SO MARCHING ON

My latest effort...trying to remake While They Slept with humans in it. I wanted to give it a go...don’t know if it’s a good idea or not, but then it’s not the first time I’ve done this...I’ve actually in the past tried to remake Rocket-Man and Errans Ruber…Errans Ruber even moved into a second remake...its crazy yes, but I seem to keep doing it.

AND THE WINNERS ARE...

...for Your Big Break - New Zealand...Tim McLachlan, Rajneel Singh, Andrés Borghi, Kristi Simkins and Aya Tanimura all get to make their three minute ideas into films.

YOUR BIG BREAK IS NOW CLOSED FOR ENTRIES

Thanks for participating in Your Big Break! The call for entries is officially closed, so if you submitted before January 15, 12-noon Pacific Time, you will be considered in our judging process. For all those who made their submissions just under the wire, don’t worry if you can’t see your video on the site – we have received all entries submitted on time, and if there is anything irregular about the sound or video we will contact you shortly. We received nearly 1,000 entries filled with incredible creativity, vision and passion, and our panel of judges are hard at work searching for the finalists who will fly to New Zealand to shoot their films with Peter Jackson and Barrie Osborn! Stay tuned next week when we announce the finalists, which will include the aspiring filmmaker whose submission received the most votes. Once again, good luck, and hope to see you in New Zealand! - Your Big Break team

MY SECOND ENTRY

So here is the second entry for Your Big Break New Zealand. It's a basic science fiction story with no special effects, would just need costumes and props...and of course the skeleton again.

You can see the video animatic and script HERE

I HAVE ENTERED THE NEW ZEALAND FILM COMPETITION CALLED YOUR BIG BREAK

Thats one of my entries into the New Zealand Your Big Break competition...another one going in soon. You can check it out HERE.

TITANIC MINIATURE SNAPPING IN HALF

I've never actually seen this before...I'd imagine it's on the DVD...in fact, I'd imagine the making of is probably pretty amazing.

BEING IDEALISTIC IS *NOT* A GOOD THING

I tell you this...right. There’s certain situations in life where you know outright what would be great...what would be ideal...but, they will never happen. So to be fighting against that and not backing off and not admitting to yourself that it's not possible to change what cannot be changed....well, that is a major problem and not a good scenario!

WHAT'S GOING ON?

Quick entry here...very, very busy at the moment doing two animatics for a New Zealand competition. It’s been crazy...sometimes I do stop and paint some boxes for the city. I’ll upload some photos of it when I can. The animatics will go onto youtube and I’ll post them on here when they’re done.

NATURAL DAYLIGHT LIGHTS THE CURRENT WHITE CITY SETUP

Here we go.

WHITE CITY NOW VERY SLOWLY GROWING

Here's how it looks at the moment. Everyday I try to get more boxes...but its become a problem finding them...it's down to about one and sometimes no boxes per day...going to try perhaps to get other peoples toothpaste boxes...but i just hate asking people for anything.

DOWSWELL ON DOWSWELL PART 6 OF 6

There’s always questions asked of how did you become a filmmaker and what sort of books do you have on it.

Now, this may go against my god a little...because Stanley (I’ve heard in the Berstein interview) said that whenever you start to do a new thing with your life you obtain lots and lots of books on the subject...well, when people ask me what sort of books I have on filmmaking the answer is always a bit of a conversation stopper...because, I don’t have any books on it. Now, you have to understand that it's not that I don’t want any books on the subject...I do...I really do...but, it's just that I (and this has to be the penny pinching Scot in me I spose) look at the price of these books and I literally go (in my head) “I’m not gonna pay that fucking amount!”...so the sad truth is one of being tight as a ducks bottom. It’s a shame really, because I probably would learn something from the books...but, until I get some sort of a income I refuse to spend the kind of money that these things are out there for.

This however could be the terrible situation of the information in the books leads me to some sort of highly important realisation and life changing moment, where I'm suddenly in a income sitation (because the information is so very good in the book).

But there is a heck of a lot of information out there now...we now have blogs, podcasts, DVD commentaries, DVD documentaries, twitter, email or coment blog communication with working professionals occasionally...we honestly have information overload. Not that I’m saying there can ever be too much information, and that it should stop being put out there. There is always at any one time...the much needed and welcome chance to stop what your doing and listen to another individuals take on the entire situation...I’ve never understood people who don’t listen to a group of peoples views and opinions...you have to stop and participate in it...and, there must be quite vigorous and honest debate in order to get anywhere...the horrible thing there of course is that people are accidentally hurt by misunderstandings.

It's best to (and also most interesting) to listen to the do-ers and not to the people who sit around being over the top pessimistic (and don’t seem to have done a thing ever...mind you, I have to say that they have extremely high and quite honourable good intentions / opinions that you kind of have to respect...but, at the same time I feel sorry for them too...because they have not done a thing...but, they refuse to do something that is not five star, which I kind of respect...it’s a funny sort of a thing I know...but, I can see exactly where they are coming from...because what is the point exactly of making something that is not great...that you are putting YOUR own good name on?)...the terrible thing for some of us do-ers is that we are in a situation where we have DONE something but we are nowhere near happy with the result...we've put something bad out there for the audience...and is that worse or better?...whatever it is we have to live with that...and it kind of puts us in the same boat too in a way...or possibly a worse boat because our name is now on somthing and we may have lost people due to bad work.

