EUREKA UNSCRIPTED

On the Set: Episode 407

A skeleton buried deeply within the earth. Tons of green screen work. And basketball. What exactly do these three things have to do with Episode 407 of your favorite TV show?  First of all, that skeleton (pictured above) is UBER important. Secondly, there really is a very exciting green screen visual effects moment that works as a critical story set-up in the episode (more on that later). But basketball? 

Yeah, I just like sports.

But all three things were, indeed, present on the set of 407 when yours truly, Story Editor Eric Wallace, had a chance to visit our brilliant cast and crew up in Vancouver, Canada recently. Don't believe me? How about proof? Yup, that’s Niall Matter aka Zane Donovan with me in my Lakers shirt.

A quick explanation: The NHL playoffs were happening while I was up there, and let me tell you… as much as I like basketball, football, and tennis our wonderful Eureka crew loves hockey a whole lot more. Hmmm. Zane and Jo Lupo in skates? I sense a story pitch coming on…

Now I can’t actually tell you what happens in 407 (sorry, no spoilers here). But I can tell you the episode was directed by our own Henry Deacon, the multi-talented Joe Morton. That’s Joe in action directing actor Colin Ferguson below.

If you think Joe brings passion to his role as Eureka’s loveable Henry Deacon, you should see him in the director’s chair. Seriously, the man is constantly in motion as exemplified by the huge number of blurry photos I have of him on set. Oh, and as promised here’s a picture of that mysterious green screen in action.

Just what were Joe Morton and our crew up to with this thing? Sorry. You’ll have to wait until this summer to find out.

Oh, and for those who are wondering exactly what a large green screen is used for on set… it’s put there to create a neutral background behind the actors during a scene. Then later during the post production process, our VFX Executive Producer Matt Gore will fill in all that green space with something cool, awesome, and spectacular (Go, Matt, go!).

But don’t think that just because there are tons of spiffy visual effects in 407 that there’s not also some great emotional scenes for our actors to sink their teeth into. Check out Salli Richardson-Whitfield aka new GD working mom Allison Blake, going over her lines between takes. And yes, her performance in this episode will make you laugh and cry. Why? C’mon. You should know by now I’m not telling...

Well, there’s so much more I could tell you about what it’s like on a Eureka set. Like how our Director of Photography Rick Maguire is a master of the craft (just wait until you see the look of our show in Season Four – it’s going to blow you away). Oh, and there are some amazing new sets this season designed by Lance King, our Production Designer. And the food on a Eureka set? To. Die. For. Thanks to Gordie & Jeremy Wise for keeping everyone well fed!

But hey… I’m going to stop now before I start letting story details slip. I know you want to be surprised. No? Okay, then… here’s the skinny. Episode 407 is all about—

DEAR EUREKA FANS:

THIS PARAGRAPH HAS BEEN REDACTED UPON PAIN OF DEATH. HERE’S ANOTHER PICTURE OF OUR TALENTED CAST INSTEAD.

SINCERELY, SYFY.

I know, right?

All of that sounds pretty cool! So tune in starting July 9th to see how it all turns out.

EW

On the Set: Episode 406

I know it says episode 4005 on my production notebook there.  That's its production number because we shot a couple of episodes out of order.  The scripts were written in order and will air in order, but they were shot out of sequence due to the availability of Allison Scagliotti for our Warehouse 13 crossover.

Co-executive producer Ron Milbauer here.  So, apparently part of my job (other than making stuff up & writing it down, helping other people make stuff up and write it down, and sitting around with my fellow co-executive producers, waiting for our executive producers to die so that we can finally rule) is to occasionally go to the place where we film the show and hang out during the production of an episode.  Turns out, we film this show in an entirely different country.  I’m pretty sure it’s somewhere in Norway.

Here’s how it works:  They put me in a big black car, put me on a plane, (first class, ‘cause that’s how I roll.  Well, that’s how I roll when someone else is contractually obligated to pay for it) pick me up in another big black car, take me to my hotel, wait for me to sleep for a while, and then drive me to the set.

 

My drive from the airport into the quaint little Norwegian village of “Vancouver”.

The first thing I realized is that the Norwegian people speak remarkably good English, only they tend to mispronounce certain words, like “about” (sounds like “ a boot”) and “sorry” (I can’t figure out how to write this one phonetically, but trust me, it sounds weird).  They also have bizarre local customs like “politeness” and “hockey”. 

My first experience on set was making the mistake of walking by a couple of guys testing out some pyrotechnic gag.  My mind immediately flashed forward to a scene of me being intimately fondled by airport security in a repeat performance of Jaime’s experience.

It’s not so much the cupping and groping I’m worried about here, it’s the ridicule I’ll receive from my fellow writers back in L.A. for lack of originality.  Luckily, either I didn’t get enough magnesium powder on my computer bag to trigger the alarms, or airport security was having an off day.

A lot of other really interesting stuff happened that I can’t tell you about without revealing some major spoilers, so here are some pictures instead:

Apparently Henry’s garage won’t show up on film unless you fill the set with enough smoke to kill a herd of yaks.

