DVD Commentary: Reckoning, Part 2
With Reckoning, Part I out of the way, it’s time for Part II.
Peter DeLuise and Gary Jones again provide the commentary.
PDL asks GJ whether he gets paid for two episodes or one if he does a two-parter. Because sometimes he might only work one day, but appear in two different episodes. GJ explains that there are, say, 70+ scenes encompassing both parts and if he appears in multiple scenes in the first half of them and even only appears in a tiny bit of the second half of scenes, he gets paid for two episodes. PDL goes on to ask if even the appearance in the second episode involves nothing more than sitting there, does he still get paid. GJ confirms that he does. They use a lot more words than I have to say this, including talk about how he’s the only one to do “just sitting there” performances.
GJ notes in the opening title sequence that CJ has hair in some shots and not in others. PDL asks him how he feels about that. GJ seems ambivalent. PDL also says that the close-up of Michael Shanks at his credit is not found in any episode. PDL made up the shot specifically for the theme. They didn’t really have a good close-up for MS when they created the new opening sequence. GJ wonders if he might get his own close up in season 14. PDL tells him there’s a chance that he’ll become regular on “our” show or some show. When that day comes, PDL says, GJ’s name and face will appear at the same time.
GJ makes a joke about whether Sam is saying repository or suppository. PDL says that AT doesn’t goof around.
Not wanting to waste too much time talking about the episode at hand, PDL starts to ask if GJ was a writer on Big Sound. GJ is starting to explain that he was and what the show was, when they notice that he has a shared title card with Eric Breker. PDL picks up the discussion of title shared titles from Part 1 of this episode. A discussion of shared cards, pace cards, and parking spots ensues.
Eventually title card bit segues into a genuinely informative conversation. Many times when PDL films the first scene after the theme, he tends not to film many close ups because he knows that’s were the credits go. Close ups don’t allow space for a title card. To GJ’s question, PDL says that it is a standard to have wide shots to accommodate title cards. He says it’s something that you have to learn basically on the job, because nobody tells you that in tv directing school. He goes on to say that producers and editors want as many angles and close ups as possible. Over time, he stopped doing that for the scene following the teaser because he learned that it was just a waste of time to go through all the set up and filming of the close ups since they weren’t likely to be used anyway. He goes on to say that sometimes credits will go on for several minutes and it’s because if there are a lot of close ups, then they have to wait for spots in which to insert title cards. PDL refers to those situations as a constant reminder that you’re watching a television show, distracting you from getting into the story. GJ learns something here and so do I: why sometimes when watching a tv show the credits seem to stretch on forever. PDL confirms that it’s because a director didn’t make enough allowance for title cards. He then spends a little time pointing out good spots for a title card is in the scene that we’re watching. [I really do enjoy PDL when he goes into full on explain mode. He explains things really clearly in a nice, down-to-earth sort of way.]
PDL says that a shot of RepliCarter looks like she’s standing off-kilter. He explains that it’s because he did what’s called a “Dutch angle.” He calls back to a discussion that they had in part 1 about mixing up the look. That particular angle was one way that he chose to do that. He acknowledges that it’s a subtle mixing it up, but since all of what we’re seeing is happening in Daniel’s mind, he wanted to give some different looks. He also says that that’s why they’re not walking around: because none of it is physically happening. He says that Daniel essentially stands in one place for nine pages. Somebody asked PDL “why the hell didn’t he move?”
GJ: You mean how come he didn’t move.
They laugh a little and say that the “why in the hell room” is way different than the How Come room and not one that you want to go to.
PDL tells us that the Dakara scenes are shot on the Norco stage. It used to be a bicycle factory where the Norco bikes where built. PDL tells us that the factory/warehouse holds three large soundstages that they can use. He says, however, that the ventilation is a little iffy. They add “atmosphere” (a kind of smoke) to the air to give texture and a nice look to the scenes. Unfortunately it sort of decreases the oxygen supply, leaving people a little sleepy. Because of that, PDL says, Norco has sort of mutated to Snorco. GJ argues that it should be Narko. PDL tells him he’ll pitch that. GJ is vehement that Snorco isn’t the best name.
