Guns and Glory FX

2011-10-17T22:08:00.000-07:00

Bought a belt-sander and spent about an hour on the laser gun with the coarsest grit. It's now about half-sanded. Was a lot of fun, except getting covered in fiberglass dust that itches like crazy. No pics--too dark. Will post once it's all sanded.

I do like the belt sander a lot (Craftsman!) and will enjoy the rest of the sanding. Was worth selling my Xbox games for it. :D

What I learned about switches and triggers

2011-09-22T00:03:00.000-07:00

In preparing for the fiberglassing stage, I found that my trigger was loose. Not just a little loose...tragically loose. It needed to be replaced.

Since the construction of the trigger mechanism, I surfed a few electronics sites and learned that what I made was a "DPDT momentary pushbutton switch" out of two SPST toggles and some springs. Cute, but inefficient and prone to failure. What I needed to do was order a DPDT momentary pushbutton and wire it in.

Armed with this new revelation, I just ordered one of these:

Next I plan to make a new trigger mechanism-- a much simpler, sturdier one that uses this switch to control the LEDs.

3 Months left until my New Years' Resolution expires...hope I can finish this gun in time.

Laser Gun update

2011-07-11T21:58:00.000-07:00

Here's where I'm up to. Still sculpting the nose, but figured I'd test-fit the electronics and sketch up the patterns. I like where it's heading. Gray areas will have silver "metal" sheeting on top. Black areas will be glossy smooth black.

But she still needs a whole coat of fiberglass and a bunch of sanding before we get to those stages...

Laser gun update

2011-06-14T19:01:00.000-07:00

Still working away on the buttstock and getting all the lines square. I like the progress though--take a look:

Straight as an arrow...as it very well should be.

Carved out the barrel. It will have to be very strong for when someone sets it on its nose. Got a plan, but we'll just take it one thing at a time for now.

Hand Grenade Pipe

2011-06-04T10:12:00.001-07:00

A month or so back, I doodled an ugly picture of a hand grenade with pipe stem sticking out of it. I kind of snickered at the thought, and showed it to my neighbor. I joked "I should make one of these." He looked at me and said, with great authority, "Yes, you should."

I took his challenge. Used the drill press at work as a poor-man's lathe to make a fairly ugly Jammed a stem into it and put a paper cutout on the top.

It's not much to look at, but it got a huge response on FB. I received several commissions right off the bat, as well as offers to purchase this piece! I refused to sell this one because it is not up to my standards of quality.

My wife gave her approval on my intent to purchase tools and supplies and go into production. $400 later I had cranked out the first one, with 3 more close behind.

Cork keeps the topper attached when pipe is not in use, does not disturb the cake.

Detail of African Mahogany wood grain.

Sitting open on display base.

The full display.

My personal pipe, maple burl.

I have worked in African Mahogany (shown), Maple Burl (shown), Redwood Burl and Ebony. Looking for some undrilled Briar to work with.

Right now all my commissions have been through facebook. The pipes go for $60 apiece and come with filters and the display box.

Laser Gun updates

2011-06-04T09:52:00.000-07:00

Been working on the edges and corners--Bondo holds up a lot better than the spackel.

Noticed that the handguard is lopsided by as much as half an inch...yuck.

Built it up with some scrap foamcore board and hot glue.

Then covered it in bondo. *Gloop*

Lots more sanding and patching have been going on.

I tried out some primer, but it wasn't nearly as sandable as I had expected. Note to self: never buy non-sandable primer again.

After 6 months off-and-on-again work, it still feels like it hasn't really progressed much. I decided to treat myself by painting her black, just to get a feel for what she'll look like. Not worried about the mottled texture. The paint honestly doesn't do the gun much good at this stage, but it's good for my fragile psyche.

Still needs the dorsal bump, and got some more shaping to do, especially in the handguard and buttstock sections. Dying to get to the fiberglassing stage though.

2011-04-18T23:54:00.000-07:00

Little by little, we're getting there.

Getting everything symmetrical and making templates for the various sections. It's finally starting to pull together. (The poorly-plugged hole near the front is just because I was tired of looking halfway through the gun while working. The foam will be removed and some electronics will go inside later on.)

Laser gun update

2011-04-03T08:33:00.000-07:00

Sanding, patching, sanding, patching. Wouldn't have to if I had done it right from the beginning...

But we'll get there.

Lesson to be learned: buy blocks of foam, glue them togther. Measure out your shape and draw it on the foam, then cut/hotwire it. Then do the details. When you're too cheap to buy foam, you will waste hours fixing the problems that cobbling together bits of foam causes for you.

Laser gun electronics

2011-03-24T23:36:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the non-update period. I'll try to make it up to you with this post.

Laser gun's been moving along slowly. I finally finished the electronics for it though...

First set of half-dome lights stay on as long as the gun is in use or on display.

