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FF:WA Official Fan Film Production Thread: "Knighthood"

Discussion in 'Oceania Discussion Boards' started by Saintheart, Nov 19, 2003.

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  1. Shadow_of_Evil

    Shadow_of_Evil Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Nov 18, 2001
    Hows it bros? Yah Yah, I'm back from the dead.

    Good news, I've finally found my backup copy of the opening scroll and all that jizzjazz so I should be able to rap up the rough cut. Been busy as a mofo with work and climbing and what not. Got the day off today but I've got a few things to do. Hopefully tonight I'll get back to it.
    Good to be back.

    Mike, how's the 'bump' coming along?
     
  2. Saintheart

    Saintheart Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Dec 16, 2000
    Hey, man, welcome back! I was about to ring you on the mobile... :D

    I figured your job might be causing some grief. Nvrmnd ;)

    The 'bump' is doing very, very well. Doctor's happy with how the pregnancy is going, although Michelle is really starting to hate being pregnant ... back pain and all that. We're going to go see "Knocked Up" next Saturday for the sheer empathy value ;)
     
  3. Shadow_of_Evil

    Shadow_of_Evil Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Nov 18, 2001
    Hehehe awesome bro.
    I'll pop over when I get a weekend free.
    This week I'm surfing in good ole' Lancelin [face_laugh]
    Next week I'm climbing Bluff Knoll down south, weather permitting. So I'll get in touch sometime soon I hope.
     
  4. Saintheart

    Saintheart Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Dec 16, 2000
    Just an update for all concerned -- thanks to work commitments and other factors on the part of my editor/VFX guy, I am now in possession of the full set of footage for "Knighthood", and I am working through the final edit that I'm going to be pitching out to VFX guys.

    Looking back at the footage, I believe much of it still packs a punch -- even when it's cold after two or more years. Sam and Elliot as our leads were a very good combination indeed, and I think we had an excellent supporting cast in what amounted to half the WA fanforce present in Perth at that time, not to mention several guys who just like to swing swords and hit people with them.

    As for where we are really at right now: I anticipate finishing the visual cut in the next week or so -- that is to say, the precise order of which clips of footage will go where. This is not to say anything against the cuts Shadow made to date. I've used much of his edits as the foundation for my own, which has made the process much less arduous to say the least ... but there will always be bits and pieces that I want to use even at the protestations of smarter people. (Hey, if George Lucas can do it, why can't I?)

    The sound, by contrast, will just about require its own little chop shop. In common with 90% of footage shot for the average Hollywood movie, the dialogue taken on the actual shoot was so corrupted by outside sources as to make it pretty much unusable other than as a guidepost for where the "real" dialogue should go. As such we've already rerecorded much of the dialogue for the film in a makeshift studio, but my own dialogue and about half of Shadow's still has to go into the can.

    One big issue that I do have at the moment is the recruitment of VFX artists who can achieve some of the work that I need to get done. The VFX/CGI work that needs to happen on the film includes the following items (NB Spoilers follow:)

    1. A short sequence where five seeker drones (think the one Luke duels on the Millennium Falcon in ANH) are floating around a Jedi padawan, who then takes them out in quick succession.

    2. A short panoramic shot of the Jedi Temple (like the ones we see in the PT to set the scene whenever the Council's meeting)

    3. A couple of small ships doing unobtrusive flybys inserted into live footage of the balcony at the Jedi Temple at night. (If not a building or two thrown into the background...)

    4. A static shot of the Sith Interceptor from Ep 1 in a closed hangar within the Jedi Temple.

    5. A long shot of the Sith Interceptor taking off and blasting out of said hangar and into the night sky. Also a separate shot of the Interceptor doing a barrel roll as it heads into the sky.

    6. (This is probably the biggest part. All of it would be CGed) A series of CG'ed shots of the Sith Interceptor in a "fleeing" (but short) battle with three Z-95 Headhunters, interspersed with a live-action shot or two of the Interceptor's cockpit.

