Atomic Rayguns

My 2010 demo reel as of today

2010-06-13T23:15:00.000-07:00

The Fly 1958 replica mask in the works!!

2010-04-03T14:40:00.000-07:00

This is my latest mask I'm working. My goal is the be the first ever to accurately replicate the mask created by Ben Nye in the 1958 version of The Fly. It will even use real turkey feathers for the "feelers" like Ben did back in the good 'ole days. And what Fly mask would be complete without a claw to go with it? This is an initial sculpt and will change as I get closer to accuracy.

Patrick de Leon interview at TOYSREVILs I Like Toys!!

2010-04-03T14:25:00.000-07:00

My good friend Andy from TOYSREVIL in Singapore was kind enough to post about World at Atomic War on his amazing blog that covers all kinds of cool stuff involving pop culture.
He made me do an interview as well that was quite fun. Check it out HERE to get more insight on the movie and what to expect in the future.
Thanks Andy, you rock!!

Worlds at Atomic War part 1 finished(for now)

2010-04-03T14:12:00.000-07:00

After six weeks of slaving over a hot computer screen, part one of this B movie epic is finished in time for the deadline. A revised version will be completed by the time part 2 comes out, but this one was under a school deadline. the others will be created during free time. I actually destroyed a 3 month old laptop making this with all the animation, CGI, compositing and other graphic accelerating stuff I utilized to make this. Kudos to Brice Bloxom for allowing me to torture him in front of the camera for a few weeks, and for offering his input in regards to shot placement. He was also instrumental during the editing and sound design.
Click on the movie below and go straight to youtube in case it's cut off in your browser.

I also used a mask I had created for another short that was never produced due to other reasons. It is based off the Ikar alien from The Outer Limits.

'Worlds at Atomic War' VFX test sequence.

2010-02-17T00:29:00.000-08:00

This my first VFX test shot for my latest short film. Effects and compositing are all done in Adobe After Effects with help from Action Essentials. The film details the account of an alien invasion in Denver, Colorado.

Worlds at Atomic War short film in the works.

2010-02-12T12:48:00.000-08:00

I've recently completed my first VFX test shot of the Martian War Machines to be used in my latest short film. See if you can spot nods.
More info to come.

Detective Genaro Ortiz in Dark Knight suit.

2010-02-04T11:10:00.000-08:00

A year ago I was contacted by a police detective in Newark New Jersey who is what you would call a celebrity Batman there in town who was interested in a suit upgrade. This guy suits up 5 days a week to entertain children for charity and to inspire them to lead a drug free life. He is the first Batman to work directly with a police department like the real Batman and even has his own Batmobile and trading cards! I've met a lot of guys who want to be a real Batman, and this guy is the closest I've ever seen! I was asked to upgrade his appearance with a Dark Knight suit as seen in the 2008 film. Here's some pics Detective Ortiz sent me of his first outing in the suit last weekend. This guy is truly an amazing piece of work, thanks Detective for all the work you are doing for the community under the mantle of the bat.

Batman and the Robot of Doom film in the works

2010-02-04T11:05:00.000-08:00

Preproduction on a new retro style Batman short is in the works. This will feature my 1939 version of the Batman cowl as well as authentically style batsuit with short purple gloves. As from the title you can guess what his adversary will be, but the robot will be under control by a certain clownish villain also done up in retro golden age style. This film will allow to explore the advances I've made recently in digital compositing, animation and 3d tracking software.

Snake Eyes Replica Armor V2

2009-12-11T21:34:00.000-08:00

Latex body armor with cold cast aluminum accessories. The visor attaches to the cowl magnetically.

Custom Star Trek Vulcan ear tips.

2009-11-30T02:39:00.000-08:00

I made these in 48 hours just barley in time for October 31st.
These were made of latex, so they were more TOS style. Next time around in the 2009 uniform I'll be making them out of silicon for a more fleshy look. Possibly for Starfest 2010.

"Gimme Three" sci fi short. The "proto" Buck Rogers flick.

2009-11-11T18:42:00.000-08:00

Very few people know of my short film Gimme Three that I produced to see if the stuff I wanted to do for Buck Rogers and The World of Tomorrow was possible. Some remark I made Buck Rogers in four weeks from start to finish, but how about five days?
This film was a project where we had to create a short based on the lyrics of a list of songs given to us. I choose Lynyrd Skynrds "Gimme Three Steps" since it provided me with a means to quickly film something where it would only be me interacting with digital characters.
This is personally my favorite short I've done so far due to the comedic aspects, and the fact it was done in only 5 days from star to finish. It showed me that if I could do this in 5 days, I could put together Buck Rogers in four weeks.
Enjoy!

Lucasfilm/Turner promo event.

2009-11-10T23:48:00.000-08:00

Recently Turner broadcasting, under the watchful eye of lucasfilm flew some of my clone buddies and I to D.C. for a Clone Wars promo event. This is the second year in a row I've worked with Lucasfilm directly in organizing these events.

