Alive and Editing

Hi all! I hate to continue the rather boring trend of starting these blog entries with an apology lol, but again, sorry for the delay and for and what might appear to be apathy or silence on our end, it's just that on the whole, there isn’t much to report these days, but that isn’t to say no work is going on! Far far from it, James is still working almost non stop on the films editing and effects, it is simply that this stage of the production doesn’t leave me much to say lol I promise though, there will be some exciting updates in the near future, we don’t intend to leave you hangin on scraps for much longer ;) Ok! Onto today’s blog post:

Editing continues ever onwards: As mentioned above, James is a lean mean editing machine (or at least his PC is) and the cutting/editing/CG work has been ongoing pretty much the entire time between this blog and the last lol Most recently James has been working on one of the movies key fight scenes, a big showdown featuring the majority of the cast, and it is going to require some very tight editing and a lot of different effects throughout, this scene will probably be what he focuses on for the next week or so. I’ll ask James if you guys can get a few more screens or even a clip or two, but hey, we don’t wanna spoil ya too much lol

Brand New CGI Guy (or Gal?): Good news TTOS fans! Very recently there has been a new addition to the TTOS production crew, one who will hopefully be able to take on some of the films CG work :) More specifically, we have a new CGI animator, who will hopefully be able to help model and animate the films “wraith” demons during a number of the key battle scenes. This will be a huge advantage for James and a great asset to the project as a whole, and although the new animator will mostly be helping deal with a small problem encountered during the filming, this new addition might also bring a few ideas once out of reach or improbable, closer to reality, I don’t want to get anyone’s hopes up of course, but as an example: whereas before we couldn’t really do something like a hightime due to our budget making wirework impossible, it might now be possible with the use of a CG wraith model. Don’t think too big though, we are but a humble fanfilm! And it’s also important to remember that however much or little our new crew member does or can do is still down to how much free time they have, modelling like this is a lot of hard work after all ;) Oh, and I’m afraid I don’t have any kind of name for our animator yet, but I’d like to take this opportunity to welcome our new member to the team! Your help is much appreciated!

Theatrical Trailer Update: James has also been really busy this weekend working on the next, and quite likely final trailer for the film. I have seen the updated version of it and James has filled in almost all the blank spots he had in the WIP version, he also tells me he has tested it on PSP and in hi-res on his television, and it is looking pretty sharp in both formats! It now features more voice clips, more action shots and even some trailer-style text captions, SOS readers will also be pleasantly surprised with the song James chose ;) I talked to Iain (Artemis) earlier in the week, and he expects filming will resume shortly, hopefully by next month, and I know James is looking to get the rest of the footage ASAP so he can finish and release the trailer, but no dates or specifics as yet, last thing we want to do is disappoint the fans with another delay, as ever, watch this space!

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That’s all for now I’m afraid, but exciting stuff is just over the horizon! Keep checkin back for updates, and remember, if you have any questions, concerns or last minute suggestions, feel free to post in the films official forum thread on SOS.com, either I or James himself will be along to respond rather quickly ;) Oh, and remember, the official site is http://tearsofsparda.com/ not co.uk, unlike the broken link featured in this blog, I’ll get that fixed ASAP, I might even play with a few of the new blogger features while I am at it … ‘til next time! Thanks for stickin with us.

Welcome to 2007, The Year of the Devil

Hello again TTOS fans! I trust you all had a merry christmas and a happy new year! ;) Sorry again for the long space between blog posts, I didn't want to make my first blog post of 2007 until I had a few notable things to report, have to start the year off with a bit of bang after all! I'll try to update weekly from now on, but just think, you'll all be able to watch TTOS before the years end! Exciting, no? Alrighty, onto the updates:

"Editing like... something that edits lots..": I know you guys can't really see progress unless we release pics and stuff, but let me assure you that work on the film marches on non-stop! James has spent the past few weeks endlessly watching, cutting and editing his way through the current footage, which isn't exactly a quick process when you are doing it right. And as well as all the general editing, James has been testing, creating and carefully applying all the CG effects, such as the ghostly fog of the castle ruins, and the glowing red lightning of the tears, this is no small task, and it can take up to a week to properly put together a mere 30 seconds of footage! Considering this is DMC, the film obviously requires a healthy amount of CG throughout, which makes James a very busy director right about now lol Oh, there were also a few interesting developments on the CG front, most notably, further experimentation with the sand effects led to a slight change in how the Wraith demons will work on screen, (haha sorry, I'm not revealing anymore right now) and while editing, James tells me he has found plenty of hilarious outtakes, quite a few of which involve healthy amounts of singing and dancing! Hopefully we can have these included on the DVD and available to download after release.

New Trailer: coming soon: As well as working on the final film, James has been putting together the next, and quite probably final, trailer. I have seen the WIP version, and it's shaping up very nicely, however in order to finish it properly and fill the pesky black spaces, James wants to use footage which he has yet to shoot, which brings me to my next update. Shooting of the film will resume ASAP. At first James only had to organise a time everyone was free, but now it's mother nature standing in the way. It's rather cold in England right now, so cold it's snowing, and such a thing MIGHT cause some continuity errors! (Dante talks: no snow, Vergil talks: snow) Plus, Lady ain't exactly dressed for the cold lol, and it wouldn't be fair to Rachel to make her stand around in this kind of weather. Rest assured though, this minor setback only gives James more time to edit together the film, and as soon as shooting starts, there will be plenty more to report. Watch this space!

Picture perfect: Again sorry for all the waiting, but I do have a treat or two to help make up for it! These 4 pics are official screenshots from the film, complete with after effects, and were released onto DA a few days ago. Hopefully they will help you get an idea of how the final film will look, and of the kind of effects James is currently working with.
http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/45367777/?qo=3&q=by%3Ajz-ttos&qh=sort%3Atime+-in%3Ascraps
http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/47482141/
http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/47497414/
http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/47498139/

DMC in the palm of your hand: James and Iain are both proud PSP owners, and thought it would be sweet if the TTOS trailers could be made portable! So, James has been looking into making the teasers and upcoming theatrical trailer available for download to PSP via the website. Be sure to get in contact if you think this is a good idea!

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Well that's all for now folks, but I'll try and ensure the next post isn't so far away lol Keep checkin SOS and the website for updates!

Merry Christmas!

Hello TTOS fans! I hope you are all enjoying this particularly festive time of year. Sorry for the slight delay in the blog updating process, I have been bogged down with layer after layer of coursework this past week… Luckily however, that’s all done with now, and I am officially on holiday! No responsibilities or work for the next month and a half, and Christmas (potentially the greatest annual event of all) is right around the corner. Oh yes, life is good. And of course, all this free time means I can finally get back to my fanfilmly duties, such as this very blog! Let’s get going:

Goodbye Saks!: Yes, Saks is gone, back home to sunny Portugal, well at least I hope it’s sunny… or snowing, since it’s Christmas and all… Anyway, sad as we are to see him go, it does of course mean all of the scenes featuring Dante have now been filmed, which is obviously a huge chunk of the overall film. (Dante is the main character after all.) The entire cast and crew have been working very very hard over the last few weeks, making sure we get everything that we need in time (and to a high standard), but as you might expect, the last weekend with Saks still kind of crept up on the team, (let’s just say not many eyes got closed during those 48 hours lol) and as ever, there were one or two speedbumps along the way, but generally filming has gone extremely well, and James has told me he is particularly proud of several scenes they filmed, especially one of Dante and Vergils main fight sequences. (and if you know James, you’ll know if he is actually happy with a scene, it is GOOD lol) I am told we can definitely expect some fantastic swordplay and camerawork on that front. James also said he was very impressed with the work everyone has done so far, and that stressful though it has been, everyone has been having a hell of a lot of fun filming TTOS, and he hopes that will really show through in the final product.

