Heartbreak No Effect Can Magically Cure...

It’s times like these in life when I’m often reminded of the cottage gospel industries acronymic moniker “WWJD- What Would Jesus Do?”

My guess is that he would be laughing, praising All Mighty God and welcoming Russell Woodrow Rose into his arms. In that same breath, I would think that with a morose and empathetic nature, his hand would also touch the hearts of those who have awakened and begin to mourn Woodrow’s passing this morning.

Most people called Woodrow “Russell”- it was, after all, his first name. Having been named after the 28th president of the United States and arguably one of the greatest presidents of his time, perhaps it would have led to another form of greatness within the Rose clan- one will now have to leave that notion to both histrionics and to his son’s and grandson’s verbal legacy...

If I reach to the furthest reaches of my memories- pushing past birthdays, holidays, school-times and those “fertile years” when the conquest of women was more the stuff of self gratification than fulfillment, I remember my grandfather by his blessed moniker. A name he refused to let go of for all his days once uttered by his cherubic twin grandsons- a name he wore with the tartan pride of a Midwesterner who’d just been knighted- certainly “Woodrow” being that of “lesser stuff”...

Crappaw!

My mother was incredibly embarrassed by our inability to call him “GRAND” pa. My grandmother was quoted as saying, “Yeah- those two are definitely your grandbabies!” and Woodrow/Crappaw? He wouldn’t have it any other way.

The name stuck to him like the excremental element that his nickname developed from and he absolutely relished the aroma of it!

The coal miners whom he worked with absolutely roared when they learned of his grandbabies bestowal to his already lengthy name- but as they’d chide Crappaw, they were also inwardly jealous as hell that their grandkids weren’t as ‘inadvertently clever’ as Woodrow’s...

As of this writing, he’ll have been “gone” no more than 12 hours ago; though it could be said that in the week of his declining health, perhaps he’d left all of us much earlier than my self imposed timeline would suggest.

Russell “Crappaw” Rose worked for 60 years [yes, I said “sixty”- no stuttering here] in the coal mines of Illinois. He was the only boy in a gaggle of 8 children and by the tender age of 13. His mother having died far long ago, his father was both sole provider and ‘mother hen’ to 7 girls and one boy in the foothills of the Ozarks. With the Great Depression looming over most everyone at that impressionable time in my grand-pa’s life; the best way to keep a single parent house warm in the winter was to either pick up coal off the railroad tracks, or go to work for the coal company. He chose what made the most sense even though that meant missing out on a high school education.

Never shirking responsibility, inevitably he would go on one day to get his high school diploma- at 40 years of age he was the first man to do so in the nation. He didn’t stop there though- he went on to attempt his doctorate only to miss it by one thesis paper. His “failure” was not because of lax time, attitude or ability... Crappaw’s professor, who would have inevitably [and by his own admission] aced the paper, pleaded that Crappaw simply “slap the damn bibliography on this thing and get your diploma!” The paper wasn’t good enough for Crappaw though- invariably it was never ‘finished’ in his eyes.

With this notion of “business left unfinished” perhaps that sums up the passing of Crappaw. He planned well in advance for his own demise- no illusions of immortality or some fantasized Fountain of Youth. But there’s the most troubling for me personally his written [and verbal- as he’d told me more than once some time before] that he have no funeral. He wanted no words spoken on his behalf and he refused any manner of wake or memorial. One could chalk up this requirement to his generation- practical, pragmatic and matter-of-fact. Or perhaps there’s some martyrdom left untapped.

Perhaps his refusal to all the trappings of death was his last life lesson to teach not only his son, but his grandkids as well...

He had come into this world unknown- one day his mother only a scant few years gone and his father remarrying not once but twice. With such historic events as The Great Depression, WW II, Vietnam and man landing on the moon, the only thing he ever mentioned that he felt newsworthy was his grandsons coming into this world.

Now, with his time spent, his job long since done and his grandchildren safely and competently fending for themselves- like the robin of spring one day falls to the earth, it’s soliloquy that of his progeny taking flight; he passes on from this mortal coil, his legend more than satisfactorily secure on the wings and song of his children.

“What Would Jesus Do?”

Most likely Jesus would ask in return:

“What Would Woodrow Do?”

I have missed my time with Crappaw. I’ve missed him based simply on homesickness- now I have moment to pause and realize that truly there is no going home anymore.

Russ

Transformers: The Movie

Transformers - The Touch

By the time Stan Bush was consigned to provide some of the background music tracks for Transformers: The Movie I was well out of high school- just graduating community college and well on my way to making a four year degreed institution into a six...

But there was something to be said for Stan's music in the 1980s... He'd done a nice chunk of the Transformers soundtrack and provided many a soundtrack for movies like Kick Boxer, BloodSport and even many an episode of anime favorites like Sailor Moon.

To some out there, his was a lame music form devoid of anything but filmatic jingles...

For others and I dare say I'd put my name in that category as well- he managed to provide a soundtrack that you could hum to and maybe mark moments in your life to the lyrics.

"The Touch" turned out to be one of a few songs that I consider anthems of my life...

Especially "When your back's against the wall..."

"Do I Make You Proud?"

Taylor Hicks - Do I Make You Proud


Here's a shining example of what today's home software along with some "homemade ingenuity" can come up with!

A wonderful slideshow video showcasing our Armed Forces- worthy of the person who editted it- Kudos to you kind sir!

Russ

ILM Sells its Famed Physical Production Unit

Definitely the end of an era as far as I'm concerned...

