Jason Eaton

The next day was a whirlwind of sightseeing at Warner Bros. Studios, Culver City, Hollywood, and Blade Runner Land (night time). We ate amazing food and saw amazing things, all of which you can experience below.

Last Wednesday, I traveled to Denver Colorado to meet up with Sean Sides, Sean Corsini, and Ryan Comer – three of the most talented and friendly model makers that I am honored to count among my friends.  Sean S and his kind and patient wife opened their home to us, and we hung out, caught up, ate some unique-to-me local fare, and got a little tipsy on Ryan’s home made Limoncello. That stuff is dangerous. That night, we got a hotel room by the airport, and in the morning flew to Los Angeles, where we met up with Gene Kozicki, Visual Effects Mover and Shaker™ and our GUIDE TO THE STARRRRS™! We of course made a beeline for IN-N-Out Burger, which by god, is amazing. Then a quick stop at Gene’s home (which is a shrine to refined geekiness), and then to the office of a certain Richard Edlund (!!!) who regaled us with tales of Leica before letting us gawk at his Oscars, Emmy, and filming artifacts! We were then whisked away to meet up with Rob McFarlane, as guests at the Visual Effects Society “Bake Off”, where the group gathers, screens 2 hours of the best visual effects from last year’s films, and then picks the five to be nominated for the Oscars. It was a who’s who if visual effects artists. John Dykstra, Lorne Peterson, John Knoll, Dennis Muren (!!), Greg Jein, and so many more ILMers from those Topps cards, books, and posters. Greg Jein told me that he had some spare McKinley Station parts I could have used in the restoration – can you imagine my surprise? Guess I should have asked, lol! It was a hell of a way to start the trip!

Here are the things I am thankful for, as the year 2011 draws to a close.

• Every day, I look forward to greeting my wife Lisa with an excitement that is usually only felt during initial courtship. We’ve been together for near nine years, and it still feels fresh and exciting, every day.

• I have a job that (for my field) is about as stable as you could hope for, in an economy that continues to be extremely challenging. I love the people I work with, and I don’t dread going to work. I’ve been in that situation before, and it was unhealthy.

• My friends. Our dinners, conversations, and shared experiences are always thought of with a shit-eating grin by yours truly. Thanks for hanging out and sharing your lives with me.

• I have a hobby that generates as much freelance as I choose to take on, and that I have a talent that can directly translate into money.

• The people I meet, connect with, and respect all over this world. Though I know it probably wears thin on Lisa conceptually, I can travel almost anywhere and at the other end of the plane ride awaits a like-minded friend who will happily while away the evening, sharing stories and experiences.

• That we made it to the end of the year with an intact house. The past eighteen months have been brutal, with every scrap of freelance being poured into a new roof, whole house fan, more roof, a washer, a dryer, a hot water heater, insulation, etc. The house asked a lot from us, and we somehow gave. It’s warmer, stronger, and dryer in our home now. I’m sure there is more lurking, as we celebrate the house’s 86th birthday. There’s still those galvanized pipes in the front room wall, after all….

• My new found appreciation for Bourbon and Irish Whiskey. I have discovered a new world for my palate, and I am very pleased.

• My health. I’m not the picture of health, and I have had my share of health problems either genetic or born from bad habits, but I am still here, and I am grateful.

• Our new Outback. Without sounding like an asshole, I love the heated seats, the all wheel drive, and the dependable transportation. Sure, we have a car payment again, but I can stop tensing up like I did when the Mazda’s transmission failed, or when the tire blew out on that 80 foot overpass.

Cheers to 2012. May you bring happiness, prosperity, success, and a kick ass Blade Runner Blimp to my home. I’ll be hanging with Visual Effects luminaries and good friends in LA in January, the most talented modelers you ever met in KY in May, and Lisa and I are earnest about traveling to Iceland before the year is out. If my wife wants to eat a puffin, then by god she will eat a puffin! Beak first! I have firmed up my goals, but I’m not dumb enough to post them here. That’