GJ admires the walls shifting to reveal the hidden chamber on Dakara. Some unfortunate banter about GJ’s bedroom follows. [Where are those lawyers that PDL referred to in part 1?]
PDL tells us that the equipment within the chamber is Ancient technology. He refers to the machinery as a calliope and says it’s the same one they used for Window of Opportunity.
Back at the SGC, PDL recognizes GJ is now on our screen. The two of them establish that he was, in fact, wearing pants for this appearance
Back on Dakara, PDL starts to say that something is inspired by Atlantis. He sidetracks to ask GJ if he’s watched the spinoff. He says no and adds that PDL shouldn’t ask questions like that. This leads to him saying that next time he does an SGA commentary, GJ can ask him questions and he’ll answer them. I suspect that this was the beginning of a possibly unwelcome turn of events in SGA commentaries--though I can’t say from personal experience since I haven’t heard any of them.
After some talk about GJ appearing in future episodes of SGA, PDL gets back to his original point and says that the screen in the chamber on Dakara is indicative of the screen in the control room on Atlantis.
Sam’s question over the radio asking Teal’c if he reads, inspires banter from PDL and GJ about reading and Hooked on Phonics.
PDL mentions that Chris Judge would be the first to admit that he became a bit disenfranchised with the series partway through because his character was just doing a lot of eyebrow cocking and saying “indeed.” Which would lead to a lot of “do I have to be here? why don’t you just use a stock shot?” questions. PDL would explain that he needed him for the wide shot. CJ would always say “can’t I go back to my trailer?” PDL never understood what was so special about the trailer. One day he finally visited him there and he had big comfy chairs, the current Playstation, satellite tv. PDL was all “no wonder you love it here!”
GJ likes the color and tinge of the shots in the scene with Sam and Jacob in the chamber. PDL says it’s part of the look of near darkness. GJ thinks it’s almost black and white. PDL says that it’s the high contrast. He tells him that he should mention liking it to Peter Woest and Jim Menard when he sees them. PDL goes on to say that he was paired with Woeste a lot on the show and that he really enjoyed working working with him. He credits him with much of the look of the overall series, and says that he learned a lot about composition from him. They also tell us that he’s really tall.
Teal’c and Ba’al are speaking to each other over a video com. PDL says that those kinds of scenes are always strange to shoot because the people in them aren’t really looking at anyone, they’re just staring into a camera. Sometimes the chemistry becomes iffy because they’re not really speaking to each other. Actors are responding to how they think the other actor will do something. They discuss the realities of that for awhile. Now Ba’al is appearing to Sam and Jacob as a hologram. PDL gives some specifics of how they achieve the effect and the challenges that having a moving screen behind Cliff Simon creates. They go on to talk about what a pleasure CS is to work with.
PDL talks about going to a German con with CS. He starts to tell a story about raising money there for a companion dog for an individual who was handicapped in some way. And then the commentary suddenly goes silent. My assumption is that the lawyers referenced in part 1 found something to snip here.
When the commentary resumes PDL is asking GJ if he likes the look of a replicator being shot while balancing between a door jamb and a closing blast door. GJ does. PDL explains that they do it by shoving a box in the space to stop the door and cause it to bounce a little. Then he pulled the box away which allowed the door to shut. Then vis effects puts the replicator in later.
Colonel Reynolds (Eric Breker) appears on screen. This naturally inspires GJ to bring up the shared title card again. So that issue gets some more discussion. Along with something about prison life. *sigh*
Walter’s voice comes over the radio. PDL asks if GJ got extra pay for going into the studio and doing the ADR (additional dialog recording) voiceover or whether he [PDL] just put him in front of microphone while they were filming. GJ did it in studio. They talk a little bit about how GJ wasn’t physically there when they filmed the sequence that his voice goes over. They discuss the process of having someone there on the day who reads the bit of dialog while it’s acted out, then GJ does his recording later.
