Adventures in Tilt Shift
Look I can see my house from there
A couple of shots from a recent project filmed on an Arri-Alexa with Tilt-Shift Lenses with cinematographer David Rom. It was great to experiment with the Lenses and to create the miniature effect optically instead of in post. They can be difficult to focus but great fun to play and experiment with. Music: Anywhere Anyone by Dntel
Inside Out
Inside Out – Booze Free Christmas – Directed by Robert Samuels
I’ve always greatly admired the titles work of the legendary Saul Bass & creating this trail for Inside Out I was fortunate enough to be able to create a work in the style of the original Ocean’s 11 and a raft of cartoons and TV shows from my childhood like Bewitched & the Pink Panther. It was great to work again with Dan Sollis at Digital Distortion and the illustrator Paul Middlewick & we’re very happy with the result. To see more of Saul Bass’ titles work, check out the excellent movie titles stills collection
Superrocketcast
My fellow Musketeers, Lords, Ladies and Gentleman. Welcome to the very first Superrocketcast, a Podcast featuring free-to-download audio stories, written by me writer-director Robert Samuels (trying to improve my google rating here!) and read by special guest readers. I always wanted to strip storytelling back to it’s oldest form, the spoken word, the campfire, the story as told. “We Can Bring You Back,” is the first. Time for sci-fi Jackanory yo!
We Can Bring You Back – Written by Robert Samuels
For info on the release of future podcasts join the superrocketman facebook or follow the Robster on twitter (Links below)
Special thanks to Scott Marshall, guest reader Neil Newbon, Max Herman, Mark One and Tom Lindsay & Chris Gravely. We Can Bring You Back was written by Robert Samuels © All Rights Reserved
Tomorrow Calling
Tomorrow Calling – Directed by Robert Samuels
Tomorrow Calling was a very exciting project to do. It is a series of talks and think tanks hosted by Red Bee Media. The promo is a teaser to go online with a button at the end, which launches the website. The filming of the project thew up certain logistic and technical challenges. The location was a disused Thames Water pumping station.
The trio were completely unaware of the VFX artist about to pounce
Due to access issues, all ofthe film-equipment had to be winched in; carried down two small ladders – including the dog. Technically, there were tracking issues, for the cube, due to with strobe lighting. Basically don’t try and track with strobe lighting! Luckily we had two VFX wizards, Dan Sollis and Nial Brown on set.
Ed and I wanted the colours to be reminiscent of Terminator 2, with a blue cast augmented by small pools of red lighting.
The Rocketman on set pointing. Who knows what he’s pointing at – but he’s pointing.
Additional challenges were animals, which I’ve never worked with before but Lilly the Lurcher was amazing, if you didn’t like her, you had no soul.
“Look away, now look at me, look away, now look at me. You are holding the three of diamonds.”
I wanted the cube to faze in and out of reality and designed the skeletal metal underlaying structure; below left, which Katrina based her 3D model on right for the Cube. The Cube was built using Lightwave.
Concept sketch: Robert Samuels/3D Model Katrina-Ensor Oxley
Alex Brown took this model and created several cube ‘skins’ in Maya that could be composited in Smoke, and with Dan’s match-move tracking data, we were able to cut between and composite all of the different skins in any order we like.
The cube was voiced by the actor and thoroughly top guy Ben Chaplin (The Thin Red Line). The compositing was done entirely by Smoke Artist Nial Brown at BBC Studios & Post Production and scored by Max Herman. For more information and credits on the finished promo click here.
Electric Dreams
Photograph by Ed Rutherford
The Rocketman on set directing once again. This new & exciting futuristic project will be online very soon. in other news the Hunting Moon has been nominated for an award at the New Media Age effectiveness awards next month. Big love all.
Hello World Again
Photograph by Robert Samuels
Yes, the Rocketman’s used his jet-pack and SAS survival rations to travel to South America. Brazil may have the football, the weather and a killer ‘carnaval.’ It also has some proper dope beach rhymers like these two gentlemen, who’ll freestyle anything.
Bet you thought I was dead? Well like a Haunted house picture, things are afoot. News just in The Hunting Moon has been awarded gold at the Promax BDA Europe awards in Berlin and Bronze at the Creative Circle Awards and IAT, a superrocketman PS3/Xbox game is well… I can’t tell you, the guy on the right is packing heat under that tambourine. The nights are getting shorter, the speedos are being ironed & several projects from feature films to games to music are in development. I’ll fling something up here from time to time but in the meantime Big Love all.
Forward
Artwork by Robert Samuels
My fellow musketeers, Lords ladies and Gentleman, my wish to one and all is for a very prosperous and happy 2011. There’s a lot of exciting developments at Rocketman Towers, so like community service, check in from time to time. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank a few very kind and supportive souls, my New Years Honours list, if you like, in no particular order:
Mike Skrgatic, Tom Lindsay, Ross Hallard, Nial Brown, Niall Greig Fulton, Dan Sollis, Mark One, Max Herman, Cliff Briggs, Kip Katesmark, Jesper Lind, Nicholas Elliot, Simon Gosling, Rodrigo Souza, Ricardo Antolin & Andrew Kuchanny.
Your help, advice and friendship and kindness is deeply appreciated.
In the mix
Still from the behind the scenes footage for the making of ‘Yalla Asia’ – the official theme for the 2011 AFC Asian Cup. The track ‘Yalla Asia’ was composed by Max Herman and Radhka Vekaria and features a very famous US guest star. Updates coming soon.
Hiraku!
‘Distintive/Available/Discoverable’
The opening sequences for three short films i directed for Red Bee Media. The graphics were created by Alex Brown using a combination of Maya and After Effects. The full short films will be at www.redbeemedia.com soon. Credits: Director of Photography Andrew Kuchanny, music for all three films by Max ‘The Hunting Moon’ Herman
The Hunting Moon!
Recommendation: HD>full screen>dim lights>turn up>find popcorn>repeat after 94 seconds
Okay your honour, I confess, I made The Hunting Moon. It is a Red Bee Media production for the charity Malaria No More. if you haven’t already, select reveal after the trailer on www.thehuntingmoonmovie.com
It was a breath of fresh air to work on something that was not just for a great cause but may just make a difference. Since www.thehuntingmoonmovie.com went live a few days ago it’s attracted over 10,000 hits a day on You Tube and been featured on David Beckham and Andy Murray’s Homepages, on Twitter, The Guardian, Campaign, Sky Movies & The Sun Newspaper
Vincere!
It was a pleasure to unite so many members of the superrocketman family into the production: Ann-Marie-Small (Producer) Andrew Kuchanny (Director of Photography) Max Herman (Composer) Ross Hallard (Editor) at Trim Editing and Mike Skrgatic, Jim Allen, Matt Wilmshurst, Sheldon Gardner (Flame Artists) at Time Based Arts. Many thanks to you, the crew (Special Mention to Marko ‘The main man & best 1st AD ever’ Fuchs & Ed Butcher), the web team and all who gave their time up to make it happen. If you haven’t signed up to Malaria No More www.malarianomore.org.uk it’s a great charity doing great things, please do. Happy Halloween!
