SFX Crew Pyrotech & Special Effects: Abduulie 9/15/02

<Barbarella> here we go folks
<Barbarella> this gentleman is from the farscape SFX crew doing the goo and explosive scenes
<Barbarella> some of our favorite stuff
<Barbarella> hehehe

<Abduulie> HI all

<Barbarella> *FarscapeOne* Question what was your favorite sfx shot from the past 3 and a half seasons?

<Abduulie> Before I start, can I say that we were all (cast and crew) totally devastated by the news last firday

<Barbarella> REMEMBER PM PYGAR IWTH YOUR SFX Questions

<Abduulie> your response on the internet has been without doubt, one of the most amazing things we've seen
<Abduulie> you've made a dead issue (being the future of Farscape) not so dead... thanks so much

<Barbarella> we were all too happy to do it for the show we love watching you guys do a great job out there

<Abduulie> the best shot we've done in physical FX is without doubt the big wall break in season 3
<Abduulie> errr. wolf in sheep;s clothing (consulting my ep guide)
<Abduulie> we had about 7000 litres of water crashing thru an explosively rigged breakaway wall, while dropping fireballs
<Abduulie> sparks, debris cannons and other pyro effects were zooming off at stunties running and scrambling around the place
<Abduulie> Actually that was a huge episode for SFX in general..
<Abduulie> that was a one take wonder too....
<Abduulie> a big day for us.. a culmination of weeks of planning and one week of pre-rigging
<Abduulie> I've only seent that ep for the first time, only weeks ago...
<Abduulie> but there was also a big locations shoot where we toppled a large statue
<Abduulie> there was a large beam rigged to fall and crash
<Abduulie> and heaps and heaps of pyros all thru the ep
<Abduulie> We loooove pyros!
<Abduulie> ga

<Barbarella> *Enigmatic* Abduulie - what effect was the most difficult to capture?

<Abduulie> hmmm... good question...
<Abduulie> just as an aside.. we are quite proud of the fact that the core SFX team of Farscape consists of 5 members
<Abduulie> (as opposed to something like the Matrix which had 60+ techs and any one time)
<Abduulie> our core group is asked to tackle anything they might require of SFX... smoke, water, steam, pyros, special riggin, breakaway glass, etc
<Abduulie> granted we well sometimes outsource for more help from other talented SFX techies in Sydney, but mostly us
<Abduulie> I mentioned to Barb episdoe 404 before
<Abduulie> involving a Lava planet
<Abduulie> our mission was to create large lava pool, that not only looked very hot, but had to be dry (as Crichton was supposed to be wearing a portable force shield)
<Abduulie> after exploring and testing many options, we decided that the best, most economical way was to use dry ice and light it strongly
<Abduulie> (Very stongly)
<Abduulie> we made a lava centrepiece which was a small bubbling crater that spewed a stream of lava into an shallow pool
<Abduulie> this lava was made of a gel (same basis as JY jelly) which was dyed a hot orange colour
<Abduulie> and strongly lit
<Abduulie> we made crusty bits from painting and modelling some twopart foam
<Abduulie> that ep, we also had to create the effect of a wallbreak... the bad dude fires his blaster at the wall, which was holding back pressurised lava
<Abduulie> the lava had to spray out at high pressure and on cue..
<Abduulie> we messed about with different dilutions and mixes and a large pressure pot
<Abduulie> ga

<Barbarella> *Galvin* what was the throwup made out of in the scene when granny made them all puke huge piles of it.
<Barbarella> THis seems to be the big question...the famous barf scene
<Barbarella> hehehe

<Abduulie> I love goo and I love barf!
<Abduulie> everything in film industry has to be totally safe for the actors and crew (well..... as safe as possible)
<Abduulie> the spew was made entirely of foodstuffs, and was safe to ingest
<Abduulie> although, Imust admit, that it was made so well that I felt ill looking at it, let alone ladling it out with my hands
<Abduulie> *tip* there will be a fantastic barf scene with Rygel later this season... think of us when you see it
<Abduulie> ga

<Barbarella> *talyn3* Do you ever blow stuff up for the fun of it, outside of work??

