Alex Levine's SciFi Blog - Updates

[morjana]

SGA - Alex Levine's Blog Update Sept. 16 '08:

From Alex Levine's SciFi.com blog update for September 16, 2008:

(Please follow the link for the complete blog update.)

September 16, 2008

The Bad News and the Silver Lining (Tracker)

**snippage**

Tracker was developed from a freelance pitch into a really cool story about Ronon, McKay and Keller. Although the teleplay was written by Carl Binder, the story was developed while the WGA was on strike and Carl was in California. Then, once the strike ended and Carl came back up here to Vancouver, the guys suggested he write the episode using what had been developed by the freelance writer and the other writer/producers. Carl liked the concept and jumped on it. And, like another of his episodes from Season 3, Phantoms, this is an episode in which everything came together. Gotta love it when that happens.

**snippage**

[morjana]

SGA - Alex Levine's Blog Update Sept. 22 '08 - 'First Contact':


At Alex Levine's SciFi.com blog for Stargate Atlantis:

(Please follow the link for the complete blog update.)

September 22, 2008

Heists and Fast Talkers (First Contact)

...The truth is that Martin has wanted to do a heist episode ever since the first season of the show. He even had one planned out using Aiden Ford (Rainbow Sun-Francks’ character) that never got developed, because he really didn’t have the how or the why questions answered. But for this two-parter – first part entitled “First Contact”, second part entitled “The Lost Tribe” – there were already some partly developed concepts in the mix. Firstly, since the Replicator story line has pretty much concluded, there was general consensus that a new villain was needed in the Pegasus galaxy. And Martin had a visual idea of a race of xenophobes or mysophobes (look it up!). Secondly, Alan had suggested doing some sort of story regarding Janus’ long forgotten lab on Atlantis. Thirdly, they had all planned to do a story bringing Daniel Jackson back to Atlantis. So all these story lines converge to bring you this mid-season two parter...

[morjana]

SGA - Alex Levine's Blog Update Oct 6 '08:

At Alexi Levine's SciFi.com Stargate Atlantis blog:

(Please follow the link for the complete blog update.)

October 6, 2008

VFX and Mark Savela

The gang was in watching a cut, and Mark Savela was waiting to show them a temp of one of the visual effects shots for The Lost Tribe, so I dragged him into my office to find out more about our VFX department. Now I don't know how much you know about VFX, but I certainly learned a lot by talking to Mark. He's our VFX Supervisor and he's primarily responsible for the amazing effects you see each week on Atlantis. For his efforts, he has been rewarded with an Emmy nomination, and the constant, unceasing worry that goes into making sure the effects represent the writers' and directors' vision. He told me First Contact and The Lost Tribe were the hardest Atlantis shows he's worked on as far as visual effects, and when I asked him why he named the culprit: Martin Gero.

**major snippage**

Mark told me he is extremely proud of the shot in First Contact where the hyperspace window opens up over the water. I recall when we were watching it one of the producers didn't exactly understand why the water was being pushed down until it was clarified. When someone asked, "why are we doing that?", Martin Gero turned around and said, "Cuz it's awesome!" I have to agree.

Posted by Alex Levine at October 6, 2008 7:36 PM

[morjana]

SGA - Alex Levine's Blog Update Oct. 14 '08:

At Alex Levine's SciFi.com blog update for October 14, 2008:

(Please follow the link for the complete blog update.)

October 14, 2008

Building Mythology

Series television has some serious advantages over feature films. I know most people think features are better, because they almost always have more money thrown at them, and of course they’re played in first run on gigantic screens. But for me, features have limitations. First of all, other than with respect to sequels, you really only have a limited time to get to know the characters and to let the characters grow. That’s one way in which series television trumps features. Secondly, the story lines themselves can only get so complicated – again because of the time limit. I also think it matters that, in series television, one experiences each episode with the characters so when further developments occur, either to story lines or characters or both, those developments are more meaningful because we, as the audience, experienced the back story.

And for a series with as much back story as Stargate Atlantis, that’s important. Not only do we have the back stories of each character (some, like McKay and Carter and Woolsey originated in the original series), but we also have layers and layers of lore and mythology that builds upon itself. A good example: the Wraith. Since they were discovered as life-sucking aliens in Rising, we have now come to learn of their inter-hive relationships and the science behind their feeding, the way they break down their worshipers, how they reproduce, etc. And this week on “Outsiders” we’ll see the Wraith dealing with the re-distribution of the Hoffan drug that is endangering their food source.

**snippage**

Enjoy the episode!

Posted by Alex Levine at October 14, 2008 11:51 PM

[morjana]

SGA - Alex Levine's Blog Update Oct 20 '08 - 'Inquisition':

At Alex Levine's SciFi.com blog update for Inquisition, October 20, 2008:

(Please follow the link for the complete blog udpate.)

October 20, 2008

Persistence Pays Off

**snippage**

At the end of the day, the writing staff was very kind. They met with me on my first draft, gave me notes and some time to re-write the script. I did another draft too on another round of notes. In the writing I found some things about the characters and the story that worked well; other stuff was discarded. There’s certainly some of my writing in the finished product, but I must credit Paul Mullie and the writing staff with much of the episode’s success. And my experience is not unlike other first time writers of any show. Stargate is no exception.

