A short sci-fi film shot on location in the Ring of Gullion and County Armagh, Northern Ireland.
Written and Directed by Tom Watson
Visual effects by Patrick Watson
Starring RJ Woolsey, Elaine Thompson and Sharon Carroll.
Archive for the ‘northern’ Tag
Are You There?
Tuesday, June 3rd, 2014 by
Posters Available
Sunday, June 1st, 2014 by
We’re selling these great looking posters from the film. Click a thumbnail for the one you want. If you want all three; you can find them, along with the rest of Patrick’s designs for sale here!
They are available in various sizes and materials (including canvas and metal) I promise you won’t be disappointed!
AYT BTS – Behind the Scenes
Thursday, May 15th, 2014 by
Well, work is continuing on our short film. For the my Røde Reel contest, entries must be accompanied by a behind the scenes video. Tom and I have decided that while he works on the main edit of the film, I will put the “BTS” together alongside doing the graphical effects as needed.
Unfortunately it wasn’t until after the shoot that I really thought about how to make a good BTS documentary. During the shoot I was much more concerned with getting the shots we needed. I failed to get as much material and interesting things like interviews with cast & crew.
However I think I have enough stuff to be able to make a reasonable document of the making of Are You There? The (hopefully) forthcoming reshoot will provide me a chance to get some really useful additional footage as well. It’s largely because of a mistake that we have to reshoot but truthfully it’s a great opportunity to change some things we didn’t have time for like; proper set dressing…
Galaxy Building – The Past Worlds of AYT
Tuesday, April 29th, 2014 byWhile we must concede that the universe, in the story of AYT, will probably not be seen on screen; I (Patrick) have spent time making graphics for the Dean’s display screen that shows potential historical sites for our main character. These other worlds are loosely based on candidates that MAY be able to support life. I am going to show off these other worlds.
ISIS 2 – “Isis 2 (Kepler 22b) is the last world colonised in pre light weave days. It has an average surface temperature of 22°c/72°F and is considered a garden world.
It’s become known as by nickname “Spring Board of Light” as it’s the birthplace of most modern space faring and lifestyle tech. However it’s largely out of place in the current statecraft systems though many want it classified as a protected planet.
As it stands a majority of the planet has been used by unscrupulous individuals and corrupt authorities for dumping galactic tonnes of interplanetary waste. Some historical sites still survive and some are protected by armed volunteers.
Archeology candidates may be wary of being posted here but while it is often very tense it’s rare that it turns into a war zone.”
Marduk Prime – ” Marduk Prime (Gliese 581 g) is a rocky world that was favored in the expansion of the middle space ages. It has an average surface temperature in the range of 236 to 261 K (−37 to−12 °C or −35 to 10 °F).
It’s 4.3 times the mass of First-Earth, which made it a super attractive option when early travelers where looking for settlment options.
It is permanently light on one half and permanently dark on the other. Tidal locking also means the planet has no axial tilt and therefore no seasonality in the conventional sense.
Because of the environmental conditions many early settlers tried to make their home in the mid point between the dark and the light. This led to very interesting and unique architecture.”
Bixia Yuanjin – “Bixia Yuanjin (Tau Ceti e) like most planets is named after an ancient First-Earth deity. It has an average surface temperature 70°C (343 K).
It was thought when first glimpsed by early Earth telescopes that the only Earth life that could exist on the surface would be thermophiles.
From the time of proper spacetravel however this turned out not to be true. Helped in part by more advanced technology and a less dense atmosphere it was actually possible for people to land and live there.
Though the early landings were frought with major problems like improper heat shields and shifting surface plates. Eventually people managed to make a thriving colony.
Sites of interest include a massive melted metal lake made of failed landers and settlements. The early non sol system colony is the major stepping stone to the expansion of the rest of the galaxy.”
Mars – “Mars is the most colonised of planets humans ever lived on, due to its close proximity to First-Earth. Mars was called the first step into a wider world. Before it was colonised and terraformed the Martian surface temperatures vary from lows of about −143 °C (at the winter polar caps) to highs of up to 35 °C (in equatorial summer).
The wide range in temperatures was due to the thin atmosphere which couldn’t store much solar heat, the low atmospheric pressure, and the low thermal inertia of Martian soil.
Mars has become a very distant but important historical planets, second only to Earth itself. As humanity expanded outward into the rest of the galatic table, Mars became largely abandoned; though archeologists sent here occasionally tell of encounters with odd humanoid creatures.
The United Aerospace Corp managed establish a major mining base on the moons, Phobos and Deimos. Though something catastrophic happened and no one heard from either moon again. Ships sent here never came back and the moons became quarantined.”
