Caprica soundtrack to be released on July 30

The season one soundtrack is finally coming out, and this time there is a definite release date: July 30. That's this coming Tuesday.

The 2 CD set will be available on LaLaLandRecords.com. Broadway World has the details.

La-La Land Records will release the long awaited soundtrack for CAPRICA: ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK TO THE Syfy TELEVISION SERIES, composed by Bear McCreary (THE WALKING DEAD, MARVEL'S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D., DA VINCI'S DEMONS) on July 30, 2013. The soundtrack is a 2CD set, limited edition 3000 units.

"I want to give special thanks to you guys, the CAPRICA fans. You've been so loyal and supportive to our series, and that means a lot to everyone involved," said McCreary. CAPRICA was an amazing new musical journey for me. I've written a National Anthem, a Tauron gangster rap, a drag queen burlesque, and an opera for Alessandro Juliani, just to name a few." -- Keep reading

Leo Awards, Falling Skies season premiere, and other updates

First off, congrats to Meg Tilly, Michael Eklund, Richard Hudolin, Richard Harmon, and the cast & crew of Continuum on winning Leo Awards last night.

Best Lead Performance by a Female in a Dramatic Series

Meg Tilly - Bomb Girls - Armistice

Best Lead Performance by a Male in a Feature Length Drama

Michael Eklund - Errors of the Human Body

Best Supporting Performance by a Male in a Dramatic Series

Richard Harmon - Continuum - Family Time

Best Production Design in a Dramatic Series

Richard Hudolin - Arrow - Pilot

Best Dramatic Series

Continuum

The complete list of winners is here.

Falling Skies is back with the two-hour season 3 opener tonight at 9 pm on TNT.

Luciana Carro, Ryan Robbins and Ty Olsson are all back this year, and Rémi Aubuchon was still the showrunner for season 3.

Last month, he announced he was stepping down as head writer to focus on his first novel, which sounds pretty interesting.

The Killing season 3 premieres tonight

The Killing is back tonight at 8/7c on AMC with a few familiar faces appearing in the two-hour season premiere, "The Jungle"/"That You Fear The Most."

Aaron Douglas and Ryan Robbins will be recurring this season, and Ben Cotton will make an appearance in at least one episode.

Here is the setup, from Alan Sepinwall's review:

The new season picks up a little over a year after the last one concluded with the election, the arrest of Aunt Terry, and Mireille Enos' over-invested cop Sarah Linden walking away from Holder and the job. Holder is climbing the ladder at the Seattle PD with the advice of new partner Carl Reddick (Gregg Henry) when he catches the murder of a teenage prostitute who was killed in a manner very similar to a case that Linden worked years before with her old partner James Skinner (Elias Koteas). Linden and Skinner arrested their victim's husband, Ray Seward (Peter Sarsgaard), who sits on Death Row, a month away from his execution date. As the two ex-partners begin looking into the cases past and present, evidence begins to suggest that a serial killer is preying on young women.

Trailer & featurette:

John Pyper-Ferguson guest stars on Once Upon a Time tonight

John Pyper-Ferguson guests on Once Upon a Time tonight, in episode "Welcome to Storybrooke," and you can also catch him in the season finale of Deception tomorrow at 10/9c on NBC.

Once Upon a Time airs at 8/7c on ABC. Press release and sneak peek:

REGINA, OUT FOR REVENGE, VOWS TO KILL MARY MARGARET, AND DURING THE EARLY DAYS OF THE CURSE, A FATHER AND SON FIND THEIR WAY INTO A SUPPOSEDLY UNDETECTABLE STORYBROOKE, ON ABC’S “ONCE UPON A TIME”

“Welcome to Storybrooke” - Emma, David and Mr. Gold must protect Mary Margaret against Regina, who is out for revenge and has made it her mission to kill Mary; and Henry, fed up with all of the feuding, devises a plan to put an end to magic. Meanwhile, Regina discovers that a father and son have somehow found their way into her allegedly undetectable town as she and the fairytale characters deal with the effects of the newly cast curse 28 years prior, on “Once Upon a Time,” SUNDAY, MARCH 17 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

Blood and Chrome soundtrack is out today

The Blood and Chrome soundtrack gets released today at 1 pm PST.

The first 200 copies sold are signed by Bear McCreary.

You can get the CD at LaLaLandRecords.com.

All the BSG soundtracks, including the one from the Caprica pilot, are also available.

Last word on the Caprica soundtrack is that it is now coming in May, not April as previously announced. No exact date yet, so stay tuned.