Christmas Break: So, after that crazy weekend and almost a month of hardcore fanfilming, production will be slowing down a little bit for the holidays, after all, we have families to see and presents to open, but don’t worry, our dedication runs deep, and work is in fact ongoing, be it in a slightly more subtle manner. Ever the perfectionist, James has spent the last few days since Saks’ departure looking over all the footage and scenes he has so far, (mostly what was collected at the weekend) experimenting with the different editing and production effects he has at his disposal, and generally exploring what he wants to do with it all. At the moment it is unsure if there will be a special fanfilm Christmas present for you guys, (James quite rightly doesn’t want to rush something out just for the sake of it) but watch this space, there might still be hope for a Christmas surprise…

Going Postal: I am sure you will all enjoy this special little piece of fanfilm themed merchandise, a pretty swish TTOS postal stamp created by none other than ElvenAngel, the ever fantastic leader of the TTOS fanclub over on Deviantart.
http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/44781725/

And just in time for the holiday season! Now you can spread the merriment of Christmas in style, as well as spreading the word on TTOS! You can also check out ElvenAngels DA page here: http://elvenangel.deviantart.com/ and the official DA fanclub page here: http://thetearsofspardafc.deviantart.com/

Welcome to TTOS.com: You heard that right TTOS fans, our official website is now up and running, and, we have upgraded to a com! Big thanks of course go out to our lovely webmaster Bethany for setting this up for us. Be warned though, at the moment it just features basic fanfilm information, which has been mostly ported or adapted from the previously released TTOS datablast, so if you have been following this film for a long time it’s likely there will be little new stuff for you to chew on... Keep checking back though, we hope to add a lot more stuff to it in the future and we appreciate all your clicks. http://www.tearsofsparda.com/

Lotion in the basket: Many of you might not know this, but since TTOS was announced, James has garnered quite a following for himself, in fact, I would go as far as to say whole legions of fangirls want a piece of the Jamezter. Which you would think would be a good thing, but lol, it comes with a dangerous price, and I must say, I seriously worry for his safety at the ToA con. After all, if this is what can happen when there is hundreds of miles of ocean separating them, I dread to see the result of a face to face encounter with his fanbase... Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the dark side of fangirlism, it's a funny (yet scary) place… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htiVhSg1BTc (warning contains adult humour and quite er… disturbing, sexual references)

lol Thanks for this Rosie, I hearby grant you the fangirl of the week award and a promise Dream and I won't let James forget this one for quite some time!

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Well, that’s all for now guys, I’m not sure if another entry will be necessary between now and the 25th, so just in case I don’t post again by then, be sure to have a very Merry Christmas! Oh, and as a final note, we all extend our good luck and best wishes to Iain, who has been unwell recently and is currently moving house.

Teaser trailer, and more!

Hey hey! It's update time again!

Hair, wonderful hair: Although I do of course have the new teaser coming right up, I thought we'd start off small, with some news which is in fact rather key to the teaser gracing your eyes shortly: Our hair troubles are over! Despite early problems, James got hold of the right extensions and Saks is now sporting a full head of Dante style hair. (PS, while making this particular blog entry I was playing the song "Hair" from the musical of the same name in the background, just in case you find that at all interesting)

New character cards, and a promo pic!: Posted a few days ago on Deviantart, check out these cool new character cards for Dante and Vergil:
Dante: http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/9328/dantettoscardno2bysakstxr5.jpg
Vergil: http://img355.imageshack.us/img355/7577/vergilttoscardno2byjzttzp6.jpg
Swish, I know. And released with them, is this new promotional image featuring the Sakster as Dante:
http://img389.imageshack.us/img389/5175/dantepromopicbythetearsid8.jpg

Props Progress: Earlier this week our superlatively brilliant and proffessional prop designer, Paula Eden, finished two pairs of very important DMC items. The first is the twin's infamous family heirlooms, the amulets. (I have it on a good source that James is polishing his as we speak) And the second is Dante's trademark pistols, Ebony and Ivory, which I will admit now, are two of my favourite things in all of DMC. I can't wait to see some pics of them! And of course, the two things stopping Saks from filming were lack of hair, and lack of E+I.... with those items now on head and in hand respectively, our Dante is ready to appear on film! James is obviously very releived he can now shoot Dantes many scenes, and tells me he has big plans for the weekend ahead...

