Holidays with Jedi

My wife and I spent Christmas being entertained by Ewan McGregor. Sort of.


Photo © Chad Kerychuk.

Within days we watched:

Star Wars Episode III Revenge of the Sith,

The Island,

Robots, and

on Christmas Day, we watched a few episodes of Long Way Round; a fascinating reality series about McGregor's adventure with his friend, Charley Boorman, as they travel around the world from London to New York on motorcycles.

The McGregor film fest wasn't planned but we noticed the pattern later. 2005. Year of the McGregor.

Nifty new Yoda Christmas stocking that is, hmmm. Wife to thank I have.

26 Tons of Fun

I've been helping a friend of a friend who owns a local truck detailing business. Mostly the job entails washing and detailing tractor trailer units, but it also includes washing construction equipment. Thursday afternoon, Chris (the owner) offered me a chance to drive one of these to get washed:





A John Deere 950c Crawler Bulldozer. PDF file with specs and more photos can be found here.

It's actually easier to control than I had previously thought (though this one looks pretty intimidating) since the 2 main controls (speed/direction and blade) are joystick-style devices. Much like you'd find in a jetfighter cockpit or arcade game. Though I've been around them before when I worked for a construction firm, I didn't operate any. For the washing/detailing job, we had to move it into the wash bay at the equipment firm. While I didn't plough any dirt, and there wasn't much clearance between the blade and the bay walls, it sure was fun!

Unfortunately, it didn't transform into a giant robot.
Photos from here.

HD Seminar Follow-up

This weekend, I was fortunate to attend the HD Production Conference here in Edmonton. I understand nearly 300 attended the 2-day conference in Calgary and around 200 packed the sessions in Edmonton. It was great to see a lot of familiar faces, meet some new ones, and learn about all the new HD productions from Albertans. And the two fantastic lunches were a bonus!

It was a little daunting to see some of the financial figures people were dealing with but since HD is a relatively new media, a higher production cost can be expected. The quality available through HD is outstanding and for those productions that want that clarity, detail, rich colors, and an immersive experience, HD is definitely the way to go.

Hopefully I will also have a production to add to the growing list.

Read more at my posting on The Alberta Movie Guide.

1933 King Kong Now on DVD

As you're probably well aware, I'm a big King Kong fan. It remains one of the most engrossing variations of the Beauty and the Beast story. Almost no film today has matched the lushness of Kong's jungles, fierce Skull Island creatures, or emotion exuded by an animated lead character. King Kong is also a movie that proved to be the key inspiration to more animators, palaeontologists, archeologists, artists, and filmmakers than any other motion picture. And that inspiration continues today as each new professional inspired by Kong fires up the imaginations of the young viewing audience. Let's not forget King Kong came out during the The Great Depression, which makes its associated box office achievement and high praise even more amazing.

Over the Christmas holiday, I received a DVD Box Set of King Kong, Mighty Joe Young, and Son of Kong and finally had a chance to sit down and watch the new print of the film and included documentaries. RKO Production 601: The Making of Kong, Eighth Wonder of the World, is nothing short of outstanding. Arguably, it's easily one of the best "making of" DVD features yet and is on par with Peter Jackson's legendary behind-the-scenes material included on The Lord of the Rings trilogy and newly-issued Director's Cut DVD of The Frighteners. Despite having one of the greatest films of all time now available in a beautiful new presentation, the documentary alone was worth the long wait for Kong's arrival on DVD.

Found on the second disc of the King Kong Collector's Edition DVD set, RKO Production 601 features a running time of just over 2 and a half hours, (worthy of even Peter Jackson's new lengthy remake), and does an exemplary job of telling the story of the film's creation. Jackson, Ray Harryhausen, Phil Tippet, Alan Funke, Frank Darabont, Randall Cook, Ben Burtt, Joe Dante and others explain and analyze how the film was realized. From painstaking recreation of the King Kong armature and lost Spider Pit Sequence, to multi-plane set formation and projection, to the actual stop-motion animation process, and even the pioneering Max Steiner's score, the documentary is not to be missed by any true animation and King Kong devotee.

