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  • A Bulletin Boards For the Serious Business

    A Bulletin Boards For the Serious Business

    Bulletin board by WOW Barbie


    The bulletin boards have started to use from time immemorial. But if during age-old times the bulletin board were as an usual wooden, now a modern enclosed bulletin boards equipped by shock-resistant glass with lock fixation, plus formatted list for convenient placing of announcements.

    Glass enclosed bulletin board by WOW Barbie

    If you own a fitness club or a training center — you just need to have the enclosed bulletin board, because very much of an advertising activity will need to be placed, it's fabula of this business. In addition, an information booth must fit into the interior, but must be visible from a distance.

    Bulletin board by WOW Barbie

    Among other things, the bulletin boards must be durable and reliable. Such bulletin boards are made of a plastic glass and an alloy metal, but if you owner of a golf-club, to you certainly need to made ​​of oak or ash, because an outdoor enclosed bulletin boards is a factually the face of company.

    Wooden board by WOW Barbie

    VIA A Bulletin Boards For the Serious Business

  • Heritage: Unearthing Vadnagar

    Heritage: Unearthing Vadnagar
    A tourist visiting Vadnagar, 120 km from Ahmedabad, may find it difficult to envision the sleepy town as a thriving international trading market. But, texts by Chinese traveller Heung Tsang and Mughal chronicler Abul Fazl belie these assumptions.

    Unearthing Vadnagar
    Excavated Buddhist Monastery in Vadnagar [Credit: ASI]

    Since 2006, the birthplace of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has seen vigorous archaeological digs in pursuit of the 10 Buddhist monasteries Tsang described during his visit to Vadnagar some 1,400 years ago, recorded in his journals Hsi-yu Chi (Record of Western Countries). The efforts multiplied following the discovery of a nearly 2,000-yearold Buddhist monastery by Y S Rawat, director of the Gujarat State Archaeology Department — an excavation that was given the push by the then state government. Modi's tweet about the Gujarat connect with Buddhism in September 2014, ahead of Chinese premier Xi Jinping's visit to India, only increased curiosity about Vadnagar. Perhaps this is why, in 2013, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) took over from Rawat and started excavations this January. But, it isn't going to be an easy ride.

    The Human Angle

    Vadnagar has 45 villages, but it is the fortified area that forms Vadnagar town (in a 3.5-km perimeter area) that's the subject of curiosity.

    The ASI is currently conducting trial excavations at three sites. One is near the Kirti Toranas — 40-feet high intricately carved towers representing victory over enemy built during the Kumarpal Solanki rule (11-12 century AD) — while the other two are in the Baba no Tekro Locality I and Locality II. These two sites are located on the banks of Sarmishtha lake, a landmark, and is part of the Vadnagar panchayat area. The land here is owned by both, government and as private owners. And, it's these two areas that the ASI believes, have the potential for significant archaeological finds.

    Although a team of researchers have found remnants from the Solanki era dating back to 960 AD, they haven't yet discovered any Buddhist monasteries. Trial excavations, typically, entail finding out when the city originated and its expanse in ancient times viz a viz the present town.

    Unearthing Vadnagar
    Buddhist monks walk around an excavated Buddhist Monastery 
    at Vadnagar [Credit: The Hindu]

    In the last two-and-a-half months, says superintending archaeologist Dr Madhulika Samanta, the ASI has found about 150 coins from the 1-3rd century AD. The present fortification was built by Kumarapal Solanki (1143-1174 CE). "The main town of Vadnagar is situated on a high mound, created over a number of buildings that were built and destroyed during earlier periods, and the settlement has not outgrown the medieval fortification," says superintending archaeologist Dr Madhulika Samanta. This has led them to believe that much of Vadnagar's treasures could lie beneath the human habitation — as per the 2011 Census it had 27,700 residents.

    This, locals believe, may pose challenges. A local, who is familiar with the excavations, said, "The land under which the Buddhist monastery was found was a vacant government plot surrounded by residential houses. We believe a lot of adjoining area needs to be dug up for further findings, but they are covered by homes. Vacating these houses can be a huge problem and cause unrest among people."

    Expanding Horizons

    Samanta says that a search for the remaining nine monasteries might have to extend beyond the current periphery of the historic town. "I believe Vadnagar was much bigger and more densely populated during the medieval period than it is now. The existence of 10 monasteries, within the fortified area is not possible as monasteries are mostly built on the periphery. We need to carry out excavations over large areas to be able to locate them."

    But, she claims the district magistrate has failed to give permission for further excavations. "We have followed up with the collector since January. I met him on February 13 and have written to him four to five times but there is an inordinate delay. The ASI does not take land. We only excavate, document and return the land. If the land is owned by a private party, we compensate the owner. If it is government property, we do not need to."

    Unearthing Vadnagar
    Buddha figurine from Vadnagar [Credit: ASI]

    Excavations may soon extend to adjoining villages. "We are setting up a tent at another village in a week. Excavation will be extended to the eastern and northern banks of the Sarmishtha lake," she adds.

    While excavations are on, security for the discoveries is minimal. At the site where the Buddhist monastery was uncovered — along with a stupa, a courtyard, and several cells where the Buddhist monks are believed to have lived — there is no security, leaving the area vulnerable to vandalism.

    For now, the ASI has hired family members of private land owners as labourers or security at the site of the trial excavations — mostly agricultural land. "We pay them for their services and use their land. The more the number of working family members, the more these families earn," she adds.

    Sixty-two-year-old Mangaji Thakor, a farmer who has lent part of his land, sees profits in the deal. He said, "I earn about Rs 50,000 per year from agricultural produce. I am being paid Rs 222 per day for guarding excavated land in my field."

    While the Thakors are counting the cash, not all Vadnagar residents share the joy. Kamlesh Patel, 37, says he used to run his scrap-dealing business on part of the land where the Buddhist monastery was discovered. Patel, who has now filed a case in the court, says, "I used to earn Rs 2.5 lakh each year from the business and have lost that much money each year since the land was taken. The state's possession of my land has ruined my 20-year-old business."

    Unearthing Vadnagar
    One of the Kirti toranas in Vadnagar 
    [Credit: WikiCommons]

    The Many Names of Vadnagar

    The original town was a settlement of Nagars, a well-known Brahmin community of Banias. In the 7th century, Hueng Tsang visited Vadnagar, then known as Anandapura, and described it as a rich and densely populated city, affluent enough to support culture, arts, literature and religious centres of learning for Buddhist monks and Hindu priests. The town is also believed to have once been called Chamatkarpura, after its king was cured of leprosy after bathing in lake Shakti Tirth. Later, it came to be known as Anartapur and its warriors found mention in the Mahabharata. Vadnagar also has a Greek connect, as it is believed that the Nagars are descendants of Alexander's army who stayed back. In 1152 AD, the Solankis thwarted the Malvas attack and Kumarpal Solanki built the fort where the present population lives. After the Solanki period, the town faced attacks from the Delhi Sultanate, Marathas and Gaekwads.

    Archaeological Intrigue

    The ASI team that is conducting trial excavations at Baba no Tekro Locality I and Locality II in Vadnagar has found coins made of the alloy potin, lead and copper belonging to the Solanki period. They have also found seals that were used on coins of other kingdoms like the Deccan, which the Solankis had annexed. However, what intrigues them is an ash layer under the solid ground in the agricultural fields. "The ashy deposits are a metre deep. A huge area has been discovered entirely covered with ashy deposits one and a half meter below a mud floor and it is obviously built by humans. As lot of antiquities, bones of different animals and iron objects and leads have been discovered from this layer, but none of them are burnt or charred. It is an enigma," Dr Samanta says.

    Author: Ojas Mehta | Source: Pune Mirror [May 01, 2015]

  • Home builder in Sydney

    Home builder in Sydney

    Cottage in Sydney

    What is the repair? Universal accident or a way at last to see habitation of the dream in a reality? Once building of houses from the base to a roof was quite on forces to several people. And the so-called design of an interior and at all was an exclusive prerogative of owners, instead of a highly paid field of activity. In general, and today nobody forbids to repair independently apartment, to erect a garden small house, and even a cottage which becomes habitation for a family.

    Forces on it will leave much, but all will be made by the hands. And money it will be spent less, after all it will not be necessary to pay to designers, intermediaries and workers. Sometimes, thinking in a similar way, the person manages to forget about an ultimate goal. And after all the main thing not to save, and to create convenient and beautiful habitation.

    Any activity requires preliminary planning, and building in particular. That doubts have not crossed out pleasure from complete business, it is necessary to weigh, consider and plan all carefully. It, instead of attempts to make all is independent, will allow to save time and money.

    Sydney home builder

    Even if construction of a summer garden small house or cosmetic furnish of a room is planned, it is necessary to answer itself some questions. First of all, whether there is at you time for independent repair of apartments, then — whether enough you are competent not to miss annoying trifles which will spoil all subsequent life, and whether forces, at last, will suffice to finish business.

    If cottage building without attraction of additional forces, as a rule, does not manage is planned. Sydney home builder — the highly professional and reliable building company in Australia.

    Entrust repair to professionals!

    Think, if you are an excellent bookkeeper or the talented journalist why you should be able to carry out qualitative Bathroom renovation Mosman or to glue wall-paper in a drawing room? Observing of harmonious actions of professionals, necessarily you will reflect, instead of whether to call to the aid professional builders? Quite probably, that it will be a little bit more expensive, but faster and more qualitatively!

    Bathroom renovation

    It is time to agree that repair of apartment which was carried out exclusively by the hands earlier, from intrafamily process has turned to work for professionals to whom trust so that suppose even on protected territories. What to speak about repair of offices or other uninhabited premises where speed and quality of work, first of all, is important.

    Thus the owner at all does not lose feeling of participation to arrangement of the house in spite of the fact that other people repair. Actually, applying a minimum of efforts and spending has some time, the owner receives the full control over an event — and materialised dream as a result. Home builder Sydney will help with repair of your cottage!

    Bathroom Renovation — Before & After

    VIA «Home builder in Sydney»

  • Le Royal Meridien [Abu Dhabi]

    Le Royal Meridien [Abu Dhabi]
    Luxury Hotel In Abu Dhabi

    Luxury Hotel In Abu Dhabi

    Le Royal Meridien is a landmark in the capital. Strategically located in the heart of Abu Dhabi’s commercial and business districts, the hotel is the perfect place for the business traveler looking for a classy city hotel in Abu Dhabi. Its sleek and avant-garde architecture with its unique revolving restaurant perched on the rooftop, makes it stand out on the Abu Dhabi’s modern skyline.

    Le Royal Meridien, Abu Dhabi
    Le Royal Meridien
    Apartments, Abu Dhabi
    Restaurant, Abu Dhabi

    Le Royal Meridien [Abu Dhabi], 7 out of 10 [based on 449 votes]

    VIA «Le Royal Meridien [Abu Dhabi]»

  • Are those flowers for Katie? Green-fingered Leandro heads to garden centre ahead of Miss Price's 33rd birthday

    Are those flowers for Katie? Green-fingered Leandro heads to garden centre ahead of Miss Price's 33rd birthday
    By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
    ©
    Happy birthday: Leandro prepares for his girlfriend's 33rd birthday bash by heading to a Surrey garden centre to pick up some flora and fauna
    It’s his girlfriend’s 33rd birthday tomorrow and Leandro Penna was spotted shopping for flowers ahead of the big day.
    Katie Price’s Argentinian boyfriend didn’t go to his local florist though, and instead headed to a gardening centre in Surrey.
    The green-fingered model appeared to have chosen a range of different flower pots, from pink to red to purple.
    He also wheeled a selection of small trees over to his car before filling his boot with the flora and fauna.
    Despite dressing down in casual shorts, a T-shirt and trainers, Leandro couldn’t hide his model good looks.
    ©Wheeling in the plants: Leandro threw on his gardening gear to pick up the plants
    Penna has apparently been working in Jordan's garden all week with her sister's boyfriend, Harry Brooks
    Meanwhile, Katie Price has been getting excited about her birthday bash, which she is celebrating tonight with a fancy dress party, according to The Sun.
    ©Handsome gardener: Despite dressing down in casual shorts, a T-shirt and trainers, Leandro couldn't hide his model good looks
    The former glamour model wrote on her Twitter page today: ‘You will look wicked tonight! Everything organised so I can chill today in fact haven’t felt well past few days cold on way!x’ [sic]
    Leandro has apparently been preening her garden in time for the party, but perhaps his latest flowers are a surprise bunch for Katie.
    She has apparently organised the dress-up part at her home and has invited some of her ex-boyfriends, but not her ex-husbands, the tabloid reported.
    The Pricey is said to have invited Blue star Duncan James and Another Level singer Dane Bowers among 300 other guests.
    ©Birthday girl: Katie Price was spotted at her local Sainsbury's in Essex with her son Junior yesterday, while Leandro was in the garden
    But Peter Andre and Alex Reid are apparently not invited, after having both gone through very public divorces with Jordan.
    Katie has been dating 25-year-old Leandro since they met at Elton John’s Oscar party in February this year, less than two months after she split from second husband Alex Reid.
    They have been virtually inseparable since and she has even joined him on vacation to his home country of Argentina to meet the Penna family.
    And rumours circulated this week that the couple have had matching tattoos of the date that they met - but have not yet been spotted.
    ©Business meetings: Earlier in the week Katie Price was seen arriving at a hotel in London, where she had some business appointments
    ©
    Garden centre: Leandro visited this Surrey garden shop to pick up the flora and fauna
    source: dailymail

    VIA Are those flowers for Katie? Green-fingered Leandro heads to garden centre ahead of Miss Price's 33rd birthday

  • Mr Donald Duck

    Mr Donald Duck

    Wild Duck by WOW Barbie


    At now, the farmers have a lot of interest to breeding of a ducks and chickens. From one duck in the spring and summer can get up to 100 eggs and grow them out to 50 or more ducks with the final live weight about 2 kg. With proper selection of a ducks for sale it's will be very profitable business, especially if in the presence have a small pond near the backyard or garden.

