VIDEO: A Day At Rainmaker

[GateWorld]

VIDEO DOCUMENTARY: A DAY AT RAINMAKER GateWorld takes a very special look inside Rainmaker Digital, where Bruce Woloshyn gives us the inside scoop on eight years of Stargate visual effects. READ MORE ...

[Markey2]

This vid was soooo cool! There were too many cool bits to name, you're so lucky David!

[ShadowMaat]

Awesome vid, as usual, David.

It's intersting to think that all those amazing effects come from such a varied bunch of people and machines. Very NOISY machines, too. Wow. Talk about reducing something to its base parts!

I think it's funny that they're basically stuck with that "outdated" computer doohicky to do their event horizon effects. You don't think of things like that...

[Qtyled]

Great vid! The Stargate Episode archive was insane!

[Anubis]

Very nice stuff, as always, David!


And you've been keeping that from us for so long! Very lucky to actually GET invited to do the video, something special there, but to see all those computers, server rooms all for tape and effects, shows it's quite a lengthy process - for the machines anyway.

Every episode still in their achives including the full Rising which was a few days away from airing. Zoom, that tape would have to be viewed, if it was possible. Darn computer logs.

Great to see another video documentary, David, great stuff indeed.

[Whistler]

Fantastic video David! Well worth the watch.

[David]

Yeah it's been eight months since we shot it - we were kinda waiting for a dry spell on the Web site, but since one never came we figured "heck, let's release it!"

Skydiver and I went over to Rainmaker about an hour after we interviewed Courtenay. This was something we were really excited about. We saw conceptual designs for the Ancient drones, a fully rendered diagram of the GEMINI

Spoiler:

Asgard satellite

, the rendering process for puddle passes, and a bunch of other cool things. We also saw a shot from "Underground" made.

Bruce is a really terrific guy. I've kept in touch with him ever since and look forward to seeing him again next month. I'm glad you guys enjoyed the doc!

[Spiko]

That was totaly sWeEeT! I bet it would be awesome to design Atlantis! Great vid, David. It was well worth the time. Poor Wes looked like he needed sleep.
Wow, all the effects they did for the show. Thats what I'd like to do for a living!

[David]

Yeah they had just completed the pilot to Atlantis - as one of them said, "It's a miracle to be alive!"

[Skydiver]

as a matter of fact, iirc, very few people had even seen the whole thing, just bits and pieces and bruce was going to spend that friday night with his dad and watch it with him

[David]

That's right, I remember that now. Even the majority of the guys weren't allowed to watch the completed cut. Bruce obviously had to, but most of the others didn't get to see it until it aired Friday.

[Seshat]

David - fabulous vid!! That was an amazing behind-the-scenes tour showcasing some equally incredible creative folks. As a graphics person myself (not vid, but print) it was a real thrill to see the digital world of Stargate through the eyes of some of the most talented and obviously amiable effects artists around.

[SailorSueUK]

David & Skydiver,

I'd just like to chip in my own 'fantastic'! I really enjoyed that - so much so that I followed the link at the end to Rainmaker's own site and merrily clicked through all their promotional stuff too.

Sue xxx

[Indiana]

Hey David! Well done on getting such a great gig. However, no offence intended, this is just me, but I got a bit bored after a while. I think what really peeved me was the first scene where you went into the lab with all the neg's being developed. As they were a little noisy I couldn't hear what was being said properly.

Too much background noise. I would have maybe gotten the camera op to do it differently. Maybe performed a walk through the entire lab without yourslef and Bruce there, then get Bruce to do a voiceover for you. However, as it is already done I would suggest taking the video back to the edit suite and adding in some subtitles. This is the very beginning of the programme. You gotta hook them in the beginning.

Mind you, I believe a lot of people watched it and found it interesting. Fair enough. Each to their own. Just thought I'd let you know why I couldn't get past that 1st sequence.

[DownFallAngel]

Great documentary. Nice job David. Nice job SkyDiver. Just one question: Was it Hawaiian shirt day at the studio? Or was that the dress code to wear Hawaiian shirts?

[David]

I'm comfy in that shirt! I think I wore it on stage at Creation Chicago, too. Plus that's pretty much all of Bruce's wardrobe. He thinks he looks sharp in them. He'd be right.

[ShadowMaat]

Guys in Hawaiian shirts look so dreamy...

Although there are always exceptions.

Any hints on what the next big video project is? Or don't you know, yet? Because if you're waiting for inspiration to strike... *makes fist*

I'll also assume that lessons are being learned continuously, so with luck, next time there won't be the sound problem some had with this one. Instead you can have video problems. Or lighting. Or the subject of the vid could get beamed up by the Asgard midway through, leaving you on your own to finish things up. I sense a song & dance routine in the future...

[David]

Originally Posted by ShadowMaat

Any hints on what the next big video project is? Or don't you know, yet?

Yeah, it's a shammy little production called "Phenomenon."

I'm also working in tandem with several other folks to produce at least three other video documentaries this year. One will be for one of our companion shows.

[ShadowMaat]

Originally Posted by David

Yeah, it's a shammy little production called "Phenomenon."

Ohhhh yeah. That thing. Should be... um... interesting, to say the least.

[DownFallAngel]

Please don't tell me Phenomeon is going to be SG meets Trekkies. Please!