The Peep Wars thread

[drweir]

Well I'm still working on Peep Wars, oh so slowly making progress. Each Peeps movie seems to take even more and more resources to make. I think it's an evolution to making better and more eye popping parodies. I'm trying to grasp After Effects, which is one hell of a complicated program for the novice. But I'm beginning to understand the use of the 3D camera tools and was able to create a shot simulating the flight through the trenches of the Peep Star. Next step is to create my Obi Wan peep and shoot a scene of the landspeeder on the way to the cantina. The landspeeder is a KitKat bar so I need to chromakey everything around the KitKat pictures I took. I'm still considering on whether to do the scenes with the jawas and tuskan raiders since they will take more time and I already have a huge workload with the impending Peep Star scenes plus all the bluescreen work I need to do for the tie fighters and other ships needed for all the space battles.
But what I have so far are the opening shots, Alderon being blown up (hence the news flash), and the afore mentioned trench flight.

[.:FL:.]

Take out the scenes mentioned (jawas/raiders). Not of importance. Cantina, like with the actual film, should be the highlight moment of your parody. Think of all the candy you can implement.

[drweir]

That's exactly what I was thinking. You're right. I am getting more comfortable in AE even though it's still a looming goliath of a program. I'm figuring out bits and pieces here and there. And I'm getting good with the 3D camera.

[.:FL:.]

I suck at the 3D cam. Never figured it out. But then, never really had to use it.

If I ever come across this one guy's reel of how he used it, you'll shit yourself. Looked like he only used a 3D app and done it, like in 3DSM. Very excellent and no sign of AE. Just a continuous spaceship-like corridor shot, tunneling through left and right, up and down, different passageways... he even had a tute on how he done it and it confused the hell out me.

[drweir]

I actually saw that. It was on Creative Cow. The tutorial he gives is way too complicated for a noob like me to follow but I found a similar and straightforward one on Adobe's site that explained it much easier and I got it down quickly.

EDIT: Here's the link to the tute I used.
www.adobe.com/motion/tips/aft5orient/

[.:FL:.]

i dig that tute. but that one guy's was phenomenal. looked like 3D animation (and soooo many layers and bends) and not flat like this tute. should come in useful.

[drweir]

Oh I completely agree, once I get more comfortable with the basic idea of it I'll tackle stuff like that. In The Peeping you'll recall I had a bushmaze chase. I cheated to pull that off. I used Punch! Home Suite. It's a home design program and I simply created a maze using walls and used a grass texture to simulate the bush. Then I used CamStudio, a screen capture program, to record a short 3D trip through it. That's a good fast shortcut but it's very limiting as far as textures goes.

[.:FL:.]

Are Particles going to be used for explosions in the parody?

[drweir]

I'm using premade explosions from AlamDV actually. I combined two of them and adjusted the speed and transparency settings.

[drweir]

Peep Wars teaser trailer now online at putfile.com.

www.putfile.com/media.php?n=peep-wars-trailer

[.:FL:.]

ehheeheh.. sweeeeet.

Perfect... candy corn for the x-wing.

[drweir]

Yeah that candy corn was created in that Smooth Teddy thing. Simple shapes like that work very well.

[drweir]

Update: As noted on the news ticker, it's now over six minutes long but today's goal is to take it past the seven minute mark. I should be able to exeed that today actually. I've been procrastinating the cantina scene because it requires multiple layers in order to put the aliens behind all the tables. It also requires a good number of different alien beings and different shots of the whole cantina. I'm going to keep it to the point though. Obi Wan and Luke talk to Han and Chewie and get out of there. I love the scene with Dr. Everan picking a fight with Luke but it's not important for the sake of my version.
I've all but finished the Peep Star battle and did the scene where they outline the battle plan yesterday. After the cantina all I need to do are all the scenes in the Peep Star, including Obi Wan's lightsaber dual with Darth Peeper and the rescue of Princess Peepa. After that I should have all the footage I need and then the audio work begins. Total run time is looking to be around eight or nine minutes.
Might even have it done before Tyr gets back from vacation. Sure would like to blow his mind with a complete movie by the time he gets back into town.

[.:FL:.]

Any chances of a digitally remastered version in the future with added deleted scenes and special effects?

And, you do know... we all want to see some gag/blooper/behind the scenes reels. ;D

[drweir]

I doubt it. George Lucas didn't get it right the first time. I am. And I hope to hell I don't end up finishing the trilogy but if I'm low on ideas I might. But what the hell would I use for Yoda? I can see one the ghosts being the wampa on Hoth though.