Eve Of The War
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Imagination Of Wotw Fans
http://www.focusgaming.co.uk/eveofthewar/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=250
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Author:  Flaming Poultice [ Fri Mar 18, 2005 8:16 pm ]
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<span style='font-family:Arial'><span style='font-size:11pt;line-height:100%'>Being a huge aficionado of this musical, and being blessed/cursed <br />with an overactive mind, I wanted to start this thread as a bit of <br />an experiment. <br /><br />If the other fans of this music are anything like me, they have <br />provided the visual aspects of this story through the power of <br />their own imagination. That is to say, when Burton described <br />three Fighting Machines coming over the cleft of a hill, most of <br />us actually saw them in our mind’s eye. This is the great <br />flexibility of audio entertainment. <br /><br />But, besides our ‘seeing’ what was narrated, I’m pretty sure some <br />of us managed to build on the story and create our own scenarios <br />that weren’t necessarily described outright by Mr. Burton. <br /><br />If you think about it, an actual Martian cylinder impact isn’t <br />really described. <br /><br />Yes, the narrator sees the cylinder in Horsell Common. He also see <br />another “bound for London�, and finds himself at ground zero with <br />the Parson. But the mechanics of landing a cylinder is never <br />really laid out. <br /><br />Of course, we have a rough idea of how it must happen, from our <br />knowledge of physics and from what we may have seen in the movie <br />‘Superman’ or the amazing art in the album insert. But now the <br />story is entering the visual realm, it is of course going to <br />become necessary to SHOW how a Martian cylinder lands. <br /><br />And that opens up a lot of possibilities. What if it lands with <br />incredible violence, tearing through the atmosphere, plowing <br />through forests, leaving a mile-wide canyon in its wake? And why <br />not? Besides being visually appealing, such an impact would <br />suggest to the audience that the Martians within are really tough <br />customers. After all, if they can survive all that!<br /><br />Or, for all we know, maybe a cylinder lands in a way quite <br />different from what we expected. A 90-degree angle, perhaps. <br /><br />How does it land for you?<br /><br />In short, there are LOTS of scenes in this musical that we may <br />‘take for granted’ in our imagination, thanks to the narration. <br /><br />But, besides that, there’s a lot of stuff we have each ADDED to <br />the story by using our imagination. What does the Artilleryman <br />look like? What does Red Weed look like? Is Beth a hottie? <br />(Hey, in my head, she was!) And how does she die exactly? And <br />what does “a mighty metal warlord crashing down in sheets of <br />flame� really look like, in practical terms?<br /><br />Here’s a few of my ‘additions’ that might add a bit more to the <br />film if they were thrown into the visual mix:
  • The very first time the narrator sees a Fighting Machine in the <br />story, the first thing he notices is the similarity between the <br />Heat Ray on the Fighting Machine, and the one he saw a few days <br />before, poking from the cylinder in Horsell Common. To me, this <br />suggests that the Heat Ray needs to be a little more ‘unique-<br />looking’ than the one we’ve seen on the CGI tests so far. Nothing <br />garish; no green and red stripes or anything, but just something <br />that will make newbies to the story say to themselves, “Oh, crap, <br />that’s the weapon from the Common! But now it’s mobile!â€?<br /><br /></li>
  • Should the Heat Ray itself be invisible (as in the story) or <br />visible (as the visual form of the story seems to require)? How <br />about a mix of both? A semi-transparent flow of reddish-coloured <br />heat-effect? Kind of shimmery, like a desert mirage. I’d be <br />happy with that, as long as the focus is always on what the Ray <br />can do. When the Thunder Child gets smelted, all eyes should be <br />on its melting deck and the pillars of steam, not on the ‘effect’ <br />of the Heat Ray itself. <br /><br /></li>