Earth – “First-Earth, aka Terra aka Humanity’s cradle, the ‘garden of Eden’. Earth was once considered the jewel of the milky way. But it’s now nothing more than an abandoned, backwater curiosity.
Due in part to it’s remoteness and it’s major historical significance only a handful people have ever set foot on First Earth in over a thousand years.
Only the highest achievers can ever be considered for a chance to research here. When planet side, the time between a communication satellite and earth is just a few days over one earth year. This also means that working on Earth is a massive undertaking requiring dedication and a constitution well suited for isolation and loneliness.
Most of Earth’s natural resources were depleted before the exodus. However because of the amount of time Earth has went undisturbed these resources are beginning to reach mine-able levels again. This has some conservationists and archeologists worried that it might make it a target for rogue enterprises trying to consume those resources for profit.”
In the story design, Earth is one of the furthest planets from the current seat of humanity. There’s a few references to a larger universe but I tried to stay away from being very specific.
That’s a wrap! – Shooting “Are You There?”
Thursday, April 24th, 2014 byWell, after two long days, principal shooting for “Are You There?” is finished. This will be a long post so before I continue I want to thank everyone who helped during the shoot. There will of course, be proper credits in the finished film but we are still a good bit away from that! So thanks to RJ, Elaine and Sharon; our primary cast. Thanks also to Zakk for general dogsbody-ing and Ryan for lighting assistance, both being willing extras along with Naomi, Lauren and Shelley.
Day 1 – Tuesday 22nd – 1pm: National Outdoor Centre.
Our first location on the first day of shooting. This in some senses was the most critical location because we had very limited time and would not be able to come back to re-shoot anything if we didn’t get it. However in terms of the look of the film the mountain (Clairemont Cairn) is the most critical, more on that later!
And this was the extent of our craft service table! Tom and I (Patrick) didn’t have much in the way of a budget, even for feeding cast and crew. The National Outdoor Centre was gracious enough to let us use away at their coffee machine though.
We spent a large amount of the limited shoot time on maneuvering furniture and trying to dress the office set, which was not the best use of resources we must admit.
In the above you can see Tom direct Sharon (Dean Harper) and RJ (Teeay) during a rehearsal. We tried dress the office set as best we could; we had our lights outside the window for a nice back lit effect but sadly the bulbs were far far too weak to produce worthy lighting, there was also supposed to be A3 posters which I designed relating to other planets and archaeology however the printer wouldn’t play ball. You can see A4 versions on the desk. The screen was also intended to be used however it wouldn’t cooperate properly and will have to be added in post!
Day 1 – Tuesday 22nd – 8pm: RJ’s House.
Party time! This is were the few extras mentioned at the start were needed. This was one of the more physically demanding setups with the moving of lots of heavy furniture and installing of lighting rigs. Fair play to RJ for being a good sport about it. In the footsteps of Hollywood greats, the party scene was recorded without the actors being able to listen to music. Tom has already created the music for this scene but it’s somewhat unusual and he didn’t want people to have preconceived notions about how they would dance.
Once we finished shooting we helped get the place back in order and we were totally knackered! It didn’t help we knew we’d have to be up again at 5:30am to go shoot on the mountain…
Day 2 – Wednesday 23nd – 6am: Clairemont Cairn.
DISASTER! The weather was reportedly going to be bad anyway but worse later in the day. Upon arriving at the mountain at 6am we were pretty crushed. Our main location, inspiration for the film no less, was covered in thick cloud. We sat in our cars for an hour and a half to see if the weather would lift. It didn’t.
The location itself is pretty much a character in its own right.
We decided to leave and go try and get other shots done.
Day 2 – Wednesday 23nd – 9am: Abandoned House.
We were provided with another excellent location that morning though, when we turned up at a super abandoned house. Left derelict roughly 26 years ago it was perfect! This put the disaster on the mountain to the back of our minds as we got about filming our scene.
The house provided a fair challenge because unlike other locations; using our work lights would be impossible without a generator, which we did not have. We resorted to using a dive torch and two iPhones for light, the reflector we had was the biggest help though. This is where an extra crew member would’ve been useful as even between 3 of us, there wasn’t enough hands to hold all the gear properly.
Day 2 – Wednesday 23nd – 12pm: RJ’s Again!
The above office cabin, being “decorated” by RJ & Zakk, was the setting for the scene of the movie where our hero finally reaches the top of the mountain. Once again thanks go to RJ for his generosity. By this point in the afternoon we were spotting nice bright patches of blue in sky which gave us hope that we might yet get our main shots up on the mountain.
