GINOSAJI - THE HORRIBLY SLOW MURDERER WITH THE EXTREMELY INEFFICIENT WEAPON - FEATURE FILM
Created by Richard Gale
Epic horror comedy feature based on the viral short about the legendary Spoonkiller, with award-winning cast featuring Jeffrey Combs!
Latest Updates from Our Project:
How Much Bigger is It? + SCARY Ginosaji
over 5 years ago
– Fri, Aug 24, 2018 at 02:27:17 AM
Hello Friends of the Spoon! ---o
How Much Bigger Is It?
The feature length story is so very, very, very, very, VERY much bigger than the short film (and significantly bigger than our original feature concept), it is taking a lot longer to put together than we initially anticipated. But this is a very good thing -- the end result is going to be much more epic than anyone anticipates. Once I am able to announce details on the size of the production, you will understand what's taking so long. And you will be excited. Thank you for your patience!
I wanted to share with you a detail of the GINOSAJI project that is quite exciting and will set it apart from many horror comedies...
All horror comedies have a particular balance of scary/creepy stuff and humor -- and in The Horribly Slow Murderer short film (and many of our other shorts) there's a large proportion of comic stuff mixed with the horror. The Ginosaji himself is in many ways a kind of demented evil clown if you think about it. But there was always a thread of genuine creepiness woven through the short film, that will be stronger in the feature -- even though it sounds silly in concept, it is in fact also quite horrifying to consider actually being in Jack's shoes, pursued by an unstoppable being who incessantly attacks you, relentlessly hurts you with thousands upon thousands of small injuries. It's a real nightmare.
One Way to Describe the Genre of the Story
If the GINOSAJI story were an oreo, it would have a delicious creamy filling of horror and drama sandwiched between crackling comedy/thriller cookies. It would be a tremendously large and frightening oreo.
DARKNESS
In the short films, the look of the Ginosaji -- the way he sometimes appears in bright daylight, his skin shining bright white -- There won't be as much of that bright stuff. His face will be shrouded a bit more by the hood, and will generally appear more scary, creepy and mysterious. Still inefficient as ever, just creepier. Much of this can be achieved through lighting.
The Freddy Krueger Effect - Keeping the Villain in the Dark
I saw A Nightmare on Elm Street (the original and first one) many years ago in the theatre, and it scared the hell out of me. I loved it. The way they showed Freddy Krueger -- he was mostly shrouded in darkness and shadow -- you did not get to see the full details of his face in almost any shot, and it wasn't until some later Elm Street sequels (ones not directed by Wes Craven) that you saw Freddie in brightly lit scenes, when suddenly, he just wasn't scary anymore (it also didn't help to give him lots of cheesy dialogue after killing people). The point is -- darkness, shadow, mystery is the way to go. This lesson from horror films can be applied to horror-comedy as well -- the horror in horror-comedy still needs to be scary.
Same deal with Michael Myers in the original Halloween (another movie that inspired me years ago) -- he was usually shown partially hidden in darkness, or concealed by a hedge, or sheets on a clothesline -- which always made him appear creepier.
Richard Gale with Halloween director John Carpenter at the Director's Guild of America premiere of Masters of Horror
Ouch...
No specifics (no spoilers!), but suffice to say there could be times in the story when the Ginosaji experiences grievous bodily harm, and the effects might be shocking. This would be a new dynamic which would add some never-before-seen creepiness.
Much more to come.
Pleasant dreams.
--Richard---o
VIDEO GAME?!
almost 6 years ago
– Tue, Jun 26, 2018 at 12:27:46 AM
Hello Friends of the Spoon!
This update focuses on an intriguing question...
Might there be a GINOSAJI VIDEO GAME?
We are exploring the possibility -- and our connection with the video game industry is growing, thanks to a cool development which involves some exciting news about members of our Ginosaji team...
Our award-winning music composer, Wlad Marhulets, has many talents -- when he's not making music, he's in the process of creating his first video game (not just the musical score, but the game itself!)-- with the help of some excellent artists and craftspeople. Entitled DARQ, it's a visually amazing psychological horror game set inside a lucid dream. The game is filled with mind-bending puzzles, frightening creatures and suspense -- and the normal laws of physics do not always apply!
Above: Screenshots from DARQ
Wlad has been generating a lot of buzz for the game, which showed previews of gameplay at the recent E3 show in Los Angeles, and has received positive attention from a lot of press including IGN and Gamespot.
I've been creatively involved with the DARQ project (providing input and feedback) since it began a couple years ago, and Ginosaji Executive Producer Chris Vick is also involved as a Producer on DARQ.
