Wednesday, November 30, 2011

The Team Behind the Grander Vision!

Dear Reader,

As has been noted before The Squirrel King has grown well beyond the confines of simple web series. Indeed the loftier goals now include revolutionizing the way people perceive their own ability to create and inciting them to inspire others too. Instrumental in executing this grander vision are the following team.

RUFUS WILLIAMS

A PhD from Harvard in mathematics and rock-climbing expertise that ranks him among Australia's top boulderers serve as great indicators of Rufus' diverse talents and inclinations. Add two beautiful and energetic daughters into the mix, and it is hardly surprising that he has chosen to follow up his debut feature film, Butterfly Dreaming - which premiered at the Seattle International Film Festival and went on to win Best Thriller at the Santa Monica International Film Festival - with a light-hearted digital series about aliens, squirrels and one woman's quest to be part of something important.


KEITH GOODWILL

After an academic career that started at Oxford University and included over 300 publications in prestigious journals such as Nature, Keith parlayed his scientific expertise into a more business-focussed life. As a founder and director of several successful biotech companies Keith has raised over $100 million dollars and structured partnerships with major companies and institutions including IBM, Dow Agrosciences, Beckman, Bayer, Nestle and the Bill Gates funded FIND Foundation.

The head of the scientific lab that coined the term "Proteome", Keith founded and grew the biotech company Proteome Systems from 12 to 150 people, ultimately leading the company to a listing on the Australian Stock Exchange; doubtless one of the contributing factors in his being awarded an Order of Australia.

Complimenting these professional credentials, is Keith's belief in GNH (Gross National Happiness), the Bhutanese measure of prosperity. Further with five children, and four grandchildren, of his own, he is perfectly placed as a driving force behind the world of The Squirrel King.

PAYTRE TOPP

Otherwise known by the pseudonym The Trouble and Strife, the elusive Paytre would be more accurately referred to as Her Saintliness. Far from torment and conflict, her presence on the Squirrel King team ensures precisely the opposite. Trained as a lawyer at USC where she held an executive position on the law review, she is, by day, an entertainment attorney.

Beyond her legal prowess, and undergraduate background in physics and biochemistry, Her Holiness is a fashion guru and designer; skills she is harnessing as the visionary behind the Squirrel King clothing lines Little Nut (kids), Big Nuts (mens) and the yet unnamed women's line.

She met and married Rufus over 10 years ago while working in a lab at MIT.

JUSTUS ZIMMERMAN

Just outside Wenham, MA, there is a valley named "The Valley of Justus".

If you really need to know more, check out the cast page, as Justus plays his namesake, and the digital series lead's love interest.


VIVIAN DOMINGUEZ

Vivian's eclectic background ranges from papier-mache snails and ferrets, to writing "Fly My Way", the number 1 pop song in China for 3 weeks in 2010.

She's also a co-creator of the Sweet Mary & Jane for Monarch Media, and a producing partner for the band Thank You, Goodbye.

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Running in Swaths of Color

Dear Reader,

Exciting steps forward: we've locked the picture for a trailer! Which means that the first fully formed view into the world of The Squirrel King is now with our sound genius who will bring you the sounds of Aliens, trucks and squirrels!

There's still score to add and a couple of small visual effects but this is a big step forward. With some luck early in the new year we'll have something to share.

As you can see, it's the sort of thing that makes Alien One jump for joy :)

Chin chin
Ruthless Whims

Monday, November 28, 2011

A Question of Glue

Dear Reader,

What a grand weekend! Thanksgiving was a fabulous cementing of our community around a festive feast.

Then, to top it off, I awoke yesterday morning to find the Trouble and Strife and the Aliens had washed the Mango Goddess, my mango colored car (aka Robin's vehicle in The Squirrel King).

But with the beautiful buff on the exterior prepping the car perfectly for next weekend's shoot, it suddenly became obvious how desperately the interior needed attention.

To this end Alien One inspected and selected fabric to replace what is now gone.