  • At some point in ‘Forever Autumn’, the narrator really should <br />look up and see a sky filled with birds “flying south across the <br />autumn skyâ€?. As far as I’m concerned, the rest of the song can <br />work as a choral voiceover, with heaps of romantic imagery (you <br />know, for the chicks). I definitely do not want to have to watch <br />the narrator actually singing it. <br /><br /></li>
  • When the narrator reaches the harbour, scans the scene, and his <br />eyes lock on his beloved Carrie’s, it should take the form of a <br />super long-range zoom – from the width of the harbour with its <br />“vast crowdâ€?, to the escaping Steamer, to Carrie’s emotion-filled <br />eyes. <br /><br /></li>
  • When the narrator states, “The earth belonged to the Martiansâ€?, <br />and there’s that upbuilding crescendo of music and that final <br />triumphant “ULLA!â€?, I always view it through the eyes ofa camera <br />traveling like a rocket over the ruined London landscape, stopping <br />at three Fighting Machines overlooking the harbour, heads raised <br />in victory. <br /> <br /></li>
  • The Parson screaming, “The voice of the Devil is heard in our <br />land!!!â€? must (not should, but MUST) be accompanied by a fiery <br />Martian cylinder ripping its way through the blackened sky <br />overhead, perhaps nearby enough that its resultant gusty <br />turbulence tugs at the raving Parson’s clothes. Bound for York, <br />perhaps!<br /><br /></li>
  • As Parson Nathaniel and Beth come to the end of their ‘The <br />Spirit of Man’ duet, it would be absolutely awesome to see, over <br />Beth’s shoulder… the inevitable, deadly, incoming Martian <br />cylinder! As her music fades out, we should have a few long, <br />anxious moments watching it approach in Mach-2 silence before its <br />impact on the house and the horrific sound of the impact. (And, <br />my God, what an awful sound it is! I can almost hear what sounds <br />like a phone ringing in that clamorous explosion!)<br /><br /></li>
  • Even more chilling, to prove his new ‘faith’ that Beth is “one <br />of themâ€?, the Parson himself could see the incoming cylinder <br />(along with the audience) and yet choose to do nothing to protect <br />or save her. Think about it; it would make sense to him. This <br />would be his final test of twisted ‘faith’ for which he will pay <br />with his beloved Beth’s life. It could also serve as the root <br />cause to his final descent into madness. <br /><br /></li>
  • Ooo, even better – consider this: The narrator, near the end of <br />the duet, notices the strange enraptured look on the Parson’s <br />face, and follows his gaze to see the incoming cylinder – just in <br />time to knock the ecstatic Parson to safety, but not in time to <br />save Beth from its crushing impact. This way, when the Parson <br />does eventually get bonked over the head, we can appreciate why <br />the narrator might choose such means to silence him. And when the <br />Parson gets dragged away to have his blood sucked out, the <br />audience feels a sense of justice. (You let your wife die, buddy?<br />Well, here, try the Death by Martian Bloodsucking on for size, see <br />how you like that!)<br /><br /></li>
  • We should definitely see a small animal, like a rabbit, trapped <br />and struggling ineffectually in gobs of smothering Red Weed. <br /><br /></li>
  • The Artilleryman, when we first meet him, should be almost <br />skeletal, the embodiment of ruined mankind, dirty, used up, <br />beaten, trudging meaninglessly toward London with no real hope <br />whatsoever. <br /><br /></li>
  • When I see the Artilleryman later, after he develops his new <br />philosophy, and starts his tunneling efforts (just prior to <br />meeting the narrator and the ‘Brave New World’ soliloquy), I see a <br />muddied cheerful madman, standing on the crest of a hill. He’s <br />still skeletal, but there’s a new light in his eyes. He’s <br />standing, alone, watching cylinder after cylinder rip through the <br />atmosphere, laughing quietly to himself. The narrator shouldn’t <br />see him like this (in fact, the Artilleryman should present as <br />quite sane when they meet), but the audience should know that <br />they’re dealing with a bit of a nutbar.</li>
I’ll probably have a ton more to add in the next little while. <br />Hopefully, this will get some of your imaginative juices flowing. <br /></span><br /></span>