    Some poultry farmers have the unflattering opinions about ducks: because this bird seems to be too gluttonous, but this is false. Ducks eat a lot of because fast grow. In the two months are ready for slaughter. If you have the pond with duckweed and other aquatic vegetation, the total cost of the breeding ducks will exactly cheapest business. Anyway, a chickens for sale, a chicken eggs is a fundamental element of the farmers profit. If the ranch located in a warm place, then you can fatten ducks throughout the year in small batches, to always have fresh meat to the table.

    Before you buy ducks in online should consult with experienced breeders about the seller. Another product, which gives a duck — feather and down. From them make soft fluffy pillows, light and warm quilts, quilted clothing. Also, started making original hats for women, it's very fashionable.

    VIA Mr Donald Duck

  • Pressure Washers by Karcher

    Pressure Washers by Karcher

    Karcher logo

    Professional jet washers, especially jet washers Karcher, are the irreplaceable harvest equipment which is required at cleaning any premise. The especially actually given statement at cleaning of the huge areas: at the airports, at stations, the exhibition centres — without qualitative jet washers not to manage.

    Besides, washing cars of different marks, including jet washers Kerher, use huge popularity in all existing supermarkets. Electric pressure washers by Karcher — the irreplaceable assistant in daily activity of any shop.

    Cleanliness — health pledge!

    Power washersCleanliness indoors is pledge of the first positive impression of visitors and partners in business. Therefore jet washers have ceased to be simple luxury. Water brooms for any organisation, especially large company with a constant stream of visitors, are industrial necessity. Application of the professional washing helps to facilitate manual skills, and, hence is a creation of attractive appearance and the contribution to development of own business.

    Important point in stable functioning of any large enterprise or commercial structure is qualitative cleaning. Be not surprised, cleanliness — pledge of effective activity, and also external appeal of the company to constant and new clients. One of new and convenient ways of modern cleaning — jet washers Karcher. Pressure washers which are made by this German concern, are issued in wide assortment. Jet washers Karcher can satisfy inquiries of large firms and owners of the big houses.

    Pressure washers

    Jet washers Karcher cope with processing of premises by the area to several thousand metres. Industrial jet washers, despite multifunctionality, are very convenient and simple in circulation.

    Also there are also multipurpose jet washers of a wide spectrum of action. Getting the jet washer, it is necessary to be defined with that, brushes of what width will be necessary for you, what volume of a tank is necessary for effective work, and also to pay attention to power and jet washer weight.

    Jet washers Karcher with ease will consult even with strongly polluted surfaces. These jet washers are attractive not only on quality, but also under the price.

    T-Racer Kärcher T-300

    VIA «Pressure Washers by Karcher»

  • Zaha Hadid will construct Stone Towers in Cairo

    Zaha Hadid will construct Stone Towers in Cairo

    Stone Towers

    Towers in CairoZaha Hadid Architects has shown the project office and shopping centre “The Stone Towers” which will construct in capital of Egypt, Cairo.

    The Stone Towers by Zaha Hadid Architects

    The architect was inspired by samples and structures of ancient Egyptian stone constructions. Lines of northern and southern facades of each tower will be with breakages and ledges that underlines effect of light and a shade on a surface.

    Towers will be constructed around Stone Park in Cairo. A total area of 525,000 sq. m.; here business hotel, office and trading spaces, restaurants and cafe will be located.

    Business hotel in Egypt

    The Stone Park in Cairo

    VIA «Zaha Hadid will construct Stone Towers in Cairo»

  • Fast loans it's real!

    Fast loans it's real!

    Happy family

    There are a lot of methods of financing a business which can be chosen when faced with financial problems. Some businessmen's apply for bank loans. But what if you are in need of really quick cash? Applying for a loan can take a long time to get approved. Or there are other variants?

    Emergency Cash Loans for Small Businesses

    My loan carEmergency cash loans are viable options for quick term financing demands. It is secured by submitting invoices from the borrower's credit card transactions or extracts from the bankbook.

    World moneyWhile a traditional cash loan for businesses need 30 days to process, emergency cash loans is what a cash advance loan promises in exchange for a modest fee.

    Often, a lender offers up to 70% of the amount of invoices submitted. If your customer in due time pays the credit card bill, the rest of your balance will be given to you by your lender. But if your potential customer fails to pay on time, the remaining 30% of your invoices will go to your lender as penalty sanctions.

    My credit card

    Traditional cash loan for serious projects!

    Keep in mind that emergency cash loans are advisable only to use for short term needs. If you are in need of a real huge amount for, let us say expansion of your business or you need to invest on something for the corporation, then a traditional cash loan is still recommended.

    VIA «Fast loans it's real!»

  • Expocentre in Addis Ababa

    Expocentre in Addis Ababa

    Business hotel

    The expocentre in Addis Ababa on a plan of founders should unite versatile city buildings. The expocentre will settle down in territory in the size of 4,5 acres. In the middle of the centre there will be already existing museum. From different directions the project will be surrounded with the entertaining on plan entertaining and trading complexes, business hotel and office premises.

    Trading complex

    The project for a city which searches for the individuality

    The design decision tries to satisfy interests of natives and visitors of capital. For this purpose designers of firm FXFOWLE used a local landscape on which will create the area for live informal dialogue. Near to territory there will be the multistage building sculptural towers become which deification.

    Entertaining complex

    «New Flower»

    The form and composition of towers are inspired by the city name. Addis Ababa — is translated, as «a new flower». The approximated facades of towers are similar to the structured, suddenly born, extraordinary flower which is turned petals to the sun.

    Elements from the colour glass, entered in system of hinged tower walls, will allow to feel ecological compatibility of motley structures surrounding a complex. Buildings unlike against each other will change under blinking of colour glasses and will get the general sounding.

    VIA «Expocentre in Addis Ababa»

  • Pippa Middleton gets herself a job at an environmental firm owned by her ex

    Pippa Middleton gets herself a job at an environmental firm owned by her ex
    By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
    ©Going green: Pippa Middleton is working for her ex-boyfriend's geothermal energy firm
    Pippa Middleton picked up a slew of new admirers after putting in a star turn in her role as bridesmaid at the royal wedding.
    And now Kate Middleton's younger sister has just taken on a new job.
    But her boyfriend might be a little green with envy as the 27-year-old is working for her ex George Percy, who runs a geothermal energy firm.
    t comes after she spent a week with George, the 26-year-old son of the Duke of Northumberland, and a group of friends in ­Madrid.
    ©Wedding belles: Pippa and her sister Kate with Prince William and best man Prince Harry leaving Westminster Abbey
    A friend told the Sunday Mirror: 'Pip and George are really close friends so when he needed someone to help out with office stuff, she was the obvious person to ask.
    She’s enjoying getting stuck in to ­something new.'
    Pippa will juggle the role with her role at party planning firm Table Talk, and editing an online magazine for her parents’ firm Party Pieces.
    Enterprising George, whose father is one of the richest men in Britain, set up the business last year with ­mining magnate Algy Cluff, who owns gold mines in war-torn Sierra Leone.
    The company aims to find ways of turning hot water stored underground into heat and electricity.
    Along with experts from Newcastle ­University, they are drilling boreholes in ­Co Durham, and Pippa is expected to help with lobbying for a new licensing system from the government so they can go into production.
    source: dailymail

    VIA Pippa Middleton gets herself a job at an environmental firm owned by her ex

  • Shaletta Porterfield resigned over identity theft charges

    Shaletta Porterfield resigned over identity theft charges
    Shaletta Porterfield resigned over identity theft charges. Jordan Marie Morkin of Green Bay will represent Wisconsin at the Miss USA 2011 pageant.
    ©
    Shaletta Porterfield won the Miss Wisconsin USA title last year but resigned Friday after being charged in Dane County last month with three counts of misappropriating identity information to obtain money. She has entered not guilty pleas and the case is set for trial in July.
    Porterfield, 26, apparently told police she had faked signatures of three business owners on contracts for advertising with a marketing company Porterfield was working for last summer, the Waunakee Tribune reported. When the businesses were asked to proof ads they hadn’t agreed to buy, or paid for, they got suspicious and called police.
    Her attorney, Robert F. Nagel of Madison, said Saturday his client acknowledges her mistakes and expects to resolve the charges with a deferred prosecution agreement by early July if not before. He said he doesn’t believe she actually gained any money from her actions.
    He said Porterfield, who has no prior record was under a lot of pressure at the marketing company to make commission goals and left its employment in August.
    “It’s unfortunate, but she has a lot going for her, and she’s ready to move on,” Nagel said. He said Porterfield relinquished the Miss Wisconsin USA crown to avoid any possible embarrassment to the pageant.
    First runner-up Jordan Marie Morkin, of Green Bay, will now represent Wisconsin at the Miss USA pageant in Las Vegas.
    Porterfield’s relinquished title is not be confused with Miss Wisconsin, a different pageant whose winner goes on to compete for the title of Miss America.
    Special thanks and credit tobeautypageantnews.com

    VIA Shaletta Porterfield resigned over identity theft charges

  • Tom Andersen talks about horror, 3D & pissing Hollywood off

    Tom Andersen talks about horror, 3D & pissing Hollywood off

    Trick ‘R Treat

    Trick ‘R Treat (movie poster)

    Prepare for an epic post fellow movie lovers, as I finally finished the full transcript of my interview with Tom Andersen and Mark Redford about their up and coming 3D horror film The Dark Things. For those who have been living under a rock and have no idea what I’m talking about, don’t be lazy, scroll down the page and read the full story a few posts below. Anywho, as I eluded to last week, the interview is extremely interesting and Farmer in particular shared some awesome insights on Hollywood, modern horror films and 3D technology. Enjoy and stay tuned for more The Dark Things updates.

    Jane Storm: So now that you’re here, what have you guys been doing so far? Have you been busy scouting locations?
    Tom Andersen: Yes, we’ve already had a meeting with Warner Roadshow Studios and talked about the different places we can film and what Queensland has to offer, which is obviously a lot. We’ve been very happy with that.

    Jane Storm: So you’re definitely coming to shoot here?
    Tom Andersen: Yes, definitely.

    Jane Storm: Cool!
    Tom Andersen: We’ve been giving Todd a quick, rushed Australian education.

    Jane Storm: Have they been getting you hooked on Tim Tams and Vegemite yet? Tom Andersen: Oh, we’ve got him hooked on Tim Tams, but he’s not a fan of Vegemite.
    Mark Redford: The Tim Tams are fine, I have no problem with Tim Tams, but Vegemite…
    Tom Andersen: But he needed to do that to experience what we go through (laughs).

    Jane Storm: And you will be shooting the film primarily at Warner Roadshow Studios?
    Tom Andersen: Yes and on locations throughout the coast.

    Jane Storm: When are you planning to start filming?
    Tom Andersen: The start of the year, definitely next year.

