Editing Podcast:Exodus, Part I
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{{ | {{podcast|author=Steelviper|emailAuthor2=|suffix=|additionalCopyright= and Terry Dresbach}} | ||
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There goes [[James Lyman|Jammer]]. Jammer, interestingly enough, in early drafts Jammer was killed in that sequence. He died in the firefight and then there was even a draft where Jammer died a little bit later on. And I ultimately decided not to do that. And- for reasons that will become clear in future episodes. | There goes [[James Lyman|Jammer]]. Jammer, interestingly enough, in early drafts Jammer was killed in that sequence. He died in the firefight and then there was even a draft where Jammer died a little bit later on. And I ultimately decided not to do that. And- for reasons that will become clear in future episodes. | ||
This is also a pickup. This little pickup here of [[Connor]] finding the map was another little piece that we didn't have that we had to go back and recreate later for this key thing of- when he walks up and says that he's found the map and it was on a skinjob, we didn't really have the shot of when that occured. Sergeant [[ | This is also a pickup. This little pickup here of [[Connor]] finding the map was another little piece that we didn't have that we had to go back and recreate later for this key thing of- when he walks up and says that he's found the map and it was on a skinjob, we didn't really have the shot of when that occured. Sergeant [[Mathias]] is named aft- Gunnery Sergeant Mathias. Again, I wanted it to be a woman, for whatever reason, and someone in her forties that looked like she'd been around the block a few times. And she's actually named after the high school superintendent that preceded my father at Chowchilla Union High. His name was Jim Mathias and I just decided to name it after him. | ||
Terry: Does your father know that? | Terry: Does your father know that? | ||
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Another great matte painting, or matte shot. I don't know if they call them paintings anymore. | Another great matte painting, or matte shot. I don't know if they call them paintings anymore. | ||
[[Kara Thrace|Kara]] and [[ | [[Kara Thrace|Kara]] and [[Kacey]]. I like the little echoes here of- there's a sense, a feeling in the production design that is reminicent of that dark little apartment that we saw of Kara's on Cylon-occupied [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Caprica|Caprica]]. There's not really a direct correlation between the two but there are echoes of it. There's the- something about the staircase and the way it's set-decked and the way it's shot makes me feel like it's Kara's home as well, in a very twisted reality. | ||
Very tricky to get interesting performances out of child actors. This is one- oh, I think I said this last week. But this is one of the better child actors that I've dealt with. And the key is usually just giving them very little- the younger they are, the simpler you have to make the material. If you're asking them to say a lot of lines and emote and give you specific reaction shots and looking at a certain way, looking in fear. It becomes very hard to coax it out of them on the set because they're just little kids. And they're overwhelmed by the environment. So you have to- if they're very young you have to almost think of them as props. And that you're just moving them from place to place and you're looking for little, key little bits and you're not asking very much of them as actors. | Very tricky to get interesting performances out of child actors. This is one- oh, I think I said this last week. But this is one of the better child actors that I've dealt with. And the key is usually just giving them very little- the younger they are, the simpler you have to make the material. If you're asking them to say a lot of lines and emote and give you specific reaction shots and looking at a certain way, looking in fear. It becomes very hard to coax it out of them on the set because they're just little kids. And they're overwhelmed by the environment. So you have to- if they're very young you have to almost think of them as props. And that you're just moving them from place to place and you're looking for little, key little bits and you're not asking very much of them as actors. | ||
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RDM: It might even be the oracle. Oracle is, like, her title. Her name is Sellona- [[Dodona Selloi|Selloi Dodona]]. Which is the name of an [[Wikipedia:Dodona|actual oracle]] from ancient Greece, I believe. Who is actually someone you can look up on the internet and learn all about. So I borrowed her name, the name of that oracle, to use as our own. | RDM: It might even be the oracle. Oracle is, like, her title. Her name is Sellona- [[Dodona Selloi|Selloi Dodona]]. Which is the name of an [[Wikipedia:Dodona|actual oracle]] from ancient Greece, I believe. Who is actually someone you can look up on the internet and learn all about. So I borrowed her name, the name of that oracle, to use as our own. | ||
