Today, while you’re in the lovin’ mood, why not share your big geek heart with others.
Geek Girls Network™ & Geeky Clean have created a fundraiser to support the Haiti Relief called Geeks With Heart.
Through Mercy Corp, Geeks With Heart has a fundraising goal of $2500 and there’s no minimum for donations. If you can spare just one special cup of coffee, an iTunes download, or a crispy chicken sandwich, donate to Haiti instead. Show Haiti why geeks have heart!
As extra incentive, and not that you need any, once Geeks With Heart reaches $2500, all who donated will have the chance to win a prize from an amazing grab bag of geek prizes!
So donate, tweet it up, put a badge on your website, and tell all your friends and family. Thanks!
Geeks With Heart: http://www.mercycorps.org/fundraising/geekgirls
Geeks With Heart Haiti Relief Fund from Galaxy Sailor on Vimeo.
Hey folks, I feel like I am slacking on this. I want to be getting at least one post in a week, and I am not doing it. So I will try to step it up, because I know you all can’t wait for an update…
For those that saw my tweets, I spent last week working on the Freeman Brother’s movie Wake Before I Die. I was asked to come in a work as a grip, which is meant that I did lights and ran around and did other stuff that needed doing. It was really great work, and I enjoyed working with Jason and Todd Freeman. It was cool to meet their producer, Robert Blanche, who has quite a resume of work. As this production nears a theater or DVD, I will keep you informed.
As a number of people know, the latest episode of The Last Stand Episode 3: Purpose in Chaos is out and doing quite well. I decided not to host on YouTube and go with Vimeo, which has meant that we are getting traffic to the site and to various other places, and not in from YouTube. This makes me very happy, because people are watching us and not bumping into us on YouTube. Kind of a big deal to me.
Galaxy Sailor Productions, in association with My Nice Monster Films, is working on our first feature length film. It is to begin filming this summer, but at this time I can’t release much more for details. When I can let the cat out of the bag, I will. I will also tell you about this film when I can. The cat is really making a lot of noise back there.
Hey folks, recently we did an interview with Erie, Pennsylvania based Corey of The Midnight Podcast, an all-zombies weekly show about – zombies. Corey has since been added as a commentator on several other series podcasts about horror to be the official zombie newsman. Sit back and enjoy the cast:
PDX Sucks brings back The Last StandToday, we myself and Rachel were on PDXSucks talking about zombies, The Last Stand, and our new episode coming out February 1st. You can listen in here, or check it out at the PDXSucks website. We are big supporters of what they do, and they are big supporters of what we do. A true match made in heaven. Robert and Sabrina, the hosts, have crossed the line beyond podcasting and beyond radio, to deliver the next evolution in entertainment and information. They are truly paving the way for the future, and I am glad to be a part of it.
PDXSucks Episode 219:Zombies, The Last Stand, zombie strippers, Harold Phillips, and shooting down tween excuses for love and horror.
If there are any. Well here is to hoping there are Galaxy Sailor Production fans out there. I thought I better get in here and update the site, and make some announcements as to what is happening in the filming world.
First off, the big project, The Last Stand, is about to release Episode 3 on Monday, February 1st, 2010. We are finished with all the special effects and we are completely scored music wise, and all the color is in place. Now we are getting our audio mixed and sweetened by Tag Team Audio. These guys are gems, and they have an extensive history of amazing work for some big dogs. I am pretty amazed that I have the opportunity for them to put the finishing touches on our audio. Once that is done, Episode 3 is out to the masses.
There are some films our there that I think need a tip of the hat for people to go out and see. First off, everyone is talking about Avatar. I did see Avatar, as a midnight movie, opening night, in Digital 3D. What did I think? Well, I have always been a Cameron fan, but I was left flat by Titanic. Cameron is the master at developing characters with texture and soul, despite the environments he creates (which are amazing). Look and ALIENS and The Abyss. These are movies that are amazing and beautiful and scary and dynamic, and the characters are the real starts, as well as amazing stories. That is what we care about: the characters and the story. I thought Avatar was meh in story and characters. I love Sigorney Weaver, but she was wasted in the film as a talent. There are also holes in the story. BUT! When the story involves our exploring of the environments and the textures created by the new digital 3D technology, Cameron is at the top of his game. If you were to compare Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace, the technology was pretty but it didn’t give us anything we didn’t already have, plus it failed in story and characters. While Cameron may have failed me with story holes, he created environments and textures that made me feel like I was truly part of something new. So with that, it is totally worth it!
