Godzilla at The Dinosaur Interplanetary Gazette. SPECIAL EFFECTS REPORT GodzillaMania!

Those folks at Centropolis are workin' their backsides off to bring the New 1998 Big G to rompin' stompin' life. Wanna know how they are doin' it? Read on!

Report Number
14 - Part II: With Dina Eaton, Music Editor
13 - Part I - Music Dina Eaton, the music editor on "Godzilla,"
12 - Part 2 - Miniature Pyrotechnic/Mechanical Effects Supervisor - Joe Viskocil
11 - Part 1 - Miniature Pyrotechnic/Mechanical Effects Supervisor - Joe Viskocil
10 - Visual Effects Supervisor - Volker Engel
9 - Film Editors - Peter Amundsen, David Siegel
8 - Visual Effects Editor, Peter Elliot.
7 - A Quiz! Don't cheat!
6 - Oh No! It's missing! Help! Help! Help!
5 - The Creature Shop, headed by Patrick Tatopoulos
4 - Making a Lake
3 - Rear Screen Projection and Green Screen
2 - Shooting in Oahu
1 - In The Beginning - Shooting in NYC
(Ummm. We're missing one of these. Does anyone have it? - Many Thanks to Gertrude Smith for her help!)

G- Factoid! The original Godzilla had a son named Minya. So far, no one has ever figured out where the egg came from!

GODZILLA
Production Report #14
Godzilla Fan Network Newsletter Issue #14

As many of you know, we host bi-weekly live chat sessions with the cast
and crew of Godzilla. Today (Tuesday, April 21) at 5:30PM PST, Kelly Van Horn, one of the producers of Godzilla, will be in our chat room to answer your questions about the movie. Here's your big chance to rub elbows with the Hollywood mogels!

Dont forget that there will be more information on "Godzilla" at
www.godzilla.com, and there will be additional exclusive stories on the
production at the sci-fi entertainment site Eon Magazine at http://www.
eonmagazine.com -- so check out both! And if you have enjoyed reading the
production reports so far definitely visit our weekly "live" chat sessions
on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Ask the artist yourself those burning
questions youve been wondering about!!!

Music. Its one of the most important elements of any film. Before
dialogue or even sound effects ever showed up in or "on" films, there was
some kind of music accompanying the movie images. Many people will even
argue that there never were any truly silent films since almost all had
an organist to play along with them. Most of you, if not all of you, are
familiar with what a composer does for a film. But, Ill bet very few of
you know what a music editor does. Im sure youve seen the credit in the
credit roll at the end of a film, but what exactly does this person do? I
sat down with Dina Eaton, the music editor on "Godzilla," to discuss her
background and more importantly her role in helping to bring Godzilla to
the screen.

Dina, who is English, was actually born in Germany. Her father was in the
Ministry of Defense. At the age of three, she moved to south England and
lived there for six years. She moved back to Germany again for three
more years, where every Thursday, she would go to the movies. There Dina
would watch a number of monster and fantasy films - she loved the Ray
Harryhausen films. She thought films were "wonderful and magical." When
she was twelve, her family moved back to the south of England, Sussex to
be exact, for good.

Growing up, Dina studied the recorder and the piano - she had a very
musical family. Her uncle was a composer and her grandmother played the
piano. And almost every other member of her family played musical
instrument. About once a month, she and her family would go to Brighton
for lunch, and then "retire into the drawing room" to play for the
afternoon. At sixteen she decided she would marry a film director - and
she eventually she did. Dina continued to study music through "high
school" and college. She attended a college in Oxford where she studied
communications. There she made three super 8 films. One was an animation
- very experimental. The other two live action. One of the films she
wrote and directed was based on a James P. Levy book - it turned out to be
about a ten to fifteen minute film.

At twenty one, she moved to London. One morning, after being there about
two weeks, she woke up and decided to work in the film business. Dina
went through the telephone book yellow pages and wrote about 25 letters to
film editors inquiring whether there were any positions available. A few
editors wrote her back. One recommended a person they knew at "60
Minutes," a European branch of the show, who was looking for an assistant.
Dina "rang" the guy, who asked if she knew how to sync dailies. She lied
and said "yes." She figured even one minute in a cutting room was better
than none. When she arrived at work, she confessed to not knowing how to
sync sound and picture. He gave her the job anyway. What was supposed to be a one week assignment blossomed into a three month position. There she met quite a few people. One of whom helped her get her next job on a film called "The Dove" as second assistant editor. The film was produced by
Gregory Peck.. This was her first feature film. It was shot in the
Galapagos Islands. The editor was John Jympson who cut such films as "A
Hard Days Night," "Zulu," "Where Eagles Dare," and more recently "In &
Out."

She followed John onto his next film, a musical called "The Old Curiosity
Shop." It was on this film that Dina met the man who would later become
her husband the films director. When she was finished with working as a
second assistant editor she moved over to help the music editor on the
project. After "Shop," she went to work on a little Sci-Fiction film
called "Star Wars." She worked on "Star Wars" for three months, syncing
and logging dailies, while it was being shot at EMI Elstree Studios in
North London. The film eventually moved to Los Angeles where Marcia Lucas took over. Even though she didnt continue with the film, Dina had a
wonderful time on the film and enjoyed hanging out with Mark Hamill and
Harrison Ford.

