FAT MONSTER FILMS presents "O2" ... Every. Breath. Counts.

[ConspiracyPenguin]

Oh, yes, Matty. Well, uh, happy birthday...

Just messing, you totally rock. Hope you have a good one! :birthdays:

PS: I see you are not in the birthdays section, this is why you didn't receive one of the coveted Penguin Birthday PM's. Only a select few qualify for that kind of treatment, and you would have been one of them. Too bad now...:D

:beer: Cheers,

[Cedric Akins]

I don't know if some one has asked this yet, who was the set designer? Excellent work. The entire production was beautifully done.

[Cedric Akins]

Oh yeah great plot twist. :)

[Matty_g]

the set was a standing set. There were a few modifications like adding the kinos in the floor and whatnot.

also, thanks for the birthday wishes guys!

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

There were a more modifications than that and a lot more set dressing that went on, not to mention picking and modifying the costumes etc. to work with / against the set, and designing that end to help tell the story / clarify as well.

And happy birthday biotch. If I had gone to bed the night before at all, not gotten of a 10 hour plane ride where I could not sleep (body builder with stubbly arms next to me - no joke) and had no idea where I would have slept at Luis's I would have been there. But hope you had a good one. Will buy you a drink Fri.

[Matty_g]

I don't really count costumes as set dressing.
The one place where lots of set dressing did happen was the "bedroom" that Jack pulled out of his ass!

[Tom Marshall]

That WHO pulled out of his ass?

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

I don't really count costumes as set dressing.
The one place where lots of set dressing did happen was the "bedroom" that Jack pulled out of his ass!
And the wrench scene. :D

He asked about set design and the look of the production, which is really all art direction. I don't count costumes as set dressing either but all of it taken as a whole is Art Direction or design.

Certainly, yes, yes, we used a stock set, but we did a lot more than show up and point a camera at it, not that you were saying that per se. But we got a unified look through luck and the choices we made curating disparate found, bought, borrowed, and constructed elements.

There's an abject lesson in low budget filmmaking here too - you write to your resources. Mark and Tim went through several iterations of their basic idea based on what was available to them. While the fundamental story line remained the same, the given circumstances and back story of the world changed to meet what could best be physically realized. For example, in the initial concept of the short this was a NASA ship. But it does not look like a NASA ship. NASA is Star Trek / 2001 clean and neat. The set is Star WARS / Battle Star / Firefly future grunge. So they became space truckers with no affiliation to NASA. The basic interpersonal relationships of the story and the story itself was left either largely or entirely unchanged and the new grungey broken down aesthetic was woven in and capitalized upon in whatever ways possible.

[Brandon Rice]

Guys...

Where the Heart Lies got a best drama nomination at AOF 2008...

CONGRATS! :)

[Jared Meyer]

Well-deserved. Congratulations on first guys!

Talk about a meteoric rise in these fests...The Fat Monster story is very inspiring. Keep it up!

[Cryogenic Filmworks]

Congrats on the win guys. You really deserve it. Good luck and with any luck I'll meet you on the red carpet somewhere.

[DJ Lewis]

:beer:Whoot! Gratz guys! Can't wait to see what next from the FMM crew...

[jasonthewho]

Congrats dudes!

[Mark T. Aro]

Well I just wanted to say congratulations to everyone involved. This was a fine film. I recently shared a few of my favorites from this fest with some friends and I must say that this was definitely one of my top picks. Again, congrats... can't wait to see what you come up with next!!

:grin: :thumbsup: :beer:

[Gord.T]

Congrats Mark, Tim & crew. An insane amount of work and preperation, out of pure passion, by everyone and it shows.

[Beat Takeshi]

Congrats on the win!!

[TimurCivan]

I STILL havent been able to see this film... the MOV file is always corrupted when i DL it for some reason...

so sad....

[Gord.T]

Are you serious? And no one gave you a copy?
mmmm. Weird. I can zip it up for you but fk me. If those Fat Bastards, er, Monsters, can't get you one then fk it.

