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Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow!
ph43thon writes "The New York Times Magazine has a neat story about the sci-fi nerd, Kerry Conran, behind 'Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow.' It's an interesting look at his creative journey starting with a Macintosh IIci. It took him twelve hours just to render individual robot legs. Antisocial, shy people rejoice! Hide in your homes until you get discovered by a movie producer!!"
Google link
Gay captain, more like. FP.
213.97.187.4:80 206.47.217.202:8080 213.55.94.230:80 193.178.210.35:8000 200.207.127.203:6588 213.55.94.242:80 219.49.6.67:8080 217.196.102.195:3128 210.81.238.18:80 202.28.24.52:80 24.162.141.200:49463 204.95.48.109:24447 200.217.106.69:6588 200.89.191.47:8080 82.44.17.169:8973 193.232.120.140:3128 216.16.82.107:8741 208.17.78.98:80 209.157.194.10:80 212.68.251.184:80 210.230.1.136:8080 200.184.43.73:80 212.185.45.152:8080 66.14.253.113:8000 208.7.187.250:80 80.88.144.115:80 211.72.25.51:8000 200.171.50.62:6588 207.28.33.2:8000 62.180.108.104:24215 80.75.4.30:8080 24.140.77.130:3777 198.153.70.222:80 64.172.203.34:80 212.35.164.210:3128 4.21.199.201:8000 211.233.80.22:80 211.108.90.5:80 12.27.246.247:24759 67.162.171.214:19885 210.0.142.57:8000 62.39.176.6:8000 80.53.222.198:80 212.253.47.138:80 12.218.251.75:80 66.136.41.139:80 80.24.86.247:80 24.158.211.231:45561 200.221.73.218:6588 64.157.225.69:80 24.149.18.9:8000 212.253.11.157:80 209.137.136.42:3128 203.200.192.117:80 193.216.12.250:8000 211.50.251.90:22788 216.20.117.82:8000 203.162.5.54:80 64.0.2.79:80 210.212.214.178:3128 64.58.187.2:80 65.107.219.194:80 195.97.168.124:8000 80.53.189.58:80 216.154.252.72:80 200.23.188.18:8080 66.168.69.239:2282 24.217.227.103:21757 200.183.102.98:6588 195.74.104.181:8000 24.153.22.220:80 208.44.224.121:8000 210.75.27.131:3128 217.57.82.4:80 213.183.147.246:8000 212.80.78.135:80 203.148.211.50:80 200.67.171.232:80 212.253.49.201:80 163.29.216.1:80 212.80.74.117:80 200.252.238.65:81 80.34.56.70:80 63.205.73.22:43261 217.127.54.13:80 203.215.73.62:3128 63.236.144.5:8000 218.28.11.12:3128 213.55.94.54:80 200.206.217.27:6588 61.222.183.35:80 61.55.134.161:80 200.60.77.10:80 208.30.28.26:8000 195.248.193.243:80 64.1.219.194:8000 213.55.94.247:80 212.234.190.182:8000 80.25.150.39:80 65.66.244.26:8000 63.204.188.78:8000 213.55.94.182:80 207.232.162.15:80 212.98.36.147:8000 213.123.229.10:80 217.127.148.160:6588 203.68.218.1:80 62.111.217.30:80 204.96.222.5:80 200.180.225.234:80 213.55.94.72:80 202.155.116.229:3128 202.106.124.167:3111 203.115.12.41:80 66.152.245.58:80 200.252.238.134:81 216.253.94.62:80 165.229.203.98:8000 62.121.2.230:8000 61.218.107.59:80 65.71.88.51:8000 216.250.207.8:80 205.213.111.65:8760 213.55.90.222:80 195.137.114.156:80 195.101.208.186:8000 195.228.228.112:80 219.166.236.228:80 211.114.57.211:8081 160.79.97.150:8000 64.2.234.227:8000 210.227.166.67:8080 193.164.179.145:80 68.44.174.222:46755 203.71.62.249:80 80.37.197.49:6588 202.134.186.193:6588 200.244.123.227:3128 200.168.78.89:6588 194.165.155.82:80 203.190.254.240:80 202.81.254.125:80 202.66.33.92:80 68.14.2.79:3777 211.34.153.127:80 193.69.165.25:80 198.26.135.114:80 63.76.244.66:8000 218.123.50.60:8080 195.194.162.9:80 80.11.21.8:80 195.228.230.156:6588 192.90.74.95:80 66.41.156.239:2282 219.12.90.5:8080 213.55.94.32:80 212.80.74.9:80 200.230.78.1:443 200.207.49.196:6588 80.248.65.196:80 68.224.110.94:3777 24.224.211.200:41289 62.164.162.70:8000 217.45.15.242:8000 160.79.240.52:80 194.84.140.2:80 217.56.92.207:8000 128.121.14.116:80 63.162.99.129:8000 202.5.89.59:80 217.126.111.25:80 196.11.239.37:80 80.25.154.182:80 198.151.199.199:80 207.245.65.146:8000 200.161.152.174:4128 212.80.74.108:80 24.232.27.138:8080 80.32.62.87:80 24.60.60.8:8080 218.190.20.244:24215 213.55.94.79:80 