SF Writer. Screenwriting Professor.
Insanity ensues day and night. Science Fiction is my wheelhouse. Stay tuned for my 1st Stargate SG-1 novel, The Four Dragons, for Fandemonium Press in June '10.
Yes, the lines were too long, but the networking and collaborative spirit were high. Yes, the stabbing deflated the pop culture party of the year, but having a teenager run up to me to return a $10 bill that dropped from my pocket made it all better. Yes, the Starbucks counter was under-staffed, but the San Diego resturants more than made up for it. (Can you say tapas, Sangria, and real Spanish Flamenco dancers? The perfect antidote to an overstimulated day!)
But this… this picture says it all:
ComicCon Cosplay Bathroom Touchup
Right before stepping into the NBC/Universal Writers on the Verge Panel (more on that in a later post), I side-stepped into the ladies room. When I saw these ladies all in the midst of Cosplay (that’s costume-play for you great unwashed), I couldn’t help but ask if I could take a photo.
Forget the Joss Whedon panels, the Nathan Fillion steamy readings of Castle’s latest best-seller. Forget networks and studios trying to outdo each other with swag bags so big that their only future purpose is to be stuffed in the back of some closet collecting dust.
It’s the people, stupid. Plain and simple. The joy of costumes, of fellow aficionados of anything from anime to Dexter to the latest and greatest comic books. OK, yes…ComicCon is a marketing department’s wet dream.
But it’s also a place to play, have fun, and experience sensory overload.
And yes, you should come next year – EVERYONE needs to experience San Diego ComicCon at least once in their life!
The Emmy nominations came out today and of course, there’s much to be excited about – from Dexter to Glee to Good Wife and whatever series floats your particular boat. And yes, there’s plenty of the traditional “eye candy” (e.g. pretty actors/sets/costumes) to look at in all those shows.
But there’s an entirely different type of ‘eye candy’ worth considering – and that’s the Outstanding Special Visual Effects For A Series. I’ve only see 5 out of the 8 in question, so if this seems like a biased post, my apologies. That said, in each case, the FX were excellent. In many cases, breathtaking. The FX became as much a part of the storytelling process as the actors/sets/costumes, etc. They embellished the story. Added to the emphasis of ‘what’s at stake.’
For those of you not keeping score, here’s VFX highlights from those nominated series I’ve seen (clearly, the science fiction shows – I’m afraid I’m a bit remiss on the modern dramas):
STARGATE UNIVERSE VFX Nominations: Stargate Universe • Air • Syfy Stargate Universe • Space • Syfy
In its fledgling stage, this series has stumbled, sure. It’s also had some excellent high points. That’s how first seasons work. Extreme highs and disappointing lows. However! The one area this series has not disappointed on is bring a sense of wonder back into the franchise. That’s been true across the board – from writing to set design and in this case, to some extraordinary aliens designed by the same house which brought you District 9. These creatures emoted, terrified, and haunted not just the characters, but the viewers as well. It’s a long way from the rubber masked aliens of old. It’s also worth pointing out that VFX isn’t just about aliens and space battles, it’s about the subtle tweaks that make us buy into extraordinary situations. Mark Savela, VFX Supervisor for SGU, gives an excellent account over on Gateworld on some of the work done on the Space episode. Give it a read.
CAPRICA VFX Nominations: Caprica • There Is Another Sky • Syfy
Another series in its fledgling year – and very worth watching! No, it’s not Battlestar Galactica — in fact, its better and even more disturbing. And while the episode most likely got nominated for its VR environment in Caprica City, my favorite effect of the entire series is the slow pans across Zoe where we see her as her Avatar, as a Cylon, and then as an Avatar again. It’s Frankenstein meets the Electra Complex and the sight of that pan will keep you up all night, highly disturbed! Go on, watch the nominated episode on Hulu and see for yourself:
Talk about fledglings – this pilot for FOX never made it passed a one time showing (on July 4th last year, I believe). Too bad, too. While there were some clunky elements, it was a pilot for crying out loud! Penned by Ron D. Moore (ST: Deep Space Nine, Battlestar Galactica, Caprica), it’s a shame this series never got out of the gate… but then, we’ve all learned the hard way that FOX doesn’t care much for Science Fiction (cough, cough – Firefly and Dollhouse, anyone?) Although the full episode isn’t available online, you can watch this fantastic launch sequence thanks to YouTube. And yes, it has a definite 2001 quality to it that might pull it out of dark horse status in the Emmys and give it the award it deserves.
