Production GuideObservations: The Lambda Factor
Production Guide
Sally Martin puts a bottle of liquid on a balance and holds up a magnifying glass (which bleeps), reading "3.25 grams". Liquid is commonly measured in litres (in the metric system), Given specified temperature and pressure, weight can be a useful measure (traditionally, 1 litre was defined as 1 kilogram of water at 4 C). The amount of liquid in the bottle is considerably more than 3.25 grams (equal to a small coin, possibly about 500ml/500g). However, in labs we would expect the liquids to be solutions, which are indeed measured by weight to derive the concentration. Presumably 3.25 is the derived weight of the solute. Thanks to David Sobral.
Several wires are visible during the Medical Stores sequence- in this shot, there is a wire across the top left corner, pulling a small white object upwards.
When Sally runs into the Medical Store, the shadow of a stagehand's arms can be seen waving over the door (pulling the wires of various flying objects). Thanks to Shaqui.
The sub-store has a completely different door to any seen before on Alpha. When the hands are pushing in the door, the studio ceiling can be seen. Later in the shot a false Alpha ceiling has been put in place.
In the background of these shots is an Alphan with a moustache. He works as a Medic, but is also seen moments later in the Recreation Center with an orange sleeve. His fellow medic is also seen in Recreation with a yellow collar.
The most famous 3D chess is the "Tri-D Chess" seen in Star Trek (1967), which was actually a fake game with no rules or consistent alignment. There are real 3D chess games, the oldest being Raumschach invented in 1907. The 3D game here is Strato Chess, by Dynamic Games, released in 1973 (a version is still sold, by John Hansen Co., California). The 3 levels are joined by a distinctive "S" steel bar, 12 inches/ 30cm in height.
The board for the "electronic craps" game played by Crato and Renton is "Gotcher" by Dacoll Games of Scotland. Introduced in 1976, it is an early electronic game. Players may be convicts, navigating across the numbered islands on the board, or guards trying to capture them. An electronic number generator (the white unit with lights) replaces dice. Pressing the numbers has no effect.
Helena and the nurse tell Koenig about the autopsy. Koenig then leads the questioning of Mark Sanders and Carolyn Powell in the same Medical Center. Is Sally Martin's dismembered body lying on an autopsy table just off-screen? If so, that's a tough interview technique. Helena and the nurse have commendably clean smocks after performing an autopsy. It is not good practice for Helena to leave her used smock over the folding screen by the door- it should be disposed as potentially contaminated waste.
The Medical Center set has only three walls, so the reverse shots of Mark and Carolyn are faked, by turning the desk 90 degrees. The wall behind them is actually the main door, with the thermometer visible (but the screen, with Helena's smock, removed). A reverse shot of Koenig is also faked in the same way- the computer panel behind him is the end panel from the wall of beds (after he has confronted the ghosts, he collapses to this fourth bed).
We do see a bit of corner including the fourth wall later in the episode- showing Sam and Tessa. It doesn't match (the main door and thermometer are replaced by plain panels).
Near the end of the episode we see the corner again in another reverse shot. Again, it's a 90 degree switch, with the main door beyond Helena, now with a communications post.
Notice the height difference between Tony and Maya in these adjacent shots. Tony seems to grow a little taller in close up. Thanks to Thomas.
The Engineering door does not fully close in front of Alan (at least at the top). In subsequent shots it is fully closed. Thanks to Martin Daoust.
Before Maya transforms into the gorilla, she turns from the door and walks away (to camera). This is so the camera can zoom into her face for the transformation effect. However, it doesn't make much sense that she turns away, transforms, then turns back when surely she could have transformed where she stood. Thanks to Thomas.
In the shots in Command Center, Tessa and Sam are reversed, with the badges on the opposite side. Most "ghost" shots use double-exposures, shooting with a static camera against an Alphan wall. The Command Center shot uses the "Pepper's ghost" trick. A glass wall is set at a 45 degree angle in front of the camera, reflecting Sam and Tessa standing to the side of the set against a dark background. It is an old stage trick, since at least the 16th century, popularised in 1862 by John Henry Pepper (1821-1900) for a Charles Dickens play.
As Sandra gets up from her chair, we see a computer end-desk which hides her hand. It's being reflected by the Pepper's ghost glass, like Sam and Tessa (the "X3" text is reversed). Thanks to Simon.
Carolyn blows Tony away; he rolls over a table and onto the brown sofa. We then see Maya, standing close to where he fell. Where was she in the wide shot? Why wasn't she blown over? The tiger's leap starts from about the same position. As the tiger jumps we see the sofa, but Tony has disappeared.
The Recreation Centre door does not fully close when the tiger sniffs at it. In the subsequent shot with Maya, it is fully shut.
Tony and the others are attacked by Carolyn in the Recreation Center. After she leaves, he is called to Koenig's quarters, then goes with him to Medical. Only then does Tony calls Security: "Carolyn Powell is to be found and held immediately". During all that time she has been wandering free throughout Alpha. Thanks to John Day.
Helena states she will use "narcosynthesis", preparing a syringe. The instrument is the "high pressure injector gun" used against the creature in The Beta Cloud. Perhaps Koenig has very tough skin. She doesn't seem to undress him, even exposing an arm, to perform the injection.
In all reverse shots of Carolyn, the console appears, and from other angles it is missing, until Koenig arrives when it stays in place.
When Tony enters Command Center, a reflection can be seen on the orange panel beyond. The thin pole of the mic boom can be seen in the reflection, moving with him. Thanks to Simon.
The Command Center operative who stands frozen in front of Sandra's desk changes. At the start he is played by Harry Fielder. At the end, it is a completely different actor, Reg Turner. Although frozen, from shot to shot Harry's hands are at different positions on the top of the desk, or by his side. His ID badge, readable when we see close-ups of Maya's chimp, has a picture of Jack Klaff with the name "J Klaff".
Tony falls to the floor, his head alongside Sandra's desk and Harry Fielder's feet. When we next see him, he is crawling on the floor- but now well behind Harry Fielder's legs.
Tony has now crawled past the desk, and we see Sandra's feet. We pan up to see Maya enter; she looks down towards Tony. We then cut back to Tony, but he has moved back.
Maya is told to change into a monkey. She changes into an ape (monkeys have tails, apes do not). Both monkeys and apes are part of the simian group, in the biological order Primates.
The caterpillar will only run out of air if the box forms an airtight seal to the floor tiles, which seems unlikely. The seal is strong enough to withstand the storm that moves desks around Command Center, but weak enough for Tony to release it with one hand. During the storm, Caroline may be using her powers to keep it in place. Thanks to Simon Frend.
The spiracles along the sides of a caterpillar body are efficient at drawing oxygen into their body, so they don't require much air. They can live in airless conditions underground for hours at a time.
Top left is a lighting flag, a rectangular frame used to control the studio lights. Thanks to Simon.
Helena is frozen in position close to the doors, but in some shots she is a step or so forward. In the first shot, Koenig's desk is diagonal to the wall.
During the storm in Command Center, a few shots show an empty floor where Tony should be lying, between the desks. The caterpillar was filmed separately by the second unit, so the box is normally filmed on the edge of frame, but this shot reveals that it is empty.
In Command Center there are two white instruments standing on the end of desks. As explosions move the end tables violently, they fall over. A little later we see another angle, back in place, as another explosion moves the end tables and knocks them over again.
In the last shot, you can see a wire leading from the top left of the picture to one of the instruments. On the back of the moving desk, explosives can be seen taped on.
Koenig falls asleep with his head turned to the right. When the camera angle changes, he is mysteriously facing straight up. Thanks to Martin Daoust.
Copyright Martin Willey