Commentary for The Road Not Taken
Sep. 23rd, 2007 02:15 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tenayaCommentary for The Road Not Taken by Director Andy Mikita, Writer Alan
McCullough and Actor Amanda Tapping.
This was recorded at 8:30am on a Sunday Morning. AT and Ben Browder
decided to play up the goofiness of the opening scene. They talk some
about the effects in that scene. Andy remarks that it's a leap of
faith for the actors to react to something that isn't there yet, such
as the dragon in The Quest. AT compliments both actors who play Dr.
Lee and Lorne. Everyone remarks about how wonderful Kavan Smith is
(Lorne); it was Brad Wright's idea to have Lorne there instead of an
unknown character so the audience immediately knows it's wrong.
This ep was because they realized they did not have a Carter episode
yet. Line in the Sand was supposed to be one, but it became a team
ep. They all oooh when Don S. Davis shows up and remark how fun he
is, what a good energy he brings to the set, and how they'll find any
excuse to bring him back.
The first act is in the interrogation room and they worried that this
is where the show would drag. William Devane was supposed to be the
president, but he was unavailable. So they put Beau Bridges there and
brought back DSD to be the general of the SGC. They thought about
Ronnis Cox but he would immediately be thought of as a villain. They
needed someone who Carter would have a connection with, so that as she
learns to hate the administration, it would be a struggle for her.
It's a very political episode. They made some adjustments to the HD
cameras to give this AU a different look.
They talk about the planned deleted scenes for this box set. Joe
Mallozzi was working with Ivon Bartok to put together a bunch of
missing scenes from his eps. They write 50-51 page scripts for SG1
and 55 pages for SGA--and they've had to bump up those to 57 pages
this year. They blame David Hewlett for talking so fast. AT remarks
on how fast Michael Shanks talks, and when she talks too fast and has
to loup, she says she's done a Michael and wonders how he can talk so
fast. Andy remarks that Michael still plays beats, but it's just his
line delivery is fast. She remarked how Don has a certain quality to
his voice that just hits her in her chest and it made her sad he
wasn't there regularly anymore.
They talk about how many location days this had, and how so much of it
was on the set and saved some money. They had a lot of fun doing this
episode. They remark that Lorne is as a few good eps in Atlantis this
year.
They needed to come up with a way to solve the Ori problem in their
universe that wouldn't automatically solve the problem in our
universe. They really liked that Beau was the president and he really
embraced the role. The shot of the lights going out across America
was just 'playback' and not a visual effect. The writer was concerned
that the big scene where they saved the Earth would make it seem like
that was the end of the ep when instead that's when the plot really
gets going. The shot of Carter in the limo was filmed after hours
just driving around Vancouver with just AT, Andy and Pete West. It
was just a little shot but it took ages as they kept getting
background noise and such. The big fancy party was shot at Heritage
Hall on Main Street. There's a restaurant nearby called Budapest that
has very good food but it's never open.
They laugh at how the Prometheus is now Air Force One. Andy had an
issue that Amanda's hair was now different; this scene was the first
one they shot of this episode. AT said that the beam up musses your
hair. AT says Sam is self-righteous here. It's because to her
scientist mind, stuff is either black or white. No shades of grey here
for her on this one. Hammond tells her, "the threat is still out
there." And Carter replies, "that is the problem; it always will be."
AT says that is the strongest political statement we make on this
show, in her humble opinion. Alan says he's not sure if he wrote that
or Paul Mullie did, who made a pass on the script after Alan finished
it.
The scene with McKay was shot in Vancouver's library. This was shot
on one of the last days of shooting for that season, due to schedules
and SGA schedule for David. Alan persisted through rewrites with
that line of McKay's that Carter left him because she was a lesbian.
They all laugh and agree it's such a McKay line. This room of the
library is dedicated for use to filmmakers. It's so beautiful and it
is a way for the library to earn extra revenue. They shot the inside
stuff before lunch, then another scene outside the library after lunch
and they were done a few hours after lunch.
