main
side
curve
  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

SW/Dune/Discworld crossover

Discussion in 'Fan Fiction Stories--Classic JC Board (Reply-Only)' started by Opie Wan Cannoli, Feb 16, 2000.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. Opie Wan Cannoli

    Opie Wan Cannoli Jedi Youngling star 3

    Registered:
    Jun 10, 1999
    So anyway, a Bene Gesserit, a Jedi, and a
    wizard of Unseen University walk into a bar
    at opening time. The bartender's kid is in
    there, he's taking the chairs off the tables
    with a flick of his fingers, he can predict
    what drinks the customers want, you know, that
    stuff. The Bene Gesserit takes in a sharp breath
    and says, "You have the Kwisatz Haderach!"
    The Jedi's jaw drops, and he says, "You have
    the Chosen One who will bring balance to the
    Force!"
    And the UU wizard stays cool as a cucumber,
    looks at the bartender, and says, "You have any
    Bearhugger's whiskey?"
    -from "Party jokes of Muad'dib" by the Princess Irulan.


    Leia Organa Solo looked out at the lights of what normally was daytime on her part of Coruscant. Force, that thing's bigger than an SSD!, she thought as the Spacing Guild Heighliner approached and prepared to meet the shuttle sent to pick up the delegates for the summit meeting. Normally, visitors from this other galaxy got off these bulk cruisers at various points in the Outer Rim and transferred to various NR craft, but the delegation Emperor Atreides- how odd that title seemed on anyone but Palpaitne!- had sent was so large as to fill an entire one.
    Meanwhile, on another part of Coruscant, Rincewind the wizard was running away. Again. He did not know what he was running to, of course. That, in fact, was what had gotten him into this mess in the first place- he had run onto some smuggler's old Ghtroc freighter back in Ankh-Morpork, and now he was on this strange world with strange buildings, strange vehicles, strange people! Nothing here is like home- nothing!
    Suddenly Rincewind heard a familiar voice call out ,"Nerf sausages inna bun! Ruby bliels, cold as Hoth! Fresh baked Wookiee cookies!" He went over to this man, as a fly to a light bulb.
    "Hi. Your name wouldn't be Dibbler by any chance, would it?"


     
  2. Darth Vacuous

    Darth Vacuous Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Mar 29, 1999
    Rincewind had very little time to chat with Blade-Me-Own-Back D'blar, as at this juncture a group of discouragingly large men rounded the corner, wearing imposing uniforms, more weaponry than was altogether reasonable, and expressions of distinct annoyance directed squarely at strategic kill zones scattered across Rincewind's battered robes and slightly-less-than-pointy hat.

    Rincewind, having been neatly provided with a new from, opted to place as much distance between himself and it as possible. D'blar's attempt to sell Rincewind's pursuers a pile of suspiciously tofu-smelling gound nerf was unsuccessful in that it resulted in his being pinned upside down to the nearest wall by his trouser legs until someone took him down. Knowing Coruscant, that wasn't likely in the near future.
     
  3. Opie Wan Cannoli

    Opie Wan Cannoli Jedi Youngling star 3

    Registered:
    Jun 10, 1999
    Meanwhile, on board the Heighliner, Paul-Muad'dib (1) was loading up his family- real wife, pretend wife, and boy-girl twins (2) onto the shuttle to go down to Coruscant.
    "I don't know about this place, Paulie. I hear they act as though the Butlerian Jihad never existed."
    "For them, Irulan, it didn't. That's why we're here, to buy droids. And call me Mister Atreides in private- you're only my pretend wife," Paul said, turning to Stilgar, "What's on the agenda first?"
    "Well, first we stop off at Sunglass Hut to hide our spice-tinted eyes so the sales reps don't know each and every one of us is an addict, even the kids, then we drop those kids off with the Solos' Wookiee so that Jaina Solo'll get a crush on Leto and Jacen one on Ghanima-"
    "Are you sure? They're all only ten."
    "Believe me, boss, these people are rarin' to go at that age."
    "Okay, Stil. Then what?"
    "Then we meet with the Huff Darklighter's people on the stillsuit deal, while all the kids get kidnapped."
    "Makes sense to me."
    .
    .
    1. Fremen for "muddy dip".
    2. Yes, I'm aware of Dune continuity. I just choose to ignore it.


    [This message has been edited by Opie Wan Cannoli (edited 02-18-2000).]
     
