Space for rent

It's official... the laboratory at the William Marshall School of Temporal Science at Miskatonic University is now closed. The computers have been packed up, the power cells discharged, the mice freed, and the Event Chamber has been permanently dismantled. All that remains in the cold and damp, grey concrete warehouse, is a massive triangle scar... the footprint of a metal behemoth we filmmakers called our friend.

Below is a tribute video to the Event Chamber...

The footprint of a giant.

The set is emptying out now. All of the props have been moved out or destroyed. Our lab has reverted back to it's former warehouse state of being. There is almost no resemblance now to what it was just a week prior. The painted grey walls and a pile of extension cords are the only indentifiers. This set was never "like home", but I know a few of us had spent more time here, than in our actual homes during the course of shooting.



The Chamber in a beauty pose.

We're moving on to the next phase of the film. In fact, we're currently location scouting. We're out of the lab and out in the real world all on our own! We'll be filming exteriors, interiors, day... night... all that stuff. This blog will have a totally different look from here on in. But that's not to say we aren't without a few surprises. Ahh! Suspense! You'll be coming back, I can tell.

This is POST-destruction clean up... still looks amazing.

Original design in stunning cardboard and packing tape.

Lyle London of Art In Metal

Matt Scheick of Art In Metal

But seriously, I wanted to post this blog to give the Event Chamber, the Portal, the robots, and the lab a proper send off. It's been amazing shooting in there. We've been very fortunate, and the footage is looking incredible. A big special thanks to lead builder Matt Scheick, Lyle London, and all the guys at Art In Metal who brought the Event Chamber and Portal to life. We were gob-smacked when we first saw it, and we still are every time we see it.

Amen.

-Luke (D.P.)

Filming in the lab, complete!

This week saw the last days of filming on the Intersect laboratory set. Let's celebrate with another behind-the-scenes video! Yes? Look below...

VIDEO:::

Turn your old, discarded jewelry into cash now!

Don't you just wonder what was so funny and interesting?

Blog updates stopped for a while... over the past few weeks we had been shooting lots of the automated robots zipping around the Event Chamber, the Portal turning on and off, doors opening and closing... sort of "2nd unit" stuff with no actors... so I didn't see the need for an update. But we just finished the last scene inside the Event Chamber with Jason and Leeann, so it's blog time!

Leeann Dearing and Ashlyn Melancon

"Trust me guys, this is how people will stand in the future."

The 2nd unit filming wasn't as bad as I might have made it sound. There was actually quite a lot of interesting things we did. Like pouring giant trash can loads of blood all over the Chamber and melting prop mice with a lighter. Oh, memories for a rainy day.

Killed with a thought.

No one else saw it... but this blood spill was the spitting image of my dog, Dr Poncho Diaz.

After all our clean, sterile lab shots were committed to film we started the process of destroying it. Yes, you remember the giant feller in the bomb vest... did he ever get around to doing what he set out to do? We'll make that the cliffhanger. Sure, look at the photo below, but you'll have to see the movie for the real answer. Science fiction... after all... is fiction. Fake. Lies. Twists. Things could be misinterpreted, or skewed... even a the blog of a mad DP. Mad as in mental, not angry.

Luke (R) with Matt Sheick (L)... the Portal builder has become the Portal destroyer.

Post portal destruction

In one interpretation of the movie... uh hum... our lead girl, Caitlin met a dirty end. Our makeup artist Ashlyn Melancon dove in to the job of roasting Leeann's face. Check out the amazing work.

Leaving the set on the last day of shooting was bittersweet. Boy, that'd be great to say... and right sappy. Really, leaving on the last day felt like when your mom lets you sleep in on a school day. I for one was ready to go home and rest. But don't despair... I get to go back all month and spend a lot more time there as we strike the set... pack up the portal, reset the original lighting, and bin all the now useless props. Don't lament for me just yet. And don't worry... I'll have photos of the whole thing. Time lapse too? Maybe. Geez, pushy.

...and what a party it was.

Mirror mirror...

Just working out some new dance steps.

As ever, I promise "more to come". Maybe even the briefest peek at a little footage? You'll just have to check back in. We do thank you for reading... come again soon.

-Luke (D.P.)

The Portal, in it's home.

