Official European Kevin Sorbo Fanclub

Andromeda Set Visit 2002

ON BOARD „THE ANDROMEDA“

Tuesday, 21st of October 2002 at 9:00 am, we step into the office building of Andromeda production in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

We are a little bit nervous. We, that‘s Karl, our „photographer“ and layout man, Suaad, Susi Balke who represents A World Fit For Kids in Germany and me. Today Nancy is working at the reception desk. We know her through our many telephone calls and are glad to get to know her face to face at last. After this first contact we quickly lose our initial shyness. And so we get to know all the other friendly telephone voices and their jobs. It is a big „hello“. Visitors from Europe are rare even in such an international studio like this.

A little bit later Daniella, Kevin‘s personal assistant comes around to take us to the set. It‘s a fine thing to get to know each other personally, and not just by sending e-mails and making telephone calls. After a short, but very hearty greeting, we really feel welcome. Of course, we haven‘t arrived with empty hands - no, already at Hamburg airport we had been asked what we intended to do with all these chocolate bars! (Without mercy the x-ray of the new monitoring devices laid open the content of our trunks - many „Rittersport“-chocolat bars. Luckily the officers decided to let us get away with it.) On our way to the studios Daniella gives us a short instruction of how to behave during the shooting and here we go. Karl is taking his video camera and his camera - to be prepared as always - who knows what is going to happen? On our way to the current location we learn that besides Keith Hamilton Cobb, Lisa Ryder and Kevin who we already know to be there, Lexa Doig and Laura Bertram will be on the set, too. What a lucky day! After uncountable entwined paths through an office landscape we get to an enormous hall that looks quite gloomy. Only a few lights are turned on. In the background we can hear the voices of the actors. They are just shooting a scene. Slowly we pass dressing tables and chairs. While passing by I discover the names of Keith, Lexa, Lisa, Kevin and so on, on the backs of the chairs.

Daniella tells us to wait for a moment and leaves to announce us to Kevin and the other actors. So we have time to collect the first impressions alone and to take a breath. We are finally there, right on the set. In the gloomy light of the hall we discover the surrounding scenery that looks like caves. It reminds us of the episodes with the Magog („It‘s Hour Come Round At Last“...), but there are also some white stones that look like the ones in the episode „Into The Labyrinth“. But being put together they look quite different.

And suddenly everybody is there.

We are scrutinised intently by Keith and Lexa. Then Kevin arrives greeting us. Of course, he insists on introducing us to everybody else. He gives some short instructions and leaves with Lexa for another round of shooting. Only Keith is having a break, staying with us and relaxing somewhat in his chair. We get further acquainted and slowly start a conversation. After he has to shoot most of today‘s scenes, so we abstain from having a short interview. This is obviously very convenient for him. But he promises to answer all questions via internet or fax while accepting the wishes for autographs we brought with us at once. Willingly he poses for some photographs. And Karl, equipped with his brand new digital camera, takes to it like a duck to water. Proudly Keith leads us into one of the corridors of the Andromeda Ascendant and Karl is doing his very best as photographer. We are having much fun together. Then Keith is recalled on the set, too. So Daniella takes the lead again showing us the rest of the studio. She leads us through the star ship Andromeda and its sections that are not at all simply connected to a whole. Each room per se is designed in kind of a mini-studio.

It‘s unbelievable, but we enter the private room of Captain Dylan Hunt. It is furnished businesslike, but with much style, just as we know it from the episodes. After a short stop we move on through a few corridors and I finally stand in the cosy domain of Trance Gemini. Her room is more playful - the furnishing squiggled - femininely simple. Then we move on into the realm of the most beloved SciFi technic freak. We step into Harper‘s room, into the „workroom“ and visit the „medical“ department. We are a bit surprised, because the corridors of the Andromeda Ascendant are broad and come across quite huge. In my fantasy I really can imagine the Andromeda to be an enormous star ship and sense that we will only get to know tiny parts of it being able to see only some important sections. And on it goes through corridors, over stairs and steps and after a short while we reach the best common room which as Daniella tells us is also available for parties - no, not for us or the set crew, but in particular for state occasions on the Andromeda within a scene as in the episode „All Great Neptune‘s Ocean“. Somewhat aside stands a small shuttle which is used for little journeys in the series. Alongside, the way leads to Beka‘s freighter, the „Eureka Maru“.

Daniella leads us in and we can look at everything from the inside. Altogether this vessel appears to be smaller and narrower than it looks on TV. And now Susi can‘t contain herself any longer and throws herself into the command chair of Beka‘s. Karl grabs his camera and takes the picture. She looks real smart, our captain Suaad Balke!

Our tour ends on the command deck of the Andromeda, where we are allowed to be onlookers for today. To be out of everybody‘s way we are offered the crew‘s chairs. We sit down absorbing what‘s going on. Daniella brings us something to drink. And here we go. Our casual „hello“ is answered in a friendly way and we feel welcome - as part of the family.

