Tag: Hero

Canada’s Mind’s Eye Series to Follow in Footsteps of Sanctuary and Riese!

Hey Science Fiction Fantasy Fans,

The Friday after Thanksgiving in the United States is typically know as “Black Friday” to denote the “official” start of holiday shopping season when retailers go into the black. Other Black Friday’s in history denote a negative meaning. However, this Friday November 26, 2010 will not be a negative Black Friday for science fiction fantasy fans, it will be a wonderful one! Why? A fantastic new web series “Mind’s Eye” begins its exciting 24 episode run on the web!

After years of planning, Mind’s Eye is produced by Synn Studios, a division of LynnVander Productions of Canada. Mind’s Eye is a wonderful fantasy series whose science fiction roots are set in a normal suburb following the adventures of the series protagonist Illia and his allies as they seek to overcome the powers of evil in distant lands.

Known as The Dreamweaver, the series young hero’s Illia (illustrated below) is about a story of histories greatest characters that is both compelling and entertaining. The 24 week run of Mind’s Eye chronicles the powerful quest of the Dreamweaver to seek truth and justice to combat the evil forces attempting to loot the world!

We include the official trailer below courtesy of Synn Studios for your pleasure to give you a taste of the wonderful web series that is about to burst on the world!

Rarely have we observed such quality in production for an independent studio. Rivaling Riese Series, The Guild and Sanctuary for creative genius, Mind’s Eye is set to stun the world this Friday following in the footsteps of the aforementioned series.

After researching the series web site with detailed graphics and thoughtful presentations, we strongly advise that you visit the Mind’s Eye web site to confirm for yourselves what we have witnessed on all their delightful web pages. We include for your enjoyment the Mind’s Eye press release below.

For Immediate Release:

About Mind’s Eye:

Story Line: Illia Fairchild is a 12-year-old boy. He likes to draw and build forts. He likes to fantasize about far off lands filled with Knights and Wizards and Pirates. He fights with his Grandfather sometimes, he dozes off during math class, and he’s pretty good at baseball. He has a crush on a girl, but is terrified of telling her. He also wishes he had a dog. But what he doesn’t know, is that he’s being hunted.

For centuries a war has been fought between the terrifying Daemon and the righteous Seraphim. They are searching for a human with the power to tip the balance of power in their favour and finally put the war to rest, and that child is Illia.

Closing in on Illia, the war is spilling into the streets of a small suburban town, which is becoming a land filled with mystery and danger. Illia is not alone in his fight. His neighbourhood friends are humanity’s greatest heroes and they’ve sworn to protect Illia from the harsh reality of the war until he is old enough to understand his place in it.

Known as The Dreamweavers, these heroes possess the ability to alter reality with their imaginations. Powerful warriors from different cultures and time periods, the Dreamweavers disguise themselves as children and work behind the scenes to give Illia a chance to find his own way in a world filled with expectations.

A quiet and introverted 12 year old boy in the ‘everyday’ world, Illia is a talented artist and daydreamer who throws himself with gusto into a world of fantasy rather than deal with mundane stresses of the world around him. Illia is being raised by his grandfather Marty and spends most of his free time with his long-time friends.

Cautious, shy and seemingly a harmless boy, Illia could become the most powerful Dreamweaver in history, being the only human ever born influenced by the energies of both Seraphim and Daimon. As Illia matures and learns more about his true identity, he wrestles with the implications of his power to shape the world forever.

Production Information:
The series was shot over 26 days from July 6th, 2010 till August 6th, 2010. The script was 240 pages in length, or approximately three (3) feature films.

The Premiere episode launches Friday November 26th. 2010 and the Season Finale will debut on Friday May 6th, 2011. There are 24, 5-10 minute episodes in all, and a new episode will be available every Friday after November 26th on the MIND’S EYE website at http://www.mindseyeseries.com/

This is the third incarnation of the MIND’S EYE idea. The first was produced by Thomas Gofton in 2007 as a short film. The second was the series’ concept/pilot produced by Synn Studios in the Spring of 2009.

Many of the members of the MIND’S EYE crew appear in cameos throughout the series, including Director of Photography Nick Montgomery, Sound Designer Aaron Soch and Publicist Adam A. Donaldson. As well, Cameron Parkinson, who plays one of the Shadow’s Hands minions appears in a scene as a bystander without his cloak.

Andrew Ellis, who plays the younger Mark in MIND’S EYE, is already an award-winning film maker in his own right. He’s won two awards – one each from the 2008 and 2010 editions of the 24 Hour Film Challenge at Ed Video Media Arts Centre.

MIND’S EYE Art Director Seth Rowanwood was the 2010 recipient of the L. Ron Hubbard Gold Award for Illustrator of the Future, which was presented this past August in Los Angeles.

