JMS reassures

[iamsheridan]

Originally posted by nanorc
What the heck does WETA and ILM stand for????????

I stole this from grumbler at another site:

Wetadigital LTD, not WETA (a mistake I make all the time myself as I am a member of WETA, a DC public radio station). The FX house is named after an insect common in New Zealand.

ILM means Industrial Light and Magic.

/IamS

[Radhil]

ILM = Industrial Light and Magic, the company founded by George Lucas to produce visual effects for Star Wars, which then went on to do astonishing and ground-breaking special effects for two decades. They were the de facto standard for quite some time.

WETA = Weta Digital (I think that's the whole name, right?), the upstart company responsible for the visual effects in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Highly regarded for their work in large-scale battle simulations, which can obviously be seen in the flicks.

EDIT - Gah, ya beat me.

[Ruvo]

Time to de-lurk here and attempt to stir up the pot a bit. I came across a couple of interesting bits of information and, after reading about the Weta/ILM thing, thought that this may be something you'd all like to know.

Harlan Ellison posted a response to a question on his forum about JMS. Here's the link: http://harlanellison.com/heboard/unca.htm?beg=51&num=25 . It's dated Sunday, August 8 2004 13:26:14. The response is as follows:

Joe is traveling, until next Friday. He came by yesterday just before heading to LAX, so we could tie up some personal stuff, and he said he'd get around to answering all this gibberish when he had a spare moment.

So, JMS will probably not be posting anything this week. Wonder where he's gone?

Here's the second interesting bit from Dark Horizons http://www.darkhorizons.com/news04/040809e.php . And the relevant text:

Another interesting bit. Warners are apparently going to rent the Fox studios for the next 2 years. I don't know what that means. Maybe they're shooting two Superman movies back to back, maybe they're just keeping it for the inevitable Superman sequel, maybe Green Lantern is gearing up, hell, it could be Scooby Doo 3! I honestly don't know, but look for a big Warner production to be in Sydney after Superman.

Could mean something or nothing, but it does make you think.

Back to lurking.

[Ben-Thayer Dunnthaedt]

IMDB is not authoritative, it mostly relies on individuals, including fans, for its information.

So true. I tried to get them to correct a quote from the John Ford film Stagecoach for YEARS. I'm not kidding, YEARS. It took about 4.5 years before it was finally corrected.....even though one can clearly see the following statement on their webpage:

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update.

In case you're curious they had quoted a character who, in actuality, had no dialog whatsoever! Small yes, but a good example of their accuracy.

[Sigma]

Originally posted by Ruvo
Wonder where he's gone?

It could be the UK trip.

I doubt he is going to vacation

[Andrew_Swallow]

Originally posted by Sigma
It could be the UK trip.

I doubt he is going to vacation

I suspect that the UK trip is going to be a lot more than a week. Although an initial reconnaissance may only take a few days.

[colonyearth]

Ok, I'm not gonna quote anyone since there are a few points to address.

First, while yes WETA (yes it's digital) was formed by disgruntled ILM folk...they have actually made Lucas worry and tell his ILM people they have to do better.

While both sides have hit and miss moments, WETA is considered the top of the rung in the biz right now.

While certain scenes in TT might have not looked as real as you'd like (consider water is still very hard to do and make look real), no FX house is fully to blame for any lesser effect. Often times it is the amount of money there is for each effect that matters. If you have tons of dough, then yes the effect will look better.

Sometimes, certain effects are given priority over others. I'm not saying one way or the other on that particular effect from TT, but I would highly suggest watching the special features on the DVD about the FX and that one inparticular. They labored extremely long and hard over that one...it was something pretty new to do the way Jackson wanted it.

WETA to me is better right now, because they're not married to CGI. They still use and respect the use of detailed model work, which to me (and most filmmakers) simply cannot be replaced by CG yet. WETA now has extensive experience doing both highly detailed modeling and matching it perfectly with CG. This puts them a step above ILM these days, who are spending most of their time on CG only FX.

Yes, JMS has a soft spot for WETA, and my prediction is that WETA will be the main FX house (consider that WB has a great relationship with WETA these days because of LOTR and the Matrix films).

Also, you should know that on any big FX film, there are always other, smaller FX houses that do various and sundry other FX throughout the film. The bidding is for the main house.

Most big budget FX films, like TMoS is, go to the big houses for the main FX...so I'm not in the least surprised to know that that's what WB is doing. I would be more surprised to find out they weren't going to one of the big FX houses.