Me in my Rex armor:

A vendor there was nice enough to make a pic of Bill and I in 3D!

First Snake Eyes replica body armor pull!

2009-10-27T22:32:00.000-07:00

This is my first Snake Eyes armor cast. This is going to a lucky guy in Germany named Guido. I'll be building up a V2 in the coming weeks complete with accessories.

Batman the Dark Knight replica prop armor costume V2

2009-10-27T22:13:00.000-07:00

My V2 TDK armor with plexiglass parts exposing real gunmetal Kevlar weave. Modeled by Marshall Wood.

Snake Eyes body armor sculpt close to completion

2009-09-02T17:40:00.000-07:00

Dark Knight armored mesh suit.

2009-09-01T00:04:00.001-07:00

This is the latest version of my Dark Knight armored mesh suit I am making for my friend Keith in Singapore. This version features a nylon mesh suit that has actually been coated with a layer of latex rubber. This makes it more durable, more accurate and easier to bond to the latex armor pieces.

GI Joe Snake Eyes Mask with magnetic visor

2009-09-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

My latest creation is a Snake Eyes cowl based on how he appears in the new 2009 film. Features a visor that attaches via rare earth magnets.

Star Wars Clonetrooper Commander Faie helmet

2009-07-19T21:29:00.000-07:00

This is a clone class that has yet to make it into the 501st Legion.
I've been steadily working on this helmet between projects since 2007.
Klean Klay on a foam armature bust.
This is Commander Fai/ Clone Engineer helmet seen in the concept art from Star Wars Revenge of the Sith.

Weird Science test composite- Aliens cooking minature humans in a frying pan.

2009-07-19T21:23:00.000-07:00

This is a test composite I did for my VFX Field Production at the Art Institute of Colorado. Under the supervision of Mr.Debreceni,we filmed several members of the class in the greenscreen studio separately.
Using the digital living room built in 3dsmax and a composite shot of a frying pan, everyone is thrown together to be cooked alive for hungry evil aliens!
I used Adobe After Effects for the compositing, smoke is 3dmax particle effects.

"Weird Science"(working title) test composite

2009-06-03T00:53:00.001-07:00

This is the first test composite for a scene from a new film I'm helping out withat the Art Institute of Colorado for my VFX Field Production class. Old people makeup was done by Todd Debreceni and myself using the classic method of latex and tissue paper.

Batman The Dark Knight replica armor prop.

2009-05-31T19:11:00.000-07:00

This is the latest version of my DK style armor. It is all latex with acrylic lenses in the pecs lined with Kevlar. The bicept armor is also lined with KEvlar that is visible through clear plastic.

"Weird Science" 1950's Transformer Test animation

2009-05-30T21:01:00.000-07:00

I posted the first test animation of the 1950's Carbot seen in a school project at the Art Institute of Colorado for VFX Field Production. Model and animation performed in 3d Studio Max.

Alien prosthetics created for short film "Weird Science".

2009-05-28T20:56:00.000-07:00

Alien mask created for short film
I spent a total of one week making two masks to be used in my VFX Field Production class at Art Institute of Colorado.
The masks were worn by fellow classmates John Rupe and John Franks. Latex provided by my teacher Todd Debreceni

Car-bot created for AIC film project.-"Weird Science".

2009-05-08T22:04:00.000-07:00

I created this in 3d Max earlier this week. It's currently being rigged to hopefully be able to transform on screen.

Buck Rogers and the World of Tomorrow Battlecruiser.

2009-05-08T21:10:00.000-07:00

Did some renders tonight of the low poly Buck Rogers Battlecruiser model created for the Buck short.

Early VFX shot using sculpture

2009-04-27T19:31:00.001-07:00

New film project in the works

2009-04-27T09:34:00.000-07:00

At AIC I'm currently involved in a new film project. In addition to the animation work(I'll be creating a 50's Hot Rod that changwes in to a robot), I'm creating several costumes and prosthetics.
Here is a sneak peek at my work in progress "Ikar alien" that will make an appearance in the film devouring miniature humans. More info to come soon!

Becomming Commander Data

2009-04-24T20:37:00.000-07:00

I spent the last few weeks putting together a Commander Data costume for Star Fest here in Denver. I ended up buying a Voyager pattern and adapting it into a First Contact-Nemesis uniform.

I bought a Nemesis "Dolphin phaser kit from Roddenberry.com, and painted it with gunmetal grey automotive paint

For the makeup I put on several layers of white water based face makeup by By Nye each sealed with a sealant, followed by a layer of gold metallic powder.
And of course yellow contacts

Starfest 2009
It was an amazing experience meeting Brent Spiner as Data. He loved the costume and we had a very funny conversation about white/gold makeup and yellow contacts. Brilliant guy, turns out we are even from the same neighborhood in Houston, Texas.

