ParagonsParagon

ALIEN  SPACE CRAFT IN MICHIGAN

( model by Ted Rae)

In Rochester Michigan I am setting up a forced perspective (photo below)  for the scene when the Alien first lands on the planet to retrieve the zoo specimens from the big mother ship seen later in the film “The Alien Factor”. Directly below this top photo  is the actual result of this set up.

(Please excuse the images the scanner isn’t working properly)

The vertical stick is holding the white space ship up.

Forced Perspective result above off view screen

NEXT ARE  SOME ACTUAL FILM CLIPS FROM FOOTAGE OF THE ORIGINAL  ” LEMOID CREATURE “THAT WAS NOT USED IN THE MOVIE

 The creature was supposed to be a ” “ghost like”energy thing that goes from invisible to visible at the end of the movie.  The reason for the “ghost” idea was so that it could be a double exposure which would keep the special effects simpler and less expensive to do. Britt McDonough did the armature, creature and the original special effect battle.  I ran  his version (which was on on a short version of the movie) for friends and relatives in order to raise  extra money necessary for our 35mm print.

Don somehow got Ernie Farino to do another version of the Lemoid  battle. Ernie had already done  the title credit  sequence.

(Ernie Farino’s Lemoid )

   Britts Lemoid was replaced. I do not think that was very fair to Britt and I am embarrassed that I did not fight to keep his version. Sometimes “right” is more important than “might” , or in this case a product made by a more experienced person. Yes, Ernie’s is pretty cool. However, I never asked Britt how he felt about what happened.  Maybe he was totally in favor of doing the switch and it never bothered him? I know it would of bothered me!

I might have some footage of Britts  original version , but like all this material in my blog  it is someplace in storage. I’ll keep my eyes open for it in my good ole pile of goodies. It is only available on certain Alien Factor DVD’s  as part of an “extras” package.

HERE ARE SOME MORE FILM CLIPS OF BRITTS LEMOID IN ACTION

ERECTOR SET ARMATURE

OK,  I am just tossing this armature photo  in . I think the armature  is one of Britts and it might even be for the Lemoid. I honestly can not remember.

Here is Britt with some of his other creatures. He was a great guy to do movie projects  with. We worked well together. As noted in previous articles; together we built the mother ship model, did lobby cards in his darkroom, and he was our cameraman. He used his Bolex  Rex 16mm to shot the movie.

KEEPING WARM

Since I am on the topic of Britt here is a neat photo of how he had to keep the camera warm by wrapping it in a blanket. Baltimore had one of their coldest winters that year. He is shooting a scene that takes place just before the mayor(Dick Dyszel)  gets killed.

Speaking of COLD here is HOW MONSTERS  STAY  WARM in the woods before they attack. That is Larry Schlechter in his Infrabrice suit. It was kind of a hard shell paper mache type suit.

KEEPING RESTED

Our ladder that we used for high camera shots  came in handy as a leaning post for a tired Zagatile.. The creature  suit kept me warm, but my fingers got pretty cold. Monsters were not allowed in houses so they toughed out the cold. Just kiddin.  The truth is it simply was too much trouble to walk on the stilts back to the house, or get out of the suit, so I just waited for the next camera set up most of the time all by my lonesome.

HOW A ZAGATILE  LEARNS A NEW WALKING PATH

Don is about to take my hand and WALK me out of one area and over to another. The stilts, besides being tough to walk on,  had  feet  that weighed about ten pounds each.(the feet were constructed over ski boots)  When I walked I could only see out of slits in under the Zagatiles eyes (half moon slits) which limited my vision to  right in front of my toes at best. It was almost like being blind.  The eyes of the Zagatile were marbles that blocked most of my vision.

John,

Thanks for coming to my blog and if you want to learn more about me you are welcome to visit my carpet repair web page cosentinocarpet.com

John,

*

 “HOW DO YOU MAKE THOSE GUTZ?”

  by Thomas Berdinski

Hi, I’m Thomas Berdinski

And for my contribution to the Paragon’s Paragon blog, I decided to answer the
question I am asked MOST often at every horror convention I attend: “How
did you make those intestines?”

 But first let me tell you a little bit about myself. I am a“do-it-yourself” movie maker, handling everything from lighting to monster make-up.  I grew up a Super 8 filmmaker and was inspired by CINEMAGIC magazine and “The Alien Factor”.  I am also a Trekkie, and enjoyed the early articles and photos of “Paragon’s Paragon”.

Although a lifelong horror/sci-fi fan (and a part time movie maker)  in Michigan, I have become best known for my 2009 low-budget homage to European horror, “The Italian Zombie Movie” and two new shorts “The Giant Rubber Monster Movie” and “Noirmageddon- A Mark Anvil Thriller”.

My movies are available on Amazon; have won a  awards at conventions, and have played on TV shows including Midnite Mausoleum.

My upcoming projects include an ambitious homage to 80’s alien invasion movies and a new zombie feature.