We did some filming in the woods for this episode.  We lost a lot of good men out there.

 

Actor trailers.

Our talented new cast member, James Callis, discusses character motivation with co-executive producer, Sasquatch.

 

Me with the nice kid who brought me my coffee.  I think his name is Colin.

On the Set: Episode 405

Hi. My name is Bartlett. I'm Paula Yoo's travel bear. Yes, she is way too old to still have a travel bear, but well, there you go. Let's just say I'm her good-luck charm.

Paula likes to drag me along everywhere she goes. Her friends are used to getting silly pictures of me on top of some mountain in Yosemite, by a video poker slots machine in Vegas, and even at the Coliseum in Rome.

So I've traveled all over the world. Been there, done that.

But as cynical as I am, nothing prepared me for the TOTALLY AWESOME TRIP TO SET OF SYFY'S "EUREKA" IN VANCOUVER, CANADA!!!!

Paula's busy working at her, you know, job, where she's Co-Producer for Eureka. She wrote Episode 405, which is also known as THE CROSSOVER EPISODE WITH WAREHOUSE 13. It will air Friday August 6th at 9 PM (ET/PT).

Anyhoo… Paula's so busy "working" that she asked me to write up her Eureka Unscripted blog post about our trip to the Eureka set. Although it's really hard for me to type on Paula's computer keyboard (I'm a stuffed bear, for goodness sake), I will do my best. So here's a bear's-eye view of EUREKA… or, as Paula likes to say, YOOREKA.

TUESDAY MAY 11

Paula and I have never flown first class, so we were delighted to see that our airline had a first-class lounge! They serve all the free soup and salad you want! I'm a bear, so naturally I have to eat a lot all the time…

We arrived very late at the hotel in Vancouver - around 12:30 AM! Fortunately, Eureka's Story Editor Eric Wallace was still in Vancouver, so we all got to hang out for a little bit before Eric flew back to LA…

I was very exhausted and went to sleep in the very big bed provided by this hotel. Bears usually like to sleep on the floor of a cave, but I am a very sophisticated bear.

WEDNESDAY MAY 12

Today was a very long day. Paula had to attend many meetings, including a production meeting, a tone meeting, and a visual effects meeting, AND she had to do a couple of last minute production revisions to her script. I had no idea being a TV writer was so much work - I only see Paula in front of her computer playing Solitaire, so I was surprised to see how busy she was…

So while I enjoyed a lovely breakfast at her hotel (a Japanese-styled breakfast of fish and rice)…

… poor Paula was stuck at her production office, writing writing writing… I decided to help her revise her script. It needed a bear's touch.

I then got a little bored while Paula kept leaving for back to back meetings, so I decided to explore the Eureka production offices. It was filled with very nice humans who always smiled and said "hello" to me even though I am a bear. I saw one office where they have all these fancy schematics and layouts of the Eureka sets.

Paula was up until almost 3 a.m., writing and working on the last day of "prep" before her episode 405 was scheduled to shoot the next day. I fell asleep on the ride back to the hotel...

THURSDAY MAY 13 - FRIDAY MAY 14

Paula and I had a very fun time on the set when they filmed our episode 405! At the start of each day, we met the director Michael Robison at the catering truck for a delicious breakfast. I know it seems like we eat a lot, but when you are in production on a show, it's not unusual to work 12 to 14 hour days with very little time for breaks.

The production schedule went from 10 a.m. until midnight, with one "lunch" at 4 p.m. So we made sure to stock up on our food so we didn't get too hungry on the set. Can you imagine if my tummy growled during filming? How embarrassing would that be?

When we arrived on the set, the beautiful Salli Richardson-Whitfield who plays Allison walked by. She was so beautiful! As a joke, some of the production crew spread rose petals by her feet, making her laugh…

 

I noticed there was a specific order of events that happen when filming a show. First, the actors and director do a "rehearsal" where they run through the lines and discuss the "blocking" - where they should move during the scene. Then the actors leave to get their makeup/hair done and change wardrobe while stand-ins (lookalike actors) then stand in their spots while the lighting and camera and production crew set up the cameras and lights for the shoot. And then they shoot the scene from several angles - a "master" shot that shows everyone in the scene together, and then a series of "coverage" shots where they film the same scene over and over from each character's viewpoint.

It's very hard and often tedious work. Paula sat with the script supervisor and director to watch the scenes and to answer any questions the actors had about the dialogue.

Here is a shot I took of the stand-ins helping the crew light the shot for a couple of our actors:

 

I then went to the makeup trailer to get my makeup done, too, because one day I would like to become an actor. Maybe I will become the new Sheriff of Eureka… Colin Ferguson, watch out!

Later, I wandered around the set and took lots of pictures. Paula joined me occasionally for some photo ops. Below are some pictures we took while exploring the sets:

This is me in GD:

 

This is me in Henry's Garage:

Look at these fun props from Eureka!

I took a very artistic shot of our hard-working crew setting up the cameras and lights for one scene in GD…

I stopped by to chat with S.A.R.A.H., the Smart House, but she was "asleep." When they are not using the Smart House, they cover all the furniture with sheets to keep them from getting dirty!

