Blood in the FK universe is really undiluted Ribena, a sickenly
sweet black current drink. The product is left undiluted so that it approximates
the consistency of fresh blood; however, it often makes the actors sick
in this form.
I am told that Ribena is often available
in Oriental markets, specifically grocery stores catering to immigrants
from Hong Kong or Malaysia. One brand to look for is by Smith-Kline Beacham,
in Brentford, Middlesex, England. Their exclusive supplier is The Gilway
Company, Ltd., 299 Forest Ave., Paramus, NJ 07652. They sell a 32 oz. and
16 oz. bottle, both in concentrated form (and I'm told with a new non-drip
cap). The following appears on the label: [Her Majesty's Official Seal]
By appointment to Her Majesty The Queen, Suppliers of Lucozade and Shloer,
Beechamn Products, Brentford, Middlesex.
The ingredients are as follows: Water,
sugar, blackcurrant juice, glucose syrup, citric acid, vitamins (C, Niacin,
B6, B12), preservatives (sodium benzoate, sodium metabisulfite), natural
color (grapeskin color).
Nutritional Information per Serving:
Serving size 3T or 1.5 fl.oz. Servings per container 21 Calories 140 Protein 0 Carbohydrates 35g Fat 0 Sodium 15mgPercentage of U.S. Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA):
Vitamin C 100%, Vitamin B12 34%, Niacin 31%, Vitamin B6 33%, Contains less than 2% of the US RDA of Protein, Vitamin A, thiamin, Riboflavin, Calcium, and Iron.
There's also a warning notice which states "Important Ribena should always be given to babies and children in diluted form, never undiluted in a bottle. For young children, always dilute with at least 6 parts of water."
Flying
Flying vampires are essentially a thing of the past for FK actors.
Nearly all of the shots of vampires actually flying were filmed during
season one. And none of the actors enjoyed the experience. Flying for FK
involved, like so many other shows and musicals, quite an array of wires,
cables, and equipment.
For season two and three, flying footage
was simply recycled or the shots were designed to show vampires just taking
off or landing. The bird's-eye-view you see of the city, presumeably from
the point of view of a flying vampire, is really an ultralight being flown
with a camera attatched to it.
Vision
First season, we were introduced to the world from Nick's point of view
Eyes
During the first season, FK vampire's eyes were the result of special yellow contact lenses. Crew members have told us that these contacts were extrememly painful for the actors, often necessitating the use of special eye drops. There was much concern over the use of these eyedrops when it was discovered that prolonged use could cause permanent tissue damage. Fortunately none of the actors were injured.
In the second seaon, actors began to
wear new contact lenses made in Italy. These lenses were designed to reflect
any colored light shined on them. Geraint Wyn Davies often jokes about
the first time he wore the contacts, telling us he stumbled into the camera
during filming. When movement is required, actors usually wear the contacts
from the first season. We are also told that these lenses may still be
as painful to wear as the first season lenses and that the eyes drops are
still used.
The yellow glow you see around a vampire's eyes in the first season was done by shining a flashlight through a rectangluar piece of cardboard in the actor's eyes. The vampire glow during the second and third season comes from lights attached to the filming cameras.
Mirrors
Unlike some vampire shows or movies, FK vampires have been seen in mirrors. However, this wasn't originally intended. Several episodes, including the pilot, showed vampires clearly visible in mirrors. In the Canadian version of Father Figure, Nick says that he can be seen in mirrors only sometimes.