Becoming Half Alien on Stargate SG-1

Being part of a sci-fi TV series was fun - even it was only as half human, grunt security guard.   Having spent many years in Vancouver, I know how important the film and TV business is to the city.

Spending some time on set was something that I wanted to do for a while so that I could learn more about production, camera work and editing.

As it turned out, I learned a lot about patience and not much about production.  However, it was still a very fun experience to be on a few different show and I did learn quite a few things about camera work from watching and learning from the crew.

Stargate SG-1’s production involves a ton of post-production editing for special effects and sound that you don’t see on set.

This particular episode that I was on filmed in Vancouver during the early spring.  The show aired months later as Episode 8 in Season 7.

If you’re interested in the full screenplay of this particular episode, you can download it from MGM’s site here.

I was scheduled to be on set for the whole day… and I mean the WHOLE DAY.

My call time was 5:10 am.  This means that I had to be ready for make up about 30 minutes later.   I had my own trailer room to get changed in and store my belonings.

My character on this particular episode called “Space Race” was as a Tech Con Security Guard.  The part was actually in quite a few of the final edits, with no speaking.  Myself and another similar looking goon stood by the entrance of a lab facility that was intended to be top secret and highly guarded.

I had to hold a very large gun which must have weighed thirty pounds.  The other security guard got to hold a much smaller one.

The ACTUAL site was the lobby of a condo building in downtown Vancouver.

I spent about two hours in the make up chair being fitted with a prosthetic forehead and some brain matter on both sides of my head.

The final result reminded me of how I feel with an evil hang over.

Anyway, the make up artists were amazing.  These guys and gals have worked on many well known films and really know their craft. 

It was very cool listening to some of the stuff they have done.

After makeup, I was off to wardrobe for my security guard outfit.  Everything in film and TV is planned.  My agent had sent all my measurements ahead of time so there would be clothing there which would fit me.

And it did. Cool.

Wardrobe took all of about 10 minutes to get suited up.  From there, I headed over to set, which in this episode was the lobby of a condo tower on Alberni street in Vancouver.

Then I waited.  And waited. And waited some more.  The second assistant director manages all of the secondary characters, such as the extra characters like I was.  The director, works directly with the show’s main characters, like Richard Dean Anderson.

Anderson was a pretty cool guy and is a good actor.   Richard Dean Anderson used to do that show MacGyver in the 80’s who could build anything out of the most obscure items - like making a bomb out of your grandfathers pipe lighter and a can of SPAM.

You spend a lot of time waiting around on set.  But when you’re on, the director tells you where to stand, where your eye line should be and when to move. I was told not to look into the camera.

There were  usually two cameras and one mic capturing the scene.

We had to re-do a couple of scenes because the director wasn’t satisfied with the way it looked. There was a lot of equipment and wiring and lights laying around.

There are lots of scheduled breaks because you’re working with union people.  The food is provided and there’s usually lots of it.  Of course, the extras get different food than the stars.  Lesser food.

Such is life in Hollywood.

For my efforts on one day I was paid the grand total of a few hundred dollars. However, it was a great learning experience and a ton of fun.  I also met some interesting people.  You wouldn’t want to do extra work all the time, but if you’re looking to get into film or TV, I think it’s an invaluable learning experience.

I was off set at about 5 pm, went home and had some good red wine - not enough for a hang over to make me feel like I was back on set, with my brains hanging out.

… but just enough to make me think that I was TV star material.

Not.

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