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Having been a few days, I thought I'd officially share the news here with you guys.

This last weekend a good friend of mine who was at the very heart of the Dredd fabrication team, tragically took his own life after battling depression. Julian Brits was a hard rocking, straight talking guy with a huge heart. He was always the life of the party and never failed to make you laugh. He was immensely talented and a genius who would make the most of the tools and materials available to make things happen. He will be sorely missed by all of us.

When I was in South Africa he, along with the rest of the CFX crew, was part of my family, as I was out there on my own.

The world has lost a truly unique individual and is poorer for it.

Rus in vrede



One of the Gatling guns, which were his babies.

This evening I went to see what has been one of the most highly anticipated films in a long time. Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit", part of a franchise that is as widely known and respected as the likes of Star Wars (original trilogy) for it's technical and story telling prowess. It is an exquisitely designed film, with loving detail crafted in to even the smallest items. The cast and crew is littered with Academy and BAFTA award winning members, notably for direction, production design, cinematography, editing, the list goes on. The composer alone, Howard Shore, has three Academy awards. A technical marvel, shot at 48 frames a second (though also available at 24 in both 2D and 3D) on Red Epic cameras. These are one of the very latest available digital cameras, capable of shooting up to 5K resolution (to put that in perspective, crystal clear HD TV is 1920 pixels wide, by 1080 pixels high. 5K is 5120 by 2700..) at 96 frames a second. The latest hardware and software was used to create the stunning visual effects and atmospheric grading. Great care was taken to scout some of the most scenic locations in New Zealand to shoot the gorgeous vistas. The trailers I've seen on the internet were gorgeously lit and grades shots, with such clarity to the images. Every shot, every frame a stunning work of art in its own right. I was thus looking forward to at least enjoying the visual feast that lay before me. the sound would also be something to look forward to, with more award winning people in charge of a sumptuous Dolby audio track. I ran into a friend of ours at the theatre who was one of the lucky folks that get to put 'sculptor on The Hobbit'. I was really hoping to see her name in the credits and have a good chat afterwards. In total several tens of thousands of combined man hours by her and a huge dedicated crew went into making this, and I was eagerly awaiting to see what my R50 had bought us (excluding the R35 box of smarties my girlfriend bought).

And man, was I utterly, utterly disappointed.. Now I know that South African cinema's aren't going to be at the forefront of movie going prowess, but what I saw this evening was so incredibly dire that it beggars belief. It started ominously with a trailer that was pretty out of focus. I jokingly said to my girlfriend that I hoped the next one would be in focus. The next thing up was the main feature. And it wasn't looking good. The first few opening credits came up a bit soft. I figured it would get better once the projectionist could tear him/herself away from facebooking on their phone. But no. The entire duration of the film the projector's focus was set to the 'meh-it'll-do' setting. And if that wasn't bad enough, the sound went from very loud too much treble through speakers so far past their prime that they have to go back several pages in the map book to find the suburb it was last spotted in, to a weird 3/4 volume with a high pitched whine. A once off I can live with, but this happened intermittent throughout the entire movie. If I were to directly compare this experience to anything, it would be watching it on the back of the seat in front of you on a long-haul flight, listening to it through those cheap headphones they give you. The ones that rip your ears clean off your skull when you forget to take them off to go to the loo. I've seen better prints of movies with another audience in them and dodgy Asian subtitles. I'd expect to see visual quality as mediocre as that on a low budget indie movie shot on free film stock the local art college had lying around since Mandela was up for parole, but on something that used the cutting edge in technology certainly deserved better treatment. It was opening night, for crying out loud! It was showing at two screens at the V&A Waterfront NuMetro, so you'd expect to be wowed. I was wowed all right. But in the completely opposite direction. We couldn't believe the utterly shoddy show.

Now, you ask, then why did I not walk out or complain? Well, I personally have never walked out on a movie. We paid good money for that. I also didn't complain because this rarely has any effect what-so-ever. My girlfriend is a bit of a stickler for movies, and has complained numerous occasions that something was going utterly pear shaped. And generally to no avail. Why would they start listening now? What irks me is that the V&A Waterfront is billed as one of Cape Town's big tourist attractions, mainly aimed at the folks that come swaggering in with dollars (US, not Zim..) and pounds. You'd think that they would therefor up their game a little with this specific theatre, try to pull it at least on par with something that the UK or US has to offer. It's a chain of theatres, raking in millions from their horrendously overpriced and under choiced, if there's such a word, compulsory concessions. It's widely known that they apparantly don't actually make that much on ticket sales, which goes to the distributors (wait a mo.. A quick Google reveals.. Hmm..), but they're not exactly paupers now, are they? Not with sold out screenings of the latest international blockbuster. Are they even considering digital projection? This looked very much like a reel of film, possibly smeared in places with the projectionists Steers sauce from his dinner. It's not like we're looking at whether or not to roll out digital TV because Mavis in her RDP house might not be able to receive it, we're looking at movie theatres where people spend a lot of money to watch the latest that Hollywood et al has to offer. I was wondering why DSTV (SA equivolent of Sky) was advertising so much before the movie started. I noticed at least two advertisements. Basically even NuMetro's own advertisement placement department is sending a passive message to the audience, saying: "Don't bother, rent it instead.. We did.."

