Fridays are great! I like fridays. This new gig in Surrey means that I get home very early compared to a London based gig, and that means that I get time to focus on some writing. I have been doing a lot of that recently. I am pleased to say that we now have a new opener! Of course, any producer reading it will of course question the financial aspects of such an ambitious start

Aim high, I say.

I also have the entire short blocked out. Some scenes are done, some of the flashbacks are penciled in for fleshing out, and a pivotal Tom Stone scene between he and Lewis is not only done, but we are recording vocals for it in the coming weeks.

We are rapidly approaching the point where I will at some point have to pull the site or freeze it, otherwise I run the risk of giving it all away and spoliling some of the coolness

I also have to be very careful about casting anouncements and stuff like that. No other reason than I dont want to spoil any cool surpises.  Needless to say, between now and Feb / March I have a lot to do and I have already started to get this movin. The irony is that the CG build is playing 2nd fiddle to the writing and I am really happy to be focusing on the writing at the moment because I seem to be in the midst of a really fervent period of just wanting to write for these characters. Of course, it will be a while before you see the fruits of these labors, but those that have seen it (i.e the people who will be breathing life into these characters) are really enjoying the read.

I try to write in a very visual and descriptive way, so that the words become accessible to everyone reading them. I need the look and feel of P-P to be very specifc and what I dont want to do is leave any of it open to interpretation. I am very comfortable with the writing side of things and cant wait to put on those cans and hear the thunderous tones of one of my leads breathe life and wisdom into Tom Stone. Its a shame there is the NYC / UK distance thing as I think the voice sessions would be brilliant on a face to face situation. But for these early tests, technology and skype save the day (I can hear what he is recording his end, as if I were in the room… taking delivery of high quality files moments later). But when we do this for real, I will insist on everyone being under the same roof. The Lewis I want to cast and the Tom would work best working together in unison. I also think some symbiosis will develop between the leads that I hope will see its way through the entire project / brand.

I like the Pixar docs where you see voice artists recording their lines on their own, delivering numerous reads on the same line, but I think some key scenes should be done en masse. especially the Tom Stone Lewis buddy stuff as well as the Lewis / Mack stuff…. I have yet to see any reason why i have to do it in such a cold clinical manner as one artist, one session.
Right, just adding some last minute changes to a few pages for the first vocal tests. And I cant take any credit for one of the lines being inserted.. that line came all the way from NYC. Its a great line and really adheres to the core of P-P.

Also listening to a lot of music at the moment that I feel sets the tone for P-P. Its a very eclectic mix. I seem to be leaning to wards a bleak cold Synth based sound of Gary Numan and the modern day equivilent in outfits like Hybrid. I find both have a direct result on my mood and feel for P-P. No idea if this will go anywhere beyond just helping me set a tone and feel. But I feel Numans bleak nature to be fitting and Hybrids high octane cinematic style very apt for the fight. But equally John Barry-eque in stature for the opener. One track in particular I love.

spotify:track:1kebcL50eAQ3rIaF3rf2fh

they even have a strings only version. I just wish that their management will one day decide to answer my e mails… Grrrrrrrr

spotify:track:4uSNxdPos5PKqZSJXfBczN16 secs in… and 2:18 in… I like this as an intro. Bond like without being overtly Bond like.

This works with the opening in terms of tone and feel, and if MK3 is reading this and has access to spotify, I would be most keen to hear his thoughts on the “tone”. I think those Barry-esque strings would work….

I also like the feel of this live versions of  Are friends electric. It comes nowhere near my soul/jazz/R&b roots. But then Im not making a film about music.

spotify:track:1YzyBxkfGjEcm1bMs6OhF8

this is the original album release

spotify:track:4YMjssjl6JWPF4ZIcvcwkg

I think that sort of tone works for the machinations of the bad fellas, but would need reworking. Would need to be even darker, colder, bleaker.

