Cast & Crew Interviews - Rob Floyd (Stunt Coordinator/Special Effects Director)
1. You served as fight coordinator, make-up artist, practical special effects designer, costume maker, monster creator, on-scene extra and in some cases, graphic designer on the series. Which is your favorite "job" on The House Between and why?
Each thing is my favorite and fulfulling at the time I'm doing it, but I really enjoy choreographing the fight scenes.
2. You created the sketches we see on Astrid's door in several episodes, and which have become part of the opening scene montage. Tell me how you came to create those, and how you were able to capture the essence of each character?
Honest answer... sheer boredom. I was waiting in the green room until I was needed (which was sometimes hours at a time) and began sketching to pass the time. I'm a very visually oriented person, I hear with my eyes.
3. With so many jobs to do, explain what the typical day is like for Rob Floyd working on The House Between? What was it like working in that old house?
Get up to be ready and waiting on set before the cast members show up. Rush through any make-up and/or fight choreography all the while trying to keep it as safe as possible in a very limited time frame. Watch and assist cast members during any filming of fight scenes. Touch up make-up as needed throughout the day. Troubleshoot and/or fix any last minute problems or changes on set. Then I wait and wait and wait until I'm needed again. Working in that house was very like being trapped in there with our characters. We never saw the daylight due to the windows being blacked out. Food would show up occasionally and we left in the middle of the night. I don't think I saw the sun much all week.
4. You created a number of special effects for the first season, including Sange's "scars" in Trashed, the Outdwellers in "Visited" and the frost effects for "Arrived." What was the most complex effect to create, and which was your favorite effect?
The most time consuming effect was creating the outdwellers faces. This consisted of sculpting the look, casting the sculpture, running it in laytex and "painting" them. This was all done weeks before our arrival on the set. My favorite effect was one that mostly ended up on the cutting room floor...the scenes of Sange's skin bubbling up and melting.
5. The series featured a number of stunts in episodes including "Arrived," "Positioned," "Mirrored." How do you go about creating the typical fight scene in the series?
Fight scenes always begin with lengthy discussions with the director to find out what he has in mind. I bounce ideas of my own off of him and we come up with the loose frame work of what needs to happen. Once I have it worked out in my head, I put it on paper in storyboard form. When we get on set, I walk the actors through it. I have them go through it while I look through different camera angles to make sure it works on film.
6. Which is your favorite episode of The House Between's first season, and why?
I would have to watch them all again. In my head the entire first season is one long episode.
7. Without giving away any secrets, can you tell us about some of your effects for season two?
I had to create more outdweller faces as well as a few weapons and other objects I can't name without giving anything away. There was a lot more predevelopment on costumes, make-up designs etc. for season two on my part.
8. I know there is a funny story about burning the diary in "Settled." What happened there?
I was in the green room and heard the filming from the next room. Tony's character was trying to light the diary on fire, but it wouldn't catch. After trying a number of less drastic methods which would not catch that diary on fire, I had a can of acetone in my effects kit so I poured some on the diary, and in the can it sat in, and *foof* the diary was on fire.
9. What has been your most difficult task on The House Between?
Having to choreograph and teach fight scenes to people and try to keep it safe so no one would get hurt while also making it look believable on camera. Keep in mind most of our actors have had no prior fight training and we were on an extremely tight schedule. In some cases I had as little as 15 minutes to rehearse with them.
10. I know that John Kenneth Muir is a fan of science fiction television, and that you are too. Can you tell me how your love of sci-fi and horror came into play for the creation of The Outdwellers?
The look was created from discussions with John on the origins of the Outdwellers as well as brain storming with my good friend Clayton Sayre. I'm sure subconsciously I may have drawn from things I've seen in the past, but no one sci-fi or horror film stands out as a basis for the Outdwellers.
11. Sange spends much of his time "melting" in "Trashed." Muir says that this character touch was your idea. Can you explain how that came about?
This was an effect I had learned how to do years ago and had never had the chance to use it anywhere. I mentioned it to John and he loved the idea (hopefully we will see more of it on the DVD extras).
12. How would you compare your work on The House Between first season with the second season?
Going into the second season I knew better what to expect from the cast and crew. Most of the second season shoot is a blur as I was sick the entire week, but there were some new and fun things to create for the second season. I can't wait to see how they look on camera.
13. What do you believe is the message and meaning of The House Between?
To me, The House Between is all about what happened behind the scenes. How this group of people, some long time friends and some complete strangers, came together for a common purpose and managed to create something unique. In my mind, that is what stands out more than anything else.
14. Without giving away details, what episode are you most looking forward to in Season Two?
There are different aspects of each episode I'm looking forward to seeing. I can't give details without spoiling it for others.