Once the charging button is held, the charging bars start going.

While holding the charging button, at any time you can pull the trigger and it will shut off the charging bars and engage the firing lights--the two front half domes as well as the large crystal that will be seated deep inside the barrel.

Now to finish the gun sculpt so I can start fitting this stuff to it! :D

Pimpin' My Ride

2010-08-14T11:12:00.000-07:00

Snagged an image of the Dharma logo from some corner of the web. Printed it out and cut it into a stencil. Super 77'd it to my car and sprayed away. Not too shabby for a quick job.

Bookends

2010-08-14T10:47:00.000-07:00

Just finished a set of bookends for my wife. She wanted ones that looked like a bridge with a boy on one side and a girl on the other.

Started by measuring out some foamcore, scoring it at 1cm intervals and hot gluing it down to another strip of foamcore. Making sure it curved evenly, I traced out the curve onto some basswood and cut along the lines. Glued the wood to the foamcore and cut slits for the vertical posts.

Set the posts in and cut them 3" from the top of the foamcore. After this photo, I soaked and bent 2 long strips of basswood, leaving them bent to dry. I rounded the tops of the posts and glued the railing to the posts.

Started sculpting the girl.

Started sculpting the guy.

I bent a sheet of steel to a 90-degree angle, and hot glued it to another sheet.

Hot-glued the bridge to 'em to make it a functional (though lightweight) bookend. Sprayed it with metallic bronze.

Finshed the sculpts and sprayed it all bronze. Antiqued the figures with black acrylic paint, then sprayed a clear gloss coat to finish 'er up.

Done.

TMNT Ooze Canister

2010-07-10T17:59:00.000-07:00

Hailing back to TMNT 2, Secret of the Ooze.

Spent a few weeks on this, picking at it slowly. Real glass, real ooze...real fun.

NOM!

2010-04-13T00:00:00.000-07:00

Doodling in church... actually very pleased with how it turned out.

2010-02-16T09:13:00.000-08:00

This has been a little derelict--busy with top secret stuff at work.

But check out my buddy's comic at www.axecop.com and the animatic trailer for it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtOX_O_NKHY

Lifecast hands in Plaster

2009-12-14T11:46:00.000-08:00

Fingers lost some detail b/c with cheap plaster the grit settles too much. But I was most interested in the wrists--planning to sculpt a custom watchband. Should work great.

AVM Mini

2009-12-11T20:41:00.000-08:00

Don't know if I mentioned, but I now work for United Biologics as the Molding/Casting Supervisor. Two weeks ago we launched a project that had been my baby for months. Got rather attached to it during production, but could not go public with the project until now. So with much pride, I give you the AVM Mini:

http://unitedbiologics.com/AVM%20Mini.html

Credit goes to all the people directly involved:

Craig (President) oversaw the project.

I designed it, sculpted the unit from scratch, molded, cast, and colored it.

Laura sculpted the vessel pattern I requested for the inside, and I integrated it.

Evan assisted me with running the molds once production was rolling, and he took care of getting laser-cut lids.

I love my job.

FX Glass Bottles

2009-10-23T11:48:00.001-07:00

Made some sugar glass bottles for "Self Storage," a film Jared Norby's working on. Not hero bottles, just quick action shots. So I made a bunch real fast and left the so-so ones in with the good ones. Lots of 'splosions occurred.

Not too shabby, for next-to-no-budget.

Thanks for the pic, Jared!

Goggles Update # 391

2009-10-07T20:19:00.001-07:00

I talk too much. So... picture!

Pretty much ready to mold, then cast in flex-urethane.

2009-09-25T11:10:00.000-07:00

Progress on the goggles:

Lense rings! Grooved out the inside so that the lenses will sit snug without falling out.

Tryin' em on for size. Decent fit!

All-Metal Business Card Holder

2009-09-13T22:46:00.000-07:00

Had a boring evening and too much alginate sitting around, so I decided to experiment; molded my hand in the alginate and melted down some tin. Poured the molten tin in the wet mold with a loud hiss. I knew from the start that it wouldn't be a good lifecast...but I wasn't sure exactly what I would get. See for yourself:

Spats!

2009-09-13T22:33:00.000-07:00

Using Threadbanger's DIY vid, I made a pair of spats for my halloween costume!

For a quick project I didn't want to commit any real time to, they turned out good enough. It'll do.

http://www.threadbanger.com/episode/THR_20090603

2009-09-10T08:39:00.000-07:00

I've been sculpting 2 neurosurgery products for CJDP Inc. Waiting to hear about a patent for them before I can post any pics, but they'll be awesome.