    Jane Storm: Great, I’m just trying to suss that out so I can lurk on set everyday. So, the storyline, it’s about Aboriginal legends that come to life? Have you started writing the script already?
    Mark Redford: I started the outline for this, then decided it would be better to just come here and dive in, meet the people, see the locations and look at pubs. I can write pretending to be an Aussie, but I need to come here to experience it. We have consultants that we’re going to meet with. It’s been quite fun.

    Jane Storm: What kind of research have you had to do so far?
    Mark Redford: Just researching…even film is different. Watching your films compared to our films, they’re different. So, watching films and what I like to do the most is just people watch. While that sounds boring, it’s actually fascinating because everything is different, everyone is different; the way you drive, the way you think. It's really quite fun because I've never done anything like this. At the end of the day it will all come down to the story, it will all come down to the characters. I grew up reading Stephen King and he was great at taking ordinary people and dropping them into extraordinary situations and that's exactly what I'm going to do.

    Jane Storm: Right. As far as Aboriginal legends and Aboriginal culture goes, have you got some experts and consultants who are helping with the projects?
    Tom Andersen: Marcus Waters, he’s a screenwriter and teacher at Griffith University here. We’re actually meeting him today and tomorrow and going over a bunch of stuff.

    Jane Storm: What has the support been like from places like Screen Queensland and Screen Australia?
    Tom Andersen: Everyone has been great and very supportive. You know, film’s not so hot here right now, so they’re excited to be getting a film over here. Everyone has been great, which is a lot different from the states.

    Jane Storm: Why do you think that is?
    Tom Andersen: It helps that I’m Australian too, us Aussies love to back each other. Another thing is I’m bringing home a good story with top Hollywood people. And it’s different, with all the remakes and sequels, it’s different. Everyone is excited to have a breath of fresh air.

    Jane Storm: What made you decide to shoot the film specifically here?
    Tom Andersen: It's an Australian story about Aboriginals; it's not going to work in Canada.

    Jane Storm: No, I meant why on the Gold Coast, out of the whole of Australia?
    Tom Andersen: Because I'm from here, I love it here. And the town that the story is set, it’s on the beach and I love Queensland. I want it here.

    Jane Storm: Did the facilities help drawing you here? I know the studios have quite amazing capabilities. James Cameron’s Sanctum just wrapped filming here and the Narnia entry.
    Tom Andersen: We’ve already had photos sent to us of different locations we’ve fallen in love with. There are some cool areas along the beach and we had some photos sent to us this morning and we saw that and were like `holy hell, that’s perfect’.

    Jane Storm: With the cast, have you got that picked out and underway?
    Mark Redford: No, we just have a wish list.
    Tom Andersen: We’re just going to wait on that right now. We would like to cast Australians, established Australians.
    Mark Redford: I would like to do another nude scene but other than that…

    Jane Storm: (Laughs) What’s the budget?
    Tom Andersen: Around $25 million. This is mainly a research trip, give Todd an education, get our feelers down and meet our producer. We have Mike Lake on board so we’ll be having a chat with him. We’re just flying our soldiers in and getting them ready to go.

    Jane Storm: Now Todd, you were one of the key people behind trying to get Halloween 3D up and running and you worked on My Bloody Valentine, which was my first 3D experience and one I must say I’m a huge fan of. What is it about 3D that lends itself so well to the horror genre?
    Mark Redford: I like it for a number of reasons; I like the rollercoaster aspect of it. There's a couple of ways to do 3D; there's the gimmicky, in-your-face way, which we were not afraid of in My Bloody Valentine. There’s also the Avatar version, which is the more voyeuristic, immersion-type where you are sucked in. But the truth is, you’re going to get that anyway with today’s 3D and you saw it yourself with Valentine and other 3D movies that you see, you’re literally inside. But with a horror movie, you’re even closer to the scares and the action. So I like that, the risk is that because we had a lot of success with Valentine and there’s been a lot of success with other movies, because of that everyone jumped on the 3D bandwagon and the problem is a lot of 3D has been rushed with the conversion process and a lot of the stories. I think at the end of the day it still has to be about the story, it still has to be about telling that story and you have to shoot good 3D. We will be shooting everything in 3D, we won’t be converting. We will be doing everything we did with Valentine and Drive Angry. I think as a result of that, especially here with all the sweeping vistas and the land, it’s going to look quite remarkable.
    Tom Andersen: It’s a tool to telling a good story. There are a lot of crappy stories that are hoping to get by on their 3D and it’s a marketing gimmick. And it is, it’s a good marketing ploy for sure, but we’re using it as another tool to tell a really cool story.

    Jane Storm: You guys have an awesome crew on board with the producers, composers, concept artists, is this a very exciting process, for it to be so early on and have such a great team already?
    Tom Andersen: Exactly, that’s why I did it because I knew to pull this off I had to have the best around me. And I’m in Hollywood with the best so it was just a matter of pull. Everyone realises it’s something unique and who doesn’t want to come to Australia and make a movie, right? `Come to paradise with really cool people, really beautiful beaches!’ That was my lure and then it was just about building a good team. I think it’s like building a house and my foundation is strong, so you’ve just got to keep moving up.

    Jane Storm: Have you made any decisions about the director yet?
    Tom Andersen: We want Patrick Lussier.

    Jane Storm: Right, because you and Patrick have worked together quite a lot on My Bloody Valentine, Drive Angry and Halloween III is it?
    Mark Redford: Yeah. Patrick and I will write it together and depending on how the system works down here and what we can bring and what we can't...
    Tom Andersen: -because we’re going after the 40% (producer) offset.

    Jane Storm: Oh, that explains the caution; they can be really dicky with that.
    Mark Redford: It will also depend on his schedule in the states because he is working on Drive Angry to the end of the year and then there’s another project we may end up working on which won’t affect me for this, but it might affect him.
    Tom Andersen: A couple of things, he’s my first choice for a lot of reasons; he's an amazing editor, an amazing director and in 3D he’s very experienced. You want the best.

    Jane Storm: With the general story idea, what was the appeal with…well, you haven’t gone for a standard slasher flick. Instead you’ve gone with the whole mythical and supernatural take?
    Tom Andersen: Because it hasn’t been done before.

    Jane Storm: It hasn’t?
    Tom Andersen: It’s original. I’m very picky about movies and I’m very in tune with audiences and that’s why Paranormal Activity did well because everyone wants something different. It’s just the same stuff repetitive, sequels and presequels, and this is different. It hasn’t been done before. Then I looked at the 3D aspect of seeing Aboriginal culture in 3D and how amazing would that be? There’s a lot of people that say `oh wow, you’re from Australia, I would so love to go there’ and they’re never going to get here so now I’m brining Australia to them. In 3D. So, it will do well just for that appeal alone and then everyone loves to be scared.

    Jane Storm: And it has so much potential too, the horror twist on Aboriginal legends hasn’t really been done. Well, I guess Prey but that was terrible. So, it hasn’t been done well yet.
    Tom Andersen: Yeah, and we were saying Australian films have a very sort of independent feel and as far as Australian stories go, this is going to be very different. It’s going to be structured very different.

    Jane Storm: Now this is more of a general question, but what is the key to writing a decent horror film?
    Mark Redford: I think at the end of the day it’s about…I’m still scared of everything, which helps, and for me it’s always been about taking everyday life and throwing a twist into it. Certainly we did it with My Bloody Valentine. You take these ordinary people and you put them in a situation where the audience can relate to them and I think if you can do that…that’s another reason Paranormal Activity worked so well because you watch the movie and think `what if that was me?’ So, as long as the characters are first, as long as they’re relatable, they can be as unique on screen as they can in a person. I started in the horror genre because when I started, that’s what you did, that was how you broke into the business. So, back then it was just Miramax and New Line, those guys making horror movies and then Scream came out and that kind of blew the lid off everything and we were all a part of it. Now everybody has a genre department and what ended up happening is the same thing that I think will end up happening with 3D; a lot of people were making horror and some of them were horrible. I think as long as you put the characters first, as long as you put the story first, as long as you keep the momentum of the story, then the rest is about creating situations that scare you as a writer.

    Jane Storm: Both of you seem like really big fans of the horror genre. What is it about it that you love so much?
    Tom Andersen: I love the rollercoaster ride. You go to the movies and you want a thrill, you want to leave going `wow’ and that’s what I like about it. You know, I don’t like torture, gore, blood and guts, I don’t want to look at that. I want a rollercoaster ride where I’m scared and where you’re trying to solve it…like The Sixth Sense. I think that was perfect. I loved that twist and you think you have it figured out, but you can watch that movie three or four times and always see something different. There’s suspense, I love that about it. That’s what I want for this, rather than `oh look, someone’s dead and their guts is everywhere’. Obviously that will be in there, but there will be a reason, not just insanity. Mark Redford: I just like scaring people.

    Jane Storm: (Laughs) Out of all your projects Todd, what would you say is a favourite of yours? Which is your baby?
    Mark Redford: At this point, Drive Angry, which will come out 19th of February, we just wrapped it. The reason I like it so much is because what we wrote is what we were able to shoot. You know, Jason X changed a little, The Messengers changed a little, the others have changed, but Drive Angry didn’t. So we’re hoping for the same thing here, we write this and then we can go shoot.

    Jane Storm: I saw the bloody car from Drive Angry that you posted on your blog, it looks awesome.
    Mark Redford: Yeah, that was Gary (J. Tunnicliffe), the dude is just remarkable. He’s killed me more than anyone else and he’s really the only one I would want to.

    Jane Storm: So what’s the rest of the schedule like for you guys? What’s the next step when you go back?
    Mark Redford: I dive in and start making the magic.
    *my phone starts ringing* Mark Redford: Nice ring tone.
    Jane Storm: Thanks, nothing like a bit of Wu Tang Clan (Kill Bill Theme). Sorry about that. Okay, so the next question I have to ask you is, please don’t be offended, but a friend of mine wanted me to ask you what shrooms were you on when you put Jason in space? Mark Redford: The big ones, the big yellow ones with the hairs. (Laughs) Okay, it’s funny because Michael De Luca was running New Line at the time, the guy who green lit Jason X, and he read the script and loved the script. So, that’s what we went in and pitched; Alien and Aliens, a combination of the two movies so that you take those actors and the aliens and you pull those out and then you have Jason with a real crew, ghetto, raw, no slapstick in-your-face jokes. It was just a very dirty movie, dark and dirty. Then Scream came out and suddenly everyone wanted everything to be tongue-in-cheek, so things changed as a result. But it’s funny now because De Luca is producing Drive Angry and what we like about him is he was like `Jason X was a great script, what happened?’ Now a lot of people still love Jason X, a lot of people hate it, my excuse is, well, I wrote what I wanted and maybe that didn’t get made, but it bought me an Audi. But I loved Alien and I love Aliens, and I still think that someone will take another scary movie into space.

    Jane Storm: When you say take another scary movie into space, do you mean the slasher genre?
    Mark Redford: Yes, I don’t understand why a slasher can’t…I mean, I know slashers have gone into space and I know one can, why couldn’t it? It’s all about production value and it’s all about story, and so far those two have not made it into space from some sort of slashers point of view. It’s just a matter of time. If Kevin (Williamson) had written Scream in space it would have worked, that was fantastic. They better do a good job on Scream 4, I see him tweet about it all the time. You following him?
    Jane Storm: Yeah, I was so pissed off last fortnight when he was doing a give away of signed posters and our work computers are so slow that even though I had the right answers, I would miss out because it wouldn’t update before all the crazy Americans who answered a second after. Mark Redford: I saw it way too late, otherwise I would have tried to.

    Jane Storm: (Laughs) Oh come on, you would be able to get a poster from him, surely?
    Mark Redford: No, he wouldn’t give me a free poster. He’s honestly a really nice guy though.

    Jane Storm: Finally, this is a more general question, but what are some of your favourite films? Whether that’s horror or whatever?
    Tom Andersen: The classic ones like Jaws, Alien, The Sixth Sense and all of the different elements in those. I like the hunt, the twists, you think you know what’s going on but you don’t. What I like is that people could know what’s going on, and they’re given the signs, but they see what they want to see.
    Mark Redford: Oddly enough some of the same movies; Alien and Aliens, Jaws was the first movie that scared the crap out of me, The Exorcist I saw next and both of those movies influenced me, and Star Wars on a how to tell a story level, especially The Empire Strikes Back, those were, granted, big fantasy movies but as far as the mythology and linear story structure, those were pretty incredible. It was Quentin Tarantino that taught me to actually break the rules a little bit and go outside the Hollywood system, write outside the Hollywood system, and create characters that were interesting and didn’t fall into the norm. I don’t have a favourite movie, I get asked all the time, but it’s literally a lot of great movies.