Dina went to work on "Return of the Pink Panther" and the "Revenge of the
Pink Panther." She worked as a first assistant editor and did some music
editing for the projects. "Return of the Pink Panther" was one of her
favorite films she ever worked on. They went on location to Hong Kong for
three weeks, and then to the South of France to film the rest of the
movie. Blake Edwards was "wonderfully extravagant and fabulous and very,
very clever." In addition, the friends she made on the film she
continues to stay in touch with to this day. She followed the music
editor onto the "Great Muppet Caper," then went to work on Hensons "The
Dark Crystal." First working as an effects editor then as the music
editor. This was her first role as the music editor on a film. Next were
such films as "Top Secret," "Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome," "Sunchasers"
"Sheltering Sky," "The Borrowers," and "Tomorrow Never Dies." After the
Bond film was over she reminded the composer, David Arnold, that she had a green card and could work in America. Dina soon got the call from David
to come work on "Godzilla."

Next week, Ill finish up with Dina by taking a look at exactly what a
music editor does on a feature film...

Part II of My Interview with Joe Viskocil
    You may have blown up a model car or two when you were growing up just as I did, but for Joe there are many more steps involved than just
putting a lit firecracker underneath a toy car. For example, let's say a
producer wants to blow up the Statue of Liberty. There are many things
you have to consider, Joe pointed out. You cannot just throw in some
powder and blow the model up. Joe has to think about all the variables:
what the model is made of, how big the model is, camera speed, camera
lens, film, what kind of pyro, how much pyro, overall look whether it be
a fireball or a lot of sparks - whatever the director wants.
    The key to blowing up a miniature is scoring and debris. As soon as the
model is finished, Joe immediately begins "tearing it apart." He'll
score the model depending on what direction he wants the explosion to go
in. Scoring involves slightly cutting away at the area he wants the
explosion to take place on the model. Once the desired "section" of the
model as been "weakened", Joe will then add the explosives into it. He
can usually do one test on the material that the model is made of and
then be ready to know how to properly prepare the model itself. Another
very important factor that must be taken into account is timing. Joe
has to think about how to choreograph the "bombs". Per his test, he
will know when ever single explosion needs to go off. With the naked
eye, an explosion looks like one giant fireball, but on film an audience
will see ever-single explosion going off. Joe must know exactly how an
explosion will appear on film, frame by frame, in his head before the
cameras ever roll.
    The one thing he strongly believes in is more finesse than explosions.
He generally works with black powder, smokeless powder, gasoline, Primo
chord (a rope like substance that travels at 22,000 ft per second and
cuts through objects like a blow torch and shatters it without flame and
smoke). In addition, he uses titanium, magnesium, and zinc to give the
explosion different looks - he can literally paint with fire.   In "Star
Wars" for example, he kept all the Tie Fighter explosions green since
their "lasers" were. He will take into account as many factors as
possible when designing the size and overall look of an explosion.
Many times Joe will study footage with a director from other films and
even real life footage to help match a particular vision the director
has.
    Throughout the night, before an explosion is to be filmed, Joe goes over
the shot again and again in his head.   He gets little if any sleep.
Once on the set the next day, he will usually go over with his crew what
needs to be done - i.e. running lines, additional scoring on the model,
placement of explosives, etc. Joe almost always makes the bombs himself
though. After his crew has prepped everything, the area is secured by
the assistant directors. Then, the only thing Joe needs to hear is that
all the cameras are completely set, the lights are perfect, and nothing
needs to be changed. Once he starts loading up the explosive chemicals
there is no turning back - his adrenaline is pumping and he is focused
110% on the task at hand. When everything is ready, he'll give the go
ahead signal. All is quiet. The cameras roll (at very high speeds),
and Joe sets off the explosion. After cut is called, the area has been
cleared, and any fires extinguished, he will then study the shot with
the director on a special "slow mo" video machine to make sure
everything went as desired. In Joe's case, a second take is rarely
ever required.
    Working on "Godzilla" has been one life long dream fulfilled for Joe.
He grew up watching the "big guy" stomp all over Tokyo. He particularly
loved the films because of all the miniature pyro work done in them. And
for this new version, he keeps the tradition going by destroying a lot
of landmarks in New York. The biggest difference Joe had to keep in
mind with this film, versus the originals, was that Godzilla was gonna
be CG (computer generated). Many of the effect shots he created had no
Godzilla in them at all. So Joe had to imagine what the surroundings
would look like once the creature finished with them. For example, if
Godzilla puts his "hand" into a building it doesn't explode it implodes.
Or if his tail hits something, again a building would cave in, not out.
Joe took a fairly low-tech approach to creating these effects with the
use of cables and counter weights. For these "implosions", wires were
attached to the façade of a model building, and pulled inward by cables
and sandbags that were electronically tripped. Later, when Godzilla is
added in and it will look like the CG creature is actually there causing
mass destruction.
    In addition to that effect, Joe and his crew did a number of miniature
rain, smoke, and lightning effects for other shots in the film including
a large ship model filmed in an outdoor tank - which Joe considers as
"some of the best stuff (he's) ever done." He says, that the key to
doing effects for films with CG creatures is putting elements into the
shots that are real. These elements, that he and his crew create, are
generally shot against black or a greenscreen - for example, mist, dust,
rain, miniature debris, and so on. They are later digitally added into
the shot containing a CG character/creature to help "sell" it's
interaction with real life settings. For example, if Godzilla takes a
step, then dust and dirt would kick up - that is if he was really there
and walking down the streets of New York. Joe feels that there must be
a mix of real elements, miniatures, and computer generated images. He
still strongly believes in the personal touch - i.e. hand done effects.
Without the human element, a shot looks too sterile and fake to him.
    On March 1st, Joe is going to London where he hopes to work on the live
action version of "Thunderbirds." A life long dream.

