Side tracked

I recently had to put the Deathbot movie on hold for a little while do to another production that came my way. I was asked to write a short script for another movie idea. However, my involvement has become much deeper into the production of this other movie. I hope to get the Deathbot movie back on track soon.

Good Day, Bad Day

I had a good day. After three weeks I finally received the updated HDWriter 2 software from Panasonic. It installed with no problems. The only problem with the HDWriter software is that it is really useless for editing video clips. All you can do is split the video and paste the video. However, you can save the video clips as an mpeg2 file which will allow you to edit with another video editor. Converting the AVCHD files to mpeg however reduces the image quality and size.
I noticed an incredible amount of ghosting in the video clips after converting them. This is not a good thing.
As the day went on the day got worse.

Windows Vista is full of bugs!

Again this ViiV bug has stopped video playback of mpeg files. The fix for this bug does NOTHING! I had to reinstall Windows Vista to fix this bug about two months ago. I don't want to do that again. Apparently from what I have read this bug happens when you copy and paste mpeg files. So if I fix it again. It will happen again, and again, and again.
I will eventually fix this problem. I will fix it by buying a MAC computer. I have had enough of Windows Vista. Maybe in another two years Vista will be okay. Right now I don't recommend
wasting money on it. I'll tell you, when they create these operating systems they should work flawlessly. You pay good money for these systems and they should work. They should not release these systems when they are full of bugs!!!
I've been scouring the internet for a fix for the ViiV mpeg bug, but keep coming up empty handed.
As for the movie, things are moving at a snails pace. One small step forward. Six steps back.
I have lost about two weeks trying to fix computer bugs.

Painting the Power Generator. Building the Deathbot Armature

Over that past few days I have managed to finish painting the small hand cranked power generator and worked on the armature for the Deathbot robot. Right now it looks like the cable control system will work. I've had to replace some of the hinges with larger hinges and I had to replace all of the screws with longer screws so they will not just rip out of the wood. I am still working on piecing the armature together. I would like to get the armature completed so I can begin building the robot onto it. I think the Deathbot will look pretty good once it is complete. However, making everything work properly could be a problem. I have my fingers crossed.
I've painted the power generator with red primer, hunter green, flat black, burgundy, and yellow spray paint to give it that rusty, used, old look. I may tweek the paint job a little and add a few details such as peeling paint. I added the wires to the power generator before I painted it.

New Panasonic HD2 Writer software for Vista

Finally, after a few more attempts I heard from Panasonic about my HD Writer software problem. Their solution was that I must have inadvertently installed the upgrade for Vista before installing the original disk. Well... That didn't happen. The upgrade was installed after the origional disk 3 times and all three time the software would not work. Finally Panasonic decided to send me a copy of the new HD2 Writer software written for Vista. Hopefully that works.
I assume that I will receive the new software within a week.

Panasonic Customer Service SUCKS!!!

Okay, it has been two weeks since I sent Panasonic an email about not being able to get the HD Writer Ver1.0E for SD1 to work on my computer even with the Vista upgrade. After having everything wiped out on my computer I thought I would try reinstalling the program. It still doesn't work. I must say that Panasonic has some of the worst customer service I have ever encountered. Yet they send you a robot email stating that they will get back to you in a few days. I'm still waiting... and waiting .... and waiting.... Finally I sent them another email yesterday asking for a solution to the problem. I am now wondering if DirectX 10 is not compatible with the program. My advice is to NOT purchase a Panasonic AG-HSC1UP camcorder until Panasonic fixes the problem with the HD Writer program to make it work with Vista. I have become so frustrated with this product that I will probably never buy another Panasonic product again.
I must say that the camera is very nice. The software that comes with it is a piece of sh..!

Deathbot Armature Problem

Yesterday, I was nailing the Deathbot armature together and had one arm attached with hinges and was trying out the movement of the arm when it fell off. The screws came unscrewed from the hinges. The wood I used was pine and too soft to hold the weight of the arm. So today I went back to the do-it-yourself store and bought some spruce wood which seems to be a little bit harder than pine. I will have to recut the pieces that I had made from the pine wood and rescrew everything back together. The screws for the hinges are short too, so that makes me worried a little about how much weight they will hold.
I continued to make some props yesterday and today. I am constructing a small hand cranked power generator prop for Buggman's Trader's Post. I've used part of a cardboard carpet roll
cut to size and used masking tape to attach the top and bottom pieces. I've painted the hand crank for the generator and will be attaching it soon as well as some power cables to make it look
usable. The paint job for it will make it look old, rusty, and very used looking.
I have also painted the Cement City model, but still need to touch it up with some detailing.

