Nov 17 | Originally hired as co-executive producer to help with the second half of the show's first season, Kevin Murphy has now taken the reins of Caprica, the Battlestar Galactica prequel on Syfy, according to The Hollywood Reporter. He now serves as an executive producer along with Ronald D. Moore, David Eick and Jane Espenson and oversees the day-to-day functions of the show.
Nov 12 | Star Trek star Zachary Quinto is loosely attached to star in the romantic dramedy Whirligig, reports Risky Business.Quinto would play the lead role in the independent Canadian film, which is aiming to shoot early next year. The movie centers on a man who, in a misguided attempt to woo an older woman, befriends the woman's adopted son.Chaz Thorne is directing the pic, based on a screenplay by Michael Amo, creator of the Canadian supernatural series "The Listener."
Nov 11 | The CNS Foundation, is hosting an on-line charity auction at www.charitybuzz.com. One of the items they are auctioning is a signed movie poster of the new Star Trek movie which has all the cast members and writers. The president of our organization is Carol Abrams, JJ's mother, and she arranged for the donation from Bad Robot Production Company. J.J. Abrams is also a major donor to their organization. The funds raised will go to help find a cure to neurological disorders in children. The auction link is here.
Nov 10 | Candice Bergen, Charles Lisanby, Don Pardo, Gene Roddenberry, Tom and Dick Smothers and Bob Stewart have been selected as the next inductees into the Television Academy's Hall of Fame. They will be honored at a Jan. 20 ceremony at the Beverly Hills Hotel. "This year's inductees have challenged and shaped popular culture, changed television for the better and entertained us royally while doing so," TV Academy Chairman-CEO John Shaffner said. More info at the Hollywood Reporter
Nov 08 | Unreality-SF.net has interviewed Star Trerk author James Swallow about some of his upcoming projects. He talks about Titan: Synthesis and Seven Deadly Sins: The Slow Knife, as well as some forthcoming Doctor Who and Stargate stories.
Over the years, Tucker Smallwood has played memorable roles in numerous films. Tucker's list of extensive film credits includes such films as PRESUMED INNOCENT, THE COTTON CLUB, CONTACT and DEEP IMPACT. In April of this year his fans will have the opportunity to see Tucker in the exciting new film SPECTRES along with Linda Park of ENTERPRISE and STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION star Marina Sirtis.
SPECTRES made its official World Premiere at the prestigious Sci-Fi London Film Festival last year before premiering in the U.S. at the Cinequest San Jose Film Festival. At the Shockerfest Film Festival SPECTRES garnered two of the top awards, best Sci-Fi Feature as well as a Best Actress award for Marina Sirtis.
In SPECTRES Tucker plays psychic Will Franklin, a "sensitive" who has struggled all his life with his abilities. Despite the cost to himself Franklin is determined to help young Kelly, a 16-year old who is spending the summer in the big house on the hill, get to the bottom of the strange occurrences surrounding her life there. "There are elements of parapsychology in the story but at its core, SPECTRES is a story about the relationship between a girl and her mother. That's the core of the story," says Tucker.
"They have very little communication, they have a very strained relationship but that's what is the overview of the story. Its what brings them to this point. It's what keeps them together, its what is the grail or the objective at the end, to solidify or to recreate those bonds. The journey that she goes through to get to that point is what the story is all about."
Marina Sirtis plays the mother Laura Lee, and newcomer Lauren Birkell plays Kelly.
"There are anomalous events taking place, the house is the context for this but the center, the nexus is the girl, Kelly. To call her haunted is one thing to say that is the source of these anomalous experiences is something totally apart."
The actors involved in SPECTRES quickly realized that their feedback on the script, and their characters development was not only welcome, but also that it was expected and they became true collaborators early in the screenwriting process. "I was committed to making my character viable, consistent and believable. We tried to find vibrant, dynamic choices that furthered the story and make it compelling. My belief has always been that as an audience, we have a willing suspension of disbelief and we're willing to make that suspension as long as you don't slap us in the face and insult us. I'll go a long ways out there with you as long as you're consistent with your premise and don't make it a lie in front of me. As soon as you do something false you then you remind me that I'm watching a story and the whole house of cards collapses."
"These are to me the most fragile of stories", Tucker continued. "They are so ephemeral and they all are like a house of cards, you pull any one of them out and it all topples but if you can succeed in maintaining that façade, that altered reality, then it makes for a very compelling story."
On any film, locations are important, so it was critical to find the right house to use as the house on the hill where the bulk of shooting would take place. The location selected was not only ideal visually, but contributed just the right atmosphere to the film. By the time shooting wrapped those involved in the production considered the house itself to be a character in the film. "It's a character in the film and it's a character in the production", says Tucker. "The house absolutely had presence; even the owners acknowledged it and we were aware of it too. It was impossible to be there without being aware of that. I think to a certain extent it informed the production because it agreed with the reality that we were there to portray."
The cast and crew of SPECTRES were not immune to encounters with the spirits purported to inhabit the house. "They were never malevolent, there was energy there but there's a different quality when it's malevolent. This was not dark, but it was there." Tucker says quite seriously. "That is one of the issues that Will Franklin has. When you do this work, you attract attention, and not all of that attention is positive and that is incredibly dangerous to the person doing it. So my character doesn't take this on lightly, it's not something I (Will Franklin) do in my spare time for kicks. I'm doing it because this girl needs my help."
"Will was always different, and I have a sense of what that is to be. I grew up during an era of integration, living abroad where I was the first black person these people had ever seen. Always being the stranger in a strange land all my life. Will, once they discover that he is different and that he has these abilities, then people start blaming him for things, there is resentment. He just wants to go away and be anonymous he doesn't want that attention. In addition to that, sometimes that knowledge is painful because you can't necessarily do anything about it. You see events that you cannot change and that makes you feel rather impotent."
A highly original science fiction ghost story SPECTRES will be available on Video and DVD on April 19, 2005. You can learn more about SPECTRES at the production company's web site.
Quote: 16 and 17-hour days. It's two hours of makeup in the morning and then an hour and a half of getting out of it at night.
I"ve seen this many times and have asked myself WHY so freekin long. A show is only 1 hour in length, 40 minutes if you take out the commercials. Also, there is only one show a week. Why do they do so much in a single day when there are five business days in a week, twenty in a month???? I've always been curious about this. Can anyone help explain this
I once made a small amateur film myself. We had three actors and one hand-held camera. So I thought; piece of cake. But it turned out that every hour of shooting gave one minute of film. Now probably they work a bit faster, but they have more shots and angles to do. So practically it takes about the same time. Add to that the editing process and you have 4 days work and a 5th as an option if you need extra time.
Maybe you are not aware that shooting a scene on a TV series or movie or whatever doen't just take the time to act and say the dialogue. First, the production crew has to setup the scene. And I'm not talking set construction or anything like that here. I'm talking light, camera and sound setup. Usually that takes much more time than actually shooting the scene.
And every new camera angle or close-up shot requires a new setup.
If the scene involves special effects (either physical or visual FX) it becomes even more complicated. I mean, you wanna blow up your set, NOT your actors.
If you ever happen to work as an actor or extra on a series or movie you will see that you'll spend most of your time waiting. You may have a 16 hour-day, but only be actually "working" for 4 hours (that is if you're the lead actor). Still it's a long day.
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