And in case anyone else was wondering:

Everyone is asking me if #BloodAndChrome score will be released digitally. Short answer: probably. But not in the next couple months.
— Bear McCreary (@bearmccreary) March 12, 2013

_______________

“In scoring the Battlestar Galactica prequels Caprica and Blood & Chrome, I returned to the unique combination of world and orchestral sounds that defined my previous score,” McCreary described. “But, both prequels had their own distinct approach. Caprica was interlaced with delicate chamber orchestra textures, solo harp and other-worldly source songs. Blood & Chrome is energized by heavy distorted-synthesizers and searing electric guitar performances. Listeners will hear, however, that all three series have a common musical DNA.”

Eva Allan and Zak Santiago guest star on Once Upon a Time tonight

Eva Allan and Zak Santiago are making an appearance in tonight's episode of Once Upon a Time, written by Jane Espenson.

"The Miller's Daughter" airs at 8 pm ET on ABC.

Press release and preview below.

CORA'S DESIRE TO TAKE RUMPLESTILTSKIN'S PLACE AS THE DARK ONE TAKES ONE STEP CLOSER TO BECOMING REALITY AS HE LAYS DYING, AND MARY MARGARET IS ONCE AGAIN TEMPTED BY DARK MAGIC, ON ABC'S "ONCE UPON A TIME"

Rose McGowan ("Charmed") Guest Stars as Younger Cora

"The Miller's Daughter" - Cora's desire to rid herself of Rumplestiltskin in order to take his place as The Dark One takes one step closer to becoming reality as she and Regina try to overpower a dying Mr. Gold, and Mary Margaret is once again tempted by dark magic. Meanwhile, in the fairytale land that was, Rumplestiltskin agrees to offer his services to a younger Cora - for a price - when the king calls her bluff and orders her to actually follow through on her boast of being able to spin straw into gold, on "Once Upon a Time," SUNDAY, MARCH 10 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

"Once Upon a Time" stars Ginnifer Goodwin as Snow White/Mary Margaret, Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan, Lana Parrilla as Evil Queen/Regina, Josh Dallas as Prince Charming/David, Emilie de Ravin as Belle, Colin O'Donoghue as Hook, Jared S. Gilmore as Henry Mills, Meghan Ory as Red Riding Hood/Ruby, and Robert Carlyle as Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold.

Guest starring are Barbara Hershey as Cora, Michael Raymond-James as Neal Cassidy, Rose McGowan as younger Cora, Gerry Rousseau as father, Joaquim de Almeida as King Xavier, Eva Allan as Princess Eva, Zak Santiago as Prince Henry and Sonequa Martin-Green as Tamara.

"The Miller's Daughter" was written by Jane Espenson and directed by Ralph Hemecker.

Grimm returns with mid-season premiere tonight

Grimm is back tonight with its mid-season opener, "Face Off." The episode airs at 9 pm ET on NBC.

Synopsis:

Grimm 2.13 “Face Off” – After Nick (David Giuntoli) learns about Juliette (Bitsie Tulloch) and Captain Renard (Sasha Roiz), he must deal with the consequences. Things get even more complicated when Nick is called to investigate his own crime. Meanwhile, the search for the key intensifies as Captain Renard finds Nick’s trailer and makes a surprising alliance. With Rosalee’s (Bree Turner) help, Monroe (Silas Weir Mitchell) informs Nick that they might be able to stop what’s going on with Renard and Juliette before it goes too far. Elsewhere, Wu (Reggie Lee) responds to a bizarre shooting at Nick and Juliette’s house.

Assignment X has an interview with Sasha Roiz (more at the link):

AX: How does Renard feel about all his attraction to Juliette?
ROIZ: I think he is absolutely distraught by it. He has been so good at keeping himself a secret, keeping his plans secret, and plotting along the way. And he’s been very calculating. To all of a sudden lose all control and to jeopardize all the plans that he’s been setting up – it’s incredibly frustrating and terrifying for him. And so I think he would do anything to stop this romance or this infatuation, I should say. Because it’s jeopardizing his entire future. When it comes to Juliette, the potion has taken over, and it’s undone us both. It might ruin our lives, our ambitions, our aspirations. The feeling is absolute and complete infatuation, which prevents him from thinking straight, which prevents him from just living his life the way he’s known up ‘til now and being in control of his own life.

Blood and Chrome is out on DVD today

Blood and Chrome has been released on DVD and Blu-ray today. You can get it on Amazon.

