The Elevator

2010-02-13T16:01:00.002-05:00

4 years ago, I announced plans to release this project some time in 2007. I can tell you that it's still in progress and I haven't lost sight of the goal. Stay tuned.

2008-06-09T12:50:00.002-05:00

Yep, I know it's been forever since I posted anything on the movie... but, that's not to say I haven't been working on it. I started building my current set back in March, which is nearly complete. I start shooting tomorrow.

2008-03-10T21:24:00.002-05:00

I've been very busy making final touches on my current set before I start animating this week. And if you haven't checked my profile on youtube, than you're missing a lot of new updates! My video diaries are up and running:

http://www.youtube.com/user/spoclogik

2008-02-28T16:39:00.002-05:00

I'm planning a video blog of behind the scenes shorts that I've been compiling over the past two years. These shorts will show my progress as the movie takes shape until completion.

As it has taken much longer than predicted, I feel this is a great way to stay motivated and get some feedback from everyone interested!

2008-02-23T23:44:00.003-05:00

Here's another shot from the 'CEO' scene. I have a rough cut compiled out of this sequence, clocking in around 2 minutes.

2008-02-19T22:00:00.002-05:00

Made some more progress today. All dialogue has been recorded. At the present time, I am providing all the voice work. I'll just tweak it later.

2008-02-13T21:44:00.002-05:00

I realize it's been quite a while since I've made an update. Still working on the film. I spent 7 hours on it yesterday.

2007-11-29T19:18:00.000-05:00

I am most likely going to hold off on posting the new trailer, until I can afford to buy DivX to encode it, along with any future videos...

I'll be focusing on building the next set tonight...still have a ton of work ahead of me.

2007-11-22T02:43:00.000-05:00

New trailer is available online at Youtube...just search my avatar and it'll pop up.

*Correction*

I had an issue with the formatting of the video and I'm currently working on resolving it asap.

The video is not available for viewing at this time.

2007-10-09T19:07:00.000-05:00

Just a small tidbit of info:

Teaser Trailer #2 coming soon...

2007-09-30T20:54:00.000-05:00

Just spent 3 hours finishing the CEO's Office. All scenes for this set are completed. Ready to move on to the next one...

2007-09-26T19:15:00.000-05:00

Day off today, so I had some time to work a bit on the film. I'm nearly done shooting the CEO's Office...here's a storyboard shot of Jack ready to do something rash:

2007-09-18T21:17:00.000-05:00

Work has been really difficult lately, so I haven't finished shooting the latest set. I'm hoping to have it shot by the end of the month.

2007-09-09T14:09:00.001-05:00

Halfway through shooting on the CEO's Office...

2007-09-08T23:23:00.000-05:00

So far this week, I've shot 27 seconds of animation using Stop Motion Pro. This program is fantastic. I'm very pleased with the results. Here's a frame grab from the current set...Jack, flanked by a statue.

2007-09-04T16:55:00.000-05:00

A very special thanks to Josh at Brickfilms.com for expediting my order of Stop Motion Pro! You can now order this directly from brickfilms and support the site at the same time. This should make animating much easier than using Premiere. (A program that was never really intended for stop mo anyway).

2007-09-03T22:10:00.000-05:00

I'll be updating a bit more this week since I have more time. Good news is I'm still motivated.

Tomorrow, I'll be shooting a sequence between the main character, Jack and his boss. This scene takes place in the CEO's office at the top floor of the robotics facility.

2007-09-01T21:49:00.000-05:00

It's been about 4 months since I finished construction of the last set. That set will finally see animation. I'm on vacation this week so I hope to put a major dent in the film.

2007-05-13T19:50:00.000-05:00

Made some final touches on the next set. I should start shooting it this week...

2007-05-10T21:10:00.000-05:00

Here's a lighting test from a portion of the latest set.

Today, I built the CEO's Office. In the above TEST shot - Jack, the main character approaches the office through a narrow hallway.

2007-05-09T21:58:00.000-05:00

Good News - the 'warzone' sequence was completed early this week and it looks good! Moving on to the next set - not much left, just a handful of sequences. The clip below is from the subway...

2007-05-04T10:07:00.000-05:00

I'm making good progress on the 'warzone', and it's looking alright. I'll post some screenshots later today.

The screenshot above gives you an idea of the lighting and mood of the 'warzone'.

2007-04-27T12:47:00.000-05:00

Started shooting the 'warzone', as I'm dubbing it for now. Should be a fairly quick sequence if I stick to it through the weekend. This should be a revealing moment, both for the protagonist and the audience.

2007-04-18T10:30:00.000-05:00

I've recovered some old test footage for a Star Wars project that I started back in 2005. This is way down the pipeline, but if you'd like to check out some of the pre-viz I started, than please check it out at Youtube.com:

Star Wars Animation Pre-Viz

I apologize for the terrible image quality.