The coolest part of the show, which is always why people watch clip shows, is that you’ll get to see pretty much every cool space battle we’ve done. There’s also great acting in this one – keep your eyes open for the character of Myrus (the Council Liaison), who is played by my real life brother, Tobias Slezak (different last name). He did a great job.

Posted by Alex Levine at 11:11 PM

[morjana]

SGA - Alex Levine's Blog Update Nov 3 '08 - The Prodigal:

From Alex Levine's SciFi Channel blog update for November 3, 2008:

(Please follow the link for the complete blog update.)


November 3, 2008

Red Shirts and Kick Boxing

**snippage**

And this week you get to see "The Prodigal", written by Carl Binder...

.. Last but not least, this is the first episode where we get to see Lt. Banks (one of the technicians) kick some ass. Showrunner Joe Mallozzi discovered that Sharon Taylor, the actor who plays Banks, has studied kick boxing for five years, and so the execs decided that this would be a great opportunity to utilize her expertise. As you will see, she and Ronon make a dangerous combo.

Enjoy!

Posted by Alex Levine at 1:25 AM

[morjana]

SGA - Alex Levine Blog Update Nov 10 '08 for 'Remnants':

At Alex Levine's SciFi.com blog:

(Please follow the link for the complete blog update.)

November 10, 2008

Spoilers!

Just kidding. Actually, there were going to be a lot of great spoilers in this blog, which is about the upcoming Stargate Atlantis episode entitled "Remnants". You see, I sat down with Joe and we had a lengthy conversation about the origins of the story, and in the midst of this conversation (which was going very well, by the way) something clicked and Joe realized that just talking about the origins of the story would give away the third act twist. And who wants to watch more than half of an episode knowing what the twist is? How lame would that be? So we went back to basics and started over.

"Remnants", Joe told me, is a bittersweet Woolsey story. It deals with Woolsey's sense of alienation as the leader of Atlantis. You see, Woolsey is the outsider; he's in your typical "lonely at the top, tough to be the boss" scenario and he deals with it by keeping to himself, for the most part. Joe explained a little more about Woolsey for me: beneath that authoritarian, by the book commander, he's a bit socially awkward (Joe's words, not mine!). Joe continued: "as a kid in high school, Woolsey was always the last picked for sports teams. But it's this awkwardness that makes him human."

**snippage**

[morjana]

SGA - Alex Levine's Blog Update Nov 16 '08 - 'Brain Storm':

From Alex Levine's SciFi.com blog update for November 16, 2008:

(Please follow the link for the complete blog update.)

November 16, 2008

Brain Storm


This week's episode "Brain Storm", is not your typical Stargate Atlantis episode. First of all, it's a Martin Gero joint - written and directed by. So that's a first, right there. This is more of a science-based story, as you'll see, and it features McKay and Keller. Martin loves to write McKay, warts and all. That is, with all his neurosis and idiosyncrasies, with as much freedom and humor as possible, and a healthy dose of conceit. So you'll see McKay at his bumbling best. But best of all, there are some amazing guest stars and one hilarious cameo in this one.

**snippage**

Another funny story happened at lunch. That day Bill and Dr. Tyson were discussing the extinction of the dinosaurs with Ivon Bartok and Martin Gero. When Ivon expressed doubt in the asteroid theory of extinction, Dr. Tyson gently explained to Ivon that the asteroid theory is generally accepted among scientists these days. Most everybody who met Dr. Tyson came away impressed. I wish I had had a chance to meet him myself. Also, keep a look out for the "Carl Binder Memorial Auditorium", a little inside joke among the producers.

Enjoy!

Posted by Alex Levine at November 16, 2008 11:49 PM

[morjana]

SGA - Alex Levine Blog Update Dec 1 '08 for 'Infection':

At SciFi.com, Alex Levine's blog update for December 1, 2008:

(Please follow the link for the complete blog update.)


December 1, 2008

Ideas and Infection


**snippage**

The episode you'll see this week, "Infection", is yet another episode that continues an existing story line. We needed to tell a story that wraps up the Queen/gene therapy story line and also revisits our favorite Wraith, Todd. Alan came up with an interesting tease, so the other writers told him to run with it. There is a lot of prosthetic work in this one, as it's heavy on Wraith. Alan also told me they went back to the same Wraith set that we used in the Queen, and it was a challenge for Andy Mikita to find new and interesting angles to shoot. But our directors are very crafty and can make familiar sets seem completely different. For example, did you know that the SG-1 cafeteria is also the Gate Room? Well it's true. And the Infirmary doubles as any particular character's quarters. The chair room is the observation room. And the list goes on. Ah, the magic of television.

Enjoy this week's episode!

Posted by Alex Levine at December 1, 2008 11:55 PM

[morjana]

SGA - Alex Levine Blog Update Dec 11 '08 - 'Identity':

From Alex Levine's SciFi.com blog update for December 11, 2008:

(Please follow the link for the complete blog update.)

