UPDATE TIME!!!

I've assembled about 110 out of 530 storyboards in photoshop. I've been tweaking the color of these black and white sketches so that the editors (me a some guiy name Greg...you know who you are) can color sinc the final movie for the proper mood. Deep blue for outdoors, a yellow orange for indoors, blue green for when the Garum is near, black and white for flash backs and story telling and finally, brown for the shots where Lilly confronts Drifters. I should have all of the images ready in about a week and then I can edit them into the animatic.

Last night at as one of many Christmas gatherings was winding down and I finished off my second bowl of homemade French onion soup, I did some reworking on the script. I'm trying to limit Gwen's dialog and define the Garum's origins better. I've already decided to include the original two sets of storyboads I made for the Garum's origins on the DVD. Had I gone the original direction, the story would have linked much closer to the Entropy Gate universe. As is, the only connection now is Lilly.

We got our camera man!

I spoke with a student at ITT who has a sweet new video camera that cost like about twenty of my paychecks or more. He's been itching for a project to shoot. I am so ready for March to arrive so we can start shooting.

Costumes go into production over Christmas break as well as starting our first soundtrack recording session.

need adresses

All of those who are involved in the film need to send me your email adresses or phone numbers so that I can set a meeting up.

asetter304@aol.com

RENDERINGS OF THE GARUM

Ron has designed this rough sketch of the Garum to flesh out his physical structure. I added a few things (the top image) just to see what direction the design could go.

Images of Lilly

A comic book style Lilly...

Pencil sketch of Lilly for Darkness Aftermath

An ink version of Lilly drawn as a techno chic...kinda weird, actually, but it was for a different story.

Mixed media Lilly

costumes...

I need a bunch of cotton cloth...actually, canvas, cotton cloth, leather, fake leather, fake fur, (or real) a case of Steele Reserve, twine, and or rope...for costumes (natch).

good news - bad news

Well I've got Danea locked in (thanks Jenn) and two mrore hunters...but my lead male fell through...

Now this is interesting

I called the deadly forest creature in Darkness Aftermath the Garum because I liked the sound of the word...but guess what...GARUM is a real thing...go HERE to find out...

finally done!

The storyboards are done...for real this time...no, really...I mean it.

Honestly it does really feel like a completed story now.

Also, it looks like the ball is really rolling. I spoke to some drummers who are very excited about the soundtrack. I think I've got a lock on the lead male. I also think I have a lock on the pre-moster version of the Garum. I've also finished the call sheet for the actors. I'll be finishing the script this weekend and then next week I'll meet with Ron at ITT to set up the CG team.

more story boards

I've finished twenty more boards! MAKE IT STOP!!!

movie poster

Nov. 1 rocked!!!

Two really cool things happened...I spent a half hour going over the fight scenes and fighting styles with the fight co-ordinator. He's totally psyched about it and has some great ideas.

Second, STAR WARS III came out on DVD. Need I say more?

IPFW news paper

It looks like the project will be featured in the next issue of IPFW's news paper. I hope to post the article here next week. The script is well on it's way...hope to have it finished soon!


ps. those of you out-of-towners...IPFW Indiana Purdue Fort Wayne

Cool stuff

Two really neat developments...

I have two instruments almost finished...a pan flute and a three stringed instrument...

Also, I spoke with a student from IPFW who has had many years experience in martial arts (as an instructor and competitor), and is a huge fan of Jeet Kun Do...that is the style I wanted to emulate for the fighting in the film. This student has agreed to choreograph the fights.

things that make you say...hmmm...what? oh well...

Some people just don't get it...I have the 'display' for the film up at USF for the faculty and Alumni show...a show in which no one from my graduating class showed up for the opening or entered anything...bad class of 89...no donut...no beer...but I digress...I overheard a student (one who has grown from below average painter to top notch printer in four years) talking about my display complaining that I did not put in a painting. Well I've put paintings in every year. This year my ART is the film! Some people (unfortunately a lot of artists) still don't see film as a real art form...their loss I suppose...

hopefully I'll be starting the "Behind the scenes" video this week. I have three designs for instruments and one built.

WOW!

Just met with the young lady who is playing Lilly...she's perfect...also spoke with one of my students who works at American Health Fitness...she thinks she can round up some muscle for the scene where the hunters all go into the woods for the last time to battle the Garum...

500 plus

The script is half done and the boards are up to 503...