219.166.216.98:80 200.252.72.9:80 68.105.112.235:25136 213.163.40.75:8080 217.110.209.212:80 61.131.51.91:3128 213.35.136.178:8000 207.203.156.105:80 168.187.71.162:9202 168.243.238.92:80 210.161.240.10:80 195.184.111.195:80 80.53.54.68:80 24.117.97.90:41111 82.66.156.68:6588 218.5.5.240:3128 66.210.242.115:80 213.55.94.115:80 200.171.213.234:6588 147.72.93.38:80 200.217.28.21:6588 200.205.89.58:80 193.251.69.4:8000 219.127.168.3:80 200.31.137.91:3128 193.15.46.105:8000 194.126.99.89:80 213.206.5.5:2326 217.126.237.228:8000 216.126.141.38:8983 198.248.87.238:8000 61.218.114.46:80 217.127.135.253:80 212.253.10.100:80 195.194.236.100:8080 200.206.236.76:3128 209.128.76.39:80 24.238.137.129:5743 218.5.196.194:3128 202.42.165.4:80 211.72.73.38:6588 202.224.248.32:8080 213.55.94.61:80
Mr. Invisible and the Secret Mission to Hollywood
By JOHN HODGMAN
Article Photo
(c) Catherine Ledner, The New York Times
Kerry Conran is not what you would call descript. He has very short, tan-colored hair, usually covered with a clean, logoless baseball cap. He is 37, somewhat baby-faced and often quiet, with a smile in the corner of his pale blue eyes that suggests he is observing you from a far-off world of his own. And while he can be genial and funny, his default setting seems to be self-deprecation to the point of self-erasure. The second thing of any note he ever said to me was ''I am basically an amorphous blob of nothing.'' The first thing was ''I'm shy.''
This was on the set of his movie ''Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow.'' You might expect a little more brio from a writer-director who is making a summer blockbuster with almost unlimited creative control. Set in 1939, the movie stars Jude Law as the daring flying ace Sky Captain, who teams up with his former flame, the intrepid reporter Polly Perkins, played by Gwyneth Paltrow, as they track down a mysterious mad scientist named Totenkopf. It is in part a nostalgic homage to the movies of the 30's and 40's: the hammy fisticuffs and golly-inspiring proto-technology of sci-fi cliffhangers like ''Flash Gordon'' alongside the snappy patter (and even snappier clothes) of the era's noir thrillers.
But like the old serials it emulates, ''Sky Captain'' is mainly preoccupied with the strange promises of the future. The astonishing things you will see in the world of tomorrow include: an immense, silvery zeppelin docking at the Empire State Building; an elephant that fits in the palm of your hand; a troop of giant robots marching down Sixth Avenue and the carpet at Radio City Music Hall. None of these things actually exist, though. Conran has not constructed a single set or miniature. Rather, they are computer images, built and animated in a virtual 3-D environment, or stitched together from photographs, which are then draped around the flesh-and-blood actors, who have been shot separately on an empty set in front of a blank ''blue-screen'' background, along with those few minimal props with which they actually interact (a ray gun, a robot blueprint, a bottle of milk of magnesia). The film, in other words, is one long special effect with Jude-Law-size holes in it.
''The goal was to make a live-action film, but to use conventions of traditional animation,'' Conran said. The reason? ''First and foremost, to do it cheaper.'' It's a model that would appeal to anyone who, like Conran, does not seem entirely comfortable spending other people's money; to anyone who might dream of shooting in Nepal or Paris (or in the 1930's) but doesn't have the means to get there; to anyone who is shy.
For Conran, the question, as he put it, was ''Could you be ambitious and make a film of some scope without ever leaving your room?'' And so 10 years ago, Kerry Conran went into a room in his apartment to make a movie. In some ways, he is just now beginning to come out of it.