This was probably our most “dressed” set which included lots of old telecoms equipment we got free off gumtree, LED light ropes and even my own 32″ TV. The TV was for displaying some effects which I created and ran off my personal mac mini. We even managed to get some 60s era Star Trek practical effects in the form of Zakk turning on some LED’s at the right time, which actually worked quite well for it’s simplicity.
Day 2 – Wednesday 23nd – 5pm: Back to the Mountain!
ALL CLEAR ON MOUNTAIN! The thick, low, cloud that put our scheduled filming off in the morning had finally buggered off! Cameras out!
Once on the mountain we were trying to get as many shots as possible. Whilst being very tired, the fact that we were now presented with the possibility of being able to finish all shooting, in spectacular fashion, really gave us the energy to push on and get everything we could.
At some points though, there was plenty of time for the crew to stand back and take in the scenery. Elaine and Zakk pose for a quick photo in between setups.
At approx 8:30pm we finished all shooting. Tom and I thanked Elaine, RJ and Zakk then sent them home to which RJ said he was going for a big juicy steak. Unfortunately for Tom and I though, there was still more traveling to do along with some organizing of the footage.
That’s the main production shoot for Are You There? done. Now we have to make into something! We will still keep this updated with stuff too.
Are You There? Production diary 9
Friday, April 4th, 2014 byAs I said in Production diary 1, the whole film was inspired by a visit to what will be our main location. This location is a mountain about fifteen minutes from home and had been a place I intended to visit for a while, as it has a stone age cairn on its summit. My first visit was filled with my babble of how I wanted to make a film there! It is a perfect mix of ancient and modern: geology, archaeology and technology. One of the shots I hope to be able to include is of a Neolithic (6,000 year old) stone cairn (that was originally a passage tomb) with a piece of modern engineering a few metres away. Our version of the film for the My Rode Reel competition is only five minutes and we have a lot to cover so it might not happen.
In the film, we follow the main character as he ascends the path to the summit and the struggle up the mountain parallels his internal struggles with his feelings about others and his own solitude. He pauses several times and each time he is haunted by a ghost from his past and, possibly, from his future. Each turn or twist of the road is a turning point in his thought process… but the clock is counting down!
Our second most important location in terms of time and budget is the National Outdoor Centre, Bryansford, Co. Down. This is the setting of the University on our story and its modern bright and airy building will look perfect on screen, plus we’re adding a few small things to enhance the retro-future look! Patrick has designed a University logo and we will be adding a few touches to enhance the sense of place, and of the alien nature of the planet the University is on.
Where possible we’ll be adding a few special props (see next production diary!) to make the sets even better but I’ll be doing a budget recap soon that will explain that budget wise, we can’t afford to do too much. I’m hoping the story, the music and the performances will pull us through some finical shortfalls.
The party scene (oh, yes, you guys don’t know the story yet ;-), and some of the other major scenes will be shot at RJ’s house – (thanks RJ!) and will be dressed as best we can. The music and a few props will make this scene as delightfully weird as I can get it.
The only location not yet decided upon is an abandoned house. It doesn’t matter what state of decay the house is in as we’re really dependent on two props to drive the story in this location. The scene is the only one that I hadn’t pictured in my head, but as I’ve found the perfect exterior shots for it, we can place the interior almost anywhere.
The scenery for the film will be magical and I’m hoping that we can show how fantastic the place we live in is!
Anyway, this was a short one. More soon!
Next time: Props
Are You There? Production diary 8
Thursday, April 3rd, 2014 byAhh, music and sound! I’m on home territory here! The music is written already for the beginning and end of the film and also the party scene.
How good is that!? This is the benefit of being the writer, director and composer!
Because I already have the film in my head, I have created the music for a lot of it already. It’s not necessarily the most amazing collection of songs, there’ll be no huge selling soundtrack album, lol, but it does express the loneliness of the lead character and the unreality of the situation he finds himself in.
Again, it’s in keeping with the overall mood and style that we’re going for. You’ll notice elements that link back to the films that inspired me such as blade runner, 2001 and others. I have to say that the synths in the Blade Runner score by Vangelis are probably the most evocative electronic score I’ve ever heard! I spent ages trying to copy his sounds using a Yamaha DX21 and a selection of delay and chorus pedals which was as far away from his budget, skills and equipment as it was possible to be! That was way back in the late 1980s, 1988 or 1989, possibly, when the DX21 was nearly ten years old already! I still have it though. It has sadly lost a key or two in the last few years but it still works!!! (Funnily enough, what I was trying to do then is what we’re trying to do with “Are You There?” now – aiming for the stars without a rocket!)
All the other music and soundtrack is planned, but not yet recorded. As the studio is available to me at almost any stage, I will probably wait until the edited film is done so I can experiment with the tempo to get things just right.
