Blog Silence...

... will descend for a week or so while I go on my hols.

UFOhhhhh

Some (really very) rough sketches for ufos for this viral we are shooting, hopefully within a month or so.









Should I keep it simple stupid or go for some kerrazy multi-tiered affair? hmmmm. the shot will be pretty dark so probably won't matter much so long as there's loads of flashing lights and shizzle.

Sven!

Not done any directory type stuff so thought I'd post another thing that I was in a while back.

This is one of ten or so Sven Stacy: Showbiz Agent sketches I did for Paramount that were directed by Jamie Rafn.

Couldn't find any way of embedding the video but there's more over at the Paramount / Comedy Central site.

Spice of Life

This image may look like a bizzarre Chat Roulette nightmare but it is in fact a publicity still for friend of Lord Tunley, Ben Wheatley's bleakly funny feature "Down Terrace" (that's me doing me acting bottom left).

The film is going great guns and has just received this glowing review in none other than proper Hollywood rag Variety.

I was once mentioned in Variety because of another film I acted in years back but they called me Careth Dunley or somesuch. Oh the glamour.

Tomorrow it's playing at the Flatpack festival in Birmingham.

For those of you reading this in the US (I know there's some of you from looking at the Google Analytics map thingummyjigwhotsit) the film is playing at New Directors/New Films at MoMA in New Yoik on the 29th and 30th.

Well done one and all!

Funny Farm

This is the reason why "Giant Robot vs Gerbil", my insane foray into 3d animation, is taking sooooo long (apart from my own amateurish blunderings that is).

Here are the 'render farms' (the place the geeky spods store and process all the 3d info) at Pixar and LucasFilm.





And here is the render farm at Lord Tunley manor:



Pity me.

Spooky

Location scouting/ camera tests with Josh Topp for this viral type thing we have planned.





That's Josh in the window btw not some random stranger, although I did get some funny looks from a police van at one point...



...thence to a dingy 'spoons pub for refreshment.

Attack of the Seven Foot Eyeless Gerbil

God this 3D animation lark really is misery cubed. Check out this tale of woe.

Design Rough Set: check!
Design Gerbil: check!
Put Gerbil into Rough set: che-arghh! WTF!



The Gerbil is now about 7 foot high and has NO EYES!

What gives? And why is there no "make Gerbil normal" button on my 3D programme?

Brothers

Another blast from the past. This time it's "Brothers", possibly my fave thing that I've directed ever, largely thanks to writer / stars Alex Kirk and Simon Messingham's wonderfully blackly poignant script.



The whole thing was produced by the brilliant Phil Gilbert, now one half of funny business purveyors The Sunday Defensive.

The spot on production design (on zero budget) was by old Lord Tunley oppo Joshua Topp. The beautiful photography was by DOP supremo Ben Pritchard.

Here's some exclusive access all areas behind the scenes photos of the shoot.





The tracking shot at the end was done in a wheelchair rigged by Mr Pritchard (seated) and pushed (jargon alert) by Mr Topp (standing). That's a Sony Z1 in a MovieTube rig fact fans.




A thin version of me takes a pic with some sort of futuristic mini camera.









Mr Kirk rehearses for the penultimate scene.

Ceci n'est pas une brick

But it might come in handy... for a thing...

The M16 And Me

That's the semi-automatic rifle not the motorway that became bit of the M25.


Acting can be Fun!

There Is Nothing New...

... under the sun.

As demonstrated by this oddly beautiful blog thread.

Still straining under the weight of actual paid work. But plan to return to Lord Tunley shenanigans soon.

Kermy

While I struggle with new depths of geeky spoddery and work-for-hire bore-athons feast your eyes on this bit of mental brilliance (from Paul O'Connell)



(It's a web-comic so clicky clicky to read it)

Right Side Of The Track

This...

...constitutes massive excitement here in the Lord Tunley mansion. It's my first attempt at Motion Tracking. Thrill! as the Lord Tunley logo (almost) sticks to the side of the building.

It also enables this to happen:

Which may come in handy for a UFO based viral I have in mind.

Mug's Game

I made a mug:












Big whoa I know. Animation moves forward slightly slower than continental drift.

Meanwhile, amuse yourself with more beautiful stupidity from MrZeeMeMe and deranged genius Tony Millionaire...

Feeling Rough

Turns out animation is quite a long winded process. Who knew?

Today: a rough set for the (thankfully) only interior for Giant Robot vs Gerbil











These sets serve only as placeholders while the characters are rigged and animated to provide reference points for scale and other importahhh- oh god, I'm boring myself.











That shot that made everything look diddy reminded me of the Perky Pat models in Philip K Dick's Three Stigmata Of Palmer Eldritch.

Jus' sayin'.













Character rigging and rough soundtrack next. Onwards...

Fantastic Bird

For reasons known only to my Jungian analyst I have become unhealthily obsessed with this clip from Judex.



It's the music by Maurice "Jean Michel's Dad" Jarre as much as anything else. I'm almost afraid to watch the rest of the movie for fear it's not as good.

Brass Tacks

Enough of all this work in progress bumfoolery, how about some hot "finished stuff" action, eh?

Yes, it's more light-hearted knockabout japery from everyone's favourite posh sociopaths Edward and Martin.

This time: How To Do A Dinner Party.



Part one is, of course, down hereabouts...

Laters