Trip to Oregon/Northern California

Well I'm finally back with a new post after more than a year of silence.  Yikes!  I have been filming and editing more footage the entire time (piece-by-piece), but never with anything I felt I could post on the blog.  It was all just rough cuts with temp music, and all I'd really be able to show without giving away massive spoilers would be screenshots of me editing or something.  Compound that with the fact that I've basically been going in and out of hiatus the past year or so to round up loose ends on various other projects that I've been backlogged with for some time now, and you've got a recipe for the film moving VERY slowly.

And even though there's still a few projects I have to finish up before I can go full time "Down the Road"…

I'm back!  And the production continues!

But now on to today's post…  I recently took a trip through Oregon and Northern California (half vacation, half work for DtR) to get as much personal stock as I could for the type of woods and locale I'm trying to create.  The story for the film takes place in a fictional town called Clearwood (which just so happens to reside in Oregon by the way, hehe), with a mysterious neighboring woods at its outskirts.  And my basic premise behind the look I want is that it's very lush... and very mysterious.  We took tons of still shots, videos, references, and other various elements to use as part of the visual effects and editing stages, and I'm very excited to share some of them with you.

So without further ado, enjoy this quick glimpse into the collection of photos we took (click each image for higher resolution):

I'm super happy with the footage and stills we got.  And with any luck, I'll be able to translate these into the film itself, into a unified feeling of lush exploration and mystery that I've wanted for this film for so long… calm, yet eerie... mysterious, yet beautiful.

And very… very… lush.  Did I mention that already?  Haha  :)

As always, looking forward to posting more as we progress with this crazy film.

- Erik (Director)

Clearwood Map Sketch

So, I recently found this in an old sketchbook of mine: an early concept I made for the layout of Clearwood (the small, woodsy town the film takes place in).

Take a look (click for larger view):

I'm guessing I made this around 2009-10, a few years before I finished the final draft of the script.  During this version, the town actually bordered an ocean on two sides (note the lighthouse and boat docks at the bottom), as opposed to its current version, which is now completely surrounded by thick woods on all sides.

In that same sketchpad, I also found the earliest known concept I made for the film (very similar to the poster concept you see in the background right now), but I'll save that for a later post chronicling the evolution of the film's poster (when I finally have the real "live-action" one available).

Anyway, that's all for now!

- Erik (Director)

First Video Preview: "Teaser Montage"

And now, without further ado, I bring you the very first video glimpse into…

"Down the Road"

Still not enough work done for a full trailer yet, but I'm very happy with how this little "Teaser Montage" turned out.  At the moment I'm estimating about a year still left till the final film will be completed.  It seems like a long time, but truthfully… I've never been this close before, and it's very exciting!

Teaser Montage URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLn8Z7koQlM

- Erik (Director)