Sanctuary (TV series)

Infobox Television
show_name = Sanctuary


caption = "Sanctuary"'s intertitle
format = Fantasy
runtime = 42 minutes
creator = Damian Kindler
starring = Amanda Tapping
Robin Dunne
Emilie Ullerup
Ryan Robbins Christopher Heyerdahl
country = Canada
first_aired = 2008-10-03
last_aired = present
num_episodes = 6
list_episodes = List of Sanctuary episodes#Episodes
website = http://www.sanctuaryforall.com/
imdb_id = 0965394
tv_com_id = 22115

"Sanctuary" is a Canadian fantasy television series. It originally premiered as a series of webisodes distributed over the Internet. The success of these webisodes led SCI FI to pick up the series for a more traditional television-based 13-episode season.cite web |url=http://www.gateworld.net/news/2008/01/sci_fi_picks_up_tappings_isanctu.shtml|title=SCI FI picks up Tapping's Sanctuary |accessdate=2008-10-04 |author=Sumner, Darren |date=2008-01-31 |work=GateWorld]

"Sanctuary" stars Canadian actress Amanda Tapping as Dr. Helen Magnus, an English exobiologist who seeks to help so-called 'monsters' by running the titular 'Sanctuary for All'. She recruits Dr. Will Zimmerman (Robin Dunne), a forensic psychiatrist, to assist her in reaching people and gaining their trust so they can be helped. Other Sanctuary staff include Henry Foss (Ryan Robbins), a weapons designer & computer expert; and Ashley Magnus (Emilie Ullerup), Helen's daughter and self-proclaimed monster hunter.

The series premiered on October 3, 2008 on The Movie Network and Movie Central in Canada and SCI FI in the U.S. A number of members of the cast and staff have also worked on "Stargate SG-1" and related shows. [cite web |url=http://news.tubefilter.tv/2008/10/02/sanctuary-teleports-up-to-sci-fi-channel-this-friday/|title=‘Sanctuary’ Teleports up to Sci-Fi Channel This Friday |accessdate=2008-10-08 |author=Hustvedt, Marc |date=2008-10-02 |work=Tubefilter News]

Plot

Each webisode of Sanctuary follows the exploits of Dr. Helen Magnus (Amanda Tapping) as she seeks out all manner of terrifying and monstrous creatures. Some of these creatures she needs to lock up to protect the public, and some of them she needs to protect from the public. She is aided in her quest by her reluctant protégé Will Zimmerman (Robin Dunne) and her intrepid, if somewhat reckless, daughter Ashley (Emilie Ullerup).

Characters

*Amanda Tapping as Dr. Helen Magnus, an English medical and scientific researcher who has devoted her life to both hunting and protecting so-called 'monsters'. She runs a 'Sanctuary for All' where they may find refuge while she studies them and attempts to help them. She's 157 years old.
*Robin Dunne as Dr. Will Zimmerman, a brilliant forensic psychiatrist who is recruited by Dr. Magnus to help her treat people - specifically those which are difficult to reach emotionally, and need to be convinced to trust her. Will must decide if he will take the leap of faith and join Magnus in this seemingly inexplicable new world, he may find answers to questions he has tried to bury and that have tormented him since he was a child. He has abilities.
*Emilie Ullerup as Ashley Magnus, Dr. Magnus' daughter with John Druitt. Ashley is an expert monster hunter, and provides a counterbalance to Dr. Magnus' desire to protect creatures.
*Ryan Robbins as Henry Foss, a self-proclaimed geek. He is both a weapons designer and a brilliant computer scientist. He keeps the Sanctuary's defenses working as well.
*Christopher Heyerdahl as John Druitt, Dr. Magnus' former lover. Druitt was originally from the far future, and has a natural ability to teleport across both time and great distances. Unfortunately, this causes him brain damage every time he teleports, and he has become a twisted killer, most notoriously as Jack the Ripper in 1888 London.

