The morning was cool and crisp; sun shining, not a trace of clouds. I headed south on Gower street toward Melrose Avenue, with the famous Hollywood sign in the rear view mirror of my tiny red rental car. I drove under Highway 101, the Hollywood Freeway, then crossed Sunset Boulevard. The famous Walk of Fame was only a few blocks away. A block in front of me, I saw the huge buildings which were the sound stages of Paramount Studios, my destination. Today was March 7, 1997; the day that I, a common, everyday computer teacher, would be visiting the set of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, watching the crew film my second DS9 episode, “Children of Time.”
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My first scheduled event was a studio tour. Since Writer/Producer Rene Echevarria would be busy until about noon, Jill, his assistant, arranged the tour for me in the morning. What was a nice surprise was that she arranged a V.I.P. tour! Unlike those “regular” tourists we saw, we V.I.P.’s got to ride in a plush, covered cart. Our guide showed us all around the studio, from the back lot building facades to the prop shop to the costume shop to the construction mills. We also visited the sets of Entertainment Tonight and Hard Copy. The guide pointed out each sound stage as we passed, and told us what present and past television series and movies were shot in each. As we rounded one corner, we were greeted by a double row of travel trailers parked outside several of the stages. This, the guide said, was “Star Trek Row” -- DS9 and Voyager were shot on stages on either side of the street, and the trailers were the actor’s dressing room trailers. Anyone would have known, however, that Trek was done here. Walking across the street were a wide array of extras, dressed both in Starfleet uniforms and in costumes which indicated the characters were from the “planet du jour” (these were Jill’s words - meaning “the planet we’re visiting this week.” She also says there is the “alien du jour” and the “disease du jour”). And, ahead in the distance, emerging from a trailer, was a hulking figure. As he strode purposefully toward the sound stage, I recognized him immediately -- Michael Dorn, aka Lt. Cmdr. Worf. As our cart passed him, we all must have been staring - he smiled and said “I feel like I’m at Universal Studios” (referring to that studio’s Backlot Tram Tour). Unfortunately, it would be the only time I would see Mr. Dorn and my favorite Klingon.
As we rounded the corner, leaving Star Trek Row, several other Starfleet officers were lounging outside a snack cart. We smiled and waved at Robert Beltran (Chakotay), Garrett Wang (Harry Kim) and Tim Russ (Tuvok) from Voyager. Garret Wang was animatedly reading something from the newspaper to Robert Beltran, while, very uncharacteristically, our Mr. Tuvok was the most relaxed, dozing on a back yard lounge chair.
On the Paramount Lot
After the tour, I headed up to the Hart Building, where the writing staffs of both series are located. The first time I walked through these halls, I was in awe of the names there - all Writer/Producers of The Next Generation and DS9. Now, having sold two stories and having pitched probably 50 more to all but two writers on both staffs, the feeling was more of familiarity than awe. I had only met two of them (Rene and Robert Hewitt Wolfe), but I had talked to all the others on the phone during my pitches, and this time I looked forward to saying “hi” in person.
Hart Building - Paramount Pictures
On the fourth floor, after three very steep flights of steps, I reached room 405, the offices of Rene and Robert Hewitt Wolfe. Sitting at the desk in the small office between the two offices was Jill, Rene’s assistant, whom I had talked to numerous times over the last year or so. She was not too tall, with long brown hair and a very cheerful disposition. She loved her job, loved being in the midst of Star Trek, and it showed. She had always been friendly and helpful on the phone, and she was even more so in person.
Before going down to the sound stage, Rene came out and said hi. I had only met Rene once, back on that fateful day in 1994 when I pitched “Visionary,” but we had talked dozens of times on the phone, both working on “Visionary” and with this current story. He was exactly as I had remembered him, medium height, short dark hair, with round rimmed glasses. He was in a meeting, and he’d see me later, he said. With that, Jill and I set off for Stage 18.
First, Jill took me on a tour of the DS9 sets on the other two sound stages - Stage 4 and Stage 17. The one word that might describe the first set I saw (in Stage 4, I think) is -- HUGE! The promenade set is the largest one on the Paramount lot, a full two stories high and easily over 100 feet long. All the promenade sets are there, from Quark’s to the Infirmary to the Replimat to Odo’s security office. The next Stage (17) contains the Ops set, which is also multi-level, with O’Brien’s pit (where he was zapped at the beginning of “Visionary”), the main level, the upper level, which contains the turbolift and transporter, and finally, Sisko’s office. Stage 18 contains the Defiant, the infamous cave sets and the temporary sets (ones built for a specific episode).
