Project Guardian Developer's Blog

PROJECT GUARDIAN is an upcoming Sci-Fi/Fantasy Drama & Live-Action Comic Book Adaptation about the story of a young woman who discovers an extraordinary destiny. Welcome to the Developer's Blog - keep watch to hear from the people behind the movie.

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To celebrate our new visual effects development teams, we just released this slick instagram-style teaser! Check it out.

To find the boxed-version, go to http://facebook.com/studiobunkerllc.

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We are very proud to announce that the feature film some of our key members were working on is this summer's mega blockbuster MAN OF STEEL - currently breaking records across the board.

Also, due to similar themes between the two, we have been able to take the techniques learned on this epic film into the continued development of our own project.

If you haven't had the chance to see it yet, go to your local theater and see the film!

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Official Delay Announcement

Hello everyone! Here is the official delay announcement from the producers.

As many of you may have guessed AMANDA & THE GUARDIAN has been delayed (not cancelled). It has now been transferred to the “internal development projects” division at Studio Bunker LLC and has not been given a definite date for completion or release at this time to ensure that it meets the vision intended it.

The project is also undergoing some staffing changes as previous core members have been working on upcoming feature films from the likes of Disney and Warner Bros. that has resulted in more research and development material added into the film.

For now, we would like to announce that former Casting Assistant Ahmad Darwin Gozos will be taking over as Production Coordinator and will be handling Publicity as well.

Additionally, we would like to take this moment to clarify some fan questions about this project. To dispel speculation once and for all, AMANDA & THE GUARDIAN will not be released in theaters.

It is not a full-fledged film as many have presumed but a pilot presentation that also doubles as a short film. It is based on a popular franchise that has yet to be disclosed and is intended to serve as a pitch to test its viability on the web similar in a fashion to projects like Mortal Kombat: Legacy, Portal: No Escape, and Y: The Last Man Rising (among others). So yes it will be released on the web in addition to venues such as various comic conventions.

We wish to thank everyone for your continued support and please keep watching.

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Beware the wrath of the Serpent Queen. #AATG

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Amanda & The Guardian VFX Preview The Giant Basilisk (Click here to view a size comparison with The Guardian's digital double)

Creature Design: Chris Pedersen Initial Modeling: Frank Colbert Rigging: Kevin Yee Sculpting and Texturing / VFX Supervisor: Mark Nazal (coming up)

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Presenting the giant basilisk for Amanda & the Guardian.

Initial modeling by Frank Colbert | Based on concept designs by Chris Pedersen 

Rigging and Textures coming up shortly.

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A&TG By the Numbers

The tally is up! After the final post-production review of the master edit, here are our numbers:

211 shots (and sequences) 120 visual effects shots (total) with 35 comprising of either full cg (computer graphics) or complex composites.  

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Post-production update 04/13/12

There's a lot of excitement with us over here on the post-production side, we just had our first full render of our modern superheroine in action which brings us a step closer to completion. We will be "picture locking" with our Lead Editor, Travis Hastings, in the next 3 weeks and we've also just enlisted Visual Effects Artist, Richard Bendo (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2) as our Stereoscopic Supervisor.

What does this mean? In layman's terms, we will be adding some scenes with 3D depth in it. Yes, you heard that right. Amanda & The Guardian will have 3D scenes!

Stereoscopic technology is a big part of the present and possible future of films and we believe that adding this new visual element to the film will help further enhance the viewing experience and give the film an added value.

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Here's a blast from the past! The early concepts for Emery and Veena. What do you guys think?

Read more about them, see their character profile.

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In true comic book fashion, we just added a new CHARACTER PROFILES page! Find out just a little bit more about the individual characters before the film's debut.

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‪Meet "Joey 1.0" - A Project Guardian Visual Effects Preview‬ Joey 1.0 is our Computer Generated "prototype" of one of the Serpent Queen's vicious little "pets."

Click here to watch larger view on Youtube.

Based on creature designs by Chris Pedersen.

Coming up next, a first look at The Serpent Queen's Lair.

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Soundtrack News!

Denmark-based musician Drullen/Malik Fisker is now officially a part of Project Guardian - he has graciously granted the use of his music for the film!

Drullen's larger than life and, dare we say, "epic," compositions will be an integral part in setting the mood of the film and we are definitely more than thrilled to have him involved.

For those who have had the chance to view it, Drullen's music was featured in our Reveal Trailer that was show at the Ollies Animation Film Festival!

To hear samples of Drullen's music, visit his Youtube page. Click here for the link.

If you like his music, please support the artist by legally purchasing the track on iTunes! Here is a link to the track's iTunes page or simply click on the image above.

[http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/dramatic-music/id343131688]

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pg_vfx0054_slap_comp

Keying sample alternatively using Ultimatte as opposed to Keylight. Composited with The Foundry's Nuke.

Shot featuring actress Chantal Bui Viet as "The Guardian."

