TBF, Mags, you have been doing a lot of the heavylifting for the quest, so this will be in good hands.
To be clear to everyone, this is just me burning out on imagination of the quest, since my muse has been hitting me over the head a lot with so many different ideas that I just can't find myself too interested in this.
I'll still hang out here, though, since this still does have a sepcial place in my heart.
I'd like to thank you all for making this a wonderful experience while it lasted.
I'd also like to thank @Magoose, @Fluffy_serpent, and @Martin Noctis for doing so much to help prepare and write this quest. I couldn't have done it without you all.
Who are the actors that we have in mind for Paul? Preferably they're someone young and have a serious face.
[X] Plan Flowing Spice
-[X]Casting Call (The Atredies): You need to put out a casting call for the Atredies DC: 0 (Begin a Casting Miniturn)
-[X]Casting Call (the Harkonen): You need to put out a casting call for the HarkonenDC: 0 (Begin a Casting Miniturn)
-[X]Casting Call (the Freman): You need to put out a casting call for the Freman. DC: 0 (Begin a Casting Miniturn)
-[X]The Dune: You and Francis are going to look at numerous places that could be the Arakis or Dune. DC: 40/80
-[X]The Costumes: Herbert for his part, created incredibly detailed costumes in his book. And you are going to look at what the Lucasfilms Costume Department can do. DC: ???
-[X]The Sets From Hell: So… You are looking at the pictures and wonder… how the absolute fuck are you going to do… any of this!? DC: 50/100
-[X]The Knives and Weapons: So, as the most combat-proven (in HEMA) blades man in Lucasfilms currently, you are going to figure out what exactly the blades should be used, and their context DC: 30
-[X]The Peace that Is to Come: Alan and Barry, and Sid and Murdoch, are calling in that thing to make a super movie that shows the greatest of American Filmmaking and make the peace worth a damn. One that would spare no expense. DC: ???
-[X]Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark: Steven's next, and you would argue, greatest masterpiece. You hoped at least. You had high hopes. DC: 20
-[X]The Family Time: You need a night out with the family dammit! No more drama, no more work, just you and Carrie and the Kids!
-[X]Networking: Well time to start finding out who might actually be interested in meeting you. (Write-in what you want to try and network with)
--[X] Daiei Film. With the success of Pacific Rim, you want Lucasfilms to become an active participant in the Kaiju genre and make a film. With Godzilla under strong lock and key by perfidious Toho, why not uplift his greatest rival? Approach Daiei with the script for "Gamera: Guardian of the Universe" and see if they would be interested in a joint production between them and Lucasfilms, with extra emphasis on access to ILM.
-[X] Practice writing: You want to write something, maybe even a script. At least to learn the craft. DC: 20 (You try your hand at screenwriting, and maybe get something that is worth a damn.)
--[X] Write Kung Fu Kid Part II.
-[X]Game Shows: You want to go on a Game show, you are sure that Lucille might get you in on one of them. DC: 40
Fair. I just did it because I ran out of ideas and I wanted Bruce to expand his business portfolio, something I found as worthy of an autopass considering the hell that Bruce is going through just to acquire land in LA.
How about we do this action instead:
[]Networking: Well time to start finding out who might actually be interested in meeting you. (Write-in what you want to try and network with)
--[] Daiei Film. With the success of Pacific Rim, you want Lucasfilms to become an active participant in the Kaiju genre and make a film. With Godzilla under strong lock and key by perfidious Toho, why not uplift his greatest rival? Approach Daiei with the script for "Gamera: Guardian of the Universe" and see if they would be interested in a joint production between them and Lucasfilms, with extra emphasis on access to ILM.
We get another film added to the roster, it's good synergy with the Hollywood co-production, and we network and expand our presence in live action Japanese cinema. Plus we can use Gamera later on in our anime or games.
I'll try and see if I can make a pitch for the other films, hopefully we can have a four picture saga to compete against the upcoming Godzilla's films.
Clash of the Titans Directed by: Desmond Davis
Written by: Beverley Cross
Produced by: Charles H. Schneer and Ray Harryhausen
Production Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Meyer and Charles H. Schneer Productions
Distribution Studio: United Artists
Starring: Harry Hamlin (Perseus), Judi Bowker (Andromeda), Burgess Meredith (Ammon), Maggie Smith (Thetis), Siân Phillips (Cassiopeia), Claire Bloom (Hera), Ursula Andress (Aphrodite), Laurence Olivier (Zeus), Pat Roach (Hephaestus), Susan Fleetwood (Athena), Tim Pigott-Smith (Talio), Neil McCarthy (Calibos), Vida Taylor (Danaë), Jack Gwillim (Poseidon) and Donald Houston (Acrisius).
