My blood is in Scotland.

The recipe that Sally and I came up with for the film was used by Michael Clark in Scotland on his film.

Click HERE!

No more frackin penguins...

Back to being serious...

Here is one of Gwen's Daggers.

Sketched this one out today...

My new hero!

Hugh Grant ROCKS! Throwing beans at reporters and paparazzi has got to feel good! They shouldn't arrest him, they should give him a medal!

NEW STUFF

Heroes ROCKS! I'm only on ep. 2 and I'm hooked!

Galactica Soundtrack

When I first heard that they were doing a new Galactica, I was skeptical. But I love the show. EVERYTHING ABOUT THE SHOW. I REALLY like the soundtrack and that says a lot since the Galactica theme from the original series is one of my top ten favorite Movie Themes. (It was released in the states as a feature film)

Danea...yet again...

I'm still working on designs for her since we have not as of yet found the right actress...

Great news

We have our camera! Just got the word from Jim!!! Tomorrow I meet with Ron and Ted (two from the CG team).

Gwen in the forest...at night!

Can't wait to shoot this scene...Ron showed me some software that would enable us to put these little fireflies in the scene. I wanted to have the fireflies because I read that blind fish in caves sometimes glow...there is a connection there somehow...I think! Heck, it's Sci-fi!

The society that was...

I mentioned earlier that there would be a flashback. This is the location of that shoot (minus the matte painting of towers). From a different angle you do not see the houses behind the 'dome'.

Armor?

I was in the forest today checking out the trees...yes...leaves on the trees! I had an idea for Gwen...what if she (like DAVID who wore SAUL'S armor) was given armor...and she sheds it after she dislocates her shoulder...it's an idea...

Flying machines...

There is a flashback sequence that explains the origins of the Garum. The world is Utopian and totally non metal. Everything is wood based. I am working on some matte painting that I will set on top of Photographs that Lana Mabbit is taking of the Lakeside Rose Gardens...it'll make sense, don't worry. But I'd like to see some flying machines. When God curses the rain, I could see one get struck by lightning and crash to the ground. And takers on designing a flying machine?

Elder (Susie) Stall

She is only in two scenes, but I think she will be impressive! I went with Susie's idea of feathers but (sorry Susie) lost the cape idea.

New to the Team

We welcome Shawn Noe from the IPFW staff who is going to help us design our remote control GARUM arm...

Welcome also goes out to Susie who had a rather strange vision involving feathers, capes and flight while she combed her hair this morning...she is to be one of the elders...she has a great face as she is an American Indian...it's a shame to cover her eyes. Her costume will have a fair amount of feathers and I'd like to make some bird skulls to adorn her costume...

Also, I found some chicken bones in the back yard that some raccoon must have dragged out of the trash...I've decided that Core, the Beggar, should have a bunch of small bones adorning his costume...this evening I grilled chicken quarters. After we ate them, I buried the bones in the back yard to age. In a week or so I'll dig them up and leave them in the sun to dry out. I may make some sculpy sculls of small rodent creatures.

OUCH!!!

This image was rather painful to draw...just thinking about what poor Switch went through...ow! But, it's a movie! I never really liked the reclining Switch from an earlier post. The costume was silly and she looked rather comfy. I've decided to steal (er) pay an homage to Apocalypse Now and have her emerge, standing (taller than Gwen) from shadows - just as Brando did. We won't see as much of her as appears in this image, but we'll get enough glimpses to understand her pain.

Should have this done tonight.

No leaves...

My wife just read me the report for tomorrow morning here in the glorious land of HOTH. FREEZING TEMPS! What a surprise. So, what do we do if the leaves aren't as think this year or there is a really late bloom? One idea would be to further the concept of the rain being cursed and have the rain killing the foliage...

Just an idea.

what is this thing you people call...pencil

Last night my wife was prepping for a national review of her program and she wanted me to hang out and watch
TV (me thinks it was so that she would not fall asleep). But my wacom was upstairs in the den and I wanted to draw a new concept for Switch, the Garum survivor...I found paper and a pencil. It's been a while...

Well then on the way to work to scan it in, I spilt coffee on it and then the wind grabbed it and I had no folder so...I folded it. Tonight I will do a proper drawing with the wacom in sketchbook.

Wh..buh...uh...oh forget it...it can't be explained...

I was hoping to start shooting soon, but since Indiana has been TURNED INTO HOTH!!!! That is true. During my workout this afternoon, I had to keep brushing the snow off of the bench. Tonight we get 3 inches.