Scripting...

As I continue to work on the script, I'm finding that there are several plot holes and jumps in the story that need a fixin'...I'm now up to 490 storyboards...whew!

Good vs Evil

Some one asked me today if the movie was basically a good vs evil story...yes...and no...it is GVE, but on several levels. First off, the people in the story are plauged by the GARUM. He is the large beast that moves about the forest and is killing the hunters, beggars and village dwellers. He is not evil. He has been driven mad by blindness and the curse of a long life. He is bad, however, and must be destroyed. The DRIFTERS are evil...I mean, come on...they're demons. They are attempting to stir things up and eventually use the GARUM to wipe out the humans. Lilly is there as a wall between the DRIFTERS and the humans.

...and here is the display

Lilly and the Drifter

The sculpture is finished and on display at the gallery at the University of Saint Francis.

More boards

Just added 21 more storyboards...script is chugging along...

CASTING

Casting is going well:

The Lead Cast

Gwenn: cast
Cllar:
Danea: some one in mind...waiting to hear back
Danea's lead warrior: cast (and pumping iron!)
Lilly: just got a photo of a young woman who's smile is PERFECT for the part
Librarian: cast
Elders: one of for cast
Priest:
Beggar: someone in mind...waiting to hear back

By the way...Danea is pronounced Duh-NAY-uh

And one more...

Wooden swords should be fun to make...

More Images

Here is an image of thweapons used by one of the hunters...

Jake's Graphic Novel

Jake's graphic novel is going...check THIS out.

lilly...again...and why not...

Just another image of everyone's favorite looney-goof-hero-girl...

Danea again...

I've become rather fascinated with Danea, though she is only in three scenes...family and the family tree are important to the people in Darkness Aftermath...so I thought, what if she's black or asian or something other than that of Gwenn, her sister. It would mean that one of them was adopted, but since they are blind, they wouldn't know it...

The casting continues

I found the (almost) perfect woman to play Danea. The only problem was the fact that she is about 5 inches shorter than Gwenn. She needs to tower over Gwenn and just about everyone else. The serch continues.

nothing new...

it's been hot...really hot!!! I've been miserable and unable to work on the project because I just sweat all of the time and am miserable...but it finally started raining today. 'bout time...maybe I won't be so cranky now...maybe I'll get some work done...

jus' so ya know

Anytime I post a picture, if you click on it, you should be able to see a larger version of it in a new window. The 'Death Star' loses some detail in the smaller image. Also, the sculptures are almost finished. I should be posting images of them on Monday. And I'm going to start composing for D.A. tomorrow. Most of my E.G. music until now has been rather...mellow...deep throbbing tones that seem to move as if floating on water. Some, unfortunately, have said it sounds rather new age, though I have tried to follow in the path of Tangerine Dream and (from T.D.) Christopher Franke (Babylon 5). The music always sounds 'space-like'...does that make sense? The stuff for D.A. is going to be much more rythymic...I've been inpsired by the new "Battlestar Galactica" themes and the opening 'space battle' theme of Star Wars III. I'll also be including more percussion...some will be from intruments I've created. I'll be playing a three stringed BUKKA (the name my elementary students gave the intrument I designed eight years ago) during the "love theme"...I have some PVC instruments and a yet-not-finished intrument made with Piano strings. I'll hopefully be relying a lot less on keyboard, though the opening theme is going to be played on a synth. nuff said.

And this is sorta cool too...

I just got asked by the Criminal Justice dept. at ITT Tech. to do make-up on an actor who is playing the part of a recently murdered...uh...corpse. Neck wounds and defensive hand wounds. Apparently the video will be part of an on-line course and will be on the web...fun stuff!

Lilly faces the Drifter

There are two scenes in which Lilly faces 'demons' known as Drifters. The Lilly sculpture is not quite finished...I am reworking the hands to hold weapons. The Drifter is close to being finished...it has no arms and only horn-like growths protruding from its back where wings once were...it is severely burned and charred with flesh hanging from its emaciated form.

Wounded Gwenn

This is the sculpture of Gwenn after her shoulder is dislocated. She has wrapped her left arm against her body to keep it in place. She is about to face the Garum in the final showdown.

Garum setback

I was working on the sculpey-sculpture of the Garum and Gwenn...Gwenn looks great! The Garum fell over in the oven and lost his head...literally...I'll be posting images next week.

