Fanboys - The Movie - Trailer and Video Clips

Friday, 2/3/2006: Phone call for an Ewok

Cory calls looking for an Ewok costume.

Comments:
Ken:
Wow, this is going to be hard to find. Some of us have Jawas, but no one has an Ewok! They are not really a popular costume or display item, it seems. The few I saw on the web weren't for sale, and there were none on Ebay. Looks like we may have to make one.

Melanie:
Ewok? No one cares about Ewoks!

Saturday, 2/4/2006: Dinner

Melanie, Ken, Jess and Yvonne had the guys over for enchiladas. Kyle Newman, Matthew Perniciaro, Scott Lumpkin, Cory Lorenzen and special guest star, Joe McDougall!

Comments:
Melanie:
We thought having the group over for dinner would be fun – plus they have been living in a hotel for 3 weeks – so I thought they might like dinner. They requested Mexican. They again arrived in their North Pole gear – but they did take the coats off. They were very nice and answered all of our stupid questions about how movies get made and what each one of their jobs was – I am serious – we are total movie retards – with no idea how it all works. I kept hearing all of their names – but I was having trouble putting names to a face – Who was Kyle? Which one was Matt? They took a look at Ken’s collection – even though it is impressive as is, the poor things have no idea how much stuff Ken has put away in boxes. I will never hear the end of the SW room now…

Ken:
Yep, this was fun, and I was glad to finally show them some of what we have to offer!

Monday, 2/6/2006: Swords in the Darkness

Scott and Kyle order some of the Master Replicas FX Sting Swords from BladeSeller.

Comments:
Ken:
This is probably only exciting for me, but I was glad to help fuel Kyle's love for Lord of the Rings (my other obsession) and Scott gave his to his son as a gift, and it was a real hit.

These are cool, they glow blue when you hit the hidden switch, and they have a battle clash sound when struck.

Thursday, 2/9/2006: Casting Call

We meet Gwyn Savage (Casting) and nearly every member of Mos Alba get their pix taken at the 3rd St. Production Offices.

Comments:
Ken:
Another exciting day! Gwyn is great, and we hit off a good partnership for the movie, with me helping her gather resources for different scenes.

We also met Johanna Argan, the Costume Designer. Melanie and I volunteered to be Trekkies, Johanna said she would make Melanie her own Trekkie costume. Richard Silva was there, and he swore he would never be a Trekkie (foreshadowing for later).

Melanie told Johanna that we told them we'd go ahead and make the Ewok costume, since we weren't going to find one anywhere. Jess and I said we would make the silver THX masks.

Melanie:
Johanna was very nice to meet – she seems very put together and calm and I was glad to see she was accepting help from the Mos Alba boys. A Casting Director actually took my picture! The process is still so fascinating! The guys put on their armor and costumes and the crew at the office seemed genuinely excited. They got that light in their eyes that this movie is all about. Everyone wanted their pictures taken with the Stormtroopers and Darth Vader and Chewbacca! It was great to finally show the crew that we were not kidding around – the group was serious about SW!

I was very excited to help in any way they needed – though how the hell I would make an Ewok costume was beyond me – but it had to be better than anything they might make or find… I offered to make the neck seals for the Stormtrooper costumes – as those would take too much time to order. I didn’t think the whole Trekkie thing would happen – but it was nice of them to offer.

We really needed a schedule of when they needed what – being the responsible people with kids and jobs that we are – but all we got at this meeting was some gesturing at a blank calendar – scary!

Saturday, 2/11/2006: Party

Party at Karen's house. Fanboys attend. Kyle, Scott, Matt, Kim, Cory, Johanna, Damien, Melina (who am I forgetting?)

Comments:
Ken:
Good party, and nice for everyone to see the Fanboys people again!