Author:  eveofthewar [ Fri Mar 18, 2005 8:55 pm ]
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Welcome to the forum, flaming!<br /><br />That was a great first post.<br /><br />I am sure our resident Jeff Wayne expert (H_C) will have some comments to make on that<br /><br />Look forward to hearing more from you soon....

Author:  Flaming Poultice [ Fri Mar 18, 2005 9:11 pm ]
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<!--QuoteBegin-eveofthewar+Mar 18 2005, 04:55 PM--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(eveofthewar @ Mar 18 2005, 04:55 PM)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Welcome to the forum, flaming!<br />That was a great first post.<br />I am sure our resident Jeff Wayne expert (H_C) will have some comments to make on that<br />Look forward to hearing more from you soon....<br />[right][snapback]2269[/snapback][/right]<br />[/quote]<br /><br />Thanks, eveofthewar. <br /><br />I was just reflecting on my list so far, and I realized, "Holy jeepers, a lot of that stuff would be just insane to render!" Especially that London-landscape flying-zoom into the three Fighting Machines shot. :blink: I think a CGI guy would pass out if he read that in the script. :lol:

Author:  Lonesome Crow [ Sat Mar 19, 2005 11:01 pm ]
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Hi Flaming and welcome.<br /><br />A very interesting first post.<br /><br />I've always imagined the Cylinders being slowed through the atmosphere by retro-rockets or something like that. in the book they talk about the green mist as it enters the earths atmosphere. this green mist could either be rockets or some form of heat shielding burning off (Jeff used the green mist in the launching of the cylinders from Mars).<br /><br />In Peter Goodfellow's painting 'HORSELL COMMON' the cylinder is tilted over at a 45-degree angle, in the book it's upright. For the Martians to have survived the impact of a direct hit like that, there must be some form of inertial-dampener built in, Mr Wells does not say.<br /><br />I think the scene for the arrival of the first cylinder that comes to Earth should go like this.<br />We are traveling through space as-though we are attached to the cylinder, we see the Earth getting bigger and bigger, as we enter the atmospher the fiery orange glow around us turns slowly green as the retro-rockets kick-in, we see the outline of Britain (remember this all happens a night so most of the scene is dark with Moonlit reflections on the water and a few street lights) we burst through clouds into clear air and shoot high over London (Big Ben, the Thames, ect) then the cylinder angle down sharply, retros fire again just before impact, we see the impact as from a camera on the ground.

Author:  Flaming Poultice [ Sun Mar 20, 2005 1:13 am ]
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<!--QuoteBegin-Lonesome Crow+Mar 19 2005, 07:01 PM--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Lonesome Crow @ Mar 19 2005, 07:01 PM)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Hi Flaming and welcome.<br /><br />A very interesting first post.[right][snapback]2274[/snapback][/right]<br />[/quote]<br /><br /><span style='font-family:Arial'><span style='font-size:11pt;line-height:100%'>Thanks.<br /><br />You have some interesting ideas, too.<br /><br />I could go with the retro-rocket idea (and it does make <br />sense from a physics perspective), but in some way it seems <br />to go against the “sealed-ness� of the cylinder. After it <br />lands in Horsell Common, we find a glowing hot object, 90 <br />feet wide – that takes approximately 12 hours to unscrew <br />itself and open. Somehow, the idea of exterior retro-<br />rockets makes it appear less of a sealed, unguided <br />meteorite and more of a landing craft. <br /><br />Of course, the cylinder is a landing craft, but I like to <br />think that making its impact as natural and organic as <br />possible was part of the Martian’s plan to have their <br />invasion appear innocuous, at least in the very beginning.<br /><br />We are also told that the cylinder’s arrival “was thought <br />to be an ordinary falling star�, so I really can’t picture <br />anything particularly obvious (at least to the eyes of a <br />Victorian) in terms of retro-rockets or other means of <br />slowing its decent. Though, like I say, I wouldn’t <br />complain as long as it looked subtle enough. <br /><br />But the idea of that cylinder crashing violently through <br />acres of forest just has such graphic appeal. I actually <br />imagine it looking somewhat like the saucer-section of the <br />Enterprise as it crashed on Veridian III, only a different <br />shape, of course, and a lot smaller.<br /><br />Now… when it comes to camera angles of the cylinder’s <br />descent, we may have to agree to disagree. <br /><br />Yes, following the descent would be amazing. In fact, I <br />had at one time thought that it would be (visually) awesome <br />to experience a few scenes of the attack on London from a <br />viewpoint just above a Fighting Machine's head. A panorama<br />of Martian destruction.<br /><br />What I find, though, is that picturing a scene from the <br />Martian’s perspective (or even an incoming Martian <br />cylinder’s perspective) somehow makes them seem less alien… <br />less ‘other’. <br /><br />If the camera were consistently working from “our� <br />perspective, I imagine it would make the Martian’s more <br />threatening. More like this was happening “to us�, rather <br />than “by them�. It’s hard to explain, but this, too, is a <br />matter of taste. Actually, in the 1950’s version of the <br />film, they actually filmed a few farmhouse scenes through <br />the eyes of the Martian (remember the tri-vision lenses?).<br /><br />How about a compromise? A long, sweeping shot of the <br />incoming cylinder – filmed (to start) from, say, a point <br />500 feet in front of it, as it comes through the <br />atmosphere. Then, throughout its descent, the camera <br />slowly rotates so, at the moment of impact, the camera is <br />alongside the cylinder. As it carves out the trench and <br />creates the crater, the camera is traveling perpendicular.<br /><br />Actually, some of that twitchy “Battlestar Galactica�-like <br />camera-work I noticed on the Fighting Machine demo could <br />actually come in handy here. Imagine seeing the first <br />cylinder descent/impact from the perspective of farmer, <br />just outside Horsell. <br /><br />A whip-zoom as the cylinder punches a hole through the <br />thick cloud-cover, then a 500-feet-in-front leading shot as <br />it descends, finishing with the alongside shot on impact. <br />A really good CGI artist could also do some pretty cool <br />effects with the wind turbulence on the stereotypical<br />British fog.</span></span>