At first, he was a mystery. Word of ''Sky Captain'' began to spread around the Internet only after Conran finished primary shooting in London last spring -- extraordinarily late for the Internet, which often seems invented specifically to track movies with giant robots in them. Even then, no one knew who Kerry Conran was. Google couldn't touch him. He was so undocumented in the world of Hollywood that I briefly wondered, when I began pursuing him, if perhaps he was just a front for his producer and partner and mentor Jon Avnet, who is well known for producing ''Risky Business'' and directing ''Fried Green Tomatoes'' but who is not so well known for retro-science-fiction summertime blockbusters, and who unlike Conran seems to have been photographed at least once in his life. I don't think Conran would mind that I doubted his existence. In fact, for a long time, that w
The link in the story is already a google link. The parent is redundant. Mod down.
What is so damn hard about registering your own name? If you are going to read their content, you should agree to read it on their terms, or not read it at all.
People scream "privacy invasion!" but then they find and abuse loopholes to steal the content. If you have an issue with the New York Times, then don't read it. But don't bitch about something and then abuse a loophole to get it anyway.
You want something, but you can't have it on terms that you agree to, so you will just steal it? What kind of hypocritical mindset lets you do that?
It's stories like these that make me regret taking apart my IIgs to use for wall decorations. Well, at least I still have my Equity II.
Antisocial, shy people rejoice! Hide in your homes until you get discovered by a movie producer!!
uh no, getting "discovered" is exactly what us antisocial folk want to avoid. Just for that I'm going to dig an even deeper borrow!
Hide in my home until a movie producer finds me? Dude, the only producer who will ever 'find' me is one who decided to deliver pizzas for a night... otherwise, no way in hell I'd be discovered...
---
Programming is like sex... Make one mistake and support it the rest of your life.
The link in the story is already a Google link, which makes the parent redundant. Mod it down. It's just a cheap attempt by anti-slash trolls to cause moderators to waste mod points on worthless points and increasing the noise.
Mod the parent down.
That's right mods, let's all encourage copyright violation.
If you want to read a NYTimes article, why don't you read it from the New York Times? "Free registration required" doesn't mean "Theft permitted".
The Trailer: http://www.apple.com/trailers/paramount/skycaptain andtheworldoftomorrow/
score for geeks and simpsons characters, but theres no way that movie will ever score with the public.
When I saw the preview in the theater nearly everyone looked at each other in shock and amusement. Some things just don't make good movies.
Will someone please take Michael out for a walk and change his water? i think they've chained him to the uber-secret slashdot console.
Something about Flint makes obsessive personalities - first delusional asshat Michael Moore, now this. At least Kerry Conran admits he's making fiction.
IAALS.
According to the article, Conran wasn't really hiding, she did show it to her boss, Jon Avnet, who decided to fund the production until they can find some bigger investors. And they did find Jude Law, and later signed Gwyneth Paltrow and eventually Angelina Jolie.
So the moral of the story is, if you really want to do something like that, make sure you don't just sit there and wait to be discovered, it will never happen until someone see your work.
And as a side note, there are many similar productions with no initial sponsors and low budget, yet able to pull it through at a much faster pace than 10 years - like Blair Witch Project.
Rock that crushes, Paper & Scissors that don't matter.
is the answer to the success of this movie. Linux is stable. Yes it is.
there's a couple of interviews with the principles behind this (producer, director, etc.) here and here. this definitely sounds like one very interesting film from a technical and artistic perspective.
be sure to read my blog. Much thanks, citizens!
I mean, it's a World War 1/2 Fighter Pilot Flying around against super-advanced aliens, all the while with the soundtrack as the Stargate SG-1 theme. The writer is a genius.
"...as they track down a mysterious mad scientist named Totenkopf..."
Hmmm, I can see a lot of people out there might get a wee bit pissed off about the fact that his scientist is named after the infamous SS Totenkopf (Death's Head) Division that ran... concentration camps.
Yes, I know it sounds cool, I know a lot of people might think I'm being picky and overtly PC, but Totenkopf isn't a German surname (Dr. Deaths Head!?), and I kinda wonder - given it's background - if the guy actually knows the history behind it.
That's right mods, let's all encourage copyright violation.
If you want to read a NYTimes article, why don't you read it from the New York Times? "Free registration required" doesn't mean "Theft permitted".
For instance, if the federal minimum wage law was amended to allow undocumented workers to be paid $2-3/hour, employers could afford up expand their operations up to 75%! Imagine creating HUNDREDS of thousands of jobs with the stroke of the pen, at NO EXTRA cost to industry! These are numbers George W. Bush could only dream of with his well-intentioned but ultimately ineffective tax cuts. Hopefully the upcoming election will highlight this important issue.
