Guardian Angel Presents Superboy

[Guardian Angel Studios]

Hi fellow indy mogulers,
My name is Matt Alan. I am the Director and Producer for my upcoming film, Superoby: Boy of Steel. I wanted to let everyone here (at indymogul.com) about my upcoming movie. It is all about Clark Kent as a Junoir Higher. He goes through normal struggles as his body changes, (much more drastically then he expects.) This will be Guardian Angel Studios first Production. We are planning on using Fxhome products for most of the effects, such as flying, super speed, laser vision, xray vision, and super strength. This is a forum where you can ask questions and hopefully give us some advice about how to make this movie the best possible movie we can. You can keep track of this movie through this forum or through a similar forum on http://fxhome.com (http://fxhome.com/). So ask away. :)

I am going to have a scene where Superboy is going to rip chains off of a kidnapped woman. I am not exactly sure how to do this. And he is going to drop in from the cielling taking out support beams and cob webbs and anything else that may be up there. Any one have any idea how to create this effect?

[Guardian Angel Studios]

Is anyone there? I have had two questions on this thread but no one seems to care? What the heck is going on? Will anyone answer me or do you all just know absolutely nothing on the subject?:confused:

[Grimnr]

Can't wait to see the footage.

[DailySupernova]

Cant wait to see more spam!

For the chains you might be able to get away with plastic rings with a nice paint job. I dont completely get the second question, care to elaborate?

[NaziActionFigure]

You can start by getting a lawyer when copyright infringement comes up.

[Grimnr]

You can start by getting a lawyer when copyright infringement comes up.

This would most likely fall under the "Fan Film" category.

As for the chains, when "Superman Returns" came out they made a toy chain that broke apart.

[Guardian Angel Studios]

Ya I know about those chains, but they look to fake. I was thinking maybe cutting the links so that all you have to do is pull and it just falls off. I was also thinking I could tape the chains to the back of the chair and not go all the way around so all you have to do is pull and they fly off. As for the other part. In the begining of the scene I need Superboy to be flying and then crash through a ceiling into a building. So he would like come through the ceiling and then land. But the problem is I don't know how to fake the support beams of the roof or something like that falling as he breaks through the ceiling.

[bridboyross]

Balsa Wood? Fairy cheap and easy to cut too a specific length and paint etc.

[Guardian Angel Studios]

Balsa Wood? Fairy cheap and easy to cut too a specific length and paint etc.
Thats not a bad idea, but I am open to other ideas as well.

[trspballer7]

use the cieling falling effects....rubbble and wood and industrial supplies....these are all from detonation films...some are free...but some you have to buy.

[tonz0phun]

Didn't they already do this? Oh yea, it's called Smallville.

[Guardian Angel Studios]

Didn't they already do this? Oh yea, it's called Smallville.
OK First off this is a fan film, don't know if I made that clear yet and Smallville is a pathetic excuse for Clarks child hood. And besides he doesn't even wear the costume.:supermad:

[FyceDesigns]

Nice! FXhome products! I own the Pro versions of EffectsLab and CompositeLab.

Sounds like it's gonna be pretty good! If you have Kryptonite in your movie, I'd suggest just using a fake green stone, then using the lightsaber rotoscope technique from ELab and making it neon green, then applying it on the shape of the Kryptonite, to make it glow.

For the chain breaking effect, I'd get a normal chain, but have one of the middle links be made of styrofoam, then painted to look like the rest of the links. Superboy yanks the chain, it breaks, you composite in some grayish particles coming from the broken parts, and add sound effects.

Good luck!

-Fyce

[tyler93]

r u going to have an enemies that have powers or lex luther an wat r u going to use for kryptonite i suggest go to a rock store and buy a really cheap green emarld looking thing and jazz it up woth specail effects

[FleshFestFilms]

i second the detonation films idea, and balsa wood for the beams. another helpful thing with balsa is its so light! easy to set up, not too dangerous to work with etc.