The unit responsible in the largest part for the epic look and feel of films like Raiders, Star Wars, and even the Die Hard trilogy is to be sold off as a relic of the Lucasfilm/Industrial Light & Magic empire.

Though "officially" the sale is not yet complete, Variety News posted the following information regarding the long standing production house's inevitable sale and shuffle from ILM...

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117945240?categoryid=13&cs=1

Though it will be helmed by Mark Anderson, a model maker for ILM for some 15+ years, the actual physical 'production house' had actually never made the relocation to the Letterman Digital Arts Center move to San Fran's Presidio like much of the ILM base...

Instead, it continued to reside at its current [some say original!] stomping grounds on Kerner Avenue in San Rafael. ILM long ago was not recieving the quantity of requests-for-work that it had back in the 70s and 80s so thusly, the PP facility is being sold to what will hopefully be remonikered as Kerner Optical.

"Kerner Optical" will continue the legacy of ILM-esque quality work- but will no longer be bourne of the ILM name. They will also have "first right" to any work requiring physical production, but they will be wholy responcible for finding their own work to survive.

Truly the end of an era, both in the world of filmmaking as well as the Lucas Legacy as we once knew it.

"Who's Homer and..."

... What did he do to get himself "fixed"?

I've not seen questions concerning the little tilde' banner on teh right hand side of the page, but I'll head that question off at the pass!

So- firstly, the answer is "no"- FXHome has nothing to do with "the dog catcher" and it definitely has nothing to do with, ummmm... Well...

Okay- let's just say it has nothing to do with certain unpleasantries associated with "curbing one's mongrel tendancies..."

FXHome is the site of an English [Go UK! Could this be the next entertaining "British Invasion?"] group of people who have taken the film making/Special Effects scene in an effort to create software for the general purpose film afficianado and make it affordable so that special effects can be had by one and all!

Those in the know realize that when special effects are called for in a storyboard conference or a script notation, the abbreviation "FX" is used- well, it's no different here!

FXHome is a software suite of different programs [one of which is an "all encompassing" package] designed for use on the modest home or low budget professional's computer system.

Believe me when I say that some of what I've seen from students and hobbiests alike would rival many "professional" films that Hollywood has offered up!

In further installments, I hope to offer conversational prose here from the esteemed makers and caretakers of the FXHome group who continue to strive to keep their product usable, current and cutting edge throughout what in Hollywood would be considered a relatively short lifetime!

Stay tuned, True Believers! I guarrantee a 'first' concerning this amazing software and it's group of dilligent code warriors!

If you can't wait- feel free to run your mouse over the FXHomer Banner...

Find out for yourself what I and many like minded film makers and Special Effects wizards have already learned concerning this next step in the evolution of multimedia and film production!

Storm of the DEAD Site!

I can't help shamelessly promoting a new product- especially when I've had a hand in it! Also- in this instance, we're talking about some technical brilliance with the fine people of BC Entertainment group who work far harder than any sane human has ability to do to get this product out into the public eye.

Feel free to jump to the site below and feast your eyes on the latest- and dare I say exceptionally well done horror feast known as Storm of The DEAD!

http://bcentfilms.com/STORMoftheDEAD.html

And because I love the one-sheet poster for the film- here's a look at what you'll inevitably see in theaters or DVD boxes world-wide!

Storm of The DEAD Coming April 29!

John Lennon said that "Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans"- well, it would seem that in the time it's taken for me to work on SotD, "nest" for an upcoming little girl [born 4/3/06- YAY!] and now the premier of Storm of The DEAD coming next week- it's little wonder that I've had time to plan anything except my life!

Suffice it to say, with the film coming out, I'll have a lot of entries to file here at ISEFX for you- but thankfully with the film coming out, viewers will better understand some of the techniques thatI'll invariably try to impart to you in the coming weeks!

Please consider this my "hiatius" while my daughter has come into the world- I promise to keep fans of special effects and amoury "in the know" as the coming days progress!

Big things are starting to happen- Stay Tuned!

After Action Report!

T here's the story about The Cans, The Can't, and The Won'ts.

The Cans accomplish everything-
The Can'ts Accomplish nothing-
And The Won'ts oppose everything.

What most people see in TV or film is often the part thought most glamorous- the lights, the pampered attention to an actor's make-up and the intensely tuned attention of everyone in the crew intent to the actor's next line in a script...

But it seldom works out that way- especially in independent small budget films. It can seem at times that just getting the film in the can is a miracle! If fly-by aircraft and nearby cattle don't ruin the sound in a shot, flubbed lines and gunfights with guns that refuse to work name only a few of the myriad of things that can put a producer on edge!

BC Entertainment Group is definitely in the list of Cans.

With an impossibly short amount of time, budget and talent making things hairy, the proof will be in the finished project.

Now, I could allow hubris to step in and mention that my arms work and FX will help to garner that- but let's be honest; rifles malfunction, blood may or may not be proportioned in color to look correct on digital there's a number of things that I may or may not have accomplished on this film Storm of The DEAD, it'll be the camera angles, the lighting and fast editing to compliment or hide my work [and mistakes].

Film becomes a "perfect" thing only once it's ready to be shown on the screen and even then, the director may not approve of the final product as he or she notes something that could have been edited, emoted or otherwise shot differently.

Now that I've counted my fingers and toes [they're all there- thanks for asking...] I'll fill you in on the "gory" details of the making of this film over the course of the next few days.

Definitely stay tuned!

Russ