Wlad Marhulets and Chris Vick at E3 (the largest video game industry event) in Los Angeles
An Impressive Team
I'm quite inspired by what Wlad and his team have been able to accomplish. Some notable members of the DARQ team include sound designer Bjørn Jacobsen, who did sound design on EVE Online and is currently working on Cyberpunk 2077, one of the most eagerly anticipated games of the year. DARQ's music mixer Adam Schmidt has worked on a number of great film projects including Inception, The Dark Knight Rises, and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, and on the games Detroit: Become Human and Ratchet and Clank, among others.
DARQ is scheduled to be released on Steam for PC towards the end of this year, and will likely be ported to other game platforms as well.
The screenshots above are just a taste. You should check out the game in action in the exciting E3 teaser trailer for DARQ.
I've been learning a lot about the gaming industry and the process of producing a game, thanks to my involvement on DARQ -- and I'm seriously thinking about creating a Ginosaji-related video game in the future. We will explore different possibilities, but the game would need to have the spirit of the films: wild, fun, and action packed horror comedy. We plan to connect with a number of companies to explore these possibilities further down the road.
So much more to come... stay spoooned.
-Richard---o
The Steadicam + Paul in Training
almost 6 years ago
– Sat, May 26, 2018 at 11:11:14 PM
Hello Friends of the Spoon!
Thought I'd give you some background on my experience with one of my favorite moviemaking tools...
The Steadicam
Ever since I was a teenager, I've had a serious fascination for the Steadicam -- the camera stabilizer invented by Garrett Brown (for which he won an Academy Award -- here's the clip from the 1978 Oscars). Something about the magical smoothness, and the ability of the camera to glide almost anywhere was something I loved and wanted to do in my own work.
Above: The third film Garrett Brown used his invention on was Rocky -- for the training sequence, the shot of Rocky running up the museum steps, and the big fight. That's Garrett with an early version of the Steadicam, with Sylvester Stallone.
Above: Steadicam inventor Garrett Brown (right) with Stanley Kubrick (left) during the filming of The Shining, one of my all-time favorites. It was Garrett chasing Danny and Jack Torrance through the Overlook Hotel and the hedge maze.
Meeting Garrett Brown
I had the great fortune to meet Garrett Brown at an industry event some years ago -- he let me try out a few different Steadicam models, including what was at that time the smallest camera ever to fly on a steadicam (below)
Richard Gale and Steadicam inventor Garrett Brown
Richard Gale and Garrett Brown
I also wore a larger Steadicam rig, and Garrett was having me run in place to demonstrate his invention to some other people at the event. At one point, I took my hands off the post and allowed the camera to float freely as I ran in place -- something which requires a good deal of practice. Garrett smiled and said, "oh, you're dangerous!" For a cinema / techie geek like me, I was in Heaven.
Some years later, I took the official Steadicam training workshop taught by Tiffen / Steadicam in Burbank, and learned to fly larger rigs.
Richard Gale operating a Steadicam Zephyr
Steadicam on the short film
I used a Steadicam Merlin for many shots of The Horribly Slow Murderer short film, and it really added to the excitement to have those fast tracking shots for the chase scenes.
Richard Gale shooting the Horribly Slow Murderer short film
Filming the library chase for the Horribly Slow Murderer short film with the Steadicam
Preparing for the Feature Film
For the GINOSAJI feature, I plan to use a steadicam to fly the RED Epic camera, to capture a number of cool shots. One of the advantages of the Steadicam is that sometimes you can save time by not having to lay down dolly tracks, which can be very limiting depending on the location. (However you do have to take the time to clear the path of any trip hazards! Also, the steadicam operator usually has an assistant walk with them as they operate to make sure they don't run into anything.)
Richard Gale flying a RED Epic camera on the Steadicam Solo
It's All About Quality
If there's a single primary objective for this project, it's quality. It has to be great quality, and the Steadicam is one of the tools that will help us achieve shots that look like a million.
Paul in Training
Paul Clemens (Jack Cucchiaio) has been working to get into shape for what will be a physically difficult shoot, due to so much running and action. In addition to having a membership at a local gym, Paul and I meet up regularly to go for extended hikes / jogging.
Above: Paul Clemens after a two hour brisk hike in LaCienega Park, across the street from the Motion Picture Academy Library.
More to come! Stay Spooned!
-Richard---o
Location Scout + CGI Special Effects! ...and a Cool Project to Check Out
almost 6 years ago
– Mon, Apr 30, 2018 at 01:16:52 AM
We did a location scout recently for a scene that requires a steep cliff overlooking a beautiful view of the ocean. We went to Point Dume, located in Malibu just off the Pacific Coast Highway. There's a cliff that overlooks the beach location where the final scene in the original Planet of the Apes was filmed, with Charlton Heston screaming "damn you!" before a half-buried Statue of Liberty.