Here are the specs and list of extras, from Sci Fi Mafia:

Special Features
BLU-RAY/DVD SPECIAL FEATURES

• Deleted Scenes – Which like any movie are probably removed to keep the story tighter, but a lot of these are essential bits of storyline that would otherwise be missed. So interesting to watch, since they are all filmed, but not taken through CGI enhancements.
• Blood & Chrome Visual Effects Featurette – This gives you the full scope of what was involved in the CGI production of every single shot. Amazing.

Program Information
TECHNICAL INFORMATION – BLU-RAY COMBO PACK: Street Date: February 19, 2013
Layers: BD-50
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Widescreen
Rating: Not rated
Languages/Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French Sound: 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio

TECHNICAL INFORMATION – DVD:
Street Date: February 19, 2013
Layers: Dual Layer
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
Rating: Not rated
Languages/Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1

From IGN's Blu-ray review:

The extras are fairly minimal, though better than they appear at a glance. The only behind-the-scenes inclusion is a featurette focused on the visual FX, but it’s actually longer than you’d expect at 23 minutes, including interviews with Eick and other producers, along with the FX team. It delves into the conception of Blood & Chrome and spotlights all the work that went into the green screen production. While a commentary or more story-oriented discussion would have been great, this at least does get into the nitty gritty of production on the project.

The only other special feature are deleted scenes, but there are actually a ton of them, running the better part of a half hour. Some are inconsequential moments, but there are several – mostly taken out from the opening portion of the movie – that would have been highly appreciated if they’d been kept in, better building who Adama and Coker are before the action begins. The vast majority of the deleted scenes were never finished, so you can see the green screen surrounding the cast, making the difference between those scenes and the finished project more impressive and notable.

The Blu-ray is the "unrated" version. While essentially the same as what is airing on TV, it features a bit more footage, including, yep, one pair of bare breasts during a co-ed shower scene onboard Galactica and a bit more harsh language.

A couple of deleted scenes:

Blood and Chrome television premiere tonight (Syfy, 8/7c)

Blood and Chrome has its television premiere tonight at 8 pm on Syfy.

The TV version will include additional footage, and the unrated cut will be available on DVD and Blu-ray on February 19. The DVD will contain about 30 minutes of deleted scenes.

From the press release:

This highly anticipated chapter in the Battlestar Galactica saga from Universal Cable Productions originally debuted as a weekly web series on YouTube’s premium channel Machinima Prime, drawing upwards of 8 million total views. On February 10, fans will get to see it for the first time in its film version entirety, including additional scenes not included in the online release. The unrated edition from Universal Studios Home Entertainment will then be available on DVD, Blu-ray and digital download on February 19th.

Caprica: Original Television Soundtrack to be released in April

The Caprica season one soundtrack is finally getting released! Bear McCreary has just made the announcement on Twitter. The soundtrack will be out in April.

The Blood and Chrome soundtrack is coming even sooner. It will be released on March 12th. B&C will have its television premiere this Sunday, February 10, from 8 to 10PM ET/PT.

Then, at long last, a multi-CD album of "#Caprica" is coming in April, featuring the songs & score from the entire series, w/ bonus demos.
— Bear McCreary (@bearmccreary) February 5, 2013

The "Caprica" CD is happening because of you guys. Passionate fans never let this go. To each of you, I offer a rowdy "So Say We All!"
— Bear McCreary (@bearmccreary) February 5, 2013

Here is the full press release from Cinemedia Promotions:

LA-LA LAND RECORDS RE-ENGAGES IN THE CYLON WARS WITH TWO NEW SOUNDTRACKS COMPOSED BY BEAR McCREARY

Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome on March 12th

Caprica: Original Television Soundtrack in April

(February 5, 2013 – Burbank, CA) La-La Land Records announces the release of two new soundtracks Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome on March 12th and Caprica: Original Television Soundtrack in April. Bear McCreary (The Walking Dead, Battlestar Galactica) composed the music for both series.

“In scoring the Battlestar Galactica prequels Caprica and Blood & Chrome, I returned to the unique combination of world and orchestral sounds that defined my previous score,” McCreary described. “But, both prequels had their own distinct approach. Caprica was interlaced with delicate chamber orchestra textures, solo harp and other-worldly source songs. Blood & Chrome is energized by heavy distorted-synthesizers and searing electric guitar performances. Listeners will hear, however, that all three series have a common musical DNA.”

Blood and Chrome - final two episodes

Machinima has posted the last two episodes of Blood and Chrome today. You can watch them below or on YouTube. And there are a couple of updates after the clip.

Episode 9
In the aftermath of the deadly Cylon ambush, Coker (Ben Cotton) threatens Becca (Lili Bordan), forcing Adama (Luke Pasqualino) to a heated standoff.