Like the new avatar though, a little scary. Does that mean your brewing up some resentment/revenge thing? (snicker, snicker). [pssstt. I've got a sniper scope and a set of 18V night vision goggles. Can I play too?]

[Danielleus]

Hey, congrats Fat Monster. You guys are movie making force to be reckoned with. Congrats congrats. Can't wait what else you guys cook up for us.

[Brandon Rice]

Congrats again guys, great work!

[Simon Höfer]

Congratulations FAT MONSTER!

[Postmaster]

Yeeeeha! Congrats folks.

I wish I could be there wit you guys.

Frank

[Mark Johnson]

It's almost 3:30 a.m. and the party is lurching forward like an inebriated dock worker whose paycheck has been spent but who doesn't want to go to bed. We want to thank all of you for your encouragement and for the gracious congratulations you've sent our way.

Fat Monster wasn't even a daydream a year ago and here we are feeling like we've been able to build a foundation that we can truly launch ourselves from. We feel particularly grateful to have found Luis Sinibaldi, who is now a full partner with Tim and me.

We also truly hope tonight turns out to be a shadow of great things to come. However, we all should be very happy with what we were able to do with this infant step.

We had some great exposure to the industry. The Reel Channel interviewed several of us and the cameraman, who produces his own cable show promised to join DVXUSER as well! ... Bobby Miranda was extremely impressed with the quality of the films shown and, more importantly, the executive from Fox Studios he brought said he was really taken aback by the quality. Amanda Plummer (Pulp Fiction) said the audience was among the most appreciative she's seen at a screening. ... As I was walking to the front lobby two guys pressed cards in my hands and said, "we want to talk to you guys next week. We're represented, have funding and have a script we want you to read." Now, that doesn't really mean anything in this town because most people talk big. However, it kind of does illustrate that the evening was conducive to networking and schmoozing. Oh, and a producer invited us to the Magic Castle... how cool is that? ... And the producer of a new show "Shooter" is meeting us next week too.

At the afterparty we were treated by appearances by Zak Forsman (fresh from screening their new feature); Adam Cultraro (Corrado) and Sam Balcomb. It's so inspirational to see the great things members here are doing.

Thanks again. This next fest the Monster will sit out and serve as crew for some of our friends. For now we just want to thank you guys for having patience with us.

Mark

[Zak Forsman]

so f*cking happy for you guys. you didn't just deserve the win, you earned it. tim, you sick f*ck, see you tomorrow.

http://www.isarapix.org/pix13/1215862189.jpg

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

I have already congratulated you guys in the other threads but I'll do so here as well. Great job! :thumbup:
Can't wait to see what you guys do next. Keep us posted.

Cheers,

Mike

[HorseFilms]

Congrats, gentlemen!:beer:

[Edgen]

Congrats on the win guys! Well deserved.

Lookin' forward to working with you again.

word is bond.
James Bond.


.

[Matt Sconce]

I am so excited for you guys. Your hard work paid off!

[TimurCivan]

Hey finally got it to work...

Looks great guys!

Congrats!

[Kyle Stebbins]

Congrats, guys. You've been a real inspiration to me and many others around here.

Really sorry I missed the screening, but I heard it went well.

We'll talk soon. Party hard!

[conlanforever]

Congratz, you guys did a great job!!

[ConspiracyPenguin]

Timur, love the new avatar and title!

Tommy, great shot, although I wish I could have got one when he walked in the door (or rather wobbled in the door) and the two of us backed up to save our pants and shoes. Good times...

I should probably go to the room and pack up because check out is in 4 minutes. See you guys later!

[ZazaCast]

Fat Monster Crew...CONGRATULATIONS on your win(s)...you deserve it!!!
Cheers to you all.

[bosindy]

Mark, Tim and Luis

I am really thrilled for you guys it is all well deserved. I am hearing great things from people about the party. Glad to hear Amanda made it, she is such a sweetheart. Congrats again, I really enjoyed myself working on O2 and hope we can all get together in the coming weeks. and I hope the hangover tomorrow isn't too crushing.

