Mission Slightly Difficult

Interview Series Part II

Francis_7 & Disky

by NigelBlackthorne

You won’t find too many people in There with as much name recognition as Francis_7.  His Miracle Pictures group has produced some of the most entertaining movies and videos over the course of There’s short history and have a few more in the works.  In this the second part of the making of Mission Slightly Difficult interview series, I interviewed Francis_7 and wife Disky of Miracle Pictures. 

One thing I was aware of during the shooting of MSD is that Miracle Pictures uses a different method of capturing video then the other There movie/video makers.  I wanted to find out more and Francis_7 explained how they do it, “Most people use a software product to capture video. A lot of people use Fraps or CamStudio. Our movies are made with a variety of hardware. First the VGA signal is converted via an Averkey 500 Pro and the output from that is fed into a Mini DV camcorder where both audio and video are recorded on tape.  The advantage is that tape is cheap and I can always get more, and unlike hard drives, it rarely crashes.  The tape is then fed into a Macintosh where it is edited. The output version is perfect for watching on our nice 37 inch TV set in the big room of the house. Then it is converted into various compressed formats.”

”We ended up with about 15 hours of raw footage on Mission Slightly Difficult,” he said and went on to explain, “Some of the stunt sequences were complicated involving several vehicles at a time and often we had to do the same scene over and over.  I think the end result will be very entertaining as a result, but it did tend to eat up a lot of tape.  Also we had a fairly large cast and the more people you get crowded together the more likely one of them gets bumped through a wall or other object by the others.”

I had been told that there might be a DVD version of the movie which I thought would be a first for a There movie.  I asked Francis about that, to which he explained, “We are planning a special DVD version of the movie. We still have a lot of details to work through, but it will be a fundraiser for our club to promote the making of more movies.  It will probably be similar to the collection of new movies we have now. You get an item in auctions, then trade it in and receive through the mail the Disc.  Look for special behind the scenes documentary, a blooper reel and a slide show of still images form the movie and even some very special 'deleted scenes'!”

The sets for MSD are very elaborate.  Besides the off the shelf items that were used, new items had to be designed for the production of the movie.  I had heard that Francis was involved in designing items used for props in the movie and asked him about that. 

“I was just learning how to make things in g-max as production started. Thanks to a UOT (University Of There) class taught by Mr_Vercetti and at first I did just a few things. I made a blackboard that was used in several shots, and a Miracle Pictures Camera and Tripod.  Later I made several special props like the virus container and a bomb case that opened up as you got closer to it.  Other people also contributed their skill to making props for the movie. Special thanks to Meret who helped make the wonderful chain link fence that surrounds the Linden Labs set as well as the way cool computer control console. And of course the very cool MSDF hoverbikes!  I had a blast riding around on that!”

Rick_Slick had worked with Francis and the Miracle Pictures group before on a number of projects and I was curious as to how this was different from their previous collaborations.  Francis explained, “Rick_Slick spent a ton of time planning out this production, from writing the script to working out casting details and call sheets. He did it all!  Most of our previous movies have had a script but generally they are loose and leave a lot of room for improvisation. This script was very detailed and worked out and required a ton of different sets and locations, and it had to. The action was all worked out.  Just about the only thing we did not have on this production that a major motion picture would have were storyboards and some decent doughnuts at the catering table.

I knew there was a lot of money spent on the production of MSD. I asked Francis ...who paid for it and was there anyway to recoup some or all of the cost of doing it? “Rick spent more money on this production that I can imagine. From building sets to paying to keep a ton of different PAZ's out Rick spared no expense in bringing his vision to the silver screen.  I strongly believe that most things in There should be free.  Miracle Pictures has never charged for any of the movies we have made. I hope this tradition will continue.  I think Rick_Slick is planning to auction off or garage sale a lot of the set pieces used in MSD.  If you want to help Miracle Pictures out most of the items are now listed in auctions. Get a poster or two!  Or pick up some rack mounted servers!  Oh and also look for the special DVD version which will be out about the time the movie premiers in the spring. But before you see this movie we have a few other productions in the works. There Wild Wild West should be out in time for the Christmas Holidays. And in the spring be on the lookout for the Wonderful Wizard of Lag!” 

Francis’s better half and Miracle Picture’s partner Disky worked hard as well to film the movie.  Along with her other duties she also played a part in the movie.  I asked her to talk about the character she played and she said, “I play Disky my Avatar in the movie, but she has an interesting life in There.  She's  part of a secret group and has a bit of a shady pass. I could tell you more but then I'd have to kill you.......'smile'…” 

Well, ok…we won’t try to go deeper than that.  Disky designed the labcoats for the scientists in the movie and I asked her about other things she was involved with. “Hmm I operated the camera for one scene, and sometimes helped find extras when needed. I outfitted extras occasionally, and kept track of what actors played what for the credits, when I was at a shoot
 

Francis_7 is currently finishing up work on There Wild Wild West, which should be out in the next few weeks and is also working on finishing the Wizard of Lag.  Mission Slightly Difficult will be released after that.  He has no plans at the moment for filming projects until he finishes up editing and releasing the ones he is working on.