Me Hard At Work - FD4

This was taken by Jim Sheldon our Stills Photographer on FD4. Jim is a really great guy and a really great photographer. I was running new pages to the other side of our studio.

Me at FD4 Office

Me working. Or pretending to at least.

FD4 Set Visit Stories

IGN's FD4 set visit story.

Shock Till You Drop FD4 set visit report.

Collider's FD4 set visit.

FD4 - Mobile PressRegister

Movie car crashes will be filmed at Irvington speedway

Movie will be released in 3D and 2D versions

Wednesday, May 28, 2008
By MIKE BRANTLEY
TV & Media Editor

Safety will be the top job on the movie set of "Final Destination 4" — really the Mobile International Speedway in Irvington — as stunt drivers deliberately wreck specially prepared stunt cars today and Thursday, according to stunt coordinator Buddy Joe Hooker.

"We're going to be doing a lot of crashes. So far, we've been just racing around," said Hooker at the speedway Tuesday.

Minutes earlier, he and other drivers made numerous moderately paced circuits around the track as a black SUV equipped with a state-of-the-art, two-eyed 3D camera at the end of a long, articulated boom captured their maneuvers for the movie.

"Final Destination 4" — the next entry in the popular New Line Cinema horror film franchise that began with the initial "Final Destination" film in 2000 — will become the first release in the series to be filmed in 3D. Expected in theaters next year, the film has been shot mostly in the New Orleans area.

The production came to the Mobile area last week to begin filming the speedway accident sequence that drives the plot this time around. Filming will conclude Saturday during the annual Ronald McDonald House race at the speedway, when the 3D cameras will capture footage of real racing fans attending the 3 p.m. event.

Hooker, whose film credits as a stuntman, actor or second unit director date from TV and movie productions in the early 1970s, described one planned shot this week that will send a race car into a high-speed barrel roll.

"At 80 miles an hour, we're going to pop the cannon and go for a ride," he said.

Another dangerous shot will require great care and meticulous attention to safety, he said.

"We're going to have a pipe ramp that will send the car up into the air, and we're going to crash on pit row," Hooker explained.

His enthusiasm for his work was as plain as the smile on his face.

"This is real stunt work," Hooker said, "not stuff done with computers. It's the stuff we like to do."

Craig Perry, a producer on all the "Final Destination" movies so far, said the series has continued because audiences continue to buy movie tickets and DVDs.

"We keep going," Perry said in the Mobile International Speedway infield Tuesday. "We are the Energizer Bunny of horror films. Ask me in about a year when this one is out, and I will tell you then whether there's going to be another one."

The first "Final Destination" delivered a story about a group of teenagers who cheat fate by avoiding a plane crash after one of them has a premonition about their deaths. In that film, the protagonists then find themselves falling victim, one by one, to mysterious freak accidents.

Sequels follow a similar plot formula, with the invisible antagonist Death determined to fell any victim who escapes his or her intended demise.

"Final Destination 2" director David Ellis, who is back at the reins for the current production, said the new movie will center on a young man who saves the lives of several people who were meant to die in a horrific crash at an auto race.

The cast includes Bobby Campo, Shantel Van Santen, Haley Webb, Nick Zano, Krista Allen, Andrew Fiscella and Mykelti Williamson.

The players are all newcomers to the series, since all prior protagonists have been killed off.

"What we learned in 'Final Destination 3' was that we can kill everybody and the audience will be happy," Perry quipped.

The producer said none of the principal players joined the crew shooting in Alabama. They finished their scenes in Louisiana, where a section of the speedway grandstands was recreated for filming the main actors. The shots done there will be joined with the Alabama shots to form a cohesive scene at the fictitious McKinley Speedway.

"It's a very complicated shoot, not just because there's a lot of stunts and special effects, but you are literally shooting the same scene in two different states," Perry said.

Ellis, who acknowledged that "Final Destination 2" enjoys an informal ranking as "the fan favorite," said he expects the fourth installment to be well received.

"This is going to be the best one," Ellis enthused. "It will play in 2D theaters as well, and it will be a great experience. But in 3D it will be really special."


© 2008 Press-Register
© 2008 al.com All Rights Reserved.

Mike Scott on FD4

Local 3-D production at leading edge of film trend

Posted by Mike Scott, movie writer, The Times-Picayune May 27, 2008 4:30AM

Built out of stacked metal cargo containers skinned with a veneer of Hollywood magic, the race-track grandstand rising out of the weeds and warehouses of the Almonaster Avenue industrial corridor in the shadow of the Interstate 10 high rise is easily the most striking feature of the eastern New Orleans set of the horror-thriller "Final Destination 4."

It might not be the most significant feature, however.

For that, you'd have to look past the green screen that will permit the digital extension of the grandstand, past the racing cars lined up nearby, and past the dozens of oh-so-expendable extras who -- in "Final Destination" tradition -- are about to see their screen lives snuffed out en masse.