I can picture someone saying this about The Lord of the Rings:
"Magic rings? Little guys with hairy feet? Twisted little trolls with multiple personality disorder. Please! Nyahhhh, gimme a babe with guns and big tits, yeah, that's adventure, HAWWW!"
If it's good, Sky Captain might be a moderately succussful popcorn movie. If not, it will be out of theaters in a week. But not because it's for geeks.
Stefan
Why is it that even though /. has access to NY Times articles without registration that stories are posted with links that require registration first?
I looked at this headline regarding the "world of tomorrow" and opened this story expecting specious futurism. Where is my specious futurism! There hasn't been a single story making dubious claims about technological revolutions right around the corner on slashdot all day.
Blasted trolls...Parent down, grandparent whatever.
-insert a witty something-
my first computer wasn't a IIci, it was a 286. even so, the IIci was certainly my first love. i can remember those romantic hours that i would spend with my IIci, waiting for POVRAY to finish rendering...
of course those days are over, but i don't think that I could ever remove the IIci from its place in the corner of my room.
The parent is a spork troll from anti-slash.org. Check his journal if you don't believe me. Just about every post is discussing ways to ruin Slashdot. Mod this annoying troll down.
I've been hiding at home all this time and no one has yet to discover me for my one handed web surfing skills.
1f u c4n r34d th1s u r34lly n33d t0 g37 l41d
What about us non-anti-social people (also known as just, well, social people)? Will we never be in the movies?
What's this "theft" you're talking about, and why shouldn't we do it?
I tried to go straight, but I got modded down for not being a linux fanatic.
Therefore, more trolling!
FAGGOT!
Was Jesus a NIGGER?
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First, you have to obtain a copy of GAY NIGGERS FROM OUTER SPACE THE MOVIE (Click Here to download the ~280MB MPEG off of BitTorrent)
Second, you need to succeed in posting a GNAA "first post" on slashdot.org, a popular "news for trolls" website
Third, you need to join the official GNAA irc channel #GNAA on EFNet, and apply for membership.
Talk to one of the ops or any of the other members in the channel to sign up today!
If you are having trouble locating #GNAA, the official GAY NIGGER ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA irc channel, you might be on a wrong irc network. The correct network is EFNet, and you can connect to irc.secsup.org or irc.easynews.com as one of the EFNet servers.
If you do not have an IRC client handy, you are free to use the GNAA Java IRC client by clicking here.
If you have mod points and would like to support GNAA, please moderate this post up.
This post brought to you by JAMES A. ?. JOYCE , a proud member of the GNAA
I am protesting Slashdot's chronic abuse of its readers and subscribers. Please visit www.anti-slash.org and help us!
G_____________________________________naann_______
Was Jesus a NIGGER?
Many people are surprised to discover that Christ was a black man, but when one looks at Christ's lineage one discovers that He has numerous Hamatic Ancestors, with Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Naomi, Bathsheba and Jezabel being the most notable.
Here are the facts:
GNAA (GAY NIGGER ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA) is the first organization which
gathers GAY NIGGERS from all over America and abroad for one common goal - being GAY NIGGERS.
Are you GAY ?
Are you a NIGGER ?
Are you a GAY NIGGER ?
If you answered "Yes" to any of the above questions, then GNAA (GAY NIGGER ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA) might be exactly what you've been looking for!
Join GNAA (GAY NIGGER ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA) today, and enjoy all the benefits of being a full-time GNAA member.
GNAA (GAY NIGGER ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA) is the fastest-growing GAY NIGGER community with THOUSANDS of members all over United States of America. You, too, can be a part of GNAA if you join today!
Why not? It's quick and easy - only 3 simple steps!
First, you have to obtain a copy of GAY NIGGERS FROM OUTER SPACE THE MOVIE (Click Here to download the ~280MB MPEG off of BitTorrent)
Second, you need to succeed in posting a GNAA "first post" on slashdot.org, a popular "news for trolls" website
Third, you need to join the official GNAA irc channel #GNAA on EFNet, and apply for membership.
Talk to one of the ops or any of the other members in the channel to sign up today!
If you are having trouble locating #GNAA, the official GAY NIGGER ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA irc channel, you might be on a wrong irc network. The correct network is EFNet, and you can connect to irc.secsup.org or irc.easynews.com as one of the EFNet servers.
