A love letter to Daredevil

Cover art to Daredevil #65 by Greg Land.

I can remember the conversation as if it was yesterday. It was a cold wet winters day at school which meant that the lunch hour was a wash out and myself and a few friends (behave, I did have some) were sat in my school's excuse for a library chewing the fat, as only 10 year old geeks can do. Having exhausted all conversation, at least for a while, on the latest instalment of Doctor Who, The Six Million Dollar Man, 2000 AD and the actual air dynamic effectiveness of an X-Wing fighter, talk progressed onto the subject of superheroes. To be specific, Marvel superheroes.

We had little or no time for that DC lot, it was the one thing that my little geeky group always agreed on. I'm pretty sure that if the occasion had ever arisen that someone may have gone to the DC side, then the consequences would have been immediate ejection from the safety of the group. You may laugh, but this was an extreme measure. Back in those dim and distant days of the late 1970's & early 1980's it wasn't almost cool to be a geek as it is now, no sir, not at all. I'm not saying that we were physically threatened by others in regard to our rampant nerdyness, but we were often ridiculed beyond what was probably acceptable. So it was a case of safety in numbers, or at least, comfort in numbers.

Anyhoo, as I said the conversation moved onto superheroes. Now for some reason that we were unable to fathom, we had never actually discussed who our own personal favourite superheroes were so this seemed like the perfect way to spend the next hour. By the time it came to my particular turn to explain who my particular favourite was the usual list of suspects had been named. Ian had gone for Iron Man (he loved the suit), Paul explained he had an obsession with Spider Man (even though he had a phobia of Spiders), David was a Hulk aficionado, Jack was well and truly a Thor man and Nigel was belonged wholeheartedly to Wolverine. As each of them stated their hero, each of us nodded sagely and respectfully, this was important stuff. 

I remember thinking that my choice might elicit a slightly different response, after all, he never really seemed to ever be included in any ones top ten, let alone, their absolute favourite. When I said the word 'Daredevil' the response was totally unexpected, instead of mocking derision the reaction to man (or boy) was "Daredevil....never thought of him......that's such a cool choice!" Therein lies the rub, because few people ever put the softly spoken blind lawyer by day and red costumed ninja-style warrior by night at the top of their personal all-time list. However, what never fails is that as soon as you mention the name to anyone of a comic book minded way, suddenly they realise just how much of a fan of the devil of Hell's Kitchen they are actually are.

Daredevil #184 (July 1982). Art by Frank Miller and Klaus Janson.

In truth, I can't quite remember why Daredevil resonated with me to such a degree to begin with. I had come upon the first comic I owned of his quite by chance. The town where I grew up had no comic shop of it's own so people like myself had to simply make do with what our local newsagent decided to sell. I remember one day buying the one and only Marvel comic they had on sale. It was an issue of Daredevil (no shit Sherlock, I hear you say). It is though to my eternal shame that I can't remember exactly what issue it was. I then remember a year or two later when re-organising (yet again) my comic collection and suddenly realising that the editions that I had somehow managed to obtain of DD far outnumbered any other Marvel superhero - The Defenders series was a very close second, but that's a different self-indulgent story for another time (sorry about that).

I came to the story of Matt Murdoch/Daredevil obviously many years after he'd initially debuted in 1964 “Daredevil” No. 1, by Stan Lee and Bill Everett. For the foolish of you who don't know the story: Matt as a young child is blinded after an accident involving a radioactive liquid material, though the blindness is accompanied by a selection of 'superhuman-esque gifts' as his other senses become improved to such an extent that they more than compensate for his lost sight. Matt decides to dedicate his life to fighting social injustice after his father, the not so successful boxer Battlin' Jack Murdoch is murdered after crossing the local mob after refusing to throw his fight. Ahhh we've all been there; Boy has loser dad, boy is blinded by radioactive substance, boy can hear heartbeats from a mile away, boy's father tries to impress boy, boy's dad is knocked off by mobsters, boy decides to become a lawyer by day and a costume-clad vigilante by night.

I've stayed loyal to the comic book Daredevil as long as I remember from that initial purchase in my local newsagent. By the time I 'discovered' him the character had just gone through a period where comic book sales had dropped to a level that meant for a time the issues were downgraded to a Bi-monthly status. In fact, if the stories are to believed, there were plans afoot by Marvel to completely discontinue the story altogether and consign him to an already large contingent of Superheroes gone bye bye. However as luck would have it, the story of Daredevil was about to enter perhaps my favourite of his periods, the much darker tone employed by Frank Miller which was to become for many, the greatest of all DD's incarnations. 

One of Marvel's greatest skills is to regularly change and at times completely re-write a character's story arc. While this may alienate some die-hard fans of a superhero what it does do is to constantly refresh and reinvigorate what in some cases may have become stale and lacklustre. This in essence is what Frank Miller did when taking over previous pencilling incumbent, Roger McKenzie who had began taking the Daredevil character down a noticeably darker road than he had travelled before. In fact not only did Miller continue the  character transformation he actively ignored virtually all of DD's previous story arc from the very beginning - for example, the previous depiction of Matt's dad as a caring and engaging father figure were completely changed to him being depicted as a drunk and a bum who would regularly beat  and abuse his son. This change thus totally changes Matt's initial reasons for choosing a career in law. In addition, numerous other changes were made to supporting characters and villains alike. The fans loved this new anti-hero version of Daredevil and the move to an almost crime-drama feel rather than superhero adventure.....and so did I.

