Back to work

Another week off work - - to focus on - you guessed it - Last Flight... Sweet!

Plus I have help! As well as Adam, who is coming to work on the computer displays on Thursday, I have Paul working alongside me, who has graciously offered to do some of the compositing. You can see his reel here and his blog here.

Hot damn!

We came, we saw, we got it in the bag!

WHEW! We did it! Saturday was a huge success! We ended up shooting at our B site, Port Waikato, instead of Bethells, but even this turned to our advantage, the dunes staying much drier, with fewer spectators and even better weather.

And the footage we got looks fantastic!

On the downside, the spray we used to simulate a leak in the suit managed to burn Kassie, and even temporarily blind our cameraman - but both of them soldiered on above and beyond the call of duty! Throughout the day everyone kept their sense of humour and resolve. It was a wonderful shoot and a fun day! A huge thanks to everyone involved! YAY!

Progress!

Well, it wasn't our penultimate and long-awaited Bethells shoot, but a few of us popped out in the weekend to mop up some over-shoulder shots and CUs of the transmitter. Not very exciting, you might imagine, but actually it was great to get some more footage finally, and the thrill level was heightened by sneaking onto a construction site in hi-vis gear to get the shots!

In the end, no one was arrested, and we got some good material.

Big thanks to Astrid, who stood in at the last moment to body double the suit - and Zane, David and Adam, who decided a last-moment filming expedition would be a gas! Go team!

Hold pattern, some turbulence...

So what's been happening?

Well, Dylan is working on the music and soundscapes of Last Flight, and has produced some spooky, evocative stuff. Exciting!

Meanwhile, we finally have a solution for the air blasting out of Kassie's spacesuit: Good, old-fashioned airbrush propellant! With a can of this stuff and a tube, we should get a convincing stream of white fog blasting out the leg of the spacesuit. Whew! And with time to spare before the shoot! (Assuming we ever get good weather again in Auckland)

A big shout-out to Chev for coming up with the answer!

Makeup for animals...

Phoenix Renata, who has served as our back-up makeup artist, and whose partner Chev designed our astronaut's make up and has been helping out on Last Flight's special effects, is in the news. Check it out here.

Backed by a talented group of makeup artists, Phoenix, has created a 2010 calendar of fashion makeup-art to raise money for the SPCA. The calendar will be launched on 20 October at St Paul Street Gallery, Auckland, alongside an exhibition of photographs by Ma'an Adbul-Hafeedh, taken during the calendar's shoots.

I'll put up a link when copies are available... From what I've seen of it, it's a beautiful looking calendar. Yaay, Phoenix!

Filming...

Folks, we've set our first (tentative) date for our last location shoot on Saturday 26.

Our backup day is Saturday Oct 3rd, and if we're really unlucky with the weather, (and we can get everyone!) Saturday 10.

After that we just need a short day at the Studio and we're done! Yay! Let's wrap this puppy up!

Some shots from our shoot!

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...

Bank on bad weather

So much for Bethells! Despite predictions of fine weather today, or perhaps because of the micro-climate out west, we were again pipped at the post by the weather.

Gloomy skies and wet sand made shooting today out of the question, despite flying Sarah up from Wellies, and Adam, Kassie, myself and David taking time off from work. We even dragged Lance away from his duties! But to no avail.

So after thinking through our options we all ended up driving back to Auckland and watching The Bank Job. Not quite the day we had planned - but surprisingly pleasant all the same! At least we don't have to worry about the weather on Sunday!

Production continues....

We've got two shooting dates coming up:

Weds 27 May: Bethells - weather allowing!

Sun 31 May: Sunset Studios. Green screen shoot.

At Bethells our main focus will be on scene 4 and at Sunset, scene 1.

I anticipate an early start for Bethells - leaving town at 7am - and a more leisurely 8am start at Sunset, but we'll confirm shortly.

Stay tuned for details and get in touch if you have any questions!

And now for the news....

In case you're wondering, we are still making this movie!

We're just on hold while our talented, and rather popular cameraman completes his PAID work - something that is rather hard for us to compete with!

This could take a while - but in the meantime we are continuing the project on other fronts. And first up we're on the hunt for a news reader!

If you know an actor with an authoritative voice, possibly with a bit of an accent - and who might like to make a cameo in Last Flight - let us know! We'll be auditioning shortly.

Meanwhile keep your peepers open for some dates around the end of May. We hope to have something to you later this week.

Tongariro scout

This weekend, Sarah, Lance and I will be visiting Tongariro to choose the spots we will be filming the majority of Last Flight.

Immediately following that we will be able to finalize the shot list and get a proper schedule out to everyone. Sorry it's taken so long, but until we were certain about what shots we were doing where, it has been impossible to be sure about dates and times.

The other main dates that are fast approaching are: 

A full crew dress-rehearsal of equipment and procedures out at Bethells on the 24th (or 25th, weather dependent)

The start of shooting at Tongariro on Feb 6th, 7th and 8th.

The upshot is that preproduction is finally, nearly over - - and production is about to begin! Wahoo!

And by the way, a belated happy new year to everyone!

Costumes extraordinaire...

Coming up... the AUT Costume Exhibition, starring our very own Meghan Visser! If our spacesuit is anything to go by, this will definitely be worth a peek! Come along, have a drink and see some fabulous designs...

Suit fitting #4

As you can see, Meghan is adding a clever tightening system down the side of the suit that is going to look ZING, as well as solving some issues with mobility and wrinkling! She's also loosened the suit in the crotch and under the arms, as well as doing work on the thighs, ankles and on the suit neck connector ring - whew!

Welcome Sarah

NEWS: Amie's handed over the role of producer to Sarah Butler.

Most of you will have met Sarah the other night at our ARC get-together. She did a double degree with Media Studies as one of her majors and has a solid grounding in editing, production and post-production, and isn't too bad with a camera either.

She's passionate about her work and will bring practical, solid analytical skills to the production in an organised and vibrant way. Welcome on board, Sarah!

Amie is going to be focusing more on the creative side with me now, and is still up to her elbows in Last Flight.

ALSO: Amie and I are moving house over the next couple of weeks, so I apologise in advance if I'm a bit slow getting back to you. And Lance is moving over the same weekend. Jinx!

The Jaquie Brown Diaries

If you haven't kept up with ‘The Jaquie Brown Diaries’, Fridays at 9.30pm on TV3, see it online here. Camera by our very own Lance - it's gold!

DVD night

Hi everyone - we'll be having a get together on Weds the 27th to swap ideas and have a drink.


Bring along a couple of DVDs (or filmclips on USB stick) that you're drawing inspiration from, or think might be an interesting approach for us to take - or just pop in for a quick hello - so you can meet some of the great people involved with Last Flight.


The point is to put names to faces and bounce a few ideas off each other. Meet us at the ARC building 21 Pitt Street, around 6:00.