Conflict Of The Ages Based - New Movie

[Dr. Shane]

Sorry about the size there...

I just linked to the site.

[Sulla]

Aliensanctuary - Angels: One goal of the characters is to be quickly and easly recognizable without any explanation. So it helps if things look as people expect them if all possible. Also this is also based on Ellen Whites writings. She says things like "the heavenly angels were continually wafting their wings over them to scatter the thick darkness. {CET 175.2}"

Aliensanctuary - Team/Budget: With the speed of new computers and using Final Cut Pro or Adobe Preimer editing is no longer a problem http://www.peachpit.com/bookstore/product.asp?isbn=0735714266&rl=1. Same goes for editing of music. 3D work does reguire lots of time but can be done on normal highend desktop PCs. I personaly use 3D Studio Max. You can see some samples of how good things can be now http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=399499 . Also we will probobly be using Terragen 2 http://www.planetside.co.uk/gallery/f/tg2 . And of course much of the key modeling and shots will be outsourced to FX Houses in different parts of the world were we can get the most for the money.

Aliensanctuary - camera equpment: No camera equipment its all going to be digital 2D and 3D work. Some stock footage of history and war will probobly be used also.

Aliensanctuary - budget: Should be able to be done now at a fraction of what it would have cost 4 or 5 years ago.

[Sulla]

Shane - That image if used will be illustrating some of the many conflicts in history. Its a painting of the Battle of Trafger I believe.

[Sulla]

Oh also remember this is going to be made for TV and DVD not for theaters. That means the size of the video is much much smaller. So storage is also smaller and render times are smaller. So of course cost is smaller.

[Dr. Shane]

That would be a good illistration of the failed attempt by Nepolian to take control of Europe. He lost most of his ships and nearly 50% of the French and Spanish sailors died in that battle.

[Sulla]

Exactly right Shane. Also keep in mind we will probobly change it over to 2.5D using projection mapping and adding water effects and animation to it etc so that it really comes aline.

[Neil D]

Well does not do me much good unless you tell me your honest truth:)

Ok, but you asked for it....

It's great eye candy. The music is good...could be more modern, but it's ok.

However, the theme lacks depth...True, it's a subject we hold dear to our heart, however and it resenates with many christians.

But let's face it. It's nastalgic, and after 5 minutes, I was becoming bored.

I am not that great on any movie that is narrated. I don't like people telling me what I should believe, do, or feel. Ok, I have an authority problem. But if you want me to identify with a main character, then you have to show me something that causes me to identify with him. It's one thing to tell me to have sympathy for someone, it's another to show an unjust trial, and the punishment for something that a person never did.

IOWs, don't tell me that God said that creation was good. Let me see it and feel it. I will identify then with God when He said that creation was 'very good'.

Basically, you have some good shots and good cgi. But you are making the same mistakes that most rookie directors make...an audience that feels empathy toward what you are showing.

On my scale of "going to see a movie", the trailer rates a 6. It takes a 7 or better to get me out of my house to see the movie in a theater. However, I will wait for the DVD version to come out. That takes a 5 or better...

[Sulla]

Well really I am normaly a worse critic than any one else so NP:)

Ok lets see if I can sort thrue this...

First the teaser only gives an idea of sorta what it will look like. So dont take it as what the finished project will looklike.

Secound as stated before its going to show an overview of the plan of redemption. It will show characters satan before the fall, Jesus, satan as he changes over time etc. But it will not be a typical dramatic movie like from hollywood. We have plenty of council in the spirit of prophecy on drama. And I am going to make it by those rules not hollywoods. ......

Third So if we continue from above the reason we dont have dialog and dramatic acting and are redoing the story to make a complete characters is becouse of guidence we have in the Spirit of Prophecy not becouse I over looked it as a rookie:) But it will show more characters in the movie I just didnt have $50k to make the teaser with:)

Fourth About right on the scale thats all the teaser was ment to be about a 6. Its not a trailer.

Also remember its going to be on TV and DVD not at the movies. From the start I have known it cant be a movie like The Chronicles of Narnia for example. I am playing by different rules. So going by the rules laid out in the Spirit of Prophecy I can make it flow. I can show the most of the characters I can get from the Bible and spirit of prophecy and I can make it look amazing. But its like comparing a fantasy noval to Desire of ages. You can illustrate the Desire of Ages and make it look nice. You can even cut it down and make it a faster read. But its not ever going to be a melodramatic fantasy novel.