Budget: $15,000,000 Domestic Profits: $28,979,749 International Profits: $61,633,759 Total Gross: $90,613,508
When you heard about the movie you'd been deep in work on Dune. At the time you'd been frankly exhausted, perhaps it was your imagination, but the preparations for this film seemed to be more extensive than the ones for Conan and Star Wars combined! And perhaps it was fitting, considering what you were trying to bring to film. You know that the idea of the Force had been a simple and easy to understand concept for audiences to understand, but you never thought how much George had managed to simplify it when you suddenly had to find a way to show the Bene Gesserit abilities in the big screen and make sure they made sense! And that's without counting the Mentats, the Space Guild Navigators, the Wierding Way, or even the philosophical and ethical concepts of breeding and Gene-Engineering to create a supreme being that is supposed to highlight the failure of putting all hopes on a single savior during Paul's journey!
You were tired, that's what you were trying to say....and this was for half of the movie!
Regardless, the point was that you were deep in work when you first heard about the film. Both George and Steven were talking like...well, like a couple of school children to be honest, that excited they were as they spoke about seeing the movie involving some guy called Ray Harryhausen, as well as what else he would be showing this time around. Upon this, your curiosity got the better of you, as you asked a simple question, not knowing the deep hole you were about to be thrown in.
"Who Ray Harryhausen?"
Both George and Steven looked at you as if you'd asked the dumbest question in the world. And when seeing you were serious sat down and spend the entire rest of the day giving you a detailed accounting about who the guy was, his body of work, the stop motion work he pioneered for special effects, his ideas for fantasy movies that managed to break the mold, etc., etc. It was enough to get the gist of the matter; Harryhausen was to the 50s what George was to the 70s, a pioneer in special effects.
And this somehow was what got you were you were right now, in the middle of the cinema seats with both Steven and George, as you made ready to (in their words) enjoy a treat for the senses. Frankly, you did not see the appeal. Perhaps it was how you were revolutionizing both special effects use and the technology to improve them, but Science Fiction and Fantasy films from before was not something you tended to watch much as they always seemed a bit too goofy and outright bizarre.
Whatever Harryhausen may have done, you did not think would impress you much.
Coming out of that theater and speaking excitedly with both George and Steven, you could say with certainty that you were wrong, and Harryhausen had not been called a "Wizard" by George for nothing. Because from beginning till the end of the film, aside from ana mazing and tight story, you were not able to take your eyes aways from the astounding stop motion effects that depicted Pegasus, the Kraken, and monsters from literature come alive in a way that seemed so utterly realistic as well as charming, terrifying as well as beautiful, and striking as well as detailed. It was official, from this day forward, you were going to watch all his movies in order to find what other gem you might have been missing from your life. However, for now, you could only gush and speak about the experience you'd just lived through, one that would certainly remain in your mind for quite some time.
Sure, you will admit that the monsters don't look fully convincing, but they look a hell of a lot more convincing than what you can do in computer animation at the moment, or whatever else you can do so far! The Medusa sequence is done way better than you had ever expected, with Harryhausen's stop-motion technique and the resultant odd way in which the monsters move, adding to the sense of their mythic status, their unreality, the sense that these are creatures from another world and plane. Harryhausen's excellent stop-motion creations dominate the entire film and, according to George, there are some of his finest models in his entire filmography in this film. The Medusa, a ferocious-looking creature who through the use of shadow actually manages to look quite terrifying. After Hamlin cuts off the monster's head (a great-looking prop too), you got to witness oozing blood from the neck wound, an image both disgusting and outright fascinating to watch.
There is also a "good" creature here, the Pegasus, a well-animated beast which you have to admit might be slightly overused. But there is also a giant vulture (amazingly detailed), a horned troll-creature (almost devilish in look, yet something that you would not wish anyone to miss), a trio of nasty scorpions, a two-headed dog (incredibly realistic) and to top it all, a gigantic Kraken which threatens to kill Andromeda and destroy its entire city until Perseus arrives on Pegasus and uses Medusa's head to turn it into stone. The full commitment and detail of that entire scene would have been more than enough to justify the movie, yet it gives you so much more with different scenes and effects; skeleton boatman Charon rowing across the river Styx, the destruction of Argos, complete with tidal waves and falling masonry...simply awe inspiring! You'd thought Lucasfilms had already dominated other studios in special effects, but if anything this showed you that you were playing with them at best instead of showing their true potential. Harryhausen was a master showing what one could do if properly applied tools were used to their full capabilities.
