Great job Nix. It's coming along nicely. I also commend your throw-back to Filmation's Ghost Busters (the live-action show, not the cartoon - for those on this board that don't follow Filmation's universe).

Y'know, I do have the punchline for that bit in mind, BUT I can't shoot it because I don't have the Ghostmobile, as I like to call it. The idea is that Eddie and Tracy go to the hardware store and can't find the secret message–it's been delivered to the “wrong” guys! If I do get around to writing this bit, and then asking at the other forum if anyone has the necessary figures, can quickly knock-up a “hardware store” flat like the one from the show, AND get this thing shot in 1-2 days, I might be able to put it in the story.

Wish I could help you out on that one, but I hadn't seen my “GB” in years. No telling where it ended up - could be in a closest, attic, or even my grandfather's barn.

Just a warning that this will probably not be done in time for Christmas Day, largely because I need a new can of spray adhesive to construct the sets. I'm shooting for a week after Christmas to premiere this thing, but fortunately you've been able to see this as a work in progress. Thank God, though, that I'll still be able to do everything with what I currently have–it's those goldurned sets that are giving me a headache.

I've been doing as much photography as I can from where I am, and, just last night, I came up with this test pic of the Ghostbusters fighting the Cinema Ghost, with the laser generator acting as the Ghost Trap's beam (it kinda looks like a triangle/inverted pyramid of light, doesn't it?)

What do ya think?

UPDATE, 2/18/09 (first update of the new year!) : I might consider replacing the Cinema Ghost sequence with the House on Haunted Hill stuff, with a more elaborate set piece at FAO Schwarz, in keeping with the Christmas/toys theme. I only ever wrote the HoHH thing because I had the idea in late 2008, when I figured that I could get away with a “cheap and easy” job…ha!

So, with that in mind, I ask any members who live in NYC (or Chicago, if you prefer) to take a trip down to FAO Schwarz and take some reference photos for me to use (yes, I have tried using Google, but I may need something a little more elaborate than the usual stock shots provided), and I ask any members at all for ideas on what I should use for haunted toys (shades of “Killerwatt” here!) I'm not using a Toy Golem here; that's being done in the Video Game, and probably has been done elsewhere. Maybe I should take a more Luigi's Mansion-ish route, with plane/helicopter mobiles coming to life and divebombing our heroes. Anyway, take a look at the list I've compiled here:

IDEAS FOR HAUNTED TOYS/GHOSTS AT FAO SCHWARZ:

–“Invisible” kids/skeletons dancing on the big piano, possibly to “Night on Bald Mountain” or somesuch
–A jump-rope wraps around Ray and knocks him onto the rails of one of those kiddie ride-on trains in true silent movie fashion
–Nutcrackers being possessed and coming to life
–The life-size Darth Vader coming to life (yes, I know it's not in keeping with the 1990 period, but we'll see how it turns out)
–Ghosts hurling teddy bears, etc. at our heroes

I'm scraping the barrel on a few of these, but I can't think of any more. And I'm not going anywhere near GI Joe; that would be too reminiscent of Small Soldiers.

UPDATE, 6/1/09

So, the FAO Schwarz idea didn't pan out. It'd be much easier to film a sequence at the Chicago location with real actors and not-quite-so-real ghosts and effects than it is to take photos, scale all that down and have to do all sorts of technical jiggery-pokery with it. Sad, really.

On a much more positive note, all the sets are pretty much finished. I only have a few more to spray down, and then I can use a week before the 4th of July (7 days, so I'll use them wisely) to commence the principal photography.

I still have to construct the Macy's flat, but that shouldn't be too much of a problem, since it's just a foamcore flat painted beige with a Christmas-like diorama behind it. The graveyard, too. Don't let me forget to make the headstones…

EDIT: Ah, wait! What the heck am I thinking? I already have my monuments in the form of chess pieces!

UPDATE, 6/26/09: I've managed to get a lot of the post-production work done, including music cues, a credits reel, and other fun stuff. Just need to build the sets and be done with at least four more scenes, as well as go in for reshoots.

I've started work on the Ecto-Containment Unit computer array and Bookshelf props, as well as the Macy's exterior flat. I've made the windows at 4“ x 5”, with the inside of the window (i.e. the part that gets cut out) at roughly 3.8“ x 4”. I'll make a scan of the sketches as soon as I can.

Meantime, here's a pic of my three props, courtesy The Action Figure Theatre.



And one of the Macy's flat made on a piece of foamboard. You can just about make out the pencil lines…

Just made an “Alternate Credits Reel” which replaces Bobby Brown's “On Our Own” with, absurdly, John Philip Sousa's “Liberty Bell March”. Problem is, I'm not sure which of the two sounds better….