out as a test of Carter’s leadership. The intention was to put her in the cross hairs, sort of a “trial by fire” situation, to see how she handles her new role as the leader of Atlantis. And the intention was to do that in a stand-alone episode involving a specific and isolated incident. Sorry to be vague here but you know the powers that be could have my job at any conceivable moment! In any case, the episode became much more about what is happening in the Pegasus Galaxy on a bigger scale – in other words, they worked the story arc of the season into the plot, interweaving it with the bigger story. I think it’s a testament to the writers that they can see the bigger picture and adapt episodes in this way.

Alan told me he really likes writing for Colonel Carter, Amanda Tapping’s character. Alan came over to Atlantis this year from SG-1, where he was on staff for several years. While on SG-1, Alan wrote some terrific “Carter” episodes, such as “Line in the Sand”, and “The Road Not Taken”. He said the challenge in “The Seer” was to give Carter a real dilemma, one in which she questions herself, but not to make her look weak-willed. After all she is the leader of Atlantis! Alan said Any Mikita did a terrific job directing. And Robert Picardo comes back in this one, reprising his role as Woolsey from the IOA.

Enjoy!

ATL

Posted by Alex Levine at November 16, 2007 08:43 PM