Up next, people need to watch Food, Inc. and The Cove. They are harsh, brutal, and earth shattering in what you will learn of what people do to each other and the environment, but you have to be aware of what is done around you that you choose to ignore. We need to wake up, fellow humans, for we are our own worst enemy.
I think that is good for now. Galaxy Sailor, signing off…
Hey folks, we here at Galaxy Sailor Productions are the master minds behind The Last Stand. We just got Episode 2: Dearly Departed posted all over the place and we hope you come and check it out! Episode 3 is nearing completion in edits, so hopefully we will have music and special effects coming soon as well. Thanks for staying tuned. It was a tough road getting to Episode 2, but the increased quality in film and personnel should make it worth while. Please enjoy!
I am not a Christmas fan. To me, Christmas is a hijacked holiday taken by the christians, mutated by Hallmark, and made embarrassing by snotty little kids begging for things they want, thinking it is something they need. The desire to buy someone something to make sure they love you in order to celebrate the birth of someone that wanted us to get along, and later killed for asking us to get along, seems really silly to me.
The amazing part are the songs: with Peace on Earth, Good Will Toward Men. Blah blah blah. Does anyone remember we are having our people kill and die in another land because a Texas asshole has a chip on his shoulder and a small dick in his pants? I do!
In this time, we need to remember what is means to really struggle and to really mean peace. Americans don’t know this or understand this any more. We are too worried about if Lindsey Lohan is a lesbian and is making it with an ugly DJ in L.A. America, you need to watch what it means to struggle for what you believe in. Half a world away there are people fighting for the right to govern in such a way that is not radical and not idiotic. They don’t want to be like us, they just want it better then what it is. They aren’t letting cell phone technology and new high tops placate them in the struggle to be happy. Not comforted by stupid commercialism and retarded socialites – just happy.
I hope you all watch what it means to struggle and fight for what you believe in, even in the face of defiance.
I gotta pay more attention to this blog in case someone is paying attention to it.
Well, The Last Stand trudges on as far as getting the series out the door. I have hit every issue in making a film. Audio and filming issues in the field, computer and media outages in the technology world, people issues in getting it done. All in all, it’s the typical problems associated with making it all happen. Oh, and no budget…
There have been lots of happenings for me though. Lets see:
I was hired to film in Seattle for Brunswick Media and Ports America. BM was hire to create a new educational video, which was to include ports that are used be PA on the west coast. Most all of their ownership is in New Jersey and Texas, so coming to Seattle was a way to start making the west siders feel included. Hopefully I will get some footage soon to post on here of what I shot that day. I had never been actually on a port area before, so it was pretty amazing to see the MASSIVE operation it takes to unload all the stuff we consume in this country.
About two weeks ago I got hired on to do a commercial for Rose’s Equipment & Supply here in Portland. The company has been in business for 30 years and has never had a TV commercial of any kind. I am very happy and fortunate to say that I got to make their first one! You can find the commercial here as well as in my video section and embedded at the end of this post. Thanks goes out to Rachel Bennett for helping to script, shoot and edit this commercial. Also, a big thanks to Michael Fox of Vault Modeling & Talent for coming in for the day be talent and hire talent.
Speaking of Michael, it turns out he was quite the mover and shaker in his days of L.A., and having worked with Michael here a few times, he was gracious enough to ask me and Rachel to come and visit his buddies at Indent Studios. They are shooting a movie with Gus Van Sant right now, and we got to see the set that was built. The actress playing in Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, Mia Wasikowsha, was there filming a love scene. Very cool stuff.
On the IMDb notes, I now have several IMDb listings. I am pretty psyched about that. You can check me out here and here. More to be added on that, for sure!
I recently helped to shoot a music video for Autumn Andel and Photosphere LLC. It was Autumn’s eighth music video, and another one of here green screen compositing adventures. It was a good time filming!