With eagerness we experience how the next scenes are produced. We are witnessing the shooting to the episode „The Point Of The Spear“ of the third season. Astonishing how big the crew is, who is responsible for the success of the shooting. Everybody knows his place and his job. Everything is done smoothly, there‘s no hectic rush, but one can feel that everybody‘s working hard and concentrated. By and by we discover the lighting technician, the women responsible for the mask (There is one only responsible for the make-up, another one for the perfect arrangement of the hair, and a third one looking after the perfect fit of the costumes), the electrician, the assistant director, the producer and of course the director himself. Now, I don‘t want to describe each single shooting, because there were so many of them and thinking that it is more interesting to get an overall picture how a scene comes into life.

At first the scene is talked through by Keith, Lisa, Lexa. Laura and Kevin together with the director. In doing so every actor is holding his script in his hands. During this process most of the actors are wearing thick jackets or cloaks over their costumes. The studio is chilly to prevent the overheating of the many technical devices and the sensitive equipment. Each actor is standing at his designated position. To get the shot right the distance from the actor to the camera has to be taken so that the right exposition can be calculated and the spots can be adjusted accordingly. Then they go through the whole process again without the actors. While for example Lexa Doig and Lisa Ryder are standing near by learning their lines or having redone their make-up everything is measured again, the camera is taken to the right position for the shot, the camera angle adjusted and so on. Then it gets down to business: The actors take their designated positions playing through the scene for rehearsal. The cloaks and jackets are removed and a loud ringing resounds. Suddenly the babble of voices falls silent and it gets very quiet. We hold our breath for from now on nobody is allowed to talk, to shuffle their feet, to sneeze or to utter anything else. The clapper board announces the first take, the camera starts to roll and the sound is recorded through highly engineered sound sensitive microphones that are directed to the several actors. The scene has to be repeated about 3 to 5 times until it‘s done, because every now and then the director has to add something or to correct something. Or Keith or Kevin or anybody else fluff -the notorious bloopers. (By the way - if this happens, this person is teased nicely and bantered heavily. Well, naturally there‘s a lot of laughter going on.) In between, the make-up is renewed again and again, the fit of the costumes improved, or the hair is dressed again. And while we are watching attentively, Lisa Ryder approaches us and welcomes us on board. We wish her a belated happy birthday, which she celebrated yesterday, and hand over a small present, which she gets very excited about. She is very friendly, humorous and loves to fool around. During the further shooting we notice that she loves to laugh and is open to everything and also interested in everything. A thoroughly likable woman. We are overwhelmed. Then we also meet Laura Bertram, who plays Trance Gemini. We only manage to exchange a few words while the scenery is altered. Then she has to go for lack of time, but she promises to get in touch again. So again we sit down on our chairs and during the further shooting we experience that Keith, Kevin, Laura, Lisa and Lexa are a very funny, good-humored troupe, perfectly tuned to each other. They are always up to jokes and pulling one another‘s leg. Every now and then there are little jokes about slips of the tongue of the comrades or someone jokes just to brighten up the mood. We quickly notice that Lisa and Lexa can‘t be standing still. While Lisa is doing some ballet-like work-out, Lexa is moving her knees up and down. And in so doing she hits her knee quite heavily on the control panel in front of her. Ouch, that really hurts. But she bites the bullet and goes on with shooting, very professionally. During breaks of shooting our chairs are moved from one side to the other due to changes of the scenery and we move along, cause we really don‘t want to get in the way of anybody working. Sometimes some extras join as crew members of the Andromeda Ascendant. They‘re acting at the numerous monitors. The scene really looks impressive.

During the further shooting Laura Bertram is acting together with the actress Judith Thompson. Judith playing the sister of Trance Gemini is the guest star on this episode. (So Trance is having family! How interesting, she is not the last of her kind!) We are really thrilled, immersing ourselves into the scene and absorbing everything.

Then I‘m addressed by a graceful lady. During the conversation I get to know that she is Lee Ann Wolfin one of the executive producers. She tells me that she just was doing a movie together with Sam Sorbo, where she was working as producer as well. Lee Ann tells us furthermore that also Brent Stait (Rev Bem) and naturally Kevin are in this movie of Sam‘s with the title „Moving Out“. (Take a look at our interview with Kevin on 4th of September 02!) She studies the English versions of the club magazines of both clubs with great interest. Actually it‘s very amazing that by and by somehow everybody is taking a closer look at the magazines and starts reading. At last during a larger break one of them gets into the hands of the current director, Allan Harmon. He is already Andromeda experienced, because he directed the episodes „The Belly Of The Beast“ and „All Great Neptune‘s Ocean“ and at the moment „The Point Of The Spear“. After a while he calls me. He points at our episode guide and tells me that with two episodes I named the wrong director. For it was he himself who directed these episodes. - How awkward, looks like we did a bad research. I tell him that I had checked it up with RTL II, TV-Highlights and Tribune Entertainment and had found out otherwise. Allan Harmon doesn‘t take it seriously. Of course, I promise to rectify this mistake! Honestly I‘m feeling quite queasy. But Allan‘s friendliness and professionalism makes me feel much better in an instant and forget about my mishap quickly.