Jim

[Rodney V. Smith]

Congratulations guys. good win! You're raised the bar for all of us with your excellent story, awesome cinematography and just an all well produced film. You've already got me thinking on how I can improve on the next fest, just so I can be a contender against the Fat Monster... and this is what this whole thing is about: getting better and having a good time doing it...

[DavisOsborne]

Way Big Congrats to your film and team)....Very well done..and well deserved.....i cant wait to see more of your work in the future........davis

[Blaine]

O2 has now surpassed Threading the Needle as the most viewed fest thread.

[Jason Ramsey]

Little stat for you guys:

The Threading the Needle thread is the most replied to active thread in the history of dvxuser.

Later,
Jason

[jojopop]

Congratulations guys! Great job with this one!!

[Dustin R. Rogan]

Gosh guys, I really have to comment on how cool Tim Hyten's hair is. You really have to be here to understand what I'm talking about.

The guy is a pimp and a genius. I think I'm in love.

[ZFarms Productions]

Congrats! Great job.

[LeadSolo]

Nice work, Fat Monster Crew! Well done!

"Glad to be here, Boss..."

[Simon Höfer]

Hey Mark, thanks for the shoutout for the german folks at the DVXuser screening! Seems like you had alot of fun over there :)

[Mark Johnson]

Hey Mark, thanks for the shoutout for the german folks at the DVXuser screening! Seems like you had alot of fun over there :)

You Teutons have become such a big part of DVXUSER and I consider you all to be good friends now. I was so pleased to see you, Simon, already entered in the new fest. Your poster looks awesome.

Hopefully we'll see the other teams posting soon (and new ones from Europe as well).

[Simon Höfer]

Duuude, thanks alot! :)

Frank also got off his ass already and started a thread. You remember his door idea? :D

Also looking forward to some more european entries. Damn, we need to steal some of those trophys this time... but you make so damn good films over there, suckers! :D

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

Thanks for putting the screening together guys. It went pretty dang well a few technical glitches aside which seemed not to matter at all over the course of the evening.

Most of all thanks for your hospitality and friendship and putting me up during the shooting of O2 and for the screening. This time out, it was cool to get to know Luis better and meet his unnaturally large cats. Thanks Luis for all the barbecue and drinks and accommodations. Speaking of cats, also enjoyed meeting and learning from Nate on the VFX front, or as I prefer to call him - Nasty Cat. Clearly an invaluable new addition to the team.

Anyway. Thanks again. I really appreciate the hospitality and collaboration on a personal level. As a Mod I really appreciate the way you took an opportunity to do something that was good for you guys both in making your short on such a large scale and putting on the screening, but turned those things opportunities that directly or potentially benefited other members as well. (the short being an opportunity for others through your open door crew policy and the screening for obvious reasons)

:beer:
Best,
Jack

[Gord.T]

So, can we find out what Nate did? I've never had the chance to talk to the guy.
I don't give a shit about my stuff. Who did the panels? What did Nate do?
Spill the beans.

[Mark Johnson]

This morning Nate showed me some clips he was putting together for his reel that show some of the tedious crap he had to do. Hopefully he'll be able to post a couple vid clips and then I'll own up to the f*ck up on my part that led to us having to have Nate do what he did.

[Kyle Stebbins]

I'll own up to the f*ck up on my part that led to us having to have Nate do what he did.

:eek:

[Gord.T]

Yeah, Nates a good guy, you can tell. We have all done this stuff at some point although rotoscoping, as boring as it is, is a crititical part of filmaking and takes a good deal of talent and patience.

[Simon Höfer]

Wait a minute! Is Nate an official Fat Monster now?

I just watched your 2008 Reel and there was lots of his stuff inside...

[Mark Johnson]

Wait a minute! Is Nate an official Fat Monster now?
I just watched your 2008 Reel and there was lots of his stuff inside...

