'Mad Nation' Post-Apocalyptic TV show Megathread

Great so far. That would be mad to have such perfect sets so close and accessable.

Any more progress recently? whats happening with it all? When will your site be back up? When will the film be ready?
 
It is possible to remove or better yet wear down the building in post production. If you've got access to such tools or can find someone will to do it.

Seriously, good luck.
 
well i'm a detail nut so don't take this personal, but the neghbor houses are just way too clean/nice. The Dish has got to go. the hose reel needs to go, and anything with a label or warning sticker needs to have them either torn off or distressed as that kinda stuff doesn't last very long when left to the elements, let alone fallout or acid rain. And the inflateable baby pool really needs to go, that thing if left outside for more than a month would fade and i can't imagine it holding air for long post-apocolypse. The costumes need to be dirtier, sure they're ripped and tattered but they look like they are brand new and fresh from the wash.

Oh and i did a ton of community theatre growing up i know exactly what you're talking about when you say bitchy and arrogant... let me add snobby to your description of them.

Hope i don't sound too critical I know you don't have alot to work with and you do what you can. Best of luck.
 
Like what Dobbs said, some of the stuff looks too well kept and clean.

Aside from that, it looks awesome and I can't wait until you release this movie. For a low budget film it looks pretty awesome.
 
I'm in agreement with some guys here; needs more broken windows. But, that is a bitchin' house to be using, for the most part it looks the part of being neglected.
 
Ah-Teen said:
It is possible to remove or better yet wear down the building in post production. If you've got access to such tools or can find someone will to do it.

Short answer: yes, it's possible, and I plan to do so if I can find the software/talented video effects specialist required. My friend Kevin James (who's own videos can be found on youtube) is a wizzard with special effects, as can be seen here in one of his own videos featuring myself, and he will probably be helping me with this, as well as adding blood effects (at the times when I can't use squibs or pumps), muzzle flashes, explosions, etc.

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barrythebaptist said:
Any more progress recently? whats happening with it all? When will your site be back up? When will the film be ready?

Yes, I shot a very brief but critical scene earlier this week. But in the interest of non-spoilers, that's all the info you get heh.

My site will be back up when I find someone to make a page for it, but that being said, you can still download the trailer and sneak peak from it at the same links, which I've added again below. If I can stick to the shooting schedule I've got set up, and recast a couple rolls in time to do so, the movie should be online by December/January, and there should be a DVD release some time in the months after that.

www.perniciousparadise.com/madnationtrailer.mp4
http://www.perniciousparadise.com/sneakpreview.mp4

Private Dobbs and others said:
various bits of constructive criticism

I appreciate you all pointing these things out, and don't worry, I don't take any of it personally. That being said, there are pretty strict limits to what I can and can not do to a set if it's not one I've built. If you look back to earlier posts, which showed photos of the bar and of Marcus' house, those are sets I've built and thus they look a bit more plausible. But if it's a property I don't own, I can't do anything to it and must use it as is: hence why I left the satilite dish, the hose reel, didn't break any additional windows. The kiddy pool: yeah, I screwed up big time there, I had meant to drain it and move it but I completely forgot about it before the shoot, but in the actual movie I just shot around it anyway. I should point out that much of what was mentioned about this last set was not shown in the movie because those are production stills taken by my girlfriend, not screen shots from the actual video we took: looking at those photos now, I'm almost positive that the dish and the pool never come on screen in the actual move, and with the exception of the white house in the background that I mentioned, neither do any of the other surrounding buildings.

As far as the costumes go: in response to some earlier comments along the same lines when I first started posting photos here, I made a bigger effort to dirty them up, but my camera's picture quality didn't pick it up unless I went so far overboard that it was unrealistic: in the end I figured that it was better if the costumes looked a little too clean than if they looked like the characters took a bath in motor oil every day. I agree that they do look a bit clean, but take this last scene for example: the green coat that the bearded fellow wears was left outside in my drive way in the mud for, I'm not joking, all of last winter. It was run over by plows, cars, and lots of snow and mud went through it. When it came time to shoot this scene, I grabbed it, dusted it off, let it air out, then put it on the actor: in real life, you could see the dirt worked into the fabric, but on camera, it just looks green.

Newest Update, in brief: I've made a new Myspace Film account, because as much as I hate myspace, it might be helpful to find some new actors. Check my signature for the link.