You all need to get over the concept that B5 is a little thing. It's bigger than most realized, even WB. And for them to do a big budget film, they're gonna want to make it massive, not just big..to create a new and huge fan base that a blockbuster can do. They'll reach for the B5 brass ring. And with JMS in charge, they'll most likely get it.

TMoS is not gonna be another little TV movie. This is big Hollywood here, so get over the past and realize things have changed...we're playin' with the big boys now.

The fact that ST has used their TV FX house for the last two films showed in a bad way...I'm certain WB will go the extra mile to set B5 above current ST (again) on the ladder.

JMS is most likely heading to NZ to talk to WETA, or is checking out the shooting locales and studios.

The idea that TMoS might shoot in the FOX studios in Australia is to me not a big shock...it's most likely where they will shoot.

Whether this WB purchase of more studio time there is for TMoS or not...I can't say.

Over all, expect bigger, grander, and a more epic and finely tuned appearance from this B5...things, my friends, have changed.

As Sinclair once said, "Nothing's the same anymore."

Only this time, it's a good thing.



CE

[AmyG]

I know ILM is Industrial Light & Magic but what's WETA?

Jan, you obviously didn't watch the Oscars this year! I think WETA (said in a cute, New Zealander accent) was mentioned in at least 95% of all the acceptance speeches. Whenever I'm trying to channel a NZ accent, all I have to do is say "And I'd like to thank everyone at WETA..." and it comes right out. Kind of like Peter Jurasik's trick for channeling Londo's accent at the beginning of the day's filming by saying "Meeeeester Garibaaaaaldi."



Aisling

[bakana]

One thing to remember in the discussion of Which FX House is that JMS may not have any say in the choice.

Considering the level of "Control Freak" ego that predominates in any movie studio, Bloodshed is not unlikely in a fight over the right to "Do the Deal".

And, at the level of expertise requied, JMS might just say:
Either one is capable and there are bound to be more important battles to be won on this project.

JMS has been in the Biz long enough to know when to pick the fights that Make a Difference.

So, JMS might be the one who gets to pick the FX House, but I think it's unlikely.

[colonyearth]

Originally posted by bakana
One thing to remember in the discussion of Which FX House is that JMS may not have any say in the choice.

Considering the level of "Control Freak" ego that predominates in any movie studio, Bloodshed is not unlikely in a fight over the right to "Do the Deal".

And, at the level of expertise requied, JMS might just say:
Either one is capable and there are bound to be more important battles to be won on this project.

JMS has been in the Biz long enough to know when to pick the fights that Make a Difference.

So, JMS might be the one who gets to pick the FX House, but I think it's unlikely.

eeeeeeeeeeent!*that was a buzzer sound*

Thanks for playing! JMS is most likely the Executive Producer and head honcho next to the director on this film. He will be precisely the one who will be instrumental in such a decision.

CE

[Jan]

Originally posted by colonyearth
eeeeeeeeeeent!*that was a buzzer sound*

Thanks for playing!

Okay, I'm obviously humor-impaired but...I find that rude. There are other, imo better, ways to inform somebody that what they said is mistaken. Or did somebody start a guessing game I missed?

Jan

[bakana]

JMS is most likely the Executive Producer and head honcho next to the director on this film.

And he also isn't even allowed to make the Announcement that the film is going to be Made.

Yeah. He's executive producer.
The contracts he signed with Warner way back in the beginning give him that.

BUT, it's Warner's Money and their MBAs get to play Ego Games.

He might get to choose. He might not.

As I said earlier, if some Warner MBAby looks like he might Cry and try to "Steal the Football" over the issue, JMS could very comfortably say:
It doesn't matter, let him hold the news conference.
Because that's all it amounts to.
And JMS doesn't really Like doing public appearances, anyway.

It's the headline credit for the "Million Dollar Deal" that matters to these people.
Not the quality of the Product.

[Joseph DeMartino]

WETA should actually be "Weta" and is short for WetaDigital, an FX house Down Under. (Evidently a "weta" is a strange-looking but native to those parts. ) The name isn't an acronym or set of initials. ILM is "Industrial Light and Magic", the special effects company George Lucas spun off from the Star Wars FX unit of Lucasfilm. ILM has been one of the leading FX houses in Hollywood since its inception, Weta is the current hot company thanks to their great work on the Lord of the Rings films.

Regards,

Joe

[Capt.Montoya]

I think there will be no official announcement until a director is signed...
Once we start hearing rumours about directors then I'll believe the start of filming is very close...

[FuryPilot]

Originally posted by Capt.Montoya
Once we start hearing rumours about directors then I'll believe the start of filming is very close...

Well, at least pre-production (set building, prostetics and the like).

FP