<Abduulie> offical answer no.... (but Yup)
<Abduulie>

<Barbarella> LOL

<Abduulie> we use a lot of pyros on Farscape... an enormous amount... much more than any other scifi show from what I've seen
<Abduulie> most of it is small stuff like sparks and squibs
*** aBracaDabra has joined #farscape
<Abduulie> we also use pyros to fire our debris cannons (some people use compressed air to do this)
<Abduulie> we do a lot of test work with different charges, different powders with different debris and mortars to ensure that everthing is entirely safe for cast, crew and sets
<Abduulie> (thanks for that question!)
<Abduulie> we also have to having a couple of techs on the show with fireworks experience... we let off a small show on wrap day
<Abduulie> ga

<Barbarella> *PK-psycologist* when tackling effects such as people going through glass panes. is there a fairly high chance that the actor and or stunt double gets at least one cut?

<Abduulie> good question.. actors will never be allowed to do that type of stunt.. this is not only the domain for a stuntperson, but would be considered a high-level stunt
<Abduulie> on (consult ep guide) I yensch you yensh, there was a great stunt where the alien was shot and he flew back through the plate glass
<Abduulie> we used glass similar to the stuff in your windscreens... one crack and the entire pane shatters into small safe peices<Abduulie> but it is still glass, and can cut... we minimise risk where possible
<Abduulie> ga

<Barbarella> *Stark* Ever get to play a practical joke on cast?

<Abduulie> hmmmm.... there was one time we dressed a SFX tech as austin powers

<Barbarella> Yeah Baby
<Barbarella> hehehe

<Abduulie> sometimes people have thrown little firecrackers at crowds of crew to scare them... because we work with loud bangs so often, we don't seem to flinch much when they band
<Abduulie> band=bang...
<Abduulie> not cos we're tough... but cos our hearings all shagged
<Abduulie> ga

<Barbarella> *fab1* How did you get into the Sfx business?

<Abduulie> like all other aspects of the film industry.. it's not what you know.. it's WHO you know
<Abduulie>
<Abduulie> I was lucky to get a break with a guy who not only runs an explosives company, but works on Farscape too
<Abduulie> I have degree in chemical engineering from university... we've got other guys on the team with props background, fireworks background, spraypainting background and air-force background
<Abduulie> that's the beautiful thing.... it's not a matter of brains or experience, necessarily... it comes down if you're the right type of personality to deal with the crap/good of film industry
<Abduulie> ga

<Barbarella> *jnathan* What has been the funniest effect-gone-horribly wrong?

<Abduulie> the aforementioned upcoming Rygel spew had the crew in stitches
<Abduulie> our KY jelly/Lava pit also elicited strange looks from other crew
<Abduulie> ga

<Barbarella> *Sparky* Do they use real helium when Rigel farts?
<Barbarella> you know I'm noticing a trend dealing with bodily functions in the show
<Barbarella> hehehe

<Abduulie> not that i've noticed...
<Abduulie> yeah I have to agree... rygel must be once of the most expensive, most technologically advanced animatronic puppets ever created.
<Abduulie> and he does fart jokes
<Abduulie> and spew jokes
<Abduulie> we got to use a flamthrower for a Rygel farting gag recently.. that was fun
<Abduulie> ga

<Barbarella> *ToddPM* Have Rygel or Pilot ever been, um- "wounded" by stunts?
<Barbarella> puppet abuse
<Barbarella> hehe

<Abduulie> hmmm... we tend to be even more careful around the puppets... mainly cos they are constructed of the most flammable substances known to man
<Abduulie> but I think they might've copped the stray spark once or twice...
<Abduulie> they are held in high respect, so we look after them...
<Abduulie> Camera crew, on the other hand... we try to burn them as much as possible
<Abduulie> ga

<Barbarella> <Elflore> Have you ever had to tell the writers, "I'm sorry, that's just not doable (on our budget)?"

<Abduulie> That's generally the responsiblity of our boss... he represents us at production meetings where the heads of departments sit around a script and tell the director what he can't have
<Abduulie> it does happen... some of the options for the lava pool (mentioned above) were going to look great, but would've needed more money to put together....
<Abduulie> ga

<Barbarella> *bluefox83* what's the crew's favorite puppet?
<Abduulie> we all have our own faves.... they are all amazing in their own right

<Abduulie> i happen to like pilot though
<Abduulie> ga

<Barbarella> *Metaphore* Have they ever done an effect digitaly that you really wanted to do the old fasion way?

<Abduulie> we always want to do things the old fashioned way!
<Abduulie> pyros, pyros, pyros!
<Abduulie> once the director wanted a fireball to fire directly at camera or at an actor
<Abduulie> for the sake of safety, we've had to set up the effect to be filmed on black background without actors
<Abduulie> this is digitised and composited into the shot by our CGI friends
<Abduulie> ga

<Barbarella> *ToddPM* Do you SFX guys ever get to be extras?