Part I: Joe Viskocil
    A few days ago, I was fortunate enough to sit down with Joe Viskocil,
our Miniature Pyrotechnic/Mechanical Effects Supervisor, and discuss his
work on "Godzilla" and his experiences leading up to the film. Though
born in Chicago, Joe actually grew up in South Gate, near Long Beach,
California. At age 11, his father brought him two "Famous Monsters of
Filmland" magazines one day. Instantly, Joe became interested in the
movies. They "blasted (his) imagination into another realm (he'd) never
seen before." He read the magazines cover to cover, and from then on he
knew he wanted to be apart of the movies. But what really pushed him
"over the top," was seeing Ray Harryhausen's "Seventh Voyage of Sinbad."
He thought, "How did he do that? I gotta be a part of (this)." During
his middle teens, Joe would take a bus from South Gate to Hollywood
where he collected movie stills and posters. He was a real fan of films
- in particular "War of the Worlds," "This Island Earth," and Jerry
Anderson's "Thunderbirds." Joe loved all the of the miniature work done
in those movies.
    At 21, he left college and started his very first job on "Flesh Gordon."
Joe figures he learned more in two weeks working on that movie than he
would have in two years at film school. He started as a production
assistant doing everything from sweeping floors to building some models.
Joe could do anything he wanted. So along with Dennis Muren (of ILM
fame), Tom Sherman, and Mike Miner, Joe helped to create shots for the
film. During the production he became almost obsessed with destroying a
castle model built by Tom Sherman. He begged to blow up it. At one
point Joe actually got on his knees in a restaurant and pleaded with Tom
to let him blast it to bits. The production couldn't find anyone in
Hollywood who "could make the small look big" so they let Joe take his
best shot at it. This would be the first time he ever blew anything up.
    There was no one who specialized in miniature pyrotechnics, so he saw
this as his foot in the door and a career in the industry. So Joe went
out and learned all he could about chemistry - what to do, and more
importantly what not to do. He even found a mentor who taught him how
to mix the chemicals to get the proper look for an explosion. Joe
learned there are "a million ways to create a look, a texture, and a
color in the way of chemicals." His attention to detail and extensive
research paid off. The effect went off well and the filmmakers were
very pleased. Joe was on his way.
    Four years later, he got a call to do "a little film called 'Star
Wars'." George Lucas was looking for someone to do miniature pyro. Joe
had heard of the film three years earlier when Lucas had shown "American
Graffiti" to a group of USC film students. After the screening, Lucas
was asked about what his next project was. George said only two words...
"Star... Wars." Well, that was all Joe had needed to hear. He "flipped
out." He was so excited about the possibilities behind a title like
that, that he went to Marin County. Joe arrived with only a reel of
16mm film, his portfolio, and no appointment at all. But the next thing
he knew, he was working on what has now become one of the most famous
films ever.
    During his time on "Star Wars," Joe created the "zero gravity explosion
process." This technique has the explosives mounted on the ceiling of a
stage facing towards a camera on the ground. The explosion blows
downward and at the camera thus creating a look like it is in space or
"zero gravity." And from that discovery, he created one of the most
memorable screen images in the last twenty years - the Death Star
exploding.
    After "Star Wars," Joe went on to work on such notable films as "Empire
Strikes Back," "Terminator" 1 & 2, "The Abyss," "True Lies," "Apollo
13," and "Independence Day." In addition to his miniature pyro work,
Joe has worked on commercials, and rock videos (including some for
Michael Jackson). But he can also blow up real cars, simulate
rainstorms, etc. Joe feels that you can easily get type cast in a
particular position in the industry. And though he loves what he does,
he is very interested in working more with "full size" mechanical
special effects. He loves to be on the set when "adrenaline is pumping"
and the gags have to be on time, and ready to go because the cast and
crew are waiting.

Next issue, I will finish my talk with Joe and give you a behind the
scenes look at what steps Joe goes through every time he has to blow
something up....

    This week I had a chance to catch up with our incredibly busy Visual
Effects Supervisor, Volker Engel. Volker was born, and raised in
Germany, where he began at the age of seven, watching Walt Disney and
Charlie Chaplin films on a small, plastic no frills projector. He would
spend hours watching the short films over and over again, day after day.
Volker's projector had a crank on it that allowed him to study the films
not only forwards and backwards, but more importantly, frame by frame.
He would study the movements in each frame and his helped him to
understand "the technique of how you put (the) frames together." From
that moment on he was hooked on these magical images.   At fourteen,
Volker bought his first camera, and began making his own films. Some
stop motion, others live action. While making his first "epics," "Star
Wars" came out and changed his life forever. It was this film that
inspired him to try his own explosions and miniature effects.   Volker
experimented with all types of techniques in 8mm-matte paintings,
models, etc.. This early passion led him to his first studies in the
field of animation. At film school, he continued his work in animation
while also learning about live action film making.

While receiving a ride home one day, a film school friend of Volker's
made an unplanned stop at a bookstore. It was there that Volker met a
man who would introduce him to Oliver Scholl (Oliver later became the
production designer on "Independence Day" and "Godzilla"). Oliver then
introduced Volker to a well known German film maker who, amazingly
enough, worked less than 300 yards from Volker's apartment ... Roland
Emmerich. One afternoon, Volker took a video tape of his work to show
him. Roland was so impressed with his work that he hired Volker as a
model maker on "Moon 44." At first Volker simply built models, but as
time went on, he became more involved with all of the effects on the
film and even oversaw filming some of them. Roland recognized Volker's
amazing contribution, gave him a raise, and final credit as Visual
Effects Supervisor. After "Moon 44," Volker traveled to the US and
worked as model maker on "Universal Soldier." As before, he ended up
making a more substantial contribution to the film than originally
planned. After his work on the film was completed, Volker returned to
Germany and to his studies. The film school he was attending eventually
asked him to teach classes at the university. Then one day came the
phone call from Roland. He explained that he was doing this film about
aliens that attack earth-sort of a "War of the Worlds." Before Volker
knew it, he was once again on a plane to the US. This time to stay for
quite a long time, and, as you probably know, to go on to win an Oscar
for his work on "ID4."