Now if you dont agree with the Spirit Of Prophecy books on drama and fiction etc that a secound topic:) But I do hppe I have gotten to all of the questions. And I am glad you took the time to post them. The cofirm exactly what I already thought.

[Dr. Shane]

People that watch too much high action drama, like is often on television, do not have an appreciation for slower pace productions. There are many, for example, that invest in Christian sattelite so they can have Christian television in their home but, because it isn't action packed like network television and the movies, it bores them. Consequently, they have a dish in their yard that they hardly use.

The lunch room at work has a TV in it and I often see parts of the soap opras that are on. They have high paid actors, attractive and good script writers. People come to expect that from their entertainment. If we want to get people like that we need to either come up with the same type of productions (which some Christian studios have) or wean them off from it.

I like what I see in your teaser as a middle ground. It isn't as boring as a preacher at a Revelation seminar (no offense Doug Batchelor) but it isn't as action packed as a Bruce Willis film either. It is kind of like the vege-meat of media.

I give the whole concept a big thumbs-up. And those seeking truth are going to have a different mindset than those going out to an evening at the movies. I think this would be great to share with friends and neighbors.

[Sulla]

Wow thanks Shane thats pretty much the exact middle ground I was going for. As I said I think I can give them great looking pictures and great sounding music but not the melodrama. I just hope buy making it look and sound good I can bring them in then the message will keep them:)

[Neil D]

Quote:

Now if you dont agree with the Spirit Of Prophecy books on drama and fiction etc that a secound topic:) But I do hppe I have gotten to all of the questions. And I am glad you took the time to post them. The cofirm exactly what I already thought.

Wow...This statement is somewhat disturbing to me....

Perhaps you can clarify what you mean by "the Spirit Of Prophecy books on drama and fiction etc "...what do you think it says? and please, don't just quote the passage(s). Tell me what you think it says... A summation is just fine...

As for what Shane has said, well, he's your typical blue collar Adventist who knows little about the entertainment industry, but has lots of opinions on the subject...usually the wrong ones. We have discussed this extensively at times, and he claims to have lots of experience/knowledge in what he thinks is major entertainment. I make no such claims...I KNOW what I speak of.. regardless of what anyone may say.

Speaking of crediblity, what bothers me in this form of communication [ie, theater/drama/tv/movie] is giving a poor message, with poor acting, and poor defined themes. I have seen literally HUNDREDS of supposedly "christian" movies that would have been better served as a comedy routines and the word 'christian' left off. It make literally makes a mockery of christainity, let alone adventism...Concider one 'christian' movie that starts out with a preacher looking into the camera and says " You are going TO HELL!" and the next scene is 4 people in red devil costumes with horns and pitchforks dancing around human beings in some sort of agony being proded with those pitchforks. Comical? Certanly...but the intent was serious...

All film/theater/stories need a clear theme....They need good actors and good direction so that the story doesn't get muddied. The best stories are stories of conflict [ look at DA...It is a story of conflict and subplots], especially of relationships that people care about. And while lessons can be drawn from stories, they don't need to be preached to the audience...

So, please, if you insist on doing this film, I implore you not to let Christianity down and make a movie that is less than worthy of the name "Christian", let alone Adventist...

Good luck on your endeavors...Contact Jim Pappaps... He can give you some insight and clarity on your film...And the audiance will appreciate your film better. ...

[Sulla]

As I said Neil I do not really want to have the thread turn into a debate on what Ellen White said on drama and fiction. If you like we can start another thread talking about just that and how it relates to this movie and other projects.

As for quality dont worry. I also am not a fan of secound rate acting and directing.

[Dr. Shane]

Quote:

As for what Shane has said, well, he's your typical blue collar Adventist

Well, at least a blue-collar want-to-be.

