Production Diary 5/30/12 - Wrap for Chronicles of the Chronicler 3: The Lost World

WARNING: THIS DIARY UPDATE CONTAINS PLOT SPOILERS FOR CHRONICLES OF THE CHRONICLER 3: THE LOST WORLD. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

Today marks the last day of production for COTC3. I filmed the last shots for the film, and what may possibly be the last stop-motion shot I'll ever shoot. I have some mixed emotions about it. Part of me is relieved that its over, and part of me knows that I'm gonna miss it.

This movie has been a crazy ride. I can't say it was the most stressful movie I've ever done, Sam's Comics holds that award... This one holds second place though. At least this one didn't drive me to the point of nervous break-downs. I would say that Chronicles 3 wins the longest lasting production award, as it started production sometime in January, began principle photography on February 11th, 2011 and ended on May 30th, 2012. Part of the reason it lasted so long is because "Sam's Comics" was picked up by the McHenry County College Film Production Club on March 7th. I did do some filming during production for "Comics", but only one clip actually survived "The Purge".

model photo taken during production for "Sam's Comics: The Movie" (2011). Earlier this day, Sam had filmed three scenes for "Comics".

The story for the third one was very difficult. At the end of the second movie, Takua mentions that he has a feeling that a new batch of Toa will come along. The original plans for Chronicles 3 was for the Matoran Jaller, Hahli, Kongu, Hewkii, Nuparu, and Matoro to become the Toa Inika (like they do in the 2006 Bionicle storyline). This idea was scrapped early on, because I didn't have the Toa Inika sets released by Lego. I was stumped for a while, but then I got new inspiration after watching "Shrek 4". This got me thinking about alternate reality, which somehow got me thinking about time traveling. The next idea for the third movie was to have time travel, but then that became too complicated. Then came the idea that became the final film: bending time by bringing the fallen Toa from the past to save the present.

There was no script when I started filming; I only knew what I wanted to happen. Because of the nature of the Toa's deaths mentioned in Chronicles 1, Onua and Pohatu had to come head to head in another fight scene. The idea I had was to have them sword fighting, but then I thought "I did that like four times already in the first two", so I decided to have them fighting hand-to-hand. This turned out looking much better than the sword fights, and effected how the rest of the script was written (like a few months later when the script was actually written...) I filmed bits of several other scenes before "Comics", but as soon as it came along, production immediately halted, only to have infrequent bit shoots whenever I had time to film between "Comics" and my school schedule. Once "Comics" was finished, I reviewed what little footage I had done already, and then made a big decision: To scrap all completed footage and written script drafts and start from scratched. This delayed production from starting in November 2011 to January 2012. I finished the script on my 21st birthday, January 3rd, 2012. By this time, I had my buddy Carl Mohr attached to the project as various voices.

Several things were changed from the original February 2011 plans. The characters Taipu (who was going to appear in Chronicles 1 before being replaced by Hahli) and Macku were dropped from the script, and the Rahkshi were given more screen time. Later in March, the script was added on to, fleshing out the plot to make sure that this last film in the series was the best it could possibly be. The biggest change made in the plot was the fact that (AND THIS IS MAJOR SPOILERS HERE) Takua, against all odds, becomes a Toa once again. He was originally only supposed to be a minor character as a Turaga, but in the end, I couldn't justify downplaying the main character in the final installment.

Another big step I took to make sure the fans would be satisfied with COTC3, I decided to film some scenes while I was on vacation in Michigan this last week.

All in all, COTC3 totals 1501 still frames and 348 videos shots. That's 638 more stills and 326 videos than COTC1, and 491 more stills and 292 more videos than COTC2!

Still some voice over recordings to do, so I'll leave the diary update at that.

From The Vaults: unused Student Senate script

This is the first of my "From The Vaults" series. It's a collection of old scripts that I never ended up making. Some of them I was rather fond of while some of them (particularly my earliest works) were kinda pathetic...

I did this script a while back and just found it while cleaning out my computer's memory the other day. Thought people might enjoy reading it, because I probably won't ever be able to film it. It was an informational video inspired by my time serving on the McHenry County College Student Senate, but with characters inspired by the cast of "The Office". Obviously we wouldn't have used the actual "Office"character names, but when writing the script, this was easier to keep track of who was supposed to be who. I should also point out some lines were "borrowed" from my friend Carl's senate promo videos that we actually did shoot. He did a much better job explaining the jobs of the president and other roles better than I could have... I was lazy and I hope he won't be too mad at me... :S

Student Senate “The Office” Spoof video

- Open on the hallway outside the board room. JIM is standing by the door alone, but after a second the camera pans left to show DWIGHT walking down the hall towards him.