Author:  Lonesome Crow [ Sun Mar 20, 2005 2:07 am ]
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Yes that sounds good, I feel we should follow the cylinder all the way, from seeing the Earth as a small disc right until it impacts on Horsell Common, the scene could switch from the cylinder to scenes of people going about thier peacefull, innocent, everyday lives unaware of the encroaching danger.<br /><br />As for the Red Weed, it looks like this :D

Author:  Flaming Poultice [ Sun Mar 20, 2005 2:50 am ]
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<!--QuoteBegin-Lonesome Crow+Mar 19 2005, 10:07 PM--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Lonesome Crow @ Mar 19 2005, 10:07 PM)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Yes that sounds good, I feel we should follow the cylinder all the way, from seeing the Earth as a small disc right until it impacts on Horsell Common, the scene could switch from the cylinder to scenes of people going about thier peacefull, innocent, everyday lives unaware of the encroaching danger.<br /><br />As for the Red Weed, it looks like this :D<br />[right][snapback]2282[/snapback][/right]<br />[/quote]<br /><br /><span style='font-family:Arial'><span style='font-size:11pt;line-height:100%'>The thing is, for me, pretty much any object being followed <br />over Earth terrain at high speed is going to look like <br />something from ‘Superman’. It could be a peanut-butter <br />sandwich, and I’d still be saying to myself, ‘OK, when is <br />Superman going to fly into the frame to rescue/stop/divert <br />this fast-moving peanut-butter sandwich?’<br /><br />I’d be okay with the long-range approaching-Earth idea, <br />though (for me) it would bring to mind the approach of the <br />Martian UFOs in the (rather awful) Tim Burton film ‘Mars <br />Attacks!’. <br /><br />If you really think about this film’s visuals, you quickly <br />discover that Jeff Wayne and his animators are going to <br />have to be very careful that some of the scenes aren’t too <br />reminiscent of other sci-fi features – which is a bit of a <br />task, really, since a few directors have borrowed ideas <br />from the WOTW paintings to begin with.<br /><br />Which, alas, raises another question about the Martian <br />cylinder. I used to really like the idea of the Martian <br />cylinder being chrome (as in the Horsell Common painting), <br />but now I wonder if it might just remind the audience of <br />the Naboo Royal Transport ship - <a href='http://tinyurl.com/6uccb' target='_blank'>http://tinyurl.com/6uccb</a> - <br />from the 'Star Wars' prequels.<br /><br />Also, chrome would be difficult to depict glowing with <br />heat, I would think.<br /><br />I admit, it might dull-down the early part of the film a <br />bit, but I would be content with Ogilvy witnessing the <br />launch of the first cylinders from the planet Mars, and <br />then nothing but mystery and suspicion and developing <br />suspense until Horsell Common gets blasted. Apart from the <br />launch, Wells’ Victorians didn’t see the Martians coming, <br />so why should the audience?<br /><br />And isn't Red Weed kind of bubbly, like organic lava? ;) </span></span>