  4. CaptainArdiff

    CaptainArdiff Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 26, 1999
    Amused I am, I trust Arch-chancellor Ridcully will make an appearance. Maybe fighting against a Palpy clone
     
  5. Opie Wan Cannoli

    Opie Wan Cannoli Jedi Youngling star 3

    Registered:
    Jun 10, 1999
    Stilgar got off the shuttle and looked around. "Mu zein wallah"(1), he mumbled. Just then Rincewind ran into him, and slowly looked up at his face.
    "B..bb...bbllluuuUUUUUE!!!!!!", Rincewind yelled, and ran away.
    *
    *
    *
    1. Fremen for "I got a bad feeling about this"
     
  6. Jedi Rox

    Jedi Rox Jedi Youngling star 2

    Registered:
    Jan 16, 2000
    LOL

    I trust the dude himself will make an appearance...

    I MUST SAY, THESE WOOKIEE COOKIES ARE VERY GOOD. DO YOU BY ANY CHANCE KNOW WHATS IN THEM?
     
  7. Saeed

    Saeed Jedi Youngling star 3

    Registered:
    May 11, 2000
    I read a recent similar thread from FLEANATION_PRODUCTIONS 55, and thought that now would be a good time to post this...

    I've noticed for a long time that very few fan films feature CG animated characters. Of course, there are a number of technically excellent animations, but I have yet to see anyone attempt to combine live action with character animation.

    It's not hard to see why - CG is difficult enough for film makers, let alone actors, who would have to act and react to thin air, or a crude prop.

    The closest thing to this that I can see from what's currently available is the co-pilot in 'Knightquest'... I'd be interested in seeing other attempts, if anyone else knows of any.

    Giving that this seems to be the way Lucasfilm is going, perhaps we will soon see a new wave of fan films, giving us all that little something extra to enjoy.

    Now, if the good people at TFN Theater will just get round to releasing MY film...

    Saeed
    AKA The Jedi With No Name
     
  8. Saeed

    Saeed Jedi Youngling star 3

    Registered:
    May 11, 2000
    I take it from the lack of response that my initial feelings were correct on this...

    Hmmmmm...very interesting...
     
  9. Darth_Manus

    Darth_Manus Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    May 17, 2000
    I'm making a cg character that has a small roll in my Fan Film. I just started work on it.
     
  10. Nathan PTH

    Nathan PTH Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 11, 2000
    I think it's more a matter of just how much more work it might be to add a CGI character. Until recently, fan films have been a lot smaller in scale and scope. I've taken to looking at things like this:

    "Troops," whether it was *the* first, or just the first major one to be widely recognized, started the fan films trend, but even then, it took a while for the genre to build.

    As the fan film genre built more and more, we then, recently, hit what you might call a rennaissance of fan films. Films like TDR, KQ, and PTH have really marked the coming of a new age of sorts in fan films, where the production values and visual qualities of fan films have been bumped up beyond what they've been before, and, just like with "Troops," the films (and their cohorts) are inspiring more and more people to get into the "biz."

    I mention all of that because until we've hit this sort of renaissance, fan films have never really been the large-scale projects that would call for the time, effort, planning, etc. needed for CGI characters. Fan films were, until recently, creations of dedicated groups of fans, usually with a mix of talents, but not a lot of major film abilities. Now we're seeing a lot of groups using CGI, but you'll notice that of the groups using CGI, a fair number of them are small, about-to-go-professional film groups, not just groups of diverse fans. I have no doubt that this shift in how films are made and how we look at fan films will eventually lead to more CGI characters, but right now it is such a novel thing for a fan film that many people don't even think about it. (Case in point: "Second Strike" is set to include a cast--counting small roles--of maybe 50 - 70 people, with at least 16 individual stormtrooper roles, along with extras in armor in the background. The closest, really, that we've come in considering a CGI character for the film has been upon seeing "S"otet Oldal" and considering doing some background stormies as CGI characters. It's just not something most people think about when planning a film.)

    --Nathan Butler
    Co-Writer, Prelude to Hope
    Writer, Second Strike
     
  11. Saeed

    Saeed Jedi Youngling star 3

    Registered:
    May 11, 2000
    Wow! The legendary 'Nathan PTH' responds!