Nate is, indeed, now officially on the Fat Monster payroll. He has moved to L.A. from Nebraska and is currently in residence at the Monster Shack East.

Now, if we can just get Raptor to come out ......

[Mark Johnson]

I'm out here in Kansas this weekend with my boy in my little home town of Ellinwood. My Dad was chosen to be Grand Marshal of the After Harvest Parade. It's kind of nice to spend time here where main street parades are a big deal.

http://www.archivisuals.com/DadMomDavid.jpg
http://frenchquarterfeatures.com/SwaneeFixed.jpg
http://www.archivisuals.com/parade.jpg

[ConspiracyPenguin]

Nice photos Mark, it looks like you are having a good time.

[Slimothy]

Sweet! Now I wanna go to Kansas!

[ConspiracyPenguin]

You can come to Coarsegold, Tim. All the small town charm without the expensive airfare.



Plus, we have bars! :D

[Mark Johnson]

Jack Stanley rocks and he knows why.

[ConspiracyPenguin]

Jack Stanley rocks and he knows why.

He does rock, but now I want to know what convinced YOU to say that. See, I have this problem where I have to know EVERYTHING. So if someone references something I do not know about, I get a little peterbed and want to find out what it was.

[GageFX]

See, I have this problem where I have to know EVERYTHING.

Yes you do. It's called " adolescence". http://www.buddy-icons.info/content/smileys/yahoo_wave.gif

[Mark Johnson]

He does rock, but now I want to know what convinced YOU to say that. See, I have this problem where I have to know EVERYTHING. So if someone references something I do not know about, I get a little peterbed and want to find out what it was.

When I originally posted the photo of my Dad saluting Jack noticed that his medal bar had come unhinged and was hanging 90 degrees out of place. Jack took the liberty of fixing it and the post because he thought a veteran getting honored like that shouldn't have his medals hanging askew in the photo. Understandably, I was touched and moved that Jack would take the time to fix my Dad's photo rather than simply calling my attention to it.

For that and for Jack's friendship I am grateful. Fat Monster has now upgraded Jack to a real bed when he next visits the shack.

[Jeff Anderson]

He does rock, but now I want to know what convinced YOU to say that. See, I have this problem where I have to know EVERYTHING. So if someone references something I do not know about, I get a little peterbed and want to find out what it was.

Dont worry Nick, my dog suffers the same problem. If you close your fist and show it to him he paws at it until you open it. Close it again and he's back to pawing. He's a great dog.

[Tom Marshall]

Dont worry Nick, my dog suffers the same problem. If you close your fist and show it to him he paws at it until you open it. Close it again and he's back to pawing. He's a great dog.

pwned

[Jeff Anderson]

He really is my favorite of our 5 dogs though!

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1422/919425749_4ceed7e47a.jpg

[Shawn Philip Nelson]

Mark, great pics of your dad! where and when did he serve?

[Mark Johnson]

Mark, great pics of your dad! where and when did he serve?

Dad flew out of a base called SHADOWGUN in France about 90 miles south of Paris. He served in 44 and 45. He towed gliders into combat and also transported prisoners of war. On one trip his plane got hit and they barely made it back to friendly lines before crashing.

I recall being very young and playing with his bomber jacket and flight helmet. Unfortunately, at some point my mom tossed most of it out!

Addendum: I spoke with my dad to get more info and he explained that he got drafted into the army in 1942 and attended officer's training school. They needed pilots so he jumped at the chance and was trained to fly a single engine fighter. However, when they shipped him to Europe they made him a pilot of cargo carriers that transported supplies and returned POWs that were liberated from German POW camps. He said, "We were following General Patton, who was rough and tough but he got things done. We couldn't keep up with him even though we tried hard." He recalled one battle where a river blocked supplies so the allies called in air support to carry materials and he says the sky was black with planes. Thousands of them. He says he can remember it like it was yesterday and it was the most impressive thing he ever saw and he never felt so proud as to be part of the war effort. I also posted here previously about my Dad approving of the friendships this forum has fostered between different nations and especially Germany. Dad has been over a couple times and counts a number of German friends among his closest.

