Topic: Star Wars Toyscapes: Herald of Destiny (Episode One)

[John Caliber]

Hello to the group! I was very kindly invited to showcase my Star Wars Toyscapes photostories here. They're created primarily using Star Wars toys, other toylines when necessary, Photoshop and Indesign. I'm pumping out a lot of material this year and next, leading up to Star Wars Episode VII. I hope my efforts entertain you, and ideas for future plot 'hooks' are always welcome.

[ActionFigEmpire]

Wow! This is really cool! Great job on the figures and the bases you've made! Welcome to the yards, can't wait to see more! I felt just like I was reading one of the Dark Horse comics

[John Caliber]

Thank you very much for the compliments I've so far finished three photostories, and so have enjoyed observing how the quality of the photo composition and clarity improved this year. Herald of Destiny was the very first, three episodes long. The second (production-wise) is The Netherworld, but it's gone back into the Photoshop lab for extensive reworking. The third story is Brain of the Ark, which in my timeline takes place slightly ahead of The Netherworld (both occurring two years after the Battle of Endor).

[Tamer]

So glad to see this show up here. I saw it on Facebook the other day and definitely wanted to promote it. Getting ready to take it to our front pages now!

Once again welcome and thank you so much for sharing your work. The folks here will love it!

[John Caliber]

Thanks again, Tamer, for the interest and support and help with promotion.

My intent overall is to create stories set between Revenge of the Sith and Episode VII; as more official data is revealed about the premise and content of the sequel trilogy, I'll have fun trying to bridge Episodes 6 and 7. I may attempt a Rebels photostory, if I deem the figures suitable despite their limited articulation which can be compensated for to some extent using Photoshop.

[CloneCrazy]

Excellent photocomic JC! Great use of photoshop to create a cinematic scope to your production!  I love how you used micromachines to create this structure:


I owned that same military base, so I recognize how well you transformed it into a SW verse structure!

As for story, the timeline that you're exploring makes perfect sense (given the recent developments in the EU).  I look forward to seeing more exciting work from you, thanks for sharing!

[John Caliber]

Thank you. I did this story last October-November. Originally it didn't have any Photoshop augmentation and was a bit of a laugh, something simple to pass some leisure-time. This is why some photos are not too good in terms of quality because I wasn't taking it very seriously. But when I got stuck into the second story, I realised my creative scope was very limited without getting digital effects involved, and this became a reverse chain reaction forcing me to drastically rework Herald of Destiny so it didn't look out of place. Yes, the Micromachine playsets and Action Fleet vehicles have been very useful. Future stories mix all kinds of toy-lines in and really enhance the story vistas.

[Tamer]

Your progression is reminding me a lot of our resident graphics expert Hangarbay94. He has now switched from action figures and play sets to full on cgi for everything. It will be cool to see what you decide to do down the road. I like both versions of this type of graphic fiction. It also reminds me that my own skills in photo shop are rather limited. I don't know if some folks can understand just how complex putting regular images and then adding cgi or graphics related additions actually are. And then to make it look natural. Its not easy folks!

[John Caliber]

I'm sticking firmly with using action figures as the foundation. Now and then I feel compelled to overstep this parameter due to my physical elements being unable to meet the demands of the story, but as anybody who composites practical and CGI, it can eat up more and more free time until it threatens to become a ball and chain, so the challenge I have given myself is to let the toys lead the story and so reign in the Photoshop workload, although, being Star Wars in nature, the vast scope of the mythology has to be respected and catered to. Herald of Destiny was a quite modest first effort; the second story Brain of the Ark is vast in the context of Photoshop involvement, as is the third story The Netherworld which requires a new edit and CGI treatment.

[Tamer]

I can sure understand your wanting to use action figures. I also like the customizing aspect that entails too. Like I said, I like both kinds of work and just marvel at the realism folks like you are able to achieve. I can sure understand the time limitations.

Its kind of like this site. For me its a work of art and I never feel its quite finished. I always leave it feeling satisfied, but knowing I will come back to it with a new edit here and a new color or graphic there. I am really looking forward to seeing and featuring your other chapters. You are also gonna help me keep patient while I wait for the new Episode VII!

[John Caliber]

The advantage of putting out a stream of photostories is that - with some elements - I can attempt a better effort next time. The stories seem okay to me and it took a long time to be finally able to write them to a minimum standard without having the ol' Writer's Rage' and scrapping them after the first page I got past that tedious state of affairs about 10 years ago.

I have re-edited and sent back through Photoshop Herald of Destiny three times, but it's settled and up to scratch now, barring there being some low-rez photos mixed in there. Have to reshoot half a dozen photos for The Netherworld (a duel between Luke and a spectre of Vader that were all out of focus, damn). Brain of the Ark looks good to me, and not likely to have to be tinkered with again.

Most of the upcoming stories are set after Return of the Jedi, with flashbacks to unseen prequel events etc. They don't follow EU continuity, but do cherry-pick bits n' bobs, including a short recreation of a Dark Empire scene as a vision of a potential future for Luke.

[Tamer]

I have seen a few photo-novels and can definitely say its up to scratch! LOL!

[John Caliber]

Thank you very much. It is irksome when I spent ages setting up a scene, snap the shots, then open them up and see they're blurred - they always look okay in my camera's screen. I no longer make the rookie's mistake of dismantling the model-shot before first checking the pics are satisfactory ...

There's no solution to the prep-photography time ratio; for example, I spent 2 hours selecting parts to build one aspect of a city for Brain of the Ark, and photographed it in five minutes flat. Took longer than that to dismantle and re-package all the components

[Tamer]

Just from doing figure and item reviews I can sure understand some of that. I have literally spent just a day trying to station things and get all the angles covered. Then another day or so doing photo edits. And then another day doing the video work to put it all together. And then there is something I don't like so I go back to the drawing board for some things. And then you wonder sometimes if folks will notice what you are doing.

Thats why I always try to give big shout outs to photo-novelists who are doing this just for our viewing pleasure.

[John Caliber]

Has to primarily be for our own pleasure, secondarily for the entertainment of others, or else we start feeling like prostitutes or hacks and the labour of love turns into a self-imposed prison sentence.