CineMagic #03 (1979)

Top Right: Pro , fessor Clayton aalley'. robot.. are the lIubject of CII'(E"'AGIC -3's co ....er story, If you've ever dreamed of build Ing your own life, sl~ robot for your SF films. this article can show you an affordable way of making thst dream come true, Bottom Right: Psul Hsra. Dsve MacMillan, snd Don Nelson pose with "Normsn," a robot they built for an upcoming TV show entlUed "The Reluctant Robot." The show Is aimed at. child audience "nd III Kheduled for airing this f"l1 over most Field CommunlcaUon s station", There'll be more .bout ''The Reluctant Robot" ln a future I ss ue of CINEMAGIC.

Number 3

Editorial __

4

The

Nig htbeast29

Filmmaking as a career: Is it really possible to spend the rest of your life making movies?

Building a Robot _ _

Walks __

Filmmaker and artist John Dads shows off his new creation.

6

Methods and materials are explored for the construction of mechanical actors in your SF film.

FluidArt _

18

An unusual animation technique.

Electronic Special 22 Effects,__ Construction of a light sequencer circuit for SF props and sets.

Books _

30

Books for fjlmmakers-a new section listing books and other

publications with information and techniques for the filmmaker.

Producer's Cinemagic Bulletin 33 Board __ 2 4 Marketplace, _ _ _ Latest news of our readers' FilnunakerS'14

Forum __

A regular department devoted to readers' comments about filmmaking, their pro blems and solutions.

First Steps as an

Animator_

Review _

announcements.

26

Gadgets and accessories for filmmaking and specia l effects.

16

Author and animator Kit Laybourne emphasizes the importance of establish ing your

own style.

Classified advertising and

productions.

Closeup _ 3 4 How to build realistic trees for your miniature set.

@//47ir!JJI Published by: O'Q{lINN STUDIOS, INC. 475 Park Avenue South New York, N.Y. 10016

PubUahera: Normlln Jacobs/Kerry O'Quinn

Founder of CIPlEMAGIC and

Edltorlal Conaultant: Don Dahler

Edltor·ln-Chlef: David Hutchison

Dealgn Director: Cheh N. Low Designer: Elaine Ashburn -Silver

Managing Editor: Bob Woods

Edltorbll Contributors: Clayton Bailey

James Caldwell John Dods

Art Staff: Laura O'Brien

Steven Oxman

A ••ocate Publisher: Ira Friedman

Asslatant Publisher: Rita Eisenstein For "" ........ ng infonn.. lgno Ira Fried""",.

~i ...

Eioenslein

121 2) 669·26JQ

CIN[ M",QIC i. publl'Md bi-monthly by O'QUINN

A

n irate letter from a young filmmaker and SF fan arrived at the (JNEMAGIC offices recently. It seems thi s person was objecting to my series of articles in STARLOG that explored career opportunities in special effects. Apparently, he had gone to Hollywood, had no success finding a job in specia l effects and had returned to his home in Pennsylvania a very depressed young man. I know others. though. who have gone to Hollywood and knocked on doors armed with nothing more than the intense desire to learn somethin g about filmmaking. These people didn't care how much they were to be paid or how many hours they would be asked to work, They did care about filmmaking and would do whatever was necessary to learn the craft. If it was necessary to get a night job to supplement the meager salary of a go-fer at an opti cal or special effects house. then. fine-they d id it. Generally speaking, if the desire is there and the person really loves the work (and it is work). then there is a pretty good chance that that person will be able to make a living at it. On the other hand, there are those who are merely in love with the idea of being a filmmaker and have no real love for the doing of the craft. These people get their mental thrills by picturing themselves as another Doug Trum· bull or John Dykstra. They imagine themselves working in some big studio filled with marvelously complex machinery. If you knew that l', pho.os, Oft 0' 0'''''[ male,I.I •. bul II I",el.""" .ul>miU . ,• • ,e ":com ~nie d by a .., 11·.donge 01 add, ... should be sent direno ... _ " " ' _ .. CllflYi/s for lhe upcoming Star Trek-The Motion Picture completed. He goes on 10 say. "We fllbrlcaled IIle new

UIt'fI!

