"The Rig" Megathread

Crazy Ivan · 03:29 AM

As some of you may know, I'm currently in the last stages of preproduction on a feature film I'm directing called "The Platform." It's a sci-fi thriller that takes place on a working oil rig in the ocean over the course of one night. The rig is in the middle of a storm, and most of the crew has evacuated, but a small crew is left behind to monitor the rig. A creature comes on board and starts killing them off, and they must try to survive the night until the storm passes in the morning, so they can be rescued by helicopter.

The movie currently has a budget of $600,000. It's being privately financed by a company called Workshop Pictures. We begin principal photography in Louisiana on August 10th, shooting on an actual oil rig that is permanently docked in a town called Morgan City. We'll be down there for four weeks.

Click here for a video I shot when we originally scouted the location.

I've been involved with the project since the development phase, and I have a story credit on the screenplay. We developed it in house with the intention of selling the U.S. rights to the Sci-fi channel, and then selling international theatrical rights thereafter. However, that plan might change. We're currently waiting to recieve a counteroffer from Rachel Leigh Cook to star in the female lead role, so if we end up getting her we will probably aim for a U.S. limited theatrical release. We're also trying to get a name actor for her father, possibly someone like Michael Biehn or Rutger Hauer.

We're shooting on two Panasonic HD Varicams, pictured below. My DP is Ricardo Gale, who has been a DP for about 20 years. We'll have a total crew on location of about 35 people.

The creature was designed jointly by myself and Davis Fandino, who worked on both of the Aliens Vs. Predator movies, as well as the new Venom for Spiderman III.

The creature is being played by a gymnast that we cast here in L.A. Click here to watch his audition that we shot at a playground here in town.

I'll be updating this thread with more pictures and info soon, but feel free to ask any questions or shit-talking you might have.

Qaz · 07-11-2007, 05:35 PM

The premise sounds promising and I'm sure you'll do a good job, but the only thing I think of is "another lame made for TV horror movie" However if you can push it past that and make it something worth watching, I could get excited for this!

The creature looks good so far...looks a lot like venom though. Just don't paint it black!

AR-Raven · 07-11-2007, 05:48 PM

Do we get to see the script?

Raz · 07-11-2007, 05:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Qaz

The premise sounds promising and I'm sure you'll do a good job, but the only thing I think of is "another lame made for TV horror movie" However if you can push it past that and make it something worth watching, I could get excited for this!

My thoughts exactly. I'm looking forward to this.

Crazy Ivan · 07-11-2007, 06:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Qaz

The premise sounds promising and I'm sure you'll do a good job, but the only thing I think of is "another lame made for TV horror movie" However if you can push it past that and make it something worth watching, I could get excited for this!

Yeah, that was my worry in doing it. We're trying our best to avoid a lot of the cliches of the genre. It doesn't help when Sci-Fi channel and the distributors we've talked to give us script notes that, were we to implement them, would make the script horrible and just like every other awful "made for Sci-Fi" movie that you see on that channel.

Allergic 2 Life · 07-11-2007, 06:30 PM

Thats cool, I like the location, its perfect... I'm excited to see the finished product... hopefully it wont turn into a lame made for TV movie.

Qaz · 07-11-2007, 06:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crazy Ivan

Yeah, that was my worry in doing it. We're trying our best to avoid a lot of the cliches of the genre. It doesn't help when Sci-Fi channel and the distributors we've talked to give us script notes that, were we to implement them, would make the script horrible and just like every other awful "made for Sci-Fi" movie that you see on that channel.

Just go Billy Walsh all over their asses, demand final cut and keep the suits away. Ah if only life were like that.

Rabid Dinosaur · 07-11-2007, 06:59 PM

Sounds awesome!

Crazy Ivan · 07-11-2007, 07:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AR-Raven

Do we get to see the script?

I can't, unfortunately. If anyone ever found out I'd be in serious trouble. Once we're done shooting I'll see if I can upload it.

Norcon · 07-11-2007, 08:04 PM

Are you directing this fabulous piece of film?

bl0ppin · 07-11-2007, 08:12 PM

Sorry, Norcon? What the hell?

Norcon · 07-11-2007, 08:18 PM

What? I asked a simple question. I am excited that Crazy Ivan is apart of this project. I love horror films, and that camera is amazing, the budget is big, Rachael Lee Cook is HOT. I want to know if he's directing the film. Oh and the monster looks bitch'n too.

bl0ppin · 07-11-2007, 08:20 PM

Allow me to show you the first sentence of this thread.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crazy Ivan

As some of you may know, I'm currently in the last stages of preproduction on a feature film I'm directing called "The Platform."

