That's the weird thing though, I didn't actually understand any of it at the time. Like I said, it was just this thing, that everyone said was really bad and I could tell because everyone was so horrified, but just a thing standing in between me and my cartoons when I was sick. And only as I grew up that the horror actual became real.
Anyways, new story. This one probably won't be interesting to most of you, but it stands as a high (incredibly low?) mark for me, as it contains a record that still stands to this day. Also this might come off a bit angry towards a certain person, but trust me it's not unjustified.
So, first year at VFS, about 4-5 months into the program we get this project. 13 shots, horror film, 3 minutes. So. One of the guys in our class had this idea to do a full sci-fi epic with it. And me being, well, me, decided that would be awesome, and I manage to get a few other guys interested and we team up. We spend the next week or so convincing our instructor to let us do it. He finally gives in. So we spend a week or so (The week right before a break) brainstorming ideas and coming up with a story. So I feel we have some good ideas going around, but that we need to have a script locked before the break so we could launch straight into preproduction and production right away (It was maybe 4 weeks from deadline, from when we got back)...and they all agree, the guy who created the group says he can do it, no problem. 4 days later. Nothing, despite his constant assurances he was "working on it". So break comes and he has nothing. So I say fine, screw that,... and I spend a couple days over break writing the script. No big deal for me, I enjoy doing it, and it's not like I had anything better to do.
We get back from break, I have script in hand, the rest of the guys love it...he puts up a fight. So I spend the next few days fighting with him about it, while also trying to put wheels in motion to actually get the fucking thing made.
Now some info. Our team was 5 guys. 2 afx guys, 2 3D guys and a sound guy. 3 of them were awesome and one of them was me.
Anyways. So I start stressing out, trying to find actors, get costumes together, building 3D models, texturing, yada yada you know the drill. Finally we find some actors, one is awesome and I still know him to this day, the other not so much, but beggars can't be choosers. We do the shoot (Full greenscreen btw, with one of the actors in full makeup), on a greenscreen set that was was too small. The shoot goes off well for the most part...until we get the footage back. Someone *cough* not naming names *cough* who said they knew "everything about the cameras", had left the gain on high. And if you don't know anything about cameras...basically that meant the footage was grainy as FUCK. Meaning virtually impossible to key. So anyways. Myself and the other 3D guy are pumping out renders, we had an entire lab and a half running our renders for nights on end. And we're passing on our renders to the afx guys (well guy...a certain man decided to not really be in the picture at this point). All this time the sound guy has been collecting recordings and effects and doing a seriously kickass job.
So in our short, we have some holographic displays, like you do, and a certain...ahem...person, was supposed to be in charge of half of them. Well needless to say 3 days before deadline he finally has something to show me. I say fine whatever chuck it in there let's go (This will make sense soon).
So a week before deadline comes (Again only 4 weeks earlier we had nothing but a script) and we barely have a movie. So I sit myself down and start working...for 5 days straight. I go to classes in the day, go home and work, shower go to school work, stay all night, go home, work, shower, come to class. For a week. Part of this was stress induced insomnia as you can imagine, part of it was an overwhelming passion to make this work. By the end of the week we were all staying there all night. We finally, finally got our final render out 15 minutes before the class it was due and being presented in. I was fried beyond anything I had ever before or have ever since experienced. So I hand over the dvd and crash in a chair.
It plays, and everyone loves it. I'm happy. I'm seeing spots...closest I've ever gotten to hallucinating btw. I tap out and head home (70 minute train ride...that just about killed me) get home and crash for 26 hours (It was the weekend, don't worry).
Now about that hologram my dear comrade "designed" and "created" from "scratch". A couple months after the project was done and I'd managed to repress most of it. I decided to watch, Iron Man of all things. And I noticed a remarkably familiar item. Needless to say I was pissed, but by then it had sort of become common knowledge this was not even remotely out of character for him, suprise suprise. So I didn't even bother.
So that's the story of the most intense film-making experience I've ever had. Oh and if you're wondering, the film in question is here: (I know the copyright thing might come around to bite me in the ass eventually, but I'm not doing anything with it and it's just sitting there and it's not going anywhere, I think you'll see why. But it still sucks):
(Yep, it's horrible. but remember, this is pretty much the first real movie I ever made. And we did it in 5 weeks, with effectively 4 guys).
So in conclusion, I used to be even more fucking insane than I am right now. Of course, without that I never would have gotten the taste of blood for directing and I'd probably be a very different artist than I am now. So there's that.
Last edited by BigDamnArtist (2012-05-13 04:40:54)
ZangrethorDigital.ca