V
VFX Nominations: V • Pilot • ABC
One last series – and again, in its fledgling year. This reinvention went the SyFy channel’s Sanctuary route with mostly green screen composites for the onboard sequences. Sadly, it seems the Sanctuary folks (with a budget one third the size of V) got the compositing better than V – a major network series! Hello, can you say, “Add shadows, you nimwit!” On the flip side, I dug the exteriors of the ships. There’s something about walking down 5th Ave in NYC — Starbucks in hand – and glancing up only to see a lizard queen alien grinning down at you, contemplating if you’ll go better with a good Chianti or a nice Riesling.
V has suffered from holding back too much, dragging out minutae we really don’t care about (Thorn Birds, anyone?). The season finale, however, did pull itself together and raise the stakes – both story-wise and visually). Too bad “Red Sky” (see below courtesy of Hulu) wasn’t nominated instead of the pilot.
Looks like my SG-1 media tie-in novel, Four Dragons, just might make its August 16th release date. MGM has happily signed off and galley proofs should be ready for my final read-through in the next 24 hours.
For those who haven’t been keeping score (and yes, there’ll be a test at the end… or rather a contest (once we have a definite date for books-in-hand)… the storyline for Four Dragons goes something likes this:
Shortly after Daniel Jackson returns from his time among the ascended Ancients, he volunteers to join an archaeological survey of Chinese ruins on P3Y-702. But after accidentally activating a Goa’uld transport ring, Daniel finds himself the prisoner of the Goa’uld Lord Yu. Blaming himself for Daniel’s capture, Jack O’Neill vows to go to any lengths to get him back – even if it means taking matters into his own hands.
A key question in the book is WHY does Lord Yu capture Daniel? And why has Yu always seemed to have his own agenda when it comes to the Tau’ri? You’ll have to read the book to find out though I can promise you the story gives us an opportunity to explore Yu’s past before and since being Goa’ulded. In turn, we get a chance to look at ancient Chinese history and some of the archaeological breadcrumbs left behind on Earth… and elsewhere.
With MGM’s sign-off, I thought it might be a good idea to start sharing some bits and pieces about the story. Once the galleys are put to bed, I’ll post the book’s prelude – the opening pages for the book. In the meantime, let me introduce you to this fellow:
Zhenmushou
This is a ZHENMUSHOU – otherwise known as a Tomb Guardian. In Chinese archaeological writings, the Zhenmushou is identified as a mythological creature, a spirit that has the power to keep the spirit of the dead from roaming. While mostly popular in the sixth century and onward, they can be traced back to the Western Jin dynasty (265-317 AD) and earlier.
And the SGC finds one on another planet…along with a variety of ruins containing a mix of Goa’uld, ancient Chinese, and ancient Ancient writing. Clearly, Daniel’s interest is peaked. Hopefully, yours, too.
The Primordial Unas ("SG-1: Thor's Hammer) Courtesy of Gateworld.net Property of MGM-TV
Now of course, I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out a certain similarity to another creature born of the Stargate mythology:
Recognize him? You should – he’s the Primordial UNAS who tangled with Jack and Teal’c down in the dank caves of Cimmeria. He’s a craggy, less refined version of Chaka (Daniel’s Unas buddy) with more horns, more jagged teeth, and a lousy temper. And yes, he does bear a resemblance to the Zhenmushou.
Gotta wonder… does Lord Yu has anything to do with that?
Seems like everyone in a 5 mile radius of my home woke up this morning with the same realization: July 4th can’t be celebrated without a well manicured lawn. Hence, it was decided — through some mutual telepathic means — that everyone would synchronize their lawn mowers for a 9am chorus of mechanical whirs.
Happily, by 11am, the lawns were mowed and yes, dear folks, the fireworks commenced. At 11 o’clock in the fraking morning.
By noon, my ears were mush.
By 2pm, I came to the conclusion that if you can’t beat them, crank up the music. Today’s playlist:
- 1776, the original Broadway Recording
- Les Miserables, the original West End Recording
- Hair, original Broadway Recording
- Nightmare Before Christmas, original Film Recording
Theme? You betcha – Revolutions! Of all shapes and sizes from the American and French Revolutions, to the Cultural Revolution, to a revolution involving Ghouls, Skeletons, and Santa Claus!
STARGATE UNIVERSE