AT says David looks good. Andy agrees--the wire glasses, the casual
chic. Andy, looking at some photos of skyscrapers behind Carter
remarks, "rather phallic, I just noticed," and laughs. That oblong
wooden thing was rented and had a five figure price tag. They chuckle
over David's expressions and AT says she loves working with him.
"This is our home, and we'll make the best of it." This was a line
that Beau really wanted to say, and he had it changed to this. AT
said it made sense and gave a sympathetic edge to his character. They
compliment the subtle changes Beau made in his dialogue. "Damn
politicians! I can't stand them and I'm one of them." This was
another of Beau's lines he tweaked, and it makes the viewer like him
more. Beau usually likes to stand when he's in his office and he
played this scene seated and they liked that choice.
The grey haired guy is the Chief of Staff. They even changed the
lighting in the SGC hallway to give this reality a subtle difference.
The down and out street where Carter goes to visit Mitchell is on Main
St and is actually the back of the Heritage Hall. AT really liked
this scene, it was unexpected and she didn't know what to expect when
she read the script. Alan got permission to put Mitchell in a
wheelchair, then on the first pass, still tried to keep his heroic
qualities. Rob's first notes were, "this isn't Born on the Fourth of
July, I want more of the Born on the Fourth of July." Rob encouraged
him to make Mitchell more bitter, less heroic. He is heroic for
rejecting the fame that came with playing ball, but he's bitter. AT
said set decoration really sold how grungy the apt was with paper
litter and old pizza crusts; it really made her not want to touch
anything. Ben really got into this scene, he was really going full
'method.' Ben told Andy it was a favorite scene of his. And it was
nice because they got to spend some time on it. Ben looked kind of
greasy but the wig wasn't too bad. They had a lot of coverage to
choose from but the smoke continuity was the biggest issue.
The actress for the tv interview was pregnant and they built the table
up for her. They really liked how bare their version of the internet
is; it gives the impression that the government is controlling that,
too. AT comments that she and David look good together. Andy agrees
but says it's partly because they are wearing the same colored
clothing. When Sam gets into a fight outside the library, she says
she loves stuff like that. She also related a story that there were
lots of people watching that scene and a woman asked what were they
shooting. AT said SG1, and then the woman asked where's the actor?
AT said she was, then the woman asked who were the other actors.
Alan said it made sense that the Prometheus would be Air Force One,
and he pushed for it to be the Prometheus instead of any of the other
ships as it would not have been destroyed. It took over four months
to shoot this show.
Some of the fan criticism was that it resolved too easily with just a
conversation between Carter and Landry. There are hints that they let
her go because they will do the same thing with McKay and he'll soak
up the attention. Nothing will change. They just didn't want to have
another shoot out and a rescue. The scene between Carter and McKay
was done on the last day of shoot, because she was also shooting the
last shot of Unending, of going through the gate. AT said at this
point she's still in denial that the show's been canceled.
Andy said the show's been on so long that Martin had to go back and
shoot another three days of stock footage at Cheyenne Mountain. They
mention that Cheyenne Mountain is closed now. They realized that once
the show was canceled there was no longer a reason to keep it open.
*g* AT remarks that she really likes this ending scene, and the
others chip in that they like those scenes, too. Claudia's little hug
at the end was spontaneous. Andy says, oddly enough from a staging
and shooting standpoint, these scenes often are the ones that take the
most thought because they will just be standing around the table.
Andy says it may sound ridiculous, but he often has the most
difficulty with the staging and execution of with these scenes where
they are simply standing around the table, instead of falsely moving
around. "And that little hug just fell off the truck, didn't it?" It
was really appropriate and a sweet moment.
Then they laugh and wonder how many people actually do listen to these
commentaries.
ETA: Calvin into Kavan. Sorry!
McCullough and Actor Amanda Tapping.