... For the past year or so. I have been very upse t. I sent in money and patiently wllited for my book (&i/ding Beings. ClIsling Oealures and Doing Dinosaurs from IE.S Visual ArlS). Seven months Ililter I received 1I Cllrd saying thllt they were sold out and would send me one lIS soon 115 they were back in stock. So 1 wtoited si " or seven more

months. In late I\pril '79. I wrote again. bu t the leiter wa s reo turned by Ihe post office. mllrk· ed "Addressee Unknown." Plellse help! Tom Edwllrds 2625 1 Papagay o M issi on Viejo, CA 92675 ONE.M/o.G/C has had much the same problcm as reader Edwards trying to conlactlhe company. Recenlly. howeuer. CIi{fridge Publishing contacted us. They Me now handling Ihe book in qucstion. They apologize for Ihe situation and further slale. " We haue done everything possi· ble 10 insure that all the old 1&5 customers haue been laken care of (there were a few bad checks and some orders sent with cash and completely unreadable ad· dresses). Anyone who has nol receiue1lheiF merchandise from 1&5 should conlacl me (Lee M . Seikr. publisher) al C/i{fridge Publishing. Box 2. Elk. CA 95432. immedialely. I will~· sonalty see Ihat the Ofder is laken care of."

Repairing M.old8 ... 1am involved in making mllsks and specilll f~m· llIlex ap· pliances. There is a tip I'd like to PIIss on to young makeup lIrtists and special-effects people. I htlve found thllt Elmer's glue is the

best adhesive for mending cracked or broke n foam·latex molds. You can roughen·up the surfaces to be glued with a wire brush or a sharp tool and soak them in water for a few seconds, let stand and apply the Elmer's.

David Ayrell, In his stud io, sculpts a new dellign. Squeeze the pieces together and let the mold dry out overnight or put it in a warm oven for a few hours. The bond Is durable and will last for several bakings. David Ayres 204 N. Fraser Dr. E. M esa, AZ 85203 Mr. Ayres Is a professional makeup anis/. He hllS u.>Ofked on such TVshows as Quincy, Charlie's Angels and such fealUl"e {ilms as Empire of the An ts and Demon Seed, among many others.

ATTENTION SUBSCRIBERS ClNEMAGIC has received a number of letters expressing diSllp· pointment with the quarte rly production schedule. Now the good news .... You will not have to wait a whole year to receive the first fou r issues of your subscription. Beginning with the next issue, CINEMAGIC will go to a bi·monthly production schedule, so that you will receive your Issues sooner. Renewal notices will reflect the more frequent publication rate. The publishers and editors of CINEMAG IC than k you for your contin ued support.

... I've seen laser·beam effects that had ~n airbrushed onto glass. I have a solution for people that don't have airbrushes or backwinding equipment. All you need is Saran Wrap or a similar mllterial. a piece of glass about 12 inches by 15 inches and paint (glossy~ Stretch the wrap on a newspaper and then paint it whatever color your laser be!lms should be. When the paint dries. cut the painted wrap into thin strips and smooth them onto the glass, unpainted side down. Now. suspend the glass and film . To create a ghostly glow, breathe on the lens. Bryan M clane 4100 SW 32 Dr. Hollywood, FL 33023

Thank You.

Dick Smith ... Not being a "gore" f!ln myself, I'm not really sure how to

take the article on Dick Smith, or the really BIG. gruesome picture of the poor chap from The Sen· linel. But Dick's information should prove helpful to other filmmakers trying to do Sam Peckinpaw one better! It is ex· tremely nice of the guy to openly sh!lre his own tried·and·proven formu ta for blood. since he could e!lsily have been as "tight·lipped" about his processes as others seem to be. Here's hoping that, through his eX!lmple, other pros will st!lrt sh!lring their secrets through the pages of ClNEMAGIC. (But don't forget the dedic!lted amateurs and their techniques!) Ken Walker 542 t Silbert Rd. Norfolk, VA 23509

Muscle By Muscle . . . 1have been making models for !lbout two years and have enclosed a few photos of my I!lstest animalion model-an

Above: The stop· motion Allo..urus model by Kohn. The .noature Is superb. alloSllurus. The skeleton is made of steel with bronze ball be!lrings and brass rod. The sku ll is h!lnd· moldable epoxy putty and the body sections are clear lucite. The body is built up muscle by muscle from foam rubber, and contact cement with rubber skin. The skin was rubber from a lex· lure mold . Justin Kohn 5798 SW 58lh Ter. South Miami, FL 331 4 3

Galactlca Model .. 1would like to comment on Monogram's most recent SF release. the Gaiaclica. Everyone I know who has encountered the kit is extremely diSllppolnted. I won't go into details, but if Monogram cont inues to sell

.John A. aaJdec ki and Chris Wnm at work In thei r miniature model production s hop.