Its funny t hough, because I do have very specific playlists building up depending on who I write for. Im find Tom Stone words flow better when I listen to The Specials: Ghost Town and other music of that ilk… as well as my fave,

spotify:track:3E0dHzJ1WIkm58RhJAe13n

There is no place for this track or its feel in the current episode in development, but with one very Tom Stone / Lewis centric episode also being developed, which chronicles the genisis of their friendship, this theme runs deep Ha! On a Womack related note, I worked with Womack and Womack 5 years ago on this crazy TV show hosted by Suggs from Madness. I was too in awe to knock on Cecil’s door and say hi. Big regret. Both he and Linda were there… Teardrops… tune!

Oh, and if Tom needed a theme, the opening bars to this get pretty close

spotify:track:157llmCqs15bAa3T4z3H1a

Whilst Lewis seems to work with this. I like the prowling nature of the fretless bass from Pino Palladino. very eighties

spotify:track:4fqRCykZ9uVe4PNSjWIR2f

But ultimatly, I think Lewis would have to get the song that I love the most of all… This is the song I have always imagined would play us out of the first instalment. The one that sees Lewis at the end of this current episode as he makes his way towards an uncertain furture with possibly hellish consequances and some of the tunes helping me shape P-P. Now, if only I could find a way to get to Roger Daltrey andget permission to use it as I have always intended

spotify:track:1l6l0OUVBnzz92BelV6gqi

Anyway, thats a little insight into what I listen to whilst I write the scripts.

Right, need to tidy up the two page treatment before calling it a nite or settling down to a film. District 13 II. fast paced french free running Parcour silliness that I hope to get inspired by. I find Luc Bessons Eurocorp output does just what it says on the box. Entertaining and not too taxing!

Jerry Goldsmith – Home Coming

Thematically I like this as well. Its pretty much consistent through the franchise. I like the way it reflects some of John Rambo’s quieter moments, but then the tone takes a darker turn  and we see the darker parts of his soul come to the fore….

Jerry Goldsmith – Escape Route

I would like to develop a real sound for the characters that not only takes its cues from the characters but may also go some way to informing me more of where these characters are going.

I also like some of the cinemati c qualities that come from Eric Serra’s output in the late 80′s to mid 90′s

Eric Serra – Failed Escape

especially some of the more industrial sounding compositions such as last mission from Nikkita

Eric Serra – Last Mission

Eric Serra – The Goldeneye Overture (Part I: Half Of Everything Is Luck/ Part II: The Other Half Is Fate/Part III: For England, James) (Medley)

the opener to this Goldeneye suite is pretty bang on as well sonically for how I imagine the overall score to feel. Industrial, a little retro, a little out of the box. Would something like this work for the new opening scene?

Eric Serra – Fatal Weakness

Then of course whilst writing the main incursion into the Dreggs stronghold, I have been constantly listening to anything with a driving beat that pushes you forward, in a very mechanical sense… just as the lead hero’s are unwittingly being pushed towards a trap and potential.

Various Artists – Terminator Main Title The Terminator

Tangerine Dream – The Dream Is Always The Same

Tangerine Dream – Rubycon (Part One) (Excerpt)

Cabaret Voltaire – Do The Mussolini (Head Kick)

Cabaret Voltaire – Theme From Earthshaker

Various Artists – Get Carter Theme – Get Dancing Remix

Spotify doesnt have the original soundtrack of Get Carter by Roy Budd, but this to demonstrates that drive forward whilst still keeping the signature theme!

Why Spotify dont have it is beyond me

anyway, a few sonic swatches.

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Well, the original vintage head arrived from the USA. I thought the postal strike was going to cripple me and I would have to wait weeks, but it dropped in the mail this saturday. So, cleaned up the surfaces and ran a scan. The head I was scanning before was a walmart reproduction head, and I always vowed that where possible I would use originals… and so far I have. Also, there are a few differences between the Hasbro Walmart re-issue and the 1978 original.