<Abduulie> wish!
<Abduulie> sometimes accidently..!
<Abduulie> occasionally there might be a pick up scene where an actor's hand comes into shot to grab something or another... at a pinch, we might be asked to step in for the shote
<Abduulie> we don't get extra though... it's for the love
<Abduulie> ga

<Barbarella> *Cush* Ever tempted to have DRD races?
<Abduulie> yup
<Barbarella> LOTS of people want to know if 1812 won any of the races
<Barbarella> hehehe
<Barbarella> seems to the be the fav of the crowd

<Abduulie> all the time... actually one of the creature chop guys and is one of teh DRD wrangler was also on the R2D2 team on EpII
<Abduulie> ga

<Barbarella> *Jota* Are the DRDs radio controlled? How much are they able to do, without special modifications or post-production?

<Abduulie> the tech guys in creature shop are amazing.... they built everything in house including the DRDs
<Abduulie> There are a number of DRDs made, each have a different speciality
<Abduulie> most require two digital radio sets to controll.. very sophisticated stuff, that I don't understand
<Abduulie> ga

<Barbarella> *Vesh* I call it the signature 'Farscape fizzle spark' - I love that effect (missed shots on bulkheads, winona crapping out, etc) - is that a physical effect?
<Barbarella> remember guys PM pygar with your quesions
<Barbarella> oops questions

<Abduulie> yeah... they are all physical spark hits and squib hits

<Barbarella> everyone loves the sparkly bits reminds ya of fireworks
<Barbarella> hehe

<Abduulie> i mentioned that the ANimal Logic guys have digitised some of our effects, well, I don't know about you guys, But I still think I can tell the difference between composited effects and real time effects
<Abduulie> the comp'd effects still look a little 'off'
<Abduulie> ga

<Barbarella> *Andvari* Have you ever worked on any other scifi shows?

<Abduulie> PS,,, to add to the previous q about DRDs.. nearly all of what you see them do, is real
<Abduulie> not me personally.... i'm new to the biz
<Abduulie> the boys I work with have worked on Matriz 1-3, Starwars, Babe, Mission Imp II
<Abduulie> Australia has a small industry...
<Abduulie> ga
<Abduulie> PS would love to work on Buffy though

<Barbarella> *FarscapeOne* how fully functional are pulse-pistols, do they have any functions at all, or is it all added in in post-production

<Abduulie> Pulse pistols are basically props.... no sounds, no lasers. Some of the fancier guns (like the weapons of the Charrids) have LED lights.
<Abduulie> ga

<Barbarella> *cass* whats the worst wound you've gotten "playing" with fire?

<Abduulie> I've got a nice steam burn on my arm (entirely my fault)... but in terms of the pyrotechnics... we go out of our way to make sure the cast and crew are safe.
<Abduulie> in four years of Farscape and the sheer amount of pyros we've shot off, we've never had one serious injury.
<Abduulie> one or two stray sparks on skin is it.... I'm very proud to say
<Abduulie> ga

<Barbarella> *TalynUK* did you get the previous one?, if not Question: what are your thoughts on the destruction of the command carrier in ITTLD

<Abduulie> That is my all time face ep of Farscape I think... One of the reasons is cos there were so many SFX events in that ep and we all worked out bums off to make them work
<Abduulie> I think the wall break /water cascade scene on the commanc carrier with Scorpi walking up the stairs is the best FX stunt ever done on a Sci Fi show.
<Abduulie> as an episdoe, the action is relentless, the story is totally engaging
<Abduulie> what do you all think?
<Abduulie> ga

<Barbarella> *ScaperBoi* Which members of the cast have the most fun with physical stunts? Are they all pretty gung ho about doing as much of it as they can?

<Abduulie> Ben Browder is really good with them.. probably more than the others. Because of our safety record, we've built up a strong rapport with cast and crew and they tend to trust us with our pyros
<Abduulie> We can safely fire off a pyro effect very close to an actor. Ben knows this and likes being closer to the shots,
<Abduulie> Ben is a very physical actor... he loves to do as many of his own stunts as poss and likes getting close to the action and pyros..
<Abduulie> ga

<Barbarella> *ChianaGray* are there ever any retakes in a large effect like the explosions and physical effects when an actor is involved with the scene or are those one time shots?
<Abduulie> For anything that is very large in terms of effects, the director and DOP will have as many cameras running as possible to catch all the angles. Generally this will pick up enough footage to use.
<Abduulie> generally they are one take wonders...