When Roland and Dean began assembling the crew for "Godzilla" one of the
first people they called was, of course, Volker. He along with many of
the same FX artists, camera crew, and visual effects technicians
returned to work on "Godzilla" and interestingly enough, to the exact
same buildings that we shot "ID4" in. As a visual effects supervisor,
Volker's role is to be "the director for the visual effects." Even
though he now has a very good understanding of Roland's style, they
still discuss all of the shots and study the story boards extensively.
He's there to keep an eye on every aspect of the visual effects.
Volker's day usually begins day at 7:15 am at the VFX stage. He watches
the dailies (from the day before) of the elements they shot. It could
be anything from an entire city block exploding to shots of rain against
a black background. Next, he heads out onto the stage to look at and
discuss the shots needed for the day. Volker will set up the shots with
his crew and then they will begin the long, and many times tedious,
process of trying to make something that doesn't really exist look real;
or a model that is only three feet tall look over thirty stories tall.

Every element, i.e. a miniature car, a plane, an explosion, etc is shot
separately so they can be individually manipulated in any way shape or
form necessary to fit properly into a shot. Next, Volker would then
head to main unit filming where he would watch over any of the shots
being filmed that would eventually require an effect being added in.
Volker could recommend that the scene be filmed in a certain way so that
it would better allow an element(s) to be added to later. Now that VFX
filming is complete Volker spends his days helping to supervise the over
2,000 elements as they are integrated into the movie.

Having to oversee almost 400 shots for the film can be overwhelming, but
from what I have seen so far, Volker and the VFX team are once again
creating some eye popping shots. Interestingly enough, it is Volker's
dream to one day do a film that only requires a significantly smaller
number special effects shots. He would love to have the time to really
concentrate on making each shot perfect. Until then, he will continue
to trash, crash, and generally annihilate some of the most famous cities
on the planet.

As many of you are aware, a film is not shot in sequential order
and then simply "taped" together into one long piece of emulsion. It takes
a film editor, working with the director, to put all of the different shots
and scenes together into one cohesive story - with a beginning, middle,
and end. There are actually two editors working on "Godzilla" -- Peter
Amundson and David Siegel, A.C.E.. Though both are feverishly working to cut scenes so the film will be ready for May 20th, David was able to take a few minutes out of his day to talk with me about his work.

David majored in pre-veterinary medicine and minored in film
studies at Cornell University and Ithaca College. After graduation, he
worked for several years at a commercial editing house in New York. David worked on number of "spots" including some with such noted celebrities as Joe Namath, Farrah Fawcett , and even Jimmy Stewart, who did an ad for Firestone Tires. David gained a great deal of experience cutting sound effects as well as picture. From there he went on to work on Warren Beatty's "Reds" in 1980 as an assistant editor. The editorial crew blossomed from 15 to over 65 people in a very short time, and David had to supervise the group. After "Reds," he served as an assistant editor and/or standby editor on "Prizzi's Honor," and "Silkwood," and then even worked with Ron Howard for five years. But
it was a project with David Lynch that brought him out to Los Angeles,
which eventually led him towards a nomination for an Emmy for "Law and Order." In addition he worked on the series "Fallen Angels," produced by Sydney Pollack, with such directors as Tom Cruise, Peter Bogdanovich, Michael Lehmann, and Agieszka Holland.

Now as a full fledged picture editor, David explained that he
feels it is his job to "help the director and writer tell the story in the
best possible way... storywise and visually." He works very closely with the production team to make selections of the best takes and angles from each day's dailies. David must take all of the pieces shot over a number of months and put them together in a way that best tells the story. On the first day of shooting, David begins his work. He assembles scenes as the movie is shot. This helps the director see if any shots are needed to help complete a scene, but even more so it helps have the film cut a few weeks after shooting is done. Particularly with a film like "Godzilla" it is necessary to have the film, in even a rough form, as soon as possible so the visual effects crew can begin working on the needed computer generated elements. Though David does find it a little "tricky and certainly challenging" to cut a film without the main character in the movie yet, he has found ways to get around this problem. He frequently uses sound effects, music, and even visual cues to "place" Godzilla in a scene and help him with the timing of his cut.

On most movies, there is only one editor on the project, but in
the case of larger films like "Godzilla" more than one person is needed to
finish the film in time. This is the first film for David cutting with another
editor, but he and Peter share the work and "their sensibilities are very
similar." Besides, David feels that "the material dictates the cutting" and he tries not to impose his own personal style on the film, but rather let the footage suggest out the scene and ultimately the film should be assembled.

David works on an a computerized editing machine called an AVID.
It is based on an Apple computer system. The AVID allows David to edit the film in a nonlinear fashion - not in sequential order. In other words, he can pull a shot or scene from the end of a "reel" and easily move it to the head without effecting all of the elements involved. In the old days, if the director or editor wanted to move a shot around, it would take hours to fix the sound, etc. that was effected by the move. Each day, he has the dailies transferred to Beta video tape. From the Beta tape he then transfers the footage and inputs it into his computer. David can run eight sound channels, two dialogue tracks, three or four effects tracks, and several music tracks at one time while working. His editing controller is hooked six AVID computer towers. Each tower has 63 gigabytes of hard drive space - that's over 30 times the capacity of most home computers. Once the film has been cut together a list of the shots is generated with matching code numbers to the original piece of film. A "real" print of the film is cut so it can be shown on the big screen. The editors ultimately like to see film this way to allow them to judge the proper timing of shots and the overall pace of the film. Ultimately the film is finished in the old fashion way. Film is literally cut and spliced together along with the dialogue, music and effects tracks. Until that time, David enjoys using the modern technology available to him and the ease with which it allows him to do his work.