[ConspiracyPenguin]

When I originally posted the photo of my Dad saluting Jack noticed that his medal bar had come unhinged and was hanging 90 degrees out of place. Jack took the liberty of fixing it and the post because he thought a veteran getting honored like that shouldn't have his medals hanging askew in the photo. Understandably, I was touched and moved that Jack would take the time to fix my Dad's photo rather than simply calling my attention to it.

For that and for Jack's friendship I am grateful. Fat Monster has now upgraded Jack to a real bed when he next visits the shack.

That's fantastic. Jack really is a great guy, he just helped me out with something earlier this week actually. It was great meeting him when I was down there.


Dont worry Nick, my dog suffers the same problem. If you close your fist and show it to him he paws at it until you open it. Close it again and he's back to pawing. He's a great dog.

Great. Now I am being compared to a fucking dog. Well, he is your favorite, so I guess I've got that going for me.

Re: Gage's ridiculous comment: fuck off. :nads:

[Jeff Anderson]

That's fantastic. Jack really is a great guy, he just helped me out with something earlier this week actually. It was great meeting him when I was down there.



Great. Now I am being compared to a poo pooing dog. Well, he is your favorite, so I guess I've got that going for me.

Re: Gage's ridiculous comment: poo poo off. :nads:
Gotta agree that was very cool of Jack to take care of that. And I must say he did a superb job. Could've fooled me. Your dad sounds like quite a fascinating guy Mark. Enjoy Kansas! I've always had a good time in Kansas, not sure why, just a nice state.

And Penguin. Dont flatter yourself. He eats his own poop and barks at the doorbell on TV.

[MattinSTL]

He said, "We were following General Patton, who was rough and tough but he got things done. We couldn't keep up with him even though we tried hard." He recalled one battle where a river blocked supplies so the allies called in air support to carry materials and he says the sky was black with planes.

That's an awe inspiring vision... it's crazy how the world has taken shape over hundreds of millions of years... continents drifting and crashing into each other through millimeters of motion happening over millions of years, and suddenly here we are... doing the best we can to bring sensibilities and justice to a world that changes at lightspeed above the crust... flashes of intensity destined to yield a new course for humanity, as we cruise along in the gaps between... calling it peace.

There are days when I feel almost jealous of the incredible experiences of our fathers, but then I check myself on how foolish a thought it is... because it wasn't an adventurous course that they plotted for themselves, and yet there's no denying the beauty of the changed souls that came out of the experience... and certainly the beauty of some souls that never made it out.

We're fortunate that luck, skill, and judgement favored your father... and I'm glad that he can talk about these experiences with you. My own dad has moments of temptation to talk about the korean war, but it never gets very far because he'll tell me about somebody that he really liked (that didn't come home) and as soon as I ask his name... conversation over. So tell your father that there are a lot of us out here that really do appreciate his service... both to his country and his family.


Now... about Jack getting a bed... anything to keep him from spooning up to me in the middle of the night is welcome. "It's not Polo or Old Spice, Jack! Now go back to sleep!"

[ConspiracyPenguin]

That was a very nice post Matt, and I loved the line at the end. My Great Grandfather was in the Navy. I recall one story my Aunt told me: his ship was on its way to Pearl Harbour to dock there but it got called back to tow another ship in and they missed the attack. He's gone now, and I wish I had talked to him about his expiriences more. If there's one thing I regret, it is that, although I was so young I didn't really think of it.

[Kyle Stebbins]

Love the pictures, Mark. There really are few things better than small-towns in the midwest. Give your parents my best and say hi to David for me. If you've got the time, resources, or ability to make your way up to Lincoln... I've got a bed and couch for yourself and David, complete with beers of your choice (I promise we'll find Stella Artois somewhere). Anyway, it'd be great to hang again!

If not, enjoy your time down there, man. I'm really enjoying the stories.