<Barbarella> remember people PM Pygar with your questions

<Abduulie> having said that... we've had occasionally blown the bejeezus out of command, only to have the director say "great, wonderful..... do it again in 20 minutes"
<Abduulie> ga

<Barbarella> *Jota* Was there any real water involved in the iceberg bits of Unrealized Reality?

<Abduulie> yes.... the main iceberg was a wonderful creation by the set builders (who don't get enough credit for their fabulous work) and teh art deptartment
<Abduulie> their masterpiece was set into a specially waterproof pond
<Abduulie> ga

<Barbarella> *commy* do u have a dream shot ud love to do?

<Abduulie> love scene with Chiana
<Abduulie> ga

<Barbarella> *Cush* Um, just how loud are those explosions and all? Ever need ear plugs?

<Abduulie> is that what you mean with dream shot?? I'm a pyromaniac from way back... anything that involves a lot of explosions, preferably while actors are safely in the shot too... i'd love to blow up a ship or a helicopter
<Abduulie> all the sets for Moya, PK HQ, etc are indoor sets. Some of the bigger pyros we use are big enough that we get the crew to wear hearing protection.
<Abduulie> the indoor sets make for more confinement of the noise and so hearing damage is easier
<Abduulie> ga

<Barbarella> *korgg* Do you think that tradition FX is in danger of being replaced entirely by CG?

<Abduulie> in many cases yes. Remember I mentioned that we filmed a fireball shot on black, so that the CG guys could composite it into another shot? Well, that fireball is on a harddrive somewhere, never needing us pyro guys ever again.
<Abduulie> However, the quality of CG is not perfect as yet... I think most of us can tell CG shots from real and I prefer real where possible.
<Abduulie> A lot of the new MAtrix films will have CG pyro hits
<Abduulie> ga

<Barbarella> *Mondoz* Was there ever a shot that you could only do once due to one-of-a-kind sets/props that you didn't know if they would work right? Any real nail-biters?

<Abduulie> The oft mentioned water break scene in ITLD P2 was a little nail biting...
<Abduulie> we tend to know our pyro, CO2, dryice, goo and regular SFX stuff really well.. All the big effects have a little element of "hmmm, hope this works"
<Abduulie> ga'

<Barbarella> *Jota* Does Farscape use many scale models?
<Abduulie> to add to the last question.. there are a few nail biting SFX sequences that we shot, and are yet to be broadcast

<Abduulie> one involves glass
<Abduulie> and one a bomb
<Abduulie> and one some keys...
<Abduulie> keep an eye out
<Abduulie> Jota: not many scale models.... all of the sets are full scale... any other scale models are usually CG
<Abduulie> ga

<Barbarella> *KempersBabe* which single episode contained the most amount of explosions?

<Abduulie> again Into the Lions Den Pt2 rears it's ugly head... we fired off some serious gunpowder in that ep
<Abduulie> also the Infinite possibilities double ep.... we shot that on some sand dunes in Sydney and used quite a lot of pyros... we also used some high explosives here and there in that ep too
<Abduulie> ga

<Barbarella> *Ripley9* Hi -- In ITLDp2, Scorpy on the waterfall stairs looks so amazing -- did you have to bribe Wayne to stand still there just waiting for everything to come crashing around him?
<Barbarella> he'll be back in a sec guys
<Barbarella> hehehe
<Abduulie> sorry guys
<Barbarella> wb
<Abduulie> tks
<Barbarella> now where were we?
* Barbarella 's head spins
<Barbarella> I'll repeat the questions
<Barbarella> hehehe
<Barbarella> *Ripley9* Hi -- In ITLDp2, Scorpy on the waterfall stairs looks so amazing -- did you have to bribe Wayne to stand still there just waiting for everything to come crashing around him?

