Filming for "New Friends" is Done!

By: Andrew Bermudez

(Mustache Maniacs Film Co. Headquarters; November 26, 2012)

     After a month of manipulating puppets and shooting frames, the production phase for New Friends ~ An Environmental Fable is now completed! With 37 shots, it is going to be an extensive film about the downfall of the dodo. Currently, post-production work is being done on the finished footage, which will be a short period of time. While that is going on, here is a screenshot from the film, featuring some sailors carrying supplies.

Two sailors, Abraham and Old Salt, carry supplies for the human settlers.
Note the black background; this will later be replaced with a hand-made background.

     Also, the official release date for New Friends ~ An Environmental Fable has been set: December 14th. That's also the day that Animation Reel 2 and another teaser for The Film School Challenge will be released. However, if you want to see New Friends early, be sure to tune in to a special Google Hangout on December 12th from 3:45 PM to 6:10 PM PST. At this time, you can watch the final presentation for Advanced Animation, which includes New Friends. "This is our first Google Hangout, so things might be a little rough around the edges," stated LEGO Studios CEO Mark Matthew. "However, if you want to check it out and have a webcam, come on in and see the work all of these talented students have made. If you have a microphone (most webcams, if not all, have a microphone built in), you can even ask the students questions." Animation Reel 2 and the teaser will not have special advanced viewings.

     In the meantime, the cast and crew for Johnny Thunder and the Wisdom of the Ancients are far behind schedule, angering some of the people on set. "I don't know what's going on," said boom operator Sarah Williamson. "We were supposed to have the Stonehenge shots done a month ago. Yet, we're just lagging around. We need to get this film done." The film will be released summer 2014.

     One more thing, registration for The Film School Challenge begins December 1st. A new teaser for the challenge, which tells how to register and how the contest works, will be released that day.