Secrets of the Rebellion

Ok so I wasn't going to start this thread until after the SAG paperwork was finished, the first scenes were shot and our pre production was done because I, like many of you am sick of all talk and no show. But I can't just keep everything in the help needed thread since A) the help isn't needed anymore and B) we're moving on.

www.XpressEntertainment.ca is now and will always be the place for info on this. By the beginning of February the site will get a face lift, and much of it's functionality will improve. We have a forum now as a matter of fact (thanks for that suggestion btw) but they are still working out the bugs and styling it to match the site. A link will go up when it's ready.

Right now we're in a heavy duty state of set building and prop making. Blasters and helmets are being ordered and constructed. Costumes are being built and the beat goes on. One of our crew based out Davenport Iowa is building an R2D2 that will stand on two legs and then convert down to three all on it's own via remote. It will also feature the peiroscope, the cattle prod, and various other attachments. Built out of stainless steel and aircraft aluminum, the droid will be incredibly durable and feature two propane fuelled spring loaded rockets for show.

Not that we plan to use all that stuff, it's just cool to have. The thing would cost ridiculous amounts of money if he didn't already work in a laser cutting sign shop where all the materials used are spare parts and literally free except for the electronics and the lights.

Based on a number of different sources throughout the web and my own imagination I've developed a custom made Sabacc deck for Han and Lando to use when playing for the Falcon. There also three denominations of sabacc chips I've designed.


I also have a little bit of casting to polish off for some of the supporting roles so I've been putting up casting calls. I guess the word is spreading like wildfire because Christian Boeving who is a big player in the fitness industry and has appeared in films like Batman and Robin and Kingdom of Heaven contacted me anxious to have a role in the film.

He also noted that should I need any more female characters, his good friend Christina Lindley may be game. Apparently she is quite a famous fitness model and several womens roles are still up for grabs. Convenient.

Now my Assistant Director has a great deal of experience with green screen shooting and lighting but I would still like to put the feelers out for a "good" cinematographer. If anyone here knows of one that is willing to put in the time and effort to the project let me know or spread the word. Thanks

 

Good luck Achilles. Almost sounds too good to be true lol. A "good" DP can be hard to find as well as good actors. Castingconnection.com is a great place(have to register though) is a great place to find both actors and DPs. However, I would look over at dvxuser.com and sniff around there for a good dp. Its mostly a giant forum. Also there is dvinfo.net/conf look there as well. You were talking about green screening, I was wodering what camera you are using: Film camera or camcorder? Also for a great all greenscreen camera check this out: http://www.reel-stream.com They are the company that modifies dvx100 models to shoot uncompressed sd and hd video. I hope any of this helps.
Kyle

 

Thank you Kyle, that is a lot of useful info.

And just to quell your curiosity. Panasonic HVX200. We have a shot at Full Compass of Madison lending us one for the production in exchange for web advertising and the like.

 

Heh, cool. Little details like that are fun to watch out for.

How many fanfilms have had blue milk I wonder?

 

Oh yeah, duh. I was going to post those. I have pics of the chips.

[image=http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a171/Kit_Fisto/Episode%203%20and%20a%20Parsec/sabaccchips.jpg]

And my fight choreogrpaher had some ideas for hard to find easter eggs, like having a Pirates of the Caribbean Aztec gold coin mixed in with the chips in the pot lol.

 

Hmm...sounds sexy How come I've never heard of this project until now?

 

I wanted to keep it off the boards until the momentum was unstoppable and I was positive everything was going to work out. It's practically there now so I figured, what the hell, why not.

 

Really looking forward to this one! Any help let me know and I will gladly do what I can. Good luck!

 

Good deal on the hvx200, Achilles. You should also look into 35mm adapters for the camcorder. Mini 35 is still the best...but expensive-followed by the g35. I would rent one. I think depth of field is very important when shooting a movie. If you dont plan on using a depth of field adapter, then I would try to find a dp who knows how to get shallow depth of field out of the camcorder itself. Also, for the adapter I would rent decent motion picture lenses like cooke or elite spherical lenses.

 

This looks really cool, I love the website, can't wait for the finished product. The actors playing movie characters look pretty convincing, as well.

 

It also amazed me at how close the ydo look to Ford and Calrissian. Quite identical.

 

Probably one of the best casting jobs in fanfilm history, based on their appearances and credentials... kudos to you/your producer.

 

Thanks guys. I really appreciate that. Actually Jim Siokos is quite well known throughout the fan community for his Han Solo. He's been at every Celebration dressed that way often posing with his friend and Leia cohort, Christy. He was resonsible for some of the most amazing and creative ways of story telling and dialogue within the Han and Chewie sequences.

