The Production GuideFilming Errors
by Martin Willey
The Production GuideFor the Moonbase sets, Keith Wilson used vinyl flooring, which was durable and easy to clean. The problem was that actors wore shoes with big heels, which were noisy when the sound recordist was trying to capture the dialogue. Also, actors could move in their Gaudi chairs, causing scraping sounds. The solution was to add a piece of carpet under their feet, out of sight of the camera. Unfortunately, sometimes it could be seen on camera. Worse, sometimes it was an ugly, frayed piece of brown carpet.
In this shot from Force of Life, there is a long strip of brown carpet behind the Main Mission desks, for Koenig to walk across.
We also glimpse the brown carpet on the floor of the Medical Center, just before Koenig enters.
We pan across Main Mission at the start of Alpha Child, revealing a particularly ragged piece of brown carpet behind Sandra. When the alarm sounds, Koenig and Paul Morrow will move quickly to her side, over this carpet.
Later in Alpha Child we see the brown carpet under Koenig's chair.
Bergman enters Main Mission in The Last Sunset, crying "Stop him, Kano! Bring him back". He runs in along the brown carpet.
In Voyager's Return, there are brown carpets on the Main Mission floor behind Koenig as he paces up and down in this scene.
Koenig walks up to Helena and Queller in Voyager's Return over some strips of brown carpet.
More brown carpet in Collision Course, in the command office (seen under the chair), then in Main Mission behind the desks, after the command conference.
At that start of Space Brain, Bergman comes out of his living quarters, with more brown carpet.
At times, the camera crew knew the floor would be visible and used more subtle carpets.
In this shot in Breakaway, there is a vinyl mat alongside Koenig's desk. The mat is actually for the camera crew, who start close by the desk, then pull back as the doors open to reveal Main Mission. The mat is the same colour as the floor and almost invisible in the shot.
In this shot from The Last Enemy, Koenig walks round the desks, along a strip of light coloured carpet. Closer to Bergman at the bottom of the frame is the familiar brown carpet.
When Koenig enters Main Mission in pyjamas in Collision Course, he walks along a strip of pale carpet behind the desks (see behind Sarah Bullen's chair).
The light coloured carpet also appears in Command Center, here in Brian The Brain.
Koenig and Tony are about to walk onto the carpet in the corridor in A Matter Of Balance.
Copyright Martin Willey