If you do not have an IRC client handy, you are free to use the GNAA Java IRC client by clicking here.
If you have mod points and would like to support GNAA, please moderate this post up.
This post brought to you by JAMES A. ?. JOYCE , a proud member of the GNAA
I am protesting Slashdot's chronic abuse of its readers and subscribers. Please visit www.anti-slash.org and help us!
G_____________________________________naann_______
You sound like a troll to me. Mods, give him hell.
Must be a new form of trolling.
FUCKING BITCH
Angelina Jolie.
(ergo, it will suck)
First, don't compare this to Stargate (I know the music doesn't help) or Independence Day. Compare this to the Shadow, Hudsucker Proxy, or the Rocketeer. Second, remember this is one step away from indie. Yeah, I question the mainstream appeal. However, the story behind the movie will probably make me go see it.
I've seen bare stage interpretations of Shakespeare. This isn't that type of flick. However, seeing as how the last movie I've seen is the Segal-like Payback (sorry, Afflick's bravado reminds me of Under Siege), I don't know if this will be so bad. Yes, I know that we get caught up in CGI valhalla. However, this does speak a lot for effort.
Plus, remember the goal is to make money. Not necessarily rake in $300 million at the US box office.
What do you mean my sig is repetitive? What do you mean my sig is repetitive? What do you mean....
OK, so I said theft (as in IP theft) when I meant "copyright violation". Easy slip to make these days, unfortunately. You know what I meant and it's perfectly obvious that it is, in some sense of the word, theft (as in misappropriation).
IHBT.
Mod me down for being incorrect, but the music used in the trailer is EXACTLY the same music used for the opening of Stargate SG-1. Exactly.
I even went to my TiVo to confirm this, and yes they're the same. I can't believe that they would rip it so shamelessly.
- Sherman
Why don't I misappropriate your dick in the back of a pickup truck?
Sorry, I was with you until your sig.
At my college, Sigma Pi was full of the elitist rich kids who partied right out of Animal House, giving the whole Greek system a bad name. (I think they finally lost their charter a couple years after I left.)
Another non-functioning site was "uncertainty.microsoft.com."
The purpose of that site was not known.
You see, movie soundtracks are recorded a mere month or two before the movie comes to theaters. But the trailers come out several months or even more than a year. So, in the absence of the final soundtrack, existing music is often used.
It looks good and all, but I just can't help but think it looks like Crimson Skies with giant robots :s
Moo!
However, seeing as how the last movie I've seen is the Segal-like Payback (sorry, Afflick's bravado reminds me of Under Siege)
Uhm, I think you mean PAY*CHECK*.
Fuckwit.
Lawrence Person (lawrencepersonh@gmailh.com (remove all "h"s to mail)
http://www.lawrenceperson.com/
I can't wait for somebody to say "well, I've got assburger's syndrome too, blah blah blah". Cripes. Just say I'm an anti-social nerd. Don't try to make is a syndrome or disease. Its like calling alcoholism a disease. Anything to make the person at fault feel like he has an excuse.
"I'd love to talk to you, but I've got assburger's...".
Hey, Neo Geo/SNK fans take what we can get nowadays.
No, the moral is:
if you promote your project enough, you may be able to work with a chick like Angolina Jolie and Gwyneth Paltrow 8-}
its my geek obligation to say this:
antisocial doesn't mean what everyone mean shy or withdrawn. antisocial is, say, if you went out and decided to throw molotov cocktails at your local high school band as they practice marching. if someone is shy they are withdrawn, antisocial is exactly what it means, against society. ie burning looting raping and maiming, anything to disrupt society.
Your blog is an insipid, trite, and loathesome clusterfuck of prosimian posturing and linguistic violence. What a fearful, trapped, and frightfully animalistic world you must live in.
You and 20 million others submitted stories no one paid attention to. Your post is disgustingly blatant self-promotion.
Slashdot somehow *OWES* you something for these things?
Somehow this means they're *OBLIGATED* to promote your blitheringly idiotic metapolitical STEAMING horseshit FOR YOU, or that you're allowed to hijack Slashdot's bandwidth to promote your... your STANK ASS FUCKING BULLSHIT?!?
Are you sure you're a conservative or Republican?
Good day, sir!
The budget for this film is apparently $70M. I looked at the trailer - it looked like a cheesy rough sketch of Metropolis. Compare this budget to the $50M for Iron Giant or $15M for Spirited Away. I'm scratching my head wondering how this approach is either viable for independent productions or a demonstration of any new ground breaking CGI techniques.
