Fortunes Mine

Some More Pre Pro Photos

2009-07-17T16:45:38Z

The cave walls are done! We've got most of the props loaded in, set and ready. We're looking forward to next week! Here are a few more photos taken during construction. Geoff talked me into operating the paint sprayer again this year, only I had to get all dressed up. You'd think that a jumpsuit made of napkin material would be cooler - it's not.

To Build A Mine

2009-06-20T02:30:54Z

The first week of set construction has come to a close! The crew has been hard at work trying to build the most realistic cave set possible! The Crew took a trip to Gold Country earlier in the week and got the chance to come face-to-face with some honest-to-goodness mines from the late 1800's! We spent some time inside the "Big Haul" as well as the "Gold Gulch" mine! The folks at the Gold Gulch Museum in Coarsegold really helped us out with tons of useful information and even arranged for our whole crew to go 150ft into a cave! More on all that to come later! Also be sure to check out the DVD when it is released for all the fantastic behind-the-scenes info on the making of! So set building is going great, all the hard work of the design team is really paying off! We will have pictures to update with early next week.

Fiona and I have been hard at work breaking down the script and planning all the awesome stuff to go into the film! I have to say we're both pretty excited and cannot wait to share with the rest of the crew - we think they'll be excited as well! Fiona is also acting as our UPM & Script Supervisor for this project! She's doing an outstanding job and we're having a lot of fun getting all the details lined up for production! She's a natural! There will be more on this process later on.

The crew is in great spirits as things are coming together and we can't wait to get on set!

Fortunes Mine Update

2009-06-11T00:12:47Z

When we set out with the onset of this project last year with Singularity, we aimed high and "shot for the moon!" This year, with Fortunes Mine we're "kicking it up a notch!" The script is nearing it's final approval stages and I must say, it's going to be awesome to shoot! Geoff, Rich, "Hollywood" and myself have been working tirelessly on the cave set design, traps, treasure, etc. We will begin the process of gathering materials next week when Rich get's back from his hiatus, and full fledged construction should begin middle of the week. We are hoping to have pictures and video to upload as a preview of the set itself!

Fortunes Mine is going to be a challenging project in it's own right. Compared to the film we did last year, which was set/prop driven - Fortunes Mine is one level higher. A large portion of the script takes place inside the mine itself and for that reason an incredible amount of detail is required. We at Dawnrunner like to make sure things "Could work...." It's our goal to make sure that what happens in the script is at least within the realm of possibility while still being entertaining and fantastic. This has meant, as the writer on the project several fun things: Exploring abandoned 1850's gold mines in the Coarsegold (Gold Rush Town) area. Which is very scary I must admit. Reading several accounts from early gold rush miners about their experiences in the caves, and all the amazing things that happened to them. Going over and over the Legend of the Lost Dutchman Mine and trying to rationalize how it would fit into our story (no spoilers here!). The research I enjoyed the most however, was of traps, puzzles, and other hinderances that might exist in a cave holding the greatest treasure thought to be on American soil. The chore as I've been writing it, is to make sure to turn the ordinary - extraordinary! The really rewarding part I think, personally, is being able to write a script for a film that I would have really enjoyed watching when I was younger. If I would not have gotten a kick out of watching it, then why would I make it - after all?

As we close in to the 1 month deadline we be moving into the scheduling process and the nuts and bolts of the production. We are hoping to be able to update with lots of pictures and videos throughout the process.

Definitely check back for more updates and information!

3D Mine Design

2009-06-10T21:42:38Z

The time to begin building the sets for this summer's film is rapidly approaching, and that means getting our designs in order.

James, Rich and I sat down and discussed the mine walls a couple of weeks ago and set out the requirements. We wanted to make a few reusable set pieces that could be moved and reconfigured to create new locations and shots in the mine. That means the pieces have to be interchangeable and must have some standard form to follow. They also have to be light, inexpensive, good looking, and quick to build. At least we're not too demanding! The solution we came up with is very light wood frames to give them shape, a pvc tubing infrastructure so they can stand on their own and paper maché facing.

We worked out the scale and the basic shape. I then took all the ideas we had and started to mock them up in 3d. Here are a few of the renderings:

The first two shots illustrate how the camera will see the set, using the lens and settings we'll be using during the shoot. The blurriness of the mine wall illustrates the depth of field we'll be able to achieve and we also get to see how some of the angles will look.

The other two shots show the construction method. We're going to build 15 panels with a similar profile (that can be used as walls or ceiling). We're also going to build 3 angled sections to allow us to put bends in the mine shaft. Also you can see in the last shot how a roof piece can be removed to allow for lighting.

So there we go, building starts in a week so check back for some photos of the process.

Cave Wall Test

2009-05-28T18:58:57Z

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With the launch of the new Fortune's Mine website, and the script coming along nicely - we decided to try our luck with some cave wall tests! Since, of course, the main location for this story is in fact a mine shaft - we decided it was important to test this! After playing with expanding foam, and weeks of planning and talking about various ideas - we finally decided on a method. We like to call it Papdirpaint-Mache, as it's a delicate blend of paper, dirt, and paint-mache. Mixed-Medium Art at it's finest. Once dry, we went in and did some detail painting and threw up the camera, lights and did a proper test. As you can see from the video above, it looks pretty good! We used a fairly small section to test, and honestly didn't spend a whole lot of time on it. We're happy with the results and will be moving forward with the creation of some fake boulders, rocks, mine-shaft walls and other various accessories for our set! Check back for more tests to come!

Fortunes Mine: The Story

2009-05-11T21:33:27Z

I'm going to save the specifics for the premiere so I don't spoil the entire story right here, but I will let you all know that we have just finished the second draft of the script and everyone who has read it is very excited.

Last year's story was based around a few different films, but drew a lot of influence from "The Explorers" and "Apollo 13." This time around were going for more of a "Goonies" meets "Indiana Jones" type of story.

The Story follows a group of kids attending a traditional summer camp who accidentally find an abandoned gold mine. There's danger at every turn as they venture into the mine. Will they find treasure? Will they make it out safely? How will they keep the camp counselors from finding out what they're doing? You're probably going to have to wait until you see the film to find out all the answers but we'll probably let a few of the details spill in future updates, so stay tuned.

Fortunes Mine Website Launched

2009-05-11T20:00:09Z

Hello to everyone checking out the Fortunes Mine website. Were excited to have a place to share our preproduction process for this year's Summer Film Camp. Last year's pilot program, Singularity, was huge success and also a great learning experience for everyone involved.

This year we're writing a longer script, with more roles and more action! We've also assembled a larger crew to help us with visual effects, editing, and sound. This time around we're also bringing some of the post-production aspects to the camp as well; we'll be editing some scenes and visual effects during camp time and we'll be staying an hour after camp each day to work on post-production. We're excited to get this year's film going so check back often and follow what we're doing. See you at the camp!