Here's another...

Keep in mind these are all low res and Mawete still needs to mess around with them and add lightning and rain and such.

When the movie starts...

Mawete sent this...Lilly will be narrating over this fly-over scene...

Waiting...waiting...

I am eagerly awaiting some screen captures from Mawete...he said they'd be here sometime after 8...

Snow...rain...wind...hail...balls of fire are next?

So I get up this morning at 6:00 and there is a fine coat of snow on the car...by eight it was a down pour of rain...by 11 it was blowing so hard the front door was blown open...then at 12 we had hail...

oddness.

Stiltwalker improvement

Ted has done some more work on the stilt walker. This is still not the final version but I thought I'd post the progress...

Reworked the lighting on the Drifter scene

This has to go in the film...

Designs by Rachael

Rachael did these sketches of a dog-creature for the film...

Lilly and the Last Drifter

Here is a key scene we may or may not do...this image needs to be viewed large. The Drifter is near death and the bodies of the other Drifters are piled behind him in a smoldering heap.

Clarr

Clarr's costume is done and is hanging outside to dry the stain and dye. We are doing a photoshoot of Gwen, Clarr, Core and the Medic next Sunday...if all goes as planned. I'd also like to get the Old Caretaker photographed too.

Per your request...

The latest...

Update from Mawete

Mawete reports that the opening sequence is coming along nicely and that it will take four days to render. He also read the script...the finished script. Other than Ron and Danielle, he's the first to have one and, I believe, the first to read it through. He said, "it is beautiful...a beautiful story." I know, I know, shameless self promotion, but hey, he liked it and after struggling with the third act for so long, it was good to hear the compliment.

New poster idea...

A week after Easter weekend I'm planning a photo shoot with Danielle and Luke (Gwen and Clarr)...then I'll design the final poster...I plan to have them pose in action shots as if confronting the GARUM. In the meantime, these are fun...

SOMETIMES IT SNOWS IN APRIL (Prince)

So there I am, concentrating on my work out (bench press) in the back yard when something hits me in the eye...I take my focus from the weights and realize that it IS SNOWING IN APRIL!!! I just went outside to take the dog for his nightly business and there is a thin coat of snow covering my wife's car and the back yard...super crazy!

Some minor tweaks on the Danea costume

The Canon XL1

This is (very likely) the camera we will be using.

FINALLY!

After talking with Mawete and all of the emailing back and forth with Danielle, I finally got the third act rewritten! From the onset, I had never been happy with the final act, but now I'm psyched! It's raining out too...that might have had something to do with it!

MAWETE'S BRAIN ROCKS

Mawete is a student at IPFW and he has some fantastic ideas for the opening sequence. He promises to send images soon. I actually got the chills when he described his vision for the sequence.

Okay...ignore the post below...I'm posting some more pages...

Did a little more...but that's all...you gotta buy the DVD...

This will probably be the last post of the DVD pages

I was working some more on the "Book" of the blog and "making of" process and thought I'd post these pages...but I think these will be the last...I'll save the rest for the DVD. Oh, I can't wait to start shooting!!!!!!

Shooting schedule

If all goes as planned (and it never does) we will have 11 days of location shooting and 5 days of set shooting.

Realistically, I betting on 14 days of location shooting and 6 days of set shooting. But you never know. I still have the final battle to rewrite...it is two days of shooting...

Garum-Stilts...five minute sketch...still in progress

I spoke with Ron a week ago and he said that when he animates the GARUM, he wants to have a reference. So...I am building a GARUM stilt mechanism. As I am 6 ft 7 in, and the GARUM is nine feet, I must stand on 2 ft 5 in stilts and have arm extensions. I am wanting to use PVC, but as the GARUM fights with Gwen and Clarr, I really want a sense of weight to the movement and when swords clash with flesh, there needs to be a heavy, muscular feeling. I will probably use more wood than plastic. I am therefore going through a heavy work out to try and find the muscles I once had in my twenties. Once we shoot the scene, Ron is convinced that the CG GARUM can be placed over me on the stilts. Cue the Rocky theme...

The fight scene between Gwen and Clarr and the GARUM will be the last thing we shoot so I have about three months to really bulk up. When I hit trees (that have already been cut) they need to fall and my arm extensions need to look strong, not rubbery. A steel frame would be best, but I'm looking mainly at wood...but steel...hmmm...I wonder is Stallone has anymore of those muscle enhancing drugs he got busted for in Australia?