So, this week I have to get this new scan cleaned up in Topogun and ready to rig. The incredible voice for TS is ready to jump on board all the way from NYC and we need to get that voice on this rig.

NewTomStone head from Craig Crane on Vimeo.

I HAVE been busy

With the new coke commercial almost out the door and me about to start work on a new project closer to home (contract pending of course). But all thats boring work stuff. Whats really getting me excited at the moment are the very recent developments in the script, brought about by casting for the leads. Yes! I am now in serious discussions with agents about their clients.

I spoke to one last week on skype. The meet was set up by his agent and what was meant to be a quick 10 minute chat went on for what felt like hours. This man, from NYC, has the most deepest thunderlike voice you can imagine. My wife, upon hearing the voice stopped dead in her tracks and gave me the thumbs up. The voice was just operfect. So, he now has a few pages from the script (as well as my newly penned opening). The opening is very very descriptive and certainly sets the tone. I plan to do a voice session with my man from NYC in the coming days / weeks and then complete the Tom Stone build. Speaking of which, the earlier blogged head is still in transit. Our postal workers are now on strike. So somewhere, in a sorting depot here is a head, in a jiffy waiting to be scanned.

We shot new Alley footage this week for the test. It was shot at 720p, but plan to re-shoot with the new camera at 1080p in the new year.

Anyway, I hope to post a couple of bg plates for the test. I graded them last night and hopefully the 5D mkII camera will not have the same alias fizzle. But thanks to Dan Elliott for the shots and use of his camera and time.

Alley Plate from Craig Crane on Vimeo.

Totally forgot, I also won an original Tom Stone head, minus flocking from ebay, so look forward to that arriving this week for a proper scan. The one I have is tricky as the hair wont scan, and like all the other heads, I prefer them to be bald.

Hey! We did a face capture test today. Andy was my lab rat today… and he did a great job….
I modelled Andies head a while back, so should be a breeze getting the markers and his face to line up well, so we get a good idea of what can be acheived. Unlike body mocap, there are many many ways to skin a face mocap cat…. so this week I plan to find the best way for me and PP.

Im loving the Optitrack setup. Each time I run it I learn new things, and if things do go wrong, its always down to a school boy error. The package is rock solid and really gives out great clean data. Still, have some interesting Mocap milestones to acheive. Two performers, more face cap. Audio sync was tackled today. We recorded live dialogue, but I asked Andy to do the snappy “pak pak pak” noises before he does his talking… and low and behold, it was a perfect solution that didnt require any extra markers for a clapper board. He WAS the clapper board!

This is the model I made last year. Pretty close I think, so lets see how it all maps out! I of course dont need to be so technical with the P-P rig as its going to be a case of the nulls driving controlers on the face rig, but this test may convince me to come up with a different approach to the facial animation controls…

face test from Craig Crane on Vimeo.

Started with a 2nd scan late last night and have been tinkering this last hour or so in Topogun as I start to flesh out the mesh…

So, my intended lead sent message through via his lovely agent that his interest is still there. I sent a big e mail out the other night (well two if you include the late Eureka moment that had me running back down to the office to share that specific moment)…. the email detailing how I can progress with P-P really can also be looked at as a template now for a plan forward. I think that throughout this process there has been a missing part to the jigsaw… The question posed was “whay though, are you doing this”. My initial stock answer was because it was an artistic challenge. But now, after plenty of deliberation I see it as a whole lot me. Its not an artistic challenge per se as I face those each and every day. Its not based soley on a love for the characters. Its because I beleive I have more than one tale to tell and I wish to tell it as best I can and also have as many people watch it as possible.  I think its a tale that will attract a wide audience and in order to get that audience, one has to widen the lens a little and apply some “scope”.

So, starting next week, with hopefully a great producer on board who I know gets things movin, we can work towards at least getting past the first of a few hurdles. Anyway, if it was going to be a walk in the park and easy peasey, would it be worth doing at all? I doubt it…..

