In 2008, Steve Tolin and Jeff Waltrowski formed Clear Conscience Pictures to embark on the co-production of the science fiction action-adventure-creature-comedy It Came from Yesterday. This marked our first attempt at Tolin FX to use a hybrid of practical and computer effects to create the creature effects and action sequences. And… the whole film was shot on a GREENSCREEN!
Shooting on greenscreen also meant that we needed to create background environments for every shot in the movie. Tolin FX was also responsible for the production design of all the locations that were built from scratch. We used Maya to model and animate all of these digital elements. Jeff composited these elements, along with additional components, into a truly unique look that Clear Conscience calls- DANGERMATION.
Additionally, all of the period costuming, makeup and hair fell under the creative umbrella of Tolin FX. These were executed by Rachael Ryan, Chucky Hendershot, and Brian Alley and keyed by Midian Crosby. We also built and acquired all of the special props.
The most important undertaking for the film was, of course, all of the practical effects to be captured in camera during the shoot. The most exciting of all the practical special effects for the film was the Bugman. Following Jeff’s direction, I designed the Bugman with a contemporary look at the classic 1950’s monster suit. Building the Bugman was a huge undertaking for us. I led a team of artists for over three months, spending hundreds of hours to fabricate the creature suit. Working to build the Bugman with me were- Chucky Hendershot, Don Bumgarner, Wallace Brown, William Tolin, Christopher Patrick, Doug Fairall, and Spencer Kraus. Hundreds of Bugmen appeared in ICFY, and all of them were performed soley by Chucky Hendershot. Wearing the urethane and latex creature suit, Chucky spent many long hours bringing the Bugman to life.
There were also hundreds of small flying bug creatures in the film. These creatures were treated as hybrid practical and computer generated characters, utilizeing both disciplines to bring the small bug to life. All of the tight and medium shots were of a practical hand puppet operated by Steve Tolin wearing a green spandex suit, while all of the wider shots were computer generated models built and animated in Maya.
The film has been picked up by Panorama Entertainment and will be available on DVD and VOD soon.
