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Hal MacDermot [Film Festival 04.18.08] movie interview scifi

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Fon Davis is a visual effects guy who has worked on movies like the Matrix, Terminator and Star Wars. Movies that have shaped our lives. Now he's developing his own series about 30 foot giant robots! It's called MORAV and Quiet Earth's Cyberhal went to find out more.

Cyberhal:
Fon, can you tell us about the inspiration for MORAV?


Fon:
What was the inspiration for MORAV? MORAV is essentially the kind of giant robot project that I have always wanted to see and no one has done. I thought it would be incredible to see live action stories about giant robot pilots in a gritty realistic world.

Cyberhal:
Robot warfare in a near future world. Awesome. But there's more to MORAV than just the action, right?

Fon:
When I started creating MORAV I set out to do more than just a bunch of cool fighting robots. I wanted to create characters people could identify with, that just happen to be immersed in robotic warfare. I think it's important to put your audience in the story by using situations and environments that are tangible in a familiar way.



Cyberhal:
Reading through your site, I came across the Joint Nations Defense Force. Who are they and how can I hire them?

Fon:
The Joint Nations Defense Force is a corporate sponsored military group. They protect the global economy, business interests and free trade. Their clients are kept secret and their motivations are driven by money. As you can imagine there are good and bad elements to such a powerful organization. If you want to hire the JND you only need money, lots of money.

Cyberhal:
I'm impressed by your creative team. You were lead model maker on Mission Impossible III and Zachary Sherman worked as a digital effects artist on Eragon and Revenge of the Sith. How did you guys come together?

Fon:
Zack Sherman and I both worked for Industrial Light and Magic for nearly a decade. Like many of my friends from the entertainment industry who are helping me, he believes in my ideas and the potential of MORAV. He told me how he did his own comic called "Seal Team Seven". That got me thinking that after putting so much work in to MORAV, that the only affordable path for me was to produce a comic book series. Until I get seed money for bigger projects I will continue doing whatever I can to keep MORAV moving forward. I also thought very highly of Zack's talent as a writer not to mention, with a US Marine background, I knew he would be great for the MORAV team. So I hired him to write the scripts for my MORAV comic book series.



Cyberhal:
The demo video clips on your website give a glimpse into the Visual Effects production process. A guy in a telemetric suit controls a robot, which is very cool. What were some of the VSF challenges you faced?

Fon:
Oh yeah, that guy in the telemetry suit is Grant Imahara. He was key in the early development of the robotics and concept in the beginning. He's on Mythbusters now, but I'm sure he'll be involved with MORAV again when we get funding.

Cyberhal:
We are very comfortable with the MORAV project and all its complexities. The biggest challenge we have faced has been budgetary. The entire project has been paid for by me. Since I don't have a lot of cash to invest I have had to lean on the generosity of my close friends volunteering their free time to help out. With time and money being short, tasks are taking longer than I would like, and the quality of some things are not up to the standard I have grown accustomed to working in the entertainment industry.

Cyberhal:
In terms of show production, where are you now?

Fon:
We are just starting illustrations for issue five of the MORAV comic book. When we get issue six of the comic series done I'll be ready to publish the books. In the mean time we are continuing to design and develop MORAV stories.



Cyberhal:
I hear you're looking for investors and distribution is that right?

Fon:
I have had brief talks with some motion picture, television and Internet production companies about MORAV but no deals have been made as of yet. We have enough chronology to do webisodes, comic books, a television series and motion pictures without touching the same story twice. Until I funding for bigger projects I will continue pushing for anything we can to get MORAV to its fans.

Feel free to e-mail production companies if you want to see MORAV, wink.

Cyberhal:
Hey there production execs, you hear that? Fon, thanks for spending the time with us and good luck.

Check out a promo clip here!

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Avery (3 years ago) Reply

FON DAVIS rules!! CYBERHAL and DON rule!! Come on production companies!!What are you guys waiting for??We need "M.O.R.A.V."and it's a hell of a worthy investment!!!!

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bad dog (3 years ago) Reply

What the heck? "The Joint Nations Defense Force ... protect the global economy, business interests and free trade." As if these things needed protection *snort* So what do they do, machine gun politicians who try to pass a health and safety regulation? Blow up the FDA for delaying a drug because it's unsafe? Slaughter armies trying to defend the right of nations to outlaw child labor? Wage holy war to make sure no big guvmint librul infringes on economic freedom by telling a corporation it can't dump toxic waste in drinking water? I guess I'll be voting for the bad guys in this movie.

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Cyberhal (3 years ago) Reply

as I understood it, the JNDF were not supposed to be good guys as such, but more like another power player in a dangerous world. so you probably get all kinds of good/bad types working for them, but hey, there are some great stories about mercenaries

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bad dog (3 years ago) Reply

You're right Cyberhal ... I just checked out the website and the whole thing looks like fun, very meticulously imagined. I wish Fon luck getting his film made ...

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projectcyclops (3 years ago) Reply

Will this be able to top the Charles Band masterpiece 'Robot Jox'? You decide!

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stuporstar (3 years ago) Reply

real miniature robots kick ass. there's too much glossy computer graphics crap in the world these days. good luck Fon.


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