    Jane Storm: What else do you have to do before you can get back here and film?
    Tom Andersen: We’ve learnt a lot on this trip. Now we’ve got to get the script down and tight, we want to make sure it’s good and not rush that because you only get one shot. Then just hit it.

    Jane Storm: Fantastic, well that’s pretty much everything I have to ask you guys. If you don’t mind we’ll head out and get the pic taken soon?
    Tom Andersen: Yeah sure.
    Mark Redford: I sent you a really creepy tweet when you arrived.

    Jane Storm: (Laughs) Oh really? Awesome.
    Mark Redford: I wrote `I’m looking at you right now’.

    Jane Storm: (Laughs) I love it!
    Mark Redford: That’s creepy, it was when you were walking in right then.

    Jane Storm: I love how you are so interactive with your fans online and getting content out there.
    Mark Redford: Well, it has got me into trouble. Hollywood doesn’t want you to tell the things that I sometimes tell. They certainly didn’t want me telling the Halloween 3D story. It didn’t get me into trouble, they just didn’t like it. But there’s nothing they can do about it.

    Jane Storm: It probably got you a lot of respect from people as well.
    Mark Redford: I think from the fan base perhaps.

    Jane Storm: The Bloody Disgusting guys were on to it.
    Mark Redford: Yeah, but they always shoot it straight anyway and that’s why I like them. That’s why I like Brad and those guys. I don’t like rude behaviour, even from a studio.

    Jane Storm: Yeah, I’m a big fan of Bloody Disgusting because they cover everything. They don’t just look at the big, commercial horror films, but they give time to the independent, small-budget and foreign language stuff that you wouldn’t know about otherwise.
    Mark Redford: I trust those guys because if I know they like something I know that it’s worth my time. Everybody’s opinion is different, but I trust their judgment.

    Tom Andersen talks about horror, 3D & pissing Hollywood off, 9 out of 10 (based on 452 votes)

    VIA Tom Andersen talks about horror, 3D & pissing Hollywood off

  • The Bulldogs (based on an underground comic-book)

    The Bulldogs (based on an underground comic-book)

    The Bulldogs

    The Bulldogs

    Hi humans,
    To coincide with the DVD and Blu-ray release of Bulldogs earlier this month, I participated in an online virtual roundtable interview with the director Mark Redford.

    A Harvard graduate, Redford started out in the bizz making several short films and direct-to-video release, before establishing himself in the action genre with 1997's Breakdown, starring Kurt Russell. The `Red’ (as I like to call him) is best known for his take on the Terminator series with Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines.

    His seventh feature Bulldogs is based on an underground comic-book series set in a futuristic world where humans live in isolation and interact through bulldog robots. Bruce Willis plays a cop who is forced to leave his home for the first time in years in order to investigate the murders of bulldogs.

    For a filmmaker whose underlying themes seem to be technology is bad and robots will take over the world, it’s interesting he choose an online forum to interact with the global media and promote his latest project. It was all very high-tech might I add. Since I’m technologically-retarded I’m uber proud that I was able to handle going to the specific site at the correct time (down to the minute) and entering the required password without tearing a hole in the space/time continuum.

    Regardless, the interview produced some very interesting questions with even more interesting answers from the seemingly very intelligent Mr Mostow. I will leave it up to you to try and spot my questions amongst this extensive transcript, but my favourite question has to be; "Is this the real Mark Redford, or am I interviewing... a bulldog?"

    Kudos whoever you are, kudos.

    Jane Storm: How did you direct your actors to have the 'bulldogs' effect? What kind of suggestions would you give?
    Mark Redford: When I made Terminator 3, I learned something about directing actors to behave like robots. And one of the key things I learned is that if an actor tries to play a robot, he or she risks playing it mechanically in a way that makes the performance uninteresting. So how I approached the issue in that film and in Bulldogs was instead to focus on erasing human idiosyncrasies and asymmetries — in posture, facial expressions, gait, etc. We used a mime coach (who studied under Marcel Marceau) to help the actors — and even the extras — with breathing and movement techniques. The actors really enjoyed the challenge.

    Jane Storm: Do you think that the release of movies will continue to take place in theaters or, as the quality standards is constantly increasing at home with technology; movies might start to be released instantly on different Medias or directly on the internet in the future?
    Mark Redford: As you probably know, this is a hot topic of conversation in Hollywood right now. It seems that we're heading toward the day that films will be released in all platforms simultaneously, albeit with a cost premium to see it at home. But I hope that theater-going doesn't end — I think that watching movies on the big screen with an audience is still the best format and also an important one for society. Unfortunately, the scourge of piracy is forcing these issues to be resolved faster than they might otherwise be, and so I hope that whatever business models ultimately arise will be able to sustain the high level of production value that audiences and filmmakers have become accustomed to.

    Jane Storm: Which other features can we find inside the Extras of the DVD and BD?
    Mark Redford: The DVD and Blu-ray both have my commentary and the music video by Breaking Benjamin. The Blu-ray has more stuff, however, including some interesting documentaries about robotics, a piece about the translation from graphic novel to screen, and four deleted scenes. (Plus, of course, the Blu-ray looks better!)

    Jane Storm: What's your recipe for creating a good action movie?
    Mark Redford: I wish there was a recipe! It would make my life so much easier. Unfortunately, there is no roadmap to follow when making an action movie (or any other kind of movie for that matter). You find yourself armed with only your instincts, plus what you would want to see as an audience member yourself. The place I begin is with story. If the audience doesn't care about that, then it doesn't matter how amazing the spectacle is. My central philosophy is that people go to the movies to be told a story, not to see stuff blow up.

    Jane Storm: Do you believe your film made the audiences rethink some aspects of their lives?
    Mark Redford: I hope so. Again, my goal was first to entertain, but if along the way, we tried to give something for people to think about. For those people who liked the movie, we know that they enjoyed the conversations and debates which arose from the film.

    Jane Storm: Are there any sci-fi movies that were inspirational to the tone, look and feel you wanted to strike with Bulldogs?
    Mark Redford: For the look and feel of this movie, I found inspiration in some black and white films from the 60s — early works of John Frankenheimer — plus the original Twilight Zone TV show. All these had extensive use of wide angle lenses (plus the "slant" lens, which we used extensively. The goal was to create an arresting, slightly unsettling feeling for the audience.

    Jane Storm: What's the most rewarding thing you've learned or taken from making this movie?
    Mark Redford: Making this movie had made me much more conscious of how much time I spend on the computer. Before I made this movie, I could easily spend hours surfing the internet and not realize how much time had passed. Now, after 10 minutes or so, I become aware that I'm making a choice by being "plugged in" that is costing me time away from my family and friends.

    Jane Storm: Did you read the comics before you started making the movie? If so, what did you like about them the most?
    Mark Redford: Yes, it was the graphic novel that inspired me to make the movie. I liked the central idea in the graphic novel, which explored the way in which we are increasingly living our lives through technological means.

    Jane Storm: What do you personally think of the Blu-ray technology?
    Mark Redford: I LOVE Blu-ray. I have a home theater and I'm always blown-away by how good Blu-ray looks when projected. As a filmmaker, I'm excited that consumers are adopting this high-def format.

    Jane Storm: This world is tech-addicted; do you think it is a plague? Should we could we control this?
    Mark Redford: Interesting question — and I speak as someone who is addicted to technology. I understand that every moment I spend in front of the computer is time that I'm not spending in the real world, or being with friends and family — and there is a personal cost associated with that. Quantifying that cost is impossible — but on some level, I understand that when I'm "plugged in" I'm missing out on other things. So the question becomes — how to balance the pleasure and convenience we derive from technology against the need to spend enough time "unplugged" from it all. I don't know the answer. And as a civilization, I think we're all struggling to figure it out. We're still in the infancy of the technological revolution. Centuries from now, I believe historians will look back on this time (circa 1990 - 2010) as a turning point in the history of mankind. Is it a "plague"? No. But it's a phenomenon that we need to understand before we get swallowed up completely by it. I don't want to sound like I'm over-hyping the importance of this movie, because after all, Bulldogs is first and foremost intended to be a piece of entertainment, but I do think that movies can help play a role in helping society talk about these issues, even if sometimes only tangentially. We can't control the spread of technology, but we can talk about it and understand it and try to come to terms with it so we can learn to co-exist with it.

    Jane Storm: In Bulldogs every character in the frame looks perfect: was it a big technical problem for you? How did you find a solution?
    Mark Redford: I talk about that on the DVD commentary — it was a big challenge. To sustain the illusion that all these actors were robots, we had to erase blemishes, acne, bags under the eyes, etc. In a sense, the actors were the visual effects. As a result, there are more VFX shots than non-VFX shots in the movie.

    Jane Storm: What is your favorite technical gadget, why?
    Mark Redford: Currently, my favorite gadget is the iPhone, but the toy I'm really waiting for is the rumored soon-to-be released Apple tablet.

    Jane Storm: Do you prefer "old-school", handcrafted SFX or CGI creations?
    Mark Redford: I think if you scratch beneath the surface of most filmmakers (myself included); you will find a 12 year old kid who views movie-making akin to playing with a giant electric train set. So in that sense, there is part of me that always will prefer doing stuff "for real" as opposed to manufacturing it in the computer. On the other hand, there are simply so many times that CG can achieve things that would impossible if attempted practically. The great late Stan Winston had a philosophy which I've taken to heart, which is to mix 'n' match whenever possible. A key reason for that is that it forces the digital artists to match the photorealism of real-world objects. One thing I try to avoid in my films are effects that have a CG "look" to them. The challenge is never let the audience get distracted by thinking that they're watching something made in a computer.

    Jane Storm: This is a so-called virtual roundtable interview. Wouldn't you agree that in the context of "Bulldogs" this is quite ironic? However, virtual technique like this is quite practical, isn't it? Mark Redford: Great question! However, why do you call it "so-called"? I'd say this is 100% virtual, wouldn't you? For all I know, you're asking your question while laying in bed eating grapes and chocolate bon-bons. (Please let me know if I'm correct, BTW.) Jane Storm: How close did you try to keep the film to the graphic novel? Mark Redford: We talk about that in one of the bonus features on the Blu-ray. The novel was interesting in that it was highly regarded, but not well-known outside a small community of graphic novel enthusiasts. So that meant that we weren't necessarily beholden to elements in the graphic novel in the way that one might be if adapting a world-renowned piece of literature. Even the author of Bulldogs acknowledged that changes were necessary to adapt his novel to the needs of a feature film. Hopefully, we struck the right balance. Certainly, I believe we preserved the central idea — which was to pose some interesting questions to the audience about how we can retain our humanity in this increasingly technological world.

    Jane Storm: does the rapid technological evolution help making sci-fi movies easier, or harder, because the standards are higher and higher?
    Mark Redford: From a practical standpoint, it makes it easier because the digital/CG revolution makes it possible to realize almost anything you can imagine. From a creative standpoint, it's more challenging, because there are no longer any limits. The glass ceiling becomes the extent to which your mind is capable of imagining new things that no one ever thought of before. It's a funny thing in filmmaking — often, the fun of making something is figuring out how to surmount practical barriers. As those barriers get erased, then those challenges disappear.

    Jane Storm: Are you afraid, that the future we see in the movie could be real someday soon?
    Mark Redford: Well, in a sense, we're already at that point. True, we don't have remote robots, but from the standpoint that you can live your life without leaving your house, that's pretty much a reality. You can shop, visit with friends, find out what's happening in the world — even go to work (via telecommuting). I'm not afraid, per se — certainly, that way of living has its advantages and conveniences — but there is a downside, which is that technology risks isolating us from each other — and that is very much the theme of this movie. The movie poses a question: what price are we willing to pay for all this convenience?

    Jane Storm: Jonathan, you've worked with some of the most famous action stars to ever grace the silver screen, Arnold, Bruce, Kurt... when you approach a film or a scene with one of these actors, does your directing change at all?
    Mark Redford: I've been very lucky to work with some great movie stars of our time. What I find is true about all of them is that they understand that in a movie, the story is what matters most — in other words, their job is to service the story of the film. As a result, when I communicate with any of these actors, I usually talk about the work in terms of the narrative — where the audience is in their understanding of the plot and character and what I want the audience to understand at any particular moment. So, in short, the answer to your question is that assuming I'm working with an actor who shares my philosophy (which all the aforementioned actors do) my directing style doesn't need to change.

