The Production Guide
Sound
by Simon Rhodes

Roll 13: Monday 10 December 1973. Slate 53, seven takes. We have a bit from the Alpha announcer (perhaps Norma West), about a lecture that Bergman is to hold relating to artificial gravity screens for interstellar probes. Then Koenig enters Main Mission and chats with Ouma. He wants a breakdown in the data between the Probe astronaut training flights and the Eagle shuttle flights carried out by Collins to look for any correlation between the two. There then follows three wild track takes for audio only.
Slate 54 This is the bit between Koenig and Ouma relating to Navigation Beacon Delta and where the blackout in the flight recorders occur. This goes to nine takes.
Slate 55. There are three takes of this until the end of the roll. Here Sandra is delivering her bit about the rise in heat levels in Disposal Area 1. There is no picture on the Big Screen at this stage so where flashes of bursting energy occur, Katzin says "Flash...flash...!"

Roll 14: Monday 10 December 1973. Slate 55 continues from take 4 to take 6.
Slate 56 moves further into this sequence with two takes. Part of the dialogue is Koenig's "Heat without atomic activity" bit.
Slate 57 Bergman is now involved "Here, let me have a look at that". Then the cameras burn out. Koenig suggests sending Alan up to have a look, Paul calls him but Victor says it's a bit risky. This goes to 7 takes.
Slate 58 Three takes and then lunch is announced. This seems to go back to the start of the earlier slate55 and involves Paul and Koenig.
Slate 59 Has Sandra talking about the steep rise in heat levels in close up. This goes to three takes; on the first she fluffs "Oh shit!".
Slate 60 Three takes. This is Sandra again "Incredible heat, still no radiation etc..." Katzin says "Flash" as the cameras burn out.

Roll 15 : Monday 10 December 1973 - Starts with slate 61 nine takes and is more of this huge scene. This involves Koenig and Ouma and is back to Ouma reporting that the Eagle flight recorder was recording pefectly untill reaching Navigation Beacon Delta.
Slate 62 goes to 3 takes. This involves Koenig asking to "Bring in Area One on video". There are more "flashes" from Lee Katzin as the camera is zapped and Paul asks for "Second Camera please" . We then go through to the point where Koenig suggests sending Alan up, after they loose all video with Area One when the second camera burns out, and Paul's "Main Mission to Carter".
Slate 63 is made up of five takes, all with end boards.Koenig gets Bergman on the screen "Victor we've got a correlation"..Victor "I'll be right in" etc.
Slate 64 ends this roll with 6 takes. Here Koenig talks about shuttle pilot Collins always using that route eg. to the turning point over Navigation Beacon Delta and calls up Victor. He fluffs the line several times and on take 5 Barbara Bain asks the director if he wants "Me to look or is it rather ping pongy...?" (meaning by looking around as everyone speaks does it look like watching a ping pong game). Landau fluffs it again "Jesus, why am I doing that...?"

Roll 16: Monday 10 December 1973 - This starts with a pick up on slate64 following on from roll #15. Here, again, he's calling up Victor but there is a mistake "I called him up before I had a picture of him...".
Slate 65 has five endboarded takes. We start with Paul "Sandra, check 10 on area one please Sandra and bring it in" Sandra : "Yes Paul" (On screen, voice unfiltered). We then move into Koenig asking about whether Collins always flew the same route, flying over Area One to get to Area Two..? Paul (off mic) "Four or six times a week" Koenig : "It's a turning pont..?" The scene continues with talk of minimum altitude restrictions and training flights on the dark side away from Alpha traffic and ends with Ouma's "And that's where their flight recorder blanked out...."
Slate 66 one take and we end the day's shooting. This is a run of the whole scene from "Check 10 on area One" to the Sandra's "Steep rise in heat in Area One" But this is all off mic. as this is Ouma's close up for "And that's where their flight recorder blanked out on their last training flight"

Roll 17: Tuesday 11 December 1973 - Slate 67 three takes and is still part of the large sequence from the previous couple of days. Take three, the best, runs as follows: - Katzin gives a "Flash!" then Sandra jumps in with "That is incredible heat but still no radiation" Koenig: "It's incomprehensible, heat without atomic activity." Bergman: "Here, lets have a look at that..." Katzin: "Flash...Flash...burnout..." Sandra: "Burn out, camera gone" Paul: (Off-mic) "Second camera please" Katzin: "Flash...it burns out" Koenig : "Call Carter, I want an Eagle on the pad for immediate lift off..!" Bergman: "John, I wouldn't risk anyone flying over it now..." Paul (off mic):" Main Mission to Carter come in please..." Katzin: Cut and print, fine for me.
Slate 68.. : We finally move away from the long haul of the previous sequence into the set up involving Koenig's flight and crash over Area One. The action takes place in Main Mission with Koenig speaking his dialogue, from the Eagle, off mic. On this roll it takes up slates 68 to 73 with various runs taking in different characters close ups as well as overall master shots.