This concept- I liked the idea that the two theologies of faith, the polytheistic and the monotheistic, that they were starting to have certain points of crossover. That the oracle of the [[Religion in the Twelve Colonies|Colonials' religion]] was actually gonna get a message from the [[ | This concept- I liked the idea that the two theologies of faith, the polytheistic and the monotheistic, that they were starting to have certain points of crossover. That the oracle of the [[Religion in the Twelve Colonies|Colonials' religion]] was actually gonna get a message from the [[God]] of the Cylon religion and pass through, as a conduit, to D'anna. And that there was some kind of common point between the two. That the both religions and both faiths had some glimpse of the truth, had some idea of the eternal but neither one was exactly right. But that there were paths that each side could take or be on that would eliminate the truth of the universe to them. | ||
And then we- and this was, I thought, a nice way to dive back into the storyline of [[Hera]], of the little girl. Again, this was all gonna start in "Occupation" but it was just too many storylines moving simultaneously. And this starts a arc that we're gonna play with D'anna of- for many episodes. And D'anna's journey and her arc as a character begins here. Her starting to dream about the child. What does the child symbolize? What is the meaning of God to D'anna? Why is she questioning God? What is she questing? What is she looking for? All those things propel her in subsequent episodes. | And then we- and this was, I thought, a nice way to dive back into the storyline of [[Hera]], of the little girl. Again, this was all gonna start in "Occupation" but it was just too many storylines moving simultaneously. And this starts a arc that we're gonna play with D'anna of- for many episodes. And D'anna's journey and her arc as a character begins here. Her starting to dream about the child. What does the child symbolize? What is the meaning of God to D'anna? Why is she questioning God? What is she questing? What is she looking for? All those things propel her in subsequent episodes. | ||
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RDM: And now, see this episode is just- it's better to put all this stuff together, because you're tracking this much better. If this was all spread out over all three episodes, and I suddenly dropped in the shot of | RDM: And now, see this episode is just- it's better to put all this stuff together, because you're tracking this much better. If this was all spread out over all three episodes, and I suddenly dropped in the shot of D'anna looking over and seeing just a child, you may not even recall what that storyline was about. | ||
See, now we're going right back down into the caves. | See, now we're going right back down into the caves. | ||
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Terry: Oh, god. I was trying to sneak it too before I have to hear the nine million comments about how- | Terry: Oh, god. I was trying to sneak it too before I have to hear the nine million comments about how- | ||
RDM: (in a mocking voice) "Why is she on | RDM: (in a mocking voice) "Why is she on AOL?" | ||
This- I was struggling with how do these guys have a reasonable expectation of getting the hell off this planet. And I sort of had a handle at this point about what the [[Galactica (RDM)|''Galactica'']] story was gonna be, which I'll talk more about next week, when we really get into the details of how ''Galactica'' will rescue these guys. But in this episode I was struggling with, "Ok. How do these people on the ground have a reasonable expectation of getting off?" And I came up with this idea that, ok, they had been practicing exodus. They had been practicing drills to get all these people to rallying points and to get them off the planet. And how would they do that? They would do that under the guise of fire drills and that they would- there has been four months have gone by and they've had chances to lay in the groundwork for disaster preparation and that under the guise of a fire drill they could put a scenario together where they could plausibly get people to practice, with block captains and so on, getting all these people out from here to there. And then once you had them out, and once they had practiced moving very quickly, going to a designated spot, that it was at least plausible that you could get them, then, to the ships. Once you were- had gone that far you were pretty close to being able to make the actual exodus itself work. | This- I was struggling with how do these guys have a reasonable expectation of getting the hell off this planet. And I sort of had a handle at this point about what the [[Galactica (RDM)|''Galactica'']] story was gonna be, which I'll talk more about next week, when we