Ask anybody on set -- or anywhere in the movie industry, for that matter -- and they'll tell you the real story here has to do with the cameras -- the 3-D cameras.

Forgetting the insider geekspeak -- the $30 million-plus film marks the first deployment of advanced high-definition PACE cameras employing the latest in Fusion 3-D technology, blah blah blah -- "Final Destination 4" is at the leading edge of a forthcoming flood of big-budget 3-D films set to hit theaters.

It all starts this summer, with the fantasy adventure "Journey to the Center of the Earth," starring Brendan Fraser and based on the Jules Verne novel, and it continues with at least 10 digital 3-D features set for next year, according to a recent tally by The Hollywood Reporter.

And that's just the beginning. Partly in an effort to give audiences, with their multiplex-caliber living rooms, a reason to keep going to movie theaters, Disney/Pixar recently announced that with the release of "Up" next year, all of their animated features will be released in 3-D, including re-releases of "Toy Story" and "Toy Story 2." Animation rival DreamWorks will follow suit. George Lucas is still working on 3-D-ifying the original "Star Wars" trilogy.

Keep in mind, these aren't your father's 3-D flicks. You'll still need special glasses to avoid going cross-eyed, but gone is much of the reliance on gimmickery used in, say, Vincent Price's 1953 horror-thriller "House of Wax," or even in more recent 3-D fare, such as 1983's "Jaws 3-D."

Today's 3-D equipment is several generations removed from those earlier films, which allows for more seamless effects. "Final Desination 4," the first 3-D movie shot primarily on location, producer Craig Perry said, includes not only those snazzy Fusion cameras but also a one-of-a-kind mobile post-production facility capable of instant playback in 3-D.

In addition, "Final Destination" director David R. Ellis said filmmakers' and audiences' sensibilities have changed.

Ellis ("Snakes on a Plane," "Final Destination 2") said the goal with his film, scheduled this week to wrap its 60-day local shoot before going into post-production, is to use the 3-D technology not merely as a means of startling audiences, but more subtly, as a way of creating an immersive environment that draws them into the story.

"Traditionally, directors have been overusing the 3-D element and making a gimmick out of it, so they kind of throw things in your face all the time," he said during a recent break in shooting at the grandstand set, near the Crescent Crown beverage distribution center.

"That's cool for its moments," Ellis said, "but for me it's more about the depth you're giving a 3-D film, where you just feel like you're there. It puts the audience in the environment."

At the same time, though, he and his production team are taking steps to make sure the story -- the heart of any good film -- doesn't become an afterthought, lost in the focus on whiz-bangery.

"We're shooting this like a 2-D movie and concentrating on the story, the performances, the action, great shots, and not expecting the 3-D elements to carry the film," Ellis said. "If it's good in 2-D, it'll be great in 3-D."

It makes good sense to focus on story when, because the exhibition industry lags, most people still are going to be watching a 2-D version of the film, and don't want to be reminded what they are missing from the 3-D version.

The upcoming spate of 3-D movies requires expensive projection equipment that the vast majority of theaters don't yet have. Many people likely won't have the option to see Hollywood's 3-D offerings in anything but 2-D until theater owners shell out big bucks for retrofitting -- and who knows how long that will take? Complicating the matter is the fact that competing 3-D technologies require proprietary projection systems incompatible with one another, creating for theaters the equivalent of the late, great Blu-ray versus HD-DVD dilemma.

Locally, only the IMAX theaters at the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas and at the Holiday Square Cinema 12 in Covington have 3-D projection capabilities (and then only in the IMAX format), and the aquarium doesn't often show Hollywood films.

New Orleans-area movie buffs often have had to travel to Baton Rouge or beyond to get their 3-D fix.

One way "Final Destination 4" -- which stars Mykelti Williamson ("Forrest Gump," "August Rush") -- is like the earliest 3-D films is that it is a horror flick. And like the other three films in the popular franchise -- all of which were shot in traditional 2-D -- it involves a group of young people who, after narrowly avoiding being killed in a massive accident, find themselves hunted by a horribly inventive Grim Reaper bent on correcting fate.

In addition to shooting at its newly constructed Almonaster grandstand, the "FD4" crew has shot at, among other places, a spit-and-polished New Orleans Shopping Centre next to the Superdome, which has been shuttered since Hurricane Katrina.

By shooting locally, the production was able to save a bundle of cash via the state's tax incentives, but local officials weren't the only ones happy to have "Final Destination 4" come to town. When it came time to assemble a local crew, resumes came flooding in.

"A lot of people took this movie because it was a 3-D movie," Perry said. "They were like, 'I want to be one of the few people in Louisiana who've worked on a 3-D movie.' It is an asset when added to the resume."

That would put them ahead of the curve if Hollywood's rapidly escalating flirtations with 3-D takes root -- though to hear Perry talk about it, there's little question that a peek at the "Final Destination 4" set is a peek into a future in which 3-D films are par for the course.