Look away folks, nothing to see here.....

When it comes to film or TV adaptations DD has either been chronically under-represented or downright mistreated. This may on part be due to the movie rights being controlled for a good while by Fox and in part due to never having any form of Christopher Nolan type visionary who has a sympathetic feel for the character or his universe. 

The much maligned Ben Affleck transfer to cinema from 2003 is a prime example of a film that could have and should have been so much better that it turned out to be. In truth, while the film in parts is pretty dire (yes I'm talking to you Colin Farrell) the subsequent directors cut a couple of years later added a good deal of the darker Miller feel to the plot. The revised version of the film may well be an improvement on the original, it's still pretty poor and a million miles from where a true representation of the Daredevil universe.

So when I heard some time ago that Marvel has re-acquired the rights to film DD's story and that a TV series was being mooted, I was more than a little excited. However that excitement was continually tempered as the words Ben, Affleck, Colin and Farrell were whispering in my ear all the while saying 'don't get excited Stuey, this is going to suck......again". So I decided to wait, do very little prior research and simply just hang around for it to appear, thus avoiding either getting my hopes up or falling into pits of despair. I also had a hundred million (well a few) questions; Would it be nicely dark and film noirish or would it be fluffy duffy DC lite? Would it take a chance and risk the DD not so happy endings or go for a fluffy duffy DC lite everybody-lives-happily-ever-after? Would the guy playing Matt/DD be a Mark Ruffalo or a Ben Affleck?

Can you imagine my delirious delight when I learnt earlier this year that not only had the first 13 episode series been filmed and would be showing in April on Netflix, but also that the whole series would be available in one god almighty delicious 13 episode lump sum? It was like every darned Christmas had come in the one go...... or rather two 6 hour plus lump sum sittings over this last weekend. It was a dirty job, but somebody had to do it.

In my dreams I look this cool....

Quite simply, the series is a triumph. Think gritty, think dark, think somber, think violence. Think Frank Miller. 

For a start the character development throughout is almost note-perfect - and not only in case of the main man himself. The complex character and philosophies of Matt Murdoch are given ample time to mature throughout the series, in part due to the use of intelligent flashbacks but also in the pacing of each episodes where the metamorphosis of DD is given air to breath and mature.

It helps too that portrayal by British actor, Charlie Cox is both sympathetic to DD lore but has a layered textured feel that perfectly conveys the regular conflicts of emotion and inner turmoil that the character experiences. The one scene where he as Matt confesses to the quite outrageously delicious Deborah Ann Woll, who plays Karen Page,  just how utterly alone he feels, is simply stunning in its effectiveness.

I'm not too sure how the US audiences will feel as yet another Brit actor makes an American icon his own, but if other reactions are currently anything to go by, he may well have won them over.

Mad, bad & dangerous to know....but I like him

The supporting cast too are excellent, in particular the always magnificent Vincent D’Onofrio, as Wilson Fisk, who is given the chance for once to add levels of complexity to the big bad guy. This quite simply is inspired casting - It's no secret with those who know me well that since Full metal Jacket I have been a huge fan of D'Onofrio's work. As a consequence I was expecting a fine performance, I wasn't though expecting the tour-de-force that actually takes place.

All too often the arch-villain is portrayed as a one dimensional psychopath (yes, once again I'm talking about you, Colin Farrell) who has few redeeming qualities and even fewer shades of grey. Here, both the writing and performance of D’Onofrio provide a plethora of personality shades that at times have the viewer downright empathising with Fisk in regard to his obvious vulnerabilities and genuine feelings of affection towards some of the people he trusts. However, sometimes just a moment later, we can then witness horror and revulsion in regard to the extreme violence that he can be capable of and the sheer terror he can inspire.

More often than not, the arch-villain simply acts as a cliched parody in order to highlight the qualities of the good guy, but feeling sorry for, and at times even liking the villain is unusual in the extreme. If the immensely powerful performance from Vincent D'Onofrio doesn't receive award recognition in due course I will eat my keyboard. 

Filming in New York certainly also helps in providing the delicious dark and gritty effect, both in tone and also in a literal sense. Many of the fights take place in dimly lit sections of Hell's Kitchen. The episodes look wonderful, its as simple as that. It's heartwarming to see that nods in visual style of the Frank Miller era of shadowy dark visuals have been made to such an authentic level.

I cannot wait for the second series.

At last Daredevil, the greatest superhero of them all, has has the film treatment that he deserves. It's enough to make me root out my comics and read them .........yet again.

Pandora's Brain - A Sci-fi novel from Calum Chace

I will admit that I'm a bitter man, though not about life in general, but rather in one very particular sense - and no, it's not because Helena Bonham-Carter has yet to succumb to my undoubted charms and finally relent into accepting my dinner invitation (and hopefully in the process removing the remaining retraining orders on me). Instead my bitterness is due to the fact that I feel somewhat cheated by the promises made to me in my childhood.

