Much of Army of Darkness was filmed on exterior set constructed in Acton, California. It was uncomfortably hot during the day and uncomfortably cold at night. Tippi Hedren’s Shambala Preserve was across the road and we could hear lions roaring when the sun went down. When it came time to leave most of the cast and crew were happy to say goodbye to the location, but I was sad. I thought: “When will I ever get a chance to film something in a castle again?” I had no way of knowing that castles, real or constructed, would be where I’d spend most of my directing career.
If I remember correctly, the picture above was taken by actor Harry Van Gorkum, who has been in two of my films.
Next week I’ll post some castles I’ve drawn that are featured in this weeks’ release of “The Curious Saga of No-One” pt 3, now available on the Scrollon App for the iPhone and the iPad.
“Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow” was written by lyricist Sammy Cahn and composer Jule Styne in July 1945. This song has become a Holiday classic despite the fact it was not intended as such (it contains no mention of Christmas) and was written in Los Angeles, California during one of the hottest days on record.
I don’t know how Cahn and Styne got into the mood, but one of my projects recently had me drawing a fictious 1898 expedition to the North Pole. I was doing this in West Toluca Lake (within the greater Los Angeles area) during a heat wave.
My solution was to recite “The Cremation of Sam McGee” while drawing.
If you find yourself in a similar situation, try it. It works. (A word of caution: if you don’t want to alienate friends and family, recite softly.)
Elsewhere in the news: An update was just released for the Scrollon app which enables full support for iPhones. If you have one, please check it out at http://appstore.com/scrollon. It’s free!
A few months ago I posted the line drawing for this image from Autumn & Gearlock, “Outlaws and Orphans” Pt 3 of 3:
Here is a devolution of the image, taking you back to the original rough drawing…
The first two chapters of “Outlaws and Orphans” are currently available on the Scrollon app for the iPad.
They are real.
I know this because my wife tells me she finds them in the dark and neglected corners of our house. When confronted, you can show them neither fear nor forgiveness. Make no mistake, their kind will multiply.
Admittedly, I’ve never seen a Dust Bunny and can only provide an artistic interpretation of their appearance. But some things we must accept on faith. Take atoms for example, I have never seen one but I’m told they’re everywhere. For that matter, I’ve never seen the Iquazu Falls, the North Pole or the Loch Ness Monster and yet firmly believe in the existence of all of them.
As we get older our tastes mature. Time and experiences temper youthful fancy. Our outlook expands. When I was a boy I was content to draw dinosaurs all day long.
Now I draw dinosaurs AND giant robots.