Paired with an amazing story to boot. Beverley Cross is sone of those writers who seem to enjoy making movies about mythological or classical times. Fomr your research, he's made sure to study the Greek Myths extensively...even if he might miss here and there as some of the characters do not seem to fit their historical roles, but despite rearranging them like pieces on a puzzle, the result is still so undeniably Greek and heroic that not many people seem to care about it...though you're sure some of the children who've seen your show will cry foul at the Kraken. Nonetheless, this has clearly been his passion project, as he spared no expense in making it something more than just the "Sword and Sandal" type of films coming from Europe about Hercules and other stories of the sort.
To start with, the movie begins In Mount Olympus, where Zeus, played by Laurence Olivier, destroys the city of Argus with the Kraken (a Titan of the sea...though you're sure that is from Norse myth) in order to punish King Acrisius for having sentenced his daughter Danae and her newborn son, Perseus (who is also Zeus' son), to death in the sea. Zeus then orders Poseidon to save them, with Perseus growing up in a paradisiacal island with his mother. Years later, Zeus punishes Calibos, the evil son of the goddess Thetis, and fiancé of Princess Andromeda, turning him into a monster doomed to live in the swamps. The vindictive Thetis then curses Andromeda with a spell so that every suitor should solve a riddle; otherwise he would be sentenced to death by the bonfire. Further, she then brings Perseus, who was sleeping half-naked, to the City of Joppa. But Zeus gives him a magical helmet, as well as a shield and sword for his self-protection. When Perseus sees Andromeda, he falls in love with her and uses the magic outfits and Pegasus (who he finds and manages to tame) to discover the answer of the riddle with Calibos. But during the wedding ceremony between Perseus and Andromeda, Thetis dooms her to be sacrificed to the Kraken, otherwise the City of Joppa and the inhabitants will be destroyed by the Titan. Perseus now has to defeat Medusa and the Kraken to save his beloved princess.
And thus, the saga of Perseus, the mortal son of Zeus, and the intrigue among the Gods of Olympus, is thus brilliantly presented in this magnificent movie. Filming was done in nearly all locations available; Spain, Italy, Britain, many and all scenes were filmed near, making this a joint project between the U.S. and the UK. You'd even heard that they had been planning on casting Arnold for the role of Perseus. Now what a movie that would be! You'll be the first to acknowledge the man's dedication and potential...but you're not sure how well he'd do now with his accent as it is. Still probably better than the actor they got for sure.
But the rest of the cast truly impressed, that's for sure; Laurence Olivier IS Zeus. You just can't imagine anyone else being as stern and authoritative in the role as he showed himself to be. You'd heard some of the other moviegoers complain about him feeling wooden or flat, but you just don't see it. Basically, the entire role seems like it was written just for him, and it fits him like a glove. Zeus' companions are played by Maggie Smith, who is just perfect at playing the "evil" goddess, Claire Bloom as Zeus' wife, and an almost unnoticeable Ursula Andress as a "Goddess of Standing Around in the Background and Looking Beautiful". The scenes with the "gods" serve to give the movie a heavyweight backbone and act as a basis for the plot, which is basically a string of action scenes where Perseus and his companions battle whatever twisted creation comes next from the genius mind of Ray Harryhausen.
Harry Hamlin is cast as Perseus, the toned hero...and if the movie ever had a single weak spot then that would be him. Hamlin is probably one of the most wooden heroes in a film of this variety, and almost totally lacking in charisma too. Thankfully they managed to recognize this flaw and so give him little emoting to do, instead just run around a lot, fight the monsters, and retain a stoic look through every time he needs to speak. Meanwhile, Andromeda is played by Judi Bowker, a beautiful woman who nonetheless seems to have little to do in the films have just wait for the Kraken and Perseus to take the scene.
Also cast as a sidekick is the inimitable Burgess Meredith, who is still quite good even though he really doesn't have anything to do. Frankly, you think they wasted the character, and the actor. But what truly got you into paroxysms of laughter must have been what also shocked George in a way when it appeared; Bubo, the mechanical owl of Athena that spoke in beeps and boops similar to R2-D2. You're not going to lie, the sudden appearance of a clearly Sci Fi inspired version of Athena's Owl got you into such a giggling fit that you were nearly asked to step outside. You've heard afterwards that many found him annoying, but you can't believe that for such a cute and funny creature. As for George, you think he was in between outraged and proud that Harryhausen had copied his work. Though letter sent afterward clarify that the design had been worked on before Star Wars, both you and George were not fooled for a moment.
In the end though, you just let it be. It was a good enough price for such an amazing movie.