This was recorded at 8:30am on a Sunday Morning. AT and Ben Browder
decided to play up the goofiness of the opening scene. They talk some
about the effects in that scene. Andy remarks that it's a leap of
faith for the actors to react to something that isn't there yet, such
as the dragon in The Quest. AT compliments both actors who play Dr.
Lee and Lorne. Everyone remarks about how wonderful Kavan Smith is
(Lorne); it was Brad Wright's idea to have Lorne there instead of an
unknown character so the audience immediately knows it's wrong.
This ep was because they realized they did not have a Carter episode
yet. Line in the Sand was supposed to be one, but it became a team
ep. They all oooh when Don S. Davis shows up and remark how fun he
is, what a good energy he brings to the set, and how they'll find any
excuse to bring him back.
The first act is in the interrogation room and they worried that this
is where the show would drag. William Devane was supposed to be the
president, but he was unavailable. So they put Beau Bridges there and
brought back DSD to be the general of the SGC. They thought about
Ronnis Cox but he would immediately be thought of as a villain. They
needed someone who Carter would have a connection with, so that as she
learns to hate the administration, it would be a struggle for her.
It's a very political episode. They made some adjustments to the HD
cameras to give this AU a different look.
They talk about the planned deleted scenes for this box set. Joe
Mallozzi was working with Ivon Bartok to put together a bunch of
missing scenes from his eps. They write 50-51 page scripts for SG1
and 55 pages for SGA--and they've had to bump up those to 57 pages
this year. They blame David Hewlett for talking so fast. AT remarks
on how fast Michael Shanks talks, and when she talks too fast and has
to loup, she says she's done a Michael and wonders how he can talk so
fast. Andy remarks that Michael still plays beats, but it's just his
line delivery is fast. She remarked how Don has a certain quality to
his voice that just hits her in her chest and it made her sad he
wasn't there regularly anymore.
They talk about how many location days this had, and how so much of it
was on the set and saved some money. They had a lot of fun doing this
episode. They remark that Lorne is as a few good eps in Atlantis this
year.
They needed to come up with a way to solve the Ori problem in their
universe that wouldn't automatically solve the problem in our
universe. They really liked that Beau was the president and he really
embraced the role. The shot of the lights going out across America
was just 'playback' and not a visual effect. The writer was concerned
that the big scene where they saved the Earth would make it seem like
that was the end of the ep when instead that's when the plot really
gets going. The shot of Carter in the limo was filmed after hours
just driving around Vancouver with just AT, Andy and Pete West. It
was just a little shot but it took ages as they kept getting
background noise and such. The big fancy party was shot at Heritage
Hall on Main Street. There's a restaurant nearby called Budapest that
has very good food but it's never open.
They laugh at how the Prometheus is now Air Force One. Andy had an
issue that Amanda's hair was now different; this scene was the first
one they shot of this episode. AT said that the beam up musses your
hair. AT says Sam is self-righteous here. It's because to her
scientist mind, stuff is either black or white. No shades of grey here
for her on this one. Hammond tells her, "the threat is still out
there." And Carter replies, "that is the problem; it always will be."
AT says that is the strongest political statement we make on this
show, in her humble opinion. Alan says he's not sure if he wrote that
or Paul Mullie did, who made a pass on the script after Alan finished
it.
The scene with McKay was shot in Vancouver's library. This was shot
on one of the last days of shooting for that season, due to schedules
and SGA schedule for David. Alan persisted through rewrites with
that line of McKay's that Carter left him because she was a lesbian.
They all laugh and agree it's such a McKay line. This room of the
library is dedicated for use to filmmakers. It's so beautiful and it
is a way for the library to earn extra revenue. They shot the inside
stuff before lunch, then another scene outside the library after lunch
and they were done a few hours after lunch.
AT says David looks good. Andy agrees--the wire glasses, the casual
chic. Andy, looking at some photos of skyscrapers behind Carter
remarks, "rather phallic, I just noticed," and laughs. That oblong
wooden thing was rented and had a five figure price tag. They chuckle
over David's expressions and AT says she loves working with him.
