Would There Ever Be a Possibility...?

[MatthewM]

Hm, that's weird with the post deletion thing. Anyway, here's what I wanted to say---

Originally Posted by alatar

Dig up a bunch of action figures - preferably LotR ones - and film the entire movie stop-action. Sure, it might take you a lifetime, but maybe with some help...

Or find a way - surely it exists as freeware - to create digital animated characters, capture some landscapes with your camera and use some friends to do the voice-overs. With Apple Macintosh software, making and editing movies isn't too hard.

Or grab some friends, get them some costumes, borrow a digital camera and film one scene - just one - and do it really well. Build from there. We did this in the 80's (yes, A.D.) with 8mm film and no money (or script or clue), and it is priceless.

Have fun!

I'm quite against the action figure idea - the idea I have, although very unrealistic and nearly impossible, would be meant for either human actors or like most have suggested, radio would work...

I wanted to know if anybody knew the first thing about how we would go about doing a radio project, if one was to start. For I have no clue.

[McCaber]

Originally Posted by MatthewM

I wanted to know if anybody knew the first thing about how we would go about doing a radio project, if one was to start.

Scriptwriting and casting would be where I would start. I suppose we should ask Brian Sibley for advice on this one, though.

[alatar]

Originally Posted by MatthewM

I wanted to know if anybody knew the first thing about how we would go about doing a radio project, if one was to start. For I have no clue.

With the ready access to digital technology, you shouldn't have a hard time creating something. Spend more time researching script writing. Plan out what you want to do, and chop it into smaller bites to get you going (that 'eating a mumakil' thing).

Record a small scene doing a few voices yourself. Add some sound effects. Play it for friends to hook them into the project.

[Nerwen]

I think you should all know that good animation software is expensive and takes ages to master. And you're talking about animating an epic story with battles and such. Despite what some people will tell you, it's not just a matter of pressing the "Make Dragon" button and letting it all take care of itself.

If I were you I'd go with a purely audio version. (Not that that's easy to do well either.)

[Eönwë]

I'm sure I posted here earlier post deletion/malfunction

Yes, I think the radio series is a good idea.

[Azaelia of Willowbottom]

This sounds like a great idea, and I'd love to be involved in whatever capacity I can be. I'd love to help out!

However, I'm another Downer who doesn't really live within reasonable distance of anyone (that I know of), and a college theater student which equates to very little money or free time during the school year.

I think making a movie as a community would be an awesome experience, but it would be really hard--we're all over the world, so getting everyone involved in the same place would be difficult, what with some of the great distances that separate us, and the wide variety of schedules and living situations.

I think that it might be more practical to go with the radio drama suggestion. It would be far less expensive than trying to get everyone in the same place at the same time, costumed, fed, with a place to stay, and so on. The bonus is that Downers everywhere could participate if they wanted to. It's easy enough to find (or borrow) a microphone to plug into the computer, and upload files to the internet. We wouldn't have to deal with conflicting schedules and long travel distances.

As for where to start? Probably the same place one would start planning a movie. Outlining. Deciding what's in and what's cut, and what path the story ought to take (chronological order or the order in which it was written). After that would come drafting and editing a script, then casting, and then recording, sound effects, editing, and putting it up somewhere in its final complete form.

Edit: Apologies if this isn't particularly coherent. I'm getting over a very bad cold, and my brain isn't quite 100%.

[Eönwë]

Originally Posted by Azaelia of Willowbottom

Deciding what's in and what's cut

If we're actually doing this, can I have one request. Please keep Tom Bombadil this time! I'm sure we can have some fun with that.
edit: anyway, we have to include our namesake, the Barrow Downs.

[MatthewM]

Originally Posted by Eönwë

If we're actually doing this, can I have one request. Please keep Tom Bombadil this time! I'm sure we can have some fun with that.
edit: anyway, we have to include our namesake, the Barrow Downs.

Oh yes - Tom would stay in if we decided to do that part of the story. But I am thinking, would it perhaps be easier to do a seperate Book (ex: Book II) rather than the story as a whole? For fans like us, we would not be "lost" as to what happened prior, and anybody who will be listening to our project would already be familiar with LotR. So it might be easier to work on just one of the Book's.

Azaelia - good outline.