Goggles Update

2009-09-08T21:08:00.001-07:00

So the clay I was using was far too soft, and wouldn't keep the nice sharp edges I was looking for. So I peeled off the details and molded the core in alginate. Smeared Bondo in the mold and Sanded it down. Spray paint helped me find the details that needed filling. So here's where we're up to:

Next, I'll add the rings around the lens holes and temple plates. Last, add the faux rivets and cut out the strap slots. Can't wait to mold and cast this puppy.

Church Doodles

2009-08-30T13:37:00.000-07:00

Made this little guy while sitting in church. Trying to learn to draw at a good speed. Love reptiles and amphibians.

Bug

2009-08-29T22:31:00.000-07:00

Trying to keep in practice. Feels good to draw. But now I'd like to sculpt this one...

Doodles

2009-08-06T14:36:00.000-07:00

"The Pocketwatch"

Just doodling.

2009-05-24T00:41:00.001-07:00

My new favorite place to buy stuff:

www.burmanindustries.com

For all your molding and casting needs.

2009-05-07T12:01:00.000-07:00

5 minute self-portrait sketch. Took longer to upload than to draw. Go figure.

Trying to draw as much as possible lately to improve my chops. Planning to get crackin' on a graphic novel this summer.

Best Buy's cut me down on hours due to the all-wrathful economy. But God is good--got another, more specialized job. I get to sculpt and cast silicone models for medical exhibits shown at trade shows. Most people would probably find it boring, but I'm kind of a geek for that kind of stuff. That brings me up again to a total of 3 jobs. Didn't see that coming.

Fat Man's Requiem

2009-05-04T20:38:00.000-07:00

I should have started with a picture for Fat Man. Here's how he turned out before I scrapped him. Unfortunately, the textures and wrinkling did not show up in the cell phone photos I snapped.

Maybe most interesting is how different he is from the original armature head...

Learned some things...primarily: Use some bloody reference photos!

2009-04-29T23:50:00.000-07:00

Progress:

Cleared out the eye holes and roughed out some grooves for the lenses to sit in.

Lenses sitting on top, to get a feel for the magnification.

The chavant is too soft for the precise look I am going for. Keeps squishing out of proportion. So the plan is to mold it in silicone leftovers from MEL and then buy some flexible urethane to cast it in. Then we sand the urethane smooth, and paint it. Last, we widen the lens groove and grind the lenses to fit it.

I'll worry about the band later.

Johnathan Mastron's Comics

2009-04-26T12:29:00.000-07:00

http://www.webcomicsnation.com/heresjohnny/adhominem/series.php?view=archive&chapter=36680

An up and coming web cartoonist, John currently draws cartoons for the Biola Campus Newspaper, The Chimes. His work has been guest featured on 'Through the Port Hole' http://dummcomics.com/index?sid=274 among other websites.

He's working on 3 different comics, as well as developing a webisodic animated cartoon.

Check it out!

Steampunk Goggles

2009-04-21T17:55:00.001-07:00

Started on a new project which required a lifecast of my face.

Oh look, I just happen to have made one of those.

Next, globbed it up with some Chavant clay and start sculpting.

A few hours and an untold number of The Simpsons episodes later...

Making good progress. Planning to cast it in flexible urethane, paint it and put coke-bottle lenses in.

Scary

2009-04-16T12:51:00.000-07:00

This isn't my usual topic, but I made a startling discovery today...

Bill Nye the Science Guy=Honest Abe!

Rise 2

2009-03-08T22:20:00.000-07:00

I reworked my 'Rise' sketch for Justin. Here's the finished one.

Started as a doodle in church.

Feast 3: The Happy Finish

2009-03-05T22:52:00.000-08:00

I did a miniature for Feast 3: The sequence where the bus bursts out of the ground...

T'was my work, but sadly I was forgotten in the credits. Producer Mike Leahy kindly apologized to me,

"Huge apology Will!!! ... I am a big fan of yours and somehow

in the furious finish of the movie we dropped the ball...You came

through big time for the movie."

So the credit will be on IMDB, but sadly not on the actual movie credits.

I actually doubled for the prophet for one shot in 'crawling through the sewer' sequence, but don't mind being uncredited for that one. It's such a minor shot, and I had fun doing it.

____________________________

In the mean time, MEL's great fun. I learn something every day there. Makeup expert Bob Romero's been personally teaching us about wig and hair work. Took a field trip to the Fashion District in LA too. Bob showed us around the place--he's been so kind to us despite the fact we're lowly interns. I can say only the best things about Bob. =D

Fat Man Update

2009-01-01T15:42:00.000-08:00

Sorta fell to the wayside in favor of other projects at MEL, but Fat Man is still coming along nicely.

The "Michael Bay Gun"

2009-01-01T15:21:00.001-08:00

Inspired by Gears of War 2, I've started a new project: A big nasty rifle.