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Visual Effects Development Preview Computer Generated (CG) Body Double Rig, Animation, and Simulation Test

A Visual Effects Preview showing the digital body double of actress Chantal Bui Viet. Digital doubles are used in place of actors in either impossible or dangerous situations - in this case, flying at high velocity!

Director/Visual Effects Supervisor: Mark Nazal Lead Modeler & Texture Artist: Frank Colbert
 Lead Rigger: Jonathan Edwards

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Casting the Title Character

One would think that with a working title like Project Guardian, that the title character would have had a major role all along. What a lot of people don't know is how much the role had evolved from the original concept based, largely, in part of the casting of a great actor. Chantal was one of the first to audition and had remained a favorite among the casting directors throughout the process. She originally came in and auditioned for the role of Amanda. Immediately we noticed the larger-than-life presence she evoked which didn’t seem to fit the character therefore was asked to audition for the role of The Serpent Queen right then and there. Our instincts were right; while her portrayal of Amanda was great, her portrayal of The Serpent Queen was phenomenal! However, it was argued that while she portrayed the character fantastically, she seemed just a bit too young for the title of “queen” hence was passed on for the role. Chantal remained high on the list of actresses we wanted to work with, so we decided to give her a screen test for Amanda. Unfortunately, we found ourselves in the same position as before – she was great as Amanda’s more confident superhero alter ego but she simply wasn’t what we were looking for in Amanda, the college student and girl next door. However, by that point there was one thing that was certain – we wanted her to be a part of this film thus offered her the role of The Guardian.

Prior to offering Chantal the role, the character was much less involved. She was just supposed to pass on her power to Amanda in a brief dream sequence. Originally, the character was written as Amanda’s deceased grandmother who served as The Guardian’s first earthly vessel, appearing to her in spirit. When Chantal was casted we realized that we had a premier actor that would be underutilized in this smaller role which presented us with a dilemma.  A dilemma that led to the eventual expansion of The Guardian’s role. The idea just clicked – tell the story of The Guardian herself! Not her first vessel, but the ancient warrior herself! So I went back to the drawing board with Lead Artist, Frank Colbert and we just sat and started drafting out ideas for the guardian’s re-characterization. The design process was very organic from there - drawing on the original design of the modern hero’s costume and make it grander and more archaic – she was after all going to play a definitive version of the character. A version that has never been told in any adaptation.* Ultimately, we’re all very very glad (can I emphasize this even more?) of the decisions we made regarding the development of Chantal’s character because over the course of the film’s development, she has unwittingly become the voice of the project – that in itself is the trademark of a great actor. “The Guardian has a warmth and a strength that anyone can see when meeting Chantal in person, but when Chantal finally plays the character, it is taken to a new level that is inspirational as well as powerful.” Craig Byrne, Executive Producer On a totally different side note, if more is ever to be done with “Project Guardian” on a larger scale, The Guardian’s remains as something we would love to explore even further than this short/pilot presentation allowed. Hopefully, with Chantal reprising her role as the title character. While still in the early stages of her acting career, I’m sure that we’ll be seeing much more of Ms. Bui Viet in the near future. Be sure to watch out for her in the years to come. Now where is that fan page? ~Mark Nazal   Writer, Director, and Project Developer *To be disclosed upon the revelation of Project Guardian’s yet to be revealed source material. COMING UP NEXT: CASTING THE GIRL WHO WOULD BECOME THE HERO

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Casting The Villain of the Story

During the concept and development process for the character, it was apparent that we wanted to portray The Guardian’s nemesis in a way that she has never been done before. We wanted the her to have a raw strength and power that was equal, if not greater than the hero herself along with a heightened sense of sensuality. She had to be sexy, she had to be majestic, and above all, she had to be commanding.      It also became very clear after a few audition rounds that the Serpent Queen had to be, in every sense, a more “worldly” woman. After all, she was the serpent queen, not the serpent princess. We were totally caught by surprise when Katarina walked in - it had already been a long day by that point and my fellow casting directors were restlessly shuffling around by the time she walked in.

However, from the moment she began her performance, it was clear that the role was hers. She sold it so well that we were all convinced that the role felt like it was written specifically for her. It wasn’t at all and unlike certain roles, was completely developed before her discovery. I remember Co-Executive Producer, Sunshine Llamb stepping out and rushing back into the room just to see who was auditioning. She was that impressive. She embodied the character in every sense envisioned – strong, sultry, and magnificent. A determined and powerful woman in her very own right.

You'll know exactly what we mean after you hear this behind the scenes audio clip of her performance.

See screen captures of Katarina as The Serpent Queen on http://project-guardian.net and follow us on Facebook for up to the minute updates leading to the revelation of her “true form.” Trust us, you wouldn’t want to miss that!

Head over to Katarina’s Official Fansite, http://k-waters.org/ to get an exclusive preview of things to come - find the full image in their Related Links: Exclusive Artwork.      ~Mark Nazal    Writer, Director, and Project Developer

COMING UP NEXT: CASTING THE TITLE CHARACTER COMING SOON: CREATING THE GUARDIAN'S ARMOR by Leon Vanguard of Vanguard Smithing