Episode 10
Becca discovers a startling new development that will affect the future of the human race. Meanwhile, Coker’s life hangs in the balance as the team holds out hope for a rescue, and Adama has a disheartening realization about the war effort and his place in it.



If you didn't get around to reading the transcript Bear McCreary's AMA on Reddit from last Friday, here is what you've missed:

Is there any update on what's happening with the Caprica soundtrack? There's so many wonderful tracks from it that I want to listen to properly.
Hey cube1701... this is a great question. First, a little background on how I deal with albums. As you guys probably know, I put a lot of time and energy into them and make sure that they are great listening experiences, not just a collection of cues that were mixed for broadcast. This approach resulted in some great BSG albums, and a great album for the Caprica pilot.

The rest of the series was no exception. I assembled a collection of the best cues into suites, re-recorded, re-mixed and re-mastered a fantastic double disc album. It's done, and it's been done for a while.

However, Caprica's swift demise and slim ratings made it difficult to get this album released. I can't move forward on anything like that without involvement from NBC Universal and for a long time, there was little interest in working on an album for a show that was no longer on the air. (For the BSG records, we always had the promotion of the following season or DVD release to piggy-back on for album promotion).

So, the bad news is that no album has come out yet. But, the good news is that we're beginning to make some real progress now. NBC Universal is showing interest in letting me release this music.

The best thing fans can do is continue to show their support and enthusiasm for the idea. I'm confident we can make it happen, as long as the fans make it clear to the powers-that-be that they want it.

How can we show NBC Universal that we're interested? The scores for Caprica's first season (particularly the second half of the season) are some of my favorite cues you've ever written. It would make my week to see a release. :)
Trust me. You guys are helping right now. People who can help make the Caprica album a reality are watching what's happening right now. Keep it up!

I know a CD release of Caprica is tied up at the moment, but what's the word on a release of Blood & Chrome?
Plans are afoot.

Hey Bear. Is there any indication that Blood and Chrome will have a life beyond the single movie? Just hearing the BSG style of music again gives me pangs for a weekly intake. Also, say hi to Erin, Todd and Nova if you talk to Erin any time soon.
As far as I know, there are no concrete plans right now. But, it also seems that everyone is open to the idea. Fans have a say in this, though. Enough views on Machinima, enough views in February when it airs, and / or enough DVD sales when it comes out in February can all make a difference. Everybody tune in, because we're all ready to make more of these!

Tons more about Bear's work on BSG, The Walking Dead, The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Defiance (coming in April), and everything else at Reddit.

Ben Cotton and Mike Dopud were on The Rush last week. They talked about Blood and Chrome, and also about season two of Arctic Air - they will both be appearing in it. Here is the clip:

Blood and Chrome - watch episodes 7 & 8

Episodes 7 and 8 of Blood and Chrome have been posted. You can watch them below or on YouTube. Two more to go.

Bear McCreary is doing a Q&A on Reddit at 6 pm EST. Head over there to ask questions.

The episodes:

Episode 7

Waylaid by a ferocious storm, Adama (Luke Pasqualino), Coker (Ben Cotton) and Becca (Lili Bordan) reluctantly follow their eccentric savior, marine recon sergeant Xander Toth (John Pyper Ferguson), to shelter in an abandoned ski lodge. Adama and Coker finally find some common ground and secrets about Becca’s mysterious mission are revealed.

Episode 8

The tentative safety of the ski lodge is abruptly shattered as Cylons breach Toth’s defenses. With Becca and Toth nowhere to be found, Adama and Coker face off against their deadly robotic pursuers. Becca makes a horrifying discovery about the Cylons’ agenda on Djerba.

Blood and Chrome - watch episodes 5 & 6

Machinima has posted two new episodes today. You can watch them below or on the Machinima Prime channel. The first episode has over 2 million views so far and episodes 2, 3, and 4 around 600,000. To watch all the episodes from start to finish, go here.

Jill Teed and Ty Olsson are back in episode 5 and John Pyper-Ferguson shows up to take the kids for a walk in episode 6. Also, there is the cython.

Watch the episode, and there is more stuff after the jump.

Adama dogfights Raiders while the Battlestar Osiris tries to hold off a Cylon Basestar.



Just a few more tidbits from this week for people who aren't on Facebook and Twitter.

First, there was Patton Oswalt talking to the A.V. Club about his most memorable roles:

Caprica (2010)—“Baxter Sarno”
PO: That was very frustrating, because I got a glimpse of what the second season of Caprica was going to be, and the stuff they had planned for that show was fucking amazing.