First, a few observations about the various sets (skip this part if you want to retain your illusions of reality):
After my tour of stages 4 and 17, Jill and I moved to Stage 18, where the crew was shooting today. On stage 18 is the Defiant set, which contains the bridge, engineering, several corridors (shot from different angles to represent the dozens of corridors on the Defiant) and the “quarters du jour” (redressed for which characters quarters they were supposed to represent in any given scene). Also on Stage 18 are the cave sets (brown, of course)(notice how many times the action takes place in a planet’s caves, not on the surface? Budget constraints only allow location shoots for two days per season, so that's why all the exciting stuff happens in the caves...).
But, what really caught my eye in Stage 18 was the village square set that was built for my episode. It was huge! In fact, it took up nearly half of the stage. There was a blue backdrop to represent the sky, a hill with some trees and plants on it, a well, a large tree with a flower-filled planter around it, wall facades of several buildings and a fountain. Some of the walls were nearly two stories tall, and the set was probably 50-60 feet long by 40 feet wide. Of course, 80% of the episode takes place here, so they built it so they could shoot in different corners of the set and it would look like they were on different streets or areas of the village. Very impressive! (An aside: after reading the script and seeing the episode, I realized this episode is the only episode of DS9 which doesn’t have a single scene take place on the station!)
The crew was setting up a scene when we arrived, so Jill took the time to introduce me to a few people. The director was Allan Kroeker, who has previously directed two DS9 episodes and one Voyager. He’s from Canada, and has been in television for many years. I also met Jonathan West, Director of Photography, who also directs about 3 or 4 episodes a season, and Judi Brown, Script Supervisor.
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The scene which was being set up was Scene 28, where Dax goes to Sisko and tells him about Yedrin Dax’s faking the sensor logs - the one that begins with Sisko playing catch with some of the local children. The director and actors Avery Brooks and Terry Farrell were rehearsing and blocking the master shot, which is a shot of the entire scene from a single camera angle, in this case, a moving camera shot which started behind Sisko and moved around him to reveal Dax, who takes him aside and discusses the logs with him. |
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They would shoot the entire scene from start to finish, then move in for the various close ups of different portions of the scene (subsequently labeled 28a, 28b, etc.). |
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After blocking and rehearsal, the actor’s stand-ins moved into their spots (marked in different colored pieces of tape by a person called the clapper-loader, who loads the film magazines, does the slate at the beginning of the scene, and marks actor’s positions with tape). The stand-ins are about the same height as the actors and have the same facial coloring. They stand in front of the camera during the lighting process, which generally takes 15 to 30 minutes, depending on whether or not they are lighting a new set (like the village set) or a familiar one (the promenade or the Defiant). After the lighting, the actors are called back, and the crew rehearses again, this time with the camera moves. When the director is satisfied, the cameras roll.
Many things happen during a “take.” First, the assistant director (AD) calls for quiet, both out loud and on a walkie-talkie. Several others crew members in various places on the set also have radios, and they, in turn, call for quiet. Then, the sound technician rings a loud bell, which can be heard throughout the studio. This also turns on two red flashing lights outside the stage, which warns everyone outside not to enter. The director stands slightly off the shooting area, watching a small television monitor. This video monitor is linked to the film camera, and shows exactly what will be on the screen. It also shows the speed the camera is running (normal is 24 frames per second) and the number of feet of film that have been shot on the present roll. The director also has a wireless headset which allows him to hear the audio.
When all is quiet, the AD calls “roll.” The sound technician starts his audio tape, calls “speed,” meaning the tape is running at the proper speed, then he slates his audio tape by turning a knob and saying “scene 28 take 1.” Then the AD calls “roll camera” and the camera operator starts the camera. On the director’s monitor, the numbers move from 0 to 24.0, and the foot counter starts moving. The camera operator also calls “speed,” and then we’re ready for a take. The director will call “action” and the scene begins.
