This is part 2/2 of my commentary on our Bizarre monster film. If you haven't read the first part I suggest reading it first and then getting back to this. So I will continue straight where I left off, here we go!
Special props
We wanted a little bit of A&B spirit involved in the script. So we included our own A&B Plörö bottle in the script. In the design, we got help from Sata Kaskelottia's Ville Salonen (who also is the drummer of the band and an illustrator/graphic designer). He designed the label of the bottle and also made the Azh Boyzz official seal. That seal is also used in our crew's hoodies.
Another prop that we wanted to use was the emergency torches. Just like in the original The Thing. It is a big part of the movie and also it would create a nice light for our ice set. So we contacted the local police department and asked for permission to use these torches. We got a one-hour time window to get the shots we needed.
All the other props, we just gathered around from anywhere we could find and wrote them into the script. It is easier and cheaper to do it that way. With a very strict budget, it is better to think as much as possible pieces that you already have around you. Before going to buy all those needed bits and pieces.
Practical anamorphic look & storyboarding
One of the signatures in John Carpenter's films is that all of them have this certain magical look in them. Mostly shot on 35mm film paired with anamorphic lenses. Of course, we didn't have the money to shoot on real celluloid but Teemu owns an anamorphic lens adapter that we could mimic the look with the right lens choices. It is time-consuming and a bit frustrating to use but it is totally worth it. There are cases when you can't use it and certain things (like close focus) are limited, so you have to carefully plan how to use it and leverage its benefits like the wide field of view.
That's also the reason, why all the monster shots had to be planned and story-boarded beforehand. Teemu also made this animation from the drawings to present the mood and style for our crew and the band members.
Practical titles
AAMUMANDAATTI's title sequence was captured by Karo and Teemu. It was made after all the principal shoots were done, in the studio. The text was designed again by band member/illustratorVille Salonen. Designed in the same spirit that titles of both versions (Hawks and Carpenter's) of The Thing movies. All movement is practically made by Teemu and Karo. And yes, they tried also the classic "burning" method that was used in original versions. But that didn't quite work and there were fire alarms above in the studio so they were a bit scared to try it out too many times. Burning plastic bags bring up some smoke and definitely smells bad!
Berlin Music Video Awards 2019
We sent our music video for Berlin Music Video Award before. Those have been selected for Silver Screenings but not as a part of the official competition. He decided to send our monster spectacle there also, because... why not! We are proud to say that our Sata Kaskelottia - Aamumandaatti was an official nominee at BMVA'19. The video was part of the Most Bizarre -category. That sounds like just the right category for our piece!
AFTERALL, I think it is a funny little film and a nice tribute to Carpenter and the best film Thing ever made. Enjoy it and keep in mind that nothing is what it looks... and BE CAREFUL. You never know what's waiting for you behind the corner. I will end this post by borrowing a sentence from himself, maestro John Carpenter:
Drive home carefully. Christine is out there. Good night.
– John Carpenter
Blog text by Ville Aittokumpu / Azh Boyzz.