I'm currently working on setting up our next shoot, for the first scene involving the big battle with the evil cult, which I'm hoping to do some time within the next week or two. Once this is done, I'm going to have to work double time to recast my leading lady and the cult leader, as both actors for those parts are no longer available to me, but as soon as they are recast, I'll be starting work on the big action sequences.

I met with Ron Merribett of Colchester farm ( http://www.colchesterneighborhoodfarm.com/about.html ), and we have decided to shoot the gunfight scene after the harvest in late October, when everything green will have turned brown and died, and thus the place will look much more appropriate. Ron hopes to use my shoot as an opportunity to get some publicity for his own organization and whip up some interest in my production among the locals: I was glad enough as it was that he's letting me use his property for the movie, it's a big comfort to have someone with as much pull in the local government as him encouraging and backing me. Please note that the only picture I've seen on that website that shows the unpainted and unpolished back of the farm is the one linked below, and it's doesn't show much, but don't worry, the place fits the bill, or at least it comes as close as I can easily get.

http://www.colchesterneighborhoodfarm.com/images/gallery/general3.jpg

I've also begun working on another little something for you all to enjoy while you wait, but again, no spoilers :)
 
Newest bit of news:

I met with a young lady for an audition today for the part of Jessie, and she did spectacularly well. I have a few loose ends to tie up but assuming no A list hollywood actresses show up within the next few days, I'll be giving her the part and we can officially get back into a regular shooting schedule.

Also, for any New England area short film enthusiasts, there will be a new trailer premiered at Flim Fest '08, an annual student film festival run by my buddy Kevin. Aside from a few things of mine, there will be several great student productions and a few local bands.

Links:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxboJsohYXs&fmt=18

http://www.notatadbad.net/flimfest08
 
Okay, I need a little help from the community on this one.

I have a big, black pick up truck for the movie. It's nothing special but it's beat up and rusty enough to have potential for a Mad Max look. It has to stay in it's more or less current condition because it's my buddy's every day driver. However, I need to think of some temporary modifications to it that will make it more post apocalyptic. I probably won't have time to take off the doors and hood like I'd wanted, so I have to stick mostly to modifying what's already there.

So far I've got the following ideas:

Remove inside plastic door panels, like in Mad Max's interceptor

Remove front grill

Weld/glue/zip tie together some exotic looking exhaust pipes to stick out from under the hood/out of the back end/wherever I can, similar to Ben's motorcycle from Full Throttle

Drive through mud/dusty sand to make it as dirty as possible

Use water based pants to maybe add a few scuffs, etc

Roll down the windows and place metal mesh wire in their place

Put some sort of tarp/fabric over the carpenter's racks on the bed to make a sort of covered wagon/personnel carrier look.


Post ideas for additions to this list if you've got them, I'm open to all practical suggestions that won't permanently alter/damage the car.
 
my dad repairs/does bodywork for cars and ive taken quite a few of them open myself... taking out the plastic interior can be complicated and risky... its usually attached with hidden screws and special plastic hooks/thingies (dont know the english word) which location you dont know and that brake real easy (although older cars might just have screws and i have experience only on european cars anyway... so you could still try and see)

as for doors... super easy and fast... 4 bolts, 1 splint for the thing that limits the door angle and 1 electrical plug (per door ofcourse)

as for more worn look... fill it up with junk, lay the seats over with worn rags/blankets, throw mud on it! :crazy:
 
I've taken inside door panels off before, so I have an idea of what to expect. I've also taken doors off/mounted them back on. I don't know if I'll be able to go as far as to remove the doors all together, but I might if it's easier than the door panels. The rags and blankets are a good idea though, thanks, I'd forgotten all about the seats.

EDIT:
http://www.bodyshopzone.com/archives/trim/door_panels/Ford/F250_1999/front_rear_f250.html

Seems fairly simple, not unlike the door panels I've taken off my volvo.
 
The truck is done, and it looks fantastic. There's a couple of details I'm not yet sure about, but we'll work them out. We had planned to shoot this week but it rained the whole time, so shooting will have to be rescheduled to a time later this month.

I'm debating whether to post pictures of the truck or not. Part of me wants to keep the thread spoiler free hence forth since the movie is getting into the climax, but at the same time I don't want to leave interested people hanging.

In semi related news, I have a new movie available online for those interested in seeing something else I've done.

http://www.perniciousparadise.com/dro.mov

It's about super villains, plotting the demise of the free world.
 
Does anyone here know about clipser.com?