King Kong has become bigger than the lovable beast himself. Though he is considered one of the most recognizable silver screen characters of all time, the film proved to be the new apex of fantasy and adventure storytelling on film. So, when you head out to watch Peter Jackson's version, or the latest big-budget special effects blockbuster, think back to the incredible achievements of Willis O'Brien, Cooper and Schoedsack, and a giant ape, who was in reality, less than 20 inches tall.



King Kong artwork © 1933 RKO Pictures and 2005 Turner Entertainment Co. and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

Photography: New Years Eve 2005

Norma and Karen philosophize about 2006.


Bubbly. And a Pepsi.


Me and Rick mug it up for the camera. We're almost twins!


Mike and April ready for the year-end hot wing feast!


Ed gives birth during another round of "Twister." Just kidding buddy!


Norma, acts as a "human beat box" while Mike "B-Boy" Chow busts out some "dope" moves!


The fantastic hosts, John and Cathy Booker!


Happy New Year from Chad and April Kerychuk!
All photos © 2005 Chad Kerychuk

The Final Post of 2005

On the last day of 2005, I hope you all look back on the previous year with good memories. It's been fun blogging, meeting new people, and reading other's thoughts as well. Hopefully I can continue bringing you enjoyable links and stories in 2006. Thanks for all the support!

As the final post for 2005, I present some unique New Year's-themed illustrations to enjoy...









More great vintage Soviet Space-themed New Year's cards can be found at this link.

Be sure to check out the other galleries too. Link via BoingBoing.

Instant Message Santa Claus

If you have iChat or AIM, try adding 'SantaClaus' into your buddies list. You can chat with him, play games, and tell him what you'd like for Christmas! I keep him around all year long to add some festive cheer during my Internet wanderings.

Clay Animation Brings Audiences to Theaters

Carole Horst with Variety reports on the charming effect of clay animation on movie-going audiences:

Computer generated 3D images dominate the short history of the animation Oscar. But this year, two front-runners -- DreamWorks' Wallace & Gromit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit and Tim Burton's Corpse Bride from Warner Bros. -- both use film's oldest animation technique: stop motion.

Wallace director Nick Park -- who has already won three Oscars for shorts, two of which starred cheese-loving Wallace and his clever dog Gromit -- fashioned a plasticine Little Britain for the film, with artists painstakingly manipulating the plastic clay figures, then photographing them frame by frame.

"Audiences love the technique. Audiences think (the characters) are real people and they respond to them," says Wallace producer and Aardman Animation principal Peter Lord, adding, "once you've seen an army of 2 million in a CGI movie, you stop being moved," and people react to the reality of claymation.

Tons of clay was used, and CGI was only used briefly -- and only for scenes in which traditional claymation methods would not work.

"The technique doesn't hold you back," says Lord. " There's nothing you couldn't try."

Corpse Bride was shot using two dozen digital cameras and five Power Mac G5 desktops. Tim Burton and animation vet Mike Johnson directed the film that used puppets covered with Latex "Skin" -- inside each puppet was a full animatronic armature that was manipulated to create frame-by-frame movement and facial expressions.

"There's something compelling about the tone and style," says Johnson. "But the most important thing is the story."

Read the full article at the link above.
Tim Burton's Corpse Bride © 2005 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
Wallace and Gromit © 2005 Aardman Animations Ltd. DreamWorks Animation L.L.C.

That's interesting.

I'm in Iowa right now, home to W.P. Kinsella's 'Field of Dreams,' but I haven't seen any baseball-playing ghosts. However, on the way to Urbandale and Des Moines yesterday, my wife and I witnessed:

1 dead cow on the side of the road with a gaping wound across its chest (I think it was Werewolf damage! ;-)

1 giant candy cane decoration out in the middle of a farmer's field.

3 wild turkeys strutting down a train track.
If we weren't in a hurry to get to an appointment in the city, I certainly would have taken photos. It was as if we were having one of those dreams where seemingly random images insert themselves. Only this stuff was all real.

