Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Hey guys,

Well, what can I say? I haven't worked on the movie at all the last couple of weeks. I guess I shouldn't be surprised because let's face it, this time of year is crazy. Needless to say, family stuff has taken up all of my spare time and now that we're between Christmas and New Years I have to honestly admit that I'm just too tired to work on the movie at this time.

I do need to make another Power Dog costume. I've been putting it off for some time, despite the fact it will only take me about 3 or 4 hours now that I have some experience. Perhaps I will use some of my free time within the next couple of days to make the costume. At least I won't feel like I've wasted the entire month doing nothing. :)

I've also had some computer problems and that has slowed me down quite a bit. I'm just now starting to get my computer back up and running. Thankfully, I've got backup copies of everything so nothing is lost.

Now for the good news. Starting in January I plan on officially entering production as I will finally start filming the movie. It has been a long time coming but I think I'm finally ready. It will seem surreal when I finally get to say "lights, camera, action!" and actually begin shooting this thing.

We, meaning me and the cast, will need to do a couple of readings of the script before we start filming. The script has been final for quite some time but like all scripts, it has been updated as time has gone on. I will want to make sure everything sounds smooth and the story flows before we start filming and having the cast read through the entire script will help make sure that everyone is on the same page.

So, for the time being, that is all for now. I admit I've been a little lazy this month but everyone is gearing up and getting ready so we can start filming very early in January. As soon as I confirm dates I will update the blog.

Until then, have a great New Years!

Another Side of Thomas' Room!

I had too much fun with this so I did another pic of Thomas' room from a different angle. I also chose a larger format for the pic.

Click on the pic to see a larger image. :)

Enjoy!

Thomas' Room Set

Alright. I have to say that this was probably my most favorite set to build. The fact that the room is 12'x12' and not a 150'x300' warehouse or an entire island probably had something to do with that.

This was just a quick build, about an hour total, and only took 10 minutes to render. I also am convinced that this is going to be the most realistic I can get with my backgrounds. It isn't at all what I pictured in my mind when I sat down to do this movie but nothing I ever do is as detailed as the visions in my head. I just don't have the computing power to pull it off. I wish I did, but I don't. Like I said before, maybe some day some body will want to re-tell the story of Xam and Power Dog and hopefully I will get to be there as a creative consultant, but that will probably never happen and if I am ever going to get this movie done I need to continue moving forward. The hardest thing to film in movies is animals and children and that's all I have in my movie!

I may look into making the live action look more animated in post production. I will only do this if I don't like the look of the live action against the digital backgrounds and will only be doing it to give the movie visual balance. The truth is that I just won't know until I get to post so this idea is just that, an idea and I don't know if I'm going to do it or not. Feel free to look at some of my previous posts. It's full of idea's that at one time I was seriously considering and now quickly dismiss.

Anyway, enough of that. Here's the pic of Thomas' room.

Enjoy!

North Brother Test with Sound!

Well, I've spent the last week working on the North Brother Island test. I have to say, I'm pretty happy with this test!

This is only a quick 5 second shot but a lot happens in those 5 seconds. Again, in the movie, the final battle between Xam, Power Dog and T-Boom happens on the abandoned North Brother Island in the East River.

Here is a quick shot of the landing and I've added some sound to help polish it up a bit. This is from the perspective of Power Dog as he lands on top of the hospital on the island. This shot was rendered for 4 hours before I edited it.

I'm beginning to think this is the best I will be able to do for the movie. I really would like the backdrops to look more realistic but I just don't have the computing power to pull it off. I have to face the fact this movie is just not going to be a professional quality and I'm hoping this fact might give the movie a unique look and feel.

Who knows, maybe some day somebody will want to make a professional movie based on my characters. Until then, this might be the best I can do.

Enjoy!

Early Island Test!

Alright, I'm still kicking and breathing. I've been working on the North Brother Island set for the last week (along with eating a lot of turkey) and that is taking a lot of time.

For those that don't know, North Brother Island is an abandoned island located in the East River off of New York City. It is most famous for being an insane asylum and later a quarantine hospital where Typhoid Mary spent her last remaining years. Currently, as mentioned above, it is abandoned and nobody is allowed to step foot on the island.

That made it the perfect spot for the final battle between Xam, Power Dog and T-Boom! This test scene is no where close to ready. It shows Power Dog's point of view as he jumps to the island and lands on the top of the hospital and spins around.

Again, this is no where near complete. I just wanted to post something on the blog and this filled in nicely.

Enjoy!