[MattinSTL]

I can't speak for everybody... but this fest has had some really transcendental things happening for me. Seriously... my involvement with Fat Monster has turned my world on it's ear... the experience has brought a new set of gears to life. I owe a huge thanks to everybody out there... Luis, Mark, and Tim... plus all the other LA DVXusers that have been so cool... and definitely a big thanks to all the DVXusers from across the country that I finally got a chance to meet. So far I haven't had a single let-down... it's just been all positive vibes... and it was really great to meet Jared... even very briefly... as I wonder if he ever thought that first seed he planted and so meticulously cared for... called dvxuser.com... would grow into such an amazing tree of opportunity and community? Jared reminds me of the monolith from 2001.

While words can't convey the weight behind their simplicity... I really feel a debt of gratitude to everybody within the Fat Monster crew... and to everybody else who played a role in this wonder play. Thank you!

[Kyle Stebbins]

You rock, Getty.

[Blaine]

Great. Now I am being compared to a poo pooing dog. Well, he is your favorite, so I guess I've got that going for me.


And Penguin. Dont flatter yourself. He eats his own poop and barks at the doorbell on TV.

Now, there's a disturbing image. To paraphrase, "Bark, Penguin, bark like a dog." :Drogar-BigGrin(DBG)

[ConspiracyPenguin]

Now, there's a disturbing image. To paraphrase, "Bark, Penguin, bark like a dog." :Drogar-BigGrin(DBG)

NO! I will not give in! :kali:

[NateCaauwe]

Dang, I should have hopped in here sooner. I'll provide a link to my new demo reel below, which has 3 of the 8 shots I removed markers from on O2. I chose those shots because they showcased the more complex work, which dealt with motion blur and hair roto. Other shots were much easier or were too subtle for people to really notice, even with a breakdown. Sadly, those real subtle shots usually require the most manual painting:crybaby:

But as with my ninja-like abilities, I can't reveal everything, and certain shots in O2 will continue to go unnoticed until someone raids my hard drive and finds the project files ;)

I usually just post a Vimeo link, and I replaced the source file the other night with my new reel and it worked fine, but Vimeo now seems to have lost it, and their upload system is having issues at the moment. So here's some linkage to download versions:

720p H.264: http://cowdigital.com/videos/ncaauwe_reel_20080718_h264.mov
iPhone/iPod: http://cowdigital.com/videos/ncaauwe_reel_20080718.m4v

[Simon Höfer]

That is way too cool Nate! Great work!

[Blaine]

Nate, which one of you guys put the starfield in the bedroom "window"?

[NateCaauwe]

You know I'm not sure who slipped that in at the last minute. Wasn't me :P

[Slimothy]

Nate, which one of you guys put the starfield in the bedroom "window"?

That was Jack.

[Sean Flannery]

Sir Sean Flannery here (pronounced "flan", like the dessert)... Great work gentlemen... most impressive, and worthy of a 1 minute review.

1 minute review of O2 (http://www.elpricko.com/video/o2nick.wmv)

[Blaine]

Sir Sean Flannery here (pronounced "flan", like the dessert)... Great work gentlemen... most impressive, and worthy of a 1 minute review.

1 minute review of O2 (http://www.elpricko.com/video/o2nick.wmv)Sean, I am loving these 1 minute reviews of yours. Looking forward to seeing the others...:beer:

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

Hey guys check this out.

Mark Harris just PMed me asking if this was the ship from O2 (love how it is the ship from O2 vs. Firefly etc. now :) )

Anyway the answer is a resounding "yes". Seems to be an internet series starring Zena's more diminutive side kick (the blond one).

Cool to see how another team shot it, though most of this footage looks like it would intercut with 02 no problemo.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gb4XpwK5Kx8&feature=dir

[bosindy]

its funny, most sets look smaller in person, but I couldn't imagine having to think of new ways to make that space look different for an ongoing series. They are basically running up and down the same hallway over and over. nice find.

[pauly_the_hitman]

I think you guys (FM) had a much better feel for the set. And it was way cooler, then this crap.
Pauly