Since we are heavily into post production on Godzilla, I thought
this would be a great time to give you an up close and personal look at
the people helping to put this summer's blockbuster together. Some of
the most important crews on any film are the editors. They are the
ones responsible for assembling all the footage shot into one finished
and coherent story. They have to sift through the thousands upon thousands of feet of film just to find the perfect shot or take.

This week I would like to introduce you to our Visual Effects Editor,
Peter Elliot. A graduate of Cal State Northridge film school, Peter
began his film career as a sound effects. This is someone who arranges
and "cuts in" all the sound effects you hear in a film - gun shots, car
horns, a baby crying, etc.. He worked on twenty films in two years, as
a sound cutter, before moving onto picture editing. Peter started
working as an assistant picture editor on "Stargate" with editor
Michael Duthie. By working closely with Michael and Roland Emmerich,
he learned a great deal about how a picture and its story come together
in the editing process. He was even able to work one on one with
Roland in cutting some of the scenes for the film. After "Stargate," he
moved onto "Judge Dredd," again as a picture editor, but in addition he also started handling the effects editing for the film. After "Judge Dredd" was finished, Peter was approached by Peter Winther,then associate producer on "Independence Day," to work as an effects editor. He did such a good job on ID4 that he was asked back to work on "Godzilla."

So what is an effects editor? He or she is the individual responsible
For keeping track of all of the effects elements in a film. These can
Involve anything from shots of explosions to all types of model and
miniature shots. Each day Peter attends the visual effects dailies,
where he will sit with Roland and our visual effects supervisor, Volker
Engel, and evaluate the "quality" of the shots filmed the day before.
Just like a picture editor will look at the best takes for an actor's
performance, Peter too looks at the quality of an explosion, the
movement of a miniature car or plane, or simply the overall look of a
model of a building. He, along with Volker, will choose the best takes
for each element then begin the long tedious process of cataloging
them.

Once the elements are collected, Peter will turn them into
"picture files" that the CGI animators and composting artist will use
to create the desired effects shot. He selects only the portion of the
element or shot needed - not a frame more or less. The shot is then
changed into bytes via a special transfer machine that literally scans
a frame of a shot one at a time - line by line by line. It can
literally take hours to transfer even just a few seconds of one shot.
Once the images are scanned he will sit again with Volker at his AVID,
a computerized editing machine, and actually create a very crude
version of the shot using each of the necessary elements. He then
takes this "road map" of the shot and gives it, along with all the
transfers of the shot's elements, to the animators and/or compositors.
>From this rough idea, the animators can begin assembling the shot
elements together. Later, Volker and Roland will fine tune the shot and
make any necessary adjustments. While the animators are attacking their
assigned shot, Peter is already onto to the next one, arranging the
elements for their assignment.

One thing that Peter does differently than most visual effects
editors is work closely with the picture editors to design the basis of
each effects shot. He tries to make sure that each shot's action or
movement will integrate seamlessly into the final picture. But none of
this he does alone. His assistant Alessa "runs the cutting" and without
her he says, "everything would fall apart." She keeps everything
updated on his AVID, in addition to keeping the original elements
safely stored and cataloged so they are easily accessible. Most of the
elements are stored by shot, but some are categorized by the element
themselves. Some times the visual effects film crew will shoot generic
explosions, steam elements, people running or reacting to something,
etc.. Peter and his assistant can keep these at their fingertips
and instantly insert them into a shot if need be to help add to the
realism.

Eventually Peter hopes to work strictly as a picture editor. He did
An exceptional job on cutting the pilot episode for "The Visitor" and looks to have a bright future ahead of him.

Next issue, we will continue to look at the editorial staff and the many challenges that the rest of the crew faces.

Column One

1) Flying In
2) Wrap
3) Martini
4) Grace
5) Crew Call
6) Honey Wagon
7) Stand In
8) AD
9) PA
10) Craft Service
11) Clapper
12) Loader
13) Sticks
14) Hot Head

Column Two

a) A drink that Bond has shaken
b) A short prayer said before lunch each day
c) The last shot of each day
d) A popular tortilla like food usually filled with lettuce, tomatoes,
rice, etc.
e) The time when each crew member is called on the phone and told what the shot will be
f) The board that is used to label each shot or "take" just as the
camera rolls
g) Assistant Director - the person who assists the director in running
the set
h) Production Assistant - a person who assists other members of the
crew
i) A person who stands on the set and applauds after each shot
j) When any kind of aircraft is directed to fly directly at the camera
k) An effects person who loads the fake bullets in weapons on a set
l) An expression that means a much needed item is being brought to set
m) An Art Director - the one in charge of the look of the sets, etc.
n) A period of time when the film company is not penalized for working
the crew over time
o) The end of each film day when the crew is allowed to finally go
home
p) Pretty Average - what a crew member calls an uncomplicated shot
q) The restrooms that the crew uses when filming on location
r) The person who puts the film in the camera magazine
s) The person who literally stands or walks where an actor will, while
the shot is being prepared
t) The exact time that crew members are expected to be on the set at
the start of each day
u) The truck or tables where all the snacks and sodas are set up each
day for the crew
v) A shot in which the actor only has to stand in one spot and say
their lines
w) Pieces of wood found on the ground in forest
x) A camera tripod used for holding up the motion picture camera
y) A temperamental actor or crew member on a set
z) A device that the camera is mounted on and then run via remote
control. Used when the camera is placed on the end of a crane.