About Synn Studios and Lynnvander Productions:

Lynnvander Productions was founded July 5th, 2005 by Thomas M. Gofton. The company was originally designed as a talent troupe performing for various elementary schools as educational entertainers. The troupe was noticed by Eaton Electrical: Cutler Hammer Division. It was only a month later that Eaton Electrical cast the talent troupe in a 10 minute business commercial which indirectly set the troupe on their visual media journey.

By April 2006 Lynnvander Productions had acquired enough industry grade media equipment to begin production on its first major project called Four Aces (2006). Since the summer of 2006 Lynnvander Productions has built a strong clientele with large respected partners such as The University of Guelph, The Society for Creative Anachronism, Much Music, Rue Morgue Magazine, Anchor Bay Canada, E1 Entertainment, MacMillan Marketing, The City of Guelph, Royal Canin and Ashton Ridge Homes.

In September 2007 Lynnvander Productions fostered the rise of Synn Studios Inc. a 4200 square ft media production house located in Guelph on Wyndham Street. The facility houses many artists as well as full editing suites, studio green and blue screen technology, audio engineering, a set/prop development shop and rehearsal space. In addition to the rise of Synn Studios Inc. Lynnvander also created the annual SharpCuts: Indie Music and Film Festival which elicits filmmakers internationally to partake in a festival that celebrates the union of music with film.

Synn Studios Inc. is the premier independent film, music, and art studio in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. We are a collection of creative people with widely varied talents, from cinematography to web site development. We work both as a team and individually with the tools and resources available in our studio to produce content across all mediums: Print, Film, Internet, Video, and more.

Founded in September of 2007 and incorporated in June of 2009, Synn Studios Inc. has been providing a home and springboard for local artists to launch their careers. For an example of our work, please watch the demo reel. If you are in need of any of our facilities, please don’t hesitate to give us a call today at (519) 265-7966. e. synn@synnstudios.ca.

Press Contact Information:
Synn Studios Inc.
108-121 Wyndham Street N.
Guelph ON, N1H 4E9
mindseye@lynnvander.com
C. (519) 362-5756
P. (519) 265-7966

We will have more about Mind’s Eye in the near future. We strongly suggest you watch the series premiere to witness and enjoy for yourselves the excitement of the new web series “Mind’s Eye”!

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Best Regards,

WR_Systems (Kenn)

November 25, 2010
Sanctuary: A lightly ‘comic-al’ Hero II: Broken Arrow

Hailing all you Sanctuary fans out there!

On this posterior side of the Gemini’s 25th Anniversary Gala, welcome to yet another exciting Kate Freelander (played by Agam Darshi) episode! You know, considering that there was so much controversy raging in fandom when her character was introduced, I don’t think anyone can possibly deny that she has blended beautifully not only into the Sanctuary team, but into the overall tone of the series.

We have been blessed with a thread of deliciously insightful revelations, and small glimpses of her journey from lone ranger, to a woman more comfortable with herself and with her beloved teammates. Altogether,’ the Freelander’ has grown to become more…sociable? Civilised? Loveable?

Okay, well so far it’s been very touchy/feely with the Kate-centric narratives, but this week we saw her juxtaposed with the nostalgic return of everyone’s favourite super-hero, THE ADJUSTERRRRRRR a.k.a Walter (an alias for the always refreshing Christopher Gauthier). Although it is a more-or-less stand alone episode, Hero II provides what could be described as the inevitable employment of Ms. Freelander’s *aherm* “mad skills”. I mean, c’mon really, Hero and Hero II: Broken Arrow are basically as geeky as the geekfest gets; we’ve got scifi, comic books, comic book heroes, comic book movies, San Diego Comic Con quips, corny catch-phrases, and (most importantly) spandex.

These episodes provide the meeting point between every corner of fandom; a blissful unity of nerds, geeks, dorks, and hot people.

While Hero II: Broken Arrow oozes coolness in every way possible, it is not merely a showcase for mindless sensationalism. This is a trait with which the Sanctuary team have gloriously comported themselves throughout every single episode of the whole series. Every narrative in the story arcs has contributed to a gorgeous harmony and balance between sensational ‘wow-factor’, reflective and shrewd thought, and the velvety richness of deep-seated human emotion. The series is intelligent; fans have even been known, having watched one episode or another, to go on the internet and research historical or scientific references from the show. Thank goodness for Google.

In contribution to this ying-yang balance of the show, Hero II: Broken Arrow is predominantly just plain cool. However it also drives home the earnest ethical and moral standards of the powerful Helen Magnus (Amanda Tapping), and reinforces the symbiotic relationship Kate Freelander now has with her fellow teammates.