When we first started writing the script nearly a year ago he said he would do whatever it takes to help me out as long as he gets to play Han, which is of course ridiculous because I couldn't imagine anyone else playing that role, in or out of Hollywood.

Sean is also a big fan of the saga in general and his audition tape for Lando at the card playing table was priceless, that will be on the DVD extras for sure.

I've always been very cautious about casting decisions. My biggest challenge comes from casting Aliska.

She's a very complex character. Someone who gre up with a bitter Vendetta against Darth Vader for many reasons but forced to keep it undewr the composure of better values from the Jedi teachings. It's a personal conflict she has. Then you add the fact that she's been forced to be on her guard this whole time, it makes her edgy and fiesty. But at the same time she's a sweet person on the inside with a good sense of wrong and right and the will to do for others.

There's also a bit of a forbidden attraction between her and Antilles. They are always kept apart from her incognito and his involvement with the rebellion. Then there's the jedi code in the way as well. It's a subtle subtext that adds some emotional tension to that whole story arc and gets the audience more involed on a personal level without going overboard or turning it into a romance. We want the audience to wish they could start something but understand that it won't happen.

So between all those points and then the fact that the hothead in her is not just persona, but backed up by her abilities as well makes her extremely interesting, human and a strong female role model all at the same time. Anyone who reads the script falls in love with her right away.

That's why casting this part has been so difficult. We need someone who conveys a quiet sexy confidence who can also bring out all these traits. The actress pretty much has to have a lot of these characteristics naturally to start with in order to make it work. Whoever we choose will end up being the best choice for the project all around. There's been a tremendous amount of interest in this part from a wide variety of accomplished actresses. It should be interesting.

 

That is amazing!

 

Have you seen this thread? It's the same film.

 

I thought would toss in an update for this since it's been awhile.

The most prevelant news is that we've cast Christian Boeving in the film. In addition to making a terrific appearance in the film more than a few times, he also has been in a few major hollywood productions himself and is also a successful independent producer.

www.christianboeving.com is his home on the net.

He'll be taking on the role of a production advisor in addition to his screen appearance to help us secure sponsorship relationships with various electronics manufacturers. Basically they supply us with many principal photgraphy and post production equipment needs and we give them a ton of free advertising aimed directly at their target market.

They also get to be seen publicly as contributors to the community and to the arts because once we're done with their products and supply them with exlcusive promotional materials, we can then turn around and donate the equipment to college art programs or some other worthy cause.

We're also trying to get Ray Park. This would not have been a forefront idea before but he recently appeared in an independent production called Potheads the Movie which just happens to have about the same budget we do. Besides, Ray is known for his love and appreciation of the fans and Star Wars in general. He also loves to do con appearances and there just happens to be one in Calgary right in the midst of our shooting schedule. Can we say 2 birds with one stone?

If that all goes as hoped those updates will be on our homepage.

 

Wow if you got him....wow.

 

Never actually heard of Christian Boeving, but judging from the pic on the web site he looks perfect to play Dash. You have done an amazing casting job on this, what your website shows of the pre-production looks great, and this has the makings of a great fanfilm.

 

Looks great. I to am in the early stages of a large scale fan film. If you'd like to trade tips and pointers I'd love to have another contact... PM me. and Great Job so far!

 

Way, are you going to post a topic with more info on your fanfilm?

 

Not at the current time, and I dont want to distrubt this thread but... if you would like more information PM me or email me at bdavis@stumpmovies.com

 

Your site seems to indicate something after ROTJ (going from the title)

All I have to say about that is I hope your plan is not to go off the Supershadow synopsis or stick to the EU too much. Neither seem like the direction Lucas would go if he were to make the film himself. Besides, I find it admirable when people create their own stories. There's a lot of room to play and still have it work well.

And if you haven't cast Han yet, you might approach Jim about it. When he's done with Secrets, you never know what he may be up for.

 

We didn't even follow the EU, personally I agree with you, they didn't seem to be in the Realm of Lucas' vison at all.

I've created my own story with new worlds, and new characters.

Currently I don't have Han in the script... although this new possibility is rather enticing, and I'm going to be speaking with my co-writter about it.

 

Oh dude, you can't have a Star Wars film after Jedi without Han in it. Especially if you have Chewie involved. Blasphemy lol.

Considering your timeline, get Harrison Ford to do it. Lucas and Spielberg are never going to get Indie 4 off the ground by his deadline anyway.

And you know Carrie would be game for Leia. She did Jay and Silent Bob Strike back and played a nun. After that anything is on the table.

 

Your potential is out of the park! If you've got a script that comes close to matching your production efforts (let's face it; most don't), I'll be eagerly awaiting this!