Norcon · 07-11-2007, 08:24 PM

Sorry, I'm really tired.. I misread. Wow. This is great. Congrats, Ivan.

And thanks RR.

tronderboo · 07-11-2007, 09:33 PM

... yeah anyway.

PETE. I'm so thrilled for you man, this is incredible. How you holding up against the pressure? You must be, like, crawling with directorial anxieties.

I can imagine this going one of two ways. One is the way Qaz warned against, a shocking, schlocking Sci Fi channel made for TV movie. The other is a uber-natural, fresh look at the idea and all the potential it has. No cocky black rig worker. No drunk with a broken family. No screaming chicks running and somehow surviving ordeals manly men fail. Just heaps and heaps of tension. But man, I'm sure you know every iota of the genre, and have your own route planned through it.

Tease us - what page does the gremlin thing first appear on?

Gorosaurus · 07-12-2007, 03:43 AM

I like the design; it's above-par for the standard SciFi movie fare. If you are still looking for suggestions, however, maybe we could help.

The texturing is very nice - your guy excels in that area. He's also pretty good with muscles, tendons, and other necessities. I would 120% advise a solid color eye, though. ESPECIALLY if you do not have the ability to convincingly move the eyes (More importantly, their lids). White seems to be working fine, but perhaps black could work as well.

Also, does it by chance have any gills or other nautical additions? I'm not sure if that would help or not, but it could give the opportunity to break the monotony of it's skin color with a wildly flashy red when the gills flare open.

And one last thing, seeing as the creature appears to walk upright and be nearly human in everything but details, it could be nice to screw with our perceptions a bit. My suggestion would be to make the face not quite so symmetrical. Maybe not to Toxic Avenger level, but perhaps as little as a barnacle or scar to break up the familiarity

Good luck on it, man! I know you'll do as good as the budget will allow

Qaz · 07-12-2007, 04:36 AM

...so basically try not to make it look like The Creature from the black lagoon

Breed · 07-12-2007, 10:36 AM

I LOVE THAT THERE IS SUCCESS STORIES ON OUR LITTLE BOARD

you'll do sexy Peter, GOOD LUCK!!! and if the monster gets out of line just break his glasses, but be careful his friend is a moron. But in the end he'll just wanna shake your hand SO GOOD LUCK!!!

Zaquis · 07-15-2007, 02:47 PM

Holy shit I had no idea of this. Let me know when it is done and I will watch and then tell you how TERRIBLE it is.

Crazy Ivan · 07-24-2007, 07:16 AM

Update: Rachel Leigh Cook passed. She used our offer as leverage to get a part on Gray's Anatomy.

We're currently working on signing Sarah Laine (http://imdb.com/name/nm1036641/) as the female lead.

We also have an offer out to William Forsythe (The Rock, Raising Arizona) to play her father.

as well as Tony Todd (Candyman, The Rock) to play another character.

I'll post more of the locked cast later. We also locked our 1st AD, wardrobe, grip & electric, sound, and camera departments today.

Adam Clough · 07-24-2007, 10:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crazy Ivan

You need to physically make this. And wet it, so you can see the creature's distorted reflection in it.

HMC · 07-24-2007, 01:57 PM

That would be badass.

Qaz · 07-26-2007, 02:27 PM

Tony Todd?!?! haha, YES! That would be great. Tony Todd is the man.

And that girl was in a movie called Flight of the Living Dead, haha. That one is netflix`d now.

Raz · 07-26-2007, 02:44 PM

I know you can't reveal much about the script but is there anything that strikes you about it? Was there anything about it that was the deciding factor in you making it? I guess what I'm asking is, is the script better than the majority of made for tv movies? Even if it isn't, if you do a good job then that's pretty respectable.

Crazy Ivan · 07-26-2007, 05:37 PM

We just really tried to avoid as many cliches of the genre as possible. For me, the biggest thing was the likability of the characters. I'm always annoyed in movies like this when the characters always break down to the arrogant jock, the slutty hot chick, the pure hot chick, the pussy nerd, the asshole with an agenda or trying to get them all killed, and the comic relief. There's always characters that are just painful to watch, and you spend the movie just wishing their inevitable death scene would come faster. You never want most of them to survive, except the one who obviously will.