I'd be very interested in seeing the short that he first made. My best friend from high school would spend days rendering movies in Infini-D on his LCIII that were very entertaining and choreographed space battles. Anybody got a link to it?
cheese logs keep my wang warm at night.
It is ontopic becuase the editors keep on saying "Registration Required" in the article summary.
There is no reason why they cannot include the Google Partners link
you are funny.. I want to read your blog! Anyhow, if you could read, you'd know I'm not very conservative or republican. You're too busy conjuring fun words.
Wow, that had to be an excruciatingly tedious experience. The IIci had a 25Mhz 68030 and maxed out at 128MB RAM (though all that RAM would have cost nearly as much as the IIci back then, and the standard IIci was 1 or 4 MB out of the box). They used something like 320K of system RAM for video, though 3rd party NuBus video cards were readily available (still, with only something like 2MB or 4MB of VRAM).
There's no mention of which software he used, but I recall that in '94 the big Mac 3D package was ElectricImage, with Strata 3D and Infini-D at the low end of the scale (~$500 or so). Photoshop was at around version 2 or 2.5; it wasn't until 3.0 when layers were implemented.
I remember trying to model and animate on an Amiga 500 with Turbo Silver back in 1989: anything with reflection or refraction would take about 24 hours per frame. Five years later, I was using Autodesk 3D Studio (R3 for DOS) on a 486 and had a room full of PCs for doing network rendering. Watching that red "Rendering" bar creep across the screen became a thing of the past (well, except for previews and such). Those five years were an interesting time, seeing the price point for a computer powerful enough for doing productive animation work (and digital video and audio) fall to where an independent artist could afford one.
Gotta hand it to Kerry Conran: if he had the patience to model and animate on a IIci, he surely paid his dues.
k.
"In spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart." - Anne Frank
Helluva good job at it and no small achievment
Some units were Latvian,Lithuanian,Finn etc and had damn good reason to cap Commies.
Not that this absolves them from being Nazi though.Nazi Commie killers were a lot less evil then Nazi Jew/Gypsy/Pole etc killers and should be crediteed as such.
Woooooooooooo! as the Nature Boy would say
Good luck on your implants padded bras/falsies look as/more dramatic and offer a less invasive kink/fetish factor....jus a thought...
Kerry Conran is not what you would call descript. He has very short, tan-colored hair, usually covered with a clean, logoless baseball cap. He is 37, somewhat baby-faced and often quiet, with a smile in the corner of his pale blue eyes that suggests he is observing you from a far-off world of his own. And while he can be genial and funny, his default setting seems to be self-deprecation to the point of self-erasure. The second thing of any note he ever said to me was ''I am basically an amorphous blob of nothing.'' The first thing was ''I'm shy.''
This was on the set of his movie ''Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow.'' You might expect a little more brio from a writer-director who is making a summer blockbuster with almost unlimited creative control. Set in 1939, the movie stars Jude Law as the daring flying ace Sky Captain, who teams up with his former flame, the intrepid reporter Polly Perkins, played by Gwyneth Paltrow, as they track down a mysterious mad scientist named Totenkopf. It is in part a nostalgic homage to the movies of the 30's and 40's: the hammy fisticuffs and golly-inspiring proto-technology of sci-fi cliffhangers like ''Flash Gordon'' alongside the snappy patter (and even snappier clothes) of the era's noir thrillers.
But like the old serials it emulates, ''Sky Captain'' is mainly preoccupied with the strange promises of the future. The astonishing things you will see in the world of tomorrow include: an immense, silvery zeppelin docking at the Empire State Building; an elephant that fits in the palm of your hand; a troop of giant robots marching down Sixth Avenue and the carpet at Radio City Music Hall. None of these things actually exist, though. Conran has not constructed a single set or miniature. Rather, they are computer images, built and animated in a virtual 3-D environment, or stitched together from photographs, which are then draped around the flesh-and-blood actors, who have been shot separately on an empty set in front of a blank ''blue-screen'' background, along with those few minimal props with which they actually interact (a ray gun, a robot blueprint, a bottle of milk of magnesia). The film, in other words, is one long special effect with Jude-Law-size holes in it.
''The goal was to make a live-action film, but to use conventions of traditional animation,'' Conran said. The reason? ''First and foremost, to do it cheaper.'' It's a model that would appeal to anyone who, like Conran, does not seem entirely comfortable spending other people's money; to anyone who might dream of shooting in Nepal or Paris (or in the 1930's) but doesn't have the means to get there; to anyone who is shy.
