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?

BLOOD

Been messing with the two flavors...strawberry and chocolate...found that a 5 to 1 strawberry to chocolate mix plus some corn starch and a dash of Cabernet wine works really well...blood in rain...problem solved.

Why oh why...

Someone asked me the other day why I was doing this project...I replied, "Shut up!"...no actually I gave a real answer. When I was in college, we never had the opportunity to do something like this and I was always trying to do something like this...in college we made two films..."Harbinger" and "Matlock 304"...of course, that was before Andy Griffith made Matlock...

But I digress...I wanted a project that college students could get into and have a portfolio that did not look like the typical college crap...thus...a film.

So, ultimately there will be a DVD with bonus features...one such feature should chronicle the creation of this beast (i.e. the blog and up dates...) I have posted a sample...enjoy, chew, savor, critique...

It's a bit of a contest...

One of my friends, Doug, asked why Danielle had the cloth pulled over her eyes. I realized that anyone not privy to the story line might asked the same question. At two scenes in the story, Danielle, as Gwen, will be seen with her eye coverings off. We'll get some red contacts for those scenes. So...here are three ideas for a promo poster. Vote on the best or send some advice.

Lilly kills a Drifter Demon

Lilly approaches the Drifter Demon...

Drifter: A death has occurred…we are naturally drawn…


Lilly pulls out her cross and holds it before her…it glows bright green…the Drifter moves in close…

Drifter: That does not scare me.

Lilly: It’s not supposed to scare you. It’s supposed to hurt.

She hits the drifter upside the head with the glowing cross and the drifter explodes into dust…

Lilly: Fool!

All but DANEA...

We've cast every main character but DANEA...we need a super tough woman who has some serious muscle. I've been looking at a local female "roller Derby" group for some possibilities...

STORMS APLENTY

...but I'm stuck inside. There are several storms moving through today and I'm stuck in the basement of the University without so much as a window to watch the excitement...

Tonight we dine IN HELL!!!

"Uh...excuse me king, I thought I'd just pop on over to purgatory for a pint!"

As far as rallying cries go, "dining in hell" isn't on the top of my list! So, this is a review of the much anticipated 300! I sorta liked it...sorta hated it. What I liked was the nonstop action and the way the Queen dispatched the bad guy. I also enjoyed the cinematography...however, I also didn't like it. When it worked, it ROCKED, when it didn't it was just plain unprofessional.

Any close up of our hero worked...however, the nature of the beast (digital) makes every flaw obvious...like the fact that twice I saw inoculation scars on two characters...not good. Also, any time that the ultimate villain was on camera, it was SO obvious that there were latex appliances keeping the piercing on.

Also, why, with all of the spraying blood, were our heroes never covered with blood?

Now, I did like the elephant attack, and, well, basically all of the attacks at the valley.

I also liked the "wall" segment...see it...you'll know what I mean.

So, bottom line, I am inspired, but I also see what not to do...

blood recipe

Two students of mine suggested chocolate and strawberry syrup mixed with water for blood. Chocolate was used in "PSYCHO" but it was black and white film...the strawberry should work, but it's too pink. Adding the chocolate will thicken and darken it. We'll test tomorrow...

Alias Sketch Book Pro 1.0

Some people have asked what software I'm using. It's sketchbook with some Photo shop for lighting...I have some more works in progress that I'll post soon.

Serenity

Been listening to the commentary track to Joss Whedon's "Serenity"...one thing that bothers me is how often he keeps saying that "we needed to cut this scene because the audience would be bored by it or it doesn't advance the story"...but here's how I look at editing. No one notices a spice unless it is there and then is not. If your instinct tells you to include a scene...keep it. If a meal needs pepper, add it. If it isn't there, sure, people won't miss it...but if it is there, and it adds to the flavor (as most of the deleted scenes from Serenity did), then forget your concept of what the public might or might not want and put it in your movie. The die hard fans will love it and the other's might enjoy some spice!

The face of evil...

This is my version of the demon drifter...we'll see what Mawete does with it.

Scout...or nose ninja...

It wasn't until after I finished this that I saw the resemblance to the Ninj. His nose is exposed so that he can smell, but his mouth is covered to help stave off his breath. The clothing is rubbed with tree sap or moisture from weeds to hide his oder from the Garum.

of blood and rain...

Traditionally blood for film is corn syrup and food coloring. When "Conan the Barbarian" was being filmed they had to mix vodka in the mix to keep the cornsyrup from freezing during the winter fight scenes. Several members of the crew were caught with red tongues when a gallon of the blood went missing.



Well we have a different problem all together. We have continuous rain. We will need to devise a 'blood' that will flow smoothly and mix with the rain while not staining the clothing as paint or food coloring would. Starting Monday the 19th we are doing "BLOOD TESTS". We'll post the results.

New artists added to the team.

We just added Rachael, an IPFW artist, to the team. She draws all sorts of dragons and mythical beasts. She is designing the 'dog' creature that Danea uses for the hunt of the GARUM.

Also, Mawete has finished his Senior project (I hope to post images of it as soon as he gives me permission because it ROCKS to the stars...trust me) and is ready to begin the opening sequence and the DRIFTERS!

ITT did not renew my contract this quarter...a bit bummed...a bit not...

Color change

I messed with the color some more to give it the look of evening. Also, I was asked by Andrew how we were going to shoot this scene. I'm thinking that the sculpture will be a model. The background will be CG. Gwen most likely, since she is small here, will be CG. The waterfall could be a combo of CG and something they used for the waterfall models of Naboo in Star Wars Phantom Menace. I will need to revisit that disc, but I believe they used salt and...I'll get back to you on it. But any way, this shot is just an establishing shot. It will only be on a few seconds. We'll cut to a close up of Gwen entering the framing of the cave-like entrance of the sculpture.

The Library

There is a point in the film where Gwen seeks out the advice of the LIBRARIAN...she goes to his Library which is a ruined sculpture of a "king". The sculpture has fallen into a cliff-side-waterfall and the head has split. The water pours through the top of the sculpture's head and runs out through the eye sockets as tears...it is as if the sculpted king weeps for his children...

PG, PG-13, R ?

Some people have asked what sort of rating I would be shooting for with this film...Not an R, but probably not a PG. There is violence and there is some blood. However, most of the violence takes place off camera and tho the GARUM is quite monstrous, he exists in the shadows. The SURVIVOR also exists in the shadows and emerges from them only briefly. These days its hard to see why certain ratings are given out. When CSI can show chest cavities torn or cut open but a group of anti smokers want to make any movie with smoking a hard R, it confuses me...