I want this sucker to be huge and unweildy, and something akin to a full-auto m203 launcher. 1-inch barrel, heavy as all getouts, detachable magazine, massive shotgun-style fore-end that moves the bolt and if i feel gutsy, ejects a big honking shell. Finish for it will be heavy on paint chips, scratches and grime. If it doesn't dwarf you while holding it, you need to lay off the steroids.

Plan is to carve/sculpt it up first, then cast it in high-impact plastic, with lots of metal for weight. Starting with 2x4's, I carved out a spot for the fore-end and track for the barrel to sit in.

Attached the barrel, added more wood for the stock, clayed up the front and top, carved up grip.

Next up, attach the grip, slim down the stock and rough out a clip for this bad boy.

It will probably have iron sights, but i'm toying with the idea of three lasers wired together in a predator-esque fashion.

Fat Man in Progress

2008-10-13T21:42:00.000-07:00

Here's what I was up to last week. Didn't get to touch it today--we were very busy in the shop with Pushing Daisies and a horror film.

I'll post the 'before' pictures after it's done. Thing is, I have to tear it apart to get them. =\

Sculpture

2008-10-07T20:54:00.000-07:00

This week MEL FX did not have a big project for me to help on, so I had time to do my own sculpture. Started with an old lifecast bust of a man and added clay on top, building it up to transform my him into a morbidly obese version of himself. Sounds fairly simple....

But I had never even attempted to sculpt a human face before.

6 hours into the project, it started to to look pretty good. Then none other than Brian Thompson walked into the studio! I met him and when he saw my sculpture he asked what I was working on. I told him I was "Just doodling." He raised an eyebrow and repeated incredulously "Doodling...?!" then walked away. I grinned at the compliment.

8 hours in, I was pretty happy with the direction it was going. Fat-Man had 3.5 chins and rolls on the back of his neck, chubby cheeks and bags under his eyes. Started smoothing it up and my friend Stuart Hirsch walked up. He's a very talented artist and fellow intern at the studio. He noted that my sculpture was "...@$#% good." I thanked him and quietly noted that I've never sculpted a person before. He told me "Dude, you should be shouting that from the rooftops!"

Think it's going over well. =D I'm light years away from the talent of other artists there, but this is a highly encouraging start. Probably 6 more hours left on the sculpture, most of it is smoothing and then texture. Hoping to make Fat-Man good enough that Paul or Alan will notice. My goal is to somehow become truly valuable to MEL [bring them lots of money and cause no trouble] and make them congratulate each other for bringing me onboard. It will be lots of work, but I am willing. Pictures to come...when paycheck->camera comes.

On the way out today, I met Michael Sheen. He's very polite and gentlemanly. Can't wait to see him in Underworld 3!

MEL FX Labs

2008-09-20T10:43:00.000-07:00

In two days I will start my internship with Makeup FX Laboratories! This is a dream come true, working side by side with the geniuses who have inspired me since my childhood. Don't know exactly what my duties will be, but I'll be learning the trade every day.

As an added benefit, I am familiar with the basic processes for most of the things they do at MEL FX--sculpting, molding, casting, painting, vacuum forming, and the like. Heck, I'll have a half-hour conversation with you on the benefits of latex or silicone mold rubbers and the nuances of both... I love talking shop.

Mondays and Tuesdays, Hello Hollywood!

Rock DJ

2008-09-19T10:55:00.001-07:00

Robbie Williams' music video Rock DJ won the MTV Special FX Award in 2001. Great makeup FX. Definitely worth a look, but I warn you its a tad disturbing. NSFW.

Masters FX

2008-09-19T10:55:00.000-07:00

These are the geniuses who brought you the creature design and makeup FX for Slither, Pathfinder, Elektra, First Contact, The Adams Family and Predator. Their slideshow is definitely worth a look.

http://www.mastersfx.com/

Warning: NSFW.

DV converters

2008-09-16T15:47:00.000-07:00

If you're running a PC, finding a box to convert RCA to USB/FW800 is easy. There's billions ranging from $49.95 to $5699.95. Just take your pick.

I checked out customer reviews for www.provantage.com and decided they seemed trustworthy. Ordered the ADS Pyro DV box from them, only to find that it claims to work on "PC and MAC"...but a month [!?!] later when it arrived, I found that it only works with the old Macs. Lame

If you're trying to import into FCP on a Mac, you've got few options. The Apple Store pretty much sells every box that works, and they can fit them all on half a shelf. The options are even more slim if you're running an Intel Mac. I finally settled on Pinnacle's Dazzle for Mac. At $99.95, it seemed like a good deal. Plugged it in and installed the software...so easy to set up. But unfortunately FCP would not recognize it. So I tried the software: easiest capture program I've ever used. 4 clicks and you're done. It captures in MPEG-4, which isn't too shabby, but I would like more options. .MOV files don't need rendering in FCP like MPEG-4 files do. Adjustable a/v quality settings are completely lacking, and it could use a few more ports in the back. But that's what you get when you buy the 'home video' product instead of the $4k 'professional' one.