really get into the details of how ''Galactica'' will rescue these guys. But in this episode I was struggling with, "Ok. How do these people on the ground have a reasonable expectation of getting off?" And I came up with this idea that, ok, they had been practicing exodus. They had been practicing drills to get all these people to rallying points and to get them off the planet. And how would they do that? They would do that under the guise of fire drills and that they would- there has been four months have gone by and they've had chances to lay in the groundwork for disaster preparation and that under the guise of a fire drill they could put a scenario together where they could plausibly get people to practice, with block captains and so on, getting all these people out from here to there. And then once you had them out, and once they had practiced moving very quickly, going to a designated spot, that it was at least plausible that you could get them, then, to the ships. Once you were- had gone that far you were pretty close to being able to make the actual exodus itself work. | ||
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Love that little beat there with the beer bottle that comes flying in. | Love that little beat there with the beer bottle that comes flying in. | ||
This is where the show starts getting really dark and powerful. | This is where the show starts getting really dark and powerful. Tigh being confronted about his wife and Ellen. Watch the interaction here and this whole little sequence between Michael Hogan and Kate. "I wanna explain." He's so, like, defensive of her. | ||
Terry: Well, he's always defensive of her. He's been defending her for years. | Terry: Well, he's always defensive of her. He's been defending her for years. | ||
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RDM: He's so good. He's really one of the unsung heroes of this show. | RDM: He's so good. He's really one of the unsung heroes of this show. | ||
And then | And then Sharon. Like I said in the first podcast, that little bit of business about setting up that she can get past the Centurions explains how she gets all the way inside the blockhouse here. And actually there was a beat, that we had scripted, where she was gonna encounter a Centurion and get by him and then we cut it, not for time but we cut it for budget, because we couldn't really afford yet another Centurion. | ||
This little bit is one of the first times you've ever seen the | This little bit is one of the first times you've ever seen the Cylons actually interact with their computer system. She reaches in, we play the data stream across her face, she goes into the room. This is all just, like, trying to do it in little brushstrokes of how she interacts with her environment. And it's just enough to imply a superior technology without really hitting you over the head with it. It's just enough to get you to where you're going. And then she's confronted. | ||
That is an homage to | That is an homage to ''The Wild Bunch''. [[David Weddle]] wrote a sterling biography of Sam Peckinpaugh, and one of the great lines of ''The Wild Bunch'' was Ernset Borgnine saying, "It's not who you give- It's not the fact that your- somebody your word, it's who you gave it to." | ||
And the agony of this whole storyline of her being told that her child is dead, now being told the child's alive. Does she believe it? Can she believe it? | And the agony of this whole storyline of her being told that her child is dead, now being told the child's alive. Does she believe it? Can she believe it? Was it do to her loyalties? | ||
[[Dodona Selloi]] not Selloi Dodona. See how- see how quickly it all fades from memory? | [[Dodona Selloi]] not Selloi Dodona. See how- see how quickly it all fades from memory? | ||
This little gag at the end here where she shoots her in the legs and leaves is actually (chuckles), I got that- that's actually an homage to the | This little gag at the end here where she shoots her in the legs and leaves is actually (chuckles), I got that- that's actually an homage to the ''Terminator II''. That great beat at the gate when the terminator and Ed Furlong are going to rescue Linda Hamilton and he's made the promise not to shoot- not to kill anybody. And then he shoots the guys in the- shoots the security guy in the legs, and he collapses. Ed Furlong looks at him and he just says, "He'll live." (Laughs.) And he goes inside. It's one of my favorite beats in the movie. | ||
There's the landing field, much discussed landing field. Seldom seen. We were, like, sweatin' it right up until the end whether we were going to be able to show the landing field. 'Cause it was more money in visual effects and all these episodes were huge and way over budget. | There's the landing field, much discussed landing field. Seldom seen. We were, like, sweatin' it right up until the end whether we were going to be able to show the landing field. 'Cause it was more money in visual effects and all these episodes were huge and way over budget. | ||