But, as I keep on saying...the only way to cling onto my sanity is to say that they show my ideas...my stories, conceptual designs and cinematography. I look at films like 2001 and Alien that use model miniatures as being the way I want to see my own work redone...and so I see them as animatics...a sort of presentation of my idea.

INTERIOR REDO FOR WHILE THEY SLEPT

Getting there on this now. It's much more how I wanted it to be.

WHITE CITY REPORT

Well my white city (which I’m calling my R&R project) has had to be put on hold here...for the simple reason being, I’ve run out of boxes...sounds crazy eh?...well, it is crazy!

R&R = Rest and Relaxation...the rest has been sitting in front of Deep Space Nine and the relaxation has been making the white city. It really is very therapeutic, because you don’t have to do much thinking at all...you just sit and paint these boxes. Once you have them set up its very interesting looking at the entire city...and even more so when you pull open the curtains in the morning, the natural daylight on it is therapeutic to see.

I spose I should be having a stab at actually making more boxes instead of waiting for more tea and toothpaste boxes...but, there’s no thick card to do that...and, the card would cost money.

So I’ve gone back onto the While They Slept scene redo I’d started the other day...then my mother appeared with another tea box...so strangely, this is something whereby I think boxes are going to come quite quick and fast...interesting!...we must get through a hell of a lot of tea!

The amount of boxes I need is quite large...god knows how many exactly, but I wouldn’t say no to two hundred right now. Currently there’s only twenty four.

BRIAN NEWMAN TALK

This is a really awsome presentation.

LOOKING MORE CITY LIKE

Just a quick update here. It's gradually getting there...the final thing will be 4 or 5 times the board its sitting on, which should be interesting, but I'm a fair bit away from that. but i cant wait to be playing around with it at that stage.

THE CITY IS GROWING

Some of it needs another coat of paint.

FAKING NATURAL DAYLIGHT

Trying to fake natural daylight at nigh time is never easy when you don’t have a budget. I basically have workmens lights that I bought quite a long time ago...a 500 and 250 watt light that cost about £15...I spose really I should buy another set...cause the more you have the better.

Here I did the old trick of turning them around to bounce / diffuse the light. Unfortunately you get into a situation where you have to do severe amounts of colour correction...mind you, this was because I pointing them at my reddish / orange curtains and so that was exacerbating the problem somewhat...but even so, it starts to loose something vital from when you do it with natural real daylight (if you look at the previous post you'll see what I mean). This is a problem if I’m going to make this thing bigger...but doesn’t look bad in black and white.

THE START OF THE WHITE CITY THAT COST NO MONEY

So why I am now doing this?...well I needed to seriously start to get away from the computer for one thing...and do something physical...and somthing that does't look perfect...I hate my CG work because it looks too perfect and because of the light quality in it (the shadows)...

It’s a bit of a reoccurring thing in art (this whole paint everything white business)...but, as I was doing it...I think I finally realised now, why, so many people have done this. You see it's because if you have no money then this is a way to get something done...all you need is paint...and you grab as many tooth paste boxes and tea boxes as you can.

NO BUDGET CITY

Sorry memory like a sieve at the moment. This is whats happening on my floor at the moment.

Again its more experimentation to see what is possible…it is a lot of fun too (which is what making a film should be?...) but what can be guarantee with this is when that sun of ours appears and I have this all set up (long way to go yet)...I will get real light hitting real things...and that’s my main reason for doing it...that and it gets me away from the damned computer.

MY SHORT STORY "THE VIOLIN" IS FINALLY WRITTEN

It's been a very interesting time with this one. I’ve even done a visual for it (not finished though...and just a experiment really) (area shadows are switched on because of frustrations with shadows)



It's highly, highly unusual for me to sit and write...but I was so incredibly frustrated and had to do it...it turned out to be the coping device I needed and it was also very liberating to write...I’m glad I did it.

WHILE THEY SLEPT ALTERATIONS

Theres a whole load of things going on over here at the moment...one of which is some redo's on scenes ive been doing for my animation While They Slept.

Here's one of them...




Obviously its not finished yet...and this isn’t even the final lighting...but it’s a scene I’ve never been happy with at all...so started a big redesign. I’ve recently been like a priest who's had reoccuring doubts about the existence of god...only my doubts aren’t about god, but are about CG...you see I have some major problems about CG...but I cant help but feel that things need to be completed...and that While They Slept could be used like a animatic or at least record of the designs and edit...I think I’ve said this before...but, it could be used like that...you have to understand that I’m not happy with it as a final product...I want it remade with miniatures...

...like this here...