2007-04-17T22:40:00.000-05:00

Works been slow with the bad weather - which has allowed me to spend some serious time on the film. I've compiled all of my current footage and I now have over 6 minutes of completed shots. Doesn't sound like much, but it's getting there.

2007-04-12T10:00:00.000-05:00

Subway scene was completed quite a while ago. Next set is in progress...a run-down city street, hopefully reminiscent of WWII era Europe. Props include a tank, debris, civilians and an elite team of shock troops. Completed segment should be about 30 seconds.

2007-04-06T23:24:00.000-05:00

Not a whole lot to post right now. I haven't been able to work on the movie for some time now. Some technical setbacks and the recent loss of my grandparents...

Still pushing forward, slowly but surely.

2007-03-05T21:05:00.000-05:00

Honestly, I don't know if anyone frequents my blog, but oh well. I finished shooting the subway sequence this past weekend and I'm quite happy with how it turned out. Next scene takes place in a ruined city...

2007-02-11T09:23:00.000-05:00

Still shooting the subway scene. I hope to have it done this week.

2007-02-05T00:00:00.000-05:00

Production has slowed to a crawl on my latest set - the subway. I spent 2 weeks coming up with a decent design for the train car and I've had lighting/animation issues for the past week.

By far, the most difficult set to work with.

2007-01-23T22:24:00.000-05:00

I had to rebuild the subway set...looks much better. After getting some feedback and taking a long hard objective look at some of my animation - I will be re-shooting a number of scenes.

I kept telling myself that I'd be okay with some of the shots that weren't up to par, but I'm realizing that I can't do that. One thing's for sure - my next project will not be this big, or this long.

2007-01-18T10:08:00.000-05:00

Lighting test for subway scene...

2007-01-09T08:41:00.000-05:00

Official Teaser Trailer now online at YouTube.com

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ctfwM1JfGD0

2007-01-04T22:27:00.000-05:00

Just a quick note on what I have planned for the release of the film:

- 30 second trailer (tenative)
- Spring release
- run time around 8-10 mins
- commentary track, including a glimpse at my next project (later this year)

I'd love to have a trailer ready for the public, but right now - I'm still trying to wrap up some loose ends regarding the plot. It keeps evolving.

2007-01-04T08:35:00.000-05:00

Lighting test for a scene that takes place outside the main character's apartment:

2006-12-28T22:29:00.000-05:00

A dilemma that I'm running into, is my desire to tap in to several different genre's. This has really forced me to get creative and...I guess develop quite a layered story. These changes have taken the story from just plain strange - to an even darker place. I'm realizing that I needed answers to explain the main characters actions.

Now I just hope I can pull it off...

Seems like I'm just wingin' it most of the time. On the other hand, I've watched every scene (in my head) so many times that I know exactly what I want.

2006-12-24T22:01:00.000-05:00

Next Set:

A brief scene where two lovers will be taking a late night stroll...

2006-12-22T08:49:00.000-05:00

4 more scenes to shoot!

- Lab
- Dream Sequence
- Boss's Office
- Subway/Taxi

2006-12-17T22:08:00.000-05:00

2006-12-13T18:29:00.000-05:00

It's been nearly 6 months since I posted anything worth noting...and now is the time.

Filming is moving along. A key scene in the elevator sequence has been finished as well. Tomorrow I start building an apartment set. Overall, I'm pleased with what I've conjured up so far. I'm learning quite a bit as I go...I just hope I can maintain quality animation for each scene and not rush.

Believe it or not, I've been brain-storming an idea for another project that will blow the doors off this movie.

2006-08-01T22:46:00.000-05:00

Well, here is a small taste of what is to come.

Unfortunately, I can only foresee more delays. My new job is taking a lot of my time and I'm finding I have neither the time or energy to get much done on this project. Realistically, I'm planning an early 2007 release date, as you can see from the teaser poster below:

2006-07-08T06:52:00.000-05:00

Here is a shot of my latest set. I built it last weekend and I plan on shooting tonight. Future images will be pixelated like the one below, for the sake of maintaining secrecy, content integrity and blah, blah, blah, etc.

2006-07-06T20:47:00.000-05:00

Welcome to The Elevator. This revised blog will continue following the development of my first stop-motion project that is currently in production. The story is complete - but like any film, is constantly being revised up to the last minute. I'm aiming for a year end completion date - but that might be a bit of a stretch. The movie could've easily been completed by now, but when you're the only person involved, overseeing every aspect of production - it can be daunting and tiresome. Regardless, The Elevator has an original story and will venture into some interesting territory, I hope!! Thank you for stopping by!

~Spoclogik