Beyond the stuff I was going to be getting to do, what they were going to do with that world, and with its darkness, would have been so thrilling. But I love the fact that even in a show as dark as Caprica—and in a lot of ways, that show was as dark as Battlestar Galactica—[Sarno] was very aware that people want their fucking distractions. Even in a future science-fiction world like Caprica, they’re going to want their Jon Stewarts, they’re going to want their Bill O’Reillys and their Rachel Maddows and their things to get all up in arms about, their Jay Lenos and their Lettermans.

So I was playing that role, and I would talk to [series creator] Ronald D. Moore about what happens to a guy like this who is kind of aggressively shallow in a lot of ways. When he’s engineering that whole fight between Eric Stoltz and Stoltz’s rival, it’s not because [he cares] about technology and where humanity is going; it’s great fucking ratings. So what happens when the shit comes down? It reminds me of that moment in Cabaret when they’re singing “Tomorrow Belongs To Me,” and they cut to the Emcee from the Kit Kat Club just smiling and nodding in his dressing room, you’re like, “What happens to that guy when the Nazis rise to power? Why is he smiling? Why is he nodding?” That stuff is really intriguing to me.

^ You can catch Patton on Burn Notice next week (Thursday, 10/9c, USA).

There is a new interview with Doug Drexler over at Lightwave3d.com. Snippets below, more at the link.

How is the production of Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome unique?
It really is an amazing experience that’s unlike any other. It’s unprecedented for guys that we’ve brought onto the show; they don’t believe me at first when I tell them, ‘This is as close as you can get to get to making a show. You won't be some nameless guy across town in a cubicle.’ We cut our own shots in with the editor. If it doesn’t work, we do a new shot, run down the hall, put it in, and look at it together. If it doesn’t flow, if it doesn’t work... there’s no approval process... we just do it.

That’s how we are able to do so many amazing shots in so little time on Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome. In eight months, we did more than 2,000 shots with nine guys— that’s because we had unprecedented freedom.

How do other production workflows compare?
I was on all the various Star Trek television series for 17 years—including Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise—and there was a really strict approval process. You couldn’t just take a leap by putting together a sequence and saying, ‘This is what we might do here.’

The process on Battlestar Galactica was a stark contrast. We did a show called 'Razor' where the Scorpio Shipyard is attacked by the Cylons. In the script, it read: ‘A dot of light approaches the station and there’s a huge explosion’—and that’s the end of the sentence! [Digital Artist and CGI Sequence Designer] Kyle Toucher and I read that and we said, ‘No Way! This is our chance to do Pearl Harbor!’ So, Kyle laid the whole sequence out—it was awesome—and Gary sold it to Ron Moore.

io9.com has an exclusive VFX featurette that has some BTS footage from next week's ep and interviews with David Eick, Gary Hutzel, and Jonas Pate.

Here are a few things David Eick said on YouTube last week:

For the love of all things Cylon will you get Caprica up and going again?
Alas, Caprica was "one and done" -- although the story bible we drafted for a possible Season 2 was awesome. Really focused the Cylon/Colonial historical struggle in a much more accessible, American Civil War metaphor. I really felt SyFy should've given it another shot. Oh well, one day....

Will we be seeing any of the 'bigger questions' that we saw in BSG in Blood and Chrome, or will this be more combat/CG and less 'why they hate us'?
B&C will definitely deal with the "why they hate us" premise... and will definitely wrestle with larger issues attendant to the BSG theme -- what it means to be human, etc. But probably a bit less esoteric and contemplative than BSG Season 4. Closer in tone to Seasons 1 & 2.

You truly captured the feel of a sub inside the Osiris. Also Galactica's 'CIC' looks a lot different than the recent series. Did you look back to the original series for ship design?
We had the original sets scanned so that we could implement/augment in a digital space. Glad you dug the Osiris -- we were definitely going for the "Das Boot" vibe...

The ship design for the Osiris is so distinct. The antennae at the rear and the reflective shell, there's no doubt it's a stealth ship. For this and other ships where did your dev team look for inspiration?
All R&D, like BSG, rooted in naval and AF tech. Definitely erred on the side of reality wherever/whenever possible.

Hi David! Do you think that there is still a market for multi season space operas like bsg in tv? Can platforms like youtube & itunes provide new possibilites for the genre?
Always a market for great scifi as long as creators and distributors are gutsy enough to allow it to be metaphorical/allegorical. When they get too soft/escapist, they tend to have shorter half-life. Works great in movies but doesn't have the "legs" for TV unless there's real depth.

For us Caprica fans, will any of the loose ends from that show be tied up in this series?
We don't address the world of "Caprica" in B&C except in offhand moments... but if there are future B&C episodes (beyond the first 10), we'll definitely get into William Adama's youth, family and culture.