DWIGHT: What’s the matter is the door locked or something?

JIM: You didn’t hear? Michael sent out an email about a half-hour ago saying that the Board of Trustees was going to be using the board room today. We’re meeting down in A113 this morning.

DWIGHT: I didn’t get any email…

JIM: I think he forgot to copy you on it. You’d better get down there though. Michael said he wanted you. He has an urgent matter that only his Vice-President can solve.

DWIGHT: Say no more.

DWIGHT dashes away down the hall. The camera cuts to another hallway to see DWIGHT running towards a stairwell as fast as he can. The scene cuts back to JIM, who looks at the camera and smiles mischievously. Cut to an “interview” shot of JIM.

JIM: (smiling) There was no email sent out this morning.

RUN OPENING CREDITS. After credits, the scene shows the board room with an establishing shot of the front table. President MICHAEL is sitting in the center of the large table in the front of the room. To his right is Vice-President DWIGHT and to his left is PAM the secretary, who has her laptop out in front of her. To DWIGHT’s right is ANGELA the treasurer. To PAM’s left is Student Trustee TOBEY. JIM sits on ANGELA’s right, leaning back in his chair as though bored. To TOBEY’s left is ANDY, who is wearing awkwardly bright colors. The camera zooms in from the establishing shot of the table onto MICHAEL. It stays there for a few seconds before cutting away to an “interview” shot of MICHAEL.

MICHAEL: My name is Michael Scott, and I am the president of the Student Senate here on campus. This is the place where students can learn how to be leaders of their student organizations. I think I am a great president because I am friend first, president second. I want everyone to have fun in Senate, and everyone leaves with a smile on their face. You may ask me, “Michael, what qualities make you a good president?” To which I reply: “Which ones don’t?”

MICHAEL smiles. The scene cuts back to the head table. The camera pans from MICHAEL to DWIGHT, who is busy making sure a row of pencils in front of him are perfectly straight. Cut to an “interview” shot of DWIGHT.

DWIGHT: My name is Dwight K. Schrute, and I am the Vice-President of the Student Senate. As Vice-President, I have the second most amount of authority. It is my philosophy that the second in command is the most important, because he takes what his sensei says and makes sure it gets done. I’m also in charge of all the committees in the senate. I came up with some of them myself, but unfortunately Michael didn’t go for a lot of them. Like the Samurai Security committee. I think it would make us feel a lot safer if we had samurai patrolling the hallways keeping vigil over us.

The scene cuts back to DWIGHT straightening the pencils. The shot zooms in close on the pencils. A second after he gets them just right, someone kicks the table and they get messed up again. The shot tilts up to show DWIGHT’s surprised, disappointed, and annoyed face. The camera swish-pans over to show JIM, still laid back in his chair. He looks at the camera again with a smug look on his face. Cut to an “interview” shot of JIM.

JIM: I’m Jim, and I am a club representative. The majority of Student Senate consists of club reps. Basically what we do is report to the senate what the club is doing, and vice-versa. We also are the ones who present our clubs’ funding proposals to the senate. I didn’t really want to be a club rep at first because it meant getting up early to be at school before 8:00 every Friday morning, but then I found out that I get six credit hours worth of tuition reimbursed… and I actually ended up liking the company…

The scene cuts back to JIM at the table as he’s saying the last line in the interview. In the table shot, the camera shows JIM winking over at someone over to the left. The camera follows his gaze and stops on PAM the secretary. She is smiling and trying not to laugh at JIM. The camera zooms in slightly to show her face more clearly. Cut to “interview” shot of PAM.

PAM: My name is Pam, and I’m the secretary. It’s my job to write down everything that happens in the meetings so that we have a record of what we do to present to our advisor. I keep track of contact information, meeting minutes, and individual attendance.

The scene cuts back to the Table. MICHAEL clears his throat.

MICHAEL: Okay, it is 8:00, so I think it is time to get started. What’s first on our agenda?

He looks at the agenda in front of him.

MICHAEL: Okay, looks like first up is the President’s opening remarks.