    7. An over-the-shoulder view through the Interceptor's cockpit window of the "jump to hyperspace" starlines (done using a greenscreen.)

    8. CG shots of the Interceptor heading for a planet, leaving a planet, entering hyperspace, leaving hyperspace.

    9. CG shots of a nondescript transport heading for the same planet.

    10. A very quick shot of said transport screaming past overhead (as if the camera were lying on the ground looking into the sky) at very low altitude. Also some enhancement of capital-ship-powered blaster bolts hitting a small model house -- enhancement of the raw explosion footage we used. And possibly (I haven't decided) computer enhancement of the raw model to make it look a little more like a building.

    11. Another "drone killing" sequence where the drones are more like the interrogation droids from ANH, getting sabered by the padawan -- again inserted into live footage.

    12. Rotoscoping of a 6 on 2 saber duel which lasts about two, three minutes.

    13. Rotoscoping of a duel at the start and at the end of the film.

    14. Rotocoping of a lightsaber going thr
     
  5. Saintheart

    Saintheart Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Dec 16, 2000
    Today I've got my acknowledgment: the guy who is doing the drone sequences has the footage I sent him on yousendit, and he's going to get back to me in a couple of days. So with any luck items (1) and (11) are now covered. The process continues...
     
  6. Saintheart

    Saintheart Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Dec 16, 2000
    Updatey goodness.

    drewjmore, the user who volunteered to do the drone sequences for the movie, has turned in a second draft of his work. Michelle, my wife has seen it and was blown away by the first sequence (albeit that it was only 16 seconds) although the fanfilms community has been constructively critical of the work. There's a nice chaos of movement going on in that sequence, and Elliot looks l33t. ;)

    Simon Gillespie, the guy who's basically stood up to do the rest of the VFX, has indicated he's having a serious RL crisis and won't be up to full-on work until post-Christmas. So I'll follow him up then; six more weeks isn't going to faze me given I've been going four years on this... :)

    Hopefully, though, we'll have a snippet or two of footage before the year's out to tease people with.

    Naurm, if you're reading this, apologies that I haven't got back to you yet. I will do so ASAP. :D
     
  7. Saintheart

    Saintheart Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Dec 16, 2000
    A minor update for all those hundreds of people still watching and caring: I'm about to start burning all the footage onto a hard drive for the new FX guy to take a look at it. We will finish this, one way or the other.
     
  8. S_o_E

    S_o_E Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Jun 17, 2008
    I'd love to have a look at it all Mike! Can't help out on it really, but I'd still love to follow the films progress.
    Miss those days... [face_tired]
     
  9. Kartanym

    Kartanym Jedi Knight star 6

    Registered:
    May 23, 2002
    Good times.
     
  10. Naurm

    Naurm Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Jun 20, 2005
    I started reading your post Saintheart and I read "I'm going to burn all the footage" and freaked out for a second until I continued on..continued best wishes for you guys, and as I did 6 months ago, if you need any roto work done for the sheer break from monotony, I'm here.
     
  11. LBJ

    LBJ Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Oct 12, 2004
    Any update on progress Saint?
     
  12. Saintheart

    Saintheart Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Dec 16, 2000
    Only that I keep getting confused because the effects guy keeps not responding to my e-mails. We were supposed to be getting together in the next week or so, but I don't know if my e-mails keep hitting his trashcan or not. Any chance you can ping him a line?
     
  13. LBJ

    LBJ Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Oct 12, 2004
    mmmmm not really directly but I can raise it with a friend of his who works at my office. I'll ask him if he can check that your emails have been received or not.

    I shall pm you when I have something.
     
  14. LBJ

    LBJ Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Oct 12, 2004
    PM'd you!
     
  15. Tarryn_Whiteheart

    Tarryn_Whiteheart Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Jan 29, 2003
    Anything happening, folks?
     
