Emily Rose, known to UNCHARTED fans as Elena Fisher in the first and second game, is also across television, having been in HBO’s John From Cincinnati, ABC’s Brothers & Sisters, CBS’ Jericho, NBC’s ER, and now Syfy’s Haven. Emily took the time during her hiatus between filming Haven’s first and second season to chat with us about the show and UNCHARTED.

At the time of the interview, UNCHARTED 3: Drake’s Deception was just announced and explored, yet there is still no mention of Elena Fisher’s 3rd outing. Did Emily Rose give any hints? What she said comes in this two-page exclusive interview!

This interview was originally done during the 2010 holiday season. After an incredibly-rough few months later, including a brief stint in self-employment, and back to a very demanding work schedule, here we are! Sorry for the delay. -Chris

Chris Fullman: You’ve been working throughout television during your involvement with the first two UNCHARTED games. What’s filming like compared to your work with UNCHARTED?

Emily Rose: It’s different, you know, going from a supporting character on a television series to a leading character on something like UNCHARTED, which is in production for about a year.

With television, you tend to concentrate your work over a period of five months or so and 16-hour days. So it’s absolutely crazy in terms of the workload, and UNCHARTED is a bit more calm. With a TV show, you have writers and the producers and the networks working with you during the shoot and rewrites are coming in all the time. With UNCHARTED, we working together on the dialogue we get from the writer and are allowed to collaborate on the dialogue as we go along while the developers are making the magic you see on screen.

Emily Rose can be seen in Syfy's original series Haven, returning with new episodes Friday, July 15, 2011.

Syfy’s Haven’s second season starts shooting in the spring?

Yes, we’ll start shooting about the same time we started for the first season in April [2011]. I’ll take the long journey to Nova Scotia, and I’ll live there for about five months. Kinda crazy, you’d never think that by moving yourself to LA just to get a career in Hollywood to audition for a show, you’re sent far from it for a long time. [Laughs]

You recently got married; congratulations by the way! Does your husband get to travel with you when you go to these locations?

Thank you! My husband actually got to come with me for the first season, because he was gearing up to get a graduate degree in marriage and family counseling, but that wouldn’t start until September, so he joined me.

It was great to get married then get right to moving up there [to Nova Scotia] together and then come back in September. Sadly this year it’ll be a little more back and forth.

Was he on the set with you (behind the cameras) goofing off or just in the city for support?

He comes on set and enjoys the people and sense of family there, but Nova Scotia is just such a beautiful place that he takes our doggie out to explore. When entertainment isn’t your profession it’s exciting to see and be a part of, but when it’s your career it’s just a regular part of the business. In this location in particular, our sets are freezing so it’s not really something you’d want to go hang out with if you don’t have to be there. [Laughs]

Will we see him in a walk-on role this next season?

It was something the producers would joke around with last season but it didn’t work out… I’m not so sure about the next season, but you never know!

Emily joined the cast of CBS' Jericho as Trish Merrick in the second season.

With your work on CBS’ Jericho, there weren’t too many CGI effects that you had to shoot with, but with UNCHARTED, you were introduced to motion capture and trying to visualize where things needed to be to react to them the right way. Did your work with UNCHARTED make it easier to deal with special effects shots on Haven?

Now see, I’d like to think that I’m hopefully pulling off the suspension of disbelief for a science fiction show since I’m used to these types of effects shoots. That hasn’t stopped armchair actors, if you will, who tell me I need to work better on imagining what I’m supposed to be seeing while acting. [Laughs.]

I’m certainly not a pro, but I’m getting used to it, and of course there are actors that are just amazing at figuring all that out, like Tom Cruise in most of his recent films¨ or Robert Downey Jr., in films like Iron Man. As actors, you have to live in the imaginary, to work in science fiction, but it’s also hard on those putting together the final shots to make everything mesh.

UNCHARTED certainly made for a great “boot camp” when it comes to this type of acting with green screens and looking at a tennis ball on a stick and acting as if it’s literally about to kill you. [Laughs.]

So it sounds like working on UNCHARTED effectively makes actors “green screen-ready.”

[Laughs] Yeah, I’d say that. Sometimes people who don’t quite realize how this latest generation’s games are made still assume that everyone just records their voice in a sound room, and I’m quick to explain “no, this is the new wave of games, and it’s a whole group of actors in a room that act the scene, and our movements are filmed along with the audio, so it’s not just voice on someone else’s animations.”

It’s quite a different way of filming, in that you have dozens to hundreds of red lights on cameras around you. Sometimes I dream of red cat eyes all around me [laughs] since I see those red-lighted-cameras all day long wherever I look.

Other than your work on Haven, and I know you can’t even acknowledge any participation on UNCHARTED 3 since they’re keeping things so close to the chest, is there any other projects you have coming up?

Oh man, I wish I could. I’ve been doing a bunch of auditions and I’d love to get some film work on my career, but at the same time I really like the downtime and rest especially since I know what’s coming up on the second season of Haven in terms of demand and any other projects that come along. When I’m in Nova Scotia, I’m very far away from my friends and family, and after the season is done shooting, I’m on an international tour promoting the show, so I’ll take any downtime I can between projects. [Laughs]

Any other shows that you’d like to tip your hat in for outside of Haven?