Author:  Horsell_Common [ Sun Mar 20, 2005 12:44 pm ]
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Phew, there's a lot to take in there, but it seems interesting reading.<br /><br />I will have a look at what has been put and maybe comment on most, but workload as tied me up for the better part of today (yes, working Sunday) and then off over Jeff's studio on Monday for the better part of the day, so I want be able to look at it properly until Tuesday.<br /><br />Welcome anyways FP :)<br /><br />H_C<br /><a href='http://www.waroftheworldsonline.com' target='_blank'>http://www.waroftheworldsonline.com</a>

Author:  Flaming Poultice [ Sun Mar 20, 2005 4:41 pm ]
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<!--QuoteBegin-Horsell_Common+Mar 20 2005, 08:44 AM--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Horsell_Common @ Mar 20 2005, 08:44 AM)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Phew, there's a lot to take in there, but it seems interesting reading.<br /><br />I will have a look at what has been put and maybe comment on most, but workload as tied me up for the better part of today (yes, working Sunday) and then off over Jeff's studio on Monday for the better part of the day, so I want be able to look at it properly until Tuesday.<br /><br />Welcome anyways FP  :)<br /><br />H_C<br /><a href='http://www.waroftheworldsonline.com' target='_blank'>http://www.waroftheworldsonline.com</a><br />[right][snapback]2287[/snapback][/right]<br />[/quote]<br /><br /><span style='font-family:Arial'><span style='font-size:11pt;line-height:100%'>Once again, thanks for the welcome! <br /><br />Like may a long-time Jeff Wayne fan, I've been listening to <br />this album since I was maybe 14... so I've had quite a few <br />years to process my own imaginary 'visuals' for it. My <br />apologies if this thread turns into an intolerable spouting <br />of 20 years of accumulated mental imagery...!<br /><br />In a way, though, ‘fan imagination’ is an important issue <br />to consider. With so many devotees having raised this <br />album to cult status, there must be a LOT of people with <br />their own ideas of how things should look. I’m not sure <br />where I saw it, but there was a lengthy thread in a forum <br />somewhere with people commenting rather vociferously on how <br />the Fighting Machine CGI looks – and that’s just one <br />element (albeit an important one)!<br /><br />If I had one piece of advice for Mr. Wayne, it would be to <br />pull together a focus group of obsessively devoted fans <br />when the majority of the film is blocked out, and show it <br />to them. Have a party. Get their input. Because fans are <br />an amazing resource, and Jeff’ll probably find himself <br />inundated with new ideas that he may have overlooked. Some <br />of the ideas (as I’m sure some of the above are) will be <br />impractical, or weak, or contrary to Jeff’s vision for the <br />film... but some of them will doubtless have something to <br />add.<br /><br />The current ‘Star Trek’ franchise should serve as a warning <br />to this regard. Although Brannon and Braga (co-creators, <br />executive producers, writers) have, I’m sure, the best of <br />intentions, they’re drifting further and further from the <br />heart of the show. I’ve read better plot outlines in the <br />better Trek fan-fiction than I’ve seen in most episodes and <br />feature films in the last three years. Alienating (no pun <br />intended) and not listening to the admirers the show is <br />aimed at has been the single-most detrimental problem Trek <br />has had, probably since ‘Voyage Home’.<br /><br />Okay, enough babble. I’ll be back with the next wave of <br />visual ideas soon!<br /></span></span>

