Fun Blog Update!

For this blog update I thought it would be fun to post some forgotten photos that I just found on my cell phone photo archive.

* First we have a "selfi" of me in my shop working on the Ghost Shark Hero Animatronic that we built and operated for Active Entertainment’s film "Ghost Shark" for the SyFy channel. Being located in Missouri is no hindrance for providing FX for Hollywood in today’s high-tech world. For all these films that we work on everyone is kept in the loop electronically as if their offices were just down the hall from our workshops. Via Smartphone, Skype, Facetime etc. directors, producers, investors and other contracted FX artists have current and instant access to us. This makes the constant changes always being made possible. 

* The Eyes of Ghost Shark. Yes, they rolled back white. One was removable for the arrow wound and the socket modeled for such and blood tubing piped in. Most of the gore for the shark himself never made it into the final cut or was printed so transparent that it was invisible. Kind of frustrating. Now I know how actors must feel to have their work cut or out of frame etc... sigh.

* Another thing having to do with an eye, or lack thereof. Ben Gardner’s Head. This was one of Greg Nicotero’s contributions to Jawsfest 2012. One of several life-sized displays that he provided out of his own pocket just because he is such a fun Jaws fan himself - and a great guy to boot! He made this event truly memorable for all of us. There should be an award for someone like him that goes out of his way for fans like he does. It is one of many things that makes him so beloved in many a fan community. 

* The Chest Burster sculpt for SyFy’s upcoming Bering Sea Beast film. We were contracted to make several small chest-bursters and one 9-foot long adult Sea Beast. Timing was horrid on this feature. We were contacted to build these beasts 11 days before shooting started with no design settled on. We spent 3 of those days, night and day, submitting creature designs to some very busy execs for approval to build.

This process is best summed up and most politely described as trying to balance wet noodles vertically on end while juggling a Thesaurus's while tap dancing and smiling as if you are not out of breath or patience at all, because it is all so fun and so exciting to be a part of.

After 42 sketches one of our very first designs from 3 days earlier was finally approved and we spent the remaining 8 days, once again night and day, sculpting-molding-casting-articulating-painting and finishing the adult and baby beasts. We are still unsure at this point how much of the Beasts will remain our work and how much will be supplanted with CGI. Viva-La` Practical FX!

How’s this for a fun little blog update?
Mike & Cathy SCO