Just had a great Skype meeting with Adam Thomson (the vfx animation director at VERL) to get an update on the VFX progress with the cgi Voydarkatron. When you see his desktop you quickly comprehend why it takes so long to create these fantastic monsters.
Adam showed me some rough modelled stances that could be used in the film, one being a collapsed and dying Voydarkatron. He looks scary from every angle and despite his bulk, is much more versatile in his movements than I expected. He can tower over you like King Kong protecting his territory or stoop low in a hunting/feeding poise that is reminiscent of walking bats or scavenging birds of prey. I can't wait to see it all fully rendered.
In the next few days I should be getting sent through some crude animated models that I can drop into the edit which will be extremely helpful to myself in fine tuning the editing in these scenes and for the sound designer as he will be able to get a real sense of the danger, weight and movement of the creature.
When my fiance shouted down the stairs that Whitney Houston was dead, I was perplexed why there was no sudden reaction in me. I was a big fan growing up, spending many hours pining over girls at school, lying on my bed with my walkman on, letting Whitney increase the pain in my heart with that incredible voice of hers.
My fondest memories of her however, was in the film The Bodyguard. I was studying in Harrogate at the time, working at the local ODEON in the evenings and as a result watched the film many times. I'm not embarrassed to say it is a favourite of mine. This is not as surprising as it first sounds. My two favourite films of all time are Raiders Of The Lost Ark and The Empire Strikes Back, both were written by The Bodyguard screenwriting legend Lawrence Kasdan. My favourite songs from this film soundtrack are 'I Have Nothing' and 'Run To You'. She sounds so sincere and vulnerable in them and it often makes me wonder how similar her real life was to her character in the film.
I never really followed the gossip about her troubled marriage and addictions and so I was shocked when I saw her appear on the X-Factor recently. I didn't recognise her. At that moment it seemed clear to me that the Whitney I loved and respected had died a long time ago. I imagine this is the reason why I felt little emotion on hearing the tragic news. However, as the days have passed, I have had time to reflect on her music and the impact she had on me growing up and I now feel genuine sadness for her. I will always remember Whitney Houston as the beautiful, talented singer who starred in the The Bodyguard.