The audience seemed to think so as well. Many a member described the film with the most glowing compliments, praising the labor of love as well as the clear improvements Harryhausen had done in the years since. Many are claiming that this is clearly his Magnum Opus, his masterpiece, and are excited to see what he will do next. Praise for the actors seems limited, though you can clearly see why. Int he end, the true star of the film were the special effects, with the actors just carrying the film to move along to the next. Despite that, there were more than enough compliments thrown at Laurence Olivier and Maggie Smith, the couple dominating the entire scenes they were in, and their enmity and confrontation being the clear motivation of the entire film.
However, despite how much you enjoyed the film (and you will forever be grateful to George and Steven for introducing you to an unknown master), the movie, which was well on the way of receiving the accolades and audience numbers to become a blockbuster ran into a sudden wall that had their flood of people reduced to a trickle...a wall of your own making in a way.
For this was also the month when Raiders of the Lost Ark was released...and the results were telling.
Suddenly, plans were redrawn, halls were needed for the flood of people demanding to see Lucasfilms new masterpiece, word of mouth could only hype the movie more and more, previous halls were movies were being shown were suddenly repurposed for Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Clash of the Titans, so close to being a true Blockbuster, staggered just close of the finish line.
You did not know how to feel at first. This movie had given you some of the most amazing effects you'd seen, along with an incredibly fun afternoon, as well as teaching you a valuable lesson on not resting on your laurels. Yet, you were also proud of what Lucasfilm had managed to create, that it had managed to once more show why it was that you were at the forefront of film making in Hollywood. Still, you were somewhat sad of the results, a bitter victory as it were.
For critics it was easy to know how they felt, as they heaped praise upon Harryhausen's latest work, his stop motion special effects and his monsters. The master had returned and shown the young whippersnappers just how things were truly done. Yet no other review came as close as Roger Ebert's in describing the film, as well as giving both thumbs up: "Clash of the Titans is a grand and glorious romantic adventure, filled with grave heroes, beautiful heroines, fearsome monsters, and awe-inspiring duels to the death. It is a lot of fun. It was quite possibly intended as a sort of Greek mythological retread of "Star Wars" (it has a wise little mechanical owl in it who's a third cousin of R2-D2), but it's also part of an older Hollywood tradition of special-effects fantasies, and its visual wonderments are astonishing."
Now, if only you could find a way to contact Harryhausen. You're sure that there's much Lucasfilms could learn from him.
Just no stupid stuff I assume reasonably changed ones like what the OTL film did with Aragorn making him seem less arrogant from his book version are fine (This man yaps about his king's blood and divine ancestry) whereas in the film he sees the throne of Gondor as a burden he must bear instead of a right (Which it still is) or you know the Gondorians having full-plate (Gotta balance out the numerical advantage orcs have with Dúnedain strength and armor) the most we know is that the Knights of Dol Amroth wear full-harness which most of the time means but not always describes plate armor.
So about Dune, do you think it's going to be more like the 1984 movie or the new ones but with the special effects available to us? Even more importantly, is it going to have the minecraft shields?
So about Dune, do you think it's going to be more like the 1984 movie or the new ones but with the special effects available to us? Even more importantly, is it going to have the minecraft shields?
I think it will be closer to the recent Dune adaptation, with some of the changes i've suggested to make it not so dark, as well as the different interpretations of the cahracters to work with, and changes to perhaps Paul, Chani, Feyd-Rautha, Princess Irulan, as well as making it a bit of amystery with Yueh as well.
I have it all in some pages back where I posted my thoughts on Dune and what we can do there.
But yes, we have the technology to make it more closer to the recent version than the 1984 version.
So ... I have been reading some of my old favourites in terms of books and I stumbled onto something....
Discworld Animated Movies.
God damn those were cool and it got me wondering if, maybe, we could make movies based on Discworld Books.
There is so much to work with!
From Equal Rites (which is frankly a hilarious look at wizard stereotypes and a show of their subversion) to even some of the first discworld books like the color of magic which has the makings of a trilogy just from the sheer breadth of content involving the adventures of the clueless tourist and the wizard with only a single spell which he cannot even cast.
Seriously though, Discworld is made for animation.
I have to ask...how?! The story itself is amazing, don't get me wrong, but what else could George and Steven have done to make it even more popular and exciting than what it is?
I have to ask...how?! The story itself is amazing, don't get me wrong, but what else could George and Steven have done to make it even more popular and exciting than what it is?
To be fair, this is only, like, two months worth of time so far. It's not like the other studios have so much to pump out alongside us. Besides, they might have better stuff later.
A number of archeologists probably got their start from watching an Indiana Jones movie.
I wouldn't mind more national interest in archeology/history if the culture roll is high enough.
Stuff like more preservation of antiquities and historical sites.
Or getting the British Museum to give their stolen goods back.
Nice that Harrison Ford gets one of his defining roles.
