Michael Bay is evil

Worst movie. EVER!

Well, perhaps not ever, but really awful anyway, and actually pretty offensive on a number of levels.

The movie of course is Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.

Now, I’ll be honest, I’m not a fan of Transformers in general, but I am a fan of a bit of CG popcorn and I was willing to swallow my vague distaste for a movie based not on a story, but a merchandising proposition, because, hey, if Pirates of the Caribbean (1) could make a fun movie out of a theme park ride, heck, anything is possible!

This film however was so busy pandering to US military "awesomeness" that the Transformers themselves hardly got a look-in. From Predators to F22s, the US hardware got a lot more air-time than Optimus Prime. Virtually all the supporting cast are military, the US army controls the alien robots on humanity’s behalf (I mean who else can you trust?), and the soldiers are all dashing, bright and loyal – and of course all male.

But at least they're doing stuff. The girls don't do jack - and they come in some eerily familiar packages: the sex-kitten girlfriend, the nympho temptress, the ditzy mother and finally, the drones who direct technical operations back in the safety of army HQ (plain girls ...obviously).

But wait – there was one other female, and if you blink you’ll miss her – a female Transformer! It was all over very fast – because she appears in a blur of action and then is shot (Bay really doesn't like women, does he?), but unless I’m very much mistaken I think she was even... pink!

Meanwhile, Obama is gently put in his place as well. He is named, or flashed on screen on a number of occasions, but mostly sneered at in the guise of the interfering bureaucrat that he’s appointed, and also for a Presidential Order that puts our heroes in danger. I guess Bay’s a republican.

So apart from working on recruitment for the US’s trillion dollar military industry, vaguely advocating further adventurism in Iraq (the US is just plain needed there), trying to sell cars for GM, and seething with dislike for women, what exactly did this film have going for it? Well, the CG is sometimes beautiful, buuuuut if you want good CG - go to Terminator 4.

This movie is evil.

Welcome to Mars...

A photoshopped image from Tongariro I'm working on...

Scene 1 rough complete

A (very rough) edit of scene 1 now exists - Yipee! It still contains storyboard placeholders, pics from google image search, and a kooky mish-mash of sound, but the important thing for me is that it works. The story is solid and believable. Not that I ever thought it wouldn't be of course - but still: Whew!

Other progress of late includes recording with Lutz Halbhubner - which sounded terrific - and photoshop work on matt paintings for the green screen.

Progress is slow, but steady.

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What's next?

Back to the Studio, folks - SUNSET STUDIOS! Keep your diaries free for Sunday the 5th of July, and let's get this puppy shot! Details on the way...

Tweet tweet...

Do you twitter? Then make sure you follow us here. We've started tweeting and will soon have everyone from the crew who wants to post to it signed on, so you can follow our exploits right from the coal face!

The Sea of Perdition

Looks like we're not the only ones making woman-alone-on-Mars movies! Check out this short film by Richard Stanley. Thanks to Scott Grow for the link.

Green team

A few shots from our recent adventures at Sunset Studios... Heaps of fun.

Green screen test from Zane...

Sunset Studios

The studio shoot went brilliantly!

After our aborted attempt to film out at Bethells this last week, it was something of a relief to get a solid day's filming under our belts this Sunday. The crew gathered together at Sunset Studios a little after 8am, and then proceeded to work steadily through until 9 that night, with few breaks, and steely-eyed determination. It was worth it. Not only did we get an enormous amount done - it was of a very high quality.

Both Richy and Zane shone, coming up with solutions to the challenges the day dealt us, and Heath's dolly and jib arm helped us to achieve, what at first sight, look like some astonishing shots.

Another definite highlight of the day was the wonderful food that Jan and Lesley dished up for us at dinner and lunch. God it was good! As usual, Kassie pulled out all the stops to deliver, as did the rest of the team - Adam, Kiri, Sarah, Kevin, David and Heath (and of course Zane and Richy).

I'll post some stills from the day shortly. A big THANK YOU to everyone, for their dedication, enthusiasm and great work.