  16. Saintheart

    Saintheart Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Dec 16, 2000
    It's been fraught with coughs and splutters but, yes, we are moving again. A very generous user of these boards in the US has taken a HD-full of footage from the film from my trembling, begging hands and has agreed to assist as best he can with as much as he reasonably can on the VFX. I sent the HD off about two weeks ago and have been discussing it constantly with him since then ;)

    I presume if he wants to identify himself, he will if he's following this thread, but I won't "out" him without his permission. :) Needless to say I'm very thankful to him for looking at the stuff at all! :D

    So yes, Knighthood has a pulse, some magic happening, a positive reading, a sign of life. Gondor has called for aid, and Rohan is in the process of answering. :)

    As to when it'll get done - impossible to tell at this stage. He's currently working on a couple of shots for the fanfilm "Hunt for Gollum" at this point, but once his commitments are completed there, he's indicated he'll have a bit more time available.

    I know people have been hanging in there for a while now, but I have resolved I will not stop until the film is finished. Hopefully: end of this year, if not sooner.
     
  17. drewjmore

    drewjmore Jedi Knight star 4

    Registered:
    Aug 15, 2007
    "At last, we will reveal ourselves to the jedi..."


    It's me, the chooch Mike referred to above.:-B I'm doing what I can to get this film wrapped up. There's a new site up at http://swknighthood.freeforums.org/

    if you use:
    username: tfnuser
    password: tfnuser

    you'll be able to see the whole site, read only.
    If you've got some skills, or are willing to learn, register there and/or drop me an email at drewjmore@yahoo.com and I'll get you set up with participant access and we'll make everyone proud of this puppy!!
     
  18. LBJ

    LBJ Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Oct 12, 2004
    Movement!

    Excellent.
     
  19. DarthXan318

    DarthXan318 Manager Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 12, 2002
    That "Spoilers here!" thread is really really really tempting... :(
     
  20. drewjmore

    drewjmore Jedi Knight star 4

    Registered:
    Aug 15, 2007
    Yeah, watch out for that spoiler thread: it's basically a plot synopsis. I'm not spoiler-avoider, as a rule; I think knowing the plot beforehand allows you to really enjoy the visuals without being puzzled by tricky plot elements or mis-heard dialog. But that's me.

    Anyway, in case Saintheart hasn't thoroughly pummled everyone around here for a bit more of their precious time: we really need a few helpers to finish up the lightsaber visual effects. All you really need is something like Photoshop and patience, and there are many roads to Rome so to speak. Please e-mail Saintheart or me: drewjmore@yahoo.com if you've got a few hours of free time, access to the internet and a desire to see this film get finished!!
     
  21. Saintheart

    Saintheart Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Dec 16, 2000
    The hard drive is on its way back to me from drew. On to rotoscoping and other matters! :)
     
  22. Dags

    Dags Jedi Grand Master star 3

    Registered:
    Dec 3, 2000
    Far out, what a long and drawn out process this has become - seven years and counting - but it doesn't beat the record for the longest fan film yet to be completed ... which is STILL being worked on. :)

    Anyway it's funny how things start off with so much energy and excitement, but once it get serious and filming commences it doesn't take much for it to become bogged under its own weight to the point where one dedicated person is left holding the candle alight.

    Still don't sweat it guys you aren't the only ones to have started a fan film only to find that getting it finished is next to impossible. If anything this experience probably gives you a greater appreciation that film making "is harder than it looks".

    The sad thing is that by the time you do get it completed - say by the end of 2010 - you will have missed the boon time for fan films which was around five to seven years ago. What this means is that the bulk of the fan film hungry world has kinda moved on and the only films that garnish any real attention are the professional looking ones (which is kinda ironic considering how your production team hung it on Revelations when it came out). For this reason if your film doesn't fit into that category then you might struggle for an audience which is a shame based on all the effort, or more specifically time, you've put into this.

    But having said all that it's great that you're sticking with it and I can sympathise with your sagas. One of the things I say to people who want to take on SW fan films is to limit the amount of FX work required because if you don't know any FX artists who can do the work, then you're in a bit of strife as you have been now for a while.

    Oh and in case you're wondering who I am, I'm the guy who Directed Jedi Heritage which was produced by LordVaderFF.

    Best of luck with it. :)


     
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