    I think that rather than us fans looking at what ILM can do and saying "that's way above my abilities", we should let ILM inspire us to expand our creative horizons just a little bit with each project. I'm the first to admit I have no experience in organic modelling, but I have experimented with basic CG robots, and I plan to add more in my current project. While this is a far cry from a fanfilm Jar Jar Binks (maybe that's not such a bad thing), I hope that at least my films should stand out a little from the usual mix of 2 Jedi/3 Jedi/4Jedi-but-one's-a-lady type film (not that there's anything wrong with those) and inspire others to experiment.

    Funnily enough, on my first film - long before I had even heard of TFN, or fanfilms in general - I originally started thinking about doing a CG robot just because I couldn't find anyone else willing to act alongside me...

    I look forward to this 'new wave' of fan films, should they ever materialise.

    By the way, if anyone else has a poor response to their topic, try posting a reply yourself - this will bring your topic to the top of the list, generating new interest - Hey, it worked for me... he he he...
     
  12. Nathan PTH

    Nathan PTH Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 11, 2000
    <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Geneva,Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Saeed:
    Wow! The legendary 'Nathan PTH' responds!


    "Ya hear that, ya slimes? Ahm famous!"

    ::wonders how many people got that quote::

    --Nathan Butler
    [PTH, 2S, TJW, POTS]

     
  13. lokmer

    lokmer Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 15, 2000
    One of the major problem with making believable CGI characters is in the motion capture. It is simply too expensive (Tens of thousands of dollars) to buy a motion capture system. Thus, the characters must be animated by hand, and results this way often look wooden and unbelievable when the CGI charactes are standing next to flesh and blood types.
    -Lokmer
     
  14. Sponewalker

    Sponewalker Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    May 5, 2000
    Umm, haven't you seen The Phantom Menace Saeed? Let's hope fans never make the mistake of attempting to put CG characters in their films. Unless of course it's a spoof, poking a little fun.
     
  15. Xecuter666

    Xecuter666 Jedi Master star 1

    Registered:
    Mar 13, 2000
    nicely said sponewalker! JarJar blew bad!
     
  16. Saeed

    Saeed Jedi Youngling star 3

    Registered:
    May 11, 2000
    Like it or not, Sponewalker, CG characters are here to stay. It will only be a matter of time before they appear in fan films.

    What's important is to distinguish between the technology used to bring these characters to the screen, and the creativity (or lack of it) in getting the character's designs/personality etc right in the first place.

    It's easy to focus on mistakes like Jar Jar Binks, but I prefer to embrace the possibilities new technology can offer. Surely you were impressed with the design of Sebulba, the concept of the rolling droideka, or the way the battle droids are despatched from the MTT's? Technology is only half the reason the SW saga's effects are the best in the business - creativity is the other...

    Next thing you know, you'll be arguing that ILM shouldn't have bothered rotscoping all the lightsabre sequences !
     
  17. The_Scream_Man

    The_Scream_Man Jedi Knight star 5

    Registered:
    May 1, 2000
    Im going to be killed now arent I? I know it. Ill be banned from the forum...But I cant let it go unsaid. Id feel terrible if i didnt.
    I liked Jar Jar Binks.
    *holds up sabers in defense*
    wait wait! put the blasters down, I can explain!
    See, everyone looked at Jar Jar and went "what the sith?" But to me, I saw a cool character. Now maybe its the comic book artist in me, but everyone needs a little comedy relief! And I thought there were times when he was genuinely funny! Like when his tongue went numb...I still laugh at him saying "Ny tounge..ith fat!" lol...anyway...

    Look, he is no dumber than threepio, and he made it into all 4 movies! I actually like Jar Jar more than threepio! I thought he was funnier.

    And then u look at it technically. Jar Jar was REALLY well done. i mean after awhile u forget u are watching a computer character! He lives, and breathes, and has a personality!
    CGI characters really ARE hard to do! And I admire people for attempting them. But don't go bagging out Jar jar in principle, coz he DOES have his strong points.

    Sides, none of US could do it!
     
  18. Ejan Jerthrid

    Ejan Jerthrid Jedi Youngling star 2

    Registered:
    May 1, 1999
    <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Geneva,Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Nathan PTH:
    "Ya hear that, ya slimes? Ahm famous!"

    ::wonders how many people got that quote::


    heh heh. I just saw that movie the other day...
     
