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formations

Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2012 8:20 pm
by mr_thebrain
Perhaps its been brought up already, but something has been nagging on my brain. How will they do the battle room formations in the movies? I mean will the skip them altogether? I would think even with cgi it'll be hard to pull off. They are kind of a big part of the book. But take the part where they tie the kids up into a wall. Seems like it would be difficult.

Discuss.

Re: formations

Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2012 8:16 am
by Yoda
Good point, I dont think they will do much with formations, but you would think they would do something similar in basic strategies to show the difference Ender uses.


Yoda

Re: formations

Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2012 11:05 am
by Boothby
I continue to believe that the Battle Rooms will be a key visual hook in the film (that and the final battle scenes, planet-side).

Showing battles between two groups of 40 participants each is achievable, using 'standard" film language...achieving the visual scope will require a mix of CG, acrobat stunt-men (and women), flying rigs, and green-screen work. It's quite do-able.

Medium Shot: Dragon Army races down the corridor to the Battle Room

CU: Ender and Bean (plus 3 other toon leaders) approach the already open door. We see that the battle room is dimly lit

Extreme Wide Angle: from the dimly-lit interior of the Battle Room, we see 4 stars with 5 kids each arrayed symmetrically at the center of the room, and 60 kids crawling across the vertical (down) wall in front of us. The Dragon's gate is lit from behind, with 5 human shadows visible. Faint glow-strips on the suits in the Battle Room make it look like a summer's night, full of fireflies. SLOW ZOOM IN: we slowly zoom past the stars configuration, and see only the wall and the Dragon's gate. The light through the gate is lowly cut off as more and more human shadows fill the space.

CUT TO MEDIUM SHOT: In the short corridor leading to the Battle Room, the Dragon Army starts to assemble a human construct, an interwoven mesh of children soldiers. CAMERA TRACKS with small toon as they run towards the gate and leap through. CAMERA PANS to follow action, becoming soldier's POV. The room expands as soon as we are through the door.. Camera floats out, rotates 180° to face receding Dragon's gate. We see an arm, with a wrist-gun rise into the bottom of the frame.

CUT TO: MEDIUM WIDE SHOT of soldier raising arm and weapon, firing at the 60 enemy soldiers on the wall. Behind her, we see the shield of soldiers receding towards the 4 central stars. Laser fire erupts from the shield towards the wall....


And so on.

Re: formations

Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2012 11:42 am
by LilBee91
And they still haven't begged you to come work in the film? Honestly...

Re: formations

Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2012 6:07 pm
by mr_thebrain
Well, I hope you're right.

Re: formations

Posted: Sat Mar 02, 2013 12:18 am
by TerresaWiggin
you need to get yourself in on this project!!!

Re: formations

Posted: Sat Mar 02, 2013 8:36 am
by Boothby
TW, you would not believe the efforts I've put in to try to get involved! All to no avail, unfortunately.