I did snap a shot of the weather on the drive back home. Though it doesn't look like it, the large, fluffy flakes were coming down at a blizzard pace. Our usual 1 hour and 20 return trip was closer to 2 hours this time.



I also managed to fire off a quick snapshot of the giant neon mascot for Terrible's Casino near Osceola, Iowa. It's near the interstate highway so all travelers can pass by and cower at the beaming behemoth. It reminds me of an episode of The Simpsons where all the store mascots and giant signs come to life and attack Springfield. I'm not quite sure why you would name a casino 'Terrible's' but I understand there's a chain of them.



Photos © 2005 Chad Kerychuk

Rankin/Bass Santa and Rudolph Puppets Found

Thanks to Cartoon Brew for bringing animation fans this news: the original puppets of Santa Claus and Rudolph (from the treasured Rankin/Bass holiday special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer) have been found.



Long thought lost, the puppets were found among the holiday decor of a former Rankin/Bass employee. The puppets have been purchased by TimeandSpaceToys.com and will be restored for public display.

Check out the TimeandSpaceToys.com article for more information.

Also, be sure to read last year's lengthy but informative post on the animated holiday classic.

RUDOLPH animated program © & TM Classic Media.

New Dinosaur Species Announced

Art © 2005 Mark Schultz and Dr. Michael J. Ryan.

A new dinosaur species discovered by my good friend, Dr. Michael J. Ryan, was officially announced recently.

From the press release:

"The new species of dinosaur, named Centrosaurus brinkmani, belongs to the group of dinosaurs related to the well-known Triceratops, but lived about 10 million years earlier. Remains of the dinosaur were discovered in bone beds in southern Alberta, the largest of which is in Dinosaur Provincial Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Ceratopsian (horned) dinosaurs can be distinguished from one another by the ornamentation on their frills that extend shield-like from the back of their skulls.

Distinctive hooks and "spikelets" on the frill of Centrosaurus brinkmani allowed scientists to identify this dinosaur as a new species."

Read more about the new dinosaur, who it's named after, and feast your eyes on other beautiful illustrations of the species at Palaeoblog.

When you're done, head over to CBC's 'Quirks & Quarks' website and listen to Dr. Ryan describe the new species.

Thanks to Dean for the CBC link!

Vote Topples Canadian Government

As if plucked from George Lucas's latest 'Star Wars' films, a 'no-confidence' vote has toppled our Canadian government.

Unfortunately, we don't really seem to have any solid options in our other political parties. Politics...bah, humbug!

Photography: Computer Bugs

This 'little lady' decided to check out our new 17" PowerBook...


Photo © 2005 Chad Kerychuk.

There seems to be an invasion of Ladybugs and Box Elder Bugs here in the Midwest. They're not harmful, but they become annoying, sometimes flying right into one's face, laptop screen, or nearby light source.

According to the ever-resourceful wikipedia though, Ladybirds or Ladybugs can be beneficial:

"In parts of Northern Europe, tradition says you get a wish granted if a ladybug lands on you. In Italy it is said by some, that if a Ladybird or Ladybug flies into your bedroom, that it is considered good luck."

Perhaps they're not so much of a pest after all.

Photography: Raking Leaves

Raking leaves on November 23, here in Creston, Iowa. I had already raked many leaves in the front yard a week before this blustery, but warm day, however a nasty snowstorm blanketed the area, covering all traces of my past efforts. After the snow melted, we finished the job. Well, the front yard at least. 13 bags of leaves in total.


April strikes an adventurous pose.


I break for a photo during the hours of raking.


April frames me...with leaves.

Photos © 2005 Chad and April Kerychuk.

Photography: The Difficult Life of Cats

While working away on some video projects here in Iowa one afternoon, I observed the seemingly difficult life cats lead. Shown in chronological order of course...


Xavier takes a nap.


The camera's noise rouses the slumbering beast.


Monique enjoys her lazy solitude.


"The paparazzi won't leave me alone..."