Melanie:
I get to talk to Johanna more at length and then also we meet the Set Dresser Kim and some of the Production office crew. They are a bit more stand offish this time – not quite as friendly – maybe just tired. They stay for about an hour. I am still shocked they come to one of our parties at all – I think it is very brave.

Tuesday, 2/14/2006: Email from Johanna

Johanna wrote Ken asking if we can find an Ewok anywhere. We reminded her that we would make one.

Comments:
Ken:
Forming ideas on how to do this...Sculpy?

Melanie:
They say they won’t need it until March 28^th…. We have plenty of time…right?

Thursday, 2/16/2006: Email from Cory

I'm trying to track down a full size R2-D2 head that we can use for the top of the guys van. It will probably be something we'll have to buy because we may have to modify it to mount it onto the van. I need to track something down by the end of next week. Do you know of anybody who manufacturers R2 parts? I'm a little worried I won't be able to find anything. Hope things are going well. Thanks.

Cory

Comments:
Ken:
I replied with the URLs and emails of the R2 Builders club, but also with the info that many R2 Builders use security camera domes for the heads that only cost about $40. Cory likes this idea, this is what they use in the film.

Friday, 2/18/2006: Party

Jess and Scott’s b-day party at Ken’s house, Fanboys and THE ACTORS come over.

Comments:
Ken:
Wow, what a night! First, I get to meet Linda Crispien (Mara Jade Fan) from the 501st, whose extensive Star Wars appearances I have admired. She's in town and was nice enough to come over.

We were having a good time, I put on an mp3 mix CD I had made around 1999. Matt and Chris Giese teased me about some of the selections which were no longer very topical, like "Who Let the Dogs Out". I explained that any song that they found amusing was a song that Melanie had asked me to add.

Melanie:
Not True. Ken has some interesting selections on that CD – and if it is a whining girl song – it is definitely his choice.

Ken:
We had chocolate cake shots and all...
Around 11:30pm, The Hollywoods showed up with THE ACTORS! Kyle Newman, Matthew Perniciaro, (Scott? Cory?) not Joe Arnold or MacDougal or Dana or Johanna. Met actor Dan Fogler, Executive Producer Kevin Mann, his girlfriend actress Kristen Bell, actor Jay Baruchel, actor Chris Marquette, actor Sam Huntington, Nikki the 3rd St. assistant, Paula (Kyle's girlfreind) and Screenwriter Adam F. Goldberg. We went to my collection room and played with the props, especially the FX Lightsabers. Took pix. Some people had some shots.
Had everyone sign the cover of my script, including Adam who I thought wrote the script at the time, but later I learned he was working on top of Ernie Cline's story and screenplay.
Kyle the director invites some people to the set to meet Billy Dee Williams, who he let everyone know, was filming on Friday (2/24).

Melanie:
OK, seriously, I thought 11:30? Is this a time that people visit other people’s houses in LA? Since they had been “on the way” for at least an hour – I seriously thought (wished) that they were going to stand us up – but here they are – in the flesh at 11:30!
I had no idea who anyone but the Hollywoods were. They looked like a bunch of hairy teenagers to me (the boys), and little teen girls about as big as one of my thighs. It was a mix of big parkas and slick leather jackets. They all looked foreign. I went to my post in the kitchen. One of the boys (Jay) looked desperately in need of the bathroom – where I directed him. He couldn’t stop thanking me when he came out – what a strangely polite boy I thought. There was a cute blonde couple (Sam) and his fiancee – they kept calling each other Sweetheart. I vowed to look all of these people up on the web later – once I knew who they were. All the girls seemed to gravitate to the kitchen – where they were introduced to Chocolate Cake shots – quite delicious. They were all very chatty and nice. The boys were in the other room? At some signal, everyone descended to the downstairs Star Wars room. I stayed upstairs – knowing that 20 people down there was a tight scene!

