Anatomy of a Soulless Supervillain

MAGE is the evil ancient-warrior-turned-archenemy of the multi-colored heroic guardians of the Earth Realm in CELESTIAL FURY, my 100% NOT-FOR-PROFIT Power Rangers fan-film. 

Mage is played by actor/model/writer/director/sometimes producer (show-off...) and friend Brant Daugherty, who did double-duty on Celestial Fury as my Co-Producer. Brant and I co-founded DIAPASON CREATIVE, our creative group and sometimes production company. He's extremely dedicated and an all-around great guy to work with.

Photo by another friend, photographer Adam Bouska

He's worked on all of my projects to date in some capacity, varying from lead actor to cinematographer (COGNOMINIS, 2006) to 2nd AD (VOLUNTARY). You'll likely see/hear much of him on the blog in the future.  I see big things for him in the future, so make sure to watch out for him!

It took a lot of effort (and a good chunk of the budget!) to bring MAGE to life. Here's a fun behind-the-scenes look at how some of that process took place. As usual, CLICK each photo for a larger version.

Though Brant was a Co-Producer in Pre-Production, we made sure that while we were shooting he focused completely on his role. He was called into make-up at the production office over an hour before any other cast member, usually around 5am.

Make-Up artist Sylwia Krol works on applying Mage's latex forehead. Brant began his mornings by putting in his "evil" contacts before Dawn Subhasiriwatana (say that ten times fast) and her make-up assistants got to work.

Here the crew is setting up for the Special/Visual FX  that kicks off the first fight between Duncan (Matt McCormick) and Mage. 

After giving Brant some notes, we rehearse the shot. He is going to essentially move into position and, as he does, his cloak and sword disappear into particles of energy. Awesome, right?

To pull off the shot, Brant must move into his position - FREEZE! - have his cloak/sword removed while he stays completely still - UNFREEZE! - and resume his action as if he'd never stopped moving. The result? Fun VFX!

After rehearsing the shot, the make-up and wardrobe ladies jump in to prepare for the take.

The cast and crew clear the shot and settle for a take. 

Dawn does some last-minute touches on Brant before we throw his cloak back on and try the shot.

During the take, wardrobe and myself fly in and grab his sword and cloak. 

A hint at the final result?

It's hard to tell just by the still, but take my word for it when I say that the shot looks incredible in HD. The shot came out great!

You'll have to wait a little while longer for that though. Right now, we're aiming for a Spring 2009 release - the earlier the better!

And on that note...

Sorry Brant. I had to do it. 

Celestial Fury was shot in May/June 2007.