Before leaving, Lee Ann Wolfin let us know that she intended to provide us with a special invitation card for the premiere of Sam‘s movie and also with a script of the shooting day. A little later Syre, a nice young man, who carries around our chairs every now and then, brings us the things Lee Ann had promised to provide us with and I put them instantly into my bag, so that I won‘t lose any of them in the heat of the battle. Syre, too, is very friendly and helpful. On my inquiry he tells me that he‘s in training for becoming a director himself and works as the assistant director on the set. It‘s always difficult to start something and not everybody is a born Steven Spielberg. Most have to learn their job from scratch.

Then it‘s noon and eventually lunchtime. Kevin returns spending some of his very scarce free time with us. Not to lose any precious minutes he sits down at our table. I realize it‘s time for our interview. Just before I can get started, Kevin has already grabbed the questionnaire studying it intently. Kevin is very concentrated despite his actual lack of time. Anyhow he seems to be relaxed and at ease with us and regales us with some jokes. He has hardly changed, the same imp as ever, always in for a joke. We laugh a lot, and alongside the interview which Karl is recording on video for our club members is developing. Just after Kevin answered the last question Shelley, an assistant arrives to take him back to the set.

After we are a little hungry, as are some members of the crew, too, and we hurry to the catering. And they do us well; it‘s not only one piece of beef roulade, but even two! Dessert can be taken from the buffet. In the large dining area all are sitting together informally, actors, extras, technicians or lighting technicians. They all take their meal in this very spartan room. After the delicious meal I‘m heading immediately to Laura for now she finally has some time to spare. I tell her that we tried all the fantastic itineraries and lookout points she had recommended in her interview. She is obviously delighted. Intently she‘s studying our latest club magazine. She is astonished that it takes our team three months to complete one of those magazines. Laura is asking Karl and me many personal questions. Thereby we find out that the profession of Laura‘s mother and mine are quite alike. She is working with autistic children. So she‘s working with handicapped people, too, as I do. We quickly take some photos, because Laura doesn‘t have much time and has to look through her lines for the afternoon. Lunchtime is over and by and by everybody is leaving for the make-up department or the studio. Suddenly we feel a bit forlorn, because Daniella left long ago. She has to do a lot of paperwork. Astounded we notice that we are trusted very much, because we can move freely on the whole location. We have to utilize this and so we move towards the studios, where already the preparations for the next shooting are proceeding. On our way back we fortunately pass the costume department and discover some great costumes. It‘s strictly forbidden to take photographs there. It‘s evident. There‘ll have to remain some surprises! The day is passing swiftly. And we notice with great respect that everybody is working as fresh and concentrated as in the morning. Kudos to them! Most of them now are filming for more than six hours. In the afternoon we nearly live to see a cable fire. The whole studio is smelling like burned rubber. We have to leave the command deck of the Andromeda Ascendant, where the shooting took place, very quickly. Fortunately it only was a minor and harmless short-circuit. Everybody is very happy, because a real cable fire would have thrown back the production for at least some days, maybe weeks, if it came to the worst.

While we are waiting patiently in the scenery Kevin appears from time to time asking us if everything is o.k. Using this opportunity I ask him quickly whether it would be possible to take a picture of all of them together. Kevin replies somewhat astounded: „All of them??? You really mean all of them???“ Well, I can reassure him, of course, I only mean Keith, Laura, Lisa, Lexa and Kevin... Kevin breathes a sigh of relief. He is taking everything quite seriously, isn‘t he?

But the real „big bang“ is yet to happen, for when Kevin beckons that he has to leave soon, because he‘ll have to talk to the scriptwriters and authors (When does he actually stop working???), I politely ask for our group picture. And Kevin frowns appalled for most of the actors have already left for home.

What a shock, so no group picture!

We must have looked deeply disappointed, because if you know Kevin - guess what‘s going to happen.

Yes, we shall return to the set once more to get our group picture - Kevin proposes that we shall drop in on Friday once more!!! And we accept enthusiastically. Kevin apologizes for leaving, but he has to tend to his further obligations. We understand very well and being grateful for him spending so much time with us we pack up our trap. Then Daniella returns and apologizes for her former leaving. She had to write many letters for Kevin and to coordinate his appointments. She accompanies us to our rented car and we learn during our conversation that Daniella won‘t be there on Friday. She is sad about it, as are we, and so our parting is harder than expected. But she gives us the promise to write a little report describing her daily routine as assistant, so we can get a closer look at her miscellaneous and certainly often arduous job.

Friday morning we enter the studios for the second time. Everybody‘s greeting us easily, no signs of shyness or reserve as on our first visit a few days ago. Once again we sit down on our former chairs witnessing the shooting and Karl gets the opportunity to take some photos and do some recording with his video camera. All are relaxed and in a very good temper, because after a week of hard work the well-deserved weekend is nearing. And then all get together for the group picture. Karl and I are quite astonished how funny and high-spirited they are, shouting greetings towards the camera. Look at the pictures! After, we know, that they all still have a lot of work to do, and so we pack up our gear saying good-bye. Kevin waves at us a last time and is gone. Duty calls.

Photographs: Karl Müller
Report: Hannelore Müller
Translation: Edith

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