NEW!!!
BEHIND THE SCENES VIDEO of Trace Beaulieu on SET on YOUTUBE!!
Now- as for THE TRIPWIRE - this month we have two interviews- one with TRACE BEAULIEU who portrayed vocally the egomaniacal computer SYD. Also on the crew side- CGI wiz Russell Maggio will discuss what it took to create the trippy sequences of Triptosane.
Check out interviews below.
TRIP TRIP Hooray! A few moments with the brain behind the trippy stuff, RUSSELL MAGGIO.
Q: How did you get involved with Triptosane?
Michael and I share an interest in Terrence McKenna and the concept of Dimethyltryptamine experiences, and typically engage in lengthy conversations on the mysteries of the Universe. For some time we were working on unrelated projects, yet shared the same vein in McKenna's works.
Months later Michael told me about Triptosane, and I fell in love with the story. I couldn't resist seeing SYD coming to life, and having Trace Beaulieu perform as SYD made me giddy.
Q: What were you asked to create? What creative twists did you bring to the project?
I was asked to create surreal montages - in space, on land, the unknown and beyond.
Michael story-boarded what he wanted to see, and I allowed McKenna to dictate with a high level of visual acuity the final images - stuff like a transit system of rings, jewel encrusted basketballs, a tropical paradise of unknown origin... A giant mechanical DNA strand came to mind by thinking about the future of nano technology. I believe someday we'll see a nanobot evolution that will generate the first strand of self-replicating bio-mechanical DNA.
Q: What software package(s) did you use? What hardware?
I used E-on's Vue6 Pro Studio for all the animation layouts, RenderCows for the rendering, Photoshop for the detailing, After Effects for the mattes. There were a few Apple Xeons running 24/7 for months, and two Apple G5s for re-rendering and corrective work.
All the machines were running Mac OS X. I must say that while Pro Studio can produce some stunning results, the program can be a handful to deal with even with 8 gigs of ram and a decent video card. But some render scenes contained billions of polygons, which is a ridiculous amount of data to manage, so there were some rough moments. The support people are quite nice to deal with.
Q: What was the most frustrating aspect of creating the CGI? The most challenging? The most satisfying?
The most frustrating aspect was waiting for the renders to complete. Sometimes weeks, sometimes months. Time is no friend. The most challenging was creating the Dandelion, then using Photoshop to touch up hundreds of frames by hand.The most satisfying aspect was hearing Michael's "I love it!"
Q: Are the subjects of Shamanism, psychedelics, A.I. and human consciousness something you were interested in prior to Triptosane?
Yes, I've always had a profound interest. I believe these represent powerful yet misunderstood tools critical for human evolution.
It could be the answers are in us waiting to be nurtured and set free - possibly requiring a computer with real intelligence, a Shaman, or a special breed of fungi. But I think it needs to be drawn out on not a whim, but a need, however unknown that need may be.
Q: What do you see for the future of CGI in movies?
The fun answer is that we'll no longer be able to tell the difference between reality or CGI. Moore's law will allow for faster rendering. Which will be promptly diminished by the need for better CGI.
A scarier thought is that we'll no longer require actors, crews, or locations.
Q: Do you think a computer will ever be able to "trip"?
I think computers trip now. But it happens on such a small scale and far too quickly to be seen. The only indication is your computer refuses to wake up.
Q: What advice would you give some young aspiring CGI creator out there?
Eat, drink, sleep: art, music, movies, nature, life, the universe and everything. A decent knowledge of computers is a big plus. Expose yourself to things you're afraid of (but not stupidly dangerous things - like, don't pet a stray rabid pit-bull who appears to have not eaten in a week). Thrust yourself into the fire (not a real fire) and have a good time doing it (wear protection). Then take all you have learned and apply it in your own special way. Companies like E-on (Vue6) and Autodesk (Maya) offer full versions of their software to try out for free.
A Man of Many Tongues: The Verbosity and Genius of a Rather Quiet Man: TRACE BEAULIEU.
Q: How did you become involved with Triptosane?
I got an e-mail forwarded through a friend of mine in Minneapolis, Gary Rue. I know Gary from way back when we worked together in a band called THE SLEEPERS. I keep a low profile and I guess Director Michael DiCerto had to track me down through Gary. Gary forwarded me the message and I got in touch with Mike, who then sent me a script.