We made serious strides this weekend on the lab set! Most notable was the actual installation of the Portal in this final resting place, the Event Chamber. The very minute we plunked that baby down things got real.



Feast on the glory of the underside of the turn table.



He's not crazy, he's my brother... Zack.

 After some very long hour days this past week, the lights inside the chamber were hung, the ceiling dropped in, doors installed, and the floor was tiled. This was all preparation for the Portal and the rotating "turn-table" it sits on to be made active. We rolled the giant 8-ft aluminum disc into the Chamber, and designer Matt Sheick made the final calculations before we set it spinning on its casters and lazy-Susan-style base. Then it was all about the Portal. It took 4 dudes to shimmy that thing inside the Chamber. (I was dude #3) Once it was secured to the turn table we all stepped back to bask in its ominous magnificence.

Check out the behind-the-scenes VIDEO clip below... VIDEO!!! Watch it!

There was something eerie about that simple horseshoe design, draped in all that white, inside the massively intrusive metal structure. It felt like a villain for the first time. It looked epic.

Our 2 actor mice... and 1 stunt double.

After we had the Portal squared away, it was time to clean and start really dressing the set. Electronics were brought in by the pallet load, and the test mice were nestled in a corner.

Gus, and a sneak peek at one of the delivery robots.

Jason Spisak, checking the orange goop.

The next few days will be a hectic "let's-get-this-place-ready-to-shoot" sort of few days. Preliminary testing and shooting will begin at the end of the week. We can't wait to fire up the RED and start putting all this hard work on film. Science willing, we will have some great footage on our hands very shortly. Stay tuned!

Me, trying really hard to look like President Kennedy.

-Luke (D.P.)

Event Chamber and Portal update

Just a brief update... it's been over a week.

Set construction is still plowing forward. Matt from Art In Metal has installed two of the giant "blast proof" windows inside the Chamber walls. They still have the protective plastic on them, but the shape and the framing are just brilliant! Every time a new piece is introduced to the set we are blown away all over again.

Gus wiring the Portal

The Portal has also seen some new additions... mass amounts of wire and tubing have been laced through the rungs of the arch, giving it a very purposeful, science-y look and feel. The glowing blue EL wire gives the Portal that little something special and shiny. I do believe we have something nifty on our hands.

All that science-y goodness!

All that nougat-y goodness!

What film is complete without the obligatory Barqs and Charleston Chew Minis craft services table? Frankly, I wouldn't work on a film without them. "Charleston Chew, America's Chew."

The Event Chamber

Our laboratory is really coming together now! Over the past seven days we watched a giant, grey, empty warehouse transform into a movie set. Lead designer Matt Scheick and the folks at Art In Metal began construction on the truly massive Event Chamber last week. By the weekend, we saw it finally stand up on it's own.

Witness the glory of a week's worth of hard construction in the ageless format of time-lapse:

The Event Chamber as seen though the eye of The RED

Gus, The Event Chamber, and The RED

The Event Chamber, which has been capitalized for it's iconic contribution to the film (much like the Millennium Falcon or Johnny 5), will actually appear to become a character itself in this story. This giant, obtrusive structure was created to house the world's first time-machine, as well as harness and contain it's tremendous power.

All praise to the Chamber!

Matt Scheick from Art In Metal

Though the Chamber is still in the building phase, myself and the rest of the team felt the current incarnation was such a stunning achievement, that we had to share it. Building will continue all this week as the Art In Metal team install a ceiling, cut out two large windows, and hang the huge sliding doors. Once the entire thing is built and touched up, the Portal will be delivered to the set and placed on it's rotating turn table. At which time, the Chamber will be near complete. Save for a few aesthetic adornments and a couple of controller robots.

The end of a long week's weekend

One of these is a light. One of these is a Brad. The game has begun.

All in all, the film is humming right along. As we continue to progress with the film, we will try to post more often, and incorporate more video... because, let's be honest, who likes reading anyways? Check out the clip below... just a little footage from around the lab set... behind-the-scenes... construction. Good stuff. Bonus features. Enjoy.



Video footage by Steve Esparza (Steadicam and handheld) and Luke Holwerda.

Steve Esparza

Real science.

-Luke (D.P.)