Brother Thomas Film
Rich Schiller
On 16, Jul 2012 | No Comments | In People | By Steve Leeper
When I was starting out in stop-motion animation, Rich hired me for my first model-making job. 20 years later Rich’s expertise in dimensional model making and his exquisite attention to detail have made him the most sought after Model Maker in Chicago.
The Big Ben image above is of a 3 ½ foot physical model that Rich fabricated out of etched metal, tooled plastic and cast urethane. Reconnecting with Rich on this project has been a great pleasure. The realization that Rich will be devoting his artistry towards building Br. Thomas a cathedral is still sinking in.
Click here to read more about team that’s coming together to make The Temptation of Brother Thomas.
Timothy Botts
On 09, Jul 2012 | No Comments | In Guest Artists | By Steve Leeper
Tim Botts has created the second contribution to our Brother Thomas Guest Artist Gallery.
The quote is from Thomas Aquinas, 13th century monk and namesake to our central character. Combined with Tim’s imagery they pretty much sum up the project.
Beyond their physical beauty, Tim’s images bring new layers of meaning to familiar texts and cause me to read more deeply into phrases I haven’t seen before.
Click here to see more images in our Guest Artist Gallery
Doodle United’s Tribute to Br. Thomas
On 02, Jul 2012 | No Comments | In Guest Artists | By Steve Leeper
Thanks to my friends at Doodle United for serving up eleven new flavors of Brother Thomas for your viewing pleasure. 🙂
It’s so cool to see what other artists come up with. Each one of these expands on an aspect of Br. Thomas that my film only touches on.
Please drop by Doodle United and let them know what you think.
Bryan Ballinger
On 25, Jun 2012 | One Comment | In Guest Artists | By Steve Leeper
I can’t think of a better person to help kick off our Brother Thomas Guest Artist Gallery.
In a few weeks Bryan’s illustration will be joined by other images inspired by “The Temptation of Brother Thomas” story. Whatever turns up in the following weeks you can be sure they’ll be nothing like the first.
Click here to see more images in our Guest Artist Gallery
Sound Design
On 18, Jun 2012 | No Comments | In People | By Steve Leeper
I am thrilled to announce that Brother Thomas has his very own Sound Designer! (Odd for a monk who never speaks I know.)
Jeff Jacoby has recently signed on to the Brother Thomas project. Jeff brings a long list of talents and a broad range of professional experience with him. Jeff actively practices sound art, sound design, writing, directing and radio production. Read more…
Opening Scene
On 13, Jun 2012 | No Comments | In Story Boards | By Steve Leeper
So this is how the film opens. We follow the dragonfly as he makes his way around the cathedral steeple and down into the lush pastures filled with wild flowers and rich with insect life. We finally settle at the base of a fence post and slowly raise the camera to find a rooster just getting ready for his morning crow to wake the countryside.
To see the full page of story panels in a larger image click here.
…and then there were three
On 24, Apr 2012 | 5 Comments | In Fabrication | By Steve Leeper
Things have been a little busy lately but I did manage to pull three good casts last week.
Making Molds
On 20, Feb 2012 | No Comments | In Brother Thomas | By Steve Leeper
Last weekend was an incredible opportunity to up my moldmaking techniques… not to mention catch up with an old friend and his family.
The Monk Gets a Makeover
On 09, Feb 2012 | 5 Comments | In Brother Thomas | By Steve Leeper
I’m headed to Valparaiso tomorrow to start making a mold for the Br. Thomas makette.
Three by Spooner
On 18, Jan 2012 | No Comments | In Concept Art | By Steve Leeper
A special thanks to Natalie Lombard and Cathy Strokosch for hosting two separate “Get to Know Br. Thomas” evenings in the Chicago area. Besides the great food and warm company I was able to pitch the story-so-far to two groups of people who’s insight on art, film, and faith I highly respect. I came away from both evenings exhilarated, encouraged and challenged. Who could have asked for more!
One highlight of the first evening was that Michael Spooner brought some concept sketches of the cathedral that I had not seen before. I can’t tell you how exciting it is to see elements of this story come alive in the hands of someone like Michael. The fact that he does these drawings with such apparent ease only makes them that much more brilliant!
Here are three that stand out. You can click on the details to see the full image.
1. One of the 8 to 10 statues of the Church Fathers whose gaze Thomas passes under everyday on his way to work. They are not animated in the film but the shadows they cast weigh heavily on Thomas as he slips by them, usually late, on his way to the scriptorium. The lighting and scale that Michael introduces in this drawing sets the tone perfectly!
2. This is Thomas running up the stairs. This angle didn’t exist in the boards previously but you can be sure that it will in the future.
3. This is the doorway that Thomas goes through to enter the stairwell. Kind of a service entrance to the scriptorium
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