You see, ever since I can remember, there have been promises after promises and predictions after predictions about what life would be like for us all by this point in the 21st Century. You all know the things that I'm talking about; personal jet packs, hover boards, hover cars, human colonies on Mars & beyond and our own personal highly intelligent robot - to name but a few. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that I'm completely disappointed with the leaps in technology that have taken place in my lifetime - the world wide web, the Internet and smart phones have taken information gathering and sharing to unbelievable heights of complexity. So don't believe a word of those who say that life was better, less complicated before the Internet, because it wasn't. It was crap. I love this technological world that we live in nowadays with the seemingly limitless possibilities that it offers us. Compare that to the 1970's when I was a child and we had three TV stations, and, well, erm....that was about it. People say it was a happier simpler time. I say Bullshit.

However, I would still quite like my jet pack and hover board. I also still have a hankering to visit the outer reaches of the solar system with my special weekend family spaceship voucher that came as a prize in the Intergalactic online web series. But most of all I want my artificially intelligent robot that will attend to my every need. Alas, they all still seem very far away...or do they?

Well if the debut novel from Calum Chace, Pandora's Brain is anything to go by and has at least a bare modicum of truth & fact behind it's premise, then the world of a genuine AI creation may not be as far away as first thought. 

"Set in the near future. This science thriller features Matt, a shy but engaging and resourceful student who becomes involved in a project to create the world's first conscious machine. 

Matt's enquiries lead to him being kidnapped as he is fought in the crossfire between two groups pursuing that goal - one lead by a Russian Billionaire, and another backed by the US military.

As he is drawn deeper into his adventure, he becomes both the symbol and the victim of a global struggle over the approach to be taken towards this powerful new technology."

Before I talk (some would prefer the term, ramble) any further, I want to go on record as saying that Pandora's Brain is a thoroughly enjoyable and captivating tale that will have you thinking far after you've turned over that final page. It is quite simply the best book I've read in some time. Yes, it's that good.

So what makes this debut novel about the possible technological developments in Artificial Intelligence so good? Well, for start the book deals with a variety of interesting and relevant philosophical themes that surround the key questions of not only whether we can successfully create a genuine self-aware artificial intelligence, but whether or not we actually should continue (if indeed we could actually stop) trying to find that illusive breakthrough. Now before some of you start to roll your eyes and wince at such terms as 'Philosophy' and 'technology ' just stop right there. You don't need to be concerned that this book is another self-satisfied diatribe from an author who likes simply to use lots of long technical words, with the end result being a dry lifeless tone. I have no problem in an author who hits me with numerous technological themes and philosophical viewpoints - as long as I don't feel patronised and on the edge of some secret club full of elusive passwords. Chase lets us in to to this strange and complex world of AI and makes us feel like we are in a sense part of it all.

Whenever the theme of the creation of AI is dealt with by novels or Hollywood the results tend to be absolute - we have either a Nirvana of endless positive possibilities, or AI simply results in the end of humanity. There is often little time for any middle ground. One of Pandora's Brain's main strengths is the intelligent way that it deals with questions and themes that are far more complex than many treatments of the subject. Indeed, the title itself borrows from Greek mythology where that naughty old playful god Zeus decided to have a little fun with we mortal men by creating the first woman (Pandora) to teach us guys a lesson we wouldn't forget. Our crime had been to accept from Prometheus the strictly forbidden gift of fire, a fact that meant Zeus wasn't happy, nope he wasn't happy at all. So much so that he tricked Pandora into opening a container that held within it all the world's evil and pain. Zeus knew that even though she had been told never to open the container, the insatiable curiosity of humans meant that she would do exactly that. As a result, evil and all its interesting associations entered our world. However, as luck would have it, the container continued something else - Hope.

In other words, once we create AI, there is no going back, and the challenges we face will be beyond our current comprehension and perhaps the biggest challenge of all will be addressing the ultimate idea of what is to be be conscious, to have a soul - to be human.

However, please don't think that Pandora's Brain is simply a technology-rich piece on the philosophical aspects of the AI breakthroughs that may happen, because it's not. This is also a story that fairly rockets along, alternating back and forth from it's other guise as a good old fashioned Science fiction adventure thriller. The plot is well written and crafted in a way that one is constantly questioning not only the philosophical aspects, but also just who we should or shouldn't be trusting in what appears to be a familiar scenario but quickly turns events on their heads as preconceptions are constantly challenged.

The characters too are confidently written and well-rounded, particularly the main character of Matt, with whom the reader immediately identifies and connects with as we share his journey of shocking discovery. Authors such as Asimov, Bradbury and Philip K. Dick were masters of incorporating ideas of technological advancement in their work without ever losing what should be the main element of any sci-fi adventure story, strong characterisation in order to fully explore the human condition. I'm not being all hyperbolic and saying that Calum Chase is ready yet to join such pantheons of the genre, but if this book is anything to go by, well he's well on the way. The great skill of an author is not to let the themes within a story overwhelm our ability to connect it's characters and this is achieved very nicely here.