He smiles and addresses the room.

MICHAEL: Hello everyone and welcome back to student senate.

The camera pans around to show the rest of the room. A few other club reps are sitting in rows of chairs facing the front table. None of the club reps say anything. The camera pans back to MICHAEL who clears his throat.

MICHAEL: Tough crowd… Anyways, another week of Student Senate, another week of fun. We are pleased to welcome back our advisor, Jan.

The camera pans back over to the chairs facing the table. In the back is an adult woman with a clipboard on her lap, watching the table intently. Cut away to an “interview” shot of Jan.

JAN: I am the advisor for the Student Senate. It’s my job to make sure that everything they do is within the senate guidelines. Recently, I have had to miss the last couple meetings, so I’m really hoping Michael hasn’t made a mess of things while I was gone.

Cut back to the front table. MICHAEL looks back at the agenda.

MICAHEL: Next up is a review of last week’s minutes. Over to you, Pam.

He holds out his hand towards PAM, as though introducing her to a large crowd. PAM is looking at MICHAEL out of the corner of her eye, either a little embarrassed or just annoyed at the way he’s acting, but is used to it. She clears her throat.

PAM: Last week, clay club presented a funding proposal for $806 to build a Pit Firing Kiln. Senate voted and approved the amount of $550. After that, we discussed changes to the constitution, but then Michael became bored with the subject and we played Risk for the rest of the time and plotted the 9-11 for China.

As PAM is saying the last sentence, MICHAEL gets a look on his face like he knows he’s about to get in trouble. The camera pans over to JAN, who is looking shocked and annoyed at MICHAEL. The camera pans back to MICHAEL, who has the same expression on his face. He clears his throat.

MICHAEL:  (quietly)That wasn’t supposed to go on the record, Pam.

Cut to an “interview” shot of PAM.

PAM: Jan told me specifically to write down everything Michael was doing in detail while she was gone…

Cut to an “interview” shot of JAN. She shakes her head.

JAN: I should have known better.

Cut back to the table. PAM holds out the agenda.

PAM: Next is the Vice President’s opening remark.

DWIGHT stands up promptly and without wasting any time starts talking.

DWIGHT: Thank you, Pam. Today I want to emphasize professionalism. Namely, when it comes to your cell phones…

The shot pans to JIM, who his holding back a laugh. Cut to an “interview” shot of JIM.

JIM: I know why he’s talking about this. Last week, Dwight left his cell phone on the table when he went to the bathroom, so I did the only sensible thing and went into his contacts and changed my name to “Mom”. Then I started texting him during his opening remarks.

Cut back to the table. DWIGHT is continuing his remark on cell phones.

DWIGHT: … I think we should all pull out our phones before each meeting, turn them all off, and set them on the side table so that no one can be messing with them while we are in our meetings. That is all. May we vote now?

MICHAEL: What?

The camera tilts down from DWIGHT (who was standing) to MICHAEL (who was sitting) to show that he has his phone out and is playing “Words with Friends”. Cut back to the table. PAM reads off the agenda again.

PAM: Next on the agenda is the Trustee update.

TOBEY is about to stand up, but MICHAEL shakes his head.

MICHAEL: No, no. We don’t have time to listen to Tobey’s boring voice for a half-hour.

TOBEY looks at the camera with a sad-sack face and sits back down. Cut to an “interview” shot of TOBEY.

TOBEY: My job as student trustee consists of connecting the Student Senate with the board of Trustees and updating them about everything that’s going on…

Cut to an “interview” shot of MICHAEL. He has his arms folded and a sour look on his face.

MICHAEL: I hate Tobey. He is such a Debbie Downer. He never lets me do anything fun during meetings, and when I do get to do something fun, he goes and tattle-tales on me to the Board of Trustees.

Cut back to the table. MICHAEL picks up the agenda and reads off it.

MICHAEL: Looks like we have a funding proposal from The Speech Team. Alright, Andy, you’re on.

The camera pans over to ANDY, who stands up.

ANDY: Okay, so as you all know, the speech team got first place in the state championship, and we’re going onto nationals.

There is a smattering of applause.

ANDY: As you can see on your funding proposal hand-outs…

(the camera zooms out to show that everyone is looking at a bundle of papers that PAM is handing out)

ANDY: …Speech team is requesting $742 for accommodations as we travel to nationals. This amount includes lodging for two nights, entry fees for our seven competitors, gas money, and food.
MICHAEL: Alright, the floor is now open for discussion.