I wanted these characters to be less extreme in their personalities, and for all of them to be the type where an audience might go, "hey, maybe this one will survive the night." I want it to be more of a blow each time someone dies, because you're never really sure who is gonna make it or not, and you really want all of them to get out alive. I think we've done a pretty good job of that, and while it's hard to avoid making some of the deaths predictable in a movie like this, I hope there are some genuine surprises.

07-11-2007, 04:12 PM	#1
Crazy Ivan Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Posts: 9,462	"The Rig" Megathread As some of you may know, I'm currently in the last stages of preproduction on a feature film I'm directing called "The Platform." It's a sci-fi thriller that takes place on a working oil rig in the ocean over the course of one night. The rig is in the middle of a storm, and most of the crew has evacuated, but a small crew is left behind to monitor the rig. A creature comes on board and starts killing them off, and they must try to survive the night until the storm passes in the morning, so they can be rescued by helicopter. The movie currently has a budget of $600,000. It's being privately financed by a company called Workshop Pictures. We begin principal photography in Louisiana on August 10th, shooting on an actual oil rig that is permanently docked in a town called Morgan City. We'll be down there for four weeks. Click here for a video I shot when we originally scouted the location. I've been involved with the project since the development phase, and I have a story credit on the screenplay. We developed it in house with the intention of selling the U.S. rights to the Sci-fi channel, and then selling international theatrical rights thereafter. However, that plan might change. We're currently waiting to recieve a counteroffer from Rachel Leigh Cook to star in the female lead role, so if we end up getting her we will probably aim for a U.S. limited theatrical release. We're also trying to get a name actor for her father, possibly someone like Michael Biehn or Rutger Hauer. We're shooting on two Panasonic HD Varicams, pictured below. My DP is Ricardo Gale, who has been a DP for about 20 years. We'll have a total crew on location of about 35 people. The creature was designed jointly by myself and Davis Fandino, who worked on both of the Aliens Vs. Predator movies, as well as the new Venom for Spiderman III. The creature is being played by a gymnast that we cast here in L.A. Click here to watch his audition that we shot at a playground here in town. I'll be updating this thread with more pictures and info soon, but feel free to ask any questions or shit-talking you might have.
	Last edited by Crazy Ivan : 07-14-2007 at 03:29 AM. Reason: Whoops, I'm not supposed to show the creature to anyone.

07-11-2007, 05:35 PM	#2
Qaz Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2001 Posts: 6,355	The premise sounds promising and I'm sure you'll do a good job, but the only thing I think of is "another lame made for TV horror movie" However if you can push it past that and make it something worth watching, I could get excited for this! The creature looks good so far...looks a lot like venom though. Just don't paint it black!
Qaz Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2001 Posts: 6,355

07-11-2007, 05:48 PM	#3
AR-Raven Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 5,558	Do we get to see the script?
AR-Raven Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 5,558

07-11-2007, 08:04 PM	#10
Norcon Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 88	Are you directing this fabulous piece of film?
Norcon Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 88

07-11-2007, 08:12 PM	#11
bl0ppin Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 4,644	Sorry, Norcon? What the hell?
bl0ppin Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 4,644

07-11-2007, 06:30 PM	#6
Allergic 2 Life Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2001 Posts: 11,459	Thats cool, I like the location, its perfect... I'm excited to see the finished product... hopefully it wont turn into a lame made for TV movie.

07-11-2007, 06:59 PM	#8
Rabid Dinosaur Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 14,894	Sounds awesome!

07-11-2007, 08:18 PM	#12
Norcon Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 88	What? I asked a simple question. I am excited that Crazy Ivan is apart of this project. I love horror films, and that camera is amazing, the budget is big, Rachael Lee Cook is HOT. I want to know if he's directing the film. Oh and the monster looks bitch'n too.
Norcon Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 88

07-11-2007, 08:24 PM	#14
Norcon Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 88	Sorry, I'm really tired.. I misread. Wow. This is great. Congrats, Ivan. And thanks RR.
Norcon Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 88

07-11-2007, 09:33 PM	#15
tronderboo Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2001 Posts: 2,743	... yeah anyway. PETE. I'm so thrilled for you man, this is incredible. How you holding up against the pressure? You must be, like, crawling with directorial anxieties. I can imagine this going one of two ways. One is the way Qaz warned against, a shocking, schlocking Sci Fi channel made for TV movie. The other is a uber-natural, fresh look at the idea and all the potential it has. No cocky black rig worker. No drunk with a broken family. No screaming chicks running and somehow surviving ordeals manly men fail. Just heaps and heaps of tension. But man, I'm sure you know every iota of the genre, and have your own route planned through it. Tease us - what page does the gremlin thing first appear on?