The bantering bet between Henry Foss (Ryan Robbins) and Kate at the very opening of the episode sets the fun tone for the entire narrative, right down to Magnus’ motherly reprimands. There are two wonderful character spotlights switched on in this episode, apart from the usual Magnus-centric plot of the series. The first, and obvious, is the demonstration of Kate’s intergratedness with her teammates by the complete opposite means, separating her physically and mentally from their familiar base of operations.

This exile, as it were, from the team and family she has come to love and trust, serves to strengthen her bonds by placing her in the cold solitary confinement of a primal super-hero. It is interesting to watch the effect that the suit (which we mustn’t forget, is a living abnormal; a symbiotic assembly of telepathic bacteria) has on Kate, reverting her social behaviour to the very primal instincts of a female predator.

She stalks her prey with a seductive and deadly grace, while her rational decision-making abilities and judgement are thrown to the wind. Her raw, feminine power is delicious to behold. The climax to her hunt is reached beautifully, as she grabs Magnus by the throat and shoves her up against a piece of iron (whilst deep inside, the hearts of all fans are melting down in horror).

Magnus makes a choked appeal to the humanity inside of Kate, and once again we are privy to the stripping away and the poignant exposure of her soul…it all pours out through her eyes. Magnus and Kate have shared many of these tender little moments where in the midst of chaos and violence, there’s a little momentary cocoon of strength and calm between them. This trust and family bond is repeated at the end in the beautiful closing scene between the two of them.

The other spotlight, which also serves as a filler for goings-on since early Season 2, shines warmly on the endearing Walter. Not only has he now become a ‘somebody’ in the world, but we find that the outside pressure and attractive business ventures of the movie industry have changed him. In a nutshell, it’s a return to the early days of comic book superheroes: the black-and-white division between good and evil, the journey of a normally insecure guy from the fringe of society, to fame, to self-compromise, followed by an epiphany and a redemption of sorts, followed by a fight for his own integrity with the studio bigwigs.

Like any geeky comic-book fan, he tries enthusiastically to turn his fantasy into a reality by continually ghosting the Sanctuary team’s mission, but is ultimately ordered to stay put at the base of operations while the ‘big cheeses’ do their work. As usual. Watching the real action from a distance. Until they need his …erm…expertise, that is.

Obviously his slip leading up to the whole situation with Virgil St. Pierre (bless his parents for choosing that name), guested by Matty Finochio, makes him keen to redeem himself in both the Sanctuary team’s, and his own, eyes. Ultimately, he protects his integrity and stands his ground against the power of the movie industry. The Adjuster indeed!

As for Virgil, well he’s some character. It was interesting, his sneering superiority complex seemed a bit too pretentious at first, but then it turns out that most of his behaviour is pretty pretentious, being, as Magnus blandly puts it, a ‘child with money’ (“how mature!” he says). The way he goes about his business is in direct contrast to the way Magnus does, like a kid who has so much money and no boundaries. Even his tardy exit in pursuit of Kate just cries out as a somewhat foolish childish blunder. Not to mention that he also no sense of ethics of any sort. He’s like a spoiled brat who’s used to having his own way, short-tempered and patronising. Playing with his toys just because he can.

I LOVE the overall stylistics of this episode; the creators have carried the classic comic-book theme of the episode all the way, no holding back! It takes us right back to the good ol’ days of the first comic book movies ever made. Many of the creative camera wipes are from a comic stylised freeze-frame, swiping to another, and then the action continues smoothly from the graphic image.

It makes you feel like you’re reading a series of comic frames, except that they move: FANTASTIC! Even some of the visual effects, such as Kate’s flying leaps and slinky scaling up sheer walls are reminiscent of the old Spiderman or Catwoman superhero movies. Like I said: here is an episode that brings nostalgia in so many forms! Right down to the final ‘A’ shape that the abnormal suit makes in homage to Walter, the comic-styled corniness is utterly ravishing; from the superhero spandex, to the catch phrases, Walter’s adorable melodramatic shirt-ripping, to the stylised dialogue of super-Kate and super-Walter.

Even the grunty voice super-Walter speaks with is just tasty, especially when Virgil imitates it mockingly, and his butt is ultimately kicked. You know, Helen was right: It’s better without the catch phrase. This week’s episode was too much fun to be taken too seriously. A geektastic romp from start to finish, bringing back our favourite geeky memories, together with a sensational appeal all its own.

GEEKS UNITE! LONG LIVE SPANDEX!

Bring on Animus. Every week ups the gasp notch just little. By the end of this spectacular season, nobody will be breathing…

Thanks for popping by WormholeRiders and reading. Please feel free to post constructive feedback or discussion down below. You can also click the Avatar/icons to talk to me on Twitter.

JandyraCJM.

November 23, 2010

Tag: Hero

Canada’s Mind’s Eye Series to Follow in Footsteps of Sanctuary and Riese!

Sanctuary: A lightly ‘comic-al’ Hero II: Broken Arrow