PDL talks about the replicators having been a scourge for quite some time. Now they’ve found a device that can... there’s a brief interlude while PDL tries to get the word demolecularize out of his mouth... they’ve found a device that can demolecularize everything, but they’re trying to adjust it to only demolecularize replicators. PDL has to say the word demolecularize several times in his explanation--having to stop and say the word carefully each time. It’s kind of cute, actually.
Now O’Neill and Reynolds are making their way down a hallway in the SGC. PDL makes an unfortunate joke about the look of the hallway and condoms. [I again feel sad at the lack of lawyerly intervention. (The comments aren’t particularly offensive, just unbecomingly juvenile.)]
Regarding O’Neill’s line about “it’s a blast door” when he has Reynolds add another pack of C4, PDL says he thinks he wrote that line for another episode and it got taken out. So he put it in this one.
GJ: Oh, the discarded lines resurface in other episodes?
PDL: Mine--the one’s I’m particularly fond of, I’ll just shove in. [hee!]
They ooh and ah a little bit over the blowing up of the blast door.
PDL admires the shot of the fleet of ships. And manages to turn that into an opportunity to bring up the shared title card again.
PDL says that they loved the shooting and shooting of replicators. GJ comments on how calmly Dan Shea reloaded his pistol.
We get a quick glimpse from Teal’c’s ship of Replicator ships and Ba’al’s ships trading fire. PDL refers to it as a Robert Cooper shot, based on Star Wars. He says RCC loves Star Wars. GJ adds that the Super Soldiers look like a Darth Vader/Stormtrooper. PDL agrees, but says they move like the Terminator. They’re inspired by bad guys throughout film history. And have codpieces that inspire some discussion from PDL.
PDL tells us that a little bit of the footage of defending against replicators in the SGC is reused footage. Because it’s so expensive to create the shots, he stole some from a previous episode and he identifies the stolen shots as they come up. He also points out at a spot where we get a bug POV that it’s a more economical way to do that because it’s cheaper than showing the bug itself.
PDL admires the look of the space battle taking place, saying that it’s feature quality effects.
GJ observes that they’re always trying to save money. PDL says it helps to do that. He thinks the audience is aware that things like the kawooshes are mostly reused shots. He mentions other shows that have done it. PDL talks about how when he came on board he started putting live people into stock shots. He mentions the technique being used in Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid.
PDL tells us that Will Waring substitute directed the sequence where RepliCarter stabs Daniel.
PDL points out the stolen shots of all of the stargates activating. And then runs into trouble when he has to say the word demolecularize again.
PDL tells us that he had to go to the How Come Room regarding all of the sparks aboard Teal’c’s ship even before it was done. They wanted to know where the sparks were coming from. [The eternal question. But sparks on the bridge just seem to go with space battles.] PDL doesn’t tell us his answer to “How Come?”
They admire the shots of replicators being demolecularized. GJ asks what they used for the disabled replicators. PDL says that it’s all CGI. He says that they used to throw chips on the ground. The vis effects people asked them to stop, because it led to situations where they would have to match it. It’s easier for them to just do it all.
GJ admires the watch that Ba’al has that allows him to just beam away from his ship and trouble. PDL says it’s a hand device. They talk a little bit about the all-purpose nature of the hand devices. GJ is mildly critical, saying he’s trying to be the voice of the fans. PDL says he doesn’t think the fans mind, because they know it’s interesting technology and something a Goa’uld might create. And also that Ba’al had to get away to be chastised by Anubis. He goes on to say that he thinks fans do question when things are explained away with jargon instead of showing it.
We come to the end of the episode and the credits. PDL manages to work one more shared title card reference in, and then they’re done.
Some good bits are mixed in with the incessant title card issue. Upon further thought, I think the recurring title card discussion is a reflection of the two of them being good pals and enjoying an ongoing bit the way friends do when they get together. Unfortunately, as a listener it becomes a little tiresome. Tiresome to me anyway--others may well enjoy it. Others who are reading this may well enjoy it.
