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:
GINOSAJI Animatic Shoot - Video Storyboard & More
over 7 years ago
– Mon, Mar 20, 2017 at 01:30:30 AM
Hello Friends of the Spoon!
We have a big update for you today, with a very important part of the pre-production process: Pre-Viz. Also known as Pre-Visualization, it involves creating storyboards (and in our case, an animatic -- details below) that will help communicate the specific shots / scenes in advance of the movie shoot.
Storyboards are often created during pre-production to be used as a visual guide by the director and cinematographer. It's a traditional way to plan the shots in advance, and for the director to share his vision of how the story will be told.
On GINOSAJI, we are taking the storyboards a step further, by creating an animatic for sections of the movie. An animatic is a video storyboard which contains a rough sketch (or photo) of every shot in a scene, and those still images are then edited on a video timeline (we're using Final Cut Pro), and dialogue, sound FX and temp music are added, to create a proof of concept that captures the look, feel, and tone of the scene. It's a great way to determine if the scene works, and revise the script BEFORE arriving on the day of shooting with the cast and crew.
For some scenes, I wanted a higher quality image than what I could draw. So we used still photos to achieve a better quality end result.
First, the actors* are photographed in front of a white backdrop:
*For the purposes of the first animatic photo shoot, we did not need to put the real Ginosaji, Brian Rohan, through hours of makeup -- instead, Chris Vick acted as the Ginosaji stand-in, wearing the prototype Mask of the Ginosaji made by Larry Torro. This is strictly for the animatic.
First (rough) Wardrobe Test - Jack Cucchiaio - Forensic Pathologist
In the process of shooting stills for the animatic, we had the opportunity to do some preliminary testing of wardrobe possibilities for Jack's forensic pathologist outfit.
This is the one of the first concepts of Jack Cucchiaio's look as a forensic pathologist, conducting autopsies at the county morgue. Please note: Jack's mask and surgical cap will be replaced a with an authentic surgical mask and head cap. (The shower cap is temporary!)
A common saying in movie making is "Fix it in Post," meaning, if there are issues in need of repair or revision, you can fix them after you shoot the movie. Our motto is "Fix it in Prep," meaning that the more prepared we are, the more we have done our homework in advance, the smoother the production will go and the better it will work. With an animatic, it's great to be able to hit play on a video and actually watch the scenes unfold -- issues with pacing and tempo are easy to spot, and the script can be adjusted before we all gather to shoot the movie. It allows us to work out any story issues in advance.
There's Much, Much, Much More to Come....
Stay Spooned!
-Richard---o
A Holiday Greeting from Jack -- New GINOSAJI.com Website Now Live!
almost 8 years ago
– Wed, Feb 22, 2017 at 11:31:39 AM
This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.
Complete Spoon Sets Signed and Now Shipping
about 8 years ago
– Fri, Sep 23, 2016 at 12:05:23 AM
Hello Friends of the Ginosaji!
Above: Fay Kato (The Mystic) and Paul Clemens (Jack Cucchiaio) with their spoons.
Spoon Sets Now Shipping
The complete sets of Ginosaji, Jack, and Mystic spoons are finished and have been autographed by the actors. (It took some extra time to arrange for the actors to sign them.) The spoons are shipping! You should have received an email when your spoons shipped. Every spoon also includes a high quality chrome magnetic display base!
If you ordered a Ginosaji mask, your mask will be shipped in the next day or two along with your spoons in the same box.
Show Us Your Spoons!
All backers receiving spoons are encouraged to take a pic of your spoon(s) on display and post them to your facebook/twitter/instagram/wherever with #GinosajiSpoon. We'd love to see them in their new homes!
Above: #GinosajiSpoon surrounded by cool stuff - from Christian Hallman - Sweden
Above: #GinosajiSpoon in Bangkok, Thailand with a Kittysaji!
from Saeksan Pensute
Above: Paul Clemens is disturbed by the creepy Mystic spoons.
Above: Fay Kato signs the Mystic spoons.
Above: An army of Jack spoons.
Above: Paul signs the Jack spoons.
Above: The signatures on the backs of the spoons.
FAN ART
Above: Game of Spoons by Daniele Gatti - Italy
Above: Ginosaji fan art by RedEyeBlackDragon
Above: Ginosaji cosplay by David Mauqui - Zombie Walk - France
Above: Nosferatusaji by Chris Vick
Much more to come... Stay Spooned!
-Richard---o
PRODUCTION UPDATE & MASK SIGNING
over 8 years ago
– Tue, Aug 30, 2016 at 11:39:39 PM
Hello Friends of the Spoon!
Production Update:
The Script is MASSIVE ---o
The script for GINOSAJI - THE HORRIBLY SLOW MURDERER WITH THE EXTREMELY INEFFICIENT WEAPON is massive. As you know, it was written with the intention of truly creating the full feature-length version of the original short, with the same tone and spirit as the short, but with a hugely expanded story that includes the origin of the Ginosaji, why he is attacking Jack Cucchiaio, and whether there is a way to stop him. It will not be 9 hours, but it is freakin' big.