"...so I might as well start some trouble." Boxing match followed.


"That was a tough bout. Time for a nap again."

Throw in some meal times, bathroom breaks, and play periods, and you've summed up a cat's incredibly stressful day. And when it's all over, they decide to crawl in bed with you at night, stretching out fully and taking all available extra space, relegating you to a little corner of the mattress. It would seem felines are the superior species!

All photos © 2005 Chad Kerychuk.

Own the Original 'Hollywood' Sign

Supposedly, the original Hollywood sign is up for sale. Not to be confused with the current one most people see in California, but the original itself, built in 1923 for a real estate development company.

Due to termites, arson, and other damage, the sign needed to be either repaired or replaced. In 1978, 'Playboy' publisher Hugh Hefner sponsored a party to do just that. Celebrities including Gene Autry and Alice Cooper, along with other individuals, kicked in funds to restore the iconic sight.

If the whole sign is too much for your rec room, or that starting bid price is a bit shocking, how about owning a small piece instead?

NPR has a feature on the history of the famous American landmark. Check it out at this link.

Ray Harryhausen: Portrait of the Animator as Zeus

There's a good interview by Mark Zimmer with stop-motion animation legend Ray Harryhausen at digitallyOBSESSED.com.

"Harryhausen: I always worked by myself, because I like to concentrate. I prefer not to have people around. So every inch of film is usually the first take. We never had time to do retakes.

dOc: How did you remember from one day to the next, 'Now, was I moving this limb this way or that way?'

Harryhausen: Sometimes if I had to stop a scene I would make notes, but you have it in your mind. When you make storyboards, you sort of think of it as though it's in action. I guess I have a Zeus complex. I like to manipulate these people as Zeus did in the early Greek concepts."

Ray also talks about his past work with Willis O'Brien, the upcoming 'King Kong' 'Mighty Joe Young' and 'Song of Kong' DVDs, and even Peter Jackson's 'King Kong.'

Hellboy Animated

Hellboy Animated concept art by Sean "Cheeks" Galloway.

Like the recent motion picture, 'Hellboy', created by author/illustrator Mike Mignola, will be coming to life in animated form. IDT Entertainment and Revolution Studios will bring 'Big Red' to life in direct-to-DVD productions, and possibly an animated series, online content and video games. Ron Perlman, who acted as Hellboy in the feature film will also be providing voicework for the animated versions. Guillermo del Toro, director of the film, will serve as a creative producer along with Mignola.

Read the Variety article at this link.

I was pleased to hear that a fellow member of The Drawing Board, Sean "Cheeks" Galloway, was chosen as the lead designer and fellow Hellboy.com forum member and animation veteran, Tad Stones, is the supervising director. With all of this talent, Hellboy is certainly in good hands.

Follow the production of Hellboy Animated at the new Production Diary.

Check out more of Sean's outstanding artwork at his online gallery, where I'm sure you'll see how his dynamic style is a natural fit for animation.

There's also a great interview with Tad regarding animated television series development at Digital Media FX.

While we're talking about Hellboy, here's two great lithographs I recently received. The first comes courtesy of '...' at the Hellboy fourm, and the second arrived thanks to Jun at The Comic Bug.


Hellboy mini-lithograph produced by Dark Horse Comics.


Hellboy Hurricane Katrina Red Cross Relief lithograph by Mike Mignola.




Hellboy and all related characters © Mike Mignola and Dark Horse Comics, Inc.

Photography: From Above

Photo © 2005 Chad Kerychuk.

I traveled from Edmonton, Alberta to Creston, Iowa on the 8th, and took this photo on the Calgary to Denver portion of the trip. Earlier during the flight, there was some great scenery that I didn't capture though. If my camera wasn't stowed, I would have had some photos of the badlands and mountain ranges covered by snow.

Oh well. Next time.

It's Experiment 626!

Check out this great Flickr photo from Princess Shari of Stitch from Walt Disney World...


"It's Experiment 626!" - Originally uploaded by Princess Shari.