Above: ture by GaJdeckl & Wren.

substandard kits. I fei!1 that it wlll set back modeling. I simply bought it for photographic pur· poses and wa s almost convinced

not to buy it by the bol\ !lrt-it looks like a toy. I've begun custom detailing, but will proba· bly only do half of it since so

00

John A. Gajdecki 12 Kesley Ave. Ottawa, Ontario Canada K2E 5Z t

C/NEMAG/C"3

15

First Steps as an Animator Strategies {or developing your own style as an animator. By KIT LAYBOURNE

S

tyle is the ultimate achievement. I don't think there can be i!I more difficult or II more rewarding goal than developing one's own unique vision through an art form like animation. As you begin the process of e)(ploring animation . I'd like to suggest that you try out at least a few of the following strategies. Start (rom Slreng/il. The best place to begin is where your interest is strongest. Read along until you come to a project that you find yourself eClger to try. And then do it. When you feel finished. move on. Don't allow yourself to agonize when you want to skip or quit a .particular project. It is important at the beginning to build up a momentum. II's also good

to create

II

string of successes as you

get your commitment centered and your confidence strengthened. Build a "Studio." Claim a space that can become the symbolic home for your work as an animator. There is no need to be fancy. When I started by own work I allocated a single drawer to the new enterprise. It was a modest studio. to be sure. But it gave me an Important "psyehological space" in which to develop new skills. In addition to commandeering a physical place. I urge you to commit a specific amount of energy, time and expense to your exploration of animated filmmak ing. Everything you invest will be returned to you through increased productivity, effiCiency and pleasure. Develop a Project Menlalily. Let's say you decide to be an oil painter. No one, even yourself. would expect you to produce a masterpiece on your first canvas. Animated filmmaking is every bit as difficult to master as oil paint· ing. So give yourself a break. Just 8S an oil painter begins with a sketch pad and a series of experiments. allow yourself the psychic freedom to develop your competencies at a reasonable pace. My book suggests different "projects." Try as many of them as you can. They have been carefully formulated to let you ex, perience various processes and techniques, But 8S you do them . try not to be overly self.critical. Don't judge

Moment. frOIft .r.aet Perlm.n' . " Lady Flabbourne' a Complete Guide to BelterT.ble ..... nne,. ... THIE A."IMA.TIO" BOOK by Kit Larbourne . Crown PubU.hera , lnc. (Courteay or the rUmmakeraad Carouae. Filma, ) Bee the "wle. or Kit LarbnurDe'. new book ID lblal.aue. yourself by first efforts, Remind yourself that it is not the product of your animation that counts but the process of your learning. At least in the beginning that's true. A sample reel is the filmmaker's

equivalent to the artist's sketch ~, Save your exercises and experiments, however primitive and inadequate you may think they are. It is easy to splice everything you shoot onto one reel. since you'lI most likely be doing all

your filming with the same equipment. From time to time screen this sample reel for your friends (the applause won't damage your ego), And screen it orten for your own study, analysis and evaluation, You will learn more from your own mistakes than you'll learn from any other source-these pages included, Keep an Animator's Diary, I strongly recommend that you consistently keep tr.!lck of what you are learning and how you are feeling, I can't over· emphasize the importance of devising some system that allows you to monitor and record what you ex· perience. Any system will do, An easy one is to designate a special book, or section of a book, as a place where you can maintain a running record of your projects. The things you ought to keep track of include questions, frustll tions, evaluations o f projects, ideas for new films, personal goals, technical data, planning notes, ex· penses, words of encouragement and counsel that you've collected from favorite books, and so on, Loose Tune. Gauging your abilities as an independent animator ought to be a very long·term goal. But as you go along, periodica lly make informal and tentative lIssessments of your skills, There are many different things to master, and no one-no one-has

Top of PAge: Scene from W.ll DI.ney'. "Peler P.R." ( © Disney Prod.) Above: Richard WIIU.m. wllb cell from hi. film, '7he Pink PAnlber.·· ever been able to do them .!III. Walt Disney didn·t. None of the indepen· dent animators mentioned in my book would say that they have total facility in all the skills it takes to pro· duce a finished film. I certainly don't have them, You won't either, And iI's not important that you do, What can be important. however. is that you are able to mllke lin lIsseSS' ment of areas where you are strong

and i!lrei!ls where your skills are less developed, This is important because it can help you guide your own development. You must be able to gauge your own sk ill, interest, goals and talents if you are to realize the ultimate goal for finding your own personal style. (II I'/cpfloled Irom III(' """",,,lIim) ij",,/o.. bv Kil L~vbo"rnc. with Ihe p"flnis.iOif« of pal>w 4 10 6 weeb lor deiIIery 01 l'd Qos.s mal. Frsl 00s.sd9ivery ust.dv 1