Final Posting for 2014!

Hey Guys,

One last post for the year.  I've updated the blog with a holiday banner and I thought I'd add it here so you can download a copy if you want.

And may you have a Wonderful Holiday and a Happy New Year!

See you in 2015!

Thomas 4.0 Character Test!

Hey everyone,

Well, I'm gonna say I'm finished with the new Thomas model's animation test. There are a few things that could be better, but as far as a test goes, this did that. His lip sync could be better, especially in the beginning of the clip, but his speech controls work as does his rigging for his body movements. Everything, as far as that goes, looks good.

So, here is the test.  Enjoy!





And there you go.

So, now I need to build the T-Boom model, which won't take as long since he will be a modified Thomas. Still, I don't see me getting that done before the new year.

So, if this is my last post for 2014, have a great holiday season and I'll see you in 2015!

Later!

Thomas Now Completely Rigged!

Hey guys,

So, I finally found some time to finish rigging Thomas' eyes and I can now turn his head and have his eyes follow, as well as target where his eyes are looking.

That means the Thomas model is done (baring some fine tuning that is always discovered during animation).

Speaking of animation.  It's time to start doing a test animation on Thomas and make sure he is good to go.

I have no idea how long that will take since I'm not sure how much time I will have.  This is the most unproductive time of the movie, sadly.

I'll certainly post it when it's done.

Later!

Got Thomas' Shape Keys and Phonemes Done!

Hey everyone!

So, I have Thomas' expressions and speech patterns completed.

I would have turned his head a little but I forgot that I'm not completely done rigging him yet and when I turned his head his eyes didn't follow!

As you can see, that's pretty creepy!

No worries, though. His eyes are the only thing I have left to rig and that won't take very long, but I'm calling it a day so I will get to it later.

Right now, I say he's 99.5% done!

Once complete, I'll do a character test.  Then I have to create T-Boom.

I'll keep you posted.

Later!

Haven't Been Completely Idle!

Hey guys,

So, it's that time of the year where very little gets done on the movie.  Still, I have been doing some work.

First off, as you can tell by the home page banner, I've done a new Xam and Power Dog Thanksgiving 2014 pic. I've even added it so you can download it if you like.

I know, it's not that different from last years pic but there is only so much you can do for Thanksgiving. Beside, I like the little turkey I made last year and I love the idea of Xam and Power Dog protecting him every Thanksgiving so this will probably become a new tradition.

I also have been working on the new Thomas model. I've got his body 90% rigged and I've started doing shape keys for his facial expressions and speech. So far, all I have is the eyes done. Next comes the phonemes, which is what shapes his lips, teeth and tongue when he speaks.

But, just to show I've been working, I thought I'd add an updated pic of the new Thomas model. I've even worked on his hair some more and I like this much better.

Tada! 

And there you go.

Keep checking back.  They may be few and far between, but I will be posting updates this holiday season.

Later!

Thomas Character Update!

Hey Everyone,

Well, I've been working on the movie the last couple of days.

Specifically, the Thomas character.

Now, this is one of the biggest changes in the new script.  Thomas, in the new script, isn't 10.  He's 16!

There are all kinds of reasons for the change but the main reason is that in the original script, Thomas joins the good guys at the end of the film.  The problem I had with that was as I was writing the new script, the new Thomas was a real jerk.  I mean to say, he does some really terrible things and the more I wrote him the more it made it difficult to believe this new version would ever turn to out to become a good guy.

After much consideration, I decided not to have him switch sides at the end of the film and because of that, I didn't want him to be a 10 year old boy.  That just seemed wrong.  As I said, this new Thomas is a real, genuine bad guy.  He's never going to change and he's going to always be Xam and Power Dog's biggest enemy.

So, I had to make a new Thomas. Thomas 4.0. And here he is, standing next to Thomas 3.0.

I think I'm gonna actually miss the little guy. :(

Now, Thomas 4.0 isn't done. The colors on him are just basic colors.  I haven't color mapped him yet. I also need to rig him and set up his phoneme shape keys for lip syncing.  So, I still have quite a bit to do.

I just wanted to let you know I'm working hard on the movie.

Talk to you later!

Done With the First Draft of the New Script!

Hey guys,

I am finally done with the first draft of the new script!  I am so very sorry for how long it has taken. Unlike the first time I wrote the script, this time I was coming up with a brand new story and although I knew what I wanted to do, I had no idea how I was going to do it.