[Sulla]

You know I have been thinking more about the best way to do this. I am wondering now if it would be best to do a 30min-1hr show about God Universe first to sell and raise money. Really I would much rather have a much much higher budget for the Redemption movie. For example I REALLY would like to use Massive http://www.massivesoftware.com/ to be able to show the huge amount of angels at work around the earth and at the secound coming. Also for the lost generations standing outside the New Jerusalem etc. Hmmm I wonder:)

[Aliensanctuary]

Crum Bum. I think I just got a virus from one of the above links: New windows opening by themselves with weird addresses. I usually never click on links, but I did just this once...because your topic was so interesting.

It's like committing a known sin. You've freshly corrupted yourself with the virus of evil and the temptation to do it again will keep popping up until the Master Technician suppresses the virus.

Actually, just a shorter movie on the life of Christ based on Desire of Ages might be one way to go if there's not enough funding for the 2.5 hour SOR movie to begin with. It's 30+ years time span could be considered a 45-60 min "teaser" for the thousands of years time span of the epic.

If you put out a high quality movie on a smaller scale, hopefully some will be willing to invest in your larger project.

[Sulla]

I would say you probobly did not get a virus. All of the above links are either professional companies or my site. Its possible one could have some kind of popunder advertising but since thats blocked by me software I would not have seen it. But that does not mean you have a virus.

[Sulla]

I did think about doing Desire of Ages. But the problem with the price of the redemption movie is not the length its the content. Some content costs more than others. Space is strait forward to do. So are planets, landscapes and Adam and Eve to a large extent.

But when you do say the story of Redemption. You will want to do scenes like the secound coming etc. So lets look at just that scene. First to really make it look right you need several shots. You need cities stoped dead in the middle of rush hour. You need people from around the world and in different situtians stoped dead in their trackes to look. Also you need to show the destruction from the time of trouble etc. Basicly all the setup. Then you need to show Christ coming with billions of angels. You need lights and colors like we can not really imagine. Now say just for Christ and the angels you need perfect photoreal angels that move correctly. You need a perfect photo real Christ. Those two things alone are a very big undertaking. Then if you are going to have huge numbers of angels you need the Massive software program thats $22,000 to control their movements. Then after you get all of these angels and light effects and atmospheric effects and a photo real earth moving then you have frames that take a very long time to render. Say on a normal home computer it takes 12 hours a frame. Now at this rate 30 secounds of vidoe at 30 frames a secound would take about 450 days to render. So to fix this you need to setup a very large render farm of computers. Now you get some idea about how things add up very quickly.

[Amelia]

A 30 min or so moviette on creation with all those space pics and the dawn of light, then the moon for night etc plus narration would be really cool.

[Guest]

Shalom,

I am a former SDA, now Jewish rabbi who pops in to see our webmaster from time to time. I must say this forum is the most "civilized" one I have ever come across in the last 7 years.

I am curious about this movie:

Is this moview going to based on the book that contain several of Ellen White's writings or is out of the Conflict of the Ages series?

If so, which edition?

Lastly, are these YOUR quotes on the movie or Mrs. White's? Either way, it would be nice to know where these statements on the movie are coming from.

Shalom

[Amelia]

Shalom back at ya Rabbi,

Here is the link for the movie website. Sulla has a trailer link on the site and we have all watched it. That is where most of the comments are coming from. That and the write up sulla has done about the movie itself

[Sulla]

Amelia - Glad you like the idea. At the moment it would be a lot like the teaser but with more on the creation of the earth and more on Adam and Eve.

When I get a chance I will make a new website just about the productions I am working on. Hope to be able to do this soon. That way I can post some of the test shots I have done etc.

[Sulla]

unorthodoxrabbi - It is rather refreshing to have a civilized forum.

unorthodoxrabbi the movie will be based on the Conflict Of Ages series and the Bible. The book by the same name is interesting as they attempted to tell the same story in much the same way. As far as edition it really depends on what words tell the story the best. I know I will get heat from some on this but really the books will be cut up a lot. So it will use the same language but cobbled together. Really writing for a series like the Conflict of Ages and narration for a movie are not the same. So am really having to heavly edit it to get it to flow. But my desire is to not change the meanings by putting things together to imply something never ment.

[Sulla]

As a side note is any one good at raising money for projects? If so would you like to give me some advice?

[Sulla]

Here is a screen capture from one of the new scenes I am working on.