Wow, well I know it’s already wrapped and done at this point, but I would have loved to have been in Friday Night Lights! I’d also love to be on Mad Men, I think that’d be fantastic. But you know, I’ve been doing so much work with drama and fantasy, I’d really like to do work in comedy, and even though Haven has it’s quirky elements, it’d be really fun to be on a comedy.

Hmm, so how about The Big Bang Theory, given it’s focus on pop culture and fantasy?

Exactly! [Laughs] Actually, I auditioned for that when it was in it’s preproduction stages. The things we audition for, Chris, the things!

Did you audition for Kaley Cuoco’s (Penny’s) part?

I believe I did! I was going through my old auditions looking for things to send to friends and it’s just awesome seeing all these random parts you try for.

Now that Syfy’s growing in online series, like their hit Riese, any chances you might be picked up in one of those?

You know, I’ve been asked about it, but I’m giving all I can to Haven, and I’m loving my work so far and can’t wait for this next season.

With the second season of Haven, is there anything you want to specifically accomplish as Audrey Parker or wrapping up a specific story from the first season, or adding a new element?

Well, last season we left Audrey with a huge question in the finale regarding her identity, so right now I know my character will have a huge identity crisis (you think?? [laughs]). I think that’ll all fit in with the second season with who I am and why I’m there and how that all fits in with ‘The Troubles’ element of the series. It’s exciting to try to prepare for the next season during hiatus especially when I don’t really know where they’re taking my character, you get all these possibilities your head.

This wraps up part one of our two-part interview with UNCHARTED’s Emily Rose. Visit the second page where Emily talks about her work on UNCHARTED, and if we might see her character in UNCHARTED 3: Drake’s Deception. Continue »

The Uncharted series has touched us all, and redefined gaming. At first, the series looks like just another Tomb Raider game, or Indiana Jones movie, but once we look a little bit deeper, we see it’s much more than that. Uncharted has pushed our Playstation 3 consoles to the limit, pushing every aspect to its maximum capabilities. Graphically, it is single-handedly the best-looking series of all time.

The first title, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, released back in 2007, won best PS3 game of the year. When we popped in the disc, we were introduced to it with stunning colors and detail, and music that was candy to the ears. No doubt, Greg Edmonson was the best choice for this series, as we all remember his excellent work with Firefly.

I'll take something other than brown, please...

The game itself, was not perfect, but as lovers of adventure games, we put it’s flaws aside, as the story sucked us in. Nathan Drake, the nobody-descendant of Sir Francis Drake, was out to find his ancestor’s treasure, dragging along his partner in crime, Victor “Goddamn” Sullivan. Together they got each other into too much trouble, and risked the lives of a reporter they never wanted there in the first place, Elena Fisher.

The first title left us on a slight cliffhanger, leaving us wanting more from Naughty Dog. Naughty Dog never failed to please the masses, and with that, they dove right into the development of the second title, Uncharted: Among Thieves.

Uncharted: Among Thieves, the second installment in the series, released in America October of 2009, and blew us all away. Not only was it the most impressive PS3 game to date, it took away multiple ‘Game of the Year’ awards, and won the heart of not just former Uncharted players, but new ones, as well. Naughty Dog had once again carved their names into our hearts with their loveable protagonist and compelling storyline.

"Elena Fisher. Last year's model." - Elena Fisher

The second Uncharted, in my eyes at least, was perfect. I found nothing wrong with the game, except for the fact that it was too short. Just when we thought the graphics of the first game were as good as it gets, Uncharted 2 proved us wrong: they were even better. The visuals swept us off our feet, and the music got even better. This time, instead of just the jungle, you were also in war torn cities, and icy taverns of the Tibetan mountains. Naughty Dog wanted to make a statement: we can make adventure beautiful no matter where it is.

This brings us to the year 2011, the year we Uncharted fans thought would never come: the release of Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception. At first we were teased with a thirty-eight second trailer that showed us almost nothing. Once the Video Game Awards rolled by, we were presented with an extended trailer, which opened our eyes and showed us more.

What’s happening here? Why is Drake in the Arabian desert of all places? The first question I asked myself was, “are we going to be staring at hills of sand for ten hours of game play?” Quickly shaking my head I realized, no, Naughty Dog would never do that to us.

About a week after the VGAs, on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, there was a segment on Uncharted 3, showing game play of the long-awaited title. Granted, the game play did not take place in the desert, but in a large mansion that was, just like the aircraft, engulfed in flames. You’re running alongside Victor Sullivan, who’s back for another adventure filled with scandal and chaos.

The snippet of game play showed us a lot of changes in the series. A lot more work with your partner, an all-new stealth mode, and a lot more hand to hand combat. All things we Uncharted fans have wanted. And yes, graphics that again exceed the previous installment.

With previewing the game in 3D at the Consumer Electronics Show this year, my mind was blown. Not only is this Uncharted smoother than the previous two, it’s in 3-fricken-D. Amazing. The visuals are stronger than ever, and the story line (or what we know of it, rather), is already sucking me in, and has me wanting more.