"If, or I should say when, 3-D takes hold the way I think it will," he said, "people will buy their own 3-D glasses and take them to the movies.

"This is the future right here."

All pics by Jim Sheldon, a very, very good and cool guy:

David Ellis - Hornets Fan

Guess this is what passes for "film/movie journalism" here. Oh well, at leats they mentioned the film business in New Orleans:

From the Times-Picayune:

Director Ellis develops rooting interest in N.O.

Sure-fire sign that New Orleans has its hooks in you: You're from Los Angeles, but you root for the Hornets.

That's the case for "Snakes on a Plane" director David R. Ellis, who is in town shooting the horror-thriller "Final Destination 4: 3-D" with actor Mykelti Williamson ("Forrest Gump," "August Rush").

"I went to my first game, and the energy that was in the stands was so infectious that all of a sudden I started buying tickets for every game," Ellis said last week during a break in shooting. "I was going to all the last regular-season games -- and now I've been to the first playoff games here -- but I come to work and I'm hoarse for like two days. I can't even talk!"

Ellis has taken to bringing his co-workers to games -- Hornets fans might remember seeing Williamson on the arena's big screen recently -- but the real measure of his fanhood came when the Hornets hosted Western Conference rivals the Los Angeles Lakers in mid-March. Ellis and his daughter -- movie producer and Kobe Bryant fan Tawny Ellis -- found themselves forced to make a big decision.

"We were going to the game," David Ellis said, "and I'm like, 'OK, who are we rooting for?' And she goes, 'Dad, we've got to root for the Hornets' " -- which is exactly what they did.

He's going to have to make another tough decision this weekend, though. Pal Quint Davis hooked him up with tickets to the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival presented by Shell, and he's already made plans to get his margarita on when Jimmy Buffet takes the Acura stage. That's at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday -- the same day, it turns out, the Hornets will open the second round of the playoffs against the San Antonio Spurs.

And from Gambit:

People Who Love the Hornets: Early 90s Movie Star Edition

by Alejandro de los Rios

(NOTE: I mean to put this up earlier but, well, I didn’t. Here it is now.)

OK, so this post’s title really only applies to one of the people in this photo (the man in the black fleece jacket). Can you guess who it is?

I’ll give you a hint: think shrimp. You know? The fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. Dey’s uh, shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. There’s pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich.

Give up? Well the man with the bemused look on his face is none other than Mykelti Williamson a.k.a. Pvt. Benjamin Buford “Bubba” Blue of “Forrest Gump” fame. Seeing as how it’s not every day you get to talk to one of the iconic figures of 1990’s cinema, I chatted up Williamson about the Hornets and his current project.

Williamson is down in New Orleans filming “Final Destination 4,” turns out they actually wrapped early so that he and other cast and crew members could make it to the game. One of the other cast members include the blurry-faced chap sitting next to Williamson in the picture. His name is Bobby Campo and is the film’s lead, but was not identified on the jumbotron. I asked Campo what is was like to not be the most famous person in a movie he’s starring in.

“This is a lot more fun,” he said. “He gets bothered all the time while I just sit back and relax.”

Both Williamson and Campo raved about the Hornets, whether or not it was authentic or if they were hyping up the hometown team to a hometown reporter is hard to tell. It was clear though that they were genuinely having a good time. Both Williamson and Campo are from the south (the former from St. Louis, Mo. and the latter from Tampa, Fla.) and both said being down here was like coming up.

I, for one, thought that Williamson was from the Gulf Coast or a southern bayou. That’s either a testament to his acting ability in “Forrest Gump” or to my idiocy (probably a little of both). I did ask, though, if he likes the cuisine over at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.

“I’ve never been,” he said. “They owe me money.”

I was a bit confused, forgetting that the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. actually had no affiliation with the movie.

“I’m not going there until they pay me,” Williamson said again. That left me wondering if the rest of the people associated with Forrest Gump hold a similar stance.

With the playoffs starting tomorrow, expect a lot of celebrities to be in attendance as there are somewhere between eight and twelve movies in production right now in the Big Easy. David Ellis, the director of “Final Destination 4″ said that all of the incentives that the city of New Orleans and the film commission are giving companies is making the decision easy for people to come. Ellis told the producers of “Final Destination 4″ that he specifically wanted to shoot in New Orleans.

“I’m bringing my next film here,” he said. “I thought this was a great place to put our money. We’re investing in the city and in the recovery.”

To wit, there are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of jobs made available through all the movies that decided to film down here. In a way, it’s almost like the NBA All-Star game coming down to the city. They both keep New Orleans in the public eye and stimulate the economy.

So long as it means more pseudo-celebrities from my childhood showing up to Hornets games and talking to me, I say keep ‘em coming.

This entry was posted on Friday, April 18th, 2008 at 2:21 pm and is filed under Sports.