Lousy, rotten sculpey! mumble, mumble...

14 more

Finished...yet again...the fight scene is done...total count - 439. I've also been thinking about a companion book to go along with the film. It could have storyboards, posts from the blog, sketches, interviews with the crew and behind the scenes photos. I plan to show this film at some public forum (several of the loacal theaters rent out their theaters for private parties and such) and we could sell the 'book' there.

a few more...

There are about twelve more boards I'm going to add...there is a fight scene that originally ended in three boards...if Gwenn is fighting hunters, they should be a little tougher than I originally drew them out to be...I'll be posting more images tonight from ITT.

high tech

I was listening to some old 80's tunes down in the studio last night while I was sculpting...high tech, eh?

And a little more sculpey...

This is lilly's body...not painted or sanded or even close to being finished...

The sculptures

I started working on a sculpture of Lilly...here is the head, not yet sanded or painted.

why?

Some one asked me why I have two women, Gwenn and Lilly, (three if you include Danea) as the main protagonists? To be honest, Clarr has a much bigger role than Danea and more screen time than Lilly. But the reason was simple. In the first Entropy Gate book, There are two men, Michael and David, and one woman, Chen, who are protagonists...I almost always use three main characters...I just wanted to mix it up a bit with Darkness Aftermath.

425

The storyboards are done...I think...there are 425 now...

one more added scene...

I'm adding another scene...it'll probably be about eight or ten more boards...I think that'll do it! I'm psyched to work on the script some more.

415 and counting

Added more some more boards...up to 415! No access to a scanner today...bummer!

378 to 406

I was sitting in my design class at IPFW today and suddenly had some new ideas for a few scenes in the film...a couple of nights ago a drew a few new storyboards, but now, after today's addition, I went from 378 boards to 406...I have a few more scenes to add as well...both new scenes involve digital characters. As I review the story and work on the script, the main focus has to be the battle between good and evil with good winning! One of my students commented today that the title, Darkness Aftermath, sure seemed like a depressing film title...I assured him that the film has a happy ending...and it does! The three new scenes will help to reinforce that idea!

On another note...I have finished the wire armatures for two sculpture scenes...one is Gwenn fighting the Garum, the other is from a new scene in which Lilly confronts a DRIFTER...when I head out to work Friday, I'll use the work computer to post images of these sculptures and such.

test footage

If all goes well, I'll be shooting some test footage this week or during the next weekend...

Art Show Coming Up...

There is the anual University of Saint Francis Faculty Alumni Art Show coming soon to USF. I was showing Justin the Gallery Director some of my storyboards and sketches. He sugested that I put them and the sculpture in the show. I'm thinking that that might be a great idea...

finished Cllar

map of the rain world village

What's the movie about?

If you go to the Entropy Gate site, then go to the extended page, then got to Darkness Aftermath, then go to the Story...you'll get the outline of the story...or just click here.

this is cool

Go here...do it. Do it now!

done with danae

Finished it this afternoon...

added some color in photoshop...more later.

Danea and Cllar

Two quick drawings. Danea, the hunter mentioned in an earlier post, and Cllar. I plan to add color later...soon hopefully.

some other art...

here is one version of the image of Kayla that I eventually used for the EG web site...

Cllar - Gwenn's Guest

Cllar arrives at the beginning of the story..by the end, he and Gwen have become quite close and they take on the Garum in the final fight...he is pictured here with Lilly after the hunter's funeral...

Danea - The Leader of the Hunters

I'm going to need to find a woman with some serious muscles for Danea!

Gwenn at the Library

This is a sequence (obviously from the boards) in which Gwenn visits the library to research the history of Garum. The 'books' are wooden polls with 'brail' carved into them...I have someone lined up who might be playing the librarian...

Lilly Comforting Gwenn at the Hunter's Funeral

I'll start posting the character's images here...

casting...all ready?

But the script isn't even finished...I have three people potentially slated to be in the film...the lead, Gwenn (though I drew her as a dark haired woman)a young blonde woman has expressed a GREAT deal of interest in the part...I also have a person in mind for the Librarian and Clarr...but since little of this makes sense to anyone...since the script isn't finished and I've not posted much of the boards, I guess I'll have to start doing some artwork of the characters...