Paula took a break at lunch to have some Vinspresso with me at Cafe Diem:

Here is Paula at her "chair" on the set on the last night of our visit to the Eureka set. If you look closely, you can spot Erica Cerra who plays Jo Lupo on our show, in the background, making funny faces to the camera. Erica is very silly!

On our last night, we said good-bye to everyone. It was so amazing to meet the hard-working and extremely talented production crew and cast of Eureka! Thank you, EUREKA PRODUCTION CREW! YOU GUYS ROCK!

Well, I hope you enjoyed my blog post. I'm now back in LA with Paula at the Eureka Writers' office. Writing is fun, but one day, I hope to direct!

On the Set: Episode 404

Hey guys, writer-producer Eric Tuchman here. 

It’s rare for Sheriff Carter to have an adventure outside of Eureka, so it was a treat for me to write him one (with the gifted Jill Blotevogel) in episode 404, especially since the story involves his reunion with Zoe. 

I recently visited the production of the episode in Vancouver, and got to watch the wonderful father-daughter rapport between stars Colin Ferguson and Jordan Hinson.

In the story, Carter surprises Zoe at Harvard, and our amazing behind-the-scenes craftsmen and women transformed a real former convent into an Ivy League dorm, if only for one day of shooting. (Co-EP Matt Hastings takes a tour, below)

Colin displayed his usual wit and charm in front of the camera, but this time, he was directing the episode, too.  Despite the double-duty, he graciously posed between shots with our writers’ office unofficial mascot, Hannukah Harry, who somehow managed to stow away in my luggage and make it through Customs. 

It was a great visit, and gave me a renewed appreciation of the tremendous amount of time, effort and talent it takes for our cast and crew to bring our scripts to life. 

On the Set: Episode 403

Staff Writer Kira Snyder here! I'm the writer of episode 403, which wrapped this past Friday. Recently I visited our sets and production offices in Vancouver for a few days. Here's a quick recap -- with photos, apologies for the blurry iPhone ones -- of my visit.

By 7:30am on our first day, Co-Executive Producer Todd Sharp and I are in the Eureka production offices at Vancouver Film Studios, in beautiful British Columbia.

After we set up shop in the Executive Producers' office, Todd introduces me to all the terrific staff. Then we hurry to grab some sustenance from the catering truck, and head off to set.

Good morning, Global Dynamics! The above is my delicious breakfast sandwich, with a scene in the Rotunda being set up in the background.

Today is the last day of both episode 403's pre-production and of 402's shoot, so what we're seeing shot today are scenes from 402.

I step out during filming to meet the director of 403, Michael Rohl, and the 1st Assistant Director, John Mavrogeorge, who are taking the department heads and myself on a tech survey for 403. This is a walkthrough of all the sets, where the director and crew discuss specific elements that each department will need during the shoot: special lighting, key props, set decoration, everything.

This is my first time seeing the Eureka sets in person, and they are just astonishing. GD, where most of 403 takes place, is multiple stories tall, with all manner of connecting hallways. It really is as grand as it looks on TV.

Back at the production office, I meet Wil Wheaton, our fantastic guest star for the episode. Both gamers, we mutually geek out over that shared interest before he's whisked off to a costume fitting.

Lunchtime. Back to the catering truck for another delish meal.

During the lunch break, we have a table read for 403 in a conference room at the office, with the rest of the writers dialed in from Los Angeles. Most of the actors are present, and sub in for those who aren't, trading off characters. Fact: Colin Ferguson does a spot-on Mayor McCheese voice.

After the table read, Todd and I go to a prop show and tell, which is a review of all the props that will be used in the episode. Can't really say anything that isn't a spoiler, but the XXXXX looked really cool and the XXXXX is hilarious. And don't get me started about the XXXXX!

We then call Jaime in Los Angeles to confer about script tweaks that came out of the table read and catch up on email.

The balance of the day is spent back on set watching more of 402, and getting ready for the start of production on 403.

The next day gets off to a bright and early start, and we're off to the races. Unfortunately, this is where I need to wrap things up to avoid spoilers, but there will be more details (and pictures) to come when the episode airs in July.

It was a great privilege and honor to be on hand for filming and to meet our talented and dedicated cast, crew, and production staff, the small army that's required to turn a script into something you can actually, y'know, watch. The dailies for 403 look great and I can't wait to see the episode.

I took a few minutes before leaving to snap some pictures of our other sets, which right then were under dropcloths to keep everything tidy.

The sheriff's station awaits malfeasants and miscreants and giant ants. (Joke! Not a spoiler!)

You can practically smell the Vinspresso, can't you?

One cool addition to our sets for Season 4 is a section of Main Street built as an interior, across from Cafe Diem, to give us more flexibility in how we shoot our town's favorite gathering spot. Here are some of the nifty storefronts across from the cafe.

 

Oh, and a couple of nice folks let me grab a quick snapshot of them on my last day in town:

Thanks for everything, Vancouver! Hope to see y'all again soon.