The only issue: how to affix said fabric. My test of "Tiger Bond" is proving of questionable strength. Any thoughts on a glue for fabric and leather would be very welcome!!

Chin chin
Ruthless Whims

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Coming Together

Dear Reader,

We're a couple of hours out from the guests and the fixtures are coming together!

We've just got to turn to the profiterole tower now ;)

Chin chin
Ruthless Whims

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Looking Good


Dear Reader,

There's just the little issue of comfort to go, but at least the stools are looking stylish!

Chin chin
Ruthless Whims

Architectural Genius

Dear Reader,

When all else fails, enlist an Alien!

Stay tuned for further updates :)












Chin chin
Ruthless Whims

Saga of the Chairs

Dear Reader,

The Trouble and Strife remains unconvinced by the cardboard stools. She's advocating Robin's pink chair, which I think is a great idea.

... That just leaves us with 18 chairs to find!

I'll report back soon. Sometime between preparations of, not one, but TWO beef Wellingtons, a turkey, sides .... And we've now set our target on the world's largest profiterole tower!

Wish us luck!

Chin chin
Ruthless Whims

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Cardboard Furniture

Dear Reader,

With Thanksgiving just a couple of days away and a posse of people arriving for the culinary constellation that the Trouble and Strife has hatched ... we needed more chairs.





In true Squirrel King fashion, we're cutting cardboard. Rolling it. Taping it. And ....

Well let's just see where it takes us. Two days left to finish prototyping and execute the order!




Chin chin
Ruthless Whims

Monday, November 21, 2011

Shoot stills

Dear Reader,

As promised, here's a couple of stills from last Thursday's shoot.

I wish I could also share stills from yesterday's shoot too, but the LA rain gods gave us another deluge, so you, like me, will just have to wait a couple more weeks to see fifteen people running about, all clad in black.


Chin chin
Ruthless Whims

PS do you recognize the bricks from our earlier miniature of Ed's house?

Friday, November 18, 2011

Nesting Police

Dear Reader,

Alien Two has been ill, not that you'd know it from the smile and the energy, but the couple of days home have been very productive!

First we built the Nesting Police station, which required a little art supply shopping (Alien Two does love a little art supply shopping), and then yesterday we shot the station.

Stay tuned for some images from the shoot.


Chin chin
Ruthless Whims

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

The Mad-Cap Squirrel King Contest Grand Prize

Dear Reader,

The final voting has been tallied and we find ourselves taken back to where it all started ... without further ado, the Grand Prize winner in the Contest was Yvonne Topp for her masterful first entry of foil clad acorns to lure squirrels.

Stay tuned in coming weeks when we'll share Yvonne's Vlad-style portrait.

Thank you to everyone who partook in The Mad-Cap Squirrel King Contest!

Chin chin
Ruthless Whims

Monday, November 14, 2011

From Miniature to the Real Thing

Dear Reader,

We're shooting the front door of Ed's house in a couple of days and it recently occurred to me that Robin was too tall for our miniature!

How to shrink Robin?!

Fortunately Alien One noted that we have plenty of the brick material left over, and so, with the miniature as a guide she set about making bigger bricks.

While Alien One built the wall, Alien Two worked on the doorbell. And me? I coordinated costumes.

Chin chin
Ruthless Whims

A Fishy Situation

Dear Reader,

As we've built the world of The Squirrel King, another, underwater world has grown around our apartment. Fish have been a stabilizing, albeit ever-expanding, source of joy over the last year and their aquatic world has grown ...

.. so much so, that The Trouble and Strife has endorsed another tank!

Soon the kitchen-living room space will be joined by a river of happy little critters.

I just wanted to take a moment to alert you to this, so you too can share in the growth of what will certainly feature in the background of many production design stills to come.

Chin chin
Ruthless Whims

Friday, November 11, 2011

Food for Life

Dear Reader,

The world of The Squirrel King is more than an art project, it's a way of life, and a big part of that is to thrill to all life's wonders.