ANGELA raises her hand.

MICHAEL: Angela?

Cut to an “interview” shot of ANGELA.

ANGELA: I am the Student Senate treasurer. It’s my job to make sure clubs get their approved money and to make sure funding doesn’t run out. Recently, Michael has been approving full amounts of money to the clubs, and I’ve been trying to convince him to be a little more conservative in this respect. Money doesn’t grow on trees…

 Cut back to the table. ANGELA looks up from her hand-out.

ANGELA: How many fundraisers has Speech team done to earn their own money to pay for this?

ANDY: Well, we did the Brunswick bowling fundraiser a few weeks ago, and we did the Murder at the Masquerade show last month where we also sold masquerade masks. All together that brought the cost down $1635.

Several people nod their heads. PAM raises her hand.

PAM: I motion to approve the full amount.

Cut to an angle that shows both DWIGHT and JIM. They both raise their hands and talk at the same time.

DWIGHT and JIM: I second.

DWIGHT: No, I second.

PAM: I think Jim was first.

DWIGHT: (brings his fist down on the table, frustrated.) Ugh!

MICHAEL: Let’s put this to a vote. All those in favor of giving full amount?

Several people raise their hands. The camera pans around to show them all before panning back to MICHAEL.

MICHAEL: All apposed?

ANGELA and a few others raise their hands.

MICHAEL: Stanley, you didn’t vote.

The camera pans around to show a black student who is doing a crossword puzzle and not looking up at the meeting.

STANLEY: Leave me alone.

MICHAEL: I’ll take that as an abstaining vote.

PAM: So all together that was 12 for, 4 against, and 1 possibly abstaining…

MICHAEL: Motion passes, you’ve got your funds.

ANDY sits down as the scene cuts to an “interview” shot of MICHAEL

MICHAEL: Yeah, Student Senate is really a place where you gain amazing experience. It’s not all about giving clubs money when they want it. It’s about… bettering the school’s outlook. We can really make a difference here on campus. And I’m proud to be part of it.

The shot cuts to black, but then cuts to a shot of a hallway where JIM and PAM are sitting at a small table facing the camera. Both of them are smiling and trying not to laugh. Some vending machines are behind them and DWIGHT walks up to one of them and starts looking at what they contain.

PAM: (loud enough for DWIGHT to hear) So you think you heard someone talking about forming a secret committee to overthrow Michael and Dwight?

DWIGHT glances over his shoulder at them. The camera zooms in on him.

JIM: Yeah… I couldn’t tell whose voice it was though. All I heard is that they are going to be meeting by the pond by the sports field today at 9:30.

PAM: Wow… that’s so hard to believe… but it makes sense.

The camera zooms back out and shows JIM and PAM, still with their backs to DWIGHT and trying not to laugh. DWIGHT takes a deep breath and walks away from the vending machine casually, even though he didn’t get anything. The scene cuts to the pond. DWIGHT is hiding behind a tree, waiting for someone to show up. The camera pans around show JIM and PAM hiding a short distance away, watching him and giggling.

The End.

New Production Photos for COTC3: The Lost World

Some new photos taken from the Newaygo Michigan shoot.

Welcome

my reviews - Mystery Science Theather 3000

I'm gonna start my movie reviews by reviewing a show about making fun of how movies can sometimes be horribly terribly incredibly CHEEZY or CRAPPY. I am of course referring to the pop. cult. series from the late 80's and 90's, Mystery Science Theater 3000.

I used to love watching this show with my dad in the early 2000's, but soon they stopped showing it. About a month or two ago, I was browsing the shelves of my library's television section looking for DVDs of The Office (which I will probably also review later on). Directly above the O section was the M section and the first thing that caught my eye as I stood up (the O's were down low) was Mystery Science Theater 3000 Vol. 10.2. I pulled it out and looked it over and saw that one of my favorite episodes was on that volume. I promptly went and checked it out and soon enough, I was back into the show.