<Abduulie> Ripley: We told be could die if he moved from his mark.,. a slow, painful death
<Abduulie> only kidding.... Wayne is an amazing actor...
<Abduulie> again.. this is the trust thing we've managed to grow with the actors.
<Abduulie> ga

<Barbarella> And one thing I'm getting from all the scapers. Our battle cry is NEVER SAY DIE!!!! they want to hear you scream it nice and loud for us
<Barbarella> after this I'll open the floor folks

<Abduulie> NNNNNNNNEVER SAAAAAY DIIIIE

<Barbarella> you've been great Abduulie please pass word around we LOVE you guys and all the work you do to make THE GREATEST SHOW in SCIFI today
<Barbarella>

<Abduulie> THANKS FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT FOLKS... THIS SHOW WOULD BE DEFINITELY HISTORY IF IT WEREN'T FOR YOU... AS IT IS.. THE FUTURES HAZY, BUT NOT BLACK

<Barbarella> now I'll open the floor

**********And all braca breaks loose*********


-Megablorf also, where can we get the plans for an official DRD
<Vertigo1> Abduulie: One question....how long did it take you to rig up "Black Knight Rygel" in John Quixote, and how much fun did you have while doing it?
<WITGOB> Aussie Aussie Aussie!!!!

<Abduulie> oi oi oi
<Abduulie> errr... so many things to read.... BLack knight Rygel was a hoot... we got to make him fart a flame and he also got run over

<birthsister> hey abduulie....who gets to go to the store and buy 500 gallons of KY jelly?

<birthsister> i'm genuinely curious if it comes in gallons or not

<Abduulie> Ok... KY jelly... we buy it in 20 LItre buckets
<Abduulie> ermm.. DRDs... totally modelled inhouse.. the electronics in it are quite sophisticated

<Vertigo1> Wow, do you guys use condoms for blood packets as well? :P

<Abduulie> yup... sometimes we use condoms for bloodbags... but not many bloodbags on Farscape really....
<Abduulie> It's pretty wierd when you go to a store and ask for 100 unlubricated condoms and 20Litres of KY jelly

<CodeBreaker> Okay, next question: Is it true that the sets are in
storage?

<Abduulie> The sets were due to be destroyed... they are currently on hold.. no storage was talked about

-Da-Met Abduulie, do you guys do the physical Scarren effects when they move and talk? What can u tell us about them?

<Abduulie> The scarrens are amazing beasties.... they are the work of teh wonderful people at the Creature Workshop

-Dalantmm So did I miss the answer to the helium question? Do you use real helium on set? Or is the dialogue digitally altered?

<Abduulie> Dalantmm.... I think the voices you hear are done in ADR and altered in post.

<fab1> I gotta ask....what is ADR?
<Lomer> Additional Dialogue Recorded... or something like that
-Da-Met Abduulie, any really amazing effects that you want to drop hints about in the final 11 of Season 4??

<Abduulie> Thanks Lomer.... always wondered what that stood for
<Abduulie> Da-met: Nothing as big as at the end of season 3... but there should be enough to keep the firebugs happy
<Abduulie> Anything to do with Rygel we leave to the Creature Workshop folks... it's their multimillion dollar puppet and we aint breaking it...

-Da-Met Abduulie, are there any effects taht you guys have done, where you looked at it and said "oh crap that was terrible" ...meaning effects you were unhappy with

<Abduulie> Da-met... yeah.. it happens.. sometimes the director doens't notice and he's happy to let it go...

<korgg> Abduulie, do you know anything about the state of the sets, if they've been slashed and burned?

<Abduulie> As far as i know.. the permanent sets have not been destroyed....yet

<ShutUpRob> I'm surprised no one thought of this one: Brac the Knife.

<Abduulie> We've made some cool guns for the characters.. one we like to call MR Sparky...

* Megablorf hopes Abduulie comes back again sometime - we rarely get such an interesting behind the scenes look at our favorite show
< M egablorf ALL cast and crew are welcome here

<Abduulie> thanks Megablorf
<Abduulie> we made a new one who looks like mr sparky, but shoots fireballs... we call him the Scorchmaster 2000

<Truemyth> Abduulie, did you ever have a special project effect, one that you were themain, fi not only to work on it?

<Abduulie> Truemyth: we all get special projects from time to time... i was on the lava team for ep 404.. It was also my mission to make up glow in the dark scorpi blood
<Abduulie> sorry if i'm missing questions... got my head down to type.. then i answer the next q i see
* Abduulie thanks for all your good wishes....

-Metaphore ABDUULIE--- Ever destroy something you wernt suppose to?

<Abduulie> metaphore... the cameras have a clear glass protective plate called an optical flat.... designed to protect the VERY expensive camera lenses.... we've killed a few in the years

<Lomer> What time is it now in Oz?

<Abduulie> 3:50pm in sydney

<FrekleLovr> Abduulie: speaking of shooting fireballs... Were the fireballs that the "fireball shooting creatures" (cant remember the name, Sheyangs?) shoot real?