Production

The series is produced by Stage 3 Media based in Vancouver, British Columbia, located in Canada, founded in 2006. The webisodes were filmed from January 3 to January 31, 2007 at Bridge Studios.cite web |url=http://www.gateworld.net/news/2007/01/istargatei_cast_and_crew_seek_is.shtml|title=Stargate cast and crew seek Sanctuary |accessdate=2008-10-04 |author=Read, David |date=2007-01-31 |work=GateWorld] "Sanctuary" is filmed almost entirely using the green screen technique. Unlike many other shows, elaborate sets are not built for the scenes to be filmed; instead, they are created using CGI technology. Production on the television version of "Sanctuary" began in early 2008, with a reshooting of the pilot episode, "Sanctuary for All". [cite web |url=http://www.studiodaily.com/main/news/feed.rss/8109.html |title=Finding Sanctuary in CG |accessdate=2008-10-04 |author=Romanello, Linda |date=2007-05-24] cite web |url=http://www.newsarama.com/tv/080910-sanctuary-wood.html |title=Green Screen Cowboy: Directing SCI FI's 'Sanctuary' |accessdate=2008-10-04 |author=Eramo, Steven |date=2008-09-10 |work=Newsarama.com]

Sanctuary is the first television series in North America to use the RED camera exclusively. The RED camera system does away with tape and film and records straight to a hard drive allowing the series’ visual effects and post production teams immediate access to the day’s footage with absolutely no loss in quality. The RED captures images at more than double the resolution of a high definition camera. The 'information rich' format expands what the visual effects artists at Anthem Visual Effects and series DOP David Geddes can share with the television audience.

Webisodes

Infobox Television
show_name = Sanctuary


caption = "Sanctuary"'s intertitle
format = Fantasy
runtime = 15-20 minutes
creator = Damian Kindler
starring = Amanda Tapping
Robin Dunne
Emilie Ullerup
Christopher Heyerdahl
country = Canada
first_aired = 2007-05-14
last_aired = 2007-08-30
num_episodes = 8
list_episodes = List of Sanctuary episodes#Webisodes
website = http://www.sanctuaryforall.com/
imdb_id = 0965394
tv_com_id = 22115Unlike traditional TV series, the primary distribution channel for "Sanctuary" was originally the Internet. Episodes were sold directly to viewers on the official website. The episodes, called webisodes, are about 15-20 minutes in duration and were released bi-weekly.

Fans are actively encouraged to be involved in the project in a variety of ways, ranging from joining in discussions in the forums or blog, to creating and sharing their screen captures and artwork, and creating remixes of the videos. The official fan site, SanctuaryFans, lets users communicate, discuss episodes, and share their creations. Several unedited scenes, where the actors are seen in front of the green screen, are provided with each episode. The intention is to allow the viewers to create their own environments in which to place the actors, and they are encouraged to share their creations via sites like YouTube. The online media player, designed for streaming the video, is designed with interaction in mind. The player provides the ability to capture and download or email screen captures of the video.

The success of the webisodes led the US Sci-Fi Channel to commission a 13-episode season for 2008. The first four webisodes were rewritten as a two-hour premiere episode, "Sanctuary for All", and reshot. Although the show's creators initially said that the deal with the SciFi channel would not have an impact on the web access of the series, the webisodes are not currently available.

Connections with Stargate

"Sanctuary" has a large number of connections with the Stargate franchise. The show's creators, Damian Kindler and Martin Wood, are producers and directors for "Stargate SG-1" and "Stargate Atlantis". Amanda Tapping has starred in both series, and Christopher Heyerdahl plays a recurring character on "Stargate Atlantis". Several guest stars from the first few episodes - David Hewlett, Paul McGillion, Kavan Smith, and Chuck Campbell star or recur on "Stargate Atlantis" as well.

References

External links

* [http://www.sanctuaryforall.com/ Official site]
*imdb title|id=0965394|name="Sanctuary (2007)"
* [http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?mkt=en-CA&brand=sympatico&vid=a7538866-b66d-4d87-96c2-4addef66413f Video interview with creator Damian Kindler from 'Connected Life']
* [http://mobile.scifi.com/inf/infomo?site=sanctuary&view=84923 Sanctuary] Sanctuary SCI-FI