  19. lokmer

    lokmer Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 15, 2000
    The first time I saw TPM, I hated JarJar. But you know what, after a few more viewings, I really got to like him. I think the major problem was that there was so little of him as anything but comic relief that it took a few viewings to really see the endearing character that was there. But, then again, there was a lot of character-related material in TPM that was sacrificed on the alter of plot. I mean, let's face it. You have to set up a 12 hour saga, lay the groundwork for everything that follows, in 2 hrs. It's an impossible task, but it had to be done. That's why TPM felt so incomplete - it was supposed to. It's a first chapter, nothing more. And as that, it succeeded well. It's just that the first trilogy was so compelling that most of us (myself included) expected more than TPM could offer and still set up the rest of the series.
    -Lokmer
     
  20. Saeed

    Saeed Jedi Youngling star 3

    Registered:
    May 11, 2000
    I didn't really want this topic to become an arena for fighting over the merits of any particular character - CG or otherwise - but for the record, I didn't like Jar Jar. Whilst Threepio was certainly annoying at times, most of his (and Artoo's) parts in the original trilogy were at least important to the plot in some way or another. The trouble with gambling on an all out comic relief character is that comedy is so subjective, you either love it or hate it... This is not say I'm against CG characters, of course - I didn't feel Ewan Mcgregor put in a particularly good performance in TPM, but I'm not advocating we take out acting from future SW films!

    Whilst the implementation of full CG characters is to be applauded, I find I'm enjoying TPM a lot more on video - I can fast forward all Jar Jar's scenes...Now, if Lucas would only see fit to relase TPM on DVD...

    Anyway, my current project may have a minor organic CG character (I need to brush up on my modelling skills) and if I can finish the trilogy I'm planning, the final installment will definitely have more...
     
  21. The_Scream_Man

    The_Scream_Man Jedi Knight star 5

    Registered:
    May 1, 2000
    So.....Im not being hunted for my like of the Binks boy?
     
  22. The Jedi Apprentice

    The Jedi Apprentice Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Nov 29, 1999
    I hope you aren't scream man. I personally liked Jar Jar. He was the comic relief, he worked fine in TPM. Jake Lloyd's "yipees" were a LOT more annoying to me.

    I'd like to see a fan film with a serious story, yet filled with some comic relief.
     
  23. Nathan PTH

    Nathan PTH Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 11, 2000
    <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Geneva,Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by The Jedi Apprentice:
    I'd like to see a fan film with a serious story, yet filled with some comic relief.

    You'll see that with Second Strike. However, our serious story is going to be . . . very serious. Quite dark. Good guys doing what has to be done, yada yada. But you'll find plenty of comic relief, but not the slapsticky kind.

    --Nathan Butler
    Co-Writer, Prelude to Hope
    Writer, Second Strike
     
  24. George Mezori SCIFI 3D

    George Mezori SCIFI 3D Scifi 3D Forum star 4 VIP

    Registered:
    Sep 10, 1999
    I see great things coming our way soon. I think we'll get the attention of mainstream media in a very big way. I've been predicting this revolution to my friends and family for about 10 years. It's a matter of evolution of the home computer, the price of them coming down and the speed goin up, the price of graphics chips plummetting, and the availability of video editing gear on the pc in a price range affordable the fan. We're still a LONG way off for the average user being able to edit their home movies in a professional way. Lets face it, people on whole are still trying to figure out how to use windows. But the future will be everybody editing their home videos on their pc's, even grandma.

    AND I think fan films are following this same evolutionary scale. It's just a matter of time till somebody does some interactive cgi character spots. You DON'T need a motion cap device either. Just look at the animations in our WIP section at SCIFI 3D. Some of the characters there are very believable and done by hand, lip synching and all. All you have to do beyond that is composite it with video. I think people will borrow some of the techniques used by the studios to do this too. Using balls and other placement markers so people know where to look, etc. It's just a matter of time. But you are right, MOTION CAP systems are way too expensive and high tech. The last SIGGRAPH show I went too 1/2 of them were having techincal problems. But it's not necessary. You ask any studio and they'll tell you that they use both motion cap and keyframing. So you can't rely on just one. And at least for MAX users, there is a library of motion caps for use. I just read about a new software motion cap that can do it using 2D images. So that too one day will come to the home user.

    CHECK out the Jar Jar in our WIP page. He is animated beautifully.

     
  25. Saeed

    Saeed Jedi Youngling star 3

    Registered:
    May 11, 2000
    Thank you for pointing out the sci-fi 3d section to me, zoo. Strange really, I've never checked it out before... (TFN is sooo big...)

    ...but now that I have, I'm going to stay quite once and for all on my own crummy 3D efforts. Even my 'better' work pales in comparison to anything over there - including the amateur section.

    Thanks anyway...
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.