I have discovered that a user on that website has posted my trailer and sneak peak without my permission. Normally I wouldn't care, but by posting it on Clipser.com, the user gave the intelectual property rights of my work to Clipser and, I assume, their parent company if they have one. I have emailed the user in question and politely demanded that they remove my work from the website, and that if they fail to do so I will have to contact the site admins.

This is exactly why I was hesitant to put my work on youtube: apparently Clipser hasn't become as user friendly as the mainstream video hosting websites.
 
Latest Update:

The Clipser thing has been resolved. I reported the videos and they have taken them down.

I am also planning on shooting the first scene with our female lead tomorrow. Hopefully things go -incredibly- well since I'd hate to have to recast yet again if the new actress turns out to be unacceptable. However I'm not too worried: not one time in this movie has a character been portrayed the way I originally intended, and so far they have turned out much better than I had expected anyway.

I've been thinking about music a lot today. I have a friend who I am hoping to recruit for scoring, but I don't know how reliable he will be. I think I may have to release a brief clip from the movie to the musically talented online community that I've been noticing in the fan art/fiction forum to see what they come up with. Would anyone be interested in this? I would probably proceed by releasing a clip to interested musicians, and asking them to make a music track to accompany it.
 
It's a big job, hah. I'd need a full soundtrack, including a title theme, character themes, etc. Probably around 8 songs minimum. For the moment I'd be mostly interested in hearing what people come up with though, and there's a few opportunities for specific music being done by specific people.

Really I'm just sort of toying with the idea. I'd rather just throw a few clips out there and say "Play with these" and see what comes of it than ask people to commit to making a complete soundtrack. It'll be a while before the shooting is finished, and only then would we be able to make a complete scoring that had any kind of continuity.
 
Ok. Then, if I don't have to do the full soundtrack right away ( wouldn't have the time just now anyway ), I'd like to give one of your clips a try. :) I have already a bit of experience with scoring videos ( did something for the intro video of a mod called Misleading Lands, had to respect a story board etc... ). Just tell me how you want me to proceed...
 
For now, just take the sneak peak and make see what you can come up with for a bit of music to replace that which is there. Even if what you make doesn't make it into the final cut, it'll probably be better than using the copyrighted stuff thats in it now.

http://perniciousparadise.com/sneakpreview.mp4

I'm going to be doing some editing later on, so I'll post up another version without music for you to play with. I'd say try to make something ambient and creepy, appropriate for the scene but also a little western sounding since the movie is also a western.

NEW UPDATE:
Had our first shoot with Natasha, our newest casting addition, yesterday. She did wonderfully, so we're keeping her on and going all out to finish the movie by november. I almost hope they put off releasing Fallout 3, since it'd be kinda funny to release the movie at the same time.

Next week, we will be finishing a scene we started yesterday, reducing the number of scenes left to shoot to 5.
 
www.allycatmetalware.com has provided me with some inspiration on how to make some very unusual costumes, a little more like the Mad Max villains. Check it out, tell me what you all think. I don't want to go over the top, but the bio masks, goggles, arm and wrist gaurds, etc seem pretty cool for the Cult. I won't be buying anything directly from them as I can't afford the time and money involved, but I'll probably make some similar items.
 
Quick Update:
Doing another shoot this weekend finally after having to reschedule it three times due to inclement weather. We've got the truck looking great, if there's serious interest I'll post a link to a picture thus keeping the thread spoiler free. As it is, we can switch the truck from it's every day appearance to post nuclear mode in about twenty minutes of setting up.

Assuming the weather holds out, we're going to try for finishing the scene we started last time. After that, we've only got three scenes left to go before it's all done being shot, one of which is very brief. I suppose one of those is technically two scenes though since the gunfight takes place in two different locations at the same time, but we won't quibble.

Any pic/information/discussion requests, or has this thread gotten to the point where it's just a news feed for the last few interested fans? Don't get me wrong: I won't be upset if it turns out that most of the interest has died out here considering that it took me this long to get to this point. I acknowledge that when you're working on a student production, few people are really going to care to begin with, let alone if it takes you five years to complete. I'm just happy that the movie is coming out mostly how I had hoped it would, and that there's a few people I know will enjoy it.
 
Latest update:

One more shoot and we'll be down to the last 4 scenes. I'm going to do a little set building tomorrow, and hopefully finish one last prop on tuesday, then we'll be able to shoot the next scene. I've got two more props to finish off before we can do the climactic gun battle, which will be coming up next after that.
 
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