I know, I know. I keep on promising episode 2 of The Last Stand. I just want it to be good and be right, so it is taking time. The first one is as good as it is out of accident and luck with whatever skill I had to add to it. I don’t trust to blind luck to carry me through it, so if it isn’t want I want, then I am not going to put it out there. I hope soon!
Carry on peoples, and thanks for stopping in!
At Createasphere (formerly HD Expo) in Burbank, cinematographer Lance Acord, ASC gave a keynote address, in conversation with associate editor Jon D. Witmer of American Society of Cinematographers magazine.
Acord described that he met Spike Jonze at a club where a lot of skateboarders showed their films. “I’d just done B camera on a commercial and he had just got his first commercial,” Acord recalls.
Photo by Ryan Miller/Capture Imaging
“We worked on a couple of spots together. We formed a friendship first that grew into a working collaboration. From those experiences, I learned less is more.”
Acord showed a reel of clips, beginning with the trailer for Where the Wild Things Are. He said that he and Jonze had previously spoken about working on another children’s property, Harold and the Purple Crayon, together. “This was something Spike wanted to do for a while,” he said. “We were curious with where he was going to take the book.” Jonze spent a year and a half working on the script with Dave Eggers. “It was a long process with the support of Maurice [Sendak] about personalizing that story,” said Acord. “He had to find ways he connected emotionally with the book and bring that experience to the film.”
“Spike has a distinct way of seeing things that’s all his own,” Acord continued. “Part of it is with Spike he knows what he likes with the process of filmmaking and how his creative process works in the larger collaborative effort. Part of this was to be able to still work with actors in the way he’s always worked with actors. To have done this all green screen or CG, with a kid who had never acted before, was a process that didn’t appeal to Spike.”
Acord noted that Spike didn’t want to work with suit performers but with actors. The actors were not auditioned in the suits. “It was about getting in tune and finding people who could connect with the voice performances,” he said. “With Spike, they would figure out how that character would perform.” Acord notes how a lot of time was spent in pre-production getting the characters to look right in the drawings. “Going into it was an idea of using advanced technologies and prosthetics,” he said. “To a degree, some of that was realized, but it needed to be helped with photography to lend it a more dynamic feeling.”
“We tailored the shooting to make the creatures seem agile and unpredictable when in reality it was hard for the guys in the suits to walk,” he continued. Being on location complicated it. The production worked near crumbling cliffs and in and around water, where you’d ordinarily never go with suit performers.
For the look of Where the Wild Things Are, said Accord, Jonze and he shared films like Black Stallion and wildlife documentaries. “The idea was to capture a naturalism and view these creatures like they were feral,” he said. “So we used a documentary perspective to keep up with the creatures, shooting them through limbs of trees. That was our visual design going in. It helped create that dynamic. Tracking dolly shots as a steady approach to framing revealed the flaws more.”
Witmer asked how important it is for him to look at other visual references with the director to try to formulate the project. “Every director is different,” said Acord. “The references have always been pulled from such a wide array of sources, it’s less literal than looking at other films. With Spike, his references are all over the place. Many of our references are shared from having worked together, or photographers we like. Ultimately, as a cinematographer working with a director, if you can form an image bank and share that in a clear way, moving forward, there’ll be an overall guiding sensibility.”
Acord revealed that he and Jonze have developed an approach with photo-boarding they started on some commercials and then on Being John Malkovich. “We’ll go with a still camera, lenses and with Spike’s producers and friends,” he recounted. “We’ll stand in for the actors and create photo storyboards. We did that on Adaptation also. For Wild Things, Spike spent almost a year storyboarding. For this film, he brought it to another level. Pretty much every sequence was boarded out and several storyboard artists worked on it.”
“At times, Spike and I would discuss where the boards were going,” he continued. “It’s interesting what storyboard artists can do. It’s very different than photographing it. With the suit performers and suit designers, it was a good idea to storyboard, to give them an idea of what they should do. It was by far the most boarded film I ever did. Then we photo-boarded and switched a lot of things up.”
The film is book-ended by scenes of Max in the real world, but Acord reported that there wasn’t a pronounced difference in the visual approach. “Once Max gets in the boat and goes to where he wild things are, it’s so conceptually different, we don’t need to show it visually,” said Acord. “ Home life is often portrayed with a storybook quality that lacks realism. I wanted the home life to look as real as possible. We used a lot of practical lighting and kept the camera with Max as much as possible, so we’re seeing the world through his eyes.”