Anyway, todays development was that I found an original Tom Stone head, minus his fuzzy hair on e(vil)bay.com. Its perfect, because I didnt relish the idea of spending a fortune on an original mint and then treating the surface as I do for a scan. I may as well wait till a damaged head turns up and put that to good use.

Whats it for? Well, the test I am about to launch head first into is a 30 sec peice to camera with Lewis & Tom, giving the camera a quick brief on an upcoming a and dangerous mission (which is basically what we will see in the suppossed episode that starts at the factory).

Alley Way from Craig Crane on Vimeo.

I plan to shoot plates for the test down this alley in Soho

I need to build Tom, rig him for body and facial Mocap and then shoot that. Before doing any Mocap, I need to record the dialogue for that test (written), and voice as best I can . Found both characters timing and tonal quality in the car this week driving back from the station… It is the best place by far to workshop any script ideas because you are literally in a creative cacoon. No one can hear me and now its getting dark (and cold) earlier, no one can see…

I am thinking of getting a dictaphone this week or next because very often, I improvise and then get home and by the time I have seen the kids and put them to bed, I forget what great idea I came up with. Fortunatly, i have not forgotten my “Brian Blessed as The Mountaineer”  idea… Ha! “A Mountain, you say?? Oohh, I love a good Mountain, me!” Bellowed as only Blessed could. I wonder if the fanboys would freak if I podged up the mountaineer a little and made him a little more Blessed like?

Well, waiting to hear on Singapore this weekend as well. One things for sure, I take all my P-P stuff out with me and fill those empty evenings with it so that upon my return, we are in great shape.

Had a nice meeting with a nice lady this week with a view to trying to get her client to come on board as the lead vocal talent. Over the years, the one lesson I have learnt either through trial and error, embarrassing mistakes or moments of youthful arrogance is until you know for sure, you know nothing…. I am increasingly aware of the the fact that the choices we make as professionals are often governed by many external factors, and of course in todays increasingly commercial world, its very rare to see someone doing something “for the art”.

My meeting this week only went to further my desire to somehow aquirre this artists participation. The man (from what I gather) is very much a private individual who doesnt make a showy “oooh, look at me, and don’t you know who I am?” entrance. He is, for want of a better word, Old Skool. Die Hard & real. He just seems to come at you from a very centered and grounded reality that somehow has managed to avoid todays media luvvies. As a consequence of this weeks meeting, I have had a good look at Project-Palitoy and am making some plans to see how best to get this infront of an audience. The story, concept and characters remain the same, but the canvas upon which I draw those stories upon looks set to get a bit off an overhaul.

I cant go into any specifics, just as I wont go into any detail as to whom I am talking to in relation to the lead roles… Suffice to say that if the day arrives when I have something firm to announce, you should all suddenly experience a real Penny Drop moment and get a clear idea as to what lies at the heart of Project-Palitoy. I know some of the Action Man related forums are following this, and I do get e mails asking for more details and even casting decisions. Ironically, some have inadvertantly hit the casting nail on the head and I have just had to smile back with a little smilie and commend them on their choices… but give no indication as to how close they may be.

Anyway, onward and upwards until I have some news. I start the CG build on Tom Stone this weekend because that too is a character who’s voice I hear in the minds ear, and I need to get some visuals ready. Im looking for a deep baritone African American voice that commands that you listen, yet with a softness and almost determined calm. Very few actors I know of have it. The ones on my list do…..

So, waiting on a lead, a co-lead, a evil ex partner of the lead (now heading up the Dreggs) and a rookie who is unfortunatly nabbed by the Dreggs and turned against Lewis and the Elite….. I look forward to hopefully meeting and talking to these performers more and seeing what they are able to bring to the part. I see it as an organic process and most certainly a two way street.

But hey, until I know for sure, I know nothing

So, starting to build Tom Stone. Did a rough scan of the firgures head this evening, but now popping out to see District-9!