Making teeth and other props

Just got the computer back from being fixed. I lost all of my data and am now starting to reinstall everything. As it turns out it wasn't Windows Vista that updated the video drivers. It was HP Updater that caused the driver problems I had.
The problem with the CD/DVD combo drive was caused by the software that came with the Panasonic AG-HSC1UP camcorder. It was Windows XP software with a Vista upgrade that I had to download to transfer the files from the camera to my computer. It doesn't work and is not compatible with Vista even after installing the upgrade. With the software the camera is useless. So I am thinking about what I should do with it.
During the 10 days I had no computer I started building the armature for the Deathbot robot.
The armature is made out of wood and the joints are simple hinges. The robot will be cable controlled and if that fails to work properly then my backup system is to use rods.
I've done some design work on Cement City. The buildings will be somewhat beehive shaped with wooden posts sticking out the sides. This design could eventually change. I will build the small model of Cement City from crumpled newspaper and masking tape and then paint it and add some foliage to help try to blend the model into a live action background.
I've finished the costume for the guard at Buggman's Trading Post. Well actually, I still need to finish making the shirt that goes under the outer jacket. The shirt may be just be a large bib since the guard will not be removing his jacket.
I've also started making smaller props such as teeth for hanging on a string to be used in the Shaman's health hut. These teeth are made from crumpled newspaper and masking tape. I may paint them or I may just use dirt to make them look used. Surprisingly, masking tape looks like bone under the proper lighting conditions.

Tell me again why I would want to use Windows Vista!

Basically not a good day! In fact the past three days have not been good.
The camera works fine except that the software that came with it is not compatible with Windows Vista. I went online and downloaded an update for the software. Everything seemed fine until I went to start the program for transfering video to my computer at which time Vista popped up a message saying the software was already running and so I could not activate it. It's not on my tool bar. It's not set to start when I boot up the computer, so I'm not sure exactly what the problem is. It doesn't work is all I know right now. So now I can't transfer the files to my computer for editing. The documentation for the camera says that I should not use another program to transfer the video files from the camera to my computer because I will not be able to edit them using the HD Writer Ver 1.0E for SD1.
So far my video editor of choice (Avid) is not available for Vista.
Also Windows Vista upgraded my video playback and now I cannot play any mpeg video files.
WOW! Windows Vista sure is great! I tried to uninstall the upgrade and could not find it listed anywhere even with a search. I tried to restore to a previous setting. That failed. I can't seem to get rid of the upgrade. It is looking like my only choice now is to restore the computer to the original factory settings in which case I lose all of my data and have to reinstall everything.
Not to mention that it is a very rare program that will run on vista. If it doesn't say Vista on the packaging it's not going to work even with a so called Vista upgrade.
I've had this computer for 3 months and have had so many problems I'm thinking of trashing it and buying a Mac to do the video editing. I am just absolutely sick of Windows Vista. Those Mac commercials you see on T.V. are bang on accurate. Allow or Deny. Maybe in another 3 years there will be some programs that will run on Vista. I can't wait that long to edit my video though.
As for the movie, today I went out and shot some test footage of industrial sites for the intro narration at the begining, but since I cannot edit it I am waisting my time! Maybe I will work on the script a little today to ease my frustrations.
It looks like things are totally falling apart!

Writing the script

Last Saturday I went to see the basement location. I don't think I can use it. I was told it was about six feet high, but it seemed more like five feet high. Not really suitable for what I need. I think I will have to find a different location or make wall props and I really don't want to do that if possible, because I don't have anywhere to store such huge sets.
I lost one actress as well on Saturday.
On the good side of things, my new camcorder arrived on Friday. It is still in the box it came in. I've been so busy with my job and other things I haven't had time to unpack it. Hopefully I will be able to shoot some test footage on Tuesday. Again it depends on how busy my schedule is.
I'm going to try to make time though.
I've got another page written for the script. I may have to act as four different characters if I lose any more actors. Things aren't looking too good.
I'm using this basic formula for writing the script. These are the basic elements of an event. They usually occur in the order indicated, but do not always start at 1 or stop at 9. Sometimes they are placed in a slightly different order. I say that the event sequence doesn't always stop at nine because of cuts made to another event that is happening at the same time. The event sequence will eventually stop at number 9.

EVENT BLOCK

1: Travel scene and or character development.
2: Something is unusual.
3: A question is asked.
4: A plan of action is formed. A decision is made.
5: Travel scene and or character development.
6: Discovery. "The holly sh_t !" scene.
7: A plan of action is formed. A decision is made.
8: Resolution of problem - climax.
9: Return to a calm state.


The following is the basic script timeline block layout for the entire story. Each of the timeline percentages contain at least one EVENT BLOCK. sometimes more.

TIMELINE BLOCK

Prologue. This is the back story or intro to the Nemesis.

1% Intro to main character.
4% Something is unusual.
5% A question is asked.
8% A decision is made to move the main character to the location.
24% Discovery event 1. "Holly sh_t!" scene.
34% Someone is hurt, killed or abandoned. Main character loses something.
39% Discovery event 2.
51% Discovery event 3.
62% Someone is hurt, killed or loses something very important.
75% Discovery event 4. Main character discovers who nemesis is.
89% Revelation 1. Nemesis reveals himself to main character, why he is doing what he is doing.
92% Revelation 2. Nemesis tells main character or shows main character that he is going to kill or get rid of main character so as to prevent main character from stopping his plans.
99% Climax
99.5% - 100% Return to a calm state.