We took a lot of photos and videos, and it seems like a solid contender for our location. Only issue is some graffiti on the rocks in a few spots, which would need to be removed (either before or digitally in post-production). All in all it was a beautiful location.
It has come to our attention that even on a very tight budget, we might be able to include some Computer Generated Imagery (CGI) special visual effects in the movie -- thanks to developments in affordable 3D software -- namely, Blender is a free program for modeling, texturing, rendering, and animating 3D characters or objects, and it's capable of very professional results. It could be used to add objects into a scene via motion tracking, or use to create set pieces or enhance a location in ways that would otherwise be impossible, or beyond our budget.
In learning how to use it, of course this was one of the first objects I created:
Though this will not be in the movie, I wanted to show you this CGI test involving a very unique Ginosaji dark chocolate doughnut. The scene was made as part of a basic tutorial...
I'm not a fan of obvious CGI effects in movies -- visual FX work best when you don't even notice they are happening -- and I generally prefer practical effects whenever possible. But access to some CGI opens up possibilities to add certain elements to a scene that we otherwise might not afford.
Lawrie Brewster's awesome looking Gothic Horror movie
A Cool Project to Check Out!
There's a great looking project underway by our friend and talented filmmaker Lawrie Brewster -- the Gothic Horror movie Automata. He's made several wild and excellent indie thriller / horror films with a Lovecraftian feel. Lawrie is a real artist, and does an amazing job with his gorgeously designed dvd/bluray sets. You can check out his project here.
Stay Spooned... there's much more to come!
-Richard---o
Jack Cucchiaio Camera Tests + High Dynamic Range Cinematography
about 6 years ago
– Sun, Mar 25, 2018 at 10:03:07 PM
Recently we shot some Interior and Exterior camera tests with Paul Clemens (Jack Cucchiaio) and Chris Vick standing-in for Brian Rohan as the Ginosaji, with the help of a Ginosaji mask.
Shot on RED Epic in 5K
We shot the tests on a RED Epic camera in 5K Ultra HD, in the cinemascope (widescreen) aspect ratio. The Epic has been used to shoot many Hollywood movies -- including ones by Peter Jackson, Steven Soderbergh, David Fincher, and James Cameron (he's using the newest RED cameras to shoot his Avatar sequels).
You can explore the huge list of movies shot on RED on their official site.
Once we get the shot, that's only the beginning of the creative post-production process... the first step is loading the shots into REDCINE-X PRO, software designed to adjust and transcode the footage.
When shooting in Ultra HD, it is possible to vary the look tremendously in post-production by altering many parameters -- in addition to color balance, exposure, etc. you can change a lot by adjusting the sharpness (the resolution is so high that you can see every pore of a person's skin, if desired. Great for adding intensity!)
Shooting in this format often creates a more shallow focus -- and I love the way the Ginosaji appears in soft focus, creeping up behind Jack (as seen above) -- very phantasmagorical! It's an effect we'll likely utilize in the movie.
Also, unlike the many projects we've shot in the 16:9 format, shooting in widescreen requires a different way of thinking about composition -- foreground, mid, and background objects and elements must be arranged differently to fit the widescreen format. It requires specific blocking (positioning of the actors and camera) for each scene.
The Ginosaji mask will only be used for stand-in purposes -- Brian Rohan will be in full make-up for the film.
Interiors and Exteriors
We needed to test how several different types of lighting will affect Paul's appearance and the camera's results -- outdoors in direct sunlight and in the shade, and indoors in brighter, more even diffuse lighting, and in darker nighttime settings.
We also conducted our first rough "extreme" camera test to try out an interesting capability of the RED Epic -- shooting in HDR-X mode, or High Dynamic Range, which enables the camera to capture up to three to six stops of additional exposure range, so it can capture very bright highlights and dark shadows in the same frame.
For this test, we filmed under the worst possible lighting conditions: Paul's in dark shade, while the white building behind him is lit by direct sunlight. Normally, a shot like this would be nearly impossible to get. Either Paul would be lost in shadow (as in the image below), or the building behind him would be overexposed (as seen above), with details lost in the bright wall.
Shooting Two Video Tracks at the Same Time -- with One Camera!
When shooting HDR, the camera simultaneously captures a second "X" track, exposed at three stops darker than the first track (in photography, this is called exposure bracketing).
In post production, we then combine the two tracks using HDR software, which blends the properly exposed parts of each track...
This was our very first rough experiment with HDR, but it was a nice result: we were able to create a useable image from super difficult conditions. As we refine the process, this should open up opportunities to shoot in available light and capture some scenes that would not have been possible previously.
We were happy with the results of these tests, and plan to do several more in various locations and conditions to better prepare for the shoot.
