Automatic Jack Wrote:Unlikely to generate even a fraction of the posts that the "...Cast" thread has done, but here goes. Obviously we've been putting a lot of brain power into creating lists of our ideal actors, but it occurred to me that a lot of people who haven't read the books will be approaching this movie from another side of things- namely, the technical side. They might be attracted if there are big names attached to the project, but if they watch the trailers, a lot more interest might be sparked by how the special effects turn out.

The Fanart page is a case in point: It seems nobody has found the perfect recipe for what a rakosh looks like. This is interesting because many of the designs have obviously similar elements, but the problem seems to be in preventing them from getting stuck between the Mutant Ninja Turtle/Gozilla extremes of the spectrum. And not only does the design have to look good, it has to look good IN MOTION, not to mention being integrated with the human characters onscreen.

There's really only one studio that immediately comes to my mind, and that's the New Zealand-based special effects team WETA Digital. They did the effects for X-Men: The Last Stand, King Kong, I Robot and the Lord of the Rings trilogy. But the one factor that makes me think they could pull off a truly amazing Rakosh is a 2006 monster movie from Korea, THE HOST. And, actually, aspects of the plot might sound kinda familiar: A horrible monster kidnaps a little girl and hides her away in the sewers, and her family risk life, limb and the government to get her back.

I've included the Youtube video of the first monster attack. The quality isn't great, but if you like foreign cult horror/comedy (or just awesome films in general), I'd rent it anyway. Blockbusters has been known to carry it. To top it off, the monster attack is in full daylight, so I'm sure a rooftop scene at midnight would be cake for them. If they were to do half a good a job on the RJ movie as they did on THE HOST, I'd be a happy tech geek.

So. Feel free to discuss the special effects nature of the RJ movie, or any other films that have a certain look you'd like to see in the film. Also, definitely try and get your hands on THE HOST for a prime example of great creature design.

WETA DIGITAL
http://www.wetafx.co.nz/features/

Clip of the monster attack in THE HOST (the action starts at around the 2 minute mark, kidnapping at the 7 minute mark)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zcyc5nFjwDc

Libby Wrote:Those were very good. Who did the new Mummy? I thought they did a good job.

Automatic Jack Wrote:That would be... (quick Wiki search) Digital Domain and Rhythm and Hues, both LA-based and possibly easier for Beacon to deal with than a New Zealand studio.

Digital Domain wiki page:
The company began producing visual effects in 1993, its first three films being True Lies, Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles, and Color of Night in 1994. It has produced effects for more than 60 films including Titanic, Apollo 13, What Dreams May Come, The Fifth Element, How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, Armageddon, and The Day After Tomorrow. More recent films include I, Robot, Flags of Our Fathers, Letters from Iwo Jima, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, Transformers, The Golden Compass, and most recently, Speed Racer. And of course the latest Mummy movie.

R&H has a similar resume. I was kind of nodding my head until I got near the end of the list. Regardless of what I thought about the actual movies, Pirates: At World's End, Transformers and the Golden Compass had some excellent polish; Transformers especially.

Also I'm probably the only sentient being in the universe who actually liked Speed Racer, but if they applied that kind of art direction to RJ, my eyes would vomit rainbows.

Libby Wrote:I've never seen Speed Racer, dare I?

Automatic Jack Wrote:I'm going to be very careful here, because the only selection of the population that enjoyed it are the kinds of people who read a lot of Japanese comics and are familiar with that kind of storytelling technique. It's kind a mash-up between manga, The Matrix, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Wacky Races. I can see how that would be really unappealing to most people, so I can't really recommend it unless you feel like seeing a really loud artsy movie about race cars.

Automatic Jack Wrote:There's really only one studio that immediately comes to my mind, and that's the New Zealand-based special effects team WETA Digital. They did the effects for X-Men: The Last Stand, King Kong, I Robot and the Lord of the Rings trilogy. But the one factor that makes me think they could pull off a truly amazing Rakosh is a 2006 monster movie from Korea, THE HOST. And, actually, aspects of the plot might sound kinda familiar: A horrible monster kidnaps a little girl and hides her away in the sewers, and her family risk life, limb and the government to get her back.