Author:  Flaming Poultice [ Sun Mar 20, 2005 5:17 pm ]
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<span style='font-family:Arial'><span style='font-size:11pt;line-height:100%'>One more quick comment on the idea of following the <br />cylinder’s approach to Earth through space: One of the <br />most memorable lines, and the line that most effectively <br />ramped-up the suspense (again, in my humble opinion, <br />anyway), was the manner in which Richard Burton intoned the <br />line, “invisibly hurtling towards us.� It just suggested <br />so much in regard to the human helplessness and inability <br />of the era. Why can’t they see the cylinders approaching? <br />Because all they have is Victorian technology, that’s why. <br /><br />They can – just barely, I would think – view the launches, <br />but they can’t see what might be coming. And if they can’t <br />even see it, they certainly can’t stop it. This may be one <br />time where NOT seeing something adds more tension than <br />actually seeing it.<br /><br />Second to that, I have a question about the following <br />lines: “And that's how it was for the next the next ten <br />nights. A flare, spurting out from Mars - bright green, <br />drawing a green mist behind it - a beautiful, but somehow <br />disturbing sight.�<br /><br />Does that mean, in essence, one flare per night for 10 <br />nights? One Martian cylinder launch every 24 hours? Or <br />can we assume that there are a lot more launches that are <br />taking place? Maybe our trusty astronomer Ogilvy is <br />missing a few while he’s off getting his tea... or maybe <br />because more launches are taking place during Earth’s <br />daylight hours?<br /><br />The reason I ask is this: If the audience knows the number <br />of launches, they will immediately estimate the number of <br />arrivals that are due... especially after they see what <br />happens in Horsell Common.<br /><br />It may be better to have Ogilvy see the first launch, or <br />maybe two, the first day – and then have him witness an <br />increasing number of launches throughout that 10 days. <br /><br />That way, right after things go to hell in Horsell Common, <br />the audience will say to themselves, “Holy geez, if a <br />single cylinder in can do all this damage – what in the <br />world is going to happen when all those other (50, 100, <br />500) cylinders we saw being launched finally arrive?<br /><br />This ‘numbers game’ could be a very effective way of <br />outlining the hopelessness of mankind’s situation from the <br />very beginning. <br /><br />It would also temper whatever hope the audience <br />might feel when the Thunder Child manages to take a <br />Fighting Machine down in battle. <br /><br />“So what?� the audience will say, “That’s just a single <br />Fighting Machine, and there are still (50, 100, 500) <br />cylinders that are due to arrive over the next ten days! <br />Earth is screwed!�<br /></span></span>

Author:  Lonesome Crow [ Sun Mar 20, 2005 7:03 pm ]
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Ah' I take it from your last post, you haven't read the book Yet. :o <br /><br />After the first cylinder is launched every observatory in the world is pointed at Mars. So Mr Ogilvy can have his tea undisturbed.<br /><br />Some people speculate whether the explosions are volcanoes.<br /><br />After ten shots the firing stops (The Artilleryman and narrator talk about this in the chapter 'The Man on Putney Hill') The Artilleryman suggests that "the cannon may be broken or they'd stopped firing cylinders incase they hit their own troops.<br /><br />The Martian don't care if we know how many cylinders are comeing after the Horsell Common battle the tripods move to protect the second cylinder as it opens and so on.

Author:  Lonesome Crow [ Sun Mar 20, 2005 7:24 pm ]
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<!--QuoteBegin-Flaming Poultice+Mar 20 2005, 02:50 AM--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Flaming Poultice @ Mar 20 2005, 02:50 AM)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteEBegin--><span style='font-family:Arial'><span style='font-size:11pt;line-height:100%'>And isn't Red Weed kind of bubbly, like organic lava?  ;) </span></span><br />[right][snapback]2283[/snapback][/right]<br />[/quote]<br />Only in the booklet that came with the record.<br />In the original book there are several types of red plant life, The Red Weed is the most successful. but it is like a plant with stems, leaves and fronds.

Author:  Flaming Poultice [ Sun Mar 20, 2005 7:37 pm ]
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<!--QuoteBegin-Lonesome Crow+Mar 20 2005, 03:03 PM--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Lonesome Crow @ Mar 20 2005, 03:03 PM)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Ah' I take it from your last post, you haven't read the book Yet.  :o <br />[right][snapback]2293[/snapback][/right]<br />[/quote]<br /><span style='font-family:Arial'><span style='font-size:11pt;line-height:100%'>Sorry, LC, I should have made the following clear: <br /><br />No offense to Wells, but I am taking the Jeff Wayne album <br />'a priori' in the sense that, as far as a piece of <br />artistic work goes, it exists independent of any other <br />interpretation, or even the original. <br /><br />Some may cry foul at my doing this, but it is, ultimately, <br />Jeff's interpretation of the story, so my wacky <br />cinematography ideas and stream-of-consciousness questions <br />(that is, my own interpretation of that interpretation) <br />tend to be based solely on what is provided on the album.<br /><br />Confused yet? Me, too. :D<br /><br />Concerning Red Weed: Well, it seems like the new film will <br />have different 'races' of Martians (at least from the <br />vastly differentiated Fighting Machine designs), so maybe <br />there can be different varieties of Red Weed, too. <br /><br />The red, bubbly lava one that catches and eats unsuspecting <br />rabbits would be my personal favourite. <br /><br />And, if you think about how long 'The Red Weed (Part I)' <br />is, there's really a good deal of visual acreage there that <br />could probably use a few different varieties of Martian <br />Weed. In fact, I could see some type of visual story being <br />told during that six minutes of music before the narrator <br />discovers of the body of the Parson.<br /></span></span><br />