For Conran, the question, as he put it, was ''Could you be ambitious and make a film of some scope without ever leaving your room?'' And so 10 years ago, Kerry Conran went into a room in his apartment to make a movie. In some ways, he is just now beginning to come out of it.
At first, he was a mystery. Word of ''Sky Captain'' began to spread around the Internet only after Conran finished primary shooting in London last spring -- extraordinarily late for the Internet, which often seems invented specifically to track movies with giant robots in them. Even then, no one knew who Kerry Conran was. Google couldn't touch him. He was so undocumented in the world of Hollywood that I briefly wondered, when I began pursuing him, if perhaps he was just a front for his producer and partner and mentor Jon Avnet, who is well known for producing ''Risky Business'' and directing ''Fried Green Tomatoes'' but who is not so well known for retro-science-fiction summertime blockbusters, and who unlike Conran seems to have been photographed at least once in his life. I don't think Conran would mind that I doubted his existence. In fact, for a long time, that was the plan.
Conran grew up in Flint, Mich., in a pre-cable, pre-VCR period when the Sunday afternoon television crackled with old movies. Kerry and his older brother, Kevin, made capes out of towels and pretended to be superhe
Frink: Nice try floyd, but you were designed for scrubbing, and scrubbing is what you shall do.
But padded bras don't jiggle! :-(
...to all the Slashbots rambling about how we should do all movies as CG with nothing but CG sets and (eventually) nothing but CG actors.
Of course, the fact that they're wrong won't stop them from posting.
All I can say is bravo for the dude. If the movie does well hurray if not atleast he got to fulfill his dream. Im sure we are all a little envious. I'm goin to see it just to support a guy who pushed hard for the perfection of his dream. Also nay-sayers remember Blade Runner wasn't that much a success either when it first came out but its one of the pivotial points in Sci-Fi movies. I think this will be of similar importance.
But still a great movie. Not entirley original, had the obvious old pulp stories inspiration. Not that i cared at the time, i was just a little kid, even went as the Rocketeer for halloween. Spray painted 2 litre bottles and all...
"Sic Semper Tyrannosaurus Rex."
Obviously slashdot is slow to pick up on the truly cool things, since I knew about this movie months ago and only NOW is it on slashdot. At the risk of having my site slashdotted: rocketmen vs robots
Is it just me or has no one noticed that this movie is a rip off of the Japanese Anime movie "Laputa" (by Miyazaki Hayao)...? Maybe the story is original, but the world and technology it is set in doesn't seem to be.
The film, in other words, is one long special effect with Jude-Law-size holes in it.
Well, that's better than a lot of movies which have big enough holes in the plot that you could drive a truck through them.
-- This and all my posts are in the public domain. I am a lawyer. I am not your lawyer, and this is not legal advice.
But the failures to quite ring the bell can be listed endlessly. .
Many, many have tried, but somehow. . . Even those black & white episodes of 'Voyager' were kinda dull despite all the clever and hard work put into them.
If "Sky Captain" can make the grade, it'll be interesting to see how.
I think it has something to do with replicating an old, albeit loved idea, versus taking a timeless formula and doing something with it which makes it vital to contemporary culture. Luke, Leia, Han and Indiana Jones and their worlds were all honest, first generation approaches to old and tired carbon copy ideas.
The difference will be if "Sky Captain's" director is a fan or a visionary.
Fans are stuck in idolizing yesterday. Visionaries are into the creation of the moment. Their beginnings may be the same, but their directions on the path of life are diametrically opposed.
Never work backwards. It's the same as falling asleep.
-FL
Out of everything else stolen to make this movie, from the premise to the characters, you notice the music?
Also nay-sayers remember Blade Runner wasn't that much a success either when it first came out but its one of the pivotial points in Sci-Fi movies. I think this will be of similar importance.
IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT YOU THINK!
FINALLY, The Rock HAS COME BACK TO SLASHDOT.
Now shut up jabroni, before I layeth the smacketh down on your rudy poo CANDY ASS.
This piece of trash won't come close to Blade Runner. ANGELINA JOLIE is in it for fuck's sake - AND WITH A FOREIGN ACCENT! Have you NOT SEEN either of the Tomb Raider movies?
IF YA SMELLLLLLLLLLLLL.... WHAT THE ROCK IS COOKIN'!
Buy Steampunk Clothing Online!
I can't understand why it is necessary to mention that he used to use an Apple in the ./ posting. I mean, is the implication that only Apple users are creative? That this somehow demonstrates how awesome Apple is? Surely there were other bits of information more relevant to the story that could have been placed in the summary.