December 11, 2008


23 years!


Carl Binder has been writing for television for 23 years. "Impossible!", you say? Well, I'll prove it to you. His first credit: Punky Brewster. So when I tell you he's been around a long time, I mean it. Don't let the youthful good looks fool you. And although Carl gets a lot of grief from the writing staff for his predilection for ghost stories and his grey hair, he just lets his writing do the talking for him. His latest episode, Identity, which you'll see this week, is another great story that Carl really enjoyed writing.

**snippage**

Carl told me he was a bit bummed about the cancellation of the show, but he's excited for the future of the franchise including Stargate Universe. For him, Season 5 has been bittersweet, because writing for Atlantis has been his longest gig in 23 years. But not to worry, I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot more Stargate from Carl Binder in the future.

Enjoy!

Posted by Alex Levine at December 11, 2008 11:46 PM

[CazzBlade]

SGA - Alex Levine Blog Update Dec 11 '08 - 'Identity':

From Alex Levine's SciFi.com blog update for December 11, 2008:

(Please follow the link for the complete blog update.)

December 11, 2008


23 years!


Carl Binder has been writing for television for 23 years. "Impossible!", you say? Well, I'll prove it to you. His first credit: Punky Brewster. So when I tell you he's been around a long time, I mean it. Don't let the youthful good looks fool you. And although Carl gets a lot of grief from the writing staff for his predilection for ghost stories and his grey hair, he just lets his writing do the talking for him. His latest episode, Identity, which you'll see this week, is another great story that Carl really enjoyed writing.

Omg! I had a video of that when I was little Despite being 2 years younger than when he started writing

[morjana]

SGA - Alex Levine's Blog Update Dec 29 '08 - 'Vegas':

From Alex Levine's SciFi.com blog update for 'Vegas':

(Please follow the link for the complete blog update.)

December 29, 2008

Vegas, baby, Vegas


So by now you've probably heard that some of this week's episode entitled "Vegas" was actually shot in Vegas. Rob Cooper wrote and directed this one, and sometime in August he said to me, "You know, we're probably going to need someone to come down to Vegas just to deal with legal clearances." And of course that's my job! So I said to Rob, "Well great. I'll be there." But there was just a pause on the other end of the line and then a chuckle. "You're just messin' with me, aren't you?" And he was. But truth be told, there wasn't a lot of time to party and gamble because they were too busy working. That is, until the shoot was finished. Then, and only then, they gambled and golfed. And a little bit before the shoot too.

Even though I wasn't invited along for the ride, I was one of the people responsible for getting Planet Hollywood involved. That's the casino that allowed us to shoot on their premises and do our chase scene on the roof. We asked a number of casinos if they were interested in having us shoot there, but but only a handful of casinos even responded. I guess they're too busy raking in the cashola to worry about a little extra publicity. Other than the Planet Hollywood, I understand the Riviera was interested, and a couple others (New York, New York and Treasure Island) were considering letting us shoot their exteriors. At the time of our preproduction, the film "21" came out on DVD and Rob and I watched it, wondering where all the casinos were that were featured in the film. As you might expect, it was the ones I mentioned - Planet Hollywood and the Riviera. The Hard Rock did allow them to shoot there, but I think it might have only been the exterior.

**snippage**

Enjoy Vegas!

Posted by Alex Levine at December 29, 2008 7:01 PM

[morjana]

2009 Bloggie Awards - Nominations:

The 2009 Bloggie Awards are accepting Nominations --



What You Need to Know

A "weblog" is defined as a page with dated entries.

The contest is open to any weblogs that existed for a period of time
during the year 2008, so weblogs that were discontinued during 2008
are also eligible.

Only one nomination form and one finalist voting form may be submitted
per person.

E-mail addresses are required to vote. You must use your own address
and confirm the validation e-mail.

If you attempt to submit a second ballot, your first one will be
replaced.


In the nomination phase:

URLs are required.

At least three (3) different weblogs total must be nominated.

There is no limit to the number of categories a weblog may be
nominated for.

Nominees have to fit the category they are placed in.

Weblogs may win a category over multiple years a maximum of three times.


Here's a chance to nominate your favorite web blogs, including Alex Levine's blog:

http://blogs.scifi.com/stargate/

[Willow'sCat]

Hmm, only problem with his blog is that it isn't actually a real blog.

IMHO if you cannot comment, it ain't a blog it is a promo. I see a nasty trend these days where so many folks think they are blogs when in fact they are nothing more then mouthpieces for studios... or governments.

They are not blogs.

[morjana]

Hmm, only problem with his blog is that it isn't actually a real blog.

IMHO if you cannot comment, it ain't a blog it is a promo. I see a nasty trend these days where so many folks think they are blogs when in fact they are nothing more then mouthpieces for studios... or governments.

They are not blogs.

I suppose if you always want to be someone who's crying in their milk, that's one way to look at Alex's blog.

I, however, prefer to think that Alex has been writing his weekly entries since July 2005, providing background and informational tidbits about each episode, and that fans might want to thank him for his efforts by nominating his blog.