The end music is the only piece not composed by me as its a 17th century Traditional Irish Harp tune by the great composer O’Carolan. I heard my wife Sharon (www.sharon-carroll.com) playing it and knew it was perfect for what I needed.
Sound wise, we’re doing a lot in post-production. There are only about ten lines of spoken dialogue in the whole movie… These will be captured on location by recording the Rode Videomic into the Tascam audio recorder as shooting RAW with the Canon 600D means we can’t record sound in camera.
Each of the locations will have its own character and add its own flavour as each represents a different stage in the main character’s story. Adding just the right sounds will add to the sense of time and place for each location.
This is reminiscent of, and inspired by, a lot of 2001, where each of the time periods had its own feeling, with much of the last part of the movie being free of dialogue – just the sound of the ship-board environment and David’s breathing, creating a tension and calm counterpoint to the actions that we know are very threatening. Maybe I can work someone singing “daisy, daisy , give me your answer do” into the soundtrack, lol!
This silence or the normal, mundane background audio bed can often be more unnerving than huge in your face (in your ear?) sound and I hope to use this to my advantage. Again, I feel that this is different in style from most sci-fi shorts, which ape modern sci-fi action films with hyped up sounds and ear-busting explosions.
All the computer sounds are being created from scratch inside the synths in Apple Logic Pro. This makes it easy for me to do everything inside one computer – an old (ancient) Apple Mac Pro. (I’ll do a production diary on our equipment soon!)
I’m using my fabulous Rode Video Mic to capture dialogue on set. It and my Rode boom pole are two of my favourite pieces of kit, bought recently and only used in anger a few times! I have been very impressed with the sound of this mic. For the money, it’s hard to imagine better and I definitely recommend it! The shock mount is very good as well. My only niggle is that when using the furry windshield with a short lens the furry can sometimes sneak into shot. Time to get out my shaver;-)
We’re shooting with an inexperienced boom operator (Hi Zakk!), so fingers crossed everything will go ok – I’m sure it will! We’ll give a lot of training! Lol! Zakk is very quick at picking things up and a very hard worker, so I know he’ll do a good job!
Foley will be done where necessary, but if we can do without sound we will. I’m building the sound of the location into the soundtrack so the Mountain will be part of everything making location sound less important. A few visual effects will need something, but unless there’s something we feel is really missing, we’re not going to worry about it. Less is more!
As I’ve said before, it all makes sense in my head at the moment. I’ll be very happy if I get to within 60% of what I’m aiming for! (I’ll also start adding photos to the blog soon!)
Next time: Locations
Are You There? Production diary 3
Thursday, March 27th, 2014 byWith the stylistic question settled, I moved on to contemplating the technical aspects of the shoot.
My camera is a Canon 600D. I’m using Magic Lantern and Tragic Lantern firmware to upgrade its capabilities and provide a lot more control over what I’m shooting.
This leads to some interesting choices: resolution, frame-rate, codec and colour depth.
The initial (and still the most likely) plan is that I shoot using Tragic Lantern in sRAW 4:4:4 at 24 fps and with a scaled up resolution of 720p.
This will give the greatest latitude for detail, colour correction, VFX and allow us to deliver a final short in HD format.
It’s not without its drawbacks though. The data rates from the 600D aren’t the greatest, even with fast cards, and the workflow is a lot more involved, including needing a lot more time, effort and processor power…
The alternatives including hiring an Atmos Ninja HD recorder or buying a Black Magic Design HD recorder. These would allow capture of the cameras HDMI output, but on the 600D this again would be 720p maximum, at a colour depth of 4:2:2 (good enough for our purposes). This route is obviously going to be an expense, but will be our main option if I can’t get tragic lantern to work.
Our closest rental house has the Atmos Ninja on hire, but for three days it costs the same as buying the Black Magic Design recorder, so that would be a tricky one. Ideally, though, we shoot in sRAW from tragic lantern.
As a few of the locations are quite intimate, I might hire a 10 – 55 mm lens from the rental house to allow a wider range of shots in a tight room. I noticed that 2001 has a lot of distortion on a lot of the “Discovery” footage, but the extremely wide angle does make the ship look at lot larger than it probably did on set, and the distortion heightens the feeling of looking from HAL’s viewpoint.
Also, the kit 18 – 55 mm lens is not a great lens. It’s hard to focus and feels quite plasticky and unsubstantial under my fingers. The rental lens is of much higher quality and will allow wider apertures and better zooming where necessary.
So that’s where we are today. More soon!
Next time: Final Draft
Are You There? A sci-fi Short Film 