I expanded the short story, with a vengeance. It's the longest script I've ever written in my life, and I also believe it is the best. This is not several hours of "again and again --" on the contrary! Because the spirit of the short is that it's one of the most epic damn shorts ever made, that is also the spirit of the feature.
---o
Epic Scale
The original short was like an amusing short story, whereas the feature is like a sprawling, epic novel -- a story of jaw dropping proportions that goes further and deeper than you might imagine, with enough narrative to fill multiple feature films. The script is more than 35 mm thick and weighs nearly three pounds, just to give you a sense of it. It's easily big enough to be two movies. There will be no additional expense to our backers, but if we keep it at the current size, you will all be receiving a lot more movie than we had previously planned.
Reactions to the Script ---o
I did a few confidential script readings of the entire story for small groups of people, and the reaction has been uniformly fantastic, with comments that the story is "F*%#ing awesome," "incredible," "amazing," "epic," and "unlike anything I've ever seen."
Funding
We are in the process of securing additional funding from private investors in order to produce this epic version of the movie without compromises in quality. Ever since the HSM short film became a phenomenon (now 30+ Million views), the Ginosaji has become a personal obsession for myself and the cast and crew, and we are completely dedicated to making this film extraordinary.
A reminder... With more than 40 International Film Festival awards, three L.A. Area Emmy Awards, six Emmy nominations and a CableAce Award in national competition, plus an Emmy-winning cast and crew... the GINOSAJI feature is going to be kickass.
Above: The awards on display at Ginosaji Pictures headquarters.
A Shorter Version?
If absolutely necessary, we could make a scaled-down version of this epic story, in order to do it on a micro budget. It would still be a feature film, but just... smaller. But all of the key people involved in the making of it agree that a smaller version would not be as good, or as AWESOME, as making the full epic version. So as of now, we are swinging for the fences.
The Schedule
Due to the massive size of the script, the preparations for the production (which are ongoing) will take longer than previously estimated. The actual shooting would not begin until 2017. As things continue to come together, our backers will receive plenty of updates, and also behind the scenes info, pics, and more once production gets underway.
Masks Signed!
The first batch of Ginosaji Masks has now been signed by Brian (The Ginosaji) Rohan, the artist Larry Torro and director Richard Gale (me). We will ship out masks as soon as their accompanying spoons are created, over the next few weeks.
Above: Brian (The Ginosaji) Rohan surrounded by Ginosaji masks! Things are getting creepy...
Above: Brian's signature discreetly signed on the back of the mask.
Above: Artist Larry Torro, who hand painted and sculpted the amazing masks, signs them.
---o Finishing & Shipping Autographed Ginosaji Spoons!
over 8 years ago
– Fri, Aug 12, 2016 at 01:05:43 AM
Hello Friends of the Ginosaji!
SHIPPING: 1st Batch of Ginosaji Spoons!
The first batch of 100 Ginosaji Spoons (autographed, with magnetic bases!) is finished and has been shipped out to backers in the United States. (If your spoon was shipped, you would have received an individual email notification earlier today.) Each week in August, we plan to complete and ship another batch of approx. 100 spoons. You will receive an email notification once we have shipped your spoon(s). Backers getting two or three spoons will have theirs shipped later this month -- once they are ready, we need the actors Paul "Jack" Clemens and Fay "Mystic" Kato to autograph them.
Below: Brian "The Ginosaji" Rohan signs the first batch of 100 spoons.
Below: Little could you guess the unstoppable fury lurking within this actor. For a hint, just look at those white faces on the couch behind him...
Below: Each batch of spoons and bases will be packed and shipped out in padded mailers stamped with the Mark of the Ginosaji! Another batch will ship every week throughout August. We're creating more than 500 spoons and shipping them to 37 countries!
Finishing the Spoons... One at a Time ---o
A huge amount of loving care goes into the creation of each and every spoon. Our Director of Spoon Production, Chris Vick is painstakingly adding High Resolution full color images to the bowl of each spoon, then coating each spoon with a clear resin glaze, in multiple coats, to give each spoon a brilliant, shiny finish that is extremely durable, so these collectible keepsakes can be passed down to future generations. The resin glaze takes about four days to dry, and is carefully hand-painted onto each spoon one at a time, in small batches.
This is a new and improved process, which takes a bit longer, but results in the most beautiful spoons we've ever created.
Below: New spoons with color images added... and freshly glazed spoons drying in a hermetically sealed clean room.
Below: The dust-free clean-room environment is created using sophisticated scientific techniques...
Below: The finished spoons ship with a note and instructions on how to display it using the magnetic base (one base included with each spoon).
Below: On the right, the chrome magnetic display base -- and on the left, how it will arrive in the mail. The bases have been wrapped with packing foam, which should be removed.
Show Us Your Spooooooons!
Once you receive your spoon, we encourage you to display it in a place of honor and take a pic of your spoon and its surroundings and share it on your platform of choice, with #GinosajiSpoon
Above: A finished Spoon of the Ginosaji stands proudly on its magnetic base.
Above: A batch of our amazingly realistic Ginosaji masks, sculpted and painted by Larry Torro.
Mask Shipping
Ginosaji Masks will be shipping throughout August together with the spoons.