According to at least 50% of experts working in the field of Artificial intelligence, we are but 35 years away from creating the first human level of AI intelligence. Pandora's box has well and truly been opened and the subsequent explosion of development could mean a future for humankind that few of us dare imagine. Pandora's Brain suggests that how we deal with the decisions that this advancement will bring are more complex than we dare imagine. But above all, this is a confidant and enjoyable debut novel that will keep the reader enthralled from beginning to end.

As the number 15 review cliche in the Dummies guide to writing a review suggests......'It's a real page turner!'

About the author........

" Calum retired from full-time work in 2012 to focus on writing after a 30-year career as a journalist, a marketer, a strategy consultant and a CEO. He serves as chairman and coach for a handful of growing companies. 

Having started his career as a trainee journalist with the BBC, he has always combined business with writing. He has contributed articles to several newspapers, and was a columnist at the FT. He has published several non-fiction books, including The Internet Startup Bible, a business best-seller published by Random House in 2000. He is now publishing his first novel, a science thriller called Pandora's Brain.

Calum studied philosophy at Oxford University, where he discovered that the science fiction he had been reading since boyhood is actually philosophy in fancy dress. He is intrigued by the idea of conscious machines being created this century. He is a regular speaker on artificial intelligence and related technologies and runs a blog on the subject at www.pandoras-brain.com.

He lives with his partner and their daughter in London and Sussex."

Calum Chase's Amazon page can be found at http://www.amazon.co.uk/Calum-Chace/e/B00PUM096S/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

Scottish superhero series – Saltire Annihilation Part 2

Saltire – Annihilation Pt.2. 

Full Colour Graphic Novel by John Ferguson.  

Art by Claire Roe. 

Coloured by Lauren Knight. 

Cover by Jim Devlin. 

Published by Diamondsteel Comics Ltd. 

* WARNING: While there are (hopefully) no give-aways of this latest instalment in the Saltire series, there is the odd spoiler-esque element concerning the first part of ANNIHILATION.......


Way, way, way back in the deepest mists of time (well last October to be precise), I wrote a piece about a very exciting development in the world of the graphic novel - The appearance of what is arguably the first Scottish Superhero in Graphic novel form, Saltire.

Saltire - Invasion was the first in a what was intended to be a series of books that was the beginning of what promised to be a grandiloquent odyssey through the history, mythology and country of Scotland. The Superhero in question was quite simply a big, blue and ginger creation intent on protecting his country from invasion and destruction. 

At the time of writing back in October I did say that the superhero reminded me a little of myself ..... well except for the big, blue and ginger bit. I will actually take part of that claim back, because it has been something of a rather cold winter up here in the North East of Scotland. As a consequence some parts of me are still a little bit on the blue side, however my legal team have advise me that due to taste, decency and potential litigation, I should refrain from saying which parts. Though as I write this piece it's actually a balmy (well it is for Scotland) Spring day with a bright yellow thing shining up there in the sky. I believe it is called the Sun.

The second edition in the Saltire series was Annihilation, which found its way into stores late last year. Once again, it didn't disappoint with its continuation of a parallel mythical history of Scotland, this time with the setting taking place  a number of centuries after the first book's events. This time the story took on a darker, bleaker tone in parts whilst still managing to become ever more sweeping in terms of its narrative scope. It was an ambitious undertaking, but once again the delightful artwork and good narration carried one along in a veritable whirlwind of exciting myth and legend.

A week or so ago witnessed the continuation of Annihilation, rather cunningly called Annihilation - part 2. Though not officially released until April 11th, the comic was available at DeeCon in a pre-release launch over the Easter weekend. In addition people were able meet the entire creative team behind Saltire and have the opportunity to get a whole range of big, blue and ginger related goodies in the process. Unfortunately I wasn't able to be there as I had a pressing appointment at the vets - well, actually I didn't, but my dog Jasper did....and he still hates me for what the operation meant he had to have removed. Let's just say that there won't be any little Jaspers ever running around Fifth Dimension towers in the future.

Anyhoo, a little while ago the good people at Diamondsteel comics contacted me and asked if I would be interested in an advance digital copy of Annihilation - part 2. Of course, you know me well enough by now, I'm anybody's for a freebie - particularly a sneak advance freebie. Naturally I was interested. So this week I sat myself down with a cup of Earl Grey Tea (I'm nothing if classy) and my iPad and read the next instalment of Scotland's foremost superhero.

"As blood thins and silence echoes, a fresh torment builds behind the southern wall. When heroes fall, who will stand against an unyielding force and the brutal terror from the earth? The freedoms of a nation laid bare before a cruel and tyrannical foe, for as one battle ends another must begin.

To fight, to endure, to survive..."

The first part of Annihilation witnessed the forces of the Mercyan army and its vampire Witch being defeated by Saltire and the other leaders and champions of Scotland's assorted tribes and clans. However, the victory has come at a high cost with the villages and towns in near ruin and the many of champions themselves having either killed or their strength severely diminished. In Annihilation - part 2, the Mercyan king has returned and has sworn to rid the Scottish lands of all who stand in the way of his Saxon forces. If that wasn't bad enough for the beleaguered Scots, Saltire himself is severely ill and weakened from his heroic efforts

If there is one thing that is pleasing (and I believe necessary ) to see at any stage of a publication's evolution is a continuation of pushing the boundaries of ones own artistic standards. This is perhaps arguably more of a necessity in the ultra-competitive area of the graphic novel and comic book - quite frankly, it's brutal out there with many an example of new and ambitious projects that have fallen by the creative wayside and drifted off into faded obscurity. 