Peter DeLuise and Gary Jones again provide the commentary.
PDL asks GJ whether he gets paid for two episodes or one if he does a two-parter. Because sometimes he might only work one day, but appear in two different episodes. GJ explains that there are, say, 70+ scenes encompassing both parts and if he appears in multiple scenes in the first half of them and even only appears in a tiny bit of the second half of scenes, he gets paid for two episodes. PDL goes on to ask if even the appearance in the second episode involves nothing more than sitting there, does he still get paid. GJ confirms that he does. They use a lot more words than I have to say this, including talk about how he’s the only one to do “just sitting there” performances.
GJ notes in the opening title sequence that CJ has hair in some shots and not in others. PDL asks him how he feels about that. GJ seems ambivalent. PDL also says that the close-up of Michael Shanks at his credit is not found in any episode. PDL made up the shot specifically for the theme. They didn’t really have a good close-up for MS when they created the new opening sequence. GJ wonders if he might get his own close up in season 14. PDL tells him there’s a chance that he’ll become regular on “our” show or some show. When that day comes, PDL says, GJ’s name and face will appear at the same time.
GJ makes a joke about whether Sam is saying repository or suppository. PDL says that AT doesn’t goof around.
Not wanting to waste too much time talking about the episode at hand, PDL starts to ask if GJ was a writer on Big Sound. GJ is starting to explain that he was and what the show was, when they notice that he has a shared title card with Eric Breker. PDL picks up the discussion of title shared titles from Part 1 of this episode. A discussion of shared cards, pace cards, and parking spots ensues.
Eventually title card bit segues into a genuinely informative conversation. Many times when PDL films the first scene after the theme, he tends not to film many close ups because he knows that’s were the credits go. Close ups don’t allow space for a title card. To GJ’s question, PDL says that it is a standard to have wide shots to accommodate title cards. He says it’s something that you have to learn basically on the job, because nobody tells you that in tv directing school. He goes on to say that producers and editors want as many angles and close ups as possible. Over time, he stopped doing that for the scene following the teaser because he learned that it was just a waste of time to go through all the set up and filming of the close ups since they weren’t likely to be used anyway. He goes on to say that sometimes credits will go on for several minutes and it’s because if there are a lot of close ups, then they have to wait for spots in which to insert title cards. PDL refers to those situations as a constant reminder that you’re watching a television show, distracting you from getting into the story. GJ learns something here and so do I: why sometimes when watching a tv show the credits seem to stretch on forever. PDL confirms that it’s because a director didn’t make enough allowance for title cards. He then spends a little time pointing out good spots for a title card is in the scene that we’re watching. [I really do enjoy PDL when he goes into full on explain mode. He explains things really clearly in a nice, down-to-earth sort of way.]
PDL says that a shot of RepliCarter looks like she’s standing off-kilter. He explains that it’s because he did what’s called a “Dutch angle.” He calls back to a discussion that they had in part 1 about mixing up the look. That particular angle was one way that he chose to do that. He acknowledges that it’s a subtle mixing it up, but since all of what we’re seeing is happening in Daniel’s mind, he wanted to give some different looks. He also says that that’s why they’re not walking around: because none of it is physically happening. He says that Daniel essentially stands in one place for nine pages. Somebody asked PDL “why the hell didn’t he move?”
GJ: You mean how come he didn’t move.
They laugh a little and say that the “why in the hell room” is way different than the How Come room and not one that you want to go to.
PDL tells us that the Dakara scenes are shot on the Norco stage. It used to be a bicycle factory where the Norco bikes where built. PDL tells us that the factory/warehouse holds three large soundstages that they can use. He says, however, that the ventilation is a little iffy. They add “atmosphere” (a kind of smoke) to the air to give texture and a nice look to the scenes. Unfortunately it sort of decreases the oxygen supply, leaving people a little sleepy. Because of that, PDL says, Norco has sort of mutated to Snorco. GJ argues that it should be Narko. PDL tells him he’ll pitch that. GJ is vehement that Snorco isn’t the best name.
