After Action Report (and some other stuff too)

This past weekend (I know, I’m a few days late here) was the commencement of filming for the STAR TREK: PHOENIX Pilot episode “Redivivus”. I have to say that it was GREAT. And I mean that in every sense of the word.

It was a MASSIVE shoot. We were in the ersatz-studio of Hangar 30 at Sand Point Magnuson Park in Seattle. I spent all day Friday setting up the enormous space with tables and chairs for breaks, makeup, hair, craft service, and green room space as well as tables and areas for the camera, props, our gaffer and his equipment, sound, the director’s monitor, etc. I also managed to gain a hairline fracture of my sternum in the process. Apparently the chair trolleys in that place are the YVH attack models. (if you get that reference, you’re a geek!)

I have to give immense credit to our crew for the eighteen hour day they pulled on Saturday in a giant old hangar with no heat in the 20-30 degreen (F) weather. Tamara Valjean, our intrepid Production Coordinator, had things under control beginning with crew call at 6:30 AM (really!). And our tireless AD, Gale Benning, who is thoughtful and thorough and creative and organized at the same time (I swear he’s got 2 hard drives running at once) kept things rolling no matter what. Leo Roberts, creator and Sr. Exec. Producer also served as director for the shoot and has found a real talent for it. Special thanks goes to Sunshine Whitton and Absolute Technology for all of the help and our ability to shoot on the AMAZING Red One camera.

It was a long day, beginning with interviews with Jim Dever of Evening Magazine which should air in the Seattle market some time in early March. Segments are often available for viewing via their website, so if you’re away from Seattle then you’ll have to settle for seeing us on your computer screen rather than on a big screen TV. Ben Andrews and I were featured in the segment along with Romulan Roy Stanton, and Brian Sipe of Gamut Studios who created the UNBELIEVABLE makeup effects. We couldn’t have aliens without him. Sr. Exec. Producer Leo Roberts and co-Exec. Producer Jön Johnson were also interviewed. The Evening Magazine crew were also provided with access to the set during shooting and footage from “Hollow” Starring Rodrigo DeMederios and three vignettes still in post. I can’t wait to see it when it airs.

The last shot of the last day of filming on a project is known as the “martini” shot. Well, on this project we have now a new tradition that the last shot of the first day of filming is the “cake” shot. I baked THIS CAKE

for the shoot and the cast and crew were more than willing to tear into it once we could get out of wardrobe.

Speaking of which: I have to give a shout out to Merrillee Schedin and Jon Schedin for their incredible and incredibly swift work on the uniform tunics. Bravo for makig us all look fabulous! Bravo also to Darren, Shynn, and co. for makeup and to Shannon for hair. I felt gorgeous. Everyone looked great.

Michelle McNamer did an amazing job at craft services and I hope that any film makers out there reading this who have a budget for such things consider contacting her to work on your set. She was awesome and no one of us went hungry or under-caffienated all day (18+ hours).

And to top it all off, we ended the day with a trailer shoot that will incorporate the entire principal cast and some material from the Pilot script. It was the first time that we have been together as a full cast, in uniform and in character, since we saw the script. We had a blast! It was cold and damp and we didn’t even care we were having so much fun. We even had a surprise attack by the evil bag-head-eans who were out to wreak havoc and get revenge on our Captain for having defeated them as a mere child. We will be doing more and more character work in the next few weeks and I look foward to it immensely.

This is a marvelous group of actors and an exceptional crew. Even the three young ladies who came to play random deck 39-ers (if you got that reference you are a geek AGAIN) were wonderful and we are pleased to welcome them into our world. You will be seeing Lt.s Ayiln and DeSoto and Ensign Kelly in the Pilot as well as in future episodes.

Tonight we have a production meeting where I get to demo some amazing software written by my very own husband (Windows 7 beta is awesome) and discuss what comes next. I can’t wait!!

Principal Photography

And we’re off! This previous weekend we began principal photography on the first two of the three prequel vignettes leading up to the release of STAR TREK: PHOENIX. The first of the vignettes, “Hollow”, starring Rodrigo DeMederios is a dark and artsy (and I mean that in a good way) peek in to Federation Council member Tol Hadik’s inner turmoil.

And the second scene of the day, “Third Degree” stars yours truly. Here I am on the set getting ready to shoot.

The gentleman in the foreground is the gaffer and the instrument in his hand is the light meter; he is checking the level of light at the focal point of the camera (i.e. ME) to make sure that it’s ideal for shooting.

And OH THE CAMERA!!! We had the amazing good fortune to be able to shoot these scenes on a RED ONE Camera. I had never heard of this thing before our production team began salivating over the prospect of having one. Apparently it is the absolute best thing in digital cameras ever. The resolution is something like twice what can be displayed by current HDTV technology. WOW. And our professional crew made the most of it. New ST: PHOENIX producer and filmmaker Lucien Flynn did an amazing job this weekend in coordinating all of the equipment and the technical aspects of the production.

The vignettes are being dealt with now by our crack editing staff before going to the VFX studio for Zach to work his magic. The scenes should be ready for a special preview at the ST PHOENIX exhibit at OryCon 30 November 21-23 in Portland. For those who can’t make it to Portland for the Con, the videos should be in final form and available online in early December.

The third mini-sode “holo-victory” starring Ben Andrews as Captain Bryce Avari will be shot this coming weekend on location and should also be ready for primetime by December.

Photo Opportunity

Today we shot the first set of cast photos for PHOENIX, and all I have to say is that the day was amazing! I will post a link to the pictures as soon as any of them are finished and made public, and I’m sure it will be worth the wait.

Our Captain, Ben A, has the old-school Captain Kirk-ish command presence and sex appeal that will make every STAR TREK fan to find this series nostalgic for the old days. Ben J, our first officer, has the charm and the presence to balance the Captain’s occasional necessary stern-ness. Nicole, Lt Vu’Shan the Science Oficer, is the perfect blend of shyness and expertise on screen. Our CMO, played so flawlessly by James Alden is haughty and snobbish and an absolute hoot to watch. Pretty boy Austin Hunt and uber-pilot Celes are played by Aaron and Jön in such harmony that it was hard to believe it was their first day working together. Roy, our resident Romulan, might as well be a clone of Nimoy and is almost scary good.

And as for me: I’m the rock star (more in the rebel sense than the celebrity sense) redhead in Engineering with just enough attitude that you can see it in the photos.

Pictures to come!