Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Original Xena Crew Timesheet

Timesheet to record crew hours to be turned in for pay. This one is printed on pink paper, as colors were customary for most original crew material to tell the difference, quickly, between items, and was obtained from a crew member directly. The envelope in the photo is his discarded paycheck envelope with the REN PAC postmark stamp.

Clapper Board and Crew Pics From Final Episode

Pretty much the most awesome crew item I have in my collection, and possibly the rarest, is this genuine set-used clapper board from the final episode, Friend in Need. This board was obtained from the crew member, David Shope, who used it and who is listed as the "Clapper Loader" in the final original call sheet which I also have. David took photos of himself with it on the set for a kind of COA. In one of the photos, you can see Zoe Bell dressed in full Xena gear in the background, working with some of the crew on stunts. This is from the second unit (not the main actor shots but primarily the stunt crew). I also have the original packaging that the clapper was shipped in from David. Pretty nice!

The photos are original from negative (not digital) and have the NZ photo lab timestamp on them as well as an original envelope from REN PAC that contained an original pink timesheet. Super cool! Enjoy....


Thursday, March 24, 2011

Xena Basket of Chakram Props Behind the Scenes Photo

This is an actual crew photo from the original 35mm negative. It's a wicker basket full of various chakram props, one wood, one resin and some others that I can't tell what the material is. There are also some other props in the basket. It looks pretty cool.

Behind the Scenes Photos-Friend in Need Wrap

This set of 4x6 photos are from the original 35mm negative and are not copies. We've got Rob Tapert on the set, Lucy and Renee posing in FIN costumes with some of the cast and crew who played the samurai warriors.


Evil Xena's Horse Continuity Photo

LOVE this one; a nice continuity picture of Evil Xena's horse.

Child Centaur Continuity Photos

Here are two nice continuity pics of children playing young centaurs in a Xena episode. Cute shots!

Centaur Continuity Photos

Here are some nice continuity photos from Xena Episode 5 and others. These came from the set with wardrobe tags stapled directly on the photo, with information on the actor playing the centaur.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

The Lost Sappho Episode "Last Chance" Shooting Script





This is a very rare and neat item, the script with notes for the Sappho musical that was never made due to funding concerns. This script is exceptionally maintext, with a "deep and passionate kiss" between our heroines (see photo) at the end. There are also some notes written by Missy Good and placed in the front of the script. Lucy and Renee play their usual parts and Renee plays Sappho while Lucy plays Sappho's timid partner. The jist of the storyline is that Aphrodite's son Senhel no longer believes in true love, as he has seen only lust. Dite thinks if Xena and Gab can help Sappho get her muse back, it will convince her son that true love exists. Well, the true love he eventually sees turns out to be between X and G and not related to Sappho or her inspiration. I understand there were only about 50 copies of the script made as it was halted before production began. A very interesting read and would have been a fun musical....disco style!

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Lucy Crew Snowglobe



Wow, I have been hoping to find one of these FOREVER it seems! This is a crew gift, but unlike most crew gifts that were given by Rob or the other producers, this one was initiated by Lucy as a thank-you to the cast and crew. From what I know about it, there were only 100 made and they are very very rare. I only know three collectors who have one; but have heard many stories from friends in NZ who know or know of crew members whose globes were eventually tossed out, broken, put in a garage sale, or given to their kids only to end up in toyboxes or later discarded. Ouch! LOL!

Monday, August 25, 2008

Xena Special Effects Crew T Shirt-Valkyrie Trilogy



This is a very rare item as only about 2 dozen were made. The special effects team on Xena had them made up for each other to remember the trials and tribulations they experienced while working with the Grindl Monster from the Valkyrie trilogy. This shirt was received from a special effects crew member. It is in like new condition. The front says "I survived Grindl" and the back has memorable quotes uttered by the FX guys as they were working with it.

Monday, July 14, 2008

Empty film canister from Xena Episode 15


Another lovely original production item! This metal canister was used to transport exposed negatives for development from the set to the lab in New Zealand. This one is empty, of course, but an added bonus is that it comes with the original box that the canister was transported in. The box is heavy, and is similar to those 8mm "home movie" boxes that your dad stored the family "video" in way back in the 70s. Label is stamped with PAC-REN Pictures LTD under "client" and "Xena warrior princess EP#" on the "title" line; everything else is handwritten in. This is evidently the B roll and has a note saying "Save Tail," so none of the film was discarded.

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Xena Animated Movie Original Production Cel


Film cels are used to create the different sequences and frames for animated features. This is an original production cel, with a hand-painted background, including the sword. The cel is laid over the top and features Xena. Note the original studio seal on the cel. This is a fairly large item, approximately 11X14 for just the colored areas...and would look nice in a frame.

Monday, June 23, 2008

Xena Original Production Drawing signed by Lucy


I love this piece! This is an original, pencil sketch of Xena from the Animated Movie. It is drawn on yellow paper; almost the consistency of tissue paper but thicker. The sketch has several numerals at the bottom and two oval-shaped holes as if it were in a binder of some sort. This came directly from the studio in 2000 after being signed by Lucy. She wrote "All Love, Lucy Lawless, Xena 2000" on this. Her signature is in black sharpie and bleeds through to the back slightly. Size is 11 by 13 and will look great matted and framed.