Thankfully, Annihilation - part 2 continues where it left off in terms of outstanding and dynamic artwork, and if anything, the level of of exciting precision and pacing in Clare Roe and Lauren Knight's work is been taken up a further notch in this edition. The zestful visual strength on offer is simply jaw-dropping on occasion as it gives a sense of fluidity and life to the characterisation. It is a constant visual treat for the eyes as richly textured colours and artwork vie for ones attention. It is simply excellent stuff.

The pacing of the story, as in the first Annihilation, moves the reader along at a breakneck speed as it carries you breathlessly through it's plethora of skirmishes and battles. If I had one minor criticism of the first edition it would be that the dialogue occasionally at times struggled to keep up with the large array of characters and varying scenarios they found themselves in. Whilst incredibly enjoyable, there almost seemed an insatiable need to cram as much mythical history in as possible and this occasionally impacted on the pacing of the plot. However this time things have been ever so slightly 'tightened up' and as a consequence a very good piece of comic book narrative has evolved in Annihilation - part 2 to become an excellent example of narrative pacing.

Saltire's story is ambitiously sweeping in scope and application as it skillfully incorporates a whole array of Scottish myth and legend without ever resorting to tired Tartan parody and cliche. Not only that, but it very nicely taps into the contemporary cultural and social engagement that is going on in Scotland at the moment as a consequence of the recent independence referendum and not too distant General Election that will soon be with us. Something very special has been happening in Scotland over that last couple of years as a fresh sense of national identity seems to have gathered an impressive momentum. The independence referendum may not have achieved in the short term what many (including myself) wanted, however, that momentum for both for change and authentic pride in what ones country stands for is, I feel, ultimately unstoppable.

What Saltire has done is to tap into that very sense of cultural pride, something which the popularity of the character amongst the Scots populace is more than clear to see. However, don't just listen to what I say. After all, just what the hell do I know? By all accounts, I'm not alone if the collection of other positive reviews of the exploits of the bIg blue one are anything to go by. Not only that, but there is also the recent news that Diamondsteel comics have been approached by a number of Hollywood film studios with a view of bringing the graphic novel to the big screen.There is a part of me that is truly happy at the prospect of seeing the Saltire Universe expand beyond all belief. I just hope that the Hollywood treatment that he gets, if indeed it does happen, is as authentic and respectful to Scottish culture as it is at the moment in this marvellous comic.

Saltire Annihilation - part 2 is available for order and lands in stores this weekend on the 11th April. I cannot recommend the series highly enough. If you like your high-octane comics then this is the one for you - whether you're Scottish or not!


For more information about Saltire and how to acquire the comic then the Diamondsteel team can be contacted by the various means below.

The Saltire Facebook page can be found at https://www.facebook.com/saltirecomics

The Website can be located at http://www.diamondsteelcomics.com

Or you can email the good people via info@diamondsteelcomics.com

Aether - A glorious new Steampunk movie + Interview with legendary Film & TV production designer, David L. Snyder (Blade Runner & more)

I've never made it any secret that I don't consider myself as a proper critic type writer person. My intention on this blog has always been to feature 'stuff' that has caught my eye, things that excite me. It all rather fits in well with my general 'me, me, me, it’s all about me' approach to life.

Therefore I have little interest in wasting my precious hours berating or intellectually mocking another person’s piece of work - I take myself far too lightly for that. I will leave it to some (by no means all) bloggers who's sense of self-importance far exceeds what would be regarded as acceptable in polite company. That doesn't mean to say I won't be honest and acknowledge whether the odd element here or there in a piece of work doesn't quite work for me, but here in the old Fifth Dimension, I only talk about what interests and makes me go all "oh yeaaahhhh" and a little gooey inside. 

As a consequence, I've had what seems like an endless amount of projects on here about which I have eulogised about with glowing adoration. I indeed have felt blessed to be but a very small cog in the bigger creative wheel. However, this week I had the opportunity to speak with people who are involved in perhaps the most exciting project yet that I've come across in my time as perhaps the foremost blogger around (well I am on Planet Stuey, anyway). This is not empty hyperbole, I genuinely mean it when I say how exciting this project is, and for a number of reasons - the concept, the themes, the genres and perhaps just as exciting, the who's who of Science Fiction production who are part of the team behind it all. (More about that last point in a short while, but all I will say for now is....cough.....Blade Runner......cough.

Some very nice Aether concept art

You may be wondering (if you’re still with me) just what the heck has got Fifth Dimension towers in all of a giggly kerfuffle? Well let me tell you.