Hi David. Whats the word on a tv series after the Blood and Chrome movie airs? Are you guys waiting to see how many views this minishow gets before committing?
This was always designed for online, the "digital space." That said, all our futures are tied to current success!

Will any of the human cylons be making an appearance or will it just be toasters and I'm assuming the hybrid if you were to show the end of the war?
B&C will definitely investigate the "evolutionary" nature of Cylon tech... how their process of going from rivets and metal to soft, Tricia Helfer-flesh did not happen overnight... there were several experiments in between...

And another Blood and Chrome featurette from Wired that also has some BTS footage and interviews with Michael Taylor, David Eick, Gary Hutzel, Jonas Pate, Luke Pasqualino, Lili Bordan and Ben Cotton:

Blood and Chrome - watch episodes 3 & 4

Machinima has posted episodes 3 and 4 of Blood and Chrome. You can watch them below or on the Machinima Prime YouTube Channel. Episode 1 has had 1,773,800 views so far and episode 2, only 517,234. Some high-traffic sites didn't embed both episodes last week, so if you haven't seen ep 2, you should probably catch up first.

And a slight correction: Machinima has released the full schedule for the show, and the final two episodes will be posted on December 7, not November 30, which makes more sense since they are being released in pairs.

David Eick will be answering questions about the show on YouTube any minute now, so if you have an account, you can head over there.

Nerdist has a new interview with Eick. Here is a snippet that probably isn't a surprise to the conspiracists among us (the part about those plans for a B&C TV show not being what they were cracked up to be):

N: What challenges were there in cutting the show down to smaller, webisode-sized segments?
DE: I think that question unfortunately comes from a misinformed place. People have developed a belief that we developed this pilot for SyFy Channel and they passed on it, but then said, “Let’s put it online.” It was actually the opposite. We developed this as an online project, but then SyFy read the script and said, “Let’s keep our options open.”

As the production started coming together, we decided to go back to the original plan because there was a real opportunity to blow the wheels off of the level of quality you would expect from a web-based production. So, when people come to me saying that SyFy passed on Blood & Chrome, I’m like, “What the f@$# are you talking about?” They didn’t pass on it; we simply went back to our original plan of action. It was always going to be a ten-part story and a one hundred minute movie that you could divide into ten-minute bite-sized morsels. We embedded natural cliffhangers and segues within the episodes that lend themselves well to serialization. This has been a part of the plan since the get-go.

When we were thinking about how to crack the digital marketplace with the Battlestar franchise, I just thought about Raiders of the Lost Ark and the world where that came from with these movie serials that you would go and see each week, they would end on a cliffhanger, then you would come back and see the next little installment the following week. You might be able to build something like that if you rushed mission design; military missions are made up of many smaller missions.

And Spoiler TV has the transcript of the conference call he did with Luke Pasqualino last week. A lengthy read, but well worth it. Here is an interesting snippet:

There are a number of little Easter-egging nods to the Battlestar faithful that anyone watching the DVDs or seeing this online will be able to recognize. But I think one of the things that will be less resistance to is to think about, do we [get] Esai Morales who played William Adama's father, to reprise his role in some capacity in a future episode? Do we show some of that conflict and strain between father and son and some of the uniquely kind of contradictory impulses that a mob lifestyle and military lifestyle sort of present?

That's all really rich storytelling—top soil for us—to pursue if we get the chance to go forward.

The new old faces making an appearance in the new episodes are Jill Teed (Col. Patel on Caprica, Sgt. Hadrian on BSG) and Ty Olsson (Capt. Kelly on BSG).

The episodes:

Episode 3

Reeling from the discovery of the ruins of Battlestar Archeron, Adama (Luke Pasqualino) and Coker’s (Ben Cotton) small Raptor is nearly outmatched when they engage with three enemy Raiders. More secrets are revealed when the crew makes a shocking discovery deep in Cylon space.

Episode 4

Adama and Coker prepare for a dangerous mission above the Cylon occupied planet Djerba. Coker reunites with an old friend (Sebastian Spence) and reveals startling news.

Blood and Chrome - first two episodes posted

Machinima has posted the first two episodes of Blood and Chrome. You can watch them below. New episodes will be posted every Friday on the Machinima Prime YouTube channel, and the finale will be available on November 30.

CG Society has an interview with Doug Drexler (CG Supervisor) and Gary Hutzel (VFX Supervisor). You can read the full article at the link.

