Melegorm's Castle

Leia Didn't Trust Guys in Loud Red Suits

2006-12-01T04:34:00.000-08:00

Ah, yes. The Holiday Season is upon us - but not for Princess Leia....
Guess she'll be getting a lump of coal this year.

Don't Forget to Vote!

2006-11-07T05:50:00.000-08:00

November 7 - Don't forget to vote! "Your right to choose, win or lose."

Moff Jerjerrod - Motivational Speaker

2006-09-25T11:16:00.000-07:00

The first in a series of motivational speaker Moff Jerjerrod...

Fun and Games 3

2006-08-23T03:18:00.000-07:00

Drink responsibly - even in a galaxy far, far away!

Finally - The Twilight Warriors

2006-08-23T03:08:00.000-07:00

After months of promises and an unexpectedly high response to the trailer (much appreciated!), the full feature of The Twilight Warriors was posted to YouTube on August 8, 2006. Visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZdoBhmlcB4 to take a look a the finished product. The original version of TTW dates back to the summer of 2002 and even had it's own website for a few months, but this new version incorporates revised concepts and photos that make it completely different. Might as well take this opportunity to mention that "The Venturi Gambit" appears to have been very well received by the public, with a remarkably high number of visits for a project that is nearly 15 minutes long - the longest of any photonovel I've ever been involved with since "Ironfist" in 2000. In any event, I hope you'll visit the site and enjoy the results!

Fun and Games 2

2006-08-04T03:23:00.000-07:00

Padme's shuttle crashes on a backward planet and a commando led by Obi-Wan is undertakes the rescue effort. Three brave clonetroopers reconnoiter the foggy surface wondering where to begin...

Fun and Games 1

2006-07-28T09:13:00.000-07:00

Can't be dead serious all the time. This image portrays a well known political commentator as a saber-swinging Sith adept...

Let's Make a Deal

2006-06-22T02:42:00.000-07:00

A successful quest: The carbonite slab with Han Solo's body is found and reasonable terms can be arranged...but there's something awfully familiar about the frozen figure.

Jedi Saber Tricks

2006-06-19T08:30:00.000-07:00

Holding off blaster bolts with a light saber ain't like dusting crops, but Luke Skywalker shows his mastery at this form of defense against the bandits holding the carbonite-encased body of Han Solo...or are they?

Atmospheric Assault!

2006-06-08T07:49:00.000-07:00

Rescuing a carbon-frozen Han Solo proves harder than originally suspected by Luke, Leia, Lando and Chewie. A TIE Defender vaporizes a clifftop in a desperate effort to keep the heroes of the Rebellion from escaping a trap carefully laid by Teya Lek, Darth Vader's henchwoman.

Adventure Leia

2006-05-31T06:55:00.000-07:00

A closeup of my favorite Leia Organa custom - the one used for "Search for Solo" and the prologue of the Padme-as-Gladiator story featured in Melegorm's Castle. Rendered as an oil painting through the magic of computer software she does look very classy!

A Strange Planet Revisited

2006-05-31T06:41:00.000-07:00

Obi-Wan and Foul Moudama are dispatched to yet another planet in the middle of nowhere accompanied by...wait...who's that? Neither a buxom Jedi nor an android like Guri: meet Annika, a 3 3/4-inch scale action figure available on eBay.

"Charming to the Last"

2006-05-31T06:32:00.000-07:00

A composite image depicting the new maquette featuring Princess Leia and R2-D2 as they skulk through a facility at the heart of Imperial power.
"Charming to the Last" is the classic expression used by Governor Tarkin to describe Senator Organa.

Star Wars vs. Aliens?

2006-05-31T05:51:00.000-07:00

And why not? It would hardly be the strangest of crossovers... one can easily imagine Luke (or Obi-Wan and Anakin, for that matter) stumbling across a nest of alien warriors on some planet in the galaxy. In fact, an unofficial survey of Star Wars fans believes that the Jedi would actually prevail against the monstrous warriors...but what about the Alien Queen?

