At nearly midnight on the fourth day of filming—a night shoot, naturally—the production team has decided to scrap a scene in which vampire Angel’s forearm (in reality, a stuntman’s flame-retardant glove) ignites after being exposed to daylight. Things are just too far behind schedule to squeeze in special effects.

This particular Thursday, Murphy’s Law has been in full effect, as a frustrating combination of exhausted actors and technical snafus slows down production. In fact, Joss Whedon, who created both Buffy and Angel and is directing Angel’s pilot, will later recall this as not only "disastrous" and "horrible," but also "just an unbelievable hell day."

Actually, "hell" sounds appropriate for a show about a centuries-old vampire out to save lost souls. The idea to have Angel (David Boreanaz) walk silently away from Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and Sunnydale to begin a new life in LA came up during the 1997-98 season in a discussion between Whedon and Buffy’s other executive producer, David Greenwalt, who’s now working primarily on Angel.

"We started talking about Angel as kind of recovering alcoholic," Whedon says, "somebody who had drunk blood, was into it, was trying to regain his humanity…. And I said, "OK, now that’s actually about something besides just,"—here Whedon adopts a jovial announcer’s voice—"He’s cute! He wears a long coat!"

Far from being intimidated by the idea of carrying his own series, David embraced it. "I find more pressure on a golf course—my second shot after a nice drive, trying to hit a five-iron two-hundred and ten yards to stick the green. That’s pressure," says the 30-year-old. "The other stuff is life."

Charisma Carpenter, a.k.a. Buffy’s Cordelia, also signed on—to be "the ray of sunshine among all the darkness," the 29-year-old actress says teasingly. Rounding out the cast of regulars is Glenn Quinn, 29, (Roseanne) as Doyle: On the surface, he’s an Irish guy who likes to gamble and keeps a hip flask handy, but he’s half-demon; it’s his visions that point Angel toward the people who need help.

In future episodes, Angel will also introduce a policewoman (Elisabeth Rohm) and perhaps some demon girlfriends from Angel’s past, not to mention visits from Buffy’s Spike (James Marsters), Oz (Seth Green) and the Slayer herself sometime this month.

Also watch for the malevolent law firm of Wolfram and Hart, "This presence that’s always trying to make things easier for the bad people and harder for the good people," says Whedon.

AT AROUND 7 P.M., when the Teen People writer and photographer arrive at Stage 6 on the Paramount Studios lot in Los Angeles, the cast and crew are already behind schedule due to technical difficulties—or what Whedon calls "the electrical thing that showered sparks on our head."

The set, which consists of Angel’s apartment and the office space he takes when Cordy hatches a scheme to make clients pay for their salvation, isn’t quite finished; there’s a "Stuff to Do" list taped to a wall with such items as "Lobby doors & windows—stain" still awaiting completion. Also in the works: Cordelia’s apartment which Whedon says is "incredibly, horribly haunted—but she won’t give it up no matter what."

ALMOST everything is in place for Angel’s haunts, though, and the results are amazing. For the office, production designer Cary Meyer used ‘50s detective magazines and black-and-white suspense films for inspiration. An old-fashioned safe dominates the space, and there’s another interesting feature: "Got my own elevator," crows David. "Goes up and down!"

Meyer’s only instructions for Angel’s living quarters were that they had to be in a basement, to give the vampire access to the sewer system during the daytime. The library is especially atmospheric: Its walls are covered with misty black-and-white photos of Angel’s beloved Ireland, sconces and Celtic-motif prints. Close inspection of the gilt-spined books that line the room reveals a slew of titles in foreign languages. One can’t help but wonder: Would Angel really devour 10 volumes of the Illustrevet Dansk Konversations Lexicon?

By 8 P.M., Charisma has arrived and is sitting in the makeup trailer, asking for "piece-ier" hair. "It looked like I was going to the prom," she explains. Her call time is later than that of the other actors, and she's feeling the effects of starting work after sundown. "My whole thing is to just become that night person," she says, then admits, "it's not happening." Her plan is to seek out an herbal remedy to help her sleep more during the day.

Meanwhile, night owl David is ready to do a kitchen scene with Glenn. Angel is packing up weapons, preparing for a confrontation, while the cowardly Doyle is doing his best to worm his way out. "I’m not combat-ready," he says.

The character of Doyle "doesn’t like the hand that’s been dealt him" says Glenn. "He doesn’t really want to be there. He’s not cut out for fights." Nonetheless, he acts as Angel’s very untraditional mentor—"Yoda with a cocktail," says Glenn. And just like Angel, he has been chosen by a mysterious higher power to do good.

When he morphs into a demon, though, look out. "He goes all prickly-faced and red contacts [and] fangs," says Glenn, who doesn’t mention that he also turns blue. Unlike Angel, though, he’s not immortal, "which pisses him off to no end," says Whedon. "Like, ‘I get the whole blue-face package but none of the benefits.’"

THE ACTION moves to the office area for a scene in which Cordy proposes her business plan to Angel and Doyle. She has come to LA with dreams of being an actress but will end up being Angel’s "receptionist, assistant, gal Friday and occasionally undercover bait," says Whedon.

She also has experienced a change in fortune and is no longer the rich girl. "It’s a bit humbling," says Charisma, "but she has to keep her airs…. You don’t see her vulnerable in front of anybody. But you do see how it’s wearing on her when she’s alone."

Also gone is Cordy’s up-to-the-minute wardrobe: no more designer high hells. "Over it," chirps the dressed-down Charisma. "And I’ve got the sciatica to prove it." She’s kidding, of course.

Back on set, Charisma and Glenn are ready for their close-up, but again, a problem arises. "We have night on our call sheet for scene sixty-eight, and we’re set up for day. Will someone please check that?" asks first assistant director Ian Woolf.

Whedon walks in and notices instantly. "Oh, it’s day," he says, surprised.

THERE MAY be a reason for tonight’s bad luck: no cake. In March, while the Angel team was shooting a short presentation for potential advertisers, Buffy herself brought over a good-luck present.

"I said to myself, ‘I should go down and support David. It’s his big moment,’" Sarah remembers. She bought a cake and plopped down on the floor at a Ralph’s supermarket to decorate it for St. Patrick’s Day, complete with "little dead leprechauns" who had been staked ("[I] broke toothpicks and stuck them in the heart").

Then, while the cameras were rolling for a rooftop scene with Angel and Doyle, Sarah walked into the shot saying, "Welcome to Hollywood! What’s your dream? Everybody’s got a dream." The dialogue might have been inspired by Pretty Woman, but the cake itself was an original. "Everybody was picking out the plastic shamrocks for good luck," says David.

DID THE four-leaf clovers do their job? Well, the lighting situation has been resolved, and we’re ready to shoot. Well, almost—David forgot to change his clothes. Five more minutes. Even the craft-services table offers no consolation. After Charisma bites into a plum, she makes a face, remarks, "Ewww, rotten," and chucks the disappointing fruit into the trash.

As soon as David returns from wardrobe, Whedon starts rolling with an "Awa-a-a-y we go!" Unfortunately, it’s 12:30 A.M. now, and a sleepy Charisma stumbles over the dialogue.

Soon, Teen People’s work here will be done, but Charisma will be on call till sunrise. She’ll nap in her trailer for a bit after this scene, then be awakened at 3 A.M. for another one. But then, that’s vampire work for you: Sometimes it bites.