After two more days of filming at Falls Lake, we were back to the Sony Lot.And yes, you guessed it... more Greenscreen. But since we've covered the wonderful world of "Green", I thought I would "talk" a little bit about three other very important groups working on the film. They are the Creature Shop, Centropolis Effects, and VisionArt.

The Creature Shop, headed by Patrick Tatopoulos, the man responsible for the creatures in "Stargate" and the aliens in "Independence Day," has worked around the clock on designing and constructing the new Godzilla. They have actually built a few different scales of the creature to be used according to the shot requirements. I toured the top secret shop again recently, and cannot say enough great things about the work they are doing. The creature is looking amazing! But of course Patrick doesn't do all this alone. He has a crew of over hundred seventy artist and technicians helping with all aspects of production. These men and women are skilled in many different areas of expertise. There are sculptors, mold makers, foam and electrical technicians, mechanical designers, and painting and suit technicians all of whom make an equally significant contribution to the final product. The shop is essentially one large warehouse divided into separate work areas much like an industrial factory but much cooler. There is a giant oven for curing the latex molds, a special vented room for mixing the foam latex, another area painting the eyes and the skin, and there is even an area for working on the big guys inner workings.

As many of you are probably aware by now, Roland and Dean are adding a refreshing realism to this already successful series and character. Not only will the creature be leaner and faster, but he will also benefit greatly from the latest in CGI technology. As I mentioned above, two companies are handling the Computer Generated Images and compositing for "Godzilla." One of them is our very own company, Centropolis Effects, a group composed of a number veterans from "Independence Day." The other is VisionArt, an extremely talented group of artist, who also worked on ID4 and have created effect shots for such projects as "Star Trek: First Contact," "Men in Black" and "Executive Decision."

Each company is using a different technique to "breath" life into the
creature. Centropolis Effects is using key frame animation to create
shots of Godzilla. This process requires the artist to essentially build the
beginning position of Godzilla, the ending position, and a few of the "key"
movements in between. The computer will then fill in the rest, thus
creating a designated action. There is usually some fine tuning, but this process saves hours and hours of valuable time. VisionArt on the other hand is using a process called Motion Capture or MoCap. Simply put, this technique involves placing an actor in a MoCap suit in front of special cameras that record his movements into a computer. This gives VisionArt's animators a real time look at how the creatures movements will look. Later, the CG model of Godzilla is then combined with this information/movements that were recorded and then the creature moves exactly like the performer did. Both companies will also composite shots on their super computers for the film. Compositing is the "merging" of two or more elements together into one image. For example, a shot of a New York Street and Godzilla racing down it.

Well, I just watched visual effects dailies a few minutes ago and the CG
Godzilla shots look awesome. Even though the artist are still fine tuning
the images, we are seeing some amazing looking shots of Godzilla stomping through New York and interacting with our actors. We actually watch VFX shots every day. Roland sits with the artist in our projection room and runs through the shots over and over again discussing what he would like to see changed. The shots are outputted from the computer onto film so he can see what each one will look like projected. Once all the changes have been discussed the artist will go off and make their changes and then Roland will watch them all over again - sometimes even the next day. It can be a tedious process but the pay off is always worth the extra attention to detail! Godzilla is looking so life like it's astounding.

In issue #6, I'll tell you about our last week of filming and some of the
fun shots we did. We'll also continue to look at the Post Production
process and meet some of the other departments involved... See you soon.

********************
                               GODZILLA
                          Production Report #4
                             By Will Plyler
                          ********************

It was back to nights when we headed out to the Valley to shoot two
sequences at Universal Studios. Our filming took place at Falls Lake - a
giant outdoor pool located in a field on the back lot. Normally this large
"cement pond," as the Beverly Hillbillies would have called it, looks like
a quiet little lake, but we pumped in thousands of gallons of water to create a mini ocean. We created a storm by having a guy ride a Jet Ski in circles thus creating waves in the water and we added lots of smoke (fog) and tons of rain. To rig all of the special lighting and rain equipment in the air, we brought in six giant cranes worth over a million dollars each. They raised huge water bars high in the air, thus covering the entire lake with rain. Eight foot tall fans ran during the shot to create wind and to blow the rain for dramatic effect.

At one end of the lake, we built a full size mock up of a boat landing and
wooden pier located along the shore of the Hudson River - that's in New
York for those of you who are geographically challenged. This was for the sequence you might have seen in the new trailer. Along the opposite side of the pool, we placed a gigantic painted backing of the night sky which blocked out the city lights of Burbank. For the other sequence, we faced in the opposite direction to film a full size mock-up of a boat. It actually "worked" for a few different boats out sailing together in the wide-open ocean -- with a little redressing and a name change you'll never know the difference. They come into play in a rather surprising confrontation with the Godzilla - of course you'll have to wait to see what comes about. In addition, we even built some amazingly real miniature boats for a fun special effect that take place at the end of the sequence - you won't be disappointed. By the way, look for the names of the boats to honor a very famous comedy team. The dock we filmed is featured in the new teaser trailer - which you can download on our website.