A few days ago I was contacted via my website by Drew Hall, who proceeded to tell me that he is the writer/co-director of a Steampunk inspired science fiction film called Aether and that he and his team are looking for a degree of promotion for the said film. You should know me by now – mention words like ‘Steampunk’ and ‘science fiction’ in the same sentence and I’m interested. Mention them in the same sentence as ‘Helena Bonham-Carter is at the door asking for you and carrying books about........’ and I’m yours forever. Sadly, the future Mrs Anderson isn’t part of this scenario, but one can dream. 

Now I don’t know about you, but I for one think that if there is one sub-genre of sci-fi and fantasy that has been under represented in its own right on a cinematic level, Steampunk is it. Yes there have been a number of related examples – but nothing that as yet has transported this most stylish of genres in the wider public consciousness. So when Drew said a big fat no, that they were not asking for any financial support via a crowd funding campaign, but instead were just looking for as much publicity as possible, well I was doubly interested. It seems that at this stage they want to do something which I and many others have wanted to happen for some time - namely to pressure the bigger studios into acknowledging that people do want original, story driven science fiction – and not simply rely on Tranformers 25: The of the Rip-off of film goers continues or the latest Marvel superhero adaptation as a means of so-called original creative output.

Anyhow, before I tell you about the mouth-watering collection of production staff on this film, I wanted to know more about Aether,  – and this is what I found.

"Aether is a steampunk inspired science fiction film set in a world of flying cities, massive airships, and ghost towns. On the tiny island of Deos, the citizens in the small town of Specter struggle to survive, as the wealthy floating city of Wavelinde looms overhead serving as a constant reminder of oppression. 

Meanwhile, a storm is building in the savage mines held by the Bruewen. War is coming."

We'll I don't know about you, but when I first read that I was more than a little intrigued. This soon turned ever more interesting when I delved further into some of the background information about the film. Potentially, the world within Aether may be is as vast as the Star Wars ( soon to be 're-imagined) universe, as gritty, at times, as the wastelands of Mad Max (Again, soon to be re-imagined) and is charged with political intrigue that would make the characters in Game of Thrones blush (Btw, I love Queen Cersai with an almost illegal passion) ; throughout this though, the aesthetics of Aether simply ooze the ultra-stylised essence of Steampunk. Ok, I'm hooked.

Because Hollywood seems hesitant to put out original content, Drew Hall (writer/director), Horst Sarubin (Co-director/VFX producer) and Scott Robinson (Producer) decided to shoot a short proof of concept film called "Aether: Prologue". It is basically a primer to the style and experience that is the Aether'verse. It seems then that the word got around about this gem of a project and they were somehow able to assemble an incredible creative team - it's kind of a science fiction dream team really.

Erm, lets just look at this picture a little while, eh?

Their Director of Photography is VFX pioneer and 3 time Oscar Winner Alex Funke (Total Recall, LOTRs). The production designer is David L. Snyder who has an amazing resume, though perhaps people like myself would be salivating over a film which saw him Oscar nominated for art direction on Blade Runner. Yes, that's right......only the blooming favourite ever sci-fi film of this here blogger.....be still my beating heart.

If that wasn't enough, they have Kim Bailey as the airship designer. He's responsible for some of the most iconic ships/props in all of science fiction including the FIRST Borg Ship and the original Stargate. There are a plethora of hair and make up effects in the film so when Oscar winner Robin Mathews (Dallas Buyers Club) jumped on board, I'm sure that Drew and the team probably fainted. In addition, to incorporate the fact that Science fiction must have good sound design, so through a series of magical events the team were able to sign Oscar Nominated Chris Ward (The Hobbit) as their sound editor.

If you're not taken in by my enthusiasm for this film then the fact that this who's who of sci-fi creativity have also jumped on board because they love the story and the Aether'verse says everything.  However, Drew has told me that they don't want to give the impression that Aether is simply some superficial all style and no substance production. They've been pushing a hashtag of #WelcomeBackSciFi as a means of reminding themselves, and the world, that sometimes VFX aren't enough - story should always come first. The team have worked hard to make a science fiction film for the audience who cares about story first. Yes, there are some VFX, but Drew assures me - it's a story driven film for sci fi fans. Personally, I think that's bloody important and something that the Transformers et al of this world would do bloody well to remember. 

The Aether team are keen to have the publics feedback on their project. They desperately want to bring the film to life on the big screen or small and want to make sure that they listen to the audience in the process. blimey, democracy in the movies - a frightening prospect.

Here's a short video with some behind the scenes and interviews about Aether. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-T2zYTashE 

You can out more about the film at the teams fan site http://www.weareskyborne.com/ 

You can also reach the team on the facebook page facebook.com/AetherMovie 

Drew Hall's IMDB page can be located at http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0355527/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1

THE INTERVIEW BIT :

DAVID L. SNYDER (Production Designer extraordinaire + Tanqueray & Tonic devotee).

In keeping with the essence of the innate stylisation of Steampunk, it is essential that Aether has a team behind it that can deliver the necessaries in terms of style and appearance. So when it was confirmed that I may be able to get access to some of the most iconic creative production names in science fiction I was immediately like the proverbial kid in a candy store. I simply couldn't decide who to ask to speak to first, until one man's list of impressive film credits caught my eye, and in particular, a certain film featuring a Mr Harrison Ford chasing after Rutger Hauer and his group of misfit replicants. 