Rarely do the actors and crew get it right in the first take. Usually the actors will flub a line, but the camera operator may stop a take for a camera mistake, or the sound technician may hear an unwanted noise. The director will re-do each scene until he is satisfied. When that happens (whether after take 1 or take 44), the director will call “cut and print,” indicating that this is the take he wants to use. Often he’ll ask for two takes to be printed.
After this process, the crew breaks and moves on to the next set up, whether it is a close up of the same scene, or a new scene altogether.
Jill and I stayed on the set for about an hour and a half. Between scenes, she introduced me to Avery and Terry (look at me calling them by their first names already!). If there’s one word that can describe them, it would be TALL! Let me repeat - Terry Farrell is tall! Not just 5’ 10” tall, mind you. She’s taller than I am, and I’m 6’. Ms. Farrell is at least 6’ 1 1/2” tall, and her Starfleet boots don’t add any height either. Terry is very vivacious and friendly, always laughing and joking with the crew members and her fellow actors. However, when the AD says “roll,” she shifts instantly into character, and can deliver an emotional scene two seconds after telling a joke.
Avery Brooks is tall as well - at least 6’ 3”. He is also friendly, but doesn’t joke around as much as Terry. I often saw him strolling around the set, singing.
Soon, Jill had to get back to the office, and we had to leave. I was terribly disappointed. She said she couldn’t leave me unattended on the set, so I was thinking “did I just spend all that money to fly to LA and only get to watch for an hour?” When we got up to Rene’s office, he was on his way down to the set, so I felt a little better. I’d get to see more!
As Rene and I walked by the Defiant set in Stage 18, he asked if I had my camera. I knew I couldn’t take pictures of the shooting, but I had brought my small point-and-shoot camera to take a picture of Rene and the other writers. So, we went in the Defiant set, closed the doors, and now I have a picture of myself sitting in the Captain’s chair! I’d look better in an official Starfleet uniform, but who can complain with an opportunity like that?
Soon, however, Rene had to go back for a meeting, and I was a little disappointed again. I was also nervous, as I was going to pitch some new stories. After getting a drink and chatting some, we talked about my stories. The pitch session, unfortunately, wasn’t successful, though he did think about one story idea seriously.
with Ron Moore (c) and Rene Echevarria (r)
So, here is was 3:30 in the afternoon, and I had nothing else to do, and the disappointment at only watching 2 hours of shooting was upon me again. So, I went out on a limb and asked Rene if there was any way I could go back to the set. He said I didn’t really need anyone to stay with me, but he had no one to take me back down there. He thought for a minute, then wrote a note to the security guard vouching for me. With this in hand, I made my way back to Stage 18.
Russ, the security guard, looked skeptical, but seeing the note from Rene, he let me pass. Wonderful! I was back in!
Since most of the crew had seen me earlier, and I’d met many of them, no one questioned me or seemed to mind if I was there. The director even asked me how I thought things looked once or twice!
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The first scene I saw now was Scene 71, the beginning of Act Five. This scene, where the crew tells the descendants goodbye, involved four characters (Sisko, Dax, Miranda and Yedrin), plus 10-12 extras (townspeople). The AD directed the extras in their walk past the camera, while the director worked with the principals. As the tired townspeople shuffled home after a long day in the fields, the camera moved past them to focus on the four main characters. The scene played out, ending on Sisko and Yedrin. After the scene was done, the crew started the closeups and two-shots of Yedrin and Dax, Sisko and Miranda, and individual close-ups. This process took a couple of hours. When the final shot was complete, the actor playing Yedrin, Gary Frank, had finished his shooting for the episode. The AD announced, “that is good night and farewell to Gary Frank,” meaning the cast and crew wouldn’t see him again. There was a cheer, and lots of hugs. I suppose you get to be good friends with the guest cast, working those long hours for a whole week. |
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After one quick scene (#82) in a Defiant corridor where they ponder who might have altered the Defian’t flight plan, the day was over for Avery and Terry, so the AD similarly announced “that is good night to Avery Brooks and Terry Farrell” and there were more cheers. |
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The crew, however, stayed on. This was at about 6 or 7 pm. I had heard the cast and crew worked long hours, but I had no idea how long. As I took a restroom break (no noisy, flushing toilets on the soundstage - you have to go across the street), I looked inside a large trailer which I realized was the makeup trailer. There was Nana Visitor (Kira), having her Bajoran nose ridges attached. A peek at a call sheet later revealed that she and Rene Auberjonois (Odo) didn’t come to the set until 2:30 and 1:30 pm respectively. So, we would be shooting late into the evening, I surmised.