Then they all began to drift upstairs – knowing it was probably rude to swoop in to just view someone’s room and then leave – they hung out a few minutes longer for pictures and chatting. I found myself sitting next to a sullen young man with crazy hair. I did not know who the heck he was (Dan - Hutch). I tried to make small talk but I obviously had nothing in common or anything interesting to say to him. He didn’t try either. Later, when I saw how animated he had been for pictures downstairs – I could see how an actor can really be “on” and um, “Not on”.
That was definitely a close encounter with an alien culture…very interesting!

Wednesday, 2/22/2006: Email from Johanna

Ken
I don't know if this has been mentioned to you, but they are thinking of doing one of the montage scenes this Saturday.
It's the scene where the guys pull up to a drive thru and are wearing 4 Stormtrooper helmets. Is it possible to have 4 for this Saturday?
Also, when can we get together to start to work on assembling the stormtrooper costumes. Can we black out a time? We can do it at the hotel. Let me know when you are free.
Johanna

Comments:
Melanie: Ahhh, the first of those breezy emails where you are not quite sure – should you schedule time for this, start coordinating anything, ignore it – maybe it will go away…what? As we would learn with most of what was happening with the shooting schedule – just be ready to drop everything at a moment’s notice – not an easy feat with a full time job, two businesses, two kids and two dogs. OK, who am I kidding – we haven’t seen the dogs for two years – but you get the idea…

Ken:

Thursday, 2/23/2006: Email from Kim

Hi, Ken, hope you are doing well. Cory forwarded me your Halloween decor email, it would be so great if we could use that stuff. Also I might need to borrow some of your action figures for the comic book store for Saturday. Please call me today to see if it would be OK to take a look at some of your stuff tomorrow, and maybe pick-up the Halloween stuff.
Kim

Ken:

Friday, 2/24/2006: First Day of Filming / Jail Cell Scene / Armor Building / met Billy Dee Williams

Jess b-day, Ken and Jess took off work to make armor, Matt Giese and Joe Estrada, too, to visit Bernalillo County Detention Center (BCDC) set; arranged through Matt P.
We arrived at 3rd St. around 9 or 10 am, started the armor, met Matt G. and Joe, met Cory and got invited to go to the soundstage to see the sets being built around noon, got invited by Tom to go to the set which was the jail cells in the basement of the BCDC, so we hopped a shuttle over there. We were warmly greeted, and we watched them film the jail cell / sandwich throwing scene for an hour or two.

We got some pix of the cast. We took a shuttle to Domingo and San Pedro to see the Soundstage with Cory, where they had several signs made up for Bottler Motors, The Hole in the Wall Comics shop, Indiana, etc. Sets were being built... the Trash Compactor was pretty much done, the Death Star doors were being welded. It was great!
Matt and Joe left to go to UPS to work, but gave Jess and I a ride back to 3rd St to work on the armor some more. Once there, Joe Arnold the prop master invited us to lunch in the tent with the cast and crew. Blue Plate catered all of their meals, it was good. Fish, Chicken, Veal, etc. Then, back to the armor.
Around 3pm, Producer Dana Brunetti stopped into the armor room and asked if we wanted to meet Billy Dee WIlliams, who was in his trailer there at 3rd waiting to film his courthouse scenes. We did! We then worked on the armor again until about 5pm when Yvonne and Joseph and Anita showed up. Richard Silva showed up, too, to drop off his ST helmet to Johanna for the drive up scene for the FB montage. He made those who were dropping their helmets off some TK stickers with the Imperial Cog... thanks!

Kimberly Wannop the set decorator asked Ken if I could provide her with some carded figs, and if so to bring them to the set the next day at the West Mesa St Joseph's Lovelace hospital. I agreed, and she said we all could come who were present Friday (Joseph, Anita, Matt, me, Melanie, Jess and Yvonne). We asked if more could come, but she said no, it was a closed set.

Dana Brunetti stopped by with his father and brothers and tried on some armor and took pix. We got most of the armor done and packed it in around 9 or 10pm.

