The photography blog of Finally
This blog has been virtually abandoned by me of late. The obvious reason is my most recent 44,000 photos have been embargoed by Warner Brothers as they prepare their marketing might in support of Watchmen. I totally understand. It's no big deal. Happily, five of my photos were just released on the Watchmen movie site so I'm presumably allowed to share them here too.
One of the fascinating things about these recent "costume reveals" is that my choice to give them a little distressed look has been attacked by a handful of fanboys unhappy with my efforts. To be honest, it's all a little funny to see the over-analysis of my decision unfold in comment threads. So to all the critics, let's make one thing perfectly clear. I just added some crap to the images to give them something in common. I took the shots over the course of months. Some are more set up, others more casual, others straight from the action.
I think the picture of Ozy is taken while Matthew Goode was just standing rehearsing his lines. He doesn't like photos so I worked around his disdain. The shot of Rorschach would have been different had Jackie Earl Haley not pointed out that his stance was out of character. It too had been taken while the cameras weren't rolling. We swapped it for one where he's in character. That's just two photos, taken months apart, in completely different settings. What's a guy to do to make them feel like they belong together. I know, Photoshop, duh.
When I heard they were going to share some shots with some studio execs, I offered to give them a little love and the producers were happy to let me do my thing. I whipped up some noise and grunge brushes, smacked 'em around and voila, they had something in common visually. It's not a Zack Snyder conspiracy. It's not an insult to Dave Gibbons (who is a fantastic guy btw) and it's most certainly not what the movie is going to look like. They're still photos for goodness sake.
Anyway, it's fascinating to know that my photos are now floating around cyber-space as the only available images for people to critique. If I'd known they were going to get the play they are getting I might have given it more attention. Then again, those days on set were busy ones. Ideas were shared, actions were taken, and we moved on. Now, in the hyper-sensitive environment of fan sites, it seems as if the whole thing had been given tremendous thought when it simply had not. It's a movie they are making, not a photo essay. I for one am glad that the focus is on that and not on some photos simply intended to wet appetites.
Make pictures, nothing to see here.
One of the fascinating things about these recent "costume reveals" is that my choice to give them a little distressed look has been attacked by a handful of fanboys unhappy with my efforts. To be honest, it's all a little funny to see the over-analysis of my decision unfold in comment threads. So to all the critics, let's make one thing perfectly clear. I just added some crap to the images to give them something in common. I took the shots over the course of months. Some are more set up, others more casual, others straight from the action.
I think the picture of Ozy is taken while Matthew Goode was just standing rehearsing his lines. He doesn't like photos so I worked around his disdain. The shot of Rorschach would have been different had Jackie Earl Haley not pointed out that his stance was out of character. It too had been taken while the cameras weren't rolling. We swapped it for one where he's in character. That's just two photos, taken months apart, in completely different settings. What's a guy to do to make them feel like they belong together. I know, Photoshop, duh.
When I heard they were going to share some shots with some studio execs, I offered to give them a little love and the producers were happy to let me do my thing. I whipped up some noise and grunge brushes, smacked 'em around and voila, they had something in common visually. It's not a Zack Snyder conspiracy. It's not an insult to Dave Gibbons (who is a fantastic guy btw) and it's most certainly not what the movie is going to look like. They're still photos for goodness sake.
Anyway, it's fascinating to know that my photos are now floating around cyber-space as the only available images for people to critique. If I'd known they were going to get the play they are getting I might have given it more attention. Then again, those days on set were busy ones. Ideas were shared, actions were taken, and we moved on. Now, in the hyper-sensitive environment of fan sites, it seems as if the whole thing had been given tremendous thought when it simply had not. It's a movie they are making, not a photo essay. I for one am glad that the focus is on that and not on some photos simply intended to wet appetites.
Make pictures, nothing to see here.
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11 comments:
Welcome back! Can't wait until you can start post more regularly again!
Mi capullo de hibisco, welcome back!! You need a break, come stay with us in Hawaii, catch up on blogging and frolic on the beach. Glad you're back...we miss you!
Interesting story... I will check out later for more!
yellow clay, the light of the images are master and very controled...are you taking advantage of cinema lighting? using the tubular lights? i think the portraits are indeed very powerful and they have some clinic and acurate coldness that they just fit fine on my taste many thanks for sharing them and keep going you´re on the right road..
best
Alex A
I loved the photos. But do I understand correctly in that these images don't necessarily represent what the look of the film is going to be? I'm not talking about the distressed look, but the overall color scheme and darkness. Or are they going to do some color grading similar to 300 (although not that extreme) where the final film will have a different look than the photos we've seen so far?
And even if you know, would you be able to tell us?
I'm not a fanboy. I'm a fan of the graphic novel and I'm really looking forward to the movie, but I don't own an anorak, I eat healthily and my coldsores cleared up years ago.
I was quite excited about the pictures, and they kinda looked how you said they were, a collection of separate shots; posed and unposed, taken over a period of time and manipulated to give a uniform feel.
Something you have to bear in mind, and this goes to everyone involved in the making and blogging about this film, is that a lot of people on the internet don't have much else to do other than critique badly, speculate selfishly and buy retro video games machines on eBay. They post criticism because it's easier to write than praise and gets their name in print.
There is this awful culture of cynicism that came with generation X that has lingered longer than it should, fueled on by the internet; an outlet were people can vent and fume about everything under the sun. Avoiding the other important issues they could be dealing with, like getting a proper job, losing weight, or moving out of their parents house.
You know some subconsciously blame their lack of girlfriends on the distressed look on your photo of Rorschach...
vic digital, i am not really allowed to talk about it but nor am I privy to any specifics regarding Zack's vision of the final film. I know he loves to crush the blacks and I suspect we may see that again with Watchmen. Additionally, there isn't a film worth its salt these days that doesn't spend a good amount of time being run through DaVinci-style color correction. It's another tool in the filmmaker's arsenal.
Regardless, I don't think you need to worry. The film will satisfy.
praest76, that's some funny shit. thanks for visiting my blog. come again soon. I'm waiting to see if they let me post a portrait or two of some background extras.
I hope a lot of us will hold our tongues until we see the final product.
Although, I think these promo/teaser shots that were released look utterly fantastic and the lighting just game me the chills, in a good way of course.
Bring it on!
I'm not very happy about the costumes, but I really like the pictures!
I'm especially fond of the one of Gunga Cafe. Nice job!
Hey! The pictures look like photos!
Ha-ha-ha!
They are great! They are OK!
They are ok!... very good, nice, interesting.
I like them!
(And yes, I have read the comic book. I have a hardcover edition).
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