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Terry: Ow! Kitten attack. | Terry: Ow! Kitten attack. | ||
RDM: And [[Nicholas Tyrol|Nicholas]]. I'm trying to remember who came up with the name Nicholas for their child. I think it was | RDM: And [[Nicholas Tyrol|Nicholas]]. I'm trying to remember who came up with the name Nicholas for their child. I think it was David and Bradley named him Nicholas. | ||
Terry: I thought it was a girl. | Terry: I thought it was a girl. | ||
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Terry: Oh. | Terry: Oh. | ||
RDM: But | RDM: But Tyrol's child is a boy. | ||
Terry: Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. | Terry: Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. | ||
RDM: They call him "Nicky" which is interesting considering that | RDM: They call him "Nicky" which is interesting considering that Cally's real name is Nicky, and yet it's a boy. Nicky... I'm not sure what strange resonance that has. | ||
Meanwhile... back at the farm. | Meanwhile... back at the farm. | ||
This is the- this is a little bit of a reference, this little sequence here, is a little bit of | This is the- this is a little bit of a reference, this little sequence here, is a little bit of ''The Longest Day''. We wanted to play a little bit of ''The Longest Day'', where they're all waiting for the word of whether they're gonna go to Normandy. And this beat right here is reminicent of the moment in the big airplane hangar when John Wayne hears that, "It's on." And he throws the coffee mug across the hangar. "It's on." | ||
Her and Kat. It's so great that it's, like, her and Kat now in charge. | |||
Terry: It's cold. | Terry: It's cold. | ||
RDM: And this little beat with | RDM: And this little beat with Adama coming in. I wanted us to be a little bit more classic than we usually go with the show. The show has a very naturalistic feel. We try to keep it very grounded. But this was one of those moments that I wanted- I wanted "St. Crispin's day". I wanted the "Henry V" sort of moment where he talks to his crew. | ||
Now, again, this was not intended to be the climax of the first hour. This was intended to be midway. This was, like, the act two break of this massive episode that we were insane enough to think that would actually fit into an hour slot. But fortunately, because I got this great little piece, I've got this big dramatic high that I can go out on. We were able to cleave this episode in half kinda neatly. Even though, if you think about it, not a hell of a lot has really happened in this episode. It's moved really quick, and it's been a lot of pace, pace, pace. Scene to scene to scene. There's a lot of character stuff going on. Puzzle pieces are all lining up. Things are about to happen. But we get out of this episode before the actual rescue attempt. So it's really a bit of slight of hand that we're able to convey a sense of pace and momentum in an episode where not a hell of a lot happens. And that's how we go out. And then it's like, "And next week the shit really hits the fan, next week." | Now, again, this was not intended to be the climax of the first hour. This was intended to be midway. This was, like, the act two break of this massive episode that we were insane enough to think that would actually fit into an hour slot. But fortunately, because I got this great little piece, I've got this big dramatic high that I can go out on. We were able to cleave this episode in half kinda neatly. Even though, if you think about it, not a hell of a lot has really happened in this episode. It's moved really quick, and it's been a lot of pace, pace, pace. Scene to scene to scene. There's a lot of character stuff going on. Puzzle pieces are all lining up. Things are about to happen. But we get out of this episode before the actual rescue attempt. So it's really a bit of slight of hand that we're able to convey a sense of pace and momentum in an episode where not a hell of a lot happens. And that's how we go out. And then it's like, "And next week the shit really hits the fan, next week." | ||
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Terry: Yes. | Terry: Yes. | ||
RDM: | RDM: You've got mail, Terry. | ||
Terry: Well, you know what? If somebody had a computer program that worked that was on her | Terry: Well, you know what? If somebody had a computer program that worked that was on her Mac. | ||
RDM: Yes, Terry is not too happy about the fact that we've dragged her kicking and screaming into the | RDM: Yes, Terry is not too happy about the fact that we've dragged her kicking and screaming into the Apple era. | ||
Terry: It doesn't work half the time. Bye everybody. | Terry: It doesn't work half the time. Bye everybody. | ||
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RDM: The big finale. Goodnight and good luck. | RDM: The big finale. Goodnight and good luck. | ||
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