EDITORS NOTE FROM JOHN

YOU ARE ABOUT TO SEE A REALLY GREAT SERIES OF GROSS ZOMBIE VIDEO CLIPS DEMONSTRATING  WHAT THIS ARTICLE IS ABOUT: “GUTZ”. 

THE SCENES WOULD PROBABLY BE CONSIDERED  R RATED  BY SOME PEOPLE, SO IF YOU ARE SQUEAMISH  AND DON’T HAVE AN OFF BEAT  SENSE OF HUMOR  THEN WHAT CAN I SAY?

SORRY BUT MOVIE GUTZ ARE GROSS!  BE FOREWARNED: DON’T WATCH!

( Just foolin almost last  chance to not look )

( OK this is your last chance not to look )

(OK , So go ahead and look, the suspense is killin me;  It’s dark where I am writing this, what’s that smell?, I think something just bite me? Aragggh. JC)

<<<GROSS MOVIE CLIP>>>

So, how did we make those intestines?

 Well, the truth is, they are REAL intestines, in a sense; made from stuff you can buy at your local grocery store and any butcher who makes his own sausages.  The cost will vary but plan on about $25 per adult torso.  Here is our recipe:

Ingredients:
•       Natural sausage casings (artificial casings work, but don’t look nearly
as good)
•       Gelatin (unflavored)
•       Kool-Aid (unsweetened)
•       Optional modifiers such as coffee grounds, hot cocoa mix, bread crumbs,
etc.

Utensils:
•       Quart+ sized bowl for mixing the gelatin; should be able to fit in your
sink
•       Ladle
•       Turkey baster without the rubber bulb
•       Funnel
•       A large bowl or bucket with ice water

Step 1:

Soak the casings in warm water for a few minutes to soften them up.

Step 2:

Cut the casings into pieces about 2 feet long and inspect them for large holes.  Run cold water through the casings by carefully opening one end and holding it under a faucet to allow water to flow through it. Verify that there are no large holes by looking for water squirting out the sides of the casing.  If there are large holes or rips in the casing wall, throw it away.  It will not hold the gelatin.

Step 3:

Make your gelatin mixture.  Follow the directions on the pack. Add color as desired. For example, for healthy looking intestines mix in some cherry unsweetened Kool-Aid.  For decaying looking intestines use coffee or cocoa mix.  We’ve made green, blue, yellow and purple intestines too!  Note that a quart of gelatin makes about 2 intestines, depending on the amount of leakage.  Bread crumbs make good filler and also add variety to the texture.

Step 4:

Fill a large bowl or bucket with cold water.  Keep it nearby. Add some ice if necessary – The colder the better.

Step 5:

Filling the casings.  Place your gelatin mixture bowl in a plugged sink.  Thread a casing onto the turkey baster and tie a small knotat the bottom end.  Put a funnel into the top of the turkey baster and add your gelatin mixture using a ladle.  Do this over the bowl in the sink. As the casing fills, it’s a good idea to let it lay in the bowl with your gelatin mixture in the sink.  If your knot comes undone while you’re filling, you won’t loose your gelatin down the drain.

Step 6:

Tie off the other end of the casing and place the intestine in the bucket/bowl of chilled water.  Because these are real intestines, water easily passes through the walls via osmosis.  Floating them in cold water reduces water loss and speeds the setting of the gelatin.

Step7:

Place in the refrigerator for a few hours… Over night is better.

Step 8:

Drain water, snip the excess casing from the knots on the ends and “serve” al dente!

The recipe above was actually ‘invented’ by my frequent collaborator Joseph Tardani.  Joe has been “behind-the-scenes” making movies with me since we were about 8 years old.  We made our first (unfinished) zombie movie when we were about 12.  I think that was when Joe first began experimenting with this recipe.  We like to boast that in IZM, we used gallons of blood and MILES of intestines!  It probably isn’t too much of
an exaggeration…  Very few photos of Joe exist, but he did play the lead zombie(s) in IZM.

<<<JOE AND CAITRIA PIC>>>

FINALLY A FEW WORDS OF WARNING!

1) Depending on the type of gelatin or Kool Aid you use, these intestines
can smell very sweet but don’t be fooled – They are raw, uncooked sausage
casings and should not be eaten.

 Always wash your hands after handling them

2) Use unsweetened Kool-Aid and gelatin when possible.  This will extend the “life” of your intestines.  When kept refrigerated, our “unsweetened” intestines would last about two-to-three weeks on average.  We had one batch mysteriously last for several months!

 Always rinse the intestines in cool water when you’ve finished, and store them in a sealed tub in the refrigerator.  Large Tupperware tubs work well.

3) If you use the sweetened stuff, be warned: It tends to ferment quickly, creating some very nasty odors.  Sadly, this was lesson we learned at the expense of our actors…

You saw  a scene from IZM with a disembodied head talking from the trunk of a car.  The trunk was a prop we built where the actress simply poked her head through the bottom of a large box that we then decorated with carpet and the gory stuff.