Comments:
Ken:

Melanie:
Oooh, I wanted to see the sets bad – but I couldn’t get away from work dangit!

Saturday, 2/25/2006: Filming - Hospital Scene / met Carrie Fisher

9am, arrived at West Mesa St Joseph's Lovelace Hospital, where they were being allowed to film in a new, unused wing. Joseph, Anita, Matt, Erin, me, Melanie, Jess and Yvonne, watched them film some hospital scenes, including ones where Linus is hospitalized and being told by Dr. J. Arnold (Carrie Fisher) that he can't continue on the adventure to California. Also, scenes where the FB were in the waiting room talking.

Comments:
Ken:
I gave Kim her 12 red carded 3 3/4" 1995 figures that she asked for.
When we arrived, a crew member came around with a trash can and confiscated everyone's coffee. Carrie Fisher was on a no caffeine diet, and couldn't drink coffee, so she didn't want it around. They said she just flew in and started her day with a Bourbon and Coke. We were told that she was very prickly and we should not photograph or speak to her, and no autographs. We watched for a few hours and Adam Goldberg, who was adding or freshening up some jokes in the original script, asked me for some takes on the scene where the Fanboys are planning to defy the Dr's warning not to take Linus to CA. They say:

Screw the Doctor! Did SHE ever get her head wedged in a bucket pretending to be Darth Vader? Did SHE ever use old vacuum parts to build her own C-3PO? Shit, did she name her right hand “Leia”? God no! But you know who did? We did.

I made up something like "Did she french her dog to see what it would be like to kiss a Wookiee?" and a few others, which were filmed, but probably won't be used.

More:
Did SHE ever paint a midget green and put him in a backpack?
Did SHE ever cross-train with a lizard on her back?
Did SHE ever get a guy named Frank to stick his hand up her ass so she could see what it felt like to be Yoda?
Did SHE ever slice her dead hamster open to recreate the Taun-taun scene?
Did SHE ever kiss her brother while swinging over a bottomless shaft?
They were breaking for lunch so we left and went back to 3rd St. to finish the armor. Joe, Jess, Anita and Yvonne. We finished the armor, and then Johanna brought Chris and Dan came by to get test fitted.

Melanie:
I was excited to finally see a movie set. We arranged for the first (of many) babysitters for the kids so we could go watch. It was tight quarters but we tried to stay out of the way. Believe me, they told you to get out of the way if necessary. They had like 4 hospital extras walking and doing multiple parts of the scenes. I swore I was going to scrutinize the background of the movie to see the same lady aimlessly walking around everywhere. And the yelling – why is this man – Joe – yelling at everyone who is obviously ignoring him? Except for us – I was terrified. I could see the Hollywoods were concentrating very hard. The actors just screw around and joke the whole time they aren’t filming. There is a lot of equipment and people with headphones everywhere. It was amazing!

Adam Goldberg – who I thought was the writer – is going back and forth writing up new lines and playing them off of everyone (although he passes every one through his girlfriend, first.) There are assistants and makeup people and stand-ins and grips and gaffers and the sound guy and it is all just so cool! The cameras are huge and the filters and lighting tricks and angles are mesmerizing. Matt and Kyle seems to always be arguing with the scruffy camera guy (Lucas) over how long everything will take.

People are very nervous around Carrie Fisher (we brought mementos for her to sign – no sir, no way!). She lays on the floor of the hallway at one point. Everyone tries to look away. After one scene she just leaves the set. There is commotion – is she mad? The Hollywoods convene a mini meeting – I see how Kyle has to play the voice of reason and be the happy medium to get everyone to play together. She has just left for a minute her assistant says…whew!

Although we were all warned to not approach Ms Fisher, Sam, who thinks he is quite the joker, thought he would introduce us all to her when she was standing nearby. I saw it coming so I got away, but Joseph asked her to sign his Stormtrooper helmet. She was fuming but held it together.