Author:  Lonesome Crow [ Sun Mar 20, 2005 9:25 pm ]
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No need for an apology, I listend to Jeff's version years before I read the book.<br />But when I did read it, It cleared up a lot of the same questions you put forth.<br />Jeff did an excellent abridgeing the book into a musical but he couldn't put every thing in.<br />As he was fairly faithful to the book I presume he will be taking the descriptive imagery from the book also. Or I hope so anyway :)

Author:  Horsell_Common [ Mon Mar 21, 2005 9:37 pm ]
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Just a suggestion FP, your posts are a little long, and becauuse of this the questions you ask may just get unaswered or ignored. Best to ask a question at a time, this way its better all round.<br /><br />H_C<br /><a href='http://www.waroftheworldsonline.com' target='_blank'>http://www.waroftheworldsonline.com</a>

Author:  Lonesome Crow [ Mon Mar 21, 2005 10:56 pm ]
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Agreed, good questions, but one at a time please :D

Author:  Flaming Poultice [ Tue Mar 22, 2005 8:24 pm ]
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You mean, a new post for each question / comment? <br /><br />Sure, as long as nobody takes it as 'flooding' if I whip<br />myself into a hypothesizing frenzy.<br /><br />It's been known to happen. :rolleyes: <br />

Author:  Lonesome Crow [ Wed Mar 23, 2005 12:04 am ]
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Flagellate to your hearts content mate :D

Author:  Horsell_Common [ Wed Mar 23, 2005 10:53 am ]
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Regarding the 'Red Weed' in the artwork for the album, Geoff Taylor painted it this way simply because this was the 'easiest' way for him to paint it.

Author:  Horsell_Common [ Wed Mar 23, 2005 11:03 am ]
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<!--QuoteBegin-Flaming Poultice+Mar 20 2005, 07:37 PM--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Flaming Poultice @ Mar 20 2005, 07:37 PM)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteEBegin--><span style='font-family:Arial'><span style='font-size:11pt;line-height:100%'><br /><br />Concerning Red Weed:  Well, it seems like the new film will <br />have different 'races' of Martians (at least from the <br />vastly differentiated Fighting Machine designs), so maybe <br />there can be different varieties of Red Weed, too.  <br /><br />And, if you think about how long 'The Red Weed (Part I)' <br />is, there's really a good deal of visual acreage there that <br />could probably use a few different varieties of Martian <br />Weed.  In fact, I could see some type of visual story being <br />told during that six minutes of music before the narrator <br />discovers of the body of the Parson.<br /></span></span><br />[right][snapback]2295[/snapback][/right]<br />[/quote]<br /><br />'Differant races of Martians' - where has this come from?<br /><br />'Vastly differntiated Fighting Machine designs' - there not vastly at all, there suttle. The CGI machines have been taken from the original Trim designs. What you see is the more refined 21st century machine.<br /><br />'And, if you think about how long 'The Red Weed (Part I)' <br />is, there's really a good deal of visual acreage there that <br />could probably use a few different varieties of Martian <br />Weed' - Were not having a all singing, all dancing movie, its a animated film based on the album (Jeff Wayne) and the book (HG Wells), and will feature a new mixed score taken from the album.

Author:  Flaming Poultice [ Wed Mar 23, 2005 4:39 pm ]
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<!--QuoteBegin-Horsell_Common+Mar 23 2005, 07:03 AM--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Horsell_Common @ Mar 23 2005, 07:03 AM)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteEBegin-->'Vastly differntiated Fighting Machine designs' - there not vastly at all, there suttle. The CGI machines have been taken from the original Trim designs. What you see is the more refined 21st century machine.[/quote]<br /><span style='font-family:Arial'><span style='font-size:11pt;line-height:100%'>Well, I'm seeing nine or ten quite unique Martian walking machines<br />on the official site's one-sheet. Heck, the one on the far right <br />looks as if it were designed by The Artist Formerly Known <br />as Prince. :P <br /><br />As far as I recall from the album and the artwork, there <br />were originally only two designs -- the Fighting Machine <br />and the Handling Machine. Perhaps you could direct me<br />toward the original Trim designs you referenced -- I've<br />never seen them.<br /><br /><!--QuoteBegin-Horsell_Common+Mar 23 2005, 07:03 AM--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Horsell_Common @ Mar 23 2005, 07:03 AM)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Were not having a all singing, all dancing movie, its a animated film based on the album (Jeff Wayne) and the book (HG Wells), and will feature a new mixed score taken from the album.<br />[right][snapback]2361[/snapback][/right]<br />[/quote]<br />When you say 'new mixed', do you mean re-done? New <br />singers, musicians, etc.?<br /><br />At any rate, remixed or not, I'm hoping some form of <br />'The Red Weed (Part I)' will be in it. Just because its a <br />lengthy instrumental doesn't mean it can't accompany <br />some interesting visuals of the effects of the Red Weed.<br /><br />And if more types of 'refined 21st century' Machines is good,<br />why not different varieties of Weed? Certainly, if it is a plant<br />at all, one would expect Mars to support more than one type. <br /></span></span>