And onto tonights main attraction: ok ok, I have stalled enough, (well as if you didn't skip ahead to the link as soon as you saw the blogs title, haha yeah I saw you) Here is the latest TTOS teaser, Enjoy!:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuo_OCj2Xzk

Keep in mind, this is a teaser not a real trailer, so is very short, and is missing after effects and such. Still, as an (of course) unbiased viewer, I am very impressed by the sheer speed of the fighting, and the intricacy of the choreography. Far beyond most fanfilms I have seen. And it is also pretty clear to me that both Saks and James have their characters mannerisms, movements and fighting style DOWN. And of course James' Vergil voice, I never fail to be shocked at how accurate and awesome it is.

Until next time TTOS fans, thanks again for all your support up to now!

Long time no blog entry

Under new management: Hello all! Well, as James hinted at in his last blog post, he has decided to hand the job of updating this page over to me, Steven Thornton. (Although some of you might already know me as DexterXS) I’m the films “quality control” guy and canonical expert, and have been with this project from very early on. It is my job to ensure the film is in line with the canonical timeline and story established by the games, and I assure you I am an extremely hardcore DMC fan, just like the rest of the cast and crew! But on the side, I have also been in charge of keeping the various forums and websites now following the development of this film up to date with the real news. (rather than the product of that pesky rumour mill) As such, this blog is a rather natural extension of that, and I am confident I can do the job well in James’ absence.

It is of course a shame James can’t personally update you guys anymore, but rest assured its all for a very good reason: filming has started! So, it's been a while, and there is alot to say, so let's get cracking:

Meeting of brothers: Yep, the demon children have finally been united! (and with only minimal property damage to the airport and city!) The two spent the first few days getting to know each other, just hanging out, socialising, talking blahblah (after all, it is important the two leads build some chemistry and familiarity for when they are on screen!) and as planned, they did the tourist thing in merry old London (lol did anyone else know there is a line of shops in England actually called Saks?), but of course, soon after that, work began on the film.

Filming begins: It is relatively early days yet, but James is finally putting footage to film. He and Anna started with a few pieces of test footage to check the equipment and get comfortable with everything: this included playing around with the sound effects and the editing of some preliminary scenes, as well as the use of after effects to see how they looked and how effective they were (answer: very) and then after the first week, the team knuckled down into some real filming on location and in costume. Although the entire film will not be filmed chronologically, James has decided to start off filming with one of the films earliest scenes, Vergils return. He has also been taking a variety of promotional shots/stills along the way, for use on the website, and perhaps the DVD, should they get around to frivolities such as special features and behind the scenes featurettes.

Practice makes perfect, and avoids the loss of limbs (fight choreography and weapon practice): Ever since Saks arrived in England, both he and James have both been practicing daily with their respective weapons, learning to wield them with comfort and ease, (and in the same trademark style as Dante and Vergil) to a level they are confident enough to swing them at each other at speed. James of course realises how important it is that the films fighting flows properly and their movements are natural, comfortable and fluid, rather than slow, forced and clunky. Despite the fantastic story and the devotion with which it is being made, it is really the action which could make or break this film, so special consideration is being given to this part of the production. Further to this end, the demon brothers have been sparring regularly, and all the time taking notes and planning out the choreography of their fights in the film.

Practice footage was taken, so they could experiment with different camera angles and tricks, work out what looks good on screen and what doesn’t, how editing can effect the pace and flow of a scene, and generally how they can get the best action and style via the equipment and environments they have to work with. They have also been practicing on location, to check they can move around and attack freely in the space they have. James mentioned to me recently that he and Saks now have their final fight fully choreographed, and lately, I have started work on another test board, this time for Vergil. And don’t worry everyone, with James it is always safety first, and they have a local weapon specialist on speed dial lol No actors or DMC fans were harmed during the production of this blog.