Great product for what it claims to do: make home video importing very easy. But darn it, I'm too picky for that.

Supply Places

2008-08-20T12:37:00.000-07:00

I connected with a pro artist last night at work; she was selling Direct TV, I was selling Macs. Neither bought anything...but she told me about a place to buy top quality art supplies for a great price. Intuitively named, www.artsupplywarehouse.com offers discounts on the alumalite products I've been wanting to pick up for a while. Based in Huntington Beach, their stock is supposed to be highly impressive. Huge aisles dedicated to single products: The pens go on forever just by themselves, not to mention the paper or brushes and ink.

Another great place is www.pinkhouse.com . Their site is ugly, but prices are unbeatable. They offer a selection of harder-to-find products like Picco-tex and Expand-it.

The Faux Library

2008-08-13T13:46:00.000-07:00

The Faux Library is a neat little prop shop that I found while wandering through back-alley North Hollywood. Their deal is that they make and rent out normal looking books that are light as a feather. This is very valuable to set changers who have to move an entire bookshelf...set books up...take books down...move shelf...set books up...repeat ad absurdum. Eats up a lot of valuable shooting time.

With faux books, you can cut out those middle steps. Set it up once, move the shelf, take them down when done. Smart! I like the way they think.

They also make their own magazines covers and custom books covers that do not need licenses or releases to be shown onscreen, along with realistic covers for books that the public cannot get a hold of: CIA manuals, Top Secret Docs, etc.

Makeup FX Laboratories

2008-08-13T13:27:00.000-07:00

Today I had to honor of touring my new favorite FX studio, MEL FX. These are the guys who fabricated the eggs for the movie Aliens.

[melfx.com]

They also made the Borg suit for Seven of Nine in Star Trek Voyager:

I got to touch one of the original Borg suits, and see all the foam latex equipment, the vacuum forming area, the metal machining stuff and all manners of delightful past projects. Check out their website for tons of pictures. Their project list is longer than my arm.

The owner was kind enough to sit down with me and talk about the business. I asked him lots of questions about how FX studios work and how a person starts in that kind of career. 30 minutes later [!!] he offered me an apprenticeship at the studio. I almost fell out of my chair in excitement! Accepted immediately.

So now I'm looking at juggling 3 part-time jobs. Wow.

Sockbaby 4!

2008-08-01T11:21:00.000-07:00

Ronnie Cordova's father revealed...Doug Jones [Hellboy's Abe Sapien!] fights Burger...this installment is sure to please.

Sockbaby!

Magic's Worst Fraud

2008-07-31T10:46:00.000-07:00

(image from mindfreak.com)

Criss Angel has done more damage to televised magic than any other performer before him. Even more than all the various "World's Greatest Magic Secrets Revealed" shows put together. Why? Because he has blatantly lies and betrays the trust of every single viewer.

Angel's main selling point is that he does not digitally manipulate his illusions. He readily admits that they are tricks--but stands adamantly behind his claims that the tricks could be performed live in front of people; and that the people he interviews really were randomly there at the time.

But it is all lies. Take a look:

Deconstructing just one of his ripoffs... the levitation between buildings.

And the digital cheating in his suicide by car. (Some controversy)

Here is the deconstruction of his fake motorcycle jump through fire.

He's been known to use a host of plants to 'verify' that it was all real, and that they had never seen him before, but gets caught blocking the cameras and switching plants.

One more: Switching plants, or cheating in a second take. Woman pulled in half. Watch the woman's hair as she lays down on the table. First it covers her ears, then he puts his hands on her [cut] and her hair is off her ears. Telltale discontinuity, it is.

Having your gimmick caught by the audience is not necessarily doing damage to magicians, because most people know it is an illusion. However, claiming that you never use camera tricks or editing to perform an illusion--then going right ahead and doing it IS damaging. Criss Angel might be a good FX Coordinator, I think. But as a magician, he is a lying SOB. These tricks could not be performed in front of a live audience, and his planted testimonies are an insult to the real viewers. Bad form, Angel.

Sock Baby 4 is coming!

2008-07-08T11:49:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite creative minds, Doug Tennapel, has announced the newest chapter in his video series!
www.sockbaby.com
Doug's got a great track record of cranking out really fun oddball stories, and he's showing no signs of slowing down any time soon! Check it out.

Semi-final Edit

2008-06-15T07:18:00.000-07:00

Here's the latest version as it appears on my demo reel. I'm working on the credits and DVD design. A few more tweaks and I will burn them to some DVDs for all the cast and crew. Again, thanks to all the awesome people who contributed to the production in one way or another.

Scene 44 is Picturelocked!

2008-05-13T10:26:00.000-07:00

After two semesters of work, Scene 44 has finally reached fruition. At 56 seconds long, it became the powerhouse of action and FX that I dreamed it would. It earned compliments from my peers and the professor:

"This sounds kinda sick...but that's the kind of thing I could watch over and over!" -Dr. Gonzales

Once I get permission for the music, I will post Scene 44 here. Not interested in getting sued over 40 seconds of music...

A sincere thank-you to all my cast and crew:

Gersom Aguilar -Security, Grip
Hannah Christensen -Grip, Chief Hydrator
Sarah Hastings -Wardrobe, FX Assistant
Johnathan Mastron -FX Assistant,
Jeremy McMahan -Photographer, FX Assistant
Adria Murphy -Coworker
Hannah Roberts -Grip
David Sidebotham-2nd Camera, Key Grip, Intern, Script Supervisor
Trevor Stewart -FX Assistant, Grip
Amy Stoothoff -Shelly
Amanda Turner -FX Assistant, Grip
KJ Wade -Boom Op, FX Assistant
Evan Walker -Camera and ADP

Special Thanks to Dave, Amy and Evan for going way above and beyond their commitments.

Teaser

2008-05-07T16:14:00.000-07:00

Here's Dave's tea experience:

Audio is rough. Really want an audio guy to do it right, b/c I'm the first to admit I'm not inclined in that direction.

That's a Wrap!

2008-05-05T00:09:00.000-07:00

Photography for Scene 44 is wrapped and editing has begun. I proudly present a few more screenshots for your viewing pleasure...

The ceiling collapses and Shelly jumps back in horror.

Ominous foreboding.

I'm currently looking for someone to do post audio.
Going to be a bit intensive, but so much fun.

First Shooting Day Wrapped

2008-04-13T11:34:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the first day of Scene 44's shoot. We had the HVX and first camera, and a DVX as second.

The whole crew was awesome. Everyone worked very well together and executed some very precise orders flawlessly. Because of this, we had no injuries [YES!!] and the FX looked great.

We shot the last two sequences, starting with Shelly running down the hall, through the Coworker scene up to the last shot with the door closing. I was thrilled with how the Coworker's scene went, and the 'monitor explodes' stunt went very well. Those were the two I was most anxious about.

We will have one more half-day shoot to get the Intern scene, and then filming will be wrapped.

Cast and crew on set: Adria Murphy, Amy Stoothoff, Dave Sidebotham, Evan Walker, Trevor Stewart, Hannah Christensen, Hannah Roberts, Sarah Hastings, Amanda Turner, Gersom Aguilar, and Myself.

A heartfelt thanks goes out to each member of my cast and crew. Every single one of you were invaluable to this shoot. From cleaning, to gripping, to fx assisting, to lighting, still photography, showing patience while we set up the shot, contributing to the great attitude on set... Thank you all so much. I would work with any of you again in a heartbeat.

Pictures will follow shortly.

Update

2008-04-09T08:54:00.000-07:00

Think my roommates are going to kill me; I've been hogging the stove and counter for days making endless slabs of fx glass. There's sugar residue on everything. I promise I'll clean up, guys. Sorry.

We're 4 days til the shoot, and counting. Still doing battle with Metzger to get the location.

Sarah's hard at work on the special costumes, and I'm searching for a blood squeezie. Need to rig a steaming computer, and all the fx will be complete.

Today I'll be nailing down the last of the storyboards and listing out the shooting schedule. When I shoot, I like to have everything planned down to the letter so that nothing is missed and nothing unforseen can occur.

Thur or Fri I plan to go to Metzger to shoot some stills in preparation for the shoot. Want to see how it frames up on camera before we actually shoot the film.

I'm so excited over all this; seeing the fruit of 5 months of pre-pro.

Monitor Test!

2008-04-06T22:41:00.000-07:00

Here's the first test run for the monitor rig. I do feel the overall effect is quite satisfactory, but on the next test I wil shoot harder to see how far we can scatter the 'glass'.
Thanks for the help, Evan.

Craft Services

2008-04-01T09:24:00.000-07:00

I just purchased $70 worth of groceries and $85 in supplies. Think Home Depot overcharged me for the two ladders I got there. But the good news: All thats left to buy is the DV tapes, HD tapes and Intern shirts. Feels so good to know I won't spend any more money after that.

Need two actors still, and a couple crew positions. But overall, things are quickly falling into place.

Getting the location nailed down.

Working on storyboards draft 2.

Working on the shirt rig, cell phone rig, levitation rig, monitor rig.

So close...I can taste it.

Cell Phone Trials

2008-03-30T21:36:00.001-07:00

I've been hard at work on the 'bleeding cell phone' rig. The plan is for blood to flow down the screen, and out of the middle menu button, 3 and 5 buttons.

Sorry...no pictures yet. Still don't have a camera.
But here's the diagram and the process.

First, I scavenged a cell phone from an e-dump. Took the battery off. Realized that the screws were all star-head... which I don't have. So I started prying it off. To heck with the screws. Ripped the circuitry out, pulled out the buttons and all, and then applied caulk all over the inside. Stuck all the buttons back, except the ones I want to bleed. Turned it over and cleaned the off the caulk that squeezed through with the buttons.

After that dried, I cut a piece of lexan and drilled a hole through. Superglued a 1/4" tube to it and caulked that baby into the back of the phone. Stuck the back half of the case back on and cleaned up the edges... and yup--caulked it again. It ain't going nowhere.

Gave it a test run buy filling up the tube with blood and blowing into it.

"Creepy." -Evan

It burbled out, dripping down the cell. Perfect consistency, methinks. But I realized that blowing wasn't going to do the trick. Really need to test it with a full blood squeezie. But I did learn what I wanted to learn: the blood did come from the proper holes, and even after all that caulk, still oozed from the side just a tad. A few minor adjustments and we'll be good to go.

Publish Your Own Book? Naw...

2008-03-20T10:03:00.000-07:00

Blurb

Blurb is a little expensive, but you can publish your own professional-quality book. Journals, photography book, graphic novel...anything you want, any size or way you want. I'd love to use Blurb once I get 'Three Men Walk Into A Bar' rolling.

World-Class Artists Show Off

2008-03-19T15:28:00.000-07:00

ConceptArt.org

If you've not seen this site before, you're missing out.
If you've seen it and weren't inspired, your eyes are made of granite.

FX Seminar

2008-03-19T15:15:00.000-07:00

SpecialFX101

If only I had $3500... Anyone want to sponsor me for this, and I'll in return I'll get a tattoo of your company on my arm?

Griptionary

2008-03-19T15:13:00.000-07:00

Absolutely every term a Grip will need to know, all in one place.

Gritionary

Soooo coool.

Indy Mogul

2008-03-19T09:27:00.000-07:00

Here's another link, this time much more broad. Indy Mogul is targeted to film students with absolutely no money. Sometimes its too cheap for its own good...but it gets you thinking in the right direction for DIY FX. Definitely worth a look, but don't use their words as law.

IndyMogul

Sweeney's Blades

2008-03-19T09:25:00.000-07:00

I dug up a neat little article that details some of the creative process in fabricating Sweeney Todd's trick razor blades. Those guys are brilliant...but the article is tragically missing diagrams and pictures.

Sweeny Todd Razors"

2008-03-18T08:24:00.000-07:00

Monster Makers

This is the site that got me started on molding/casting. I bought the basic mask making package, and sadly, did not have enough clay to make the mask I wanted. However, I did do a lot of sculpting and used almost all the components on other projects. So it was hardly a waste.

But before I go and recommend Monstermakers, one caveat: They switched my order on me without my consent. Substituted one clay for another, one book for another...left me rather disappointed. So while they offer silicone mold rubber, I'm looking for a cheaper place to buy it. If I find one, I'll post it.

Lifecasting

2008-03-17T09:44:00.000-07:00

Life Casting

While looking for an online source of alginate or silicone mold rubber I came across a great DIY site for casting body parts. This is especially useful for making custom prosthetic appliances or false limbs. While there are tons of prosthetic DIYs out there, most prosthetic websites only give half the detail to the molding portion of the job that BNG does. Worth a look.

FX Glass

2008-03-12T09:02:00.000-07:00

[www.smooth-on.com]

For the 'Monitor Explodes' gag, I'll need a few panes of special fx glass. The stuff I've previously made is only convincing from a distance because it is too yellow and riddled with bubbles. So I'm looking into how to improve it.

Here's the current recipe: www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Lot/9373/SCREAM/glass.html">

Seems to be the best low-budget one out there. But I got an idea from one of the professional plastic breakaway glass websites ["www.smooth-on.com"].They use a vacuum chamber to remove bubbles from their 'glass' while it's still in the pot. I think I'll try building one of my own. =D

FX Rig Details

2008-03-09T10:09:00.000-07:00

I've been going through and detailing every rig for each gag in the film. In total, there are 11 gags, with about 15 rigs. Here's the diagram and rough storyboard for the 'Monitor Explodes' rig.

It is written in shorthand, but the gist of it is that the sugar glass will be the screen and the 'explosion' will be a grip with a slingshot and circuit board pieces. This shot became four times as complex when I decided to put the 'shelf falls' gag in the same shot. That will take some rehearsing.

Robot

2008-03-05T16:34:00.000-08:00

A quick sketch I didn't plan to finish, but Johnny encouraged me.
It's a'ight. Nothing world-shaking. Still, glad I saw it through.

Thanks, Johnny.

Scene 44 update.

2008-03-02T10:11:00.000-08:00

First draft of storyboards are done, and I'm presently sketching the second draft. Lots of new gags added, plus I found my location, so some of the blocking had to change. It's a short aisle of cubicles, so I'll need to cheat in some shots from the aisle next to it. But no worries; I love to trick the viewer. It's my favorite part of the job.

Draft 1 storyboard excerpts:

Revisions

2008-02-29T10:05:00.000-08:00

I like the way this is progressing. This version builds toward a climax much better than the first draft.

Screenshots of Note

2008-02-27T16:01:00.000-08:00

Here are two screenshots from The Ring (2002), slightly modified by yours truly. I love the icy color palette, dark lows and cold highs. I like the grain and the overall visual weight. Everything is intensely heavy, moving or not. These are quite similar to what I have in mind for Scene 44.

Senior Project: Scene 44

2008-02-27T09:49:00.000-08:00

I'm working on a project to cap off my education at Biola. Called "Scene 44", it is an action scene from a fictitious thriller movie. Target length is 1 minute. Target number of effects is 15. No chroma-keying or CGI--all practical effects. It will be shot on HDV, but likely down-res'd to DV for web and my reel.

Here's the third re-write of the script. It's probably quite close to the final version; just needs to be smoothed over.

Minimal plot, minimal acting, minimal writing...It's all in the effects and editing.
Monitors exploding... guys being dragged across the floor, up a wall and levitating there... smoking computers and falling ceilings. Yeah baby this will be fun.

Clockwork Bugs

2008-02-26T10:25:00.001-08:00

http://www.insectlabstudio.com

Mike Libby's creations are some of the most elegant steampunk artwork I've had the pleasure to find. Starting with gorgeously preserved insect specimins, he adds cogs, lights and other mechanical parts to create a completely one-of-a-kind piece of art.

I personally find it inspiring on account of how delicate the work is and how huge the dichotomies in concepts are. Metal meeting chitin. Bright colors meeting drab earth tones. Take a look; you won't be disappointed.

Smoke Test

2008-02-19T14:02:00.000-08:00

On Biola Film 2007, "Mujo no Kaze" [The Winds of Impermanence], I was in charge of several effects. One was smoke, the other was blood. Here are the test photos:

The cigarettes had to be herbal--didn't want our actors getting hooked. But I wanted to be thorough and make sure that the herbal cigs I bought would show up as well onscreen--and they passed with flying colors. As this picture shows, it's all in the lighting.

This blood is a slightly better formula than the stage blood you usually see. Red dye, corn syrup, corn starch, water, blue dye. Kodak photo-flo, milk and black ink can be mixed in, depending on the application. Photo-flo is toxic, and ink isn't all that good for you either. Zinc oxide can be substituted for the corn starch--looks a bit better, but not as easy to acquire.

Here's the ideal mixture:
Blood
1 oz water
1/2 tbsp zinc oxide/corn starch
1 pint white corn syrup
1 oz red food dye
2-3 drops blue/green food dye
1 oz kodak photo flow [if this is used, mixture is now toxic.]
1 tsp milk

Funny side-note: I didn't have any chalk on-hand. The 'chalk' outline is actually baby powder. Works well enough for a test, [chuckle] but I'd get real chalk for the movie.

Metal Casting Project

2008-02-19T13:46:00.000-08:00

I've been molding and casting things for a few years now, but up until this summer, it had only been plastic casts.
However, I became curious about metal casting and decided to teach myself.
My first successful one was a 1.5" tall metal flower charm.

Picture copyright William Crawford 2007

The sculpt was Sculpey 3, made with dentist's tools and generic wet clay tools. Sanded, molded in a 10-to-1 RTV silicone[Micromark] single-sided mold. This picture was an early painted acrylic cast to check the mold's detail quality. I then melted lead-free tin solder [melting point: 449.F] with a propane torch and poured several different casts of the flower, with varying degrees of success. Some were beautiful but some just came out crummy. I believe that when the metal was not hot enough, the smaller details were lost. On the other hand, when the metal was overheated the silicone mold [withstands up to 520.F] began to bubble and burn.

Still, I was left with 8 good quality casts and managed to learn a bit about low-temp metal casting along the way.

Datamancer

2008-02-17T09:39:00.000-08:00

http://www.datamancer.net/

I credit this guy with whetting my appetite for the steampunk movement. His laptop mod is one of the most wonderful inspirations I've come across. Brass accents, claw feet, startup by turning a clock key, leather palm rests...it's a beauty.
The project: http://www.datamancer.net/steampunklaptop/steampunklaptop.htm

Happy Birthday!

2008-02-16T23:01:00.001-08:00

Guns and Glory FX now has a blog.

Yippie ka-yay.

Plan is, 4 different categories.

1. Projects I'm on. FX, film, art, fashion, etc.

2. Inspiration. Other people's projects. Undoubtedly some steampunk stuff.

3. Practical FX-related info that I come across.