OK, here we go, a brief little chat David and I had over the internet
regarding his directorial debut on Stargate: Atlantis!
For those of you that do not know who I am talking about, David Winning is
a Director. He’s been directing, writing and producing for over twenty years.
Do you watch Andromeda? Well, if you do the chances are you will have
seen an episode directed by David.
Seen Dinotopia? Well he also directed that mini series too. He’s won
awards for excellence in Direction from the Directors Guild of Canada.
He’s also one of the few directors to be active on the net. He regularly
posts to groups, has his own website,
(www.davidwinning.com)
which is fab, and answers his mails! Unlike some actors, who shall remain nameless!
Enough of that, I am sure you are dying to listen to what he has to say about the
episode and Atlantis! Just for a change, instead of hearing my insane monologue
in between his answers, I’ve left it as is… hope you enjoy!
How do you compare filming Atlantis with Andromeda?
To be quite blunt, the big difference between
Andromeda and Atlantis is budgetary! Stargate is operating
on a much bigger amount of money, which makes Andromeda all the more
challenging; because I think both shows look great. There is also obviously
a different dynamic happening on both series because it's an entirely different
group of people and the energy will always be unique.
What do you think of Stargate: Atlantis? How did you prepare?
Stargate SG-1 was the one series I couldn’t
crack; never got a shot to direct any of them in seven seasons!! I was very
excited to be finally asked to handle one of the Atlantis episodes and,
yes, I did have to sit down and try to catch up on the series in a bit of a
SG-1 crash course. As much as I like Kurt Russell and James Spader,
I was not a fan of the movie. I thought Richard Dean Anderson captured a
much funnier more human character and thus the series was much better.
I think the producers want to freshen up the series with a new young group of
explorers headed by Joe Flanigan as Major John Sheppard. The team discover
another Stargate in a far away galaxy – and set up their base at the legendary
lost city of Atlantis. I think the biggest challenge of the new series is to
be faithful to the audience that has been with the original so long, and at
the same time, take it some exciting new directions.
What can you tell me about the story you directed?
My Atlantis episode is called "Childhood's End". I
guess a tribute to Arthur C. Clarke’s 1953 novel. It will first air on the
Sci-Fi Channel in August 2004. Courtenay J. Stevens gueststars as the village
leader Keras. He played Lt. Elliot in three fifth season episodes of SG-1. I
think the episode I directed will remind fans strongly of Lord of The Flies
and even a bit of Logan's Run. That's my hint.
What did you enjoy most about filming the series?
It was a great script by Atlantis story editor Martin Gero.
Every new series is a challenge because you don’t want to let down the anticipation
of the fans, and at the same time you have to somehow read the mind of the producer
to give him what he wants. Not always easy or possible. The story was almost
entirely filmed on location in a beautiful forest near Langley, British Columbia,
where the art department created an amazing forest village. I had an incredible time
shooting the episodes working with Courtenay who delivered a very moving performance
as the troubled hero. But also, I really enjoyed working with an actor named Dominic
Zamprogna who plays the antagonist in the story Aries. I hadn’t seen him since 1993
in Montreal when he was a child actor on an alternating episode of Nickleodeon's
Are You Afraid of The Dark? He was powerful then and he was very powerful as
the force to be reckoned with on Atlantis. It is a physically different Stargate
housed in an incredible huge new Atlantis main complex set. The two stages are
physically only about thirty feet apart in two giant separate soundstages in Burnaby,
B.C.. It was kind of thrill to visit the original SG-1 and stand inside the ring.
Very glad I didn’t get "sent" anywhere!
Who did you relate to most on the set?
Stargate: Atlantis is a new beginning and I think the fans
of SG-1 should be very excited by it. I’m one of the few who has seen the pilot and
I think its going to get amazing ratings. X-Files guy and the original T-1000, Robert
Patrick gueststars as a hardnosed military leader, Colonel Marshall Sumner. It really
felt like more of a movie than a series pilot.
How did you view the ensemble cast, think they are going to be as successful as SG-1?
Are you going to be directing more episodes?
It’s a strange business because no one ever contacts you to
say "Hey we really liked the way you directed that episode!". The only way you ever
know is if they call you back. Fortunately it’s happened a lot and continues to happen
on the Andromeda. Directing episodic television is like working in a vacuum.
Probably a lot like some other careers where there is seldom any feedback or compliments.
You have to push forward in this career and give producers the best episode you're capable
of directing -- given all the compromises and restrictions imposed. It's never an easy
balancing act. But I can't afford to wait for reactions, I push forward to new and
different projects -- and when they call you for a return visit -- that's great!
Working for others over these decades has certainly been lucrative and educational but
it's not where my heart lies. I'm starting to make my own movies again; ending up where
I started -- and that is very satisfying.
What else are you up to in the future David? I understand more Andromeda, but are you
directing any features or writing any more?
As we speak I’m about to start prepping this next episode
of Andromeda. Later in the summer I’m also up for two low-budget feature films
for USA Network. One’s about a true story bank robbery and one’s about the legend of
Bigfoot. Maybe we can put them together and have a Bigfoot Bankrobber! Never a dull
moment. I’m also going to three different conventions in North America in the summer
to help promote Stargate: Atlantis. I love meeting the fans; very refreshing to know
how much these series mean to people. And thirty years ago, I was certainly one of
those fans. It’s burned into my memory; at age thirteen running home from school in
the late afternoons to watch reruns of the original Star Trek on an old black-and-white
TV in my parent’s basement. Who knew?
Thanks very much for asking me questions. I’m hoping fans will visit me at
www.davidwinning.com
I have to say that David was a delight to talk to and he is so enthusiastic to get
the word out for Atlantis plus the other shows he works on. Do visit his site; it’s really
well laid out. For a teaser on the episode 'Childhood's End,'
hit here.
The episode premiere is on the SCIFI channel in the US on August 13th 2004, in Canada
on the MOVIE CENTRAL channel on August 16th 2004. You can see it in the UK in October
2004 on SKYONE. Here’s a brief summary of the episode, I’m not going to spoil people
with the details David has sent me!
"... NO ONE ON THIS PLANET LIVES PAST 25... "
Major Sheppard, McKay, Ford and Teyla crash-land their "puddle jumper" ship on an alien
world with a strong electro-magnetic field. There they meet Keras, one of the elders of
the indigenous population -- only Keras is just 24 years old. There is no one older in
the village, and the team soon learns the disturbing reason.
Enjoy the episode!
Pictures are with thanks to David and are his own copyright, please do not use without permission.
Interview © 2004 Emma Wall
Pics © 2004 David Winning
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