Even though our actors had to go into the water for a "midnight swim," we were able to stay nice and dry (and loving that!) by using a special piece
of equipment which allowed us to place the camera right in the middle of the action while keeping us safely out of the way of the rather large moving boat! It's called a Technocrane. A Panavision camera is mounted on the end of the crane on a "hot head." The camera operator sits off to the side and via cables/remote control is able to follow the action while watching a video monitor. One of our grips stands next to the Technocrane and can raise and lower the camera or extend the cranes neck to get the camera exactly where Roland, our director, wants it. For example, we can be on a tight close up of an actor's face and then suddenly pull back to a high angle shot looking down on him as he reacts to his predicament -- all in one smooth shot. The takes looked great on our video playback monitors, and even better in dailies the next day. The boat wasn't actually real. Just the top part that you would see above the water was built. Underneath were large pontoons which kept it afloat. A cable hidden under water, and attached to one of the cranes, would pull it through the water. When we looked back at the footage it looked as if we had filmed the entire sequence out in the middle of the ocean miles from land.

That's a wrap for now… but next issue, we'll take a closer look who's
providing some of the fabulous effects for the film…

Rear Screen Projection and Green Screen were the words of the week.
“RP,” as it’s called if you’re in the know, is exactly what it sounds
like. Since there are times when it is easier, and more importantly
safer, to film actors riding in a car, boat, or plane on stage, it is
necessary of course to have images of streets, etc. showing outside the
windows on a screen behind the vehicle to “sell.” This gives the
illusion of movement when they are actually just “parked” on a sound
stage. We used this process for sequences in which our heroes race
through the streets of New York, in a car, trying to save the city from
Godzilla.

The procedure was fairly simple. We placed a real car on a hydraulic
mount which rocked back and forth simulating bumps on a street think
“Urban Cowboy” but without the Honky Tonk and beer. Behind the car, a
large screen was hung , and then behind the screen a special projector
was placed about 35 to 40 yards away. It projected footage that we
filmed from a speeding vehicle, driven by a stuntman, through the real
New York streets --- and please don’t try this at home, or while
visiting Manhattan. When the footage was played back on the screen, it
looked like the car was racing down the streets. On the opposite side
or camera side, a smaller screen was mounted in the air above the
vehicle. Here we projected different images of buildings filmed from
below. These pictures reflected in the windows of the car, giving the
shots that extra bit of realism. Then “on the day,” slang for when the
cameras are running, “fake” rain was added, and Matthew, Jean, Maria,
and Hank were taken for the ride of their lives.

To supplement the rear screen, we used another technique that has been
around for years. As you may recall, I mentioned in my last report that
Matthew arrives in one of the sequences in an old sea plane. Again,
rather than putting him in a small plane with a film crew, we actually
shot his close-ups in a mock up of the plane on our stage. Outside the
window, we placed a painted sky, and then blew smoke past the window to
give the sense of flying. This procedure is commonly referred to as
“poor man’s process.” We also used this method for filming a few of the
less intense sequences in which the actors were driving at night. By
bouncing the car a little, and periodically flashing lights through the
windows we were able to simulate a ride through the streets of New York
all from Stage 15 in Culver City. It is a very convincing technique,
which in some cases goes unrecognized even by an expert eye.

Lastly, green screen. It too is an aptly named technique. We hung a
120 foot bright green curtain in an arc along one end of Stage 15. We
then filmed our actors running, diving, and reacting to number of
different situations which were not easily, if at all possible, to film
in real life. Once the film is processed, and scanned into a computer,
our digital compositors can then remove all of the “green screen” green
from the shot and replace it with any image we want -- an explosion, a
miniature building that doesn’t really exist, or more importantly…Godzilla. In addition to filming our principal actors, we also filmed scenes of the military, on foot and in Humvees, as they toobattle to save New York. Even though they are wearing camouflage outfits, the green in the screen is different enough to allow us to remove it from the shot without effecting any other colors.

Once we finished filming in Los Angeles (mid August), we jetted to the
fabulous and exotic island of Oahu -- that's in Hawaii for those of you
are geographically challenged. Based at the ever-lovely Hilton Turtle
Bay (I'm hoping for free room), we would venture out each morning
before sunrise to start our production day. We filmed along the North
and North Eastern Shore of the island. Our locations included Kualoa
Ranch, Kahuku Beach, Kaawa Valley, and Kualoa Beach Park. Yes,
that's a lotta K's, but then practically everything named in Hawaii
starts with a K or a W, which makes getting lost really easy. Part of
the crew flew in from Los Angeles, but the rest were Hawaiian. Though
our locations were beautiful, we did go through an ocean of suntan
lotion and fresh water as we fought the heat and humidity.

The shoot went very well and we got some terrific footage for scenes of
Matthew Broderick, Jean Reno, Vicki Lewis, Kevin Dunn, and
Malcolm Danare working on beaches and in a remote island village as
they look for clues to Godzilla's mysterious appearance. With the aid
of special military forces, Matthew's character searches through the
wake of Godzilla's destructive path in an effort to better understand
the beast's biological origins. He arrives in the sequence in a
wonderful old seaplane (look for "G" peg) and is whisked away in
secrecy by the US Military. Of course you'll have to wait till the movie
comes out to see the awe-inspiring sights they show him.

Since I keep mentioning what we've been filming, I felt I should tell
you what a typical day is like. Each shooting day we receive a "call
sheet." It contains all the pertinent information we will need for that
day's work - this is generated by the Assistant Directors. Along the top
is the CREW CALL time. That's when you have to be on the set to
prepare for filming.

Typically, we have to be there (stage or location) around 7 am in the
morning - yes, there's a lotta coffee drinking going on - in my case
Diet Pepsi (another personal plug). Underneath that is the SHOOTING
CALL. That's the time when we anticipate getting our first shot off by.
Generally that's an hour and half to two hours after the crew call (of
course actual times may vary). This allows for the time required to set
up the camera, position lights, rehearse the scene with the actors, but
more importantly get some breakfast!! Catering is the key to keeping
the crew happy.

All right (munch, munch) enough about food and back to the call sheet.
In the middle is a list of the scenes to be shot that day. Listed are
the scene numbers, a simple one line description of the scene(s) to be shot,
the cast members required and the length of the scene(s) which are
listed by page length. Say, 1/8 a page or 3/8 page, even up to and
beyond three pages. We then have a total count for the number of pages to be
shot that day. Usually that's no more than two or three pages though.
Below the scenes list is a list of the cast members working that day.
They are listed by name, character name, and the time required for
them to be in make-up and hair so they can be prepared for shooting
(filming that is). So for example, Matthew Broderick would be listed
in the cast column, next to his character name "Nick Tatopoulos." His
status for the day would be "W," which stands for work. Then he would
have leave call of 5:50am. A make-up call for 6:30am. And a set call of
8 am. Pretty glamorous huh?

Then, below all of this is listed any special equipment or mechanical
effects required for the scenes, and all of vehicles that are to be in
the scene(s). On the back of the call sheet is a list of every crew member
working that day, their crew position, and the exact time they are
required to be there -- another reminder of when to show up!!! Now
this completed our principle photography and thus main unit filming.

Next week, I'll make you all experts on the wonderful world of rear
screen projection. Till then aloha and mahalo - (that's Hawaiian talk
for good-bye and thank you).

Date: Mon, 29 Sep 1997 16:13:11 -0700
Subject: Godzilla Weekly #1 GODZILLA Weekly Production Report #1 by Will Plyler
From New York to Los Angeles, Los Angeles to Oahu the "Godzilla" film crew has filmed for 80 days now. Our shooting crew of over 200 men and women has faced rain, mini twisters, exploding manhole covers, rats, cockroaches, sunburn, and lots and lots of fish all to bring you the latest incarnation of Godzilla. And now you can be apart of this ongoing adventure.

Each day during filming, a breakdown of the previous day's work, or progress report if you like, was distributed. The production report is a record of the amount of time spent filming the previous day, the actors and crew members that worked, the
number of feet of filmed exposed along with other pertinent data, and
most importantly of course, what time lunch was "called"!
So for the next nine months I'm going to provide similar information to
you the Godzilla fan. I'll tell you what we've been filming each
week, how the special effects and editing are coming along, who the different people are working on the film, and heck, I'll even tell you
about my lunches (the key to making it in this town). I'll take you
behind the scenes to learn about the editing, computer generated imaging, sound mixing, music scoring, and a whole lot more.

Of course the first question you may be asking yourself, and if you're not you
should be, is "Who is Will and what the heck does he know?" Well, if I may talk about "me" for a moment (a favorite Hollywood topic) I'll let you know what I do on the film. Drum roll please- I am "The Assistant to the
Executive Producer" of the film. Pretty impressive title, huh? But what
does all of this really mean? My boss is responsible for not only overseeing the budget and schedule of the film but the entire shooting
crew including our special effects group. My job is to make sure his
coffee mug is filled each day, the pencils are sharpened, the seat cushion is fluffed, and the air conditioning temperature is set to a perfect
73.52 degrees. All right I'm just kidding: he doesn't drink
coffee. No, in reality it's my job to help him keep up with all that, so that means there's very little that goes on with the film that I don't know about- which is good news for you.= Since this is my first report I should probably
catch you up on what's been happening so far.

As you probably know by now, the movie was written by Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich. Roland is directing and Dean is producing. We started filming in New York. Manhattan to be exact, on May 3rd 1997. The film has an all
star cast including (but not limited too) Matthew Broderick, Jean Reno, Maria Pitillo, Hank Azaria, Kevin Dunn, Arabella Field, Michael Lerner, Philippe Bergeron, Vicki Lewis, Doug Savant, Harry Shearer, and Malcolm Danare.

Shooting took place from Saturday through Wednesday. This allowed us to
have at least two "weekend" days in our shoot so that we could receive permission to film at sites unavailable during the week, like Wall Street and the South Street Seaport. All of our exterior shoots involved rain. And for your
information, rain equals pain. A pain in the butt. a pain in the
neck and a pain on the dry cleaning bill. When we wet an area down we really wet it down. Our mechanical effects crew used huge cranes to
raise special water pipes over the sets. They would then pump hundreds
of gallons of water onto the set to create rain, even if it was already raining! Filming went very well and New York looked great.

We returned to Los Angeles on May 26th. Shooting continued bright and early at 7:30 am on the 27th at the Sony Studios in Culver City. Most of our filming took place on Stage 15. There were as many as eight sets at a time on that stage. From a New Jersey apartment to a New York roof top to the bridge of a giant ship we covered the stage floor from wall to wall. Additional sets were constructed on Stages 27, 29, and 30 - each with one gigantic set. Some of our sets were over five stories high. Not only did we film on the Sony Lot, but we also spent a few weeks in downtown Los Angeles, using locations to double for New York City. With some simple redressing (changing advertisements, covering street signs, and a dozen or so yellow cabs) we were able to create very convincing New York streets right in the heart Los Angeles.
Since downtown LA is much less congested at night than New York, it was
easier to film our more complicated and exciting chase sequences through the streets here. In addition to our main unit filming, we had a second unit filming extra footage to enhance battle scenes as well as provide many of the spectacular shots you will see that are too time consuming for our first unit to film. When all is "shot" and done, we will have filmed over 400,000 feet of film, and that's not including all film for the special effect shots. I'll tell you more about our 2nd Unit in later issues.

So there's your first taste of "Godzilla". I hope you, the reader, will take time to write me about questions you have about the making of the movie. I will tell you everything I can, but some things are secret till next Memorial Day when
Godzilla hits the silver screen.

Next week, I'll cover our filming in Hawaii and maybe even throw in a
few tanning tips.