All The World’s A Stage: League of Nations
Judging by the events of Path of Vengeance, Eve's luck seems to have finally run out. Standing amidst some of Xena's most stunning scenery ever, Kate Barker brings us a behind-the-scenes glimpse of this latest Amazon action hour...
Official Xena Magazine: Issue 19
Remember a few seasons ago when Xena was put on trial for the crimes she'd committed when she was a warlord? Well, they do say history repeats itself, and this is especially true of Xena... In Path of Vengeance, we discover that an international Amazon council are itching to put Eve on trial for the crimes she committed as Rome's champion, Livia. Oh, and Ares is back, with his Godhood fully intact, so we also know we're going to see some underhanded down and dirty tricks.
One would expect the meeting place of a council of Amazons from all over the world to look pretty darned impressive, and, in the case of Path of Vengeance, we're not disappointed. Firstly, there’s the entrance chamber, built very tall, with virtual sunlight streaming into the opening from above. A big part of this is constructed from a generic cave set used for many previous cave settings.
This time around, it's lit by fire torches set into the walls and floor; adorned with beautiful hangings on its walls; and is decked out with a number of hide-covered tables and seats. This is finished off with several decorated animal hides on what look like totem poles, each representing the banner of a different Amazon tribe. Like all sets in Xena, the cave looks extraordinarily real, and it’s only brought back into perspective when one turns 180 degrees and catches a glimpse of the obvious black paper covering the studio back walls and door.
Of course, there are quite a few more signs that this is more than just an impressive set of tunnels. Amongst other things, there's the tracking camera at the bottom of the set, which is currently moving quickly to follow Varia (played by Tsianina Joelson) as she bolts down the ‘rock’ steps, arriving just in time to be taunted by Ares.
Then there’s the boom microphone deftly being moved into position so that it’s centred enough to pick up the actors’ dialogue while still remaining just out of shot. Also, let’s not forget the various crewmembers who keep turning up in the studio between takes, handing out much-needed cups of water.
Authentic though it is, this particular pan of the labyrinth is not quite suitable to house the participants of an Amazon pow-wow. In the studio next door, however, there’s a much more ceremonial cavern, dressed especially for that purpose. In the middle of this set stands a circle of ornately decorated chairs, and in the centre of that circle, an equally circular track contains two cameras positioned for ease of movement when filming the seated Amazon queens in close-up. This set is also lit simply, with a lighting board just out of shot so that this can be altered with ease.
There are a number of practical reasons why things are set out this way, and Art Director Roger Guise is happy to reveal what these are. “We’ll be filming in a circular pattern, showing the faces of the different nations being represented,” he explains. “Eve comes in and does her ‘way back when, such-and-such happened’ speech, and we’ll cut to the flashback.
“When that’s done, we’ll be back to this camera track as she finishes speaking, so this circular motif will be recurring throughout the episode. It’s really the only way to shoot the council scenes, because if you returned to the same exact set eight times during an episode, it would get very boring.”
It’s hard to imagine events becoming boring on this set, however. It’s really quite beautiful, and, according to Guise, it didn’t take all that long to create. “The cave itself already existed,” he reveals, “so it’s hard to put a time on that. This circular part of the set is the result of many people putting in their two cents worth, so it’s a composite of everybody’s ideas.
“It took about three or four days to build the set,” Guise says, “with a large number of people involved. The chairs have already been used for something else in previous episodes, particularly in Arabic shows. You only have to add a couple of elements to something for it to become something completely different when it’s on screen.”
There's also the fact that the weather can often affect which set is going to be used on any particular day. “You need back-up plans,” explains Guise, “and sometimes you have to have about five sets ready for the first day just in case the shooting schedule has to be rearranged.”
The exterior scenes are generally filmed near the beginning of an episode's shooting schedule, but in the case of Path of Vengeance, that wasn't quite the case. “They were scheduled to be shot outside,” Guise says, “with the characters walking and talking in the beautiful bush.” However, because of bad weather, the crew had to bring the interior scenes - such as those which are set in the caves - forward, to be filmed first in the schedule.
Talking of the cave-bound scenes, seated at the council meeting in these grandly decorated chairs will be the leaders of every Amazon nation, and the striking differences in their banners (which took three full days to make) and costumes reflect that. It's a diverse reflection, too. Although the cameras linger on each of these designs just long enough to give a general impression of nationality, it’s obvious that they represent a truly international mix. “The original Amazon base would probably be somewhere in the Greece of the known world at the time,” Guise explains, “but the Amazons here are a very mixed bunch.”
Mixed is certainly the right word. From the looks of the stunning costumes, each design has been equally flavoured with a different nation’s theme. For instance, there is Native American with familiar feather patterns and totems; Celtic and Germanic with northern symbols and furs; and Polynesian and Pacific Island with flax, bamboo and seashells.
Recognisable amongst the others are designs that resemble styles of Asia, Turkey, Africa, Rome and Greece. “They come from all over the known world,” confirms Guise, and there's no doubt about that. Standing in the midst of these striking women draped in their equally striking clothing, it really does feel like being in an Amazon League of Nations.
So, we have a labyrinth of vengeful Amazons, Eve trying to defend herself against the actions of her past, Xena and Gabrielle straining to keep the peace, and Ares zapping in, just to make things more interesting.
This, like pretty much every other Xena episode of this season, is action-packed, must-see television!