It's pretty much safe to say that David L. Snyder has something of an epic resume, so I'll leave it up to IMDB to give you something of a flavour of it........

David on the set of Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey

"....,,,,After stumbling through life as a rock 'n' roll drummer, architectural designer, graphic designer and theatrical stage designer he began his Hollywood career as the assistant art director on the 50th Annual Academy Awards. Following a year in 'live' television, David was soon recruited by Universal Studios and spent a year and a half art directing science fiction television series such as "Galactica 1980", "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century", "The Incredible Hulk" and "Captain America".

After designing Taylor Hackford's feature directorial debut, "The Idolmaker" he returned to science fiction as the art director on Ridley Scott's 1982 sci-fi classic "Blade Runner". David received an Academy Award nomination he shared with Lawrence G. Paull, the film's production designer. It was also awarded the British Academy Award (BAFTA) for Best Production Design/Art Direction.

Since that time he has designed more than forty feature films including "Untitled", "The Whole Nine Yards", "The One", "Soldier", "Demolition Man", "Super Mario Bros.", "Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey" and Tim Burton's cult classic feature film directorial debut, "Pee-wee's Big Adventure". In 1996 he designed "Rainbow" the motion picture Industry's first live-action digital to 35mm theatrical feature film starring & directed by Bob Hoskins."

And that only barely touches upon his career. I think I would like to write a book about this guy.......

"Thanks for taking the time to talk to me, David. However before I ask you about your role as Production designer on Aether, I hoped it would be ok to talk about one or two other notable strings to your bow….."

Q) Blimey, your resume isn’t too shabby is it? You worked as Art Director on Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Battlestar Galactica  - For those who don’t know what Art Director is on a movie, can you explain the role in general and how it fitted in specifically for those shows?

Erin Gray, one of the loves of my life...

A) I was on-staff Art Department at MCA Universal 1978-1980. There were 35 shows happening including "1941", "The Blues Brothers" etc. and many TV series e.g. "Buck" and "Galactica". I worked as an all-around 'doctor' on about a dozen TV's. I was assigned to this job by the Art H.O.D. due to my charm and flexibility. (LOL) Don't know why, but I was delighted being out of the grind of one Sci-Fi show every 7-10 days. So, I would jump in and help out the assigned staff art directors who were overwhelmed with impossible deadlines and airdates. 

My experience on "Galactica" was minimal until "Galactica 1980". The word went around that "Galactica" had been cancelled and with the insatiable need for stage space, some of the "BG" sets were 'struck' and thrown into the landfill on the backlot. Then Glen Larson announced that the network had changed it's decision to cancel and "BG" was picked up for another season. What to do? Using existing footage and the remaining sets, Glen came up w/ the brilliant scheme to keep the show on the air by having the cast travel via 'time machine' to 1980 Los Angeles as if on a mission. Ha! It worked. (This will be denied by the studio). re: "Buck Rogers" the brilliant Paul Peters was the supervising art director and a good friend. I was assigned to help out the two art departments (yes two, as there was a revolt by the staff and the studio relented and doubled the overworked team who alternated episodes.) 

"Now then Lou, that's your one and only Hulkout for the day........"

I was given an entire episode (uncredited) about Interplanetary Olympic games. ("Olympiad"- Feb 7, 1980) The studio did not want to spend the money to fill the stadium (on a sound stage) w/ extras, so they had the athletic events in the stage 'as' arena. I installed a series of large stadium speakers and prop video cameras, so the idea was (laughingly) that the audience would view the games at home, or in the pubs and their interactive audio from their homes, pubs, etc. could be heard by the athletes to cheer them on. I have never seen the episode, so I can only confirm what we filmed. As absurd as I thought the idea was, it was brilliant economically. 

My final note on MCA TV is when I was assigned to "The Incredible Hulk" they were well into the series which was a certified 'hit'. When a show was a hit at Universal, the first step is to cut back on all spending. The studio's position was "Fuck it! They'll watch it no matter what the budgets are". So, what did they do? They told us that there was going to be only one 'hulk-out' per show, not two as in all previous episodes. Costs for make-up, floor effects & break-aways, costumes and optical VFX transitions between Bill and Lou would be cut in half. The front office was delighted.

To answer Part 2 of your question, an Art Director is in charge of the 'look' of a film or show. He coordinates with the Set Decorator, the Props-Persons, Costume Designer, Make-Up & Hair and Special Floor (Mechanical) Effects & Visual Effects, in collaboration with the Director of Photography, all under supervision of the Producer(s) and Director(s). In contemporary terms the job title is most likely Production Designer. You are the Architectural Designer of the film.

Q) What did you think of the re-vamped Battlestar series? 

Only saw glimpses of it looking for Eddie Olmos and the 'then' actress / girlfriend of one of my director friends. (A very pert Canadian blond).

Still stunning.....

Q) And then there’s Blade Runner – wow. What are your memories of working on that film? 