GJ admires the walls shifting to reveal the hidden chamber on Dakara. Some unfortunate banter about GJ’s bedroom follows. [Where are those lawyers that PDL referred to in part 1?]
PDL tells us that the equipment within the chamber is Ancient technology. He refers to the machinery as a calliope and says it’s the same one they used for Window of Opportunity.
Back at the SGC, PDL recognizes GJ is now on our screen. The two of them establish that he was, in fact, wearing pants for this appearance
Back on Dakara, PDL starts to say that something is inspired by Atlantis. He sidetracks to ask GJ if he’s watched the spinoff. He says no and adds that PDL shouldn’t ask questions like that. This leads to him saying that next time he does an SGA commentary, GJ can ask him questions and he’ll answer them. I suspect that this was the beginning of a possibly unwelcome turn of events in SGA commentaries--though I can’t say from personal experience since I haven’t heard any of them.
After some talk about GJ appearing in future episodes of SGA, PDL gets back to his original point and says that the screen in the chamber on Dakara is indicative of the screen in the control room on Atlantis.
Sam’s question over the radio asking Teal’c if he reads, inspires banter from PDL and GJ about reading and Hooked on Phonics.
PDL mentions that Chris Judge would be the first to admit that he became a bit disenfranchised with the series partway through because his character was just doing a lot of eyebrow cocking and saying “indeed.” Which would lead to a lot of “do I have to be here? why don’t you just use a stock shot?” questions. PDL would explain that he needed him for the wide shot. CJ would always say “can’t I go back to my trailer?” PDL never understood what was so special about the trailer. One day he finally visited him there and he had big comfy chairs, the current Playstation, satellite tv. PDL was all “no wonder you love it here!”
GJ likes the color and tinge of the shots in the scene with Sam and Jacob in the chamber. PDL says it’s part of the look of near darkness. GJ thinks it’s almost black and white. PDL says that it’s the high contrast. He tells him that he should mention liking it to Peter Woest and Jim Menard when he sees them. PDL goes on to say that he was paired with Woeste a lot on the show and that he really enjoyed working working with him. He credits him with much of the look of the overall series, and says that he learned a lot about composition from him. They also tell us that he’s really tall.
Teal’c and Ba’al are speaking to each other over a video com. PDL says that those kinds of scenes are always strange to shoot because the people in them aren’t really looking at anyone, they’re just staring into a camera. Sometimes the chemistry becomes iffy because they’re not really speaking to each other. Actors are responding to how they think the other actor will do something. They discuss the realities of that for awhile. Now Ba’al is appearing to Sam and Jacob as a hologram. PDL gives some specifics of how they achieve the effect and the challenges that having a moving screen behind Cliff Simon creates. They go on to talk about what a pleasure CS is to work with.
PDL talks about going to a German con with CS. He starts to tell a story about raising money there for a companion dog for an individual who was handicapped in some way. And then the commentary suddenly goes silent. My assumption is that the lawyers referenced in part 1 found something to snip here.
When the commentary resumes PDL is asking GJ if he likes the look of a replicator being shot while balancing between a door jamb and a closing blast door. GJ does. PDL explains that they do it by shoving a box in the space to stop the door and cause it to bounce a little. Then he pulled the box away which allowed the door to shut. Then vis effects puts the replicator in later.
Colonel Reynolds (Eric Breker) appears on screen. This naturally inspires GJ to bring up the shared title card again. So that issue gets some more discussion. Along with something about prison life. *sigh*
Walter’s voice comes over the radio. PDL asks if GJ got extra pay for going into the studio and doing the ADR (additional dialog recording) voiceover or whether he [PDL] just put him in front of microphone while they were filming. GJ did it in studio. They talk a little bit about how GJ wasn’t physically there when they filmed the sequence that his voice goes over. They discuss the process of having someone there on the day who reads the bit of dialog while it’s acted out, then GJ does his recording later.