Roll 18: Tuesday 11 December 1973 - We are in Koenig's office and it's the sequence between Victor, Koenig and Helena starting with Bergman : "This instrument has given me a lead..." followed by Koenig's "Magnetic energy responsible for the flare up in Area One...?" Helena: "Magnetic energy causing the brain damage..?" etc This sequence, on this roll, comprises slates 74 to 77. This is a great sequence for fluffs from all three actors, both Barry Morse and Barbara Bain have trouble with the word "magnetic". This sequence runs as in the final episode up until Koenig's: "How long do we have..?" Bergman: "We need solid data on magnetic levels".
In the episode later footage (shot during "Black Sun") is slotted in where Helena talks about not being responsible for people out on the surface under the current conditions and Koenig agrees by suggesting the robot Eagle. In this original version following Victor's line "We need solid data on magnetic levels", Koenig strides over to probably his commpost and speaks to the Alpha Information girl. Koenig: "Pass Emergency Code Alpha One" Announcer: "Alpha One Commander, please verify..?" Koenig(sharply): " That's what I said, Alpha One".

Koenig shot on 11 December 1973

Koenig re-shoot, with different hair and window background.

Roll 19: Tuesday 11 December 1973 - Slate 78 goes to nine takes. This appears to run from Victors "We need solid data on magnetic levels" through to Koenig "Code Alpha One" chat with the announcer girl. The girl here is Valerie Van Ost and she does a lot of these announcer/news girl sequences, though Norma West also appears in a similar role and I think it's her involved in the earlier slate 53 on roll #13, there she talked about Bergman's upcoming lecture on artificial gravity screens for interstellar probes.
Slate 79 has eight endboarded takes. We are now back in Main Mission and it is the sequence where, under Koenig's guidance, Paul flys the robot Eagle over Area One. This runs all the way end to the magnetic surge causing the Eagle to crash and is probably the master shot of the scene.
Slate 80 goes to two takes and appears to be Paul's close up of the previous scene.

Roll 20: Tuesday 11 December 1973 - Slate 81 amazingly only one take here, a rare occurance on these tapes. It appears to be Koenig's close up directing the robot Eagle.
Slate 82, again only one take of another version/angle of the sequence.
Slate 83, two takes. These are Sandra's close ups: "Radiation count zero...etc. It has accelerated right off the scale....etc."
Slate 84, two takes. Again, another angle of this robot Eagle secen. Take one is cut short as a monitor "breaks up".

Roll 21 : Wednesday 12 December 1973 - This roll starts with slate85, four takes - the last two pick ups, and slate86, six takes. This is more of the robot Eagle scene carried on from roll #20, mainly the CU on Victor : "A surge...a magnetic surge."
We then move onto slate87, this goes to ten takes, all of which are not right so I assume they continue onto the missing roll #22. This is another of the sequences that didn't make it into the final cut. We have Koenig, Helena, Bergman and Simmonds, I assume in Koenig's office and it is a sort of different version of the earlier set up (slates 74-78) were Bergman talks about "This instrument has given me a lead" and Koenig and Helena query wether the magnetic radiation could have caused the brain damage and flare up at Area 1:-
Victor : "When this project started we used Uranium 392 as fuel. But in the last seven years we've started mixing it with Caesium...ahhh, you know Uranium was expensive Caesium was cheap. And now it seems that Caesium and Uranium are acting adversely upon one another, producing magnetic fields of incredible strength.... and that's our problem". (There are subtle variations in the wording of this in the various takes)
Simmonds : "Magnetism...... causing brain damage?"
Helena : "Atomic radiation causing cancer?"
Victor : "Ah, you see, uhhmm, magnetism is energy and all energy radiates." (Again Barry Morse varies the wording slightly from take to take)
Simmonds : Hmm...we'll I'd be prepared to, look at an examination of the subject when it's been done more closely." (In take 5 onwards Roy Dotrice substitiutes "report" for the earlier"examination" and "comprehensive" for "more closely"
Koenig : "Commissioner, unless we come up with some answers damned soon the Fourth of July is going to seem like a very quiet day in the country. Now Professor Bergman and Dr.Russell have identified the problem and analysed its causes,therefore... they stay....!"
As both Helena and Simmonds ask if the effect could have caused Cancer and brain damage, as in the earlier slates 74 to 78, I suspect only one of the sequences could ever have made it into the finished film.