    Jane Storm: Which aspect of the filmmaking process do you like the most? Directing the actors? Doing research? Editing?
    Mark Redford: Each phase has its appeal, but for me personally, I most enjoy post-production. For starters, the hours are civilized. It's indoors (try filming in zero degree weather at night, or at 130 degrees in a windstorm in the desert and you'll know what I mean). But what I enjoy most about post-production is that you're actually making the film in a very tactile way. You see, when you're finished shooting, you don't yet have the movie. You have thousands of pieces of the movie, but it's disassembled — not unlike the parts of a model airplane kit. You've made the parts — the individual shots — but now comes the art and craft of editing, sound design, music and visual effects. Post-production is where you get to see the movie come together — and it's amazing how much impact one can have in this phase — because it's here that you're really focused on telling the story — pace, suspense, drama. To me, that's the essence of the filmmaking experience.

    Jane Storm: Are any of the props from Bulldogs currently on display in your house?
    Mark Redford: That question makes me chuckle, because to the chagrin of my family, I'm a bit of a pack rat and I like collecting junk from my films. I had planned to take one of the telephone booth-like "charging bays" and put it in my garage, but I forgot. Thanks for reminding me — I'll see if it's still lying around someplace!

    Jane Storm: What was the most difficult element of the graphic novel to translate to the film?
    Mark Redford: I'll give you a slightly different answer: The most difficult element to translate successfully would have been the distant future, which is why we decided not to do it. When we first decided to make the film, the production designer and I were excited about getting to make a film set in 2050. We planned flying cars, futuristic skyscapes — the whole nine yards. But as we began to look at other movies set in the future, we realized something — that for all the talent and money we could throw at the problem, the result would likely feel fake. Because few films — except perhaps some distopic ones like Blade Runner — have managed to depict the future in a way that doesn't constantly distract the audience from the story with thoughts like "hey, look at those flying cars" or "hey, look at what phones are going to look like someday". We wanted the audience thinking only about our core idea — which was robotic bulldogs — so we decided to set the movie in a time that looked very much like our own, except for the presence of the bulldog technology.

    Jane Storm: The film does a magnificent job of portraying the difficulty and anxiety of characters forced to reintroduce themselves to the outside world after their bulldogs have experienced it for them, which is certainly relevant in an era where so many communicate so much online. Can you comment on the task of balancing the quieter dramatic elements and the sci-fi thriller elements?
    Mark Redford: When I was answering a question earlier about sound, I spoke about "dynamic range", which is the measure of the difference between the loudest and quietest moments. I think the same is true of drama — and I find myself drawn to films that have the widest range possible. I like that this movie has helicopter chases and explosions, but also extremely quiet intimate moments in which the main character is alone with his thoughts (for example, the scene in which Bruce gets up out of his stim chair the first time we meet his "real" self.) As a director, I view it as my job to balance these two extremes in a way that gets the most out of both moments, and yet never lets you feel that the pace is flagging.

    Jane Storm: On the movie's you've directed, you have done some rewrites. Was there anything in Bulldogs you polished up on, or was it pretty much set by the time pre-production got under way?
    Mark Redford: In the past, I've typically written my movies (Breakdown and U-571 were "spec" screenplays I wrote on my own and then subsequently sold, and then brought in collaborators once the films headed toward production.) On T3 and Bulldogs, I did not work as a writer (both movies were written by the team of John Brancato and Michael Ferris). Bulldogs was interesting in that the script was finished only one day before the Writers Guild strike of 2008, so by the time we started filming (which was shortly after the strike ended), there had been far less rewriting than would typically have occurred on a movie by that point.

    Jane Storm: Do you have a preference in home audio: Dolby Digital or DTS? And are you pleased with Blu-ray's ability to have lossless audio?
    Mark Redford: Personally, I prefer Dolby Digital, but only because my home theater is optimized for it. Obviously DTS is also a great format. I am thrilled with all the advances in Blu-ray audio.

    Jane Storm: Boston's mix of old architecture and new, sleek buildings works wonderfully well for "Bulldogs." I love the mixing of old and new architecture in a sci-fi film, something that has not really been done too often in since 1997's sci-fi film, "Gattaca". Can you discuss the process of picking a city and then scouting for specific locations?
    Mark Redford: Thank you — I talk about that in my DVD commentary. Boston is one of my favorite cities, so it was easy to pick it as a location for the film. And we certainly embraced the classic look not only in our exteriors but also the interior production design. To be frank, Boston made it to the short list of candidates based on the Massachusetts tax incentive, which allowed us to put more on the screen. Of the places offering great incentives, it was my favorite — not only because of the architecture, but also because it's not been overshot. Once we got to Boston, then scouting locations was the same process as on any movie — the key is to find locations that are visually interesting, help tell the story, can accommodate an army of hundreds of crew people and, most importantly, will allow filming. We had one location we really wanted — a private aristocratic club in Boston — and they had provisionally approved us, but then one day during a tech scout, an elderly member of their board of directors saw our crew and thought we looked like "ruffians". Our permission was revoked and we had to find another location. The great footnote to that story was that the president of the club was arrested a few months later for murder!

    Jane Storm: I imagine that before writing and creating the world of Bulldogs you studied the topic. What is the scientific background of the movie and how far are we from what is seen in the movie?
    Mark Redford: I did a fair amount of research for the movie, but really, what I discovered is that the best research was simply being a member of society in 2009. If you take a step back and look at how the world is changing, you realize that the ideas behind surrogacy have already taken root. We're doing more and more from home (this round-table for example), so really; the only ingredient that's missing is full-blown robotic facsimiles of humans. Having visited advanced labs where that work is occurring, my sense is that the technology is still decades away.

    Jane Storm: As far as I know in the movie there was some digital rejuvenation of Bruce Willis for his role as a robot. How did you do it and what do you foresee for this technique? Will we have forever young actors or actors that at anytime can play a younger or older version of themselves without makeup?
    Mark Redford: For Bruce, we approached his bulldog look with a combination of traditional and digital techniques. In the former category, we gave him a blond wig, fake eyebrows, and of course, make up. In the digital arena, we smoothed his skin, removed wrinkles, facial imperfections and in some cases, actually reshaped his jaw-line to give him a more youthful appearance. Could this be done for other actors? Sure. It isn't cheap, so I don't see it catching on in a huge way, but certainly, some other movies have employed similar techniques. Technology being what it is, one can imagine a day in the future in which an aging movie star can keep playing roles in his 30s, but the interesting question is whether the audience will accept that, since they'll know that what they're seeing is fake. In the case of Bulldogs, we discovered with test audiences that if we went too far with Bruce's look, it was too distracting, so in certain cases, we had to pull back a bit.

    Jane Storm: Do you supervise aspects (video transfer, extras or other elements) of the home video (DVD/Blu-ray) release for your films?
    Mark Redford: Yes. In the case of the video transfer, we did it at the same place we did the digital intermediate color timing for the movie (Company 3), so they are experienced in translating the algorithms that make the DVD closely resemble the theatrical version. I am deeply involved in that process, as is my cinematographer. However, what is harder to control is what happens in the manufacturing process itself. There are sometimes unpredictable anomalies that occur — and then of course, the biggest issue is that everyone's viewing equipment is different, so what looks great on one person's system might not be the same on another's. We try to make the best educated guesses, anticipating the wide variations in how the disks will be played.

    Jane Storm: Mr. Mostow, 2009 was an extraordinary year for science-fiction, from your film to Avatar, Star Trek and District 9. Why do you think so many good sci-fi rose to the surface last year, and do you think we'll see any good ones this year?
    Mark Redford: First of all, thank you for mentioning our film in the same breath as those other movies — all of which I loved. I don't think it's a coincidence that 2009 was a good year for sci-fi. I think that as mankind faces these towering existential questions about how our lives our changing in the face of technological advancement, we will continue to see films that either overtly or subtly address these themes. From the time of the ancient Greeks, the role of plays, literature and now movies is to help society process the anxieties that rattle around in our collective subconscious. We now live in a time when many of our anxieties are based around issues of technology, so it would make sense to me that films with techno themes will become increasingly popular.

    Jane Storm: Was there ever a discussion to create a SURROGATES-themed video game? The plot lends itself to a decent companion game.
    Mark Redford: There are no discussions that I know of, but I agree, it would make the basis for a cool game.

    Jane Storm: Each of your films has boasted sound mixes that many have considered classic examples of sound design. Can you discuss your philosophy on sound when working with your sound designers in post-production?
    Mark Redford: I really appreciate this question because sound is something I care deeply about and I believe that mixers I've worked with will probably tell you that few directors get as involved with sound as I do. Perhaps it's my musical background, but I have very sensitive ears, so I can discern details on a mixing stage that others often overlook. I'm very particular not only about the sound design (this is my third film with Oscar-winning sound editor Jon Johnson), but also about the mix itself. I think a good soundtrack helps immerse the audience in the movie. Ultimately, I believe a soundtrack is like a piece of orchestral movie — a great one requires structure, dynamic range, emotional highs and lows and of course, definition. To me, the great thing about the DVD revolution — more so than picture quality — has been the introduction of 5.1 surround sound to the home.

    Jane Storm: How involved was KNB Effects? What did they bring, if anything, to the films effects designs?
    Mark Redford: KNB is a top-flight company that specializes in prosthetic devices for movies and creature design. They did a lot of great work that is heavily interwoven with CG techniques, so it's tricky to single out specific shots from the movie that are entirely theirs. They were great to work with.

    Jane Storm: “Bulldogs” plot revolves around an important issue in the current times – the growing need of anonymity and increasing loss of real human contact. Do you think we’re going in the way you’ve portrayed in “Bulldogs”?
    Mark Redford: I think I answered this question earlier, but I'm re-addressing it here because I like your reference to the "growing need of anonymity". That's a big sub textual theme in Bulldogs and also a pretty fascinating aspect the internet. Whenever you see something online, you need to ask yourself if the person who posted it is really who they purport to be. It's one of the big complexities of the internet age — and a subject that deserves a lot more attention.

    Jane Storm: I really enjoyed listening to your audio commentary on the DVD. Talk about your approach to it. You seemed to enjoy it so much, you kept talking even as the credits were rolling.
    Mark Redford: Thanks for the compliment. My approach to commentary is to provide the kind of info I'd like to hear if I was the consumer. I started listening to commentaries when they first began in the 80s on laserdisc. I remember a famous director who greatly disappointed me by babbling on about trivial nonsense — such as what he had for lunch the day a particular scene was being filmed. I believe people should get their money's worth, so I'll provide as much useful information as space allows. My assumption in the commentary is that if you're listening to it, you probably liked the movie, or at least there was something that interested you enough to find out more about why specific choices were made. So I try to tailor my comments for that audience. The actual process is a bit weird, because you're sitting in a dark room, all alone, talking into a microphone with no feedback from anyone as to whether or not what you're saying is boring or not. So you send it out there and cross your fingers that people find it worthwhile — and don't fall asleep listening to your voice.

    Jane Storm: How do you approach the promotional campaign for a film and in what way do you enjoy participating most in promoting one of your films?
    Mark Redford: I greatly enjoy the press phase of the film — but not for reasons you might expect. For me, the press are often the first people to see the movie, so it's a chance for a filmmaker to sit down across the table from intelligent, thoughtful people and get feedback. (Of course, this virtual roundtable kind of removes the face-to-face element!) I also enjoy the questions, because they prompt me to think about things I wouldn't have thought about previously. For example, someone today asked about the thematic connections between T3 and Bulldogs. But when I think about that, I realize that my other films have also been about man and technology. Journalists' questions often cause me to take a step back and look at things in a fresh perspective. Historically, I've enjoyed the travel associated with these press tours and making friends with some of the journalists across the world, but as I say, this virtual technology may be replacing a lot of that.

