Survived the storm

I'm pleased to announce that Planet VFX survived the storm intact. Yes, we did lose power overnight and yes, it did stop one of Alan's machines causing it to re-boot when power came back on. But we didn't lose any data, and it only delayed something the machine was working on at the time, it didn't cause any major problems.  I think we were lucky here, other parts were not so fortunate.

Things are slowly picking up now and we are trying out new things. More on these shortly.

In the mean time, we are pleased to say that we will be attending Armadacon this year after all, up until a very short time ago it looked like we definitely wouldn't be able to go but Alan has bounced back so well that apart from a lot of weight loss, you wouldn't know he had been ill. We won't be filming, as I mentioned in the announcement on the Planet VFX website, we haven't been able to do the necessary preparation. We will though, be doing some photography so we can do the pre-viz of the film in the coming months. This probably won't involve cast members, but will concentrate on the venue so we can build a cg version. We are very happy to be at Armadacon and would like to thank everyone who has made this possible. Words just aren't enough sometimes to express feelings, and this is one of those times. The people who have helped us know who they are and should be warned they may get hugged when we see them. Hopefully, next year will see us filming. We will use the additional time to do more work and cut down the time between next year's convention and the premier of the film.

I hope you are all OK and if you were caught up in the storm, that you got through it without problems. Until next time this is Planet VFX signing off.

Armadacon 25th Anniversary Fan FIlm Postponed

Due to unforeseen circumstances, we have had to postpone the filming work on the Armadacon 25th Anniversary Fan Film until next year. Below is a statement we sent to the Armadacon Committee explaining why we had to make this painful decision. In an update, we are pleased to announce that Alan is well on the road to recovery now, following further treatment at our local hospital. He is able to do post production work now and, although a little weak at the moment, is also able to do location work within reason (no hiking up the sides of Mountains!).

It is with deep regret that Alan and Linda Marques have to announce the postponement of the filming of the fan film until Armadacon 26. Alan has been very ill over the past few months and this has resulted in several admissions to hospital, both locally on the island and on the mainland. He recently had an operation, but then suffered severe complications which led to him being admitted to hospital again. Due to these ongoing health issues the necessary preparation for filming this year has not been done and we have made the painful decision to postpone this until next year. Indeed, we are not even sure if Alan will be well enough to attend this year's convention. We know it is a special year and it would be very sad for us to miss it, but it all depends on his health and ability to travel. Please be assured that we are committed to making the film and want it to be of the highest standard possible. We felt this could not be achieved by rushing preparations and continuing with the filming this year, assuming Alan is well enough. The Committee have been kept informed at all times and we would both like to thank them for their continued support and understanding, this has been greatly appreciated over this difficult time. We know this is very disappointing, we had been really looking forward to getting on with the film, but fate has stepped in and put paid to that. We hope you will understand our reasons for postponing and will still be willing to participate next year.

Alan & Linda Marques

4th October 2013.

 Planet VFX is now back up and running again. Also, Alan is now able to work as a VFX Supervisor again so if you have a project that needs a supervisor please contact him via his website http://www.alanmarques.com/