I still have a lot of work to do though. This is the first draft.  I need to go over it in its entirety and iron out as many wrinkles as I can, but the good news is that I truly feel that won't take very long. I worked on this very slowly, not writing a scene until I was certain I was taking it in the right direction. So, if done properly, there won't be a lot that I need to polish. Hopefully, just some dialogue here and there.

So, what comes after that?

Once the script is done I will need to build the new sets and new characters. This new script is not a re-telling of the old. It is completely new story. Originally, the final battle between Xam, Power Dog and T-Boom took place on a deserted island. In the new script, it takes place at a Hydroelectric Dam. The bridge fight is also not in the new script. I also have a new idea for the city layout.  There are also several new characters and even a couple of henchmen for T-Boom.

Basically, I have a lot build.

Add that to the fact that we are approaching October and my focus turns to our annual Halloween display.  Check out my other blog if you want to know how that's coming along (Hollinger Hollow). I've already started posting over there. And the movie inevitably sees little activity during the holidays.

That said, I feel as though I have a lot to make up for. I spent a very long time working on the new script, trying to get it as perfect as I can. Still, that is a behind the scenes kind of thing and I really want to work on creating my new sets and characters.

Keep in mind, I say this every year around this time, but I am really going to try to make sure the movie doesn't get completely brushed aside during the last three months of the year. Expect to see some updates, kinda like I have for the last six months. Not a steady flow of updates, but at least one a month.

Of course, when I have something to post, I will post it!

Later!

Still Writing!

Wow, with as hard as I'm working on the movie you wouldn't know it from my lack of updates.

That's because, well, it's not really worth updating that I'm still writing the script.  But if I'm really working that hard, why am I not done?  It is a shorter movie, isn't it?

Yes.  This movie is way shorter.  At this rate, I'm thinking it will be around 40 to 45 minutes where the first script was an hour and a half.  So, why is this script taking so long when I finished the first one in a couple of weeks?

Well, I'd like to think its because this script is better.  I am working very hard to ensure this is a proper script, which I've never really tried to do before.  I want this to stand on it's own a a solid piece of writing.  Therefore, I am writing an re-writing every scene to ensure it is a good as I can make it.  In the end, it may still seem "amateur", which in all fairness is exactly what it will be, but at least I will know it is the best movie I can make.

So, I'm still writing the script.  The third act is the most difficult and I want to get it right.

Hopefully, the next post will be that I am done with the script.

Talk to you later!

Script, Script, Script!

Hey guys,

It's way past time for another update.  I am glad to report that I am making serious progress on the script. At the same time, I'm sad to report that it is taking me forever!

So, where am I? I just finished act 2 and I am starting act 3.  That's right, I'm about the start the final third of the movie.  And, I'm actually on pace to keep it around 45 pages, which should bring in about a 30 minute movie!

The reason for it taking so long is that I am really sticking to my guns about making it a great script, and I think I am doing just that. The people that have read it really love it, and believe me, they would tell me if they thought it sucked.

So, keep checking back from time to time. Once the script is done I have a feeling this ball is really gonna start rolling!

Later!

Wow! Has It Really Been That Long?!

Hey everyone,

I can't believe it's been nearly two months since I last posted anything. 

I am really sorry for that.  All I can say is that it's been a really interesting couple of months.  I've been writing, then getting stuck, and writing, then getting stuck, and, heck, you get the idea.

I've decided to start the script completely over and write a 30 minute movie that jumps right into the middle of the story and not the beginning.  This will absolutely quicken the pace of the film and get right into the action.

The problem with the script is that it just isn't that good and at times too cliched.  I know.  I'm not a real film maker.  Still, I'm trying to make a 30 minute movie and I don't want it to suck.  Chances are, in the end, it probably will, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to try to make a good movie.

So, what I have learned is that I'm already going to make a few more character models.  One scene has Xam and Power Dog taking out four baddies and I need to make the baddies.  I also have to make a news reporter.  There are two in the script but I'm going to use the Rocky model as one of the anchors. 

As far as sets, I have Thomas' room and the city which for the moment I'm calling Prosper or Prosper City.  I'm not stuck on the name so it's probably going to change.  It sounds too Old West.

OK, so that's where I am.  Still writing. 

Sorry.

Talk to you later (hopefully not in another two months).

Ugh! Script Smash!

Hey guys,

Man, I'm having a terrible time writing the 2nd draft of the script!

Even editing it down I'm still running longer than I want. I want to make a 30 minute move and every thing I do is about an hour long.