One thing I noticed when I was in the UK last year, was that when I went to the movies there (notably Cardiff's Odeon at the Red Dragon centre), every single staff member had their favourite movie on their name badge. Everyone was passionate, or at least interested, in the product they are selling. Movies. Why can't I expect the same here in SA? There is literally no reason why that cannot be the case. None. And that's where the big difference comes in. Instead of someone who tweaks the focus to be just so, or a popcorn vendor asking what you're going to go watch with genuine interest, we get people who just show up for a pay cheque. Which is essentially why we all show up for work, but why should we suffer if they really don't care? Why do we have to settle for it'll do when going to watch a movie? Granted, South Africa has bigger problems than having projectors focussed by someone who really needs a new prescription, but that's why we go to the movies! To get away from the awfulness that is the outside world, even if it is just for two hours. That's why it's called entertainment! What I witnessed tonight wasn't Cirque du Soleil, it was a blatantly drunk pseudo homeless guy who smells vaguely of urine in a half-arsed clown costume juggling two balls, dropping one and muttering: "meh, whatya gonna do about it?" Clearly nothing, because I didn't notice anyone else say or do anything about it, they just accepted it as the norm because clearly mediocre is about as good as they can expect. My girlfriend's sister complained to the manager, to the point of having to stop herself from shouting. Complaints were taken down along with contact details and, presumably, filed in the out box under the desk marked 'recycling only'. She was offered a free ticket. She counter offered them to stick it.

I'll tell you what I'm gonna do about it, though. NuMetro, specifically V&A Waterfront, may take their movies and place them where their unfocussed projectors don't shine. I'll take their own advice and watch it on DSTV instead.

I forgot I had these pics..

Back in.. 2009? 2010? I forget.. I had the good fortune to work on a movie maybe about three of you watched, and none of you enjoyed, called 10000BC. It was one of Roland Emmerich's brain farts.. Either way, I was working for four weeks in the Namibian desert dunes just outside Walvisbay on the following. A 1:24 model of the Pyramids at Giza, Sphinx, ancient Cairo, section of Nile and (unseen) slave village and cultivated land. The whole site was 120x90m, making it the largest miniature set ever made. The site was bracketed by four 25m tall towers which housed servo controlled cable drums for the camera, which was known as the spydercam, because it was apparently made for the Spiderman movies. Half of all this never made it to the final cut (Apparently Karen Goulekas, the VFX supervisor, HATED miniatures.. She also tried to get the miniatures crew completely cut out of the credits). The models were filmed and then augmented with digital people and mammoths (yeah, I know..). The VFX department laser scanned the entire site to ensure their digital artists could make the characters actually appear where they should be.

The Pyramids were built in Germany by Magicon, then shipped to Namibia as a giant kit, then assembled and finished by them and a local crew of muppets (like myself). Awesome set, awesome talent, awesome opportunity, horribly town, awful movie..



























Yes, that's me.. Gives you a sense of scale.. yes, I'm wearing a jacket because it got bloomin cold out there. Anyone who's been to a desert can attest to that. The day would go: 06:00, iced over set. 09:00, getting toasty, 11:00, short sleeves or shirts off, 13:00, getting breezy, 15:00, getting very breezy (this caused merry hell with the camera rig, 18:00, huddles together like penguins waiting for a ride back to the hotels, 19:00, shower with brown run off, 21:00, drink! Rinse and repeat..













The insides..









Camera stuff..








..and some of the locals:

Copy & paste these into google maps..

Where the van gets overturned, also the entrance to the Peach Trees block: -33.920247,18.42869

Peach Trees atrium (also used in Chronicle): -33.919367,18.429437

Hall of Justice gates and steps: -33.905492,18.410608

Those are the ones I still remember..

This is where I spotted the bikes, so I can only assume they shot some of the bike stuff in the car park next to the highway: -33.914332,18.424505

Being me I found (but didn't contribute to) this:

http://www.imfdb.org/wiki/Dredd_(2012)

I reckon we go in packs, preferably looking the part too..

I'm gonna be going opening night Cardiff bay Odeon.. Who's with me?

Hi chaps.. Another project I'm working on..

http://seriable.com/da-vincis-demons-first-teaser-warns-history-is-a-lie/

Honda CR-V ad..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhkDdayA4iA

So I'm extending my xmas hols by a good 6 months of fun in Wales doing concept design.. Going to be interesting being on the busy side of the planet for a change..

Herself got me the Alien Anthology on bluray today. Late birthday prezzie.. I think it'll take me a month to get through all of it.

Anyone else here got it?

..I bloody hate it..

Granted, the place is lovely, the rent is less and the commute to the office is now two plays of "Thunderstruck", but oh-my-sack! Herself and I did the bulk of it over the span of a day, doing multiple trips in my 110 and her mum's family wagon, and I swear, the next time I'm PAYING some poor sod to carry my crap. I'll scoop up the breakables and point mr Removal man towards the rest.. Sod that for a game of soldiers..

I borrowed Ross Kemp's "Return to Afghanistan" from a mate at work and found it to be short (understandable, as if you're not holding a rifle yourself for a bit of personal defense a war zone might be a little tense after a while, especially with angry men with beards and AK47's everywhere), but excellent.. It was pretty interesting to see the common and garden squaddie at work up close, showing what is actually a proper war.. It was funny that as soon as their was contact, without fail, the camera would end up shooting Kemp's arse for a few minutes. To be fair though, proper framing of a shot is the last thing you think of with hot lead zinging inches over your head.

Would've seen it sooner, but this is deepest, darkest Africa.

This would be fantastic.. Costumes 'n all..

http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1949406

Pink Floyd's Animals..

So there I was, driving off to the workshop this morning (working on a ribena commercial), and there's a movie shoot going on on the way out of town. So I wondered about who it was until I see a bloody Lawmaster parked next to the busiest road out of town without so much as a bit of secrecy. Stuff like that miffs me a tad..

Can't help but punt it.. It was loads of fun working with Ed Thomas and James North of Dr Who fame..

http://cultfix.co.uk/tag/outcasts

Now if only the Beeb can get their A into G to get the thing aired..