And That's a Wrap

Hello!

So its been a while since we had the chance to update this and that's because we've been hard at work in making the world of Oriud come to life. Since the last update we have had some pretty exciting happenings. Here is a brief overview of Oriud news:

1) Rachel Beck and our amazing production design team banded together to build some really wonderful sets. The demands were high as the script called for two completely furnished gypsy tents and a villian's lair. The team went above and beyond and even added a cart to one of the tents and completely blew away our expectations and came in under budget. When you see the film, watch out for details such as hammocks for sleeping, rugs covering all the floor space, handmade toys for Arcker's kids, and old wood paneling on Arcker's cart. Well done guys!

2) Allison Oh and the costuming team put their sewing prowess to the test and whipped out 16 complete costumes for this film. Some notable achievements were Irana's one armed archery cloak and Arcker's doublet and cape. Some of the costumes played were specifically made to play double duty and save money...so lots of great creativity there. Some of the costumes have great trim work, and most of the costumes lace up instead of using snaps to make the costumes feel as authentic as possible. We are super excited for these costumes to be seen on screen.

3) Melissa Rose and Diane Geivett created two unique pieces for the film in the prop department. Balrien's staff was hand carved and decorated by Melissa. She used hand-twisted silver wire to add detail and interest to the staff and Diane used a smilar wire-bending technique to make a pendant for Irana. The script required the pendant to glow from the inside...so Diane searched high and low until finally coming to a vendor in Hong Kong who was able to solve her problem (but more on that in the special features).

4) Kevin Ulrich added DP to his list of credits on this film and led his team as they captured this story on camera. Putting together shot lists for forest locations was a trick since the weather and locations can change at a moments notice. Even though the forest tossed a lot of unexpected twists and turns at us (such as last minute location changes due to permits and weather) they figured out how to rework entire scenes and make each location really pop in the film. Be on the lookout for the talents of Daniel with some complex camera motions, Chris and Brandon with some awesome focus pulling, and Zack and Brandon with our lighting both indoors and out. They also pulled off a huge amount of hand-held shots while managing a very heavy camera...arms and backs of steel anyone? I think yes.

5) We were very blessed to have such a hard-working and talented cast. Even our extras went all out and threw themselves into their roles. While we will be doing actor profiles for each cast member as the months go on...we so enjoyed the energy and creative thought that each person brought to their role. They did countless hours of research and rehearsal to ensure an honest and authentic performance in every scene...and it shows.

6) And then of course...there is our villain. Sieck was constructed by Brian Ulrich and played by Skyler Christensen. This 6' tall monster was constructed mostly of bone replicas and usually took an average of 40 minutes to put on. Skyler endured a heck of a lot of pain to bring this character to life. I would say more...but have been sworn to secrecy until after the premier.

And that's that for now...keep checking in for more updates and featured profiles on cast and crew members in the coming months.