Epilogue. This is what happens after the story. An event that may indicate a sequel will happen.

Making costumes

Making costumes is hard, but worthwhile for the look of the movie. I have a limited amount of different coloured fabrics at the moment, so I may need to buy some more fabrics depending on the design requirements of the different characters I create. I'm keeping the designs simple because I've discovered that my tailoring skills seem to be a little week. Mainly I keep sticking myself with pins, can't cut the fabric straight, and sew horribly. I tend to have to undo some seams because I've pinned the wrong sides together. Making costumes is harder than it looks. Designing them is the easy part. Actually putting them together is hard. Especially since I know nothing about making clothing.
The script for Deathbot is coming along nicely. I now have 11 pages, but I am wondering if I will have enough ideas to make the movie 90 minutes long. I don't want it to get boring because I have scenes that are long winded. This is just the first draft anyway. After I finish it I will read it through and see if I need to make any changes. I have to remember that non of my actors are actually actors, so I may need to keep some of their dialogue short. I figure some people will not even say a single line of dialogue simply because they will be in the background or are too shy or embarrassed to speak on camera. I'll try to get them to say their lines convincingly.
I've been looking for some paint or paper that will glow under black lights, but can't seem to find any in a quantity that I need for a price I can afford. I may have to think of something else to make the bar have more atmosphere. I was going to use the paper or paint to create a design on the walls of the bar. I still need to view the location for the bar. I'll try to do that Saturday.
I'm also thinking that I might be able to use the basement location for another set as well and just redress it to look different.

Prop design, Equipement, and the script

Today I will continue designing the costumes. What started out as three costumes has ballooned into seven or more. I figure I can mix and match some parts of the different costumes to create new costumes as needed.
The script is shaping up nicely, though with limited resourses it might be somewhat challanging to shoot. I tend to do storyboards and script at the same time so I can remember the camera angles and lighting I am trying to achieve. This will be my first attempt to actually try to light a scene with lights. Usually I just use all natural light. This time I am going to use coloured lights for different effects. Originally I was just going to use coloued gels over the lights to change the colour, but I couldn't find or buy anything suitable to use. Well, that's life living in a small city. It's hard to find the things you need sometimes.
I'm still designing the killer robot as well. I've modified the design a few times now. It is getting closer to looking pretty cool. While I am designing the robot I also think about and design ways to make it move. Since this robot is a prop and not CG I'll have to design it so I can hide the control cables and or rods that I use. I may use a combination of rods and cables. I also have to keep in mind that most likely the robot will have to be operated by only one person. CG would be so nice. It is just beyond me right now. Though I am trained in classical animation.
I think this movie will look a lot better then my and Bill's other movie "The Adventures of Gweedor and Zelbov" available to be viewed on youtube.com. Deathbot is basically just me working on everything. Gweedor and Zelbov was a huge amount of fun to work on. We didn't start out to make a movie at all. It just sort of happened and was the most fun I've had in the past twenty years. I enjoyed it so much I decided to make another movie.
I'm basically starting from scratch equipement wise since I do not even own a camera. I've ordered a Panasonic AG-HSC1U 3CCD HD camcorder. It is now on back order naturally since the online store apparently didn't have any in stock.
As for lights, if I was smart I would have bought some on E-Bay, but I was feeling cheap and went to the local surplus store and picked up some clamp lamps that swivel. They'll work. I bought three. I'll have to prop the lights pretty close to the action since the only bulbs I could buy are a little dimmer than I wanted.
I will also be attempting to do a couple of green screen shots for the movie since it will be impossible to do the shots any other way.
The main thing right now is to finish writing a script that is good. Wish me good luck on that one!

Sept. 09, 2007 Movies are so Cooell or Making movies the Cooell way

Day one of the blog.
Six days into preproduction on the movie Deathbot.
That is just the working title for now. However the way things go that will probably end up
being the title of the movie.
The movie is about a killer robot. Blood, guts, and gore! I really like bringing creatures to life in
my movies. It is always thrilling when something works. Incedentally, this will be an old school
type of movie with props as this is all I know how to do at the moment. Limited cast. Limited
crew. At least one person. Me.
Location scouting:
I was at a wedding last night and I thought there were so many people there that someone
must have a basement that would be usable for a scene in the movie. This is basically a next
to no budget movie so locations and actors are at a premium. Very hard to find. So I thought.
I asked around and found about six people willing to act in the bar scene of the post apocalyptic
new world of the movie and a possible stone walled basement. Dark and dirty. It is actually the
basement at my brothers home. I have a vague idea of what it looks like, but I really have never
seen it. Not that I can remember anyway. It will have to do. All I need to do now is dress it to
look like a bar from the desecrated future. Make costumes for the actors, find props etc...
Hopefully everything will work out. I will go view the location soon and then do some idea
sketches for the bar. Basically I want it to look old and decrepid. Dusty and dirty.