The Staff of Rokh

2006-03-31T03:41:00.000-08:00

In the summer of 2005, following the opening of Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, work commenced on "The Staff of Rokh", ostensibly the final Obi-Wan adventure in the series, set immediately preceding the events portrayed in Episode III. This was the first photonovel presented as "movie" to take advantage of the .wmv format. The concept of the Staffwielders dates back to 1999 (or 1997, really, when Luke Skywalker went after "the Staff of Thek" in an early stop-mo animation project that went on to become Star Wars: The Untold Adventures (www.thecustomalliance.com) and involves five staffwielders who predated the arrival of sentient life forms in the galaxy. These angelic figures left their staves behind for reasons unknown; the fact of the matter is that they were the building blocks of creation (sort of...) and could either fall into the wrong hands or be wielded for a just cause. What became of the other three staves is open to speculation...or further photonovels!!!
See the "The Staff of Rokh: From the Adventures of Obi-Wan Kenobi" for yourself at http://youtube.com/watch?v=uW2wcIHj-yU

Another Battle Sequence

2006-03-24T03:25:00.000-08:00

Clonetroopers hold their own against the droid army during the battle for control over Thaleem. At this point in the project we're shifting from the digitally-generated images to the paper photos taken back in 2002 (shortly after Attack of the Clones appeared) which tell the balance of the story - overwhelmed by the Separatist forces, the Republic is forced to seek allies...

Photography continues on Twilight Warriors

2006-03-22T04:38:00.000-08:00

Still chugging away on The Twilight Warriors. The scenes involving the military action on Thaleem are mostly done. Here are some examples. The planet was created using Terragen(R) software and the characters were laboriously inserted into the background. The planet Thaleem in the Sikorii System is a barren wasteland that provides vital minerals to the Separatist forces.

The Battle of Thaleem

2006-03-07T08:50:00.000-08:00

Thaleem- the only habitable planet of the Sikorii system becomes the site for an epic battle between Separatist droid armies and the Grand Army of the Republic, serving as the prologue for the adventures to be presented in the upcoming "The Twilight Warriors"

Catch That Gungan!

2006-03-02T03:51:00.000-08:00

Sometimes an idea never gets turned into a project, but the visuals for the concept survive. This was supposed to be a hilarious written (not photographed) short story about Jar Jar Binks spilling the beans on a secret project, being chased by bad guys, seduced by an enemy agent (well, sort of) and rescued from a nightmare of his own making. Oh, well...we'll always have the images!

Alacrity at War

2006-02-23T03:47:00.000-08:00

One of the better effects of Alacrity-Faded Shadow is the amount of battle damage that the "Alacrity" sustains during its battle with the Weequay man o'war.
How a ship this size survives such a pounding from a larger, more heavily armed opponent is what makes this science fiction!

Alacrity- Faded Shadow

2006-02-21T11:23:00.000-08:00

The adventures of the Republic starship "Alacrity" continue in Faded Shadow, an adventure set in the turmoil of the years prior to the Clone Wars when a small band of Republic fighters conducted operations in and around "Hutt Space" against the Hutt warlord Asura and his Weequay forces. The trailer can be seen at:http://www.zippyvideos.com/1496665703605166/alacrity/

Desert Patrol

2006-02-21T11:17:00.000-08:00

A humorous image poking fun at the "Esuvee" creature popularized in 2005. It's strongly reminiscent of a Bantha on the sands of Tatooine, hence the desert environment. The clonetrooper holding the reins is mysteriously cut in half...hmmm...

2006-02-21T11:04:00.000-08:00

A little bit of product placement never hurt anyone, either...

2006-02-16T12:49:00.000-08:00

Promo poster for "The Venturi Gambit" (now showing on screens everywhere, ha,ha!). The clonetroopers' helmets suggest that this action occurs in the early years of the Clone Wars rather than nearer the period depicted in Revenge of the Sith. So does Obi-Wan's hair, for that matter...

The Venturi Gambit

2006-02-16T11:02:00.000-08:00

Six months after first starting production on "The Venturi Gambit", it is finally ready to roll. This fourteen minute photonovel on the exploits of Obi-Wan Kenobi during the Clone Wars can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBKFEvlUqks

So if you can download a 20 MB video and have 14 minutes to burn, here you go!

2006-02-14T02:49:00.000-08:00

A Star Wars greeting for every holiday occasion, that's what I say!

The alternate version is perhaps more humorous. It reads: "Who were you expecting? Han Solo?"

2006-01-15T06:15:00.000-08:00

Happy 2006 to one and all!

Plenty to do this year and we're starting it off with some teaser trailers promoting the recently completed "Clone Wars: The Venturi Gambit" and the forthcoming Han Solo and Chewbacca adventure "The Searchers"

http://www.zippyvideos.com/7261471473212786/obiwansfc/

2005-12-20T10:42:00.000-08:00

And this brings to a close the Star Wars-rich year of 2005, with Obi-Wan Kenobi striking a St. George - vs. the Dragon pose on his trusted mount Boga. Let's see what other adventures await us next year!