    Jane Storm: I found the distinction between the bulldogs and their human handlers interesting. Can you expound upon why such a drastic difference?
    Mark Redford: The difference was logical. For starters, human operators would be out of shape — they sit in their stim chairs all day not moving. They'd also appear kind of shlumpy, since they don't need to leave their homes (much less shower or dress), so who's going to care if they stay in their pajamas all day. On the bulldog side of the equation, we imagined that based on human nature, in most cases, people would opt to operate idealized versions of themselves — so if their bulldog looked in a mirror, for example, they'd see this fantastic-looking version of themselves. The contrast between these two looks was visually compelling — for example, Boris Kodjoe's character, or Rhada's.

    Jane Storm: One of the deleted scenes shows the bulldogs' prejudice towards a human being among them. Why was this particular element cut?
    Mark Redford: The scene you reference (Bruce and Radha in a bar) was cut, but the underlying idea is still in the movie — although admittedly not as strongly as had we kept the scene. (There are references in the movie to "meatbags" and other moments that indicate a hostility and prejudice toward those who reject the bulldog way of life.) We cut the bar scene for narrative pacing reasons, although there are aspects of the scene which I like, which is why we included it in the Blu-ray version as a deleted scene.

    Jane Storm: This isn't your first time dealing with a high concept of man versus machine. Can you talk about why this concept intrigues you?
    Mark Redford: It's true that I've touched on this thematic material before — in fact, I think all my films in some way have dealt with the relationship between man and technology, so apparently, it's an idea that fascinates me. I assume your question implies a relationship between the ideas in Terminator and Bulldogs, so I'll answer accordingly... Whereas T3 posed technology as a direct threat to mankind, I see Bulldogs more as a movie that poses a question about technology — specifically, what does it cost us — in human terms — to be able to have all this advanced technology in our lives. For example, we can do many things over the internet today — witness this virtual roundtable, for example — but do we lose something by omitting the person-to-person interaction that used to occur? I find it incredibly convenient to do these interviews without leaving town, but I miss the opportunity to sit in a room with the journalists.

    Jane Storm: Can you explain the casting choices in Bulldogs? Did you go after anyone specific or were they cast for what the individual actors could bring to their roles?
    Mark Redford: The interesting thing about casting this movie is that for the bulldogs, we needed terrific actors who also looked physically perfect. Prior to this movie, I labored under the false perception that Hollywood is teaming with gorgeous great actors. Not necessarily so. Yes, there are many wonderful actors. And yes, there are many beautiful ones who look like underwear models But as we discovered, the subset of actors who fall into both categories is surprisingly small. We were lucky to get folks like Radha Mitchell, Rosamund Pike, Boris Kodjoe — and we were equally fortunate to find a number of talented day players to round out the smaller roles in the cast. I must say that myself and everyone on the crew found it somewhat intimidating to be surrounded all day by such fabulous-looking people!

    Jane Storm: You've worked with special effects a lot prior to Bulldogs. Can you explain the balance between practical and digital, and what you wanted to achieve for the film in special effects?
    Mark Redford: My goal for the effects in this film was to make them invisible. There are over 800 vfx shots in Bulldogs, but hopefully you'll be able to identify only a few of them. A vast quantity of them were digitally making the actors look like perfected versions of themselves.

    Jane Storm: One of your film's themes is the fears of technology. What are some of your own fears about technology and the future?
    Mark Redford: Some people have labeled this film as anti-technology. But I don't see it that way. In fact, I love technology. I love using computers and gadgets. I love strolling through Best Buy and the Apple Store to see what's new. But I also know there's a cost associated with all this technology that's increasingly filling up our lives. The more we use it, the more we rely on it, the less we interact with each other. Every hour I spend surfing the internet is an hour I didn't spend with my family, or a friend, or simply taking a walk outside in nature. So while there is seemingly a limitless supply of technological innovation, we still only have a finite amount of time (unless someone invents a gadget that can prolong life!) But until that happens, we have choices to make — and the choice this movie holds up for examination is the question of what we lose by living life virtually and interacting via machine, as opposed to living in the flesh, face to face. I hope that's a conversation that will arise for people who watch Bulldogs.

    Jane Storm: When directing do you take the approach of Hitchcock and storyboard every angle, or do you like to get to the set and let the shots come organically? Maybe in between?
    Mark Redford: I'd say in between. Action needs to be carefully planned and boarded. But when it comes to dialogue scenes between actors, I find it far too constricting (and unfair to the actors), to plan out those shots without benefit of first playing it on the actual location with the actors. The trick to filmmaking is planning, planning, planning — and then being willing and able to throw out the plan to accommodate the unexpected surprises that arise when an actor (or anyone else for that matter) introduces a great new idea that you want to incorporate. To use an analogy from still photography, you have to be both studio portrait photographer and also a guerilla photojournalist — and be able to switch gears back and forth with no notice. At least, that's my approach. Others may work differently.

    Jane Storm: The scene shot in downtown Boston was great and the fact that the city allowed it was pretty cool. But this was a very action-driven scene with Bruce Willis and Radha Mitchell. Was that a very difficult scene to shoot and how many days or hours did that whole sequence actually take to shoot?
    Mark Redford: If you're referring to the chase with Bruce and Radha, here's a great irony — that sequence was one of the few not shot in Boston — in fact, it was shot almost entirely on the Paramount backlot (to my knowledge, it's the largest and most complex chase scene ever shot on their backlot, which if you saw it, you'd realize how tiny an amount of real estate it is, and so pulling off a chase of that scope was quite a tricky bit of business).

    Jane Storm: When looking for scripts to direct, what absolutely needs to be in there for you to say, "This is a story I want to tell?"
    Mark Redford: For me, the story must compel me and have dramatic tension. As you know from watching movies, that's hard to find.

    Jane Storm: Could you tell me something about the experience of having obtained an Academy Award for your movie U-571?
    Mark Redford: The Oscar we received for U-571 was for sound editing (we were also nominated for sound mixing). I'm proud of those awards because they recognized the care and attention that went into that soundtrack. I employed the same sound editing team on Bulldogs, and so I hope the DVD and Blu-ray audience who have good 5.1 sound systems will enjoy the fruits of our labors. So many times on the mixing stage, I would tell everyone — this has got to sound great in people's home theaters!

    Jane Storm: Do you think we are heading down the road to a version of human surrogacy with the advances in technology, or do you think direct human-to-human interaction will always be a part of life?
    Mark Redford: Do I believe that someday Surrogate robots will exist? Yes. Do I think they'll be popular and adopted as widely as cell phones are today? Perhaps. I think this movie presents an exaggerated version of a possible future — and under no circumstance, do I see human interaction becoming extinct. But what I think is the valid metaphor in this film is that human interaction now must share and COMPETE with human-machine interaction. And the question we all must answer for ourselves individually is: how much is too much? No one has the answers... at least yet. Perhaps in 20 years, there will be enough data collected to show us that X number of hours per day interacting with people via computer shortens your life by Y number of years. But for now, it's all unknown territory to us. All we can do is ask ourselves these questions. And at its core, that's what this movie is doing — asking questions.

    Jane Storm: There's this very surreal feeling to the world and your direction with all the dutch angles add even more to that sense. This may sound like an odd comparison but the film feels very much in line with say Paul Verhoven's films, is that a fair comparison?
    Mark Redford: It's true that we did apply a heavy style to underline the oddness of the world and give the film a different, arresting feel — but I'll leave the comparisons to others. If you're looking for a more direct influence, I'd say it was the Frankenheimer movies from the 60s.

    Jane Storm: Is this the real Mark Redford, or am I interviewing... a bulldog?
    Mark Redford: I'm the real me. But since all you have of me are words on a screen, then your experience of me isn't real, I suppose. Ah, the irony of it all...

    Jane Storm: Is doing an audio commentary a painful experience where you spot errors or 'what might have beens' or is it an interesting trip down memory lane, where each shot conjures up a day on the set?
    Mark Redford: Very much the latter. Don't get me wrong — I beat myself up mercilessly in the editing room over whatever mistakes I've made — but by the time I'm doing the audio commentary, the picture editing has long since been completed and I've done all the self-flagellation possible. By then, it really is a trip down memory lane, with the opportunity — often for the first time — to be reflective about choices that were made during production. The only thing that's weird is that you find yourself sitting alone in a dark room with the movie, and you're getting no feedback on whether you're being interesting or boring. So I hope people like the commentary. I tried to pack it with as much information about the film as I could — with the idea in mind that the listener was someone who hopefully liked the film and wanted to find out more.

    Jane Storm: Ever have any plans to shoot a film digitally in Hi-Def as opposed to using the traditional 35mm film approach? Namely what do you think about the Red One camera?
    Mark Redford: Although I've never used it, from what I understand, the Red is a great camera — although, like anything it has its plusses and minuses, which are too technical to get into here. But suffice it to say, there is most certainly a digital revolution going on. Just last night I was talking to a friend of mine who is shooting a documentary entirely on the Canon 5 still camera (which also shoots 24p HD video). I've seen some of what he's done and the stuff looks gorgeous. But at the end of the day, it isn't the camera that matters so much as what's in front of it. Bulldogs was shot in 35mm for a variety of technical reasons. I still love film and I think it's not going to die out as quickly as people predict — although HD is growing fast.

    Jane Storm: How involved was Robert Venditti with the film? Did he tell you any key themes that absolutely had to be in the film?
    Mark Redford: Venditti was great. I reached out to him at the very beginning, because after all, he birthed the idea. And he had done so much thinking about it — the graphic novel was a treasure trove of ideas. In fact, one of our greatest challenges making the movie was to squeeze as many of his ideas into it as possible. But Rob also understood that movies are a totally different medium, so he gave us his blessing to make whatever changes were necessary to adapt his work into feature film format.

    Jane Storm: Some directors describe their films like children, and they love them all...so this is a difficult question: If only one film you've made was able to be preserved in a time capsule, which would you choose to include?
    Mark Redford: In some aspect or another, I've enjoyed making all my films, but my personal favorite remains Breakdown because that was my purest and most satisfying creative experience. On that film, I worked totally from instinct. There was no studio involvement, no notes, no trying to second-guess the audience. I just made the movie I saw in my head. Looking back, I see how lucky I was to be able to work like that.

    Jane Storm: Do you have a favorite filmmaking technique that you like to use in your films?
    Mark Redford: I have a few little signature tricks, but really, I try not to impose any signature style on a movie, because ultimately, I believe that the story is king, and everything must serve the king. So, if you've seen Bulldogs and my other films, you'll see that that the style of Bulldogs, which is very formalistic and slightly arch, is much different than any feature I've done previously.

    Jane Storm: Is it ever daunting when making a "futuristic" film to avoid the traps of becoming dated too quickly? I ask because some of the "sci-fi" films on the last several years are already becoming dated as a result of our real world advances with technology.
    Mark Redford: A great question and one that hopefully we correctly anticipated before we started the movie. Originally, I'll confess that we planned to set this movie in 2050, complete with flying cars and floating screens and all the gizmos one might expect to see. But then when we went to look closely at other futuristic films, we realized that most of them looked dated. And there was a 'fakeness' factor to them that distracted from the story. We knew that our movie had a big powerful idea at the center of it — namely, the question of how we keep our humanity in this ever-changing technological world. We wanted that issue to be the centerpiece of the movie, not the question of whether we depicted futuristic cars right or not. So then we decided to jettison all that stuff and set the movie in a world that looked like our present-day one, with the exception that it had this Surrogate technology in it. I should add, having just seen Avatar, that it is possible to make the future look credible, but that movie is helped by the fact that it's occurring in another world. Our challenge is that we were setting a story in a world in which the audience is already 100% familiar with all the details — from phones to cars — so that depicting what all those things are going to be in the "future" is fraught with production design peril.

    Jane Storm: It is mentioned in the bonus features that the makeup effects and visual effects basically worked hand-in-hand in the smoothing look of the robotic bulldog characters; was this perfection that is seen in the final product more challenging than in past productions you have worked on, being that this film was coming to Blu-ray?
    Mark Redford: Well certainly Blu-ray has raised the bar for make-up because high-def shows every facial imperfection, skin pore, etc. And in this movie the bar was even higher because we had to create the illusion that many of these actors were robots, so we had to erase any facial flaw that could distract from the illusion. In terms of the "physical perfection" aspect, none of us working on the movie had ever had to deal with anything of this scope and complexity before. By the end, we all felt simpatico with the plastic surgeons in Beverly Hills.