"This is our home, and we'll make the best of it." This was a line
that Beau really wanted to say, and he had it changed to this. AT
said it made sense and gave a sympathetic edge to his character. They
compliment the subtle changes Beau made in his dialogue. "Damn
politicians! I can't stand them and I'm one of them." This was
another of Beau's lines he tweaked, and it makes the viewer like him
more. Beau usually likes to stand when he's in his office and he
played this scene seated and they liked that choice.
The grey haired guy is the Chief of Staff. They even changed the
lighting in the SGC hallway to give this reality a subtle difference.
The down and out street where Carter goes to visit Mitchell is on Main
St and is actually the back of the Heritage Hall. AT really liked
this scene, it was unexpected and she didn't know what to expect when
she read the script. Alan got permission to put Mitchell in a
wheelchair, then on the first pass, still tried to keep his heroic
qualities. Rob's first notes were, "this isn't Born on the Fourth of
July, I want more of the Born on the Fourth of July." Rob encouraged
him to make Mitchell more bitter, less heroic. He is heroic for
rejecting the fame that came with playing ball, but he's bitter. AT
said set decoration really sold how grungy the apt was with paper
litter and old pizza crusts; it really made her not want to touch
anything. Ben really got into this scene, he was really going full
'method.' Ben told Andy it was a favorite scene of his. And it was
nice because they got to spend some time on it. Ben looked kind of
greasy but the wig wasn't too bad. They had a lot of coverage to
choose from but the smoke continuity was the biggest issue.
The actress for the tv interview was pregnant and they built the table
up for her. They really liked how bare their version of the internet
is; it gives the impression that the government is controlling that,
too. AT comments that she and David look good together. Andy agrees
but says it's partly because they are wearing the same colored
clothing. When Sam gets into a fight outside the library, she says
she loves stuff like that. She also related a story that there were
lots of people watching that scene and a woman asked what were they
shooting. AT said SG1, and then the woman asked where's the actor?
AT said she was, then the woman asked who were the other actors.
Alan said it made sense that the Prometheus would be Air Force One,
and he pushed for it to be the Prometheus instead of any of the other
ships as it would not have been destroyed. It took over four months
to shoot this show.
Some of the fan criticism was that it resolved too easily with just a
conversation between Carter and Landry. There are hints that they let
her go because they will do the same thing with McKay and he'll soak
up the attention. Nothing will change. They just didn't want to have
another shoot out and a rescue. The scene between Carter and McKay
was done on the last day of shoot, because she was also shooting the
last shot of Unending, of going through the gate. AT said at this
point she's still in denial that the show's been canceled.
Andy said the show's been on so long that Martin had to go back and
shoot another three days of stock footage at Cheyenne Mountain. They
mention that Cheyenne Mountain is closed now. They realized that once
the show was canceled there was no longer a reason to keep it open.
*g* AT remarks that she really likes this ending scene, and the
others chip in that they like those scenes, too. Claudia's little hug
at the end was spontaneous. Andy says, oddly enough from a staging
and shooting standpoint, these scenes often are the ones that take the
most thought because they will just be standing around the table.
Andy says it may sound ridiculous, but he often has the most
difficulty with the staging and execution of with these scenes where
they are simply standing around the table, instead of falsely moving
around. "And that little hug just fell off the truck, didn't it?" It
was really appropriate and a sweet moment.
Then they laugh and wonder how many people actually do listen to these
commentaries.
ETA: Calvin into Kavan. Sorry!
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2007-09-23 06:10 pm (UTC)And, SO funny, I was going "Calvin Smith--who the heck is that?" The actor's first name is so unusual, I forget his last name is Smith. Kavan Smith is Lorne. I can certainly understand why you would never come up with that spelling from just hearing it. (g)
(no subject)
Date: 2007-09-24 12:09 am (UTC)Thanks for the heads up on Kavan. They do sound very much alike. Oops. Interesting that they were there so early on a Sunday morning. Yikes.