Just had a SG-U Scare

This morning while scanning my TV news sites, I chance upon this article from Airlockalpha.com. Found myself in instant depression when I read the title "MGM Struggles Could Threaten 'Stargate: Universe'. As I read the article that sense of dismay turned into relief which festered into frustration. By the time I finished it, I was reminded why I don't regularly frequent Airlockalpha.com (formally syfyportal.com). They are prone to sensationalism, and really have a "we're doomed" (to quote C3-P0) focus to many of the "genre news" articles they publish.

Take the SG:U article for example. It is based on internet rumors & fan paranoia. Even sources close to MGM say as long as it performs, MGM won't pull it. True, the 3rd Daniel Craig Bond film was placed on the back burner. Lets think about it, a Bond production will exceed the $150M mark during it's 2+ year production, & that excludes the 8+ figure marketing budget. I'll be very surprised is SG:U exceeds the $60M for a single 20 episode season.

For the record, I got bored w/ the Stargate franchise sometime during the 2nd season of Atlantis. For me, the franchise became monotonous & way too formulated. I often called it "SyFy's Trek." If not for the interview in TV Guide, I would never have checked SG:U out. The producers promised something different than what we've seen, & that peaked my curiosity enough to give it a shot. Let me tell you, by the end of the premiere episode, my jaw hit the floor w/ surprise. I went into the episode thinking the producers were just regurgitating empty promises to hype their new series, & was delivered a show that blew my expectations out of the stratosphere.

There is a reason I refer to it as "SG:U". For me, this isn't just the latest "installment of the Stargate franchise". Those are formulated, w/ a magical reset button at the end of each episode. SG:U, on the other hand, is an amazing genre series that happens to have a stargate in it. It is a strong character-driven drama, that has & will go where most shows won't dare risk. The plots are intelligent, well constructed, and is very much entrenched in the serialized drama arena, more akin w/ Battlestar Galactica or Breaking Bad than its franchise predecessors. And after the crisis is adverted (mostly), there is no reset button. The next episode builds from the previous. This shift in style is due, I think, to sci-fi writer John Scalzi's involvement as creative consultant. Yes, they have an honest-to-goodness prose writer helping w/ their plots & characterizations.

If you have not yet jumped on board the SG:U wagon, I highly recommend you do. Buy the SG:U 1.0 DVDs, rent them from NetFlicks, or stream it. Not only will you get a lot more out of it if you watch from the beginning, but you'll experience some the craziest, most intense scenes to air on a non-premium network.

Cheers!
4/29/10

Too Warped Versions

Still behind w/my Flickr uploads. After the 13th brutal clone shot, I immediately started fighting w/ the 14th's Warped Wednesday. After completing one version, decided I didn't like it. Starting from scratch, & created a second version. Very rare of me to do, especially when I'm behind in my uploads. Version 2 I'm happier w/, & will upload onto Flickr.

Exclusively for Rants, decided to publish both versions. Though I'm not happy w/ version 1, think I would like it if it was a different picture. Do like the way the effects turned out. Just doesn't live up to the surreal perspective of the original concept.

Version 1


Version 2



Takeaway: When shooting a perspecitive concept you mean to warp, be sure to shoot a subject free image of the background. Will make things so much easier to edit to vision.

Cheers!

Lazy & Hazy

Being a week behind in uploading photos, I really should be editing tonight. However, spent the last week moving 65lb sewing machines & equally as heavy boxes of product, tables, etc. back & forth from our storefront to the hotel for our big annual 4-Day event, & today was tear down day so everything had to be moved back. Tonight I find myself both physically & emotionally drained...not to mention every muscle in my body aches.

I feel completely lame about it, but going to take a day off from my photography. Which in the long run is probably for the best. Tonight, the creativity isn't there, & considering the next photo to edit is a Warped Wednesday, creativity (& the patience to trial and error the IWarp tool) are a must. I don't want the Warped Wednesday shots just be curved walls. This one in particular, I want to play w/ the shrink function & tweak the perspective.

So instead of editing, I'm gonna grab a couple beers, shoot today's daily photo, & watch Lost. Might watch V, might just crash. We'll play that last part by ear.

Still Here...again

Been slacking on the blogging front. Shame on me!

I do still plan on developing the Third Incarnation. However, Casual Rants won't be exclusive to this project, as previously implied. Think I'm going to take a "what's on my mind now" approach moving forward. Hopefully that will motivate my lazy ass to post 4-5 times a week (my goal). Keep your fingers crossed.

With that said...

365 Trilogy update:
The Intro:
If you know me, you know that I'm active on Flickr. On April 1st I started my 3rd 365 Days challenge. The concept behind the project is simple, take a self portrait a day for a whole year. The challenge is coming up w/ a creative idea every single day for a whole year.

I have previously done this twice. In the spirit of the 3rd year, I am simultaneously running 3 projects. The other 2 are more effects intensive weekly challenges. The first is a 52 Clones project, where I shoot & assemble clone SPs. The other is called Warped Wednesday, where I use GIMP's IWarp tool, and tweak the image to give it a more surreal/abstract feel. All three projects combined are called Trilogy. Periodically I will post updates here as to the status of the project (mostly when I fall behind in the uploading...surprise! I'm a slacker across all my online activities). Just so it ain't all bad news, I will also blog pictures that I'm particularly proud of here too.

The update:
Last Tuesday's (4/13) clone is literally a week in the making. Why I chose to shoot an intensive clone (both shooting & editing...especially the editing, it's harder than you think to make furniture appear to fly) during what is the craziest week of the year for our business is beyond me. Last night, I finally got it assembled, so now it is just a matter of fine tuning & adjusting the levels.