The official logo unveiled: You may have seen a few versions of the TTOS logo over the last few weeks, but they weren’t actually the finalised and official version. Up to now, Saks has just been playing around with different looks and styles, but in the end, it was decided that to better capture the feel of the games, we should use a drawn sillhouette rather than one from a live action still. So, we got in contact with the loverly Xan, artist extraordinaire, (one of the gals working on the TTOS artbook) who drew us up a cool Dante silhouette, and lo, Saks created what I personally think, is an extremely badass DMC logo: http://img243.imageshack.us/img243/6660/dmcttosfinallogobysakstgo6.jpg

I love that brilliantly vibrant warped flame look, and how the subtitle glows cold against the fiery colours of the DMC bit. And the silhouette is a nice twist on the traditional DMC silhouettes look, but still somehow works with all that came before it. (which could really be seen as what the movie should be doing) Side note: haha ain’t this great, this isn’t actually MY movie or logo, so I can praise TTOS in the blog without appearing arrogant. Zing.

New info on our mysterious villain: I can now officially unveil the name of our mystery villain, something which up to now, has been top secret! The brilliantly talented Iain Alexander McLeod, will be playing the part of “Arthemis”. (And I’d like to stress at this point that his name bears absolutely no relevance to the DMC3 weapon of the same name, rather, James just liked the name and felt it went well with the character) Oh and I’m just gonna say right now, you guys are gonna LOVE Arthemis.

TTOS character cards and wallpapers: James, Saks and Anna took a little time during filming to shoot some promotional material for you loyal film followers to enjoy. We now have a character card for each cast member of TTOS, and a special one for our fantastic camera gal and editor, Anna Weeden, who is BTW, wearing a very special coat in her card! (to give you a clue, it is usually warn by Saks! lol) Oh, and as an extra, take a look at what Arthemis is holding…
Dante: http://img166.imageshack.us/img166/9958/dantettoscardbysaksterwk2.jpg
Vergil: http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/6391/vergilttoscardbyjzttosop4.jpg
Lady: http://img167.imageshack.us/img167/3913/annattoscardsebythetearzu7.jpg
Arthemis: http://img390.imageshack.us/img390/2954/villaincardbycinstixpm5.jpg

Anna: http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/5994/ladyttoscardbythetearsora5.jpg
TTOS wallpaper: http://img168.imageshack.us/img168/7757/dmcttoswallpaperissue1bzg6.jpg

TTOS Datablast: Put together a little while back by yours truly, the TTOS datablast is a recap of all the currently released TTOS info, including character profiles, information about props, demons and release dates among other various topics, and it even has some stuff about the story. It can be seen here, on my Deviantart page: http://dexterxs.deviantart.com/journal/10684403/

And speaking of which, you might be interested to know that most of the cast and crew have a page at DA, all of which are often updated with pics and personal perspectives on the films development. There is also a fanclub! And if you have a DA account, I do of course recommend you join lol

James -Vergil/Director: http://jz-ttos.deviantart.com/
Saks -Dante: http://sakster.deviantart.com/
Iain -Arthemis: http://cinstix.deviantart.com/
Morgan (DreamerM) -scriptwriter: http://dreamweaverm.deviantart.com/
Me (DexterXS/Steven) : http://dexterxs.deviantart.com/

Xan -artbook artist: http://xanseviera.deviantart.com/
Divine -artbook artist: http://divine-star.deviantart.com/
TTOS fanclub: http://thetearsofspardafc.deviantart.com/
TTOS fanclub owner: http://elvenangel.deviantart.com/

Not enough hair today, hopefully more tomorrow: Among all the excitement however, I must also reveal some bad news. Filming has hit a small snag, in that although Saks is finally here ready to film, his hair is not, that is to say, it is far too short for him to appear on camera as Dante. As yet, James has struggled to get the right kind of extensions for him, (a wig, is just not an option, since it would look silly and fake) and since Saks is here for a limited time only, it is a rather worrying problem. Waiting for it to grow, just isn’t a valid option. However, I am hearing down the grapevine James is trying new things, and very soon, this problem could be solved after all… I will of course keep you updated on that.