2005-12-20T10:27:00.000-08:00

Commander Bree is ready to take on all comers! This background has been one of my most used since I acquired it in 1997 as part of a Mexican archaeological calendar (the site depicted is Monte Alban in the Yucatan Peninsula)

Back in the Space Saddle

2005-10-10T13:11:00.000-07:00

So I haven't posted anything since June. Why? Was Melegorm's Castle under assault by hostile forces? Hardly. I've just been working on SW projects resembling movies more than photonovels, complete with soundtrack. The problem is that these mock film projects, while satisfying, do not have the mass reach that the photonovels have. Let's see what happens. The good thing is that the mock films allow for better effects, such as the Republic Gunship against a planetary background shown above.

2005-06-02T08:55:00.000-07:00

So Episode III has rolled around bringing an end to the Star Wars saga, so they say...I say let's keep doing photonovels, ha,ha!!

2005-03-22T07:52:00.000-08:00

SCENE 24 - The last one. How Padme got off planet is another story. At this point I was thinking about Jack Vance's "Tschai: Planet of Adventure" stories, where the protagonist stumbles around the planet for a bit before getting away. But it turned out to be the shortest photonovel, even with the added Luke and Leia introduction.

2005-03-22T07:49:00.000-08:00

If I had to redo this photonovel I would invest in a piece of sandpaper to sand off the outlines of Padme's clothes on the original model.

2005-03-22T07:47:00.000-08:00

That's better! Great pose and knife in hand.

2005-03-22T07:43:00.000-08:00

Padme in all her glory. She was supposed to be holding a weapon in that hand, too.

2005-03-22T07:41:00.000-08:00

This was the first time I ever simulated blood in a photonovel. Not bad for a first effort!

2005-03-22T07:38:00.000-08:00

Things begin to wrong...very wrong

2005-03-21T10:26:00.000-08:00

SCENE 18 - Ah, yes. The Nexu. The Romans had lions, but the SW galaxy had the nexu...

2005-03-21T10:23:00.000-08:00

SCENE 17 - Padme defies the gladiatrix.

2005-03-21T10:21:00.000-08:00

SCENE 16 - Gemina the gladiatrix combines the head of a Cyber-9 figure with the body of a Prisoner of Zelda collectible.

2005-03-21T10:19:00.000-08:00

Yes, Padme is nude. I was hoping to go for a John Carter of Mars "Deja Thoris" look but it didn't work. Still, this came out better for story purposes.

2005-03-21T10:15:00.000-08:00

2005-03-21T09:37:00.000-08:00

SCENE 12 -- And down the garden path she runs. This was the shortly after the "droid factory Padme" action figure was released. BTW, Padme's gown in the previous shot was made of kitchen paper and a necklace. True story...

2005-03-21T09:34:00.000-08:00

SCENE 11 -- The remaining shots of "Gladiatrix" were shot a full year ago. They are among my first experiments with the digital camera.

2005-03-21T09:29:00.000-08:00

SCENE 10 - This is the last we'll be seeing of Luke and Leia here. The rest of the story is Padme's from now on.

2005-03-21T09:27:00.000-08:00

SCENE 9 - Luke gets all big-brotherly toward Leia and starts telling her the story of Padme.

2005-03-21T09:26:00.000-08:00

SCENE 8 - Lots of talk about "who was my father?" in SW but the moms get short shrift. Here's my attempt to change that.

2005-03-21T09:23:00.000-08:00

SCENE 7 - So all of this preamble was necessary just to show the Padme scenes. Amazing.

2005-03-21T09:21:00.000-08:00

SCENE 6 - The training session continues.

2005-03-21T09:16:00.000-08:00

SCENE 5 - I very rarely add special FX like lightsaber glows because I'd sooner leave that to the pros. But just a little bit of color added to the scene.

2005-03-21T09:15:00.000-08:00

SCENE 4- Both of the figures are custom jobs; Leia's blindfold and body courtesy of GiJoe.

2005-03-21T09:06:00.001-08:00

If the background looks familiar, it's because you've probably seen it in other of my photonovels :-)

2005-03-21T09:06:00.000-08:00

SCENE3

2005-03-21T09:04:00.000-08:00

SCENE 2

2005-03-21T09:01:00.000-08:00

SCENE 1

Photonovel length?

2005-03-21T04:17:00.000-08:00

And while we're on the subject of how many shots it takes to do a photonovel, let's reflect upon past performance: the longest one I remember doing ---"Ironfist", which can be viewed at Dan Curto's excellent www.thecustomalliance.com website-- was a whopping 80 photographs long, so you can imagine the cost of film and developing in those pre-digital days. The average photonovel length using film seemed to be two rolls of 24 exposure film, allowing for bad photos in the bunch and discarded images. So between 40 and 48 shots.

