Storyboards

I currently don't have frequent access to interweb, so here's a quick recap/update from the past week.

- Finished the final dialogue for the film with the completion of a fourth draft.
- Done a lot more research on production design with Brendan and Nick.
- Storyboarded the entire film with Brendan Heffernan, which made me re-think a lot of the planned shotlist. I realised that a lot of the framing was too conventional and repetitive so I'm going to change it up a bit, without straying too far from the repetitiveness of traditional human rights documentaries.
- Sculpted several rough marquette's, which are starting to look close to how I want them. I have to work really slow on these because I haven't done a lot of sculpting before, but am slowly getting better.

:)

Pencil Trains

Brendan Heffernan has offered to storyboard the film! Which means my flat cartoons will be replaced by much prettier pictures, and will hopefully be completely drawn by next week.

Am now busy choosing a model train for the opening sequence...

Hogspot recording

The Voice of Hogspot, the American factory owner, has been recorded by

Mark Boone Jnr (pictured with Batman)

In his hometown Los Angeles. Boone is the ideal voice actor for the role of Hogspot, who is the only speaking male character in the film. The tape is now making it's way to New Zealand and I will start on the Hogspot final Marquette next week.

Aslan must be Crazy.

I have inherited a wealth of leftover art materials from my work, including a vanload of Polystyrene and foamcore sheets, and several car loads of half used paint and modelling materials.

How awesome is that?

I have to say thanks to Dimitri for not using all of the materials while he had the chance. :)

While we're on the subject of Awesome, here is an architectural sweatshop concept for a bluescreen composite shot, where one machine is animated and overlayed many times, courtesy of set designer Nick Conner.

STUDIO LAYOUT

Above: Image.
Below: Text.

This layout shows the production departments located around STAGE 1, generously offered by Ms Tanya Barlow; the estate owner. Please note that the old bath in the top left corner of the stage layout above is a real bath, but the pile of used snow inside it is fake.

Nick Conner is now officially on board designing sets, and it is very exciting seeing descriptions turn into plans, and makes the prospect of building things in forced perspective so much simpler... although I somehow doubt it will be easy.

Strangelight has just joined Virb.com, which is like myspace but NOT owned by Rupert Murdoch. As I add film images to this blog I'll also add some to Virb with a more convenient filing system. So if you're into nerdy things, sign up to Virb and join the North Pole Revolution. Or you can visit the Strangelight page at ~

http://virb.com/strangelight

I'm also back on IMDB Pro now, so if you need me to add agent contact information, look up specific movie info like movies in development, or just look up your STARmeter... let me know.

:D

Production Schedule Amendment

I have been lazy and used my weekend for catching up on lost sleep. Turns out I've been walking 30Km a week (1.5 hours to work and back) and not sleeping enough...

Creative New Zealand called me up and told me that to be eligible for additional funding, principle photography needs to start in June. It's a strange system they have but I have ammended the production schedule for them on the off chance of getting my food paid for during production.

Between insomnia and work, I am somehow managing to watch a lot of Cowboy Bebop, which is now my favourite animated series of all time.

Character development

I've been given some helpful advice from documentary filmmakers Micha X Peled (China Blue & Store Wars: When Wall Mart Comes to Town) and David Redmon (Mardi Gras: Made in China). I wanted to find out what the sweatshop workers were like offscreen which has been useful for our script, and will help base the film on reality as much as possible. They were also digging the story, which makes me relieved to know my work won't offend real documentary film makers

Now I just need to find out more about what elves are really like...

Prop "buying"

Thanks for your comments and congratulatory wishes!

I will no doubt be stealing seeking skills, advice and props from all of ewes soon... In fact, while we're on the subject, I am starting to source props and set dressing at a scale of 1:5 (one fifth of actual size) and 1:10 (one tenth...). Things like books, lamp posts, sewing machines, tools, and a few more specific things such as a miniature yellow toy monkey or thomas the tank engine train. I'm especially keen on miniature corrugated iron (although I don't think that exists...). So if you want to offload any of your old (or new) toys, no matter how damaged or chewed, I'm interested in helping you.

Betrothal

Unable to pull myself away from the epic horror DOWN BY THE RIVERSIDE, I have had a slow weekend on NPD. Although I am developing my sculpting skills making marquettes (models) for Hogspot and Trixie.

****
TRIXIE
Trixie is a 13 year old Elf. She has worked in the factory for over a year now. She has black hair kept in two ponytails, and a short fringe, which she constantly tries to tuck behind her ears. She is shy, tired and constantly nervous. Her backstory will be told in the North Pole Deception.

HOGSPOT
HOGSPOT is an upper class factory owner who moved from America to the North Pole in the great Christmas Decoration boom of the early 1990’s. He is a greedy man but is also a “nice guy” according to his business partners. He thinks he is a nice boss, and blames the workers low wages on market demands, with low unit prices established by the Clause conglomeration. He often thinks the elves are trying to scam and steal from him, apart from the gun slinging security elves on the front doors. HOGSPOT has agreed to speak with us and let us film in his factory, because he thinks that the documentary is about his entrepreneurial genius.

MIETTE
Miette is almost 16, and works with Trixie in the workshop. She wears a big white scarf, and has brown dreaded hair, which hangs down over her shoulders. Miette is the older, more intelligent and confident of the girls.
****

In other news, I am betrothed [engaged] to the beautiful Marama K! (pictured below). We are currently considering the probability of an engagement party. :)



[We also saw Ian Mackaye's band The Evens last night which was a rockin good time!]

Standby for Pre-production

To my right, you will notice a PRODUCTION STATUS corner. These numbers will [hopefully] go up over the next couple of months, so everyone can supervise and make sure I'm on track.

Because it looks like I haven't done anything yet, here are some photos to prove I have gathered materials, and am working on something in Tanya's basement.





I also have some character marquettes which aren't quite ready for human consumption, and obviously a script which is locked away in a vault (not literally). My goal for the next week is to draw one storyboard per day, and get a third draft of the script finished. Of course this will have to compliment a weekend of editing DOWN BY THE RIVERSIDE, but who needs sleep when you've got coffee?

Speaking of which, I must cut down my coffee intake so I don't have shaky hands for animating!