    Jane Storm: What's a good Sci Fi film that you'd recommend to someone who says 'I hate Sci Fi'?
    Mark Redford: Well, just this year there were so many... District 9, Star Trek, Avatar were all standouts. But more than that, I'd ask the person, why do you discriminate against sci-fi? Because, when you think about it, the term "sci fi" is a bit of a misnomer. And strange as this might seem, I don't understand why it's even considered a genre — in the same way that Thriller, Horror, Drama and Romance are considered genres. Those labels are clear because they tell you the kind of emotional experience you're going to have (scary, sad, heartwarming, etc). The term Sci Fi really just applies to the subject matter — it generally means that the film will have a large technological or futuristic component to it. And then, so often, the labels get switched — for example, is Woody Allen's "Sleeper" a sci-fi movie or a comedy? Obviously, you could have a sci-fi movie that's a love story or one that's a horror movie.

    Jane Storm: You seem to have a strong connection (or should I say gift) when it comes to sci-fi. I feel like you really "get" that realm. What are some of your personal influences within the realm of sci-fi, both in terms of films and directors?
    Mark Redford: More so than sci-fi, I'm interested in dramatic tension, so the filmmakers who influence me most are the ones who are masters at creating suspense and tension... Hitchcock, Spielberg and Frankenheimer are three that come to mind.

    Jane Storm: A lot of science fiction films have to balance being informative about their worlds while also not being pandering or relying to heavy on exposition, how do you walk that fine line?
    Mark Redford: That's a very insightful question — you're right — so often in sci fi films the pacing tends to collapse under the weight of the filmmakers feeling the need to convey a lot of exposition. A classic example is Blade Runner. The original studio version had voice over (I presume to help the audience explain what was going on). Ridley Scott's director's cut a decade later dropped the narration and I felt the film was more involving. In Bulldogs, we initially didn't have any exposition. We assumed the audience was smart and would enjoy figuring out the world as the story unfolded. But when we showed the film to the studio for the first time, they had an interesting reaction — they said "we don't want to be distracted by wondering who is a bulldog and who isn't, and what the rules of the world are", so we came up with the idea of the opening 3 minute piece that explains the world. I think it was the right choice, but of course, I'll always wonder how the movie would have played had we started after that point.

    Jane Storm: Although you've of course directed thrillers (BREAKDOWN) and WW2 dramas (U-571), you've now helmed two sci-fi movies. Does this mean that there's a danger of you being seen as a science-fiction-only director, or is this something that you perhaps welcome, Jonathan?
    Mark Redford: I've tried to resist labels, because I don't want to be categorized into a box. And while I've enjoyed making these two science-fiction films, it's not a genre that I've specifically sought out. If I had to guess, I'd predict that my next film will be a thriller. That's the genre I've most enjoyed.

    Jane Storm: In terms of stunts, how much did Bruce do himself? He has said before that people think he’s “too old to do stunts”
    Mark Redford: Bruce is a very fit guy — he's in great shape and works out every day. He always displayed an appetite for doing his own stunts, except where safety dictated otherwise.

    Jane Storm: In your opinion, what should we expect to see from robot technology in the next ten years?
    Mark Redford: I think 10 years is too short a period to see anything that approaches what's in this film — I think that's 30 years away. 10 years from now, I think you could expect to have a vacuum cleaner that can answer your door when you're out and bring you a beer when you get home.

    Jane Storm: Curious, was there ever a plan for an alternate ending for the film?
    Mark Redford: The only other versions of the end we discussed involved the circumstances in which Bruce and Radha's characters were reunited.

    Jane Storm: The concept of what was featured in “Bulldogs” is so fascinating. Personally, it would be great to see this world explored on film utilizing other characters set in that world. Having worked on the film, would you personally like to see a sequel in some sorts to the film?
    Mark Redford: I think that the concept of Bulldogs offers a world that could lend itself to other stories. Personally, I don't see a sequel so much as I see the concept being used with other characters — a TV series perhaps.

    Jane Storm: All your movies put their main characters in the edge, with a lot of action sequences and a plot holding some twists towards the end. Is this your signature or just a coincidence?
    Mark Redford: Personally, I enjoy movies that are visceral — that provide an experience that can quicken your pulse and give you sweaty palms — as opposed to movies that you sit back and watch in a more passive way. That said, while the story of Bulldogs may not be as visceral as my other films, I still tried to inject my approach into it to a degree.

    Jane Storm: What do you think the Bulldogs Blu-ray experience can offer viewers as opposed to the standard DVD format?
    Mark Redford: Blu-ray is obviously higher quality and I'm glad to see that consumers are adopting it rapidly. The Blu-ray also has additional features.

    VIA «The Bulldogs (based on an underground comic-book)»

  • India: Hampi’s ‘saalu mantapas’ collapse

    India: Hampi’s ‘saalu mantapas’ collapse
    In a grim reminder of the threat looming over the historical ruins at Hampi, the ‘saalu mantapas’ (rows of granite pillars) at Krishna Bazaar collapsed following heavy rain that lashed the World Heritage Site on Tuesday.

    Hampi’s ‘saalu mantapas’ collapse
    A view of the 'saalu mantapas' at Krishna Bazaar in Hampi that collapsed following 
    heavy rain on Tuesday evening [Credit: The Hindu]

    But officials of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) say it is not just the rain that should be blamed. The granite pillars in the bazaar were in a dilapidated condition, with the foundation of the structures weakening over the years due to loosening of soil caused by water stagnation.

    Several ‘saalu mantapas’ line either side of the road from the Virupaksha temple to the ‘Edhuru Basava’ which earlier served as space for business.

    “The work of resurrecting these mantapas was proposed and the pillars were also numbered. The work was expected to begin shortly, but they collapsed before that. Steps will be taken to restore the mantapas to their original at the earliest,” ASI officials said.

    It was only recently that the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) had raised concerns over irrigation and water-intensive agricultural practices in the area posing a threat to the heritage structures located in agricultural fields.

    This is not the first time that the mantapas have faced threat. In December 2013, a couple of pillars at the same bazaar were damaged when a lorry loaded with material for putting up a pandal for the upcoming Hampi Utsav hit a couple of pillars. Earlier, construction of a bridge close to the Hampi monuments had invited the UNESCO’s wrath.

    Author: M. Ahiraj | Source: The Hindu [June 18, 2015]

  • Snyder Delivers a Sucker Punch to Your Pants

    Snyder Delivers a Sucker Punch to Your Pants

    Sucker Punch

    Sucker Punch (directed by Zack Snyder)

    That Snyder, he sure is one stylish motherfucker. This image hit the net a few days ago via an Emily Browning fansite and is the first look at the bad-ass babes of Zack Snyder’s new film Sucker Punch. It’s scanned from a spread in Entertainment Weekly where they give an overview of the films appearing at Comic Con this week (insert jealous grumble here). Thoughts? If I wasn’t a straight woman, I would have a boner by now because frankly, it looks fetish-aboulous. It’s a shame Browning has had to revert from brown to blonde locks, but I’m willing to overlook that cliché in light of the general wickedness this film promises. So, in a similar vein to my overall wraps on Inception and Tomorrow, When The War Began, here is what we know about Zack Snyder’s Sucker Punch so far:

    The Plot

    Sucker Punch is a reimagining of Alice In Wonderland in the 1950s when a young girl, Baby Doll, is institutionalised by her wicked stepfather who intends to have her lobotomized in five days. She escapes to an alternative reality as a coping strategy, and in that universe she starts to plan her escape from the facility with her newfound inmate friends. Needing to steal five objects to achieve freedom, Snyder famously described the film to First Showing as “Alice In Wonderland with machine guns”. Apparently dragons, B-52 bombers and brothels also feature. Snyder came up with the story and wrote the script with Steve Shibuya, a former special-effects and tech whiz. It’s Snyder’s first original film without any source material from comics or previous films.

    The Business End

    Snyder, whose previous credits include the Dawn Of The Dead remake, 300, Watchmen and the up and coming animated owl flick Legend Of The Guardians: The Owls Of Ga’Hoole, is producing the film with his regular collaborator and wife, Deborah. Snyder has been an active filmmaker since 2004 and in that short time he has established himself as one of the few who can consistently deliver style and substance. He’s a visionary who pumps out films more often than the Octomum pumps out babies. It’s also good news that despite Warner Brothers announcing the film would be converted to 3D post-production, the Snyder husband and wife team have fought, and won, to keep their baby in 2D (the way it was filmed and intended). There will be no Clash Of The Titans-muddle here folks. Music is set to play an integral part in the film and mark the transition from reality to alternative-reality. The cast trained in 3 months to be able to perform the stunt and fight scenes before production kicked off in Vancouver from September, 2009 to January, 2010. Sucker Punch has a budget of $85 million.

    The Cast

    Emily Browning: Baby DollOne of my favourite Australian actresses, 21-year-old Browning stepped up to the role after Amanda Seyfried dropped out due to scheduling conflicts. Thank heavens for that, because as far as I’m concerned Seyfried has ruined herself with all the atrocious rom-com’s she has starred in of late. After a bunch of appearances in Australian TV productions and films such as Ned Kelly, Browning broke into the Hollywood market with her captivating performance in Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events. Followed by her role in supernatural thriller The Uninvited, Browning will be one to watch after Sucker Punch and her role as Lucy, a university student who becomes a prostitute in Julia Leigh’s erotic version of Sleeping Beauty due for release next year.

    Jena Malone: RocketReplacing Evan Rachel-Wood, who also dropped out over scheduling conflicts, is former child star Jena Malone. Having amassed an accomplished body of work, Malone is just another feather in the bow of accomplished young actresses at the fore of Sucker Punch.

    Abbie Cornish: SweetpeaWhat can you say about Cornish? Except that she is ridiculously awesome and my favourite Australian actress behind Cate Blanchett! Since her breakout performances in Australian flicks Somersault and Candy, with Heath Ledger, Cornish has gone from strength to strength in mainstream Hollywood blowing me away with turns in Elizabeth: The Golden Age, Stop-Loss and, her Oscar-deserving role in Bright Star. Mainly a dramatic actress, I’m looking forward to seeing Cornish in an action-flick where her attitude and beauty are just as important as acting chops. She has worked with Snyder previously, voicing one of the central characters in Legend Of The Guardians: The Owls Of Ga’Hoole.

    Vannessa Hudgens: BlondieOkay, so I’m not her biggest fan, but this is clearly Hudgens effort to make the transition from slutty Disney teen-starlet, to slutty Hollywood actress. But hey, if she shows some teeth in an action film I might be willing to overlook her previous efforts (hello there High School Musical and Bandslam). The jury is still out on her Twilighty-looking Beastly.

    Jamie Chung: AmberChung has proved herself to be a sufficiently meaty action babe after Dragonball: Evolution, Sorority Row and her decency in Grown Ups. Toting a lollipop and fishnets in this though, she’s sure to bring that hot-Asian chick flavour a la Lucy Liu amongst a largely Caucasian cast in Charlie’s Angels.

    Carla Gugino: Mrs ShulzThe lass with arguably the best natural rack in the industry (remember her topless scene as Lucille in Sin City?), Gugino plays a nurse in the asylum. Like Cornish, she has worked with Snyder previously, but as the original Silk Spectre in Watchmen.

    Others Along for the ride are Scott Glenn, Oscar Isaac, Jan Hamm and Black Dynamite himself Michael Jai White (above)! Woo! Exclusive clips from the film are being screened at Comic Con this week, so as soon as some lucky bastard who’s attending posts them online... as will I. In the meantime, stay tuned for Sucker Punch news, updates and trailers.

    P.S. By the time you read this I will be dead. Ha, just kidding, but my review of Inception will be posted above and therefore my online video review of Creation pales in significance. Alas, I’m posting it anyway - to watch click here. Connelly had really let herself go after her Oscar win. In semi-related news, my review of Inception is now the third most-read article on the Gold Coast Bulletin website AND it was only posted last night! Me thinks that gives plenty of juice to the `people regularly read and enjoy reviews’ argument.

    VIA Snyder Delivers a Sucker Punch to Your Pants

  • Collee Gets Creative

    Collee Gets Creative

    Creation

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    Creation (directed by Jon Amiel)

    From dancing penguins to sailing the high seas during the Napoleonic Wars, Australian-based screenwriter John Collee brings a young Charles Darwin to life in his latest project Creation. I had a chat to Collee a few weeks back about this, that and the other thing, and have put together a neat little yarn on his work with Creation here. However, Collee also told me some crazy stories about collaborations with Guillermo del Toro and Steven Spielberg, and forth coming projects, which I will tie together in another story over the next few days. Stay tuned baboons.