More progress from the front: As well as all the big stuff, smaller things have been going on in the background, as even when it may not appear so, things are always moving forward! A few of the props are of course still in production (most notably E+I, which will also hold James back from filming a few of the Dante scenes) but they are expected soon enough, and we have to remember Paula is a busy lady doing us a favour, and you can’t rush art! Most recently, the tears themselves have been cast, and a few prototypes have even been made. James and Anna were also out and about not so long ago, buying all the ingredients you need to make yourself some wraith demons, and Rachel Lund, the films Lady, has now got her full costume ready to go, and has even sent some pics of herself in full Lady gear to James and Co. Plus, James has been trying to get in contact with our website builder, so we may have some news on that front very soon.

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So! Things sure are hotting up now eh? Exciting stuff to be sure. I shall do my best to update this blog at LEAST once a week with all the latest news, pics and general gossip from the set, and keep you all entertained in the long wait between production and release. Who knows, James himself might even stop by on occasion should he get a free minute! Well, until next time TTOS fans, and I hope you found this blog entry informative and interesting.

Union of the Demon Children

Right, first of all I realise how crap I am at updating this blog, and I apologise to anyone who has grown more than a little impatient waiting for the next installment. So here it is....

Union of the Demon Children : Yes, thats right, its finally happening! Helio our Dante actor has booked his flights and will be flying to the UK. In approximately 60 hours from now, he and I will finally meet and have to try our best not to start fighting there and then (Airport Terminal Fight? hmmm). This is extremely exciting because it means that by next weekend (Sat 11th Nov) We should have started shooting.

So far we are planning on starting work almost as soon as Helio arrives. We will be spending a day in London sight seeing so if anyone see's two fairly white haired young men walking about, its probably us! Then by Thursday we are aiming to start fight scene choreography, which I'm personally really looking forward to.

Props : A LOT of people have been asking me about props and when they will be ready to show. Well, Paula has been working her butt off churning out these props and I've seen some development pictures and I'll say right now, I'm extremely impressed and excited! She had completely taken on board the level of detail that is needed in planning these so I have complete faith that these will look amazing. I do not have an ETA for them as of yet, but I do not want to keep pestering her for them, as she knows all too well how soon Helio and I will be needing them.

Interview : There is now an interview available on YouTube with myself answering some of the most FAQ's. This can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChsGafbWuAg

Outtakes : Ok, just to prove that the interview was not always that professional looking, there is a series of outtakes that show just how hard it was to make the polished interview! I'll warn you now, there is a fair amount of uncencored swearing http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgFqn1w39kc

I will try my hardest to update this blog as we continue to shoot, however I may very well leave the blog in the more than capable hands of Steven Thornton, who as you all know is our 'quality' expert.

Interview Part 1, filmed!

Interview (Part 1) : Firstly I must apologise for not updating this sooner. We have been really busy preparing for the start of shooting and recruiting more people to work on the film and help out. We now have a 'Lady' so that completes our principle cast I'm extremely happy to say. I have just completed filming the first part of an 'on camera' interview answering some of the many questions we receive from fans of the game on a daily basis. It was actually worse having to be myself in front of the camera for once, and needless to say there was about 15mins ish of good footage and the rest is me getting my words muddled and generally getting things wrong! I'll be a lot better when I'm in character, I promise! Now we just need to edit the footage and add some finishing touches before it is uploaded to the interned for all to see (yes...that means you!).

We have managed to score some great lights for the film so we no longer have to worry about getting light into places like the church, where we would normally only have candles which dont light it enough for the camera to pick up (as we discovered while filming the interview part 1.)

I'm also due to have a meeting with a local martial arts expert to discuss the some of the more intenst fight choreography for the film soon. I'm relaly looking forward to this as I only have a basic knowledge but it will be great to have someone on board who really knows how things should look from a 'reality' point of view.