Purring like a kitten.

Tom has been doing some serious mechanic-ing -- he already got the engine for our Mars buggy running.

Here's a close-up of the engine and the beer bottle that's serving as a temporary (and very small) gas tank.

Making a monster.

Jonathan Thornton, who we're really, really lucky to have doing special makeup effects for Interplanetary, got to work in a big way over the weekend, doing a full body and face cast of Shane "Trap" Traffanstedt. Trap will be playing the monster in Interplanetary. I did mention there's a monster, didn't I?

Here's Jonathan and wife Ramona working on Trap...



Jonathan has also started designing some effects stuff that looks amazing. I really want to show it off, but it would give away too many plot surprises, so I'll have to save it 'til the premiere.

Who says you can't find a desert in Alabama?

Our new friend Tim gave Carl and I a tour of Wade Sand and Gravel yesterday. There's a massive quarry over there that we're hoping to use for some exterior Mars shots. Here's a shot of Carl standing in the quarry...



We'll obviously have to wait 'til that large pool of water dries up before we do any shooting in that particular spot.

DP Jim Roberson also stopped by the set at Atrox to do some preliminary lighting tests...



And that's not all -- it's been a busy week. I'll try to post an in-depth recap soon.

Evidence.

Digital photographic proof that we are making a movie.

Here's Ming the Merciless manning Carl's small scale model of a control console...



John deconstructing a monitor for inclusion in the eventual full-scale control console...



Carl stepping through our first (unpainted) door frame...



Angie painting up a storm...



You wouldn't believe how much math was involved in constructing this control console frame...



Unloading the VW Beetle that will serve as the basis for our space age Mars vehicle...



Prototype space suit being fit for actress Mia Frost...

Whew.

Busy week and weekend putting set stuff together at Atrox. We got our first wall more secure and started working on a door. Plus, we got what will become our "Mars Buggy" (actually, more of a truck). And tonight, I'm heading out to see Peyton, our costume designer, about the prototype space suit she's working on.

I'll try to post some photos tomorrow...

The (first) wall.

Carl and John stand proudly in front of our first wall...


It isn't dressed or properly lit yet, but it's standing.

Watching paint dry.

January in Alabama is usually cold and painfully dry. But this year, it's been mostly rainy or, at least, humid. Which I wouldn't mind if we weren't trying to get set painting done. We worked for a couple of hours today, realized we couldn't do anything else until some paint dried, and decided to call it a day when we considered the rain and how long said drying would take.