he making of films for the Internet has reached dazzling heights of sophistication these days, a far cry from the humble origins of Web video. Set to debut this summer is an Internet-only film which, judging from its lavish, multifeatured official Web site, will earn kudos for its savvy and daring. And in this case, the publicity for the film is nearly equal to the feature itself.
Radius the movie—with primary shooting accomplished in only six days, and budgeted at a mere $80,000—concerns a crew of humans and their post-crash-landing mission to arm a bomb that will destroy a nest of their alien enemies, the Gemini. A jazzy trailer takes a bit of time to download, but is well worth the wait. Directed by Helmut Kobler, the film stars Catalina Larranaga and Matt McCoy, as well as a handful of other fine professionals. Philipp Timme, the director of photography, was responsible for destroying the White House in Independence Day and the Mir space station in Armageddon, while Adam Howard, the visual effects supervisor, won four Emmys for his FX compositing work on Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Voyager.
Also offered via downloadable clips are intriguing glimpses into how the SFX were created. Anecdotes and tales of preproduction, production (Death Valley is not the most hospitable landscape, but does simulate alien planets quite well) and post-production abound, as well as an ongoing activity log, so that visitors to the site can participate in the creation of the film all the way through to its launch in the late summer.
— Paul Di Filippo
Site of the Week -- August 6, 2001
he British firm Paper Tiger is the preeminent contemporary publisher of art books which focus on the fantastic. (One of their newest publications, The Art of Chesley Bonestell, was recently reviewed in Science Fiction Weekly.) They produce gorgeous, comprehensive surveys of the careers of any number of painters, and now these collections can be sampled online.
The front page of the Paper Tiger Online Fantasy Art Gallery offers the names of some 40 artists, from Tom Abba to David Wyatt. Clicking on one brings up a host of images from that particular painter. Clicking on each thumbnail brings up an enlarged version. (Not, unfortunately, enlarged enough to fill the monitor, but only to occupy a quarter-screen-sized window, which seems the site's one drawback.) Along with this wealth of visual beauty--I particularly enjoyed Ron Walotsky's selection--comes a brief biography and overview of the artist, and in some cases a linked interview and contact information. Most artists earn a single page of paintings, though some others receive two.
Four links off the main page lead to such sites as the Jan P. Krasny SF Gallery, with its concentration on the work of a single artist. But two of the links are dead, and need to be updated.
Though not a substitute for the Paper Tiger books themselves, this gallery will nonetheless whet your appetite for the printed collections.
— Paul Di Filippo
Site of the Week -- July 30, 2001
ightsaber-wielding women conquer the feminine side of the Force with Star Wars Chicks, a site chronicling fandom's holy trilogy from the female perspective. The site offers quizzes to help women geeks determine if they, too, are qualified to be Star Wars Chicks (one sign: wanting a lightsaber more than an engagement ring), recipes for Darth Mauloaf and oodles of fan fiction.
There are bios of prominent women from the series--from Queen Amidala to Mara Jade--that briefly detail their physical descriptions and roles in the Star Wars universe. Gaming fans can find a section dedicated to active Star Wars role-playing game campaigns, while the online message boards discuss a wide range of topics, including best scenes, best quotes and sexiest stars.
The Star Wars Chicks e-mail list carries similar conversations offline, while its Sith Chicks twin offers a place for more mature discussions and fan fiction. Both lists, but the SWC list especially, see a fair amount of traffic, and welcome participation by men--as long as they behave themselves.
— Kenneth Newquist
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