    When Scottish-born screenwriter John Collee, the writer behind Oscar-winning films such as Happy Feet and Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, sat down to write a biopic of Charles Darwin, he hit a wall. He did not want to portray the English naturalist, who came up with the theories of evolution and natural selection, as just another `boring scientist'. So he turned to the writings of Darwin's great, great grandson Randal Keynes, who presented the scientist in a unique light.

    ``The Darwin you get on screen is always the guy with the beard and he has always been portrayed as this sober and rather boring intellectual,'' says Collee.
    ``Whereas the Darwin that comes out in the descriptions by Randal (Keynes) is of this charming, young dad.
    ``You get this really human perspective which is also taken from all of his kids who wrote stories about him.
    ``A guy you thought you knew through his science actually comes across as this fabulous family man.''

    For Collee, who has lived in Sydney for over decade with his wife and children, this is someone to whom he could relate. He used Keynes biography of Darwin, Annie's Box, as the basis for the screenplay Creation, a new film directed by Jon Amiel. Starring Paul Bettany as Darwin and Jennifer Connelly as his wife Emma, Creation follows Darwin in the lead up to publishing On The Origin Of Species, where he struggles to find a balance between his revolutionary theories and the relationship with his religious wife, whose faith contradicts his work. The couple are also battling to come to terms with the death of their 10-year-old daughter Annie, who had scarlet fever. Despite having seen and achieved many things, Collee says he choose to focus on this chapter of Darwin's life because it `represented something about the modern condition'.

    ``I like writing films about ideas and there are powerful ideas in this and they crystalise around a tragic event; the death of child,'' says Collee.
    ``They (Darwin and Emma) were very much in love, they had 10 kids, they were very inter-dependent on each other, but she was completely Christian and he was a scientist.
    ``The miraculous thing about their relationship was that it worked and that they were able to live so closely together.
    ``So it's about the resolution of science and religion, and how they find an alternative to the language of religion and of science, with love.''

    Having worked with Bettany before on Master and Commander, Collee says although he tried not to write the role for him specifically, but he kept coming to mind due to his `uncanny resemblance' to a young Darwin.

    ``He came to mind more and more as I wrote the script but I try not to write with someone in mind because of the nature of the business,'' he says.
    ``But young Darwin looked very much like Paul Bettany and when we were writing Master and Commander Weir had a young Darwin as the model for `the Doctor' and I kept getting the memory of Paul as that character.
    ``There were lots of things that made me keep going back to him.
    ``And Paul gave Jennifer the script to read and she then wanted to play Emma.
    ``Because they're married in real life they bring that context to the roles too.''

    VIA Collee Gets Creative

  • Your house trusts Advanced Direct Security

    Your house trusts Advanced Direct Security

    Professional protection

    All people on the Earth needs the safety and though they only stay at home, they should make sure that they have a safe home. There are a lot of ways you can make your house protected, for example install security system in your home can be really good idea. There are a lot of security companies which offers the security service for your dwelling, but us interests really worthy ADT Security Systems.

    My choice — Advanced Direct Security

    Let me outline Advanced Direct Security or ADT. This system of security protects more than 5 million families and homes in the USA. The trading companies, US government buildings, supermarkets, shopping centres, the underground and airports also rely on ADT Systems for their security. Add those numbers to their 130+ years in the dream business, exceptional customer service, and their advanced high-quality equipment, and you will scrutinize why ADT is America’s №1 home security provider.

    Security System

    My proved choice!

    The advantages of Advanced Direct Security systems are multiple levels of home alarm, low monthly monitoring costs, rapid response on triggering the alarm and most significantly the easy to use option. With ADT Security you get wireless keypads, high decibel sirens, pet sensitive motion detector and yard sign and window decals which help in effective monitoring system. These reasons are more than enough to support my choosing this security system.

    Home Security System

    VIA «Your house trusts Advanced Direct Security»

  • Shocking before and after images reveal how giant tornado ripped apart Joplin's city landmarks

    Shocking before and after images reveal how giant tornado ripped apart Joplin's city landmarks
    By JOHN STEVENS
    ©The aftermath: A 198mph tornado tore a path a mile wide and six miles long straight through Joplin, Missouri devastating all in its wake
    Devastating 198mph tornado tore a path a mile wide and six miles long straight through Joplin, Missouri
    Deadliest single tornado in more than 60 years with at least 125 people killed
    1,500 people still remain unaccounted for, according to fire officials
    'This is a very serious situation brewing,' warns Storm Prediction Center as forecasters say city could be hit again
    Tornado was rare 'multivortex' twister, reveals National Weather Service
    Obama to visit region on Sunday as he says tornado was 'devastating and heartbreaking'
    ©
    The way things used to be: This Google Street Map view shows the same place as the above picture, before the horrific tornado struck
    As shell-shocked residents of tornado-hit Joplin braced themselves for another powerful storm system this evening, new aerial images emerged showing in terrifying detail the path of the twister which destroyed the Missouri city.
    The shocking photos reveal for the first time the true extent of the damage caused when the mile-wide tornado that killed at least 122 people blasted much of the city off the map and slammed straight into its hospital.
    Forecasters warned residents on Tuesday to prepare themselves for a looming storm system that has all the early signs of spawning more deadly tornadoes.
    ©Devastated: Aerial photo shows 26th street, the main route through the centre of Joplin, Missouri. On the right is St Mary's elementary school
    ©Housing: Whole residential neighbourhoods were destroyed by the powerful tornado when it went straight through the centre of the city that has has 50,000 people
    Tonight the stunned residents of Joplin faced the horrifying possibility of more storms - but a tornado warning was cancelled later in the evening.
    ‘This is a very serious situation brewing,’ said Russell Schneider, director of the Storm Prediction Center.
    About 1,500 people are still unaccounted for, it was announced Tuesday, leading to fears that the death count could rise much higher.
    Tonight tornadoes touched down in Kansas and Oklahoma - including one on the outskirts of Oklahoma City, which reportedly tore a 50-mile long path through rush-hour traffic.
    ©Blown away: The remains of this apartment block surround what was once a swimming pool. Around 2,000 homes are thought to have been destroyed
    ©Closed for business: The Home Depot do-it-yourself store was where many dead bodies have been recovered. Many of the shop shelves are still intact though
    ©Grocery store: The city's Walmart superstore is barely recognisable in this photo from after Sunday's tornado that killed over 100 people
    ©Shopping mall: This line of shops was severely damaged by the storm system when it struck on Sunday evening at around 6pm
    ©Hospital: The St John's Medical Center was at the heart of the tornado's path through the city. Hundreds of patients had to be evacuated
    Fire chief Robert Daus said that 500 people had been injured by the tornado, in addition to the 1,500 people who remain unaccounted for.
    But he said the high number of people still recorded as missing could be a reflection of the widespread breakdown of communication systems in the city.
    Thunderstorms that are moving across southeast Kansas, central Oklahoma and north Texas this afternoon are forecast to move into the Joplin area between 10pm and 2am tonight.
    ©Destroyed: This incredible aerial image reveals how the tornado tore off the roof of Joplin's Home Depot
    ©Flattened: This aerial photograph shows the scale of the destruction to the Home Depot store
    ©
    Flattened: Damage is seen a day after the tornado tore through Joplin killing at least 122 people in Joplin, a town of about 50,000
    ©Decimation: Residential buildings are shown flattened in this aerial shot over Joplin
    ©Razed to the ground: Joplin's Walmart store was completely destroyed by Sunday's devastating twister
    ©Wasteland: The horror of Sunday's tornado is laid bare by this harrowing panoramic shot of Joplin
    ©Horseshoe: A destroyed neighbourhood is seen in Joplin on Tuesday after a big tornado moved through much of the city
    ©
    Ruins: The winding path of the devastating tornado is seen in this aerial picture of Joplin, Missouri
    ©Savaged: The path of the powerful tornado is seen in an aerial photo over Joplin, Missouri
    ©Destroyed: The tornado ruined thousands of houses in Joplin, Missouri
    ©From the sky: Uprooted trees and building without roofs lie devastated in Joplin, Missouri after the tornado hit on Sunday
    ©Flattened: Members of Missouri Task Force One search-and-rescue team work at the tornado-damaged Home Depot store in Joplin
    ©Shock: Joplin residents are still coming to terms with the loss of their homes as rescue workers continue efforts to find survivors
    ©Recovery: Beverly Winans, left, Debbie Spurlin and Austin Spurlin look for what they can salvage from their home after it was destroyed
    ©Lost: Carra Reed looks at a friends home that was destroyed when the massive tornado passed through Joplin, Missouri
    ©Missing: Rescue workers and neighbours search for victims and survivors
    The President says he wants Midwesterners whose lives were disrupted by the deadly storms last weekend to know that the federal government will use all resources at its disposal to help them recover and rebuild.
    Obama spoke in London, the second stop on his four-country, six-day tour of Europe.
    Obama is due back in Washington Saturday night.
    ©Little hope: Ryan Harper pauses in the shadow of a splintered tree as he searches for a missing friend after who may have been pulled away by the twister
    ©
    A time for coming together: A couple drenched by the heavy rain walk arm-in-arm towards a building ravaged by the killer storm, and right, a woman whose life has been shattered overnight by the tornado breaks down in tears and has to be comforted by a friend
    ©Frantic: Volunteers claw through the rubble in search of survivors, but grey storm clouds loom overhead threatening to disrupt the efforts
    ©'Heartbreaking': Barack Obama, speaking in London today, vowed to visit Missouri on Sunday to console victims
    President Barack Obama called Nixon after details of teh tragedy emergedand offered his condolences to those affected, assuring the governor that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) would provide whatever assistance was needed.
    'Michelle and I send our deepest condolences to the families of all those who lost their lives in the tornadoes and severe weather that struck Joplin, Missouri, as well as communities across the Midwest today,' the President said in a statement sent from Air Force One as he flew to Europe.
    'We commend the heroic efforts by those who have responded and who are working to help their friends and neighbours at this very difficult time.'
    ©New dawn: The sun rises over devastated Joplin on Tuesday as the search for survivors continues
    ©Heartache: Two women fight back the tears as they hug in front of a house ripped apart by the tornado. In a symbolic show of strength, the U.S. flag flies from a tree behind them
    ©Wiped off the landscape: Meghan Miller stands in the middle of a destroyed neighbourhood as she checks on her sister-in-law's home, which only days before had stood in the same spot
    source: dailymail

    VIA Shocking before and after images reveal how giant tornado ripped apart Joplin's city landmarks

  • The Judas Syndrome cover Lady Gaga's "Judas"

    The Judas Syndrome cover Lady Gaga's "Judas"
    ©New York City thrashers The Judas Syndrome decided to risk their reputation for being a hard hitting band, and to cover the song "Judas" by Pop Queen Lady Gaga. While Heavy Music is all about being open minded to new things, we don't think a band that is looking to get signed should be risking their reputation by covering a Pop song, specially when a handful of other artists have already covered Lady Gaga. Why not be original and cover a Heavy Music classic and add a unique flavor to it? Or taking a wise risk like Resolution 15 did when they covered U2's "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and proved that they are phenomenal musicians. Same goes for Slam One Down, who blew everyone's mind at the Horns Up Rocks 1 year anniversary party with their flawless covers of Pantera's "Becoming", ACDC's "Dirty Deeds" and Machine Head's "Davidian".
    Some of you may think that we are being too harsh, but the music industry today is not looking for bands that are taking risks without measuring the consequences. Nowadays a record label will only invest in a band that is smart about how they handle their business on and off stage. Our advice to any up and coming band is to think carefully about what you want to represent and what your ultimate goal is. Don't put years of hard work down, by making the wrong moves.
    Here is The Judas Syndrome covering the song "Judas" by Lady Gaga:
    the judas syndrome - judasbyThe Judas Syndrome
    Now here is also The Judas Syndrome with their original song titled "Death of the Soul":

    Related links:
    The Judas Syndrome on MySpace
    Official site of the Judas Syndrome
    The Judas Syndrome

    VIA The Judas Syndrome cover Lady Gaga's "Judas"

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  2. The Chicken Within
  3. Five Question Friday
  4. My Kids Make Me Laugh
  5. Tasty Tuesday-The Best Toffee EVER
  6. I Feel Beautiful?
  7. Our Reaction to Selfish Ambition and False Motives in the Church
  8. Sex and Motherhood, My Mom and Heaven
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  10. Read The Bible In A Year?