Enders Game DVD Relase

I often find myself scared to see the movie version of books I have loved. I am always afraid that my vision and the directors vision will be so different as to make it almost unrecognizable. A few years back you may remember my rant about the movie Jack Reacher with Tom Cruise. (if not, you can check it out here)

But Enders Game really did justice to the book. The boyus and I read it several years ago and loved it.  If you read the book you will know that there was a lot they couldn't do because of time constraints, but over all they created a visually enrapturing film that is perfect for the Sci Fi fan and non Sci Fi fan. I come from a family of Sci Fi people. My mom used to
watch Star Trek reruns incessantly and was a Dr Who fan back in the 80's when most Americans thought that was a question.

When Agent Daddy and I started dating he took me to a Star Trek convention. I am happy to say we did not dress up. But Sci Fi is in my blood. My children are Sci Fi Fans. They attended their first Comic Con when they were 7 and 10. In Anahiem of course. I was not ready for them to do San Diego.

So let me geek out a little about this film. Enders Game is  the story of a future earth that is threatened by attack from an interplanetary foe. The Bugs. Most of the book take place in outer space. When I saw the previews last summer of the movie I was super excited to see it. ( Not like Jack Reacher where I fumed for days). Then I was invited to go an meet Gavin Hood ( who masterfully directed this movie), Matt Butler ( who supervised all the VFX) production designer Ben Proctor, Pre Viz Supervisor Scott Meadows, Stunt Coordinator Garrett Warren, and Motion Capture Production Supervisor Gaby Rios.

First I sat down with Gavin Hood, Ben Proctor and Matthew Butler. Gavin proceed to explain to us how they had created Enders War room in the computer. they basically went from nothing to Fantastic so they could plan how each shot would look. They started with the idea of a glass sphere in space and worked to build what you saw on screen from there.  Ben and Matt show me how they created shots in the computer with each person's height and dimensions worked into the equations to make sure the shots would work on film with out anything important being blocked on screen. They share several of the tests they did, ones that worked and ones that did not. I know I am a geek but the stuff they shared could have been a movie it was so interesting.

And then when I didn't think I could get any geekier they took me out to the stop motion capture stage and let me run a camera my self. Here is the video of me being directed by Gavin Hood on the stop motion capture camera.




 Enders Game was filmed in 71 days. Now that is how the pros do it. My dude Gavin Hood is pretty talented. I mean he directed me on a camera. I am not even allowed to film my kids any more cause every one got tired of looking a feet and elbows.

Then as if that wasn't cool enough, I was introduced to Stunt Coordinator Garrett Warren. Now Garrett has worked on a couple of little films you might have heard of like AVATAR, Sin City, Grindhouse, and one of my personal favorites KISS KISS BANG BANG BANG. The list is extensive so go here to see all the stuff he has worked on. But the thing that made me the happiest was that he was going to help me fly...or at least show me how they made zero gravity on film.






Who says big girls can't fly? Well Garrett showed me how to flip and turn and I am in love with this contraption. Oh and by the way he invented the the pole thing you see heading out to the right. He made it so he could puppeteer the actors for shots.

 The actors actually took classes for weeks before filming to learn to march and swing around in zero gravity so that once the cameras were rolling every shot was planned and every movement was orchestrated.

Let me tell you I have bruises all over my thighs from the harness but I would totally do it again and again in a heart beat. It was the best day ever! By the way Harrison ford showed up to production on this film with his own harness. Cause he is like HARRISON FORD and that is how he rolls.