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Friday, Mar 29, 2024

Valley Company Took Bite of ‘Snakes on a Plane’ Project

What’s the worst kind of snake bite you can get? Why not leave the response to the man whose special effects company created the snake bite wounds for the upcoming movie “Snakes on a Plane.” “The cottonmouth,” says Todd Masters, a 20-year veteran in the special effects field. And why? “Because I say so,” Masters responds with a laugh. “No, the worst looking is the cottonmouth, which has bursting skin. The black mamba is more internal but it’s quicker and more thorough.” That’s the type of information one learns working on what will be among the most anticipated movies of the year. Most of the summer blockbusters have come and gone from the multiplex Disney’s “Pirates” sequel the one exception and now it’s time for “Snakes,” which hits theaters Aug. 18. The owner of MastersFX, with studios in both Arleta and Vancouver, Masters described working on the “Snakes” set as not just another day at the office what with the live snakes and hearing the “most horrific” stories from snake wrangler Jules Sylvester about what happens to a person who has an unfortunate encounter with a poisonous snake. From those stories, Masters let his imagination run wild on the look of the snake bites. He and makeup artist Monica Hubert also researched photos of bites to hands and feet the traditional places where someone would get bitten. “We didn’t find many faces,” Masters said. Principal filming for “Snakes” was completed nearly a year ago but in March a directive came down from New Line Cinema for additional scenes to bring the movie’s rating to an R from PG-13. Masters was among those gathered in a post-production facility with director David Ellis and others where without a script or game plan they discussed how much more hellish a flight they could make for star Samuel L. Jackson and his co-stars. “It was all of us pitching what was the worst thing that could happen,” Masters said. “We came up with all sorts of situations that we started adding to the movie.” Away from the “Snakes” set and out of the hands of the filmmakers was a grass roots Internet campaign spawning websites, blogs, trailers, even songs by fans that helped make it a sensation prior to its release in theaters. Perhaps it’s the simplicity of the title or campyness of the plot that make people take interest in “Snakes” but whatever the attraction, Masters likes how fans show their enthusiasm. It may not be the future of film marketing but it works well for popcorn summer fare like “Snakes,” he said. And he likes how the filmmakers and Jackson embraced the Internet campaign and haven’t shunned their fans, Masters said. “It seems to me if you can put some power into the audience and drive their interest it’s a win-win, as long as you are not looking for art,” Masters said. Digital Test At sunset, two couples enjoy martinis on the porch of a lakeside cabin. There is no dialogue. There is no sound at all, in fact, and quickly the scene shifts to one in which the couples are seated at dinner toasting with glasses of wine. Made by Walt Disney Studios and titled “The Other Project,” the short film may never see commercial release. But select scenes were screened Aug. 5 by the Hollywood Post Alliance for producers, editors, cinematographers and other below-the-line workers in the film and television industry during a day-long seminar on efficient work flow methods. Howard Lukk, executive director of production technology at the Walt Disney Studios, made “The Other Project” for executives of the media business units of The Walt Disney Co. to see how well four digital film cameras worked under on-location conditions and how the finished product compared with that from a traditional 35mm film camera. The film has a simple plot two couples enjoying time at a lakeside cabin but executed under what would be the most difficult filming conditions. That was why, Lukk explained, the actors drink a lot in the film, as a test to pick up the translucence of the liquid in the glasses. The dinner takes place in candlelight to test how the digital cameras work with a single light source, he said. While Lukk still finds film to be “king” in his book due to its portability, cameras that don’t need to be tethered to a server and its ability to create gorgeous pictures, the point of making the film was to tell a story of how the cameras worked in a real location environment. “You have to do a test with the hair and the makeup and looking at the dailies otherwise you won’t know what the traps are,” Lukk said. Daily News Blogs Got a little Hunter S. Thompson, H.L. Mencken or Matt Drudge in ya? Daily News officials are hoping to take what they call “citizen journalism” mainstream with the launch of valleynews.com, a Website that allows anyone to post a story, an opinion or even a news flash. The site, which will launch on Aug. 21, grows out of an increasingly popular trend, blogging, that has peppered the Internet for some time now. Organized into eight hubs covering the different communities of the San Fernando Valley, it will allow ordinary folks an opportunity to post stories or pictures about their pets or kids, their communities or views, just about anything that inspires them. The content will not be edited (save for an automated swear-word filter) but Daily News staffers will monitor it, pulling what they believe are the most interesting of the contributions onto a home page. Those stories too will appear in the Daily News community editions published weekly in print form. Three additional community editions, for Santa Clarita, Burbank/Glendale and Antelope Valley, launch on Oct. 5. Ron Kaye, Daily News editor, even foresees issues and events brought to light on the Website landing on the front page of the daily newspaper. “One of the things that excites me is that it allows for a real community, and you can reach all the people you can’t reach now,” Kaye told a meeting of the Livable Communities Council of the Economic Alliance of the San Fernando Valley recently. Addressing the group, Kaye noted that Internet sites like youtube.com, flicker.com and myspace.com, broadcast news and blogs are changing the way that news is delivered. “The newspaper is going to be boiled down to a very different product, and nobody knows what that is,” he said. For the meantime, what is clear is that folks in all walks of life are playing a bigger role in chronicling their own histories. But perhaps more important, providing such a forum, Kaye hopes, will help to unite communities, bringing them together around issues and causes and giving them a voice and a public forum. Perhaps ironically, it was that promise of a voice that seemed to most concern those assembled at the Livable Communities meeting. Many of those in attendance expressed concerns about the potential to disseminate information that is mean spirited or just plain wrong. “Who’s going to have the most influence in a public communication?” Kaye responded. “The people who are informed.” Annie Hundley, who was formerly with Rocky Mountain News, will serve as editor of valleynews.com, working with a staff of about seven who also work on the print editions. Posting will be free on the site. Advertising will drive revenues. Senior Reporter Shelly Garcia contributed to this column. Staff Reporter Mark R. Madler can be reached at (818) 316-3126 or at

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