PDL talks about the replicators having been a scourge for quite some time. Now they’ve found a device that can... there’s a brief interlude while PDL tries to get the word demolecularize out of his mouth... they’ve found a device that can demolecularize everything, but they’re trying to adjust it to only demolecularize replicators. PDL has to say the word demolecularize several times in his explanation--having to stop and say the word carefully each time. It’s kind of cute, actually.
Now O’Neill and Reynolds are making their way down a hallway in the SGC. PDL makes an unfortunate joke about the look of the hallway and condoms. [I again feel sad at the lack of lawyerly intervention. (The comments aren’t particularly offensive, just unbecomingly juvenile.)]
Regarding O’Neill’s line about “it’s a blast door” when he has Reynolds add another pack of C4, PDL says he thinks he wrote that line for another episode and it got taken out. So he put it in this one.
GJ: Oh, the discarded lines resurface in other episodes?
PDL: Mine--the one’s I’m particularly fond of, I’ll just shove in. [hee!]
They ooh and ah a little bit over the blowing up of the blast door.
PDL admires the shot of the fleet of ships. And manages to turn that into an opportunity to bring up the shared title card again.
PDL says that they loved the shooting and shooting of replicators. GJ comments on how calmly Dan Shea reloaded his pistol.
We get a quick glimpse from Teal’c’s ship of Replicator ships and Ba’al’s ships trading fire. PDL refers to it as a Robert Cooper shot, based on Star Wars. He says RCC loves Star Wars. GJ adds that the Super Soldiers look like a Darth Vader/Stormtrooper. PDL agrees, but says they move like the Terminator. They’re inspired by bad guys throughout film history. And have codpieces that inspire some discussion from PDL.
PDL tells us that a little bit of the footage of defending against replicators in the SGC is reused footage. Because it’s so expensive to create the shots, he stole some from a previous episode and he identifies the stolen shots as they come up. He also points out at a spot where we get a bug POV that it’s a more economical way to do that because it’s cheaper than showing the bug itself.
PDL admires the look of the space battle taking place, saying that it’s feature quality effects.
GJ observes that they’re always trying to save money. PDL says it helps to do that. He thinks the audience is aware that things like the kawooshes are mostly reused shots. He mentions other shows that have done it. PDL talks about how when he came on board he started putting live people into stock shots. He mentions the technique being used in Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid.
PDL tells us that Will Waring substitute directed the sequence where RepliCarter stabs Daniel.
PDL points out the stolen shots of all of the stargates activating. And then runs into trouble when he has to say the word demolecularize again.
PDL tells us that he had to go to the How Come Room regarding all of the sparks aboard Teal’c’s ship even before it was done. They wanted to know where the sparks were coming from. [The eternal question. But sparks on the bridge just seem to go with space battles.] PDL doesn’t tell us his answer to “How Come?”
They admire the shots of replicators being demolecularized. GJ asks what they used for the disabled replicators. PDL says that it’s all CGI. He says that they used to throw chips on the ground. The vis effects people asked them to stop, because it led to situations where they would have to match it. It’s easier for them to just do it all.
GJ admires the watch that Ba’al has that allows him to just beam away from his ship and trouble. PDL says it’s a hand device. They talk a little bit about the all-purpose nature of the hand devices. GJ is mildly critical, saying he’s trying to be the voice of the fans. PDL says he doesn’t think the fans mind, because they know it’s interesting technology and something a Goa’uld might create. And also that Ba’al had to get away to be chastised by Anubis. He goes on to say that he thinks fans do question when things are explained away with jargon instead of showing it.
We come to the end of the episode and the credits. PDL manages to work one more shared title card reference in, and then they’re done.
Some good bits are mixed in with the incessant title card issue. Upon further thought, I think the recurring title card discussion is a reflection of the two of them being good pals and enjoying an ongoing bit the way friends do when they get together. Unfortunately, as a listener it becomes a little tiresome. Tiresome to me anyway--others may well enjoy it. Others who are reading this may well enjoy it.