Sunday, June 15, 2008

Xena Continuity Photos


Two more continuity photos; one of my favorite parts of my collection. These are original polaroids of Lucy; one from "Gurkhan" and one from "God Fearing Child." Continuity pics continue to be one of the rarest production items out there; due to both the originality of the pictures (they are one of a kind, literally!) and the fact that they were generally tossed after the scene was complete. In addition, they were only taken in specific instances where filming would resume at a later time or date and the character's makeup or wound placement needed to match..for "continuity" in filming.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Xena Costume Form


All of the production material you see here is ORIGINAL production material directly from the set; acquired from a crew member. These are not copies; these are the actual call sheets, production schedules, etc. that were handed out onset. This one is Xena's costume form, printed on photo type paper to accommodate the picture. It is pretty awesome; gives details of the costume; down to the smallest thing. Since it lists scenes the costume would be needed in; I assume they did this for other actors and costumes as well. I'd love to know how many survived the set!

Xena Friend in Need Third Unit Call Sheet


All of the production material you see here is ORIGINAL production material directly from the set; acquired from a crew member. These are not copies; these are the actual call sheets, production schedules, etc. that were handed out onset. Call sheets are really fun to have; they list different things needed for those involved in filming for that day. Some of those things are: Names of the cast and crew who must show up on that day, dates and times of filming each scene, which extras should be present, descriptions of the scenes to be filmed, and other interesting information such as a list of props that will be used, FX (special effects) gear to bring, animals needed, and lists for the art department. This is the call sheet for the third unit and is in GREEN. It is several pages long and was primarily for the body doubles' scenes.

Xena Friend In Need Second Unit Call Sheet


All of the production material you see here is ORIGINAL production material directly from the set; acquired from a crew member. These are not copies; these are the actual call sheets, production schedules, etc. that were handed out onset. I will not make copies, so please do not ask. Call sheets are really fun to have; they list different things needed for those involved in filming for that day. Some of those things are: Names of the cast and crew who must show up on that day, dates and times of filming each scene, which extras should be present, descriptions of the scenes to be filmed, and other interesting information such as a list of props that will be used, FX (special effects) gear to bring, animals needed, and lists for the art department. This is the final call sheet for the second unit; it is in YELLOW and is several pages long. It includes tribute poems written for a horse that died onset and other "goodbye" poems and notes from the crew. This second unit was filming all the stunt scenes, so the stunt doubles are the primary filmers for this day.

Xena Friend In Need Main Unit Call Sheet


All of the production material you see here is ORIGINAL production material directly from the set; acquired from a crew member. These are not copies; these are the actual call sheets, production schedules, etc. that were handed out onset. This one is the final Main Unit call sheet. Call sheets are really fun to have; they list different things needed for those involved in filming for that day. Some of those things are: Names of the cast and crew who must show up on that day, dates and times of filming each scene, which extras should be present, descriptions of the scenes to be filmed, and other interesting information such as a list of props that will be used, FX (special effects) gear to bring, animals needed, and lists for the art department. This call sheet is for the main unit (Lucy and Renee's scenes) and is double-sided. There are also directions to the set, a fire escape plan, and every other detail needed for the day's filming. This call sheet is white.

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Xena Continuity Photos



Truly a "holy grail" item for anyone collecting authentic production material! I was fortunate enough to be able to buy some of these genuine, one of a kind collectibles from New Zealand. A set carpenter took them home after filming as a keepsake and fortunately, decided to sell them just recently. You can't see me, but trust me when I tell you I'm doing the happy dance right now. I have always hoped to be able to find some of these for my collection!

For those of you not familiar with this medium, a continuity photo is almost always a POLAROID photo, taken onset after filming has wrapped for the day. The pictures are taken by the prop, wardrobe, special effects, or makeup departments so that when filming resumes the following day, scene continuity is maintained. Usually the photos are of hair, makeup, wounds, or certain placement of items on an actor's person. These photos are exceptionally rare, because most were tossed or kept by crew members. They are also sought after because there is no negative and they cannot be reproduced. So each one is a one-off, so to speak. The actors often clown around for these pictures as well. In addition, most of them have writing in the white margins, to indicate episode, or other information such as material used for wounds or accessory placement.

Of the ten photos pictured, eight are of Lucy and two are of Rebecca, from the Amazon horse department. The picture in the upper right corner, side view of Xena with a wound on her arm, is no longer in my collection. The other nine are. My favorite is the one of Lucy smiling, wearing her set robe and holding a script.

Monday, April 14, 2008

Xena Main Unit Hard Hat


Technically, I suppose that Crew items aren't necessarily considered props or wardrobe, but they are items that were acquired onset and they tend to be very difficult items to find. I am on a mission to collect as many as I can locate. So far I have a decent collection of them going. This is one of my favorites. It's an actual hard hat from the Xena Main Unit crew. You may have seen some jackets and hats advertised on ebay as "crew" items, but genuine crew items are things given to the cast and crew while they worked on the production, not items that can be purchased from any retail store. Some items given out were t-shirts, pullovers, jackets, hats commemorating the 50th and then 100th episodes, invitations to wrap or end of season parties, a poster, Lucy gave out a plastic snowglobe to the crew one year, etc. If you have any actual crew items for sale, or behind the scenes photos taken onset, I am interested in purchasing anything I don't already have.