The big hump.

This is the shot that I've spent the most time on, mainly because I wasn't sure how I was going to pull it off. I had the original background image that I cleaned up, but I wanted the camera to reveal how big the Hypatia really is. After adding all the bunting and getting some needed advice from my friend Mark, I was able to come up with something I'm pretty proud of. I also really like the birds- they really give the scene some kinetics that make it feel more alive and not just a flat picture.

Well, it's been a while, but there's a lot of new stuff coming. Here's the finished monorail train, as well as it's station. In the context of the shot it's in, we'll never get this close, but if there is, at some point in time a webseries, well, this is where some of the action might take place.

This is essentially a reversed steam engine. I referenced the back end as the boiler and the front end as the cockpit, although I'm not sure a forwards view is even necessary.

From the other side. The notion is, the supports are on the left and the rail mounts are on the right.

I based the cars on pullman style coaches from the late 1800's. The first class and the second class are identical on the outside, but the inside is much more plush for the folks paying more. Not that I actually built that or anything.

This is all part of the Boston Horseless Transportation Company. Now, Some people have pointed out that the support arms for the trains should be bigger, and I agree. But, if I want to finish this shot I have to call it out as a CBB, or "Could be Better." If there's a need for this in upcoming episodes, well, I can always put em on.

The station is sort of a combination of a regular train station and a subway station. The "G" stands for Glowerston, a major stockholder of BHT.

The bunting is because it's the fourth of July. And the day the Hypatia sets sail.

I rigged the trains to stay on the rail, and these last two are renders with motion blur.

Ready for the shoot?

 So today I went to Target and bought some organization. At least, that's what I was telling myself as I picked up large plastic boxes with which to organize my props/weapons/etc. It worked, mostly, but it also showed me that I have a lot of stuff. If I need to do another period show? Hahahahahaha. No problem.

 Here are all the costumes on a "Professional Target clothes rack. With wheels." Well, professional or not, this thing is gonna make Saturday morning easy peasy.

I have a lot of guns. Granted, one of them is my friend Marks, but still. Pretty awesome!

Golightly ver. 2.0

So I was perusing the web the other night, looking for inspiration for alternative vehicles to populate my opening shots with and came across this:

This was a logo the wonderful Voyages Extraordinaires had used for a while. It turns out there was this fellow named Charles Golightly who patented an aerial steam rocket in 1841. Though it was never built, (probably because to have done so would have instantly killed any rider brave enough to give this thing a go!) the device became quite popular among newspaper editors and political cartoonists. There is an excellent history here.

From a personal standpoint, I thought this was the very thing my film needed. And so I present the Golightly ver. 2.0!

Truthfully, this thing couldn't really fly either, but it looks awesome and after all, that's what really counts. Right?

Movie Posters!

Here they all are. I sure hope you like them! I would love to print these out into postcards. Now remember, the guys don't have all their facial hair and Kat didn't spend a lot of time on her hair, so this is just the costumes. But I think the digital set looks pretty decent and the integration works despite my limited four light setup (and the occasional power failure!)

Let me know what you think!

Herman I. Copperthaite introduces Adventures in Science!

Here it is. Remember, we made this entire thing in less than eight days (five of which I was working so I couldn't spend that much time on it!) All in all, I think it is pretty impressive, and I hope that you also get a laugh or two while watching!

More snaps of the mooring dock interior

I'm trying a new rendering style, and I think I'm pretty pleased with it so far. I am going to continue to tweak these shots as I go, but I'm rather pleased with how it's looking.
Here's a closeup of the boxes and barrels I've made, with a cool overhead light to punch it up a little. The only thing missing now are the signs.

The mooring dock is almost done!

This is where the picture of the entire cast is taken at the end of the prologue.
Well, after several days of modelling, I've finally finished the mooring dock interior. Now all that's left is filling it up with stuff. You know. Stuff. Like big wooden crates, signs, a Glowerston Industries logo, and some other stuff to make it more... Lived in. Regardless, I'm pretty proud of this image... I've never lit anything before and this is looking pretty real-

The bathysphere interior... Very rough.

I thought I had a more detailed drawing. But alas, I do not. Ideally every rib is the same, and styled in a Harper Goff Victorian shape. This interior is not "Steampunk" in that it is very utilitarian, since Mulvey designed the thing under duress. There will be a lock box under one portal which, when opened, will provide access outside of the vehicle to bring the treasure inside. On the opposite wall, a bunsen burner to heat water for tea.

For though his location may change, a gentleman remains a gentleman.

I will be doing a more detailed drawing tomorrow.
And here it is...

The evolution of a matte painting...

This was a picture of Boston I found online. It's perfect for one of the establishing shots for my film, but there's a couple of problems. First, there's still people in it. Well, people AND a horse and carriage. In order for my shot to work I need to remove them. Here's what that looks like...

Second, because it's going to be an alternative version of Boston from the 1870's, I will be making the buildings taller by at least one floor. It's the Fourth of July, so I'll also be adding those red, white and blue bunting to some of the windows and adding some Victorian signage to the shop there on the right.

Eventually, I will be compositing people and digital vehicles on top of this to give it some life.

Fixing pictures like this is tricky, no doubt about it.

Some rough costume designs for Fanny...

These are some designs I drew based on a Victorian costume I found (I love the hat with the feather!) and sort of a neo Victorian pirate I've been doodling for the last year or two. The first picture is Fanny in the prologue and the second is Fanny in the third chapter. Quite a difference, but she ended up living in China with Wu for fifteen years until Glowerston found her and had Wu killed. So, she's a badass.