Author:  Horsell_Common [ Thu Mar 24, 2005 1:16 pm ]
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<!--QuoteBegin-Flaming Poultice+Mar 23 2005, 04:39 PM--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Flaming Poultice @ Mar 23 2005, 04:39 PM)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteEBegin--><span style='font-family:Arial'><span style='font-size:11pt;line-height:100%'>Well, I'm seeing nine or ten quite unique Martian walking machines<br />on the official site's one-sheet.  Heck, the one on the far right <br />looks as if it were designed by The Artist Formerly Known <br />as Prince.  :P  <br /><br />As far as I recall from the album and the artwork, there <br />were originally only two designs -- the Fighting Machine <br />and the Handling Machine.  Perhaps you could direct me<br />toward the original Trim designs you referenced -- I've<br />never seen them.<br />When you say 'new mixed', do you mean re-done?  New <br />singers, musicians, etc.?<br /><br />At any rate, remixed or not, I'm hoping some form  of <br />'The Red Weed (Part I)' will be in it.  Just because its a <br />lengthy instrumental doesn't mean it can't accompany <br />some interesting visuals of the effects of the Red Weed.<br /><br />And if more types of 'refined 21st century' Machines is good,<br />why not different varieties of Weed?  Certainly, if it is a plant<br />at all, one would expect Mars to support more than one type. <br /></span></span><br />[right][snapback]2376[/snapback][/right]<br />[/quote]<br /><br />The movie is only in its begining stages and is over 2 years away from being finished. The Red Weed for the film is bound to look differant than the album booklet artwork, to make it more 'weed' in likness.<br /><br />The machines you are referring too are from the PlayStation game of Jeff Wayne's The War Of The Worlds and not his album or forth coming movie. The album contains only 2 machines, the Fighting Machine and the Handling Machine. The new CGI fil will contain the Fighting Machine, Handling Machine and the new Flying Machine.<br /><br />Here is a example of the Michael Trim schematics from 1976 - soon to be available as a print. There is also one of the Handling Machine (not seen here)<br /><br />Image<br /><br />Copyright of Ollie Record Productions<br /><br />H_C<br /><a href='http://www.waroftheworldsonline.com' target='_blank'>http://www.waroftheworldsonline.com</a>

Author:  Lonesome Crow [ Fri Mar 25, 2005 12:50 am ]
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Those blueprints are from the 1978 Galaxy poster, aren't they? Will the Peter Elson picture from that poster be included in the new album release later this year do you know?<br />I have always liked that picture and was disappointed when it wasn't in the 1995 re-release.

Author:  Loz [ Sun Mar 27, 2005 12:51 pm ]
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I hope it is Lonesome. It explains a lot of things. <br /><br />I'm glad to hear that Jeff isn't using all of the newer designs that the PC and Playstation Games had. I can see how they made those games better but are not needed for the film.<br />Some had two legs and that bothered me a bit. Was it the Bombardment machines?<br /><br />Also didn't I hear somewhere that Jeffs film will show us the Martians at work on Mars, prepairing their invasion and fireing the Cannon.<br /><br />I'm glad the red weed will differ from the origional art because that painting never looked right. There are a few things in the narration of the story on the album that don't fit the artwork. <br /><br />

Author:  gavv8 [ Mon Mar 28, 2005 12:38 pm ]
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Your right about the red weed in the j/w artwork, it looks like liquid and not at all like the description in the book.

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