Topic: Star Wars Toyscapes: Brain of the Ark (Episode One)

[John Caliber]

Hello there. Hope you enjoy this seven-episode story which will be published twice weekly on Mondays and Thursdays 

[Tamer]

Sorry I didn't get this posted yesterday, but definitely have it on our fp now. Gonna enjoy this during my break today.

Thanks for posting it.

[John Caliber]

Thanks Tamer.

[hangarbay94]

JC,

What a great piece of work!

From a technical perspective the sets are amazing! I especially liked the outside walkway, the camera shot gave the impression that it was a massive diorama... was it?

I noticed an old Flash Gordon ship on one of the early images, great to see a very old classic making an appearance, a nod to George Lucas' inspiration perhaps?

As far as the story goes you made a great job of introducing the characters, the subtle humor was great.

I really enjoyed looking at the images and reading it through, I'll get onto the next one in a few days.

Finally, it's such a shame these stories don't get much, if any recognition. I say it time and time again... it's a damn shame.

[John Caliber]

Thanks for the commentary Always appreciated and makes me feel the stories are worthwhile beyond indulging a hobby which is largely solitary.

Time permitting, I love inserting easter eggs so long as they don't detract from the focus of the story. I was short on some stock photos to add to the skyline and something about the style of the factory architecture suggested that chrome vehicles like the concept snowspeeder Action Fleet toy and the Flash Gordon rocket ship might fit the bill. Such retro-vehicles are very likely to exist out in the vastness of the Known Galaxy, or perhaps Prince Barin is enjoying a day-trip to a neighbouring solar system?

All the sets were built on a dry-wipe marker board measuring 2 by 3 feet. Takes a good amount of experimentation to achieve photos that suggest an expanse much larger than I presently have room for. I originally built until I ran out of ground-space, but now I frame each shot within the camera monitor so as to try to concentrate the most relevant details within a rectangular box and taking perspective and depth of field into account. This does save production time (for example, my first efforts at creating the Wabsabbas skyline were far wider than were practical and lots of details I laboured over were not captured on camera), but always runs the risk of becoming more a technical exercise than a labour of fun.