production

Dissecting the New Proton Pack Design

The hits just keep right on coming... if anyone was worried that the Ghostbusters (2016) props might take a bit of a sleek Jonny Ive Apple modernized look, Paul Feig once again took to Twitter today to reveal the (presumably unlicensed) nuclear accelerators that his characters will be wearing in the film.

Right off the bat, I love that it still looks like something cobbled together on a run to a hardware/tech junkyard in Burbank, CA would have yielded. It's analog with a few very rudimentary digital touches and still maintains some of the structural elements from the original proton pack design like the cyclotron, what looks like an n-filter buried underneath an automobile inspired roll-bar. There's also what appears to be a new carrying handle built into the bottom of the pack, my guess is to assist in pulling it out of a vehicle, or pulling it off a rack. The blue meter at top left has been replaced with a digital dot-matrix read-out which makes sense for more accurate power readings. The only thing that feels a little missing are some red circulating lights around the cyclotron, something to give the main body of the pack some life. But perhaps that's an element still to be seen.

Interesting to note that the nuclear symbol in the top left corner has a small heart on it, it feels like a bit of a WWII bomber touch to this particular pack, wondering if each of the packs will have a customized feel like the Colonial Marines' armor in James Cameron's Aliens? 

The new design element that I'm completely over the moon about is actually the particle thrower itself. It maintains a similar silhouette as its predecessor but feels a little more raw, metallic elements showing and cabling unshielded where some corrugated tubing would usually keep everything tucked in neatly. The end of the wand has almost a flame-thrower feel to it as opposed to the frosted glass in the original pack which makes it feel a little more dangerous and a whole lot more like a weapon. A very interesting stylistic choice.

With the uniforms glimpsed yesterday, and the packs revealed today, I'm wondering if a full costumed shot of the main cast isn't far behind? Stay tuned.

Ghostbusters Production: End of (A Short) Week One

Throw a stone across the internet and you've probably seen the spy photos (sorry, per our guidelines we won't be posting them here) but the first day of filming on Paul Feig's Ghostbusters (2016) started yesterday out in the open on location at the Old Everett High School, appropriately located in Everett, MA.

The school was heavily featured as a filming location in Adam Sandler's That's My Boy and Jake Kasdan's Sex Tape and apparently in Ghostbusters seems to be doubling as Higgins Science Institute in the Bronx, that in the film's universe also used to be a middle school. At the beginning of the day, Kristen Wiig was seen wearing a scholarly wardrobe walking toward the school while students duked it out in the parking lot (maybe a little angry mood slime effecting behavior?) Stars Kate McKinnon and Melissa McCarthy were seen hurriedly rushing around the school with techno-gak in tow, including what appeared to be a server hard drive and a mysterious bag with a nuclear warning label on it. Judging by the contents in their hands and the rate at which they were traveling, are they fleeing with their research, or on their way to urgently assist? Only time will tell on that one. Production moved indoors to film interiors on Friday, and the veil of secrecy was once again lifted.

Getting the most traction among the buzz after day one of filming is McKinnon's costume, seen here recreated by outstanding IDW comic artist Dan Schoening. I think many are mistakenly believing her to be a pseudo-Egon in Real Ghostbusters but we might be seeing the personification of an untraditional scientist that many might be too easy to dismiss as a crackpot. "You regard science as some sort of dodge, or hustle," from the first film comes to mind.

Not much is known about the characters that the four main leads will be portraying but if the exterior filming on Thursday was any indication, McKinnon's character will be the colorful character to the more straight-laced Wiig and McCarthy.

According to posted filming notices around the area, the production will be back after the weekend break to film at the location into next week, then presumably will be moving on to another location or to the soundstages in the days following. It was definitely a thrill both to fans online monitoring the filming and to those in the Everett area that came to watch filming, and a rarity for a production to begin under the sun and out among the public giving us a quick glimpse of what's to come right out of the gate - something the currently in production DC Comics villain showpiece Suicide Squad also was subjected to in its first few days of filming as well.

It's Slime Time (And What/How Production Will Be Covered on GBHQ)

Production on Paul Feig's Ghostbusters (2016) begins this evening (with a night shoot to kick off production, may the caffeine gods bless the crew). Feig took to Twitter to post the above photograph to announce the production start, giving fans their first sneak peek at the infamous ectoplasm which is safely assumed a big part of the film. 

It's probably a good idea to take this moment on day one to lay out a few ground rules of what you'll be seeing here on the HQ, and when and how...

1) No spy photos, no rumors, no spoilers.

As you may have gathered in the few months that we've been back in business, GBHQ is no longer mainly a news site. Breaking news isn't our bag, and the first for a scoop isn't remotely a part of our mission statement. I'm still a firm believer it letting the filmmakers and the studio handle what you see and why as it ultimately can and might impact your viewing experience when the film hits the theaters. Unlit, uncomposed, long-lens spy photos that are your first looks of things drive me nuts. If a drone flies 100 yards above the set and snaps the first pictures of a new Ecto-1 or a crucial part of the production but it's not from official sources, don't expect to see it here.

2) We ARE going to be getting you in-depth articles, making-of/BTS moments, and official news as much as possible.

Those of you that have been around GBHQ since the glory days (or were they the dark days?) remember how we covered Extreme Ghostbusters. It's a little tricky as cast and crew are all under NDAs and I above all respect those. It'll be our goal to get you meaty content that's NDA-friendly and might give a little insight into the production process.

3) Trolls should stick to scouring New York City to breakdance and party.

GBHQ has a pretty civil commenting guideline set that aren't really conducive to feeding the trolls. For whatever reason, there are a lot of (very vocal) angry comments out there. People are entitled to their opinions, just as I'm entitled to mine. So while you're sitting in my living room, take off your shoes and please mind the rules of the house. Thanks.

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