Later Gywn told Ken on the phone that group guests wouldn’t be allowed on any more of the sets since it was disruptive. She said people mentioned we were hanging around the monitors. Since I didn’t FEEL disruptive I didn’t see where this was coming from – and that pissed me off – I vowed not to visit their stupid set again, (which of course I didn’t keep). We do NOT recall any of us being in the way, especially around the monitors!

Sunday, 2/26/2006: Bucephalus vs. Crazy Man

Today the 2nd Unit shot scenes of the van, Bucephalus, pulling up to a drive thru window. Inside are the fanboys, all wearing stormtrooper helmets.

Comments:
Ken:
The actors were working on another scene with the 1st Unit film crew, so they used stand ins for the actors in the drive-thru scene. Our Own Jess Coffer got to wear his own helmet and stand in for Hutch. Jess has a funny van story which we will insert here soon.

Jess:

Tuesday, 2/28/2006: Filming - Bottler Motors Car lot scenes with Dream Sequence

Comments:
Ken:
A Mos Alba member's brother works there, and we were asked to come troop, and they even put an ad in the paper about it, but without clearing it with the movie people first, so that was a no-go.

But we arrived at like 10am and watched them film a bit and got sunburned. Most of us had taken off of work, but since they didn't want us to troop, we had a lot of nothing to do. The call time was 4pm to arrive on set for the Dream Sequence scenes.

We asked if we could go to the soundstage and check the set progress, and they said yes, so we did that. It was fun, the sets were more complete, and we took a lot of pictures. We saw set dressings and Halloween party props sitting on shelves along the walls and getting dusty due to the construction (which raised some red flags for some of us lending our cherished items to the production) Then we went to Hooters and sat around a big round table and joked and laughed, and that was fun.

Around 2:30, we had stayed at Hooters as long as we could, so we went back. Sean, Matt, Scott and I rode back in the Do It Dinners van. We parked along the street, and opened the sliding doors and heard a megaphone amplified voice: "You in the Gold Van who's doors just opened: you are in the shot"! I was embarrassed and we moved and made jokes about it.
"You f****rs in the Gold Van"!

Melanie:
I was excited to hear that a movie person had actually noticed/yelled at my Van……isn’t that stupid? Later I wished to run over Joe with that same van but…..just kidding!

Ken:
So, now it was 3pm and all of a sudden, they were rushing us into signing in, getting dressed, etc. even though it was supposed to start at 4pm. Everyone was there but Victor, who was sensibly planning on arriving at 4pm. We filled out our

“Extras Vouchers” and 1099s so we could get paid. They showed us the dressing room trailers we could get dressed in, and the big white tent we had to wait in for our holding pen. It was pretty nice weather, though, just windy. They broke for dinner, and invited us to eat after the crew was done, and some of us did. Victor arrived. We dressed out in our armor and goofed around. We looked at the van, Bucephalus, and took pix. We met the production videographer, Andrew, and he interviewed us.

James brought his Chewie and Scott brought his Fett, and they dressed out too. They filmed us chasing Chewie around through the trailers. This was Scott's first wearing of his Fett armor, and Kyle and others were impressed, and in fact wrote him into the Dream Sequence scene on the spot!

We waited around in and out of the tent joking and laughing (Matt and Scott and I were doing various accents, singing telling jokes) (What did Fett say when they handed him a slice of lunchmeat and cheese? It's no good without bread) until they actually needed us at 9pm. They had us line up at the dealership doors and bust into the room like a swat team, aiming everywhere as we ran past the camera. Then they had us flank the window while Big Chuck went into the office to talk to Eric. It took all of 30 minutes. Matt Giese made his debut as a Stormtrooper wearing the armor we built for Chris Marquette for the Halloween party scene. I took Matt's/Chris's armor home.

Melanie:
SW movie, Hooters, hot girls in bikinis, Trooping with friends – probably the best day in Kens life!

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