DAY ONE TRAILER LEAKED!

Oy. The trailer has leaked for my new NBC show DAY ONE. This version was done for NBC's UPFRONT presentation to advertisers in NYC last May. At that time we were still shooting the pilot. So all the clips in here were shot during the first couple weeks of production. The VFX shots in this baby were all done specifically for the upfronts and many of them will be highly different in the show. The music is temporary of course. And... oh well... just insert your own insecure writer/creator excuse here. I hope people like it and there is soooooo much more yet to come!

STAR WARS VS. STAR TREK!

Franchise war as viewed through a CAMCORDER. I love this style of VFX.

DAY ONE!

Long time no post. Just wanted to leave a quick note about my new pilot for NBC: DAY ONE. This morning, NBC announced DAY ONE would be part of their schedule in 2009-2010. It's fantastic news. A great punch-line to an eventful period in my professional life.

"DAY ONE
From executive producer/writer Jesse Alexander ("Heroes," "Lost," "Alias") and director Alex Graves ("Fringe," "Journeyman"), "Day One" tells the story of life on earth following a global catastrophe that has devastated the world's infrastructures. Beginning with the immediate aftermath of the cataclysmic event, an eclectic band of survivors -- played by Adam Campbell ("Date Movie"), Catherine Dent ("The Shield"), Julie Gonzalo ("Eli Stone"), David Lyons ("ER"), Derek Mio ("Greek"), Carly Pope ("24"), Thekla Reuten ("Sleeper Cell") and Addison Timlin ("Cashmere Mafia") -- strives to rebuild society as they unravel the mysteries of what happened and face their uncertain future. The group, all residents of one apartment building in suburban Van Nuys, Calif., embarks on a quest for survival and discovers that hope is found in small victories -- and heroes are born every day. "Day One" is a Universal Media Studios production. "

Many of the ideas I've talked about on this blog will be part of the DAY ONE experience. I'll do my best to chronicle my future transmedia efforts on GlobalCouch but as I've found while shooting the pilot -- my days are quite full.

I will certainly continue to use my TWITTER for timely updates and try to post some awesome photos (SPOILER FREE!) I've taken during the production of the pilot episode.

You can find the photos here: www.libertypark.tv

Take care!

Jesse

HALF LIFE BROUGHT TO LIFE!

My buddy David Nottingham just sent me a link to this amazing video clip he found on YouTube. It seems some enterprising outsiders have begun making their own movie based on the video game franchise: HALF LIFE. Their aesthetic is very much what I'm trying to achieve with my new pilot for NBC. Using VFX in a way that doesn't draw attention to the effects themselves -- but uses them in context to sell the idea that extraordinary events are happening in an ordinary world that the audience can recognize and connect with. The fact that the folks who made this Half Life short didn't spend much money on the thing is very cool. Obviously, if one were paying for their labor and their tools -- the budget would be higher than the $500. this video cost 'em. But the lesson is still paradigm shattering for Hollywood. With the right approach, tools, and creative talent -- amazing things can be done at a price point that accounts for the current economic crisis enveloping in the world. No excuses Hollywood. The gauntlet has been thrown down. Who will face the challenge?

WATCHMEN VIRAL PROMO!

Just found this via ToplessRobot.com -- Very cool!

MORE RED MADNESS!

Another cool article about the RED cam plus a total digital workflow! This time it's for my buddy Dean Devlin's show -- LEVERAGE. Dean loves tech as much as I do and is always doing something innovative. His transmedia approach to ID4 was all time! You can find the article HERE.

SCI FI RED!

Just found a cool piece of video over on the scifi channel site. It's all about how they're using the RED CAMERA to shoot my favorite show -- SANCTUARY. They claim to be the first show in North America to be shot entirely on the RED. If you're curious about such things and want to learn more about their 4K workflow, you'll find it HERE.

ORDINARY WORLD MADE EXTRAORDINARY!

The craziness of pilot season has kept me from blogging much lately. As my pilot status nears resolution -- I find myself looking at examples of sci-fi effects brought into the real world. I'm sure you've seen 'em all before -- but they're still awesome.


Death Star Over San Francisco from Mike Horn on Vimeo.

SLUMDOG CINEMA!

Just stumbled across this very cool interview with Danny Boyle. The interviewer is none other than my classmate from AFI -- Darren Aronofsky. They have a great chat about the amazing cameras Boyle used to shoot Slumdog Millionaire in the hectic slums of Mumbai. Check it out --



And here's a link to the BLOG where I found the clip -- SLASHFILM.

GRAND THEFT MACHINIMA!

I haven't blogged in forever. I've been scribbling my new PILOT for NBC. It's almost done -- which is usually the time I procrastinate the most. While surfing the web in search of escape -- I found this killer video about the new machinima toolset built into the PC version of GRAND THEFT AUTO 4. Take a look. I may finally have a reason to use my PC!