All The World’s A Stage: Ghostly Goings-On
The Haunting of Amphipolis, the second episode of Xena's sixth season to air in the US, sees Xena's hometown plagued by spirits and demons. Kate Barker watches from the sidelines of this much-touted horror episode as Renee O'Connor battles ghosts and ghouls from a watery grave...
Official Xena Magazine: Issue 13
Gabrielle is fighting for her life in very murky water, surrounded by floating bones. The underground crevice is dark, dingy and very impressive as a set. But before fans go looking for its location, it may be prudent to let it be known that that's exactly what it is: a set.
In the middle of the Xena studios, this particular set for The Haunting of Amphipolis is made up of a very confining water tank, enclosed in a square black curtain for filming and lighting purposes.
There are a lot more crew members than actors here, and that may well be true of the rest of the scenes, as much of The Haunting of Amphipolis takes place in Xena’s home village, which has literally become a ghost town. The ruler of hell needs the blood of the Messenger to bring him to earth, and evil (not to mention family) spirits seem likely to distract Xena long enough for him to do it.
“It’s a horror episode,” says director Garth Maxwell. “A lot of it’s been built around magical effects.”
There is very little trick photography in Gabrielle’s pit scene, though. That’s the real Renee O’Connor struggling with ghouls in real murky water. In script language, what they have is a “slush pit”: a clear glass tank built into the set of a cavern supposedly located on the way to hell. Inside it is water, prop skeletons, pieces of fabric that look very slimy indeed, plus O’Connor and any number of ghouls and set crew.
There is a platform above the tank, on which people - and equipment - are lowered into the muck. The water level is low enough to allow cast and crew to stand and have their heads above water, but high enough that the ghouls can drag Gabrielle under and be filmed by cameras on the dry side of the glass.
The space both inside and outside the tank is very confined, and there are several takes that need to be done. “The lens is right up hard against the glass,” explains Script Supervisor Kathleen Thomas. “They’re filming hands grabbing at Gabrielle, pulling her under the water - there’s panic, struggle, close-ups, mid-shots and ghoul action.”
Among the bones and bits of fabric that add to the atmosphere, there are a great many humans in the tank too. First, there are two prosthetic ghouls - stunt men in full rubber ghoul suits - who grab at O’Connor during the scene. There are at least two make-up ghouls who are mostly there for effect. At certain times there will also be two ghouls with speaking roles. That’s already seven people in a very small water tank.
But this doesn't include the technical crew involved in the actual shooting of the scene. “We're introducing our technical crew into the pool now,” Maxwell points out, as lights and cables disguised as various bits of slime are carefully lowered to the crew already in the tank.
A safety officer in a full wetsuit brings the count of people who could be in the tank at any one time up to 11. “Any time you put actors in the water you have to have a safety officer in the water too,” Maxwell explains, “even though it's not deep. That number of people affects the water level, which means everything’s had to be thought through, by the designer in particular. This is a carefully engineered tank, designed to withstand the tonnage of the water pressure, so we’ve got additional safety electricians here to look after the electrical concerns with the water.”
Thomas reiterates the importance of safety on a set like this. “It's quite a sophisticated set-up. We have a lot of crew around this set: make-up, wardrobe, prosthetics specialists for touch-ups…”
It’s not exactly crystal-clear water, either, which Thomas points out presents another slight problem. “The water is almost opaque, so it adds quite a milky, surreal look. But there’ll be make-up and prosthetics and quite revolting-looking things that will come off in there, and it will get dirtier as we go along. So basically we need to shoot quite quickly.” Nevertheless, the pit set looks wonderfully authentic, right down to the slimy rock walls and the cloudy green water.
In this scene, O’Connor is being grabbed and pulled from all sides, and Maxwell is still giving her directions from the other side of the glass. “There are hands on top of you; fight them off... and can you try for some more of your feet in the shot?” He sounds like a photographer trying to get exactly the right shot, which isn't all that far from the truth. “Higher! Closer to the lens! Yes, more of that,” he encourages. “Yeah, that's fantastic!” Once the shot is completed, O’Connor and the ghouls emerge from the tank, are wrapped immediately in towels and robes, and move off set to get warmed and dried.
It’s fascinating to watch the technical crew setting up in the tank for the next series of shots. Lights are very carefully repositioned half under the water, and one of the crew dons goggles to check that they are secured at the bottom of the tank. The water is actually quite warm, as evidenced by the steam which rises above it, adding to an already eerie atmosphere. Other members of the crew feed in cables, hoses and leads, carefully hidden between bits of goo draped over the sides as set dressing.
Maxwell outlines a little of what it’s been like for the cast and crew during the filming of the second season six episode. “As soon as you introduce water,” he admits, “it gets more difficult. Firstly, it's a matter of the water being warm enough for you to stand the number of hours working in it.” Luckily, as previously mentioned, the water is very warm, which does make things easier. Then, of course, the cameras have to be able to pick up enough of the action to successfully focus on. “There’s the dust and other things from wardrobe and make-up leaching out of the set," Maxwell notes, “so your illumination is rapidly compromised.”
When it comes down to it, though, Maxwell does feel confident “Having people who are competent in the water makes a big difference. Renee’s being handled by stunt men, plus she’s actually got her diver’s licence, so she’s very relaxed. From my point of view, it’s going very well.
“This episode has many special effects, and that’s always a challenge to a director because things move at their own slightly slower pace. With this scene in particular, most of it is struggling against the ghouls and there’s a limit to what you can rehearse. So we’re doing things in a fairly relaxed and spontaneous way.
“It’s very interesting for me,” he says, “I’m very excited. We're trying to provide a constant flow of surprise.”
Surprises happen off-camera, too. At the end of shooting, a dried-off ghoul shuffles across the studio floor with bits of latex skin dropping off him, causing him to stop to pick them up and stick them back on. Maxwell and the crew don’t even blink.
The events of The Haunting of Amphipolis are where the real action is. As Garth Maxwell says, “We're going for popcorn-dropping moments!”