My hopes and dreams are large...perhaps they are too large?...but I know that miniatures are the way I want to go...and that I want to my films to go to 35mm celluloid or even 70mm celluloid...this is the part where I’m saying that it’s a very big dream...I want to ideally hire Steve Howarth to do miniature models and do it all at Shepperton Studios...its (i'd imagine) ridiculously expencive, and how I get to that stage I have no idea...I'm actually still too scared to even email Steve Howarth!...which is somthing I need to get past!...but its alarming how self doubt can take over fast...because I supose really I'm a man who is not part of the industry and never has been...I'm going to need producers, executive producers and lots of other people...and so I dont want to contact him with it leading to lots of questions I can't give solid, positive, sensible and no nonsense answers to...I want the thing to sound that it's very serious and that it IS going to happen.

All of this has me wanting to have a stab at it myself...which I've been doing but not quite on a level that i'm happy with...I'm doing it all on a no budget level at the moment...more in the next post.

I'M BACK TO THE BLOG

Need to keep this blog going I think...kind of lost the will to live for a while there...it’s a long story but coping devices kicked in (as they always do) and now I’m a bit more relaxed and rational...I get very on edge about things and then it gets ironed out….you just gotto be grateful for life...I;m not living in a war zone...I’m not a homeless child on the streets of Moscow...I am very lucky to be living in a peaceful land with a roof over my head.

GOING TO DO ANOTHER MINIATURE

I’m currently working on my third miniature which is about ten feet by ten feet...In the past (and I can't believe it was exactly 10 years ago now) I made my first miniature set...it was a planet surface and sadly no photos were taken of the damned thing although I did strangely sit there and did a drawing of it...and I have that drawing...I know, strange?...well its been a very strange life. I then in February 2006 did another miniature...it was a sort of inspired I suppose by Cairn Holy which is a place I love. I sprayed water on it this time round and have some photos of it. I learned a lot again...and really did want to expand it (it was very small) but sadly it had to be taken down.

This is my 2006 attempt here...which was unfinished and had to be taken down.



I actually wanted this to be much, bigger and have trees...there was also problems with the soil being too big...but I have that under control this time...you learn a lot with each attempt. It's also wonderfully exciting to work on something that you can shape with your hands and bring rocks in...and sprinkle finely sieved dirt ontop of the larger rocks.

TO DONATION BUTTON OR NOT TO DONATION BUTTON

I’m going crazy over here at the moment. I’m struggling to sort out, in my brain, if it is OK to have a donation button...part of me feels its wrong...because the viewers can only view about 90% of my work online in a low resolution of 320x240...perhaps maybe if there were more HD things to look at I might feel less guilty about it...I want to offer a high quality viewing experience before I put up a donation button. My dad says that because everything of mine can be watched for free and has been enjoyed by some people...they should pay something / donate something if they feel they want to...I spose that is ok...but, I kind of still feel funny about it.

Maybe it's time to render more things out at 1280x544 and then there is a more justified reason for a donation button.

TOTAL OUT OF CONTROL CONFUSION ON WHAT IT IS I’M MEANT TO BE DOING / DIRECTION I’M MEANT TO GOING IN

I look at the animation and all I can think of is...that looks dreadful...this is not good enough...this is not satisfactory...and it makes me 1) Sad 2) Get into a state where I’m thinking of stopping doing it.

This is actually a reoccurring thing that I go through every now and again and I feel I’m in some sort of a loop...which is also sad inducing. All that goes round and round and round in my head is “I don’t know what to do about it”...ever since I created my first animation I’ve been addicted to moving images...and the step backward to anything else that doesn't move has always seemed not acceptable to me...and yet I look at some of my other friends one of which is doing paintings and comics...and there is a far, far better quality going on over there than there is over here...and whats been going on over here has been going on now for 7 years….the loop has been going on for 7 years now for gods sake!...haha *facepalm*

I've recently written a short story...and it’s a really great one (let me just tell you that its highly, highly unsual for me to say that anything of mine is great...but I believe this one is)...and its again quite unusual for me to sit down and write anything at all. So this gets me thinking that perhaps I need to do more of this...there’s is a unbelievably great and out of the blue feeling for me on the freedom you have in writing (when you have been making unending compromises on solo animation making for 7 years)...it felt extremely good...and it also made me think of that children's picture book I put on hold. However I am still very fond of the technique I’ve used to make all of my films...and a'm also amazed at how well it has worked (with regards to pacing and structure in editing...bare in mind i'm quite happy with myself as a editor and cinematogpher...just not happy with the way the animations look)...I get many people who think that my animations have been written and storyboarded...but only one of them was.

It's not good to think too much...there needs to be more action...there’s a saying about if you throw enough shit at the wall some of it will stick...well I’m possibly not throwing enough shit at the wall. (this is regards to the whole lucky break thing and actually it being your full time job and how I dont send my work out)

But if I return over to the satisfaction for telling the story you want to tell (which is a separate topic) thing for a moment (which is all about becoming better at something...we want to get better and better at something...not be stuck in a loop)...Me and my pen pal buddy Cos have a great admiration for Steve Ogden...who made a decision and stuck with it to go over into comics or graphic novel to tell his story.