Blood & Chrome was a natural progression for Hutzel and his team, as they moved out of Caprica. In the last half of the season, the artists working on Caprica started to expand the show’s VFX footprint by doing entire virtual sets—something they perfected in Blood & Chrome.

Blood & Chrome is, nonetheless, a departure from previous productions in the franchise. “The show is unusual in the sense that it is cut very, very fast,” Hutzel describes. In fact, most of the shots in the two-hour movie span three seconds or less. “Consequently, we ended up with more than 1,800 shots, either full-CGI shots or shots with virtual backdrops created completely in-house for the scene. Battlestar Galactica never delivered anywhere near that number of shots.”

A staff ranging from 22 to 35 VFX and CG artists also delivered the shots on a short schedule. “We delivered up to 150 shots a week, which was barely getting it done in time,” Hutzel affirms. “When I did the Battlestar Galactica miniseries—which, for the time, was a huge VFX show—we had six months to complete 320 VFX shots in the show. Now, we’ve just completed 1,800 shots that are an order of magnitude more complex in five months.”

The unrated version of Blood and Chrome has a release date now. It will be out on DVD and Blu-ray (you've read that right: Blu-ray) on February 19, 2013. You can pre-order them on Amazon:

Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome DVD

Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome Blu-ray

Here is the DVD trailer:




And back to the episodes. Ben Cotton, Brian Markinson, Carmen Moore, Zak Santiago, and Mike Dopud all make an appearance in the first 20 minutes. (There aren't that many actors with speaking parts who weren't on Caprica.)

Enjoy:

Episode 1

Ensign William Adama (Luke Pasqualino), barely in his 20′s and a recent Academy graduate, finds himself assigned to the newest battlestar in the colonial fleet: The Galactica. He quickly clashes with his co-pilot, Coker Fasjovik (Ben Cotton), a war-weary officer with just 47 days left on his tour of duty. In pursuit of the intense action that the Cylon war promises, Adama can’t wait to enter the fray.




Episode 2

Adama and Coker’s supply mission features a surprise: their cargo is the beautiful and enigmatic scientist Dr Becca Kelly (Lili Bordan). The routine mission quickly becomes deadly as the small crew pilots their Raptor into Cylon territory.

Blood and Chrome premieres online this Friday

Well, holy frak. The sequel has a release date.

Entertainment Weekly reports that Blood and Chrome will be released online on Machinima Prime's YouTube Channel in ten 7-12-minute installments starting this Friday, November 9.

The full two-hour pilot will air on Syfy early next year, and an unrated version will be released on home video some time after that.

Refresher course from EW (because it's been a while):

For those who haven’t followed the B&C saga, the project was originally developed as a series for Syfy following the conclusion of the critically beloved Battlestar Galactica reboot and its movie spin-offs The Plan and Razor. BSG vets David Eick and Michael Taylor are executive producers, with Taylor writing the script from a story by Eick, Bradley Thompson and David Weddle. Jonas Pate (Caprica) directed.

The prequel follows young William Adama (Luke Pasqualino, UK’s Skins) during the first Cylon War. Assigned to the Galactica, the eager Adama finds himself at odds with his co-pilot, the battle-weary officer Coker (Ben Cotton, Alcatraz). (...)

“With its top-notch storytelling, pulse-pounding action, and cutting-edge visual effects, Blood & Chrome is the perfect extension of the Battlestar Galactica universe,” said Mark Stern, Syfy programming president and co-head of original content at UCP. “We are thrilled to see this hotly-anticipated event premiere on Machinima, an online network that is unparalleled in its delivery of high-class digital content to millions of viewers.”

Other than Ben Cotton, Caprica actors appearing in B&C include Brian Markinson, Jill Teed, Mike Dopud, John Pyper-Ferguson, Carmen Moore, and Zak Santiago. Lili Bordán plays Dr. Beka Kelly, an ex-employee of Graystone Industries.

Here is the official trailer (yes, that's Bear McCreary putting the music in the frakking ship):

American Horror House with Alessandra Torresani airs on Syfy tonight

American Horror House starring Morgan Fairchild and Alessandra Torresani premieres tonight at 9/8c on Syfy.

Synopsis:

On Halloween night a sorority house is overrun with ghosts while a vengeful housemother goes on a killing spree. The American Horror House Original Movie is directed by Darin Scott (Dark House) and stars Morgan Fairchild and Alessandra Torresani.

Entertainment Weekly says:

Continuing Syfy's schlock legacy, HORROR pits buxom sorority pledges against an evil housemother (Morgan Fairchild) who's harvesting the souls of unfortunate visitors. The gore, acting, and screenplay are decidedly camp — which I suspect is kind of the point — making for silly, brainless Halloween fun. And to prove it's ultra-contemporary, it's all set to dubstep! No, really.