This was the first time Acord took a Jonze film through a DI; he said that 80 percent of the shots are touched in some way in post (especially since the faces of the creatures are created with 3D animation). “We knew all of this would be scanned and output,” Acord explained. “At that point, it made so much more sense to bake it together in DI. Given that I started in commercials/music videos where everything was finished in telecine, moving to finishing photochemically was a big deal for me, and I always looked forward to it. “This film is so grounded in reality—the only thing that isn’t realistic is the timeline,” he said. “One thing that appealed to Spike is doing a movie with a kid as the main character where most of the action takes place at night. A lot of the nighttime sequences were shot in the day. The pre-dawn and pre-sunset are long, long sequences. It was challenging to work that way. We also had four and five hour shooting periods with a child actor, and having the extra tool of the DI was huge in allowing us to do all that.”
Being quite familiar with telecine tools from his days as a commercial and music video cinematographer, Acord was pleasantly surprised to see how advanced the tools have become. “It gave us time to experiment, and we tried a few different things,” he said. “For the inside of KW’s stomach, we chose a slightly furry fabric, like the lining of a cow’s stomach. When we backlit it, it had a purplish color.”
The wild things jungle also went through experimentation. “The classic green jungle didn’t offer us the kind of depth we were looking for,” said Acord. “The undergrowth was so dense. It was similar to the book, but we agreed it just wasn’t that interesting. If you looked at the scouting photos, they were all green, green, green. We thought, what if this world is different?”
What piqued their interest were photos from an area in Australia that had been devastated by fire. “There was a canopy of brown leaves on the ground, with a canopy of small trees,” he said. “It gave so much depth. You could look 100 yards a head of you, but it still felt wild, with a sense of mystery. Green as a color, verdant green has a nurturing feel to it. These blackened forests with blackened trees embodied more adventure. At that point, we decided that as much as possible, we would eliminate green from the palette.”
One exception is the Beautiful Forest, he noted. “It’s a real beat of uplift and release from some of the other tensions,” he said. “That wasn’t done in DI. That was a scouting/art direction decision going in.”
As the reel continued, the audience saw clips of Acord’s other collaborations with Jonze, including Adaptation and Being John Malkovich. Acord described how in all the scenes in Adaptation where Nicholas Cage plays twins, he and Jonze photo-boarded each scene. “We were able to do that with Nicholas ahead of time, and then either used motion control, wipes or over-the-shoulder shots,” he said. “It was pretty simple how it was done. We also pushed the amount we used a stand-in. If you look closely in a couple of scenes, you can see it’s not Nicholas.”
On Being John Malkovich, said Acord, he and Jonze “learned as we went along,” applying the process they’d done with skate films to their first feature together. “Oddly enough it worked,” he said. He also noted that there is a core group of people who have worked on all on Jonze’s movies. “We’ve all grown together,” he said. “There’s ten years of collaboration between us.”
“As a cinematographer you couldn’t ask for a better director to work with because he values collaboration with everyone,” said Acord. “Everyone is constantly commenting on everyone else’s work. It gets crazy some times, but out of that freedom to critique and share ideas, that hasn’t changed at all, and that existed on the first projects we did because the roles were so blurrily defined then. We were working on our skill sets and figuring our roles out.”
Today I had the privilege of seeing Zack Learned, the boy I gave my helmet to a few months back. Zack was diagnosed with a form of Leukemia, and was possibly not going to make it. When Make a Wish came to us and asked us to build him a suit of armor for Comic Con, we jumped at the deal. Zack had wanted to go as part of the 212 Battalions Airborne Parjai squad. The helmet is very hard to come by, and I have one of the few in existence. So I donated mine to him.
Today, Make a Wish is having an air miles fund raiser and they asked Zack and I to make an appearance for the show. Here is our clip:
Corinne West ~ News from Nowhere
Defy Rules by Audrey Alverson
Fences for Fido
Gautch
Geek Girls Network
In Defence of Animals
Kristen Bowie
Shannyn Moore
The Discerning Brute
The Green Planet
The Last Stand Fan Page
TreeHugger