Next was a quick scene with Odo rounding a corner and ringing the “bell” to Kira’s quarters (Scene 82a - second to last in the script, though it was ultimately cut from the episode). They shot this in the same corridor as the Sisko/Dax scene, but from a slightly different angle. And, though the two scenes would have been back to back, the change of camera position would have covered the fact that they were shot in the exact same place.
Then, the crew moved to a small set which was going to be Kira’s quarters for the final scene of the episode (Scene 83) between Kira and Odo. In the scene, Odo walks into Kira’s quarters and they carry on a conversation (I won’t reveal it, since it would spoil the ending if you haven’t seen the episode). Kira is resting on her bunk, and sits up to talk to Odo, who is standing on the other side of the room. One of the Defiant bunk beds was rolled up near the set, and the camera crew set up to do all Kira’s shots first. While that was taking place, the director, Nana Visitor and Rene Auberjonois talked extensively about how to play the scene. Nana, with makeup, but dressed in spandex pants and a t-shirt, talked about how Odo’s lines would affect Kira, and why Odo did what he did. This discussion lasted a good 15 minutes. Then, Nana went off to get into her uniform.
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The shooting of Kira’s part this scene took quite a while as well. After the master shot, which took four or five takes, they shot the second half of the scene twice - once in medium close-up, and one tighter. The final scene of the episode holds tight on Kira’s face, as she is left to contemplate the events of the episode. |
Next, they had to shoot Odo’s part of the scene. Odo and Kira never appear in a shot together since they’re across the room, but Nana stayed to play out the scene (off camera) with Rene. She kept her costume on, but unzipped it in back, since it was obviously very tight. As the camera crew set up for the new shots, it was late dinner break.
The craft service, as it is known, was set up in the middle of one of the cave sets. All day long, there were snacks, coffee and drinks. At around 2:00, trays of tuna salad were delivered, cake and desserts at 5:00, and a very late dinner was served at 9:00 pm. Since I hadn’t eaten since 9:00 am, and since one of the crew asked me if I wanted some, I dug in! They had some kind of spicy barbecued chicken, mashed potatoes, steamed vegetables, and squash. Very tasty! As I ate, I listened to Nana and Rene talk to several crew members. It was mostly mundane chit chat, but I did learn that Rene likes catsup on most everything, I learned Nana’s favorite breakfast restaurant, and learned that both of them love Cheez-Whiz. They also joked about a line Worf had, “there are several settlements scattered across the southern peninsula...” and were amazed it hadn’t taken Michael Dorn twenty takes to spit out all those s’s with his Worf teeth in.
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After the dinner break, the crew was ready to shoot Odo’s part of the scene. It went much like Kira’s part - a master shot and two close-ups of portions of the scene. Afterward, it was “...good night to Rene Auberjonois,” and there was only scene 24a left to do, a scene in the Defiant’s sickbay with Kira and an N.D. Nurse (N.D. stands for non-dialogue, a non-speaking part)(this scene was also cut from the episode; I assume it was running long). |
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| Note: I was standing directly behind the computer terminal in the background while this scene was being shot... |
The director, Nana, and the nurse (I forgot the actress’ name, though I talked to her a while) rehearsed the scene, where Kira talks to a gelatinous Odo, who is in a hi-tech container (unfortunately, this scene was ultimately cut from the finished episode). After rehearsal, lighting, camera rehearsal and several takes, the scene was finally completed, and the day was a “wrap!” This was, believe it or not, at 11:30 pm! Judi (script supervisor) said it was pretty common to shoot this late on Fridays. I knew they worked long hours, but some of them had been on the set since 8:30 am! Whew!
So, after ten glorious hours on the set of Deep Space Nine, I walked out of the studio just ahead of the weary cast and crew. What had been a wild dream just three years ago, was now reality -- not only I had made a permanent contribution to the phenomenon that is Star Trek, but I had been able to see it in the making!
startrek.com web page on "Children of Time"