More than any film I've worked on, totalling forty +. It was my third feature and I was hired by my mentor, Lawrence G. (Larry) Paull ("Back To The Future") who, at MCA Universal, promoted me from Television to Features. If you view "Dangerous Days - The Making Of Blade Runner" (3 Hrs. -33Min.) on Disc 2 of the DVD / Blu-ray Box Set, you'll get the full story. 

Here's a wee bit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPluJUQGHrg. My biggest memory was receiving an Academy Award© nomination for Best Art Direction. Can't believe we lost to "Gandhi", but the Production Design took the BAFTA. 

Q) Why do you think it took a hammering on its release from fans and critics alike yet has now become perhaps the seminal Science Fiction film of all time.

Zhora's termination

It was released here in the States at the time of President Ronny Raygun's P.R. infused economic boom. Blade Runner was very political and Americans were horrified of a dystopian future that unfortunately for most has nearly come to pass. I won't go into my political views, but from what I read from my U.K. mates, it's as bad there and the rest of the planet. Time to go Off-World. On top of that we released at the same time as feel good "E.T." and that's what America hungered for. The Shaw Bros. did much better with the film in Asia, the only territory where it was a hit. In addition to all the above, it was just way ahead of it's time in every aspect. It frightened most. I was so stunned, when I first saw the film at The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences, that I couldn't believe that I had anything to do with it. For the record and in the opinion of all who were there at the beginning, the 2007 "Final Cut" is the only "Blade Runner". 

All other versions were impaired by the lack of technology that we had envisioned since pre-production in 1980. Once we had the proper digital 'tools' we could finally achieve our vision. The public opinion reversal came about at a screening of an obscure 1981 preview print in 1992 at The NuArt Theater in Santa Monica CA. The studio (WB) realised that there just might be a chance to recover their investment. It wasn't as if they were interested in art for art's sake in spite of the fact that WB had been honoured w/ 5 AA nominations and we won a few BAFTA's. 

 Q) So how and what attracted you to the chance to work on Aether? 

The script was sent to me by my "Crave " producer Scott Robinson. I was keen to work on a steampunk oriented science fiction film due to the genre's focus on design. Needless to say, I liked the story / script very much. When I arrived in Mobile, Alabama and met Drew Hall, I knew I had made a good decision. He is an enthusiastic, talented guy who is without any perceptible ego. He would drop into the Art Department at least once a day, whenever a brainstorm would hit him, and share his ideas with the staff, and take our comments and ideas in a true form of  collaboration. He had a terrific team of art director-set decorator and props-people assembled for me upon my arrival and they did a great job considering we had never worked together prior to "Aether". 

Also of note is Drew had brought 3-time Academy Award© winning director of photography Alex Funke and visual effects guru Horst Sarubin on board. I brought along longtime model-maker Kim Bailey to assist me. It all fit nicely together. Each member of the team had a specific set of skills that magically crossed over by virtue of these artists having knowledge of each others skills even if they did not personally possess them.

Q) What challenges have you faced on Aether so far?

I approached the project with the notion that it was going to be difficult to find enough talent in Mobile with so many productions headed that way from L.A. I am eager to say I was wrong. I found a crew who not only did not resent an outsider coming on board, I was welcomed by young filmmakers who were eager to work with me, learn from me and even have a pint and a meal with me now and then. I was treated with respect and it was mutual. There were some tolerable problems with the weather, cold & windy, and the usual budget considerations but that was about it. I couldn't wait to get to the office / set each and every day. Aesthetically, the show was loaded with so much talent and enthusiasm that the only challenge was to decide which props, settings, costumes, decor etc. we would select out of so many choices made available to the production. There were some tough decisions to be made on what to eliminate. This was not a problem. It was a bonus.

Q) Just how much has the advance in technology changed how you approach a film project?

As we approach 2019 A.D. I have seen technological advances beginning with Alfred Whitlock's glass matte paintings on Marty Feldman's "In God We Tru$t", John Dykstra and Doug Trumbull's in-camera effects on "Starflight One" and "Blade Runner" & Brainstorm"(70mm), respectively, to motion pictures shot with digital cameras and cellphones. My work is basically the same except it's all in the digital domain. Design is design no matter the input and result. The difference is it's lightning quicker to express your ideas in hours and minutes instead of graphite (pencil) on vellum drawing paper set designs that would take days or weeks. The ability to share your ideas from Hollywood to China in seconds, as I have been recently doing would have been impossible to imagine 20 years ago. It boggles the mind. CAD, Adobe Illustrator & Photoshop, 3D SketchUp and other software that I may not even be aware of. It's all good. The future is now.   

Q) So what are the future plans for David L. Snyder? 

Back together again with Douglas Trumbull ..........

http://variety.com/2014/film/news/the-wonder-3d-set-as-first-china-new-zealand-co-production-1201186043/, 

http://www.screendaily.com/screenasia/parc-media-unveils-3d-co-productions/5082351.article?referrer=RSS 

David L. SNYDER (left) with Douglas Trumbull

You can find out more about David's work by looking over his website at http://davidlsnyderfilms.com/

I would like to say a huge thanks to both Drew and David for giving me such a huge slice of their precious time. I don't expect that this will be the end of my eulogising about Aether as I'm hoping to do a couple of follow up interviews with some of the aforementioned creative individuals very soon.