The Apple conspiracy continues...
Read Pynchon.
I'm a huge fan of pulps and welcome pulp-related movies, but say what you will about him now (Calista Flockhart? eww), the one thing Star Wars and Indiana Jones had going for them was Harrison Ford.
I actually like Jude Law a lot, but he wasn't able to put AI over the top (and Eric Roberts was the Rocketeer...)
Anybody remember the Last Starfighter?
Yeah, ditto Tron. The 20th anniversary DVD of that was simply amazing in scope. It also serves to remind you that sometimes a movie can be ahead of it's time.
For instance, can you believe that Tron did not win any special effects academy awards because their 'overuse' of computer generated effects disqualified them??!
If you get a copy of this, check out how painstakingly the movie was done and then realize how badly the Tron artists were ripped off!
Considering how many special effects there are in even non-science fiction movies nowadays, I don't think this will be too much of a stretch for people who get the concept of this kind of pulp fiction.
"...Well, there's egg and bacon; egg sausage and bacon; egg and spam; egg bacon and spam; egg bacon sausage and spam..."
Because it wouldn't fit, and you're not strong enough to cut it off anyway.
For instance, can you believe that Tron did not win any special effects academy awards because their 'overuse' of computer generated effects disqualified them??!
Uh, yes. That movie was horrible, special effects or no.
Arrgh, that stinks. Fortunately, at least one animator who worked on Tron (Chris Wedge) went on to win an Academy Award for his computer animation work (Best Animated Short for "Bunny") :)
I've noticed this as well -- nice to hear someone else has too.
Conan the Barbarian theme used for the The Scorpion King trailer.
Miller's Crossing theme used in ??? (something fairly recent).
Terminator 2 theme used in the Universal Soldier trailer.
Hmmmm, I agree...
;o)
He would appear, from the article, to be just the visionary mentioned, though. Or at least that's my hope. He seems to really be striving for something to call his own. That's something that most geeks can really appreciate!
The film, in other words, is one long special effect with Jude-Law-size holes in it.
Kinda like Attack of the Clones or (don't blame me, I didn't ask to watch this) Spy Kids 3-D were? Yeah, I remember those monuments to modern filmmaking -- bluescreens and greenscreens! Practically no sets! Let your actors imagine everything they're supposed to be interacting with and they'll be much more compelling that way!
Didn't anybody listen when we complained that the acting in the new Star Wars films was painfully wooden, and the actors complained that it was because they were working on virtual sets and couldn't place themselves in the roles?
Look, would-be blockbuster-makers: this isn't the way to make a compelling movie. It may be pretty, but it doesn't work well. Go watch the behind-the-scenes stuff for The Lord of the Rings and look at how much trouble they went through to build sets and miniatures whenever possible, and then count the Oscar nominations and wins they got for their trouble. Spend the money on at least some kind of physical set and your actors will thank you for it.
It looks like good fun, although I believe the effectiveness of a few fifty caliber machine guns against alien giant robot spaceship alloys may have been wildly overrated in the movie...
I think I must be one of the few here (even on /.) who saw "Doc Savage: Man of Bronze" in the theater.
But I was more of a "Grey Avenger" fan, in any case.
Chip H.
Black and white episodes of Voyager? You mean that show where the guy and that annoying kid travel through time, setting things right? Man, that show died out in the 80's, dude! ;-)
-Mod how you like, we'll make more
The music from "Midnight Run" is used on about a quarter of the trailers I've ever seen. The music is very catchy, some twangy guitars and harmonica: you wouldn't listen to a whole CD of it at once, but it works great over the kind of bits and pieces that comprise a trailer. :7)
The original film was fantastic. And when my college roommate turned out to own the album, I was delighted.
In fact, I hear the music a lot more now than I ever hear the movie itself mentioned, which is too bad: DeNiro and Charles Grodin, with Dennis Farina as an awseome mobster, and Joe Pantoliano before he started showing up under every Hollywood rock you turned over, plus Yaphet Kotto as Angent Foster Grant.
*sigh*
Man, I love that movie.
TotenKopf can just as easily be translated as "Deadhead". So get in the spirit and smoke a bowl just before watching the movie; you'll be happy you did!
Man, I forgot about that show. I really enjoyed that one, actually. Too bad it ended prematurely. The main actor died on set in an accident, apparently. I bet it could have gone on to become a big cultural phenomenon if things had been different.
-FL
Made you look.