Dead Souls with Magda Apanowicz premieres on Chiller tonight

Dead Souls, starring Jesse James, Magda Apanowicz and Bill Moseley, airs tonight at 9/8c on Chiller.

Here is the synopsis:

Adapted from the novel by Bram Stoker Award Finalist Michael Laimo, Chiller’s latest original production Dead Souls tells a harrowing tale of family secrets and ancient evils.

On his 18th birthday, Johnny Petrie learns he was adopted when he inherits a farm in Maine, abandoned for the 18 years since his natural family died at the hands of his father, the local preacher. Eager for a new life, he leaves home to start over in his new dwelling. However, as he digs into his past, he soon uncovers the horrifying details of his father’s questionable teachings. In a frightening revelation, he also learns that his return has revived decades-old forces trapped in the home and sets in motion a heart-stopping finale to a ritual that already claimed the lives of his family.

Arrow premieres tonight (8/7c, CW)

Arrow has its series premiere tonight at 8pm on the CW.

Brian Markinson, Hiro Kanagawa and Roger Cross guest star in the pilot, Ty Olsson will make an appearance next week, and Tahmoh Penikett will guest star in at least one episode later in the season. The show is filmed in Vancouver, so there will probably be other familiar faces showing up throughout the season.

Press release for the pilot:

After a violent shipwreck, billionaire playboy Oliver Queen was missing and presumed dead for five years before being discovered alive on a remote island in the Pacific. When he returns home to Starling City, his devoted mother Moira, much-beloved sister Thea, and best friend Tommy welcome him home, but they sense Oliver has been changed by his ordeal on the island.

While Oliver hides the truth about the man he's become, he desperately wants to make amends for the actions he took as the boy he was. Most particularly, he seeks reconciliation with his former girlfriend, Laurel Lance. As Oliver reconnects with those closest to him, he secretly creates the persona of Arrow - a vigilante – to right the wrongs of his family, fight the ills of society, and restore Starling City to its former glory.

Polly Walker on The Mentalist & Once Upon a Time season premiere

Once Upon a Time and The Mentalist are among the shows returning with new seasons tonight (if anyone needs a reminder about Dexter, Homeland, The Good Wife, The Simpsons and Revenge - they're also back tonight), and there is also a new episode of Hell on Wheels at 9/8c on AMC.

Polly Walker has a recurring role on The Mentalist this season, and will make her first appearance in the premiere tonight at 10/9c on CBS.

Synopsis:

“The Crimson Ticket” — While Jane tries to decipher Lorelei’s connection to Red John, the CBI team is forced to partner with the FBI to solve the murder of a hotel employee, on the fifth season premiere of THE MENTALIST on Sunday, Sept. 30 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Emmanuelle Chriqui (“Entourage”) returns as Lorelei Martins, Polly Walker (“Rome”) guest stars as Senior FBI Agent Alexa Schultz and Ivan Sergei guest stars as FBI Agent Gabe Mancini.

And another bit from EW:

The CBI’s New FBI “Colleagues.” Season 5 will see the CBI squad working — and clashing — with a trio of FBI agents also chasing Red John. Polly Walker from Rome plays the group’s boss; Ivan Sergei (Jack & Jill, Gravity) and Drew Powell (Southland, Straw Dogs) play a “lovely bizarro world version of Rigsby and Cho.”

The season two premiere of Once Upon a Time airs at 8/7c on ABC. Jane Espenson is still on the writing team and her first episode airs next Sunday. Speaking of, watch this puppy if you haven't:

And back to Once, BSG's Keegan Connor Tracy returns as Mother Superior/Blue Fairy in the premiere.

Here is what to expect this season:

In the premiere episode, "Broken," reality and myth begin to merge as the fairytale characters awaken from Evil Queen Regina's broken curse and remember who they were. But to their dismay, they aren't transported back to fairytale land. To make matters worse, Rumplestiltskin - aka Mr. Gold - in an effort to gain the upper hand in his power struggle with Regina, has introduced magic into the town. In fairytales magic has its place, but in our world it can have unfathomable consequences. Meanwhile, back in the fairytale land, Prince Phillip awakens his sleeping beauty, Aurora (Sarah Bolger, "The Tudors"), but discovers that he and his traveling companion, Mulan (Jamie Chung, "Sucker Punch," "The Hangover Part II"), will soon have to face a deadly foe, on the Season Premiere of "Once Upon a Time," SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 30 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

Promo:



And a BTS featurette: