Leading up to the Writers Guild of Canada awards on April 23, TV, eh? is posting a series of interviews with some of nominees. Alan McCullough was nominated in the Drama category for the “Metamorphosis” episode of Sanctuary.
Can you describe the episode, and how it fit into the Sanctuary season?
“Metamorphosis” was a departure episode for Sanctuary. It was conceived as our version of “The Fly”, but following our mid-season two parter, we were looking to save money (and relieve our VFX department), so we decided to shoot it from a first person POV. This gave the script a uniqueness, but presented a whole host of production challenges. Specifically, we were forced to shoot the episode on three different types of cameras, eating up any savings we were trying to achieve. It also meant no cutaways, so each shot had to be as technically perfect as possible. Truthfully, the entire shoot was something of an experiment, and I credit director Andy Mikita with making it all work.
What about this episode are you particularly proud of?
One of the things I wanted to achieve with the script was to build the story using a series of vignettes. One scene didn’t necessarily lead into the next, and we were constantly jumping forward in time between scenes. My hope was that it would leave the audience scrambling to catch up, which is where the characters are during the story.
What does this recognition mean to you?
It’s always a great honor to be recognized by peers. Also, other awards shows use a DVD of the episode to evaluate writing, which means other factors such as directing, casting, music, etc. can influence the decision. The WGC Awards focus solely on the script.
And finally (imagine my best Joan Rivers impression): what will you be wearing to the ceremony?
Denim has been my fashion friend for years. Also, I bought a Hugo Boss sport jacket a few years ago that I intend to be buried in.