Roll 23 : Wednesday 12 December 1973 - This roll picks up with one, master, take of slate 92. We are still in the Command Office with Koenig, Bergman, Helena and Simmonds. This is the section commencing with Victor's : "Commissioner, the heat is starting to rise in the interior of area Two as well. Now it contains 140x the amount of waste in Area One, in quantities like that you could get a chain reaction."
Simmonds asks about the chances of it burning itself out like in Area One, Koenig says no chance but Bergman suggests breaking up the mass. Simmonds wants to get on with it but Victor says there is only limited time. Even though Barbara Bain has no dialogue, Lee Katzin is impressed "Very nice Barbara."
Slate 93 follows with three takes of Simmonds' close up of the above. Take three is fine and lunch is called.
Slate 94, two takes. This setup commences with another bit that didn't make it into the episode. We have our Alpha Announcer back before Paul interjects to tell Koenig that conversion on the first Eagles is complete and they are moving into the area now. Slate 94 is Koenig's CU with the Announcer and Paul off mic. I think our announcer here sounds like Norma West.
(You can hear the sound of Koenig's pen scratching away as the girl speaks)
Announcer : "And now here is a reminder to all staff the prefix for personal calls from Alpha to Earth is changed from Midnight tonight to Alpha 39...Alpha 39."
Paul (on screen) : "Commander Koenig..."
Koenig : "Yes, Paul...?"
Paul : " Conversion on the first six Eagles completed Commander, they're moving into the area now."
Koenig : "All right Paul, I'll be right with you."
Slate 95 comprises of two takes. The sound here appears to be the close up sound of both the Announcer and Paul, Koenig is off mic. After Koenig's final line we go back to the announcer.
Announcer : "Marie and Pierre Goddard are scheduled to return to Earth on Eagle Two Seven on Friday next and a farewell......." She's cut short by Katzin's "Cut...!"
Slate 96, four takes. This is the same sequence but we move further in and Koenig actually enters Main Mission from his office, the large doors rumbling open, to talk with Paul. It must comprise of a mix of the characters "in person" and on the screens. Once in Koenig asks ; "Ok (sometimes "Alright...") Paul, let's see it.."
Slate 97, two takes. This is a close up of Paul and ends the sequence. Koenig (off mic) " Ok Paul, let's see it"
Paul : "Yes sir."

Roll 24 : Thursday 13 December 1973 - This whole roll is full of retakes of earlier material.
Slate 98 takes 1 to 4 (Retakes). This is a remount of the first entry of Koenig into Main Mission and his meeting with Ouma by the big screen. Prior to the main action we hear from our screen girl/announcer Valerie Van Ost.
Announcer : "No new date has yet been announced for the launch of the Meta Probe but Medical Section reports that astronauts Frank Warren and Eric Sparkman are making good progress in their recovery from the mystery viral infection. Menwhile the Meta signals are increasing and speculation among Earth scientists is mounting......"
Ouma : "Commander...how good to see you...."
Koenig : "Good to see you...."
Yet in takes two to four the Koenig/Ouma dialogue runs....
Ouma: "Commander...!"
Koenig :"Benjamin"
Ouma: "Happy to see you"
Koenig : "Good to see you"
Katzin is finally happy but calls out "Print them all"
Slate 99 takes 1 to 6 (Retakes) . Paul : "Commander, we've got to get those men out of Medical, get them out there and find out who or what is on Meta."
Announcer (Valerie) : "Commander Koenig...Commander Koenig. There's an Earth call for you on the scrambler,Comissioner Simmonds..."
Slate 100 takes 1 to 5 (Retakes). This is yet another attempt at the Koenig/Simmonds chat on the commpost in the Command Office "Ah, John how are you..? Settling in up there...." etc. to "Comissioner you assigned me up here to clear up this mess...that's what I'm trying to do..." There are various problems, camera feeds to the compost fail, Roy Dotrice says "Metra" instead of "Meta", Martin Landau forgets his lines. Take 5 is good for Katzin..."That's good Martin..very nice...very nice...!"
Slate 101 takes 1 to 3 (Retakes). This appears to be a close up on Landau (Simmonds on screen) from "I'm not that settled in.. before we do anything I want to make sure there's no radiation leak from that disposal area..." Landau has trouble with the lines, faltering on "Before I do anything..." He passes comment......"Mmmmm...I can't get past it..." Finally they get there on take three.

Tape rolls 25, 25, 27 and 28 are missing.

Roll 29 Friday 14th December 1973. We start this roll with slate 120 and it's one take of 1A. We are now at the point where Waste Area 2 begins to explode and Koenig calls for the freighter Eagles to get away. The sound is distant, suggesting a wide shot and there is a "mechanical" background noise, maybe multiple cameras are, or a high speed camera is running in tandem with the standard speed unit. The latter is probably unlikely as this wouldn't work with dialogue.
Katzin : "A little bit to your right Marty....!"
David Bowen (Sound Recordist): "Sound running..!"
Katzin (To Landau) : "...No sorry the other right...!"
Clapper loader : " 120 take 1A..!"
Landau : "The other right's a left...!"
Katzin: "Ready.......action...!"
Landau: "Abort....abort the mission....!!!"
Paul : "Main Mission to all Eagles return to base immediately.. repeat return to base immediately..!"
Katzin: "One, two, three shock....!"
(We hear the crew stumbling about as if hit by the shock wave)
Katzin: "One, two, three shock...!"
(Again the crew act as if hit by the effect of the waste area exploding) Katzin: "Cut...!"