The Production GuideScript To Screen: The AB Chrysalis
by Martin Willey
The Production Guide
This is the call sheet for the 10th day of shooting of The AB Chrysalis, Thursday 1st July, 1976. The Rejuvenation Chamber scene is when the Alphans try to talk to the Guardian, Alan is trapped in the chlorine gas, and Maya transforms into the Kreno creature to rescue him. Immediately before, they filmed the scenes in the corridor outside, including the end of the sequence, with Maya's transformation, and the Kreno creature pulling Alan Carter out. All these scenes were supposed to be filmed on day 8, Tuesday 29th June.
The corridor scenes were not completed on Tuesday, so the final part of the corridor scene, and the rejuvenation chamber scenes, moved into Wednesday 30th. On the afternoon, the crew would move to the conversation chamber scenes, when Koenig would talk to Ina Skriver and Sarah Douglas in the mist.
But Wednesday didn't go to plan either, so here we are on Thursday, still completing the first scene of the Rejuvenation Chamber sequence (trying to talk to the Guardian, and Alan stopping the coffin moving). The Conversation Chamber scenes were pushed back.
Thursday didn't catch up fully; they started Friday still working on the first scene of the Conversation Chamber, and they still didn't finish all the scenes by the end of the day. The remainder of the Conversation Chamber scenes were finished on Monday morning.
Albin Pahernik, a professional dancer, wore the Kreno animal suit, which was adjusted by make-up expert Eddie Knight, veteran of the Hammer horror films.
Behind the scenes photos show Pahernik drenched in sweat. The set was unusually hot, and not just because of studio lights and latex costumes. The UK was in the middle of a heatwave. Temperatures were consistently over 30 C (90s F), reaching up to historic highs of 35 C (the studio was even hotter). The peak of the heatwave was from 23rd June to 7th July, during the filming of this episode. Hot dry conditions lasted until 26th August.
The camera equipment specified in the call sheets includes a Mitchell S.35 high-speed camera and "reverse mag". Normal photography used a Mitchell BNCR camera ("Blimped News Camera Reflex", introduced in 1932 and the principal movie camera until the 1980s). The Mitchell S.35 was 35mm mirror reflex camera capable of variable speeds, up to 120 frames per second, while remaining rock steady. It is needed here to film the bouncing sphere, which bounces over the Guardian's coffin and lands on a stand. The film magazine was reverse loaded (the "reverse mag"). On set, the sphere started on the stand and was blown off by compressed air. Because the film was going through the S35 camera in the opposite direction, when it was printed it would show the action in reverse. This was a fully "in camera" effect; the processing lab simply printed the film as normal.
The camera is fitted onto a counter-balanced "head" or mounting. The Ronford-Baker fluid system in the "head" uses hydraulics to move the heavy camera smoothly, allowing the cameraman to pan and tilt.
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GERRY ANDERSON PRODUCTIONS LIMITED |
SPACE 1999 - SERIES II |
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CALL SHEET No.10 |
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EPISODE: No.12: "THE A - B CHRYSALIS" |
DATE: THURSDAY: 1.7.76 |
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STAGE: M |
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DIRECTOR: VAL GUEST |
UNIT CALL: 8:30 a.m. |
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ARTISTE |
CHARACTER |
D/R |
M/UP |
ON SET |
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INT. REJUVENATION CHAMBER: Sc.Nos. 112 to comp., 114. 116. 118. |
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MARTIN LANDAU |
KOENIG |
321 |
8.00 |
8.30 |
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CATHERINE SCHELL |
MAYA |
328 |
7.00 |
8.30 |
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NICK TATE |
ALAN |
326 |
7.45 |
8.30 |
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ALBIN PAHERNIK |
CREATURE |
335 |
8.30 |
9.00 |
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ROBERT RIETTY |
SPHERE VOICE |
327 |
8.30 |
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INT. CONVERSATION CHAMBER: Sc.Nos. 132. 134. 140. |
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MARTIN LANDAU |
KOENIG |
321 |
from above |
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INA SKRIVER |
'A' |
336 |
10.00 |
11.00 |
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SARAH DOUGLAS |
'B' |
336 |
10.00 |
11.00 |
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STAND INS: |
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ALAN MEACHEM |
for Mr. Landau |
312 |
8.00 |
8.30 |
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PAT THOMPSON |
for Miss Schell |
312 |
8.00 |
8.30 |
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A.N.OTHER |
for Miss Skriver |
312 |
10.00 |
10.30 |
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A.N.OTHER |
for Miss Douglas |
312 |
10.00 |
10.30 |
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PROPS: |
As per script to include: stun guns, commlocks. |
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ART DEPT: |
Special smoke box, spheres, coffin shaped box (fractures Sc.112) |
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M/UP: |
Dummy for inside coffin (Guardian) |
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S.F.X. |
To standby with green smoke, dry ice, spheres. |
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CAMERA: |
S.35 hi-speed camera, reverse mags, Ronford fluid head. |
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ELECTRICAL: |
Cue light: light effect on spheres. |
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CATERING: |
A.M. and P.M. breaks for 70 people on M Stage. |
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LUNCH: |
1 p.m. to 2 p.m. |
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RUSHES: |
Theatre 1 at 1 p.m. |
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TRANSPORT: |
Doug Weatherley to pick up Mr. Landau as arranged & bring to Studio. |
KEN BAKER
Assistant Director
Copyright Martin Willey. Thanks to Jeff Trowbridge.