Do they all have to be this long? Not at all. The next item to be showcased will be the shortest photonovel I've done -- under 20 shots.

Reflections on Starspy

2005-03-21T04:13:00.000-08:00

So that's Starspy for you. On the technical front, it was great: good lighting, good use of the "actors" (as I like calling the figures) and fairly decent photography. Even when one abandons a photostory like this one, there are valuable insights gained that will assist in developing later ones. The 17 shots that set up this photostory would have probably required 20-30 more to flesh out the narrative to its conclusion.

2005-03-19T07:54:00.000-08:00

"Starspy" is a work in progress. No further photography was done on this story since early 2004. It has yet to be completed.

2005-03-19T07:52:00.000-08:00

Even Padme wants to kick off her heels and get into her sweatpants...but what message could be awaiting her? Hmm...the plot thickens...

2005-03-19T07:50:00.000-08:00

Wouldn't be SW without droids in it -- here we meet U-3PO, Padme's new valet droid.

2005-03-19T07:48:00.000-08:00

It was a dry reception. No liquor served at all.

2005-03-19T07:47:00.000-08:00

Gotta love Jar Jar...

2005-03-19T07:45:00.000-08:00

My bad: Jar Jar acts up in this scene, embarrasing Bail Organa and everyone else (look at the woman in the background, taking in the scene)

2005-03-19T07:44:00.000-08:00

I wanted to place some Bith musicians in the shot to suggest a jazzier reception, but never got around to doing it...

2005-03-19T07:42:00.000-08:00

Bail Organa gets to meet Padme, but wait and see what Jar Jar does....

2005-03-19T07:16:00.000-08:00

The detail that Hasbro's sculpting teams have put into the senatorial outfits are a credit to that company's excellence. it shows in the closeups as well.

2005-03-19T07:14:00.000-08:00

A very good shot (if I may say so myself). Orn Free Taa looks like he's just dying to get his blue mitts on Padme!

2005-03-19T07:12:00.000-08:00

Good lighting is essential during close-ups, and a tripod or any other steady surface is a priceless addition to any camera.

2005-03-19T07:10:00.000-08:00

And there she is! Senator Padme is a custom by my friend Easystreet119 using a number of different elements that suggest heavy, formal robes as shown in Episode 1.

2005-03-19T07:08:00.000-08:00

Still waiting for the lady to show up...

2005-03-19T07:07:00.000-08:00

Again, resorting to the Internet for exterior shots is a convenient way of adding dynamism to the story...anything beats a spaceship dangling from a string!

2005-03-19T07:05:00.000-08:00

These anxious senators include a mix of custom jobs, a Prisoner of Zelda figure, and standard Hasbro SW figures.

2005-03-19T07:04:00.000-08:00

Our first composite scene: Chancellor Palpatine looks out on a citiscape drawn by The Brothers Hildebrand for Shadows of the Empire.

2005-03-19T07:01:00.000-08:00

The next logical scene--an image of the Imperial Senate building taken off the internet (with apologies to LFL limited!)

2005-03-19T07:00:00.000-08:00

Self explanatory: this is the opening scene to the photonovel

STARSPY - a work in progress

2005-03-19T06:45:00.000-08:00

Enough talk, you're probably saying. Show us some photonovels!

OK. The following scenes are from "Starspy", a work in progress following the adventures of Senator Padme Amidala of the Star Wars Prequels (portrayed on film by Natalie Portman) in the years between Episodes 1 and 2 of the George Lucas blockbusters. Padme arrives at Coruscant, the capital of the Republic, in full ceremonial gear to occupy her position in the senate....

Why photonovels?

2005-03-19T06:41:00.000-08:00

Up to the development of the digital camera, making photonovels could entail quite a bit of cost as far as purchasing a good SLR 35 mm camera, the corresponding Macro lenses and film developing were concerned. A blurry shot could ruin the continuity of a story, requiring reshoots that often took time and were a source of aggravation. Nowadays it's possible to photograph every single detail of a "scene" from different angles and choose the best one at no cost whatsoever, perfecting the result through the use of a variety of software packages (not necessarily Photoshop, which is a bit complicated to use).

Intro Message

2005-03-19T06:38:00.000-08:00

So who's Melegorm and why does ne heed a castle? A fair question. Melegorm is the handle employed by a moderately well-known author of speculative non-fiction to discuss things outside that particular realm. This particular segment of the Castle is devoted to the sweet science of making photonovels using science-fiction characers and using household objects as props for these undertakings. We hope to showcase some photonovels that may be of interest to fans of miniature modeling and science fiction alike.