Gwenn's first encounter with the Garum

Here are the storyboards.
1.Gwenn leaves the clearing...fade to black
2.Gwen is sleeping...
3.rain
4.the Garum moves past her door
5.she smells him...
6....and rolls over.
7.Gwenn emerges from her home with her swords
8.the Garum moves...
9.Gwenn listens for the Garum
10.Gwenn prepares for battle
11.loud thud as Garum's foot crashes down
12.Gwenn raises the wooden blades
13.The Garum turns but rain increases
14.Gwenn looses the sent
15.The Garum leaves
16.Gwenn relaxes her stance
17.Cllar calls to her
18.Gwenn replies that the Garum is gone

Hint: Click on the storyboards to get a larger image of them.

added a little photoshop...

Added some photoshop stuff as a demo for my evening "Instructional Design" class...

a little marker color...

I was doing another marker demo in class today using various warm and cool grays at 10% through 70%...

Graphic Novel image

As I mentioned, I originally thought about doing D.A. as a graphic novel...in cleaning out my studio, I found the original sketch of Gwenn drawn in a cartoon-like manner...

sculpture

I'm going to start working on a sculpture today of Gwenn, the D.A. hero, and the antagonist, Garum...I plan to use copper wire for the armature and sculpy...that means that I'll have to clean my studio today...

A little web page update…the guy who is helping me with the we page has had a series of family problems and I don’t want to bug him to help me get it finished…hopefully we’ll be able to tackle it this weekend.
Also, occasionally I’ll post something here or at the other blog and it won’t have a picture along side…but then, viola, a few days later there is a picture…this is due to the fact that my home computer is dial up and my ITT (work) computer is not. I can’t seem to get blogger to accept my images from the home computer no matter how long I wait.
And one final thing…this post is also on the other blog…the only time I’ll "double post" is in situations like this…

Dabbled a bit on the sketch...

I was playing around on photoshop looking for a quicker way to make rain...not sure that I'm there yet...the previous two drawings look more rain like but took longer to create...

More artwork...

I was teaching my wed. night Rapid Viz class at ITT and the subject was marker and colored pencil rendering. I created this image of Lilly and then enhanced it with photoshop.

I haven't had much time to work on DA

Been rather busy with editing and writing...I hope to post the storyboards soon and then post some costume designs...

found something...

I found this...the very first sketch for Darkness Aftermath...it looks a lot different than the current images...I don't even know who the big guy is supposed to be...

Just a marketing idea...

I did this as a demo for photoshop in the design class that I teach at ITT.

The boards are done and the first draft of the script is finished. Things are running a little slow as far as editing the animatic. Hopefully we'll get started soon. Tomorrow I'll post a series of boards on this site.

As I was working on the storyboards, the most difficult thing was keeping in mind that everyone was blind...at times I would have someone 'looking' at something or another person and then remembered, duh, everyone is blind. It was difficult, but a fun challenge. The other thing that was different was the fact that I really enjoy drawing eyes. They are my favorite feature on a person's face to draw...but with D.A., everyone was blindfolded...except for Lilly...but then, she has goggles...

Good vs Evil

This sketch was the inspiration to complete the storyboards...I wanted to get to this scene in the story...

This is one of the first images that I drew for Darkness Aftermath...it is Danea, the leader of the hunters, at her tent.

boards

This is the image from the web site of the first couple of story boards and the title...more in sequence later.

378

The boards are done...378 in total. Looks like the animatic will begin Monday. I believe that I'll post some of the segments soon...

Storyboard update

Looks like I'll have the storyboards done for DARKNESS AFTERMATH this weekend. I have 342 boards done...I think that another 30 or 40 should do it. I also have eleven musical compositions that I'll need to start working on for the soundtrack.

project update...

Well, I've been storyboarding since the July forth weekend...so far I have 270 storyboards. The story is abour 3/4 finished. Once it's done, I'll post sections on the site. This weekend I'll write dialog and start composing music. In about two weeks, we'll scan in the storyboards and then edit them into an animatic to see how long the possible film could be...

page one...

So, what is Darkness Aftermath? It's a spin-off story from the fourth book in the Entropy Gate series...but it can stand alone as a single story without the reader knowing what has happened in the Entropy Gate stories...

You can check out some of the EG stuff at the site and go to EXPANDED and SKETCHBOOK to see information about the world of Darkness Aftermath...if all goes as planned, the story will be told as a movie...I have all ready story boarded 180 boards and I'm just over a third of the way through...

more coming soon...