Empowerment through the mastery of the knife certainly opens up a feast of options!

With meals dealt with, it may be time to move onto the joys of a broom ;)

Chin chin
Ruthless Whims

Thursday, November 10, 2011

An Update on Our Star

Dear Reader,

Shi Ne, our Robin, has been busy of late on a plethora of projects, many of which don't actually involve Aliens.

Earlier this week she was shooting on the new TV show "Ringer" with Sarah Michelle (Gellar) Prinze (we'll definitely let you know when the episode airs).

But because I know you, like me, want to see her right now, here's Epic Hunt, a web pilot she stars in click here and scroll down to the 11th video, and while you're there give them a vote!

Chin chin
Ruthless Whims

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

The Law in Nesting


Dear Reader,

Yesterday was spent creating and delighting to a little joy.

Specifically, Alien One worked on what to adorn the walls of the Nesting Police station with, while Alien Two reminded us that it's important to take time out and enjoy your creations!

To prove her point, look at the smile on her face as she gives our purple car a test drive.

No, there are no wheels yet, but that will change!

Chin chin
Ruthless Whims

Monday, November 7, 2011

Driven out by Rain

Dear Reader,

Sunday brought rain; and unlike much of our production design, it was the wet variety.

In consequence, our shoot was postponed, which just means more time to build fanciful sets to add to the wonderful Gondry-esque car the girls and I have already constructed.




Stay tuned as we embellish and put extra elements together.

Chin chin
Ruthless Whims





PS And don't forget to VOTE on the finalists of The Mad-Cap Squirrel King Contest Click Here.

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Week Six Contest Results

Dear Reader,

Our initial efforts to bring some Squirrel King madness into your world have concluded their first phase. Submissions for our Mad-Cap contest are closed and we now turn to the public voting!

But first, the winners of Week 6. In part for the sensational poems that have accompanied all her entries, and in part for the final entry itself, Yvonne Topp has won for a second week with "Beyond this World".

Kudos as always to the runners up who also move onto the public voting!

Stay tuned for the public voting site :)


Chin chin
Ruthless Whims

Friday, November 4, 2011

The Long Black Stick

Dear Reader,

Alien Two painted an acorn with a paint brush, before asking the obvious question about said tool (the question being: is it really necessary?).

Freedom is joy: No prizes to guess my response, I think the elation says it all :)

With true dedication to her job she swirled and massaged black paint in her own style. We now have a long black stick, an essential tool for Sunday's shoot!

Today, a car ...

Chin chin
Ruthless Whims

PS Don't forget you have just one more day until the Mad-Cap Squirrel King Contest closes!! Check out the Last week (They're Coming)

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Back in the Forest

Dear Reader,

The Trouble and Strife has been noted for her infinite patience, but all patience has a limit and the trees under our bed have passed hers :)

So, with the understanding that we can always make more I thought I'd use the forest of last year for our big shoot on Sunday!

Repurposing said trees again, has required a little more jiggering (they needed a lightening in color for the night shoot), but Alien Two and I were hard at work on her day off school yesterday.

Chin chin
Ruthless Whims

PS. Now that they're out again ... I'm feeling kind of attached to them ;)

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

References: Part 10 (Japanese Gameshow)

Dear Reader,

It is well known that in many of life's endeavors, the last 5% of a task takes 95% of the effort.

While the same probably still holds for The Squirrel King, we've deliberately contained the scope of our finishing touches in order to best achieve our goal of simply inspiring people. For instance the wires being carefully choreographed in the fish tank insert will not be removed :)

The same philosophy guides the very foundation of the wonderful shooting technique we're going to employ later this weekend.

I hope you enjoy this reference clip as much as I do:



Chin chin
Ruthless Whims

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Water Fairies

Dear Reader,

Wings were attached. Tested.














And the joy of flight was discovered!




The Aliens' water fairy costumes, care of the Trouble and Strife's amazing talents took life ...





And then they were gone!

Chin chin
Ruthless Whims