Look for it tonight. The next Warped Wednesday installment should follow tomorrow, and rest of last week should be uploaded by the Thursday.

Cheers!
4/19/10

Why I love Sci-Fi & Fantasy

I know it might appear that I'm OCD when it comes to science fiction & fantasy. Books I read are almost exclusively those genres, prefer my movies to be the same, and it is rare that I am not aware of a Sci-Fi show on TV. When you factor in comics & video games, it boggles my mind that science fiction doesn't dominate the Nielsens as they do box office earnings.

I do like other genres, really I do. Just get my fill of them in the sci-fi/fantasy venues.

You see, unlike almost every other genre out there, science fiction & fantasy are merely the setting/background of the story. Other genres must remain w/n their prescribed guidelines of that particular genre. A murder mystery has to involve a murder & solving of that murder. Historical fiction has to remain true to the setting of the era it takes place. A romance has to be centered around the affairs of the star crossed couple. Westerns have to take place in the "old west".

Science fiction and fantasy have no such limitation. The story can incorporate one or more of the above listed genres throughout it's run, no matter what medium. Fantasies don't even have to take place in fictional worlds, as Harry Potter popularized. Firefly proved a western can be set in space. Caprica is a prime example of character drama. Martins Songs of Ice & Fire has a strong political drama foundation (Dune probably being the most popular of this). Throughout the run of Farscape, the creators behind the show explored just about every genre out there.

Really the only limitation behind science fiction and fantasy crossing genres is that of the writer(s) &/or creative team behind the project. When looking at my favorite genres, the entertainment possibilities are endless. Whereas I know I will eventually get bored w/ the procedural drama formula of Castle, I know if Fringe goes on for the next 6 years, they have the option to reinvent themselves to avoid stagnation.

That is why I love Sci-Fi & fantasy.

Cheers!
Kyle

TV Pilots being looked at

A common step for TV shows making it onto your TV screen is to produce a pilot. Pilots are generally the 1st episode of the TV series. Networks order pilots so they can have a better idea of the feel of the show (& my guess is to see how well the show is produced). SciFiWire.com had a recent article about some pilots the major & some cable networks are looking at. Here are a few that I hope get picked up (from SciFiWire.com):

ABC
No Ordinary Family Could this potential series be the new Heroes? The Shield's Michael Chiklis and Angel/Dexter's Julie Benz star in this drama, which revolves around a typical American family who experience strange things when they suddenly find themselves with new abilities. Chiklis plays the dad and Benz plays the mom, Stephanie, "a gifted scientist who develops a power for superspeed." No Ordinary Family comes from Jon Harmon Feldman (Tru Calling) and Greg Berlanti (Eli Stone). The series also stars Autumn Reeser, Romany Malco, Jimmy Bennett, Kay Panabaker and Christina Chang.
Chance of pickup: 75 percent. Chiklis is a star, and with Heroes certainly at the end of its run this season or next, we're liking No Ordinary Family's chances.

AMC
The Walking Dead You've got to love what happens after a good zombie apocalypse. The Walking Dead follows a group of survivors who travel in search of a safe and secure home. Based on the comic book by Robert Kirkman, "the comic goes on to explore the challenges of life in a world overrun by zombies who take a toll on the survivors, and sometimes the interpersonal conflicts present a greater danger to their continuing survival than the zombies that roam the country. Over time, the characters are changed by the constant exposure to death, and some grow willing to do anything to survive." This one is from The Green Mile's Frank Darabont, with Gale Anne Hurd and David Alpert executive-producing.
Chance of pickup: 75 percent. The Walking Dead has a strong crew behind the scenes, and let's face it, it's time for a good television zombie apocalypse.

TNT
Steven Spielberg's Untitled Alien Invasion Series Steven Spielberg 3.0. We don't have a title yet, but this "untitled alien invasion series" does have star Noah Wylie (The Librarian) playing the college professor who becomes the reluctant leader of "a rag-tag group of soldiers and civilians as they struggle against an occupying alien force." The series begins "shortly after aliens have wiped out most of the human population. The aliens are now rounding up the few people left, but they are met with strong resistance from a group of soldiers and civilians who fight for their survival all while struggling to maintain their humanity." The series was created by Saving Private Ryan's Robert Rodat and is produced by DreamWorks Television. The series also stars Moon Bloodgood, Drew Roy, Maxim Knight, Jessy Schram and Seychelle Gabriel.
Chance of pickup: 100 percent. It's already headed to series, and 10 episodes have been ordered.

Game of Thrones Gets a Green Light from HBO

I am very excited about HBO's announcement today. George RR Martins 'A Game of Thrones' got a 10 episode order from the network.

If you have not yet read the Song of Ice & Fire series, I highly recommend you pick them up between now and when the series premieres. It is a fantasy series for grown ups. Martin does not hold back on his holy shit plot twists (actually does a very good job in building them up in a non-predictable way). It centers around a power struggle for the throne of Westeros, in which if you're a good guy, you're not guaranteed to win (or live for that matter).

I can't imagine a better network for the TV adaptation of what I hope will be the entire series (my most anticipated will be the 3rd season...& if you've read the books, you can probably guess why). HBO is a league above all other networks when it comes to producing great TV. True Blood & Carnivale quickly come to mind as my personal favorites. Let's not forget Sorpranos, Deadwood, & Six Feet Under. HBO knows their shit, & they are opting to stand behind Game of Thrones.

Unfortunately, there is no premiere date to accompany the announcement. Most are predicting Spring 2011. I'm hoping for a January 2011 premiere myself. Either way, it is going to be a looooong wait before we see Tyrion, Arya, & Jon Snow walking & talking on the small screen.

Cheers!
Kyle