07-12-2007, 03:43 AM	#16
Gorosaurus Super Moderator Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 16,146	I like the design; it's above-par for the standard SciFi movie fare. If you are still looking for suggestions, however, maybe we could help. The texturing is very nice - your guy excels in that area. He's also pretty good with muscles, tendons, and other necessities. I would 120% advise a solid color eye, though. ESPECIALLY if you do not have the ability to convincingly move the eyes (More importantly, their lids). White seems to be working fine, but perhaps black could work as well. Also, does it by chance have any gills or other nautical additions? I'm not sure if that would help or not, but it could give the opportunity to break the monotony of it's skin color with a wildly flashy red when the gills flare open. And one last thing, seeing as the creature appears to walk upright and be nearly human in everything but details, it could be nice to screw with our perceptions a bit. My suggestion would be to make the face not quite so symmetrical. Maybe not to Toxic Avenger level, but perhaps as little as a barnacle or scar to break up the familiarity Good luck on it, man! I know you'll do as good as the budget will allow

07-12-2007, 04:36 AM	#17
Qaz Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2001 Posts: 6,355	...so basically try not to make it look like The Creature from the black lagoon
Qaz Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2001 Posts: 6,355

07-12-2007, 10:36 AM	#18
Breed Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 7,768	I LOVE THAT THERE IS SUCCESS STORIES ON OUR LITTLE BOARD you'll do sexy Peter, GOOD LUCK!!! and if the monster gets out of line just break his glasses, but be careful his friend is a moron. But in the end he'll just wanna shake your hand SO GOOD LUCK!!!
Breed Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 7,768

07-15-2007, 02:47 PM	#19
Zaquis Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2001 Posts: 15,583	Holy shit I had no idea of this. Let me know when it is done and I will watch and then tell you how TERRIBLE it is.
Zaquis Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2001 Posts: 15,583

07-24-2007, 07:16 AM	#20
Crazy Ivan Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Posts: 9,462	Update: Rachel Leigh Cook passed. She used our offer as leverage to get a part on Gray's Anatomy. We're currently working on signing Sarah Laine (http://imdb.com/name/nm1036641/) as the female lead. We also have an offer out to William Forsythe (The Rock, Raising Arizona) to play her father. as well as Tony Todd (Candyman, The Rock) to play another character. I'll post more of the locked cast later. We also locked our 1st AD, wardrobe, grip & electric, sound, and camera departments today.

07-24-2007, 01:57 PM	#22
HMC Super Moderator Join Date: Jan 2003 Posts: 8,715	That would be badass.
HMC Super Moderator Join Date: Jan 2003 Posts: 8,715

07-26-2007, 02:27 PM	#23
Qaz Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2001 Posts: 6,355	Tony Todd?!?! haha, YES! That would be great. Tony Todd is the man. And that girl was in a movie called Flight of the Living Dead, haha. That one is netflix`d now.
Qaz Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2001 Posts: 6,355

07-26-2007, 02:44 PM	#24
Raz Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2001 Posts: 10,485	I know you can't reveal much about the script but is there anything that strikes you about it? Was there anything about it that was the deciding factor in you making it? I guess what I'm asking is, is the script better than the majority of made for tv movies? Even if it isn't, if you do a good job then that's pretty respectable.
Raz Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2001 Posts: 10,485

07-26-2007, 05:37 PM	#25
Crazy Ivan Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Posts: 9,462	We just really tried to avoid as many cliches of the genre as possible. For me, the biggest thing was the likability of the characters. I'm always annoyed in movies like this when the characters always break down to the arrogant jock, the slutty hot chick, the pure hot chick, the pussy nerd, the asshole with an agenda or trying to get them all killed, and the comic relief. There's always characters that are just painful to watch, and you spend the movie just wishing their inevitable death scene would come faster. You never want most of them to survive, except the one who obviously will. I wanted these characters to be less extreme in their personalities, and for all of them to be the type where an audience might go, "hey, maybe this one will survive the night." I want it to be more of a blow each time someone dies, because you're never really sure who is gonna make it or not, and you really want all of them to get out alive. I think we've done a pretty good job of that, and while it's hard to avoid making some of the deaths predictable in a movie like this, I hope there are some genuine surprises.