1939 Golden Age Batman Cowl

2009-03-16T10:47:00.000-07:00

Here's a photo I took for my lighting for video and film class of my Golden Age Batman cowl of which I'll be doing a short run of soon. The cowl in this pic is a bit rough and unfinished since I had to present the pic 12 hours later.
As some may remember, Bats wore short purple gloves when he first appeared.

Buck Rogers and the World of Tomorrow on Fan Cinema Today!!!

2009-02-03T18:42:00.000-08:00

Clive Young, author of the book HOMEMADE HOLLYWOOD: FANS BEHIND THE CAMERA, has featured my retro short on his site FanCinemaToday. Check out his site for up to date coverage on fan film culture!
Thanks Clive!

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow Atomic Disintegrator pistol prop!

2009-01-29T17:35:00.000-08:00

I just finished up this Sky Captain Atomic pistol prop from Wilco Models.
Kit composed of two parts made of pressure cast resin. Being pressure cast means no bubble holes, therefore a kit with very easy cleanup. The only thing that needed sanding was the mold seams. After glueing together with a combination of superglue and Smooth-On's Metalset A4, it gets sprayed with Krylon ultra flat black. Then it gets lighty sprayed with silver aluminum paint to give it texture. Then it gets finished with silver Rub n' Buff and the accents painted with Testors copper enamel.
Then a minimal amount of weathering to make it look worn and used, aloung with a sealant to keep the Rub n' Buff intact.

Paramount Pictures production art

Buck Rogers short featured on Dark Roasted Blend!

2009-01-16T15:01:00.000-08:00

Dark Roasted Blend has some nice things to say about my short, even giving it the name Buck Rogers and the World of Tomorrow. I like the name as it gives it a means to stand out from the other incarnations coming.
Thanks DRB!!

Patrick de Leon's Buck Rogers short is featured on Cinematical!

2009-01-15T14:58:00.000-08:00

Cinematical featured a story on their site about my little Buck Rogers student film, and had some nice things to say! It was cool being mentioned in the article as Frank Miller.
Nice!

Buck Rogers short featured on The Awesomer!

2009-01-13T02:20:00.000-08:00

The Awesomer is a spectacular site that features trailers, games, gadgets, clothes, toys for young and old and just plain awesome stuff!
Thanks Awesomer! You make this Space Cadet happy!

Atomica poses for book cover!

2009-01-12T15:56:00.001-08:00

Atomica from my little 2 min short Gimme Three, posed for this illustration I designed for the front of an art book I made for my dad for Christmas. The film she was in was thrown together in only 5 days, so her talents were barely used. But she is slated to appear in a future project. Is Atomic going to be more than an art book? Only Atomicboy5 knows.....

Buck Rogers short film now on Fanfilms.net

2009-01-12T00:53:00.000-08:00

I just got word that fanfilms.net has put the Buck Rogers short on their site. Atomicboy5 is proud!!

Walking Tube characters from Buck Rogers short

2009-01-11T13:12:00.000-08:00

Someone asked me about the walking characters briefly seen in the walking tube during the rocketship return home scene. These were the first characters I made back in 07 for one of my 3d modeling class. For the movie I just gave them a simple Biped pre-programmed walk cycle. The Martian was actually a project to see if we could creat an interesting character with only simple shapes and nearly zero modeling.
The female I called Maria from my fav movie Fritz Langs Metropolis, and the robot in need of a bath I called Patbot. I do plan to make a toy out of the Martian one of these days soon.

Buck Rogers short featured on Toysrevil!

2009-01-11T11:38:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Andy from Toysrevil for the kind words on my little short and on the raygun used in my logo!!! I submitted the X-66 atomic exploration pistol for Gohero x Toysrevil raygun contest, but missed the deadline.
Check out his blog at www.toysrevil.net for the most up to date news on toys,movies,comics and cool weird stuff!

Custom Henshin Cyborg 99 Kikaida 01

2009-01-10T12:34:00.000-08:00

I made this fig using a Cyborg 99 base body with parts from the Medicom R.A.H. figure. Custom chrome innards in the arms and legs are kitbashed from some Microman figures.
also in the works is a custom Henshin Cyborg Hakaida figure coming soon!

Image Gallery with PicTiger

Patrick de Leon's Buck Rogers short is on Youtube

2009-01-10T05:27:00.001-08:00

After four weeks of slaving over a hot computer monitor, the Buck Rogers in 25th Century short was finished in time for the deadline. This movie is a homage to Buck as he appeared back in the 1930's with nods to 50's B-movies complete with bad acting and cheesy effects. You might see some Sky Captain influence too. Still plan to do some tweaking, but here it is along with some screen shots. Everything was shot in front of a green sheet tacked to my living room wall. All animation was done in 3dstudio max 9, and compositing was executed in Adobe After Effects. I recommend going directly to the youtube site and clicking "watch in high quality".

Upload Images with PicTiger

My brother Aaron as Batman The Dark Knight!

2009-01-10T04:22:00.001-08:00

My brother suited up in the Dark Knight armor I make for photos and video that are being used in my latest ebay auction. He had a great time running around my apartment building!