Wow, that was a rather boring explanation, sorry.
Oh, and then a space ship landed and I was abducted. There, that spiced it up a bit.
Q: When you first read the screenplay - what attracted you to the role of SYD?
SYD is like a fusion of Mac and PC: artistic and playful and yet stiff and arrogantly stubborn. I liked that he would drop into an impression whenever it suited him. SYD could be rather snarky at times.
Q: How do you- as an actor- approach a role like SYD, knowing you will never physically appear on camera?
I don’t have to worry about looking good for a close up so I have it a bit easier than the other actors. They have to hit marks, and make sure they’re in the light. Playing a character that has such a huge ego is fun because I just assume that every thing I say or do is correct. I’m not wrong, you must be wrong. I’m not like SYD at all. He has an EGO, I have an E, but no GO.
Q: What was the set of Triptosane like? How does working on an ultra low budget film compare to a more Hollywood project like MST3K The Movie?
Okay first of all MST3K: The Movie was by no means a “Hollywood” project. We wrote and shot the entire thing in Minnesota. Also our entire budget wouldn’t cover craft services on any big Hollywood film. And I say that like I know how much craft services on a bit Hollywood film would be. But the point is that our budget was very tiny compared to even a little Hollywood film.
I never appear in the film but I was always in the way on the set. I had this knack of finding a place out of the way and then someone would need the thing I was sitting on. It was fun though.
Q: Talk a bit about your co-stars? The crew? Your NYC stay?
It was a small crew and cast but everyone was very professional. Very dedicated. It was great to work with such a nice group of people. (Even the musicians.) I’d just like to thank them all again for being so kind. Larry, Paul, Al and Laura who I met but didn’t work with where great. Coming into the middle of a project that has been shooting for a while can be unnerving but everyone was very welcoming.
New York was great. I always love coming to New York. I hadn’t been there in about six years and I really needed a shot of walking around town.
Q: Psychedelics and computers. Hmm- has Crow T Robot ever dropped acid or eaten shrooms? I would imagine Forrestor on mind expanding drugs would be a bit dodgy....
I don’t think Crow ever indulged in any mind-altering substance other than bad movies. He was on a satellite in space after all and Joel built him once he was already stranded there himself. I don’t think it ever crossed my mind that Crow would ever try anything like that.
In a sketch we did this summer, which may never see the light of day, Crow is getting very nirvonic by licking a piece of copper. I guess that would be as close Crow ever got to being stoned.
This was something that Joel had written and it was very funny. One of the odder moments on any set was when I had to record extra “licking copper noises” so they could drop it in.
Forrester was too evil to ever take anything himself. More than likely he tried stuff on Frank. Frank was his lab rat.
Q: Is it true that psychedelic researcher Dennis Mckenna lives in your town? Talk about synchronciity. Would you welcome a Triptosane screening event in your town?
Well, I’ve heard that Dennis works in Canada and visits here now and again. I haven’t met him although he has come to a “once a week movie night”, that my neighbor puts on. I think the last time he was in town I missed him because I was in New York working on TRIPTOSANE.
HOW WEIRD IS THAT??
Okay, not that weird
Q: How many different voices, can you recall, did you use when playing SYD?
Oh, boy I don’t remember them all. I guess we’ll have to watch the film and find out.
Q: Were the subjects of artificial intelligence, human consciousness and shamanism high on the list of your interests? Have they moved up or down the list since Triptosane?
I guess I’ve always been interested in these subjects to a certain degree.
I’ve done some reading but I’m no expert. I enjoy listening to Mckenna. There is a bunch of stuff I found on youtube that I had never heard before. I’ve always wanted to try an isolation tank sometime.
Q: What is next for you Trace?
This is the new venture from Joel Hodgson, J. Elvis Weinstein, Frank Conniff, Mary Jo Pehl, and myself. We will be riffin’ on movies just like the old days. We have one title out now THE OOZING SKULL and several more in the pipeline. We will also be performing a live version of the show at the State Theater in Mpls. On Oct. 25th 2008.
“Shroom Airlines”