<Abduulie> Frekllover: can't recall the ep... i'm sorry

<Abduulie> lomer: it's pretty quiet on the filmmaking front is aus at the moment... Matrix is finished over here... the Brad PItt film has been canned

<FrekleLovr> Ohh the chiana fire juggling scene. That looked fun

<Abduulie> My good friend in the FX dept made the fire chains for her.. Gigi is very talented

<Alan3> ABD: Get to do any SFX in the Chi and D'Argo scene???

<Abduulie> no.. our goo is strictly off limits in love scenes

-Metaphore ABDUULIE- Is Gigi as hot 3 feet away from you as she is on a small box in my living room?

<Abduulie> Metaphore.... Gigi is possibly one of the hottest creatures on this earth.. she is simply lovely
<Abduulie> commy: scoprpi's head gear is mainly the domain of the creature workshop
<Abduulie> as mentioned before.. everything on a film set has to be as safe as possible.. the goos we use are food grade and in fact are sometimes used a food fillers in industry

-Metaphore ABDUULIE- Do you have any idea why Farscape isnt popular in Downunder?

<Abduulie> metaphore... i blame that solely on Channel 9... they screwed
it around
<Abduulie> Channel 9 (and this is entirely my personal opinion) never gave the show a chance... they changed the timeslot constantly so gaining a regular following was tough.
<Abduulie> Channel 9 also wasted the entire season 2 by showing every ep in 2 weeks in different timeslots.

<commy> ABDUULIE : in the 3rd season "infinate possiblities" the crew blow up urlows lab just how big was the fireball we see come out the building?! (what do u use for soemthign that size)

<Abduulie> commy: that WAS a big firball... i didn't set up that shot... i was working on B-unit that day

-Metaphore ABDUULIE- whats your favorite Scifi show other than Farscape of course.

<Abduulie> Meta: I love Buffy and Angel... big fan of startrek Next Gen and also watch the other treks (but not enterprise)

<Luggage7a> Abduulie does claudia smile alot on set? don't you melt when she does?

<Abduulie> luggage: I had the luxury of working with incredibly beautiful women.. i constantly found myself melting

<WITGOB1> Abduulie - did you get the info about the email account for crew and cast?

<Abduulie> wit: no info was sent to me
* Abduulie slic: the best thing about the cast and crew was that we were a family... we spent 12 hours a day/ 5 days a week together and we saw each other more than we saw our families. Everyone on the sets knews their jobs.... everyone was a complete professional, but were easy to get along with as well. Man I loved this job


<HisDivineShadow> Abduulie: Ever watch LEXX? (had to ask) =)
-PK-psycologist no, season 5, and a movie, cause with a movie, you get a bigger budget, which means you can blow even more stuff up..

<Abduulie> PK: to be honest the sets were brilliant.. but if they weren't shooting on set.. they were all kinda dark cos the house lights
on the sets just don't cut it.
<Abduulie> Hisdivine: we don't get Lexx on free to air in Sydney, so I don't watch it... i have read about it though and it looks good
<Abduulie> Lomer: the construction guys were fantastic.. they built all the sets and they often get overlooked cos they are not onset during filming.. That goes for the painters, the electricians, the scenic artists, the set dressers et al

<Lomer> Abduulie WHEN we get FS back, will you be avalible to work on the fith season?

<Abduulie> Lomer: yeah i'll drop what ever else I might have. For sure... Farscape is a once in a lifetime opportunity. The main tv critic from US
<Abduulie> US's TV Guide compared the cancellation of farscape to the cancellation of the original Star Trek

<HisDivineShadow> Abduulie: It looks like Aus. is becoming a meca for film. Any reason?

<Abduulie> HIs divine: many reasons... the US dollar is soooo strong against the Aus$. Our techies in aus get paid a little less than our equivalent US counterparts (but I'm sure you'll agree, that we're as good as anyone in the world), also our unions are as powerful here
<Abduulie> the miniseries idea and the telemovie idea have both been mentioned many times in the past few weeks
* Abduulie got to head off.... thanks for the kinds thoughts and wishes. You guys are the best .... keep fighting... i'll tell some of the other crew to come on board too.
* Abduulie I'll definitely come back online and try to answer more questions... THANKS GUYS AND GALS.... KEEP FARSCAPE ALIVE!!!
* Abduulie *kiss*kiss*.......................*boom*