I'm going to take some time and really re-think what type of story I want to tell.

Truth is, I probably already know what I need to do, and I am resisting it.  I wanted to tell an origin story but that is really what is bogging down the movie.  I'm really thinking I need to go the way of the '89 Batman movie. In that movie, the beginning of the movie introduced us to a world where Batman already existed. I now think that is what I need to do.

The problem is that a meteorite is what gives everyone in Xam and Power Dog's world their powers. This means that when the camera fades in, there is no origin story for anyone.  Batman '89 at least got to tell the origin of the Joker.

That said, I really think it is what I need to do.  I am putting way too much time into the telling of the origin of each character and how they learned to use their powers.  Although that may be interesting (I think it is but I can't imagine anyone else cares) it isn't what this movie needs.


So, I am going to spend the next week or so seeing if I make my new approach to my movie work.

I will let you know how that goes.

Later!

 

Still Writing!

Hey everyone,

Well, as you can see, I haven't been doing a whole lot of updates.  We're halfway through February and this is my first post this month!

That sucks, but I haven't been idle.  I've been writing.

The problem I'm running in to is that this new script is going to be longer than the old one.  That defeats the purpose of what I'm trying to do, which is write a better, shorter script.  Right now, I'm 58 pages into the script and Max and Gibson still haven't appeared as Xam and Power Dog!

This is a problem because that means my new script could easily bee over 100 pages. That is not what I wanted to do.

So, I have to reign this script in.  I'm not exactly sure how long that is going to take.

I will let you know.

Later!

Fell A Little Behind!

Hey guys,

Well, I've been sick this last week and I'm afraid the script has really taken a hit.

That said, the script is at 40 pages and I'm just slightly half way through. It's funny, because the idea to the re-write was to re-work the story on the page to fit more with the story in my head since writing the first script, but it was also to trim the running time down.  I'm starting to get the feeling this script will be just as long if not a little longer.  UGH!

Anyway, I just wanted to post something to let you know I'm still working. 

More updates to come.

Later!

Checking In!

Hey guys,

No serious updates, just wanted to check in and let you know how things are going.

I'm still writing the script.  It's going very well, but I'm starting to fear it is going to be just as long, if not longer, than my original script.

That means I'm doing a lot of writing.  :)

Still, the point was to make the movie shorter.  That said, I'm still writing it and then I will look to see how I can trim it down to a 45 minute movie.

I'll let you know how that goes.

Later!

Been Modeling and Writing!

Hey guys,

So, 2014 is here and it's time to get back to making a movie!

I've been working on the new script and every time I write a couple of scenes it inspires me to model something.

Last time, it was the observatory that discovers the meteor that gives everyone their powers.

This time, it's Thomas' bedroom.  Have a look...

So, first observation is that this is the cleanest 10 year old's bedroom in human history.  I must admit, I spent a lot of time, about four days, building this model.  The minute I thought I was done, I'd look at it and realize a 10 year old has a computer in his room.  So I built the monitors, table and desk chair.  Then I realized there's no T.V., so I built that.  Where's the remote control? So, I built that and put it on the end table. Then I noticed how empty the walls were so I made posters.

Posters.  That was a major decision. Although I'm building a fictitious world I don't want to spend a lot of time on creating every detail in that world, like movies and comic books for example. I don't want to spend a lot of time when it comes to things like that so I made the posters from the things that influence me, like Star Wars, Justice League, Spider Man and Doctor Who. It's so much quicker to find pics online to make posters as opposed to creating poster material from scratch.

The same is true for the cleanliness of Thomas' room.  In reality, a 10 year old's room never looks that nice. I could dirty it up, but that just means more time is spent on modeling and not making my movie. If I'm ever going to get this thing made, I'm going to need to stop worrying about every detail and just get to it. So, Thomas' room is pretty clean. The alley won't be very dirty. The details on the building may be a little less detailed. I'm going to have to live with these things if I'm ever going to start filming.

Also, more detail means more rendering times. Case in point, each image of this bedroom takes over five minutes to render. The images of the city I've posted take over 20 minutes to render. Considering there are 24 frames in each second, the bedroom scenes will take 2 hours to render one second of film. The city, 8 hours for one second of film!  Ugh!

For the city, since it is so large, I can get around this by using backdrops. The bedroom, however, is too small to do this. I'm going to have to put the characters in the room and render it. I'm really going to have to figure out a way to render these images faster, but that is for a later time.

Right now, I'm back to writing some more.

I'll let you know how that goes.

Later!