[Guardian Angel Studios]

Thank you everyone. And by the FyceDesigns that is just what I thought to do with the krytonite thing. I am also greatfull for the styrofome idea. I am thinking of using just some green rock and having lex be the enemy. If you read the section in Wikipedia about Supeboy (Kal-El), you can find the plot I plan to use with Lex's accident. I plan to leave room open for a sequal but am not sure about that yet, first things first, got to finish the script.

[CreatiVideoFilms]

Will this be full length or short, because to me it seems like if you're going to have a full storyline it should be pretty long.

[Guardian Angel Studios]

Will this be full length or short, because to me it seems like if you're going to have a full storyline it should be pretty long.
Well... I really don't know how long it will be, becuase right know we don't have the script finished. All I know is that the writer is aiming for around 30-60 minutes. Right know the script is around 14 pages, but it could have changed by now.

[BRanger62]

There are three different ways to do the chian effect

Either not use full chains. And wrap half chains around your actor/actress and tape/glue/whatever your chains in the back.

When Superboy comes to break these links, only shoot from the front of the victim. Then add in metal peices in FXhome flying off the chains from behind.

OR you could do the same thing onlyh instead of using his bare hands, try heat vision. FXhome will do all the work.

OR cut out the scene entirely

Honestly from my opinion a film like this is hardly the best choice for your FIRST film.
I know, because I have tried to do things like this. Unless you can find great FX geeks nearby, and good resources, the film wont look as good as you had planned.

My suggestion would be to do a film with a simple concept. Take an ordinary story and add extrodinary conflict.

For example one of my first films concept ideas was "a girl attepmts to stop her brothers suicide." I added extrodinary conflict and it turned into this...

"Failing to attempt to stop her brother from comitting suicide, Marie learns that her closest friend, Doc, had invented a time machine. Desperate to save her brother, the two go back in time to save him."

Sounds complicated, but you should always make a film that you KNOW you can make. A Superboy film is not the best choice for your first film, but if you KNOW you can make this then suprise me with your talent.

[BRanger62]

And you say you dont even know how long it will be?
30 - 60 minutes?
Maybe you should make a Superboy short will limited effects and a character driven story.
I havent even bothered to finish MY OWN superhero epic, until I know I can actually sit down and make it.
Once again, not your best choice for your first film. Save the feature film after you've made 25 shorts.
Better yet, make a series of shorts based on that idea you had.

[Androom05]

This is really funny because I worked on William Phelps' superboy Trilogy! I did the effects and all that. First things first.

-Kryptonite- Either use a real quartz crystal and pain it green, and don't have a glow, because the glow can be kinda cheesey, (reflective would look cooler) but if you must have a glow, I would make one of those ice LED light bulbs except green and not so Spherical.

-Heat vision- the Superman returns style looks better than the laser style, and if you have live type it's easy to do. or After effects. I'll show you how.


-Flying- either go outside when it's sunny and shoot your self behind a green screen, or indoors with lighting. if you want to fly across the screen horizontally. Tilt the camera sideways, and do your flying poses standing straight up.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrMxB3LdPzk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYnR0WjGpJ0
-test film-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jAbWIjTfvA

-Superspeed- There are many ways to do superspeed. The best way is to have your camera man in the trunk of a car shooting the actor jogging slowly, then have people as pedestrians frozen in time. Have the people as pedestrians do and everyday pose like walking or whatever. So that way when the actor is jogging it shows that he is going hella fast. to sell it even more park a car in the street with a guy at the wheel. MAKE SURE that no moving cars, dogs, or people are in the background, it will ruin the effect. ALSO, don't have the actor slow down, because if he slows down then it will go back to normal speed. So when it's all done slow it a bit down in your editor. If want your actor to super speed to a badguy or victim have the actor playing the victim or whatever do something, then have them walk or whatever really super slow and have the actor playing Superboy sprint. Then you can either speed it up in post or slow it down.

-Costume- I would recommend either buying a halloween version and modding it so it's freaking sweet, or buying so blue tights online. If you go halloween, tuck in the cape like it is in the comics, also, ditch that cape and belt and get new ones! Capes are really easy to make and to buy, simply go online buy a large red Halloween cape. for belts get some belt that you don't want anymore and spraypaint it yellow, I would have the buckle gold, that would look cool! I would also get some boots or boot-tops too. Boot-tops are easy to make.

-Catching cars and other tricks- Have your actor put his hands on a car and have the driver drive in reverse, meanwhile have your actor run backward, or just move his arms to their neutral position. Picking up giant things- Use forced perspective. Place the object like a model in front of the camera and the actor faraway pantomiming lifting up the object as if it where huge.

-bullet proof- This is easy, go into photoshop and make a muzzle flash for the gun, then a separate flash on superboy of the bullet deflecting. I would record cap guns for the gunshot sounds for the bullet hits, try find sounds.

Here are some links, to some Superboy related things I have done:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIbpfkMTg7A
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQMdq47qAjg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7pd-JvXB0s
(I did the music for this trailer):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skVG1-LlyzA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHHrwuTAdO4

[ninjabros]

OK First off this is a fan film, don't know if I made that clear yet and Smallville is a pathetic excuse for Clarks child hood. And besides he doesn't even wear the costume.:supermad:

Smallville's my favorite show. FYI

[tyler93]

if u need any help im there i can do the score or anything i am a big superman/superboy fan i know a lot and might be usefull

[tyler93]

for superspeed i would edit in a gost trail type of thing and spedd up ur character in the editing program but for shooting i agree with androom05

[Will Wheeler]

Superboy is Asian?

[Androom05]

Superboy is Asian?

Heck yes! I bet Kryptonians are Multiethnic! ha ha! There was a Black evil Kryptonian on smallville.

But yeah Will is a great little actor and Filmmaker. He really is superboy! :D

[Androom05]

for superspeed i would edit in a gost trail type of thing and spedd up ur character in the editing program but for shooting i agree with androom05

That would be ok, it's more of a hassle than it's worth, it would be cool to have a shockwave effect, my friend tried it and it looked like he was on blue fire :p. I think it looks just as convincing without the fancy effects if it's shot right ;)

[DeadFishProductions]

OK First off this is a fan film, don't know if I made that clear yet and Smallville is a pathetic excuse for Clarks child hood. And besides he doesn't even wear the costume.:supermad:

Urrrm the point is that they avoid having him wear the costume. They want him to slowly become superman and the changes to be gradual. They don't even really want to show him fly. This is because at like THE FINAL EPISODE. It'll have an awesome ending of the boy turning into the man. SUPERMAN!

However! There are a lot of comicbook indescrepencies that I don't like at all but to say Smallville is bad because of lack of "blatant-superman" is just wrong for me that is the best bit of the show.

If you are doing an origins story they never get all their powers or get into the suit and near the end. The point is it is their ORIGIN! where they learn!

Read Daredevil: Man Without fear or Batman: Year One
(Coincidentally both by Frank Miller)

[Androom05]

Urrrm the point is that they avoid having him wear the costume. They want him to slowly become superman and the changes to be gradual. They don't even really want to show him fly. This is because at like THE FINAL EPISODE. It'll have an awesome ending of the boy turning into the man. SUPERMAN!

However! There are a lot of comicbook indescrepencies that I don't like at all but to say Smallville is bad because of lack of "blatant-superman" is just wrong for me that is the best bit of the show.

If you are doing an origins story they never get all their powers or get into the suit and near the end. The point is it is their ORIGIN! where they learn!

Read Daredevil: Man Without fear or Batman: Year One
(Coincidentally both by Frank Miller)

Yeah I agree for the most part. I think clark should at least fly. I think it's lame that he can't fly yet. I mean I understand him not getting that power until after the first couple seasons. But now it's getting a bit ridiculous.