At the end of last month, Sony announced their new gaming system, the PSP2, or NGP/Next Generation Portable. One of the games they showed being played with the device was of course, an all-new Uncharted title. Not much is known of this title, but from the game play we’ve seen, the game takes place somewhere in the jungle. The new Uncharted title also takes advantage of the NGP’s touch screen and back touchpad. The demonstrator showed us a quick snippet, touching the screen with Nathan jumping, and climbing up walls when the back touch pad was stroked. A release date for this has yet to be announced, but the NGP has been predicted for November of this year.

For a lot of us, Uncharted has blown our minds, and touched our hearts. With a loveable guy-next-door main character like Nathan Drake, and your average yet sexy accomplice Elena Fisher, you can’t help but want to become a part of the game itself, and pack your bags and go on a cave crawling, ruin hunting adventure. How long will this series go on? How many different places will we have the luxury of seeing in full 1080p high-definition goodness? For now we have two titles for the next twelve months, but we know that Naughty Dog will not disappoint us, and if the series must end, it will end with a bang.

What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments below! Also, if you want to contribute as the next guest post, you can do so here!

This interview took place in March 2010, however due to many misfortunate events, it stayed as a draft until now. The stars finally aligned and Greg and I got together to finish this, so without further adieu, here’s the interview!

If you’re not familiar with Greg Edmonson, he’s the man behind the music for both UNCHARTED:  Drake’s Fortune and UNCHARTED 2 Among Thieves, in addition to Fox’s King of the Hill and their short-lived but critically-acclaimed series Firefly (starring Nathan Fillion if it rings a bell). Greg took some time to talk with me about the differences between scoring for TV/films and video games and why he thinks he might have a different scoring experience than the other composers in the industry.

Chris: Can you describe the collaboration during the production of the UNCHARTED: Among Thieves soundtrack with (Naughty Dog’s Creative Director) Amy Hennig or any other key team members?

Greg: Well, it was a little different with UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves than with UNCHARTED: Drake’s Fortune—-and remember my whole video game scoring experience thus far is just these two amazing games. On the first one, Drake’s Fortune, I came in somewhat later in the process and that made finishing the score the first priority. For Among Thieves, however, they brought me in earlier, and because we had worked together before, we were all more comfortable with each other and with the process. You don’t do a whole lot of consistent work in the early stages because the game is still being developed and is changing every day, but I did do research on Chinese and Tibetan music and got to watch many wonderful Chinese films, such as House of the Flying Daggers and Hero for homework.

It’s a little bit hard to exactly describe the process, and honestly I’m not sure that my experience is typical of other game composers – but Amy is absolutely the most wonderful person to work with. She is smart, she cares deeply about what she does, and she’s magnificent at giving you a lot of story background so that you can try to make the music interesting and unique. In addition to Amy, I also work closely with Jonathan Mayer at Sony (who also wrote the music for last year’s inFAMOUS). He and the SCEA team (Chuck Doud, Clint Bajakian, Scott Hanau, Joel Yarger, Marc Senasac and Jonathan) are just spectacular. They help to smooth the whole process from beginning to end and it also is their job to implement the music into the game after it is all recorded and mixed. So, Amy might say “we are going to need a combat piece for this area,” but Jonathan might also add “Greg, we already have a lot of high-energy pieces, so we could use a medium-intensity piece for this,” and between the two of them, they have my back and point me in the right direction. The wonderful folks at Naughty Dog give me whatever rough video they have and Amy fills in the details with concept art, story arcs, and character motivation etc. Then you are off and running! It really is quite astonishing to see how the picture changes as the team adds in the new layers on a daily basis!

Games are still mostly a “work in progress” by the time you must start writing the music— unlike TV and film where the final footage is finished and usually does not change. Many times you might write a piece of music for a certain game level and it ultimately turns out that it ends up working, as well or better, in another section of the game. So allow me to give the SCEA team full and complete credit. They work long and hard to implement the music into the game in a creative and innovative way that serves the gaming experience while preserving the integrity of the music! Not an easy task.

For the readers, can you explain what Jonathan’s team at Sony does?

Jonathan and his team interface with the composer on anything that is music and game related. For instance, we recorded UNCHARTED 2 at Skywalker Sound in San Francisco, and the Sony team made all of the arrangements with the orchestra and the studio and then they interfaced with all of the other team members to make it all seamless. They just made the experience fun, and when you can have fun and get to work with a great orchestra – how lucky is that? So back to George Lucas’s Skywalker Studio, we were able to record the soundtrack in this amazing facility located way out in Marin County with the ever wonderful musicians from the San Francisco/Bay area. It is a most unusual situation– you are staying (for a few days) at this beautiful and luxurious ranch—so you never see traffic–just deer and ducks and gorgeous scenery. That experience could never be replicated in London or LA. I will head back to Skywalker every chance I get!

On the next page, we’ll discuss the difference between scoring for video games and TV/film, developing themes for characters and locations,  and his thoughts on [if there is an] UNCHARTED 3. Read on »