Unfortunately, the day we shot that scene was the day the intestines decided to go bad.  We did everything we could to cover the odor, ultimately adding Pine Sol to the gut pile to make it somewhat bearable.

Also, we shot a scene where a zombie spilled his guts onto the face of our hero.  Sadly, this was another day that the intestines fermented.  We couldn’t use Pine Sol this time since the guts were hitting him in the face, so the actor just had to tough it out.  It was awful – I mean, can you imagine being hit in the face over-and-over with wet intestines that smelled, literally, like flatulence?

Well, I guess that’s all for this installment.  Maybe John will ask me back again.  Maybe he was too grossed out by all this talk of intestines and flatulence. In any event, thanks for your interest – Now, GO MAKE SOME INTESTINES!

(JC says sometimes it is fun to get grossed out and Thomas you are definitely asked back !)

To contact Tom, learn about their DVD specials, see trailers, read reviews, view upcoming convention schedule and more:

Noirmageddon Trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7YUjpA-w4o]

Giant Rubber Monster Movie Trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJB4VNMi5g

Italian Zombie Movie Trailer 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnyTfAxL7dg

Italian Zombie Movie Trailer 2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3I7wfjSvX8

FACEBOOK: Thomas Berdinski
FACEBOOK: The Italian Zombie Movie
FACEBOOK: The Giant Rubber Monster Movie
FACEBOOK: Noirmageddon – A Mark Anvil Thriller
FACEBOOK: House with a Morgue
EMAIL: diretto@italianzombiemovie.com
WEBSITE: www.italianzombiemovie.com

MORE INFORMATION ON BEHIND THE SCENES ALIEN FACTOR

The   photos were taken directly from the video #4 demo. In the upcoming articles (posts) I will be using actual photos that will be clear whenever possible.

CORPSE FOR ALIEN FACTOR

I stayed in Baltimore, Maryland area about three weeks while we shot most of the creature and special effects scenes for Alien Factor. As each film day drew to a close the next film days schedule was revealed.  We had to be very flexible about the schedule and able to change it at any moment. For example one evening I was given the assignment to have a zombie type dead person ready for the next days shoot.  Ok, get me some cotton, latex, a blow dryer, a glue gun for the teeth, old doll with some hair, and a Styrofoam head for wigs and away I go. Presto chango one dead guy in the morning. It really wasn’t pressure. It was fun.

ZAGATILE

ZAGATILE  (ME ) GETTING SHOT

The thing is I really was getting shot!. Look at this above  frame  closely, and this scene   in the movie. I am flinching and I ain’t acting. That gun was not supposed to be shooting pellets , but it was. Wax bullets!  The first one hit me in the stomach ,which was made of thick rubber  and it bounced off. The second shot got me in the shoulder. I yelled out at them to “Stop, something is coming out of the gun”.  “Something is wrong”!

When you watch the movie the Sheriff never aims the gun at me any more after this above camera angle shot. Some of the shots are done without the gun being seen. He was all shook up that he could have done some real damage to me.

When they helped me out of the monster suit, their was a hole in the Zags arm, and a hole in my tee shirt, and a hole in my arm with a wax bullet stuck in it. I popped it out. We put some iodine on it . Went to the drug store and asked the druggist what to put on it and he gave us some medicine.  I was fine. Probably couldn’t do that kind of thing now-a-days.

FORCED PERSPECTIVE

BIG SPACE SHIP CRASH

Britt McDonough ( not sure how to spell his name ) and I put this one foot long model together at his moms house. We used Celuclay for the ground the ship  skidded across. Celuclay is a form of  ground up paper machee type stuff.  The rear end of the ship  is an electric tooth brush holder. Boy it is fun to come up with this kind of stuff. There is a photo of us in a previous blog article (titled BOO! ) of mine  setting it up outside in the snow at Gunpowder State park in Baltimore, Maryland. ( I am on the left )

The movie scene above is another forced perspective with the actors off to the right and in the distance. The  cameras f stop has to be wide open for depth of fields  focus to reach from (in this case) one foot to a couple of hundred of feet away where the actors were. The two “planes” merge as one image on the film. It is a neat illusion.

INNER MAN

FINALLY THE “INNER MAN” ( Kiss me you fool)!

He is so named because he is like a man with his outside skin stripped off. I made it pretty  much anatomically correct. I did not wear this suit. You had to be pretty skinny to wear it. The idea was that the bulk of the suit would make it the size of the actor who played the Alien. I did not want the suit to be bigger than the actor, thus the skinny person in it and a shirt over the Alien and he was the same bulk as the actor.

Well that’s all for now the next article will continue with more Paragon things or  maybe other projects I worked on or a contributor article ?.

Thanks for coming!

John

p.s.

 NEXT WEEKS BLOG ARTICLE WILL BE FROM:

THOMAS  BERDINSKI  of fame for such delicious movie treats such as “The Italian Zombie Movie”

He has promised to answer the most asked question he gets at Horror Movie Conventions

Any idea what that question might be?