The concept of the show was a very good one. Its about this guy who watches terrible B movies and cheezy old films anywhere from the 40's up to the early 90's. While watching the show, he provides a humorous commentary with the help of his two robotic friends Servo and Crow. At the beginning, end, and periodically during breaks in the movies, the three of them do little skits and such.What I didn't realize as a kid (or if I did, I forgot) was that there are loose storylines between these skits. The man was also trapped in space with his robot pals and was being forced to watch the movies by two evil scientists (later a woman trying to rule the world). These storylines are mostly kinda stupid, but I guess this was a low-budget kind of production. The producers probably spent most of the show's budget securing the rights to show the movies they show and less on the "host segments".

As I started watching the show on DVD, I discovered something else I never knew when I watched the show before: Mike Nelson wasn't the only main human character. When the show started, the guy who had to watch the movies was a guy named Joel Robinson (Robinson was obviously a "Lost In Space" reference). I did not know Joel existed, or even that the "Mads" (Dr. Forrester and TV's Frank) existed either. I had only ever seen episodes where Mike was the main character and was being sent movies by Pearl Forrester (who apparently is Dr. Forrester's mother) and her accomplices Bobo the human-gorilla alien and "Brain Guy" the Observer. I watched several episodes with Joel, but felt that they just weren't as funny. Maybe its because I was introduced to the series with Mike and preferred him, but I also think it had to do with the fact that the robot characters (who always remained the same) didn't quite bounce off him the same way they would Mike.

All in all, even with Joel, the show is still one of the funniest shows I've ever seen. Here is a list of some of my favorite episodes to date:
1. Giant Spider Invasion (by far the best one ever)
2. Teenage Strangler
3. Space Mutiny
4. Time Chasers
5. Invasion of the Neptune Men
6. Pod People (my favorite Joel episode)
7. This Island Earth (aka MST3K The Movie)
8. Prince of Space
9. Giant Gila Monster\
10. Boggy Creek II

Production Diary 5/22/12 - Chroniclers of the Chronicler 3: The Lost World - Le-Koro/ Ga-Koro scenes

For the first time in the Chronicles of the Chronicler series, I finally did some outdoor filming. I was on vacation somewhere in Michigan (I have no idea how to spell the name of the town), and I decided to take advantage of some of the beautiful lake-house scenery to use in COTC3. I filmed six sequences outside. Two of them were in the woods, three out in the open area outside the lake-house, and one was shot down by the lake itself.

The first set of scenes took place in Le-Wahi and Le-Koro, the Matoran city built in the tree-tops of the forest in Le-Wahi. I basically just shot these scenes on a flight of overgrown stairs leading from the lake-house down to the beach. It created a very dramatic environment for Toas Lewa and Pohatu to encounter a Rahkshi. A few shots were hard to get just right, but I got them eventually (and thankfully, I narrowly avoided some poison ivy!)

The scene with Toas Lewa (left) and Pohatu (right) in the forests of Le-Wahi was filmed on a flight of over-grown stairs.

The beach scene takes place in Ga-Koro, a Matoran city built on the water in the bay of Ga-Wahi and home to Hahli the Chronicler. This scene was a bit problematic to shoot, as stop-motion animation requires me to take still photos of each of the character's movements. While shooting outside in and of itself creates a problem with shadows moving because of the wind/the sun, shooting by the water was proving to be a greater issue, as the waves, while small waves, still were creating a significant continuity issue. As a result, the entire Ga-Koro sequence had to be shot in video format, so that the waves could move on without disturbing the characters, who had to either not move in the frame, or had to have movements that could be performed hand-held beneath the frame. This also made filming a fight scene between Toa Gali, Toa Lewa, and a Rahkshi very difficult, as mobility of the models is more limited in video shots (because you can't reach up and move pieces yourself, because your hands would get in the shot).

All in all though, I am very pleased with the final result of these scenes and I'm sure viewers will enjoy them too.

left to right, top row: Lewa, Rahkshi Guurahk, Rahkshi Leerahk, Rahkshi Kuurahk. 2nd row: Turaga Takua, Toa Onua, Toa Pohatu, Rahkshi Onurahk. 3rd Row: Hewkii, Kongu, Toa Gali, Toa Kopaka. 4th row: Altair, Nuparu, Toa Tahu. 5th row: Jaller, Hahli, Matoro.

First Post!

Welcome to the official blog of Chronicler's Company Pictures, my film company title! Here I will keep a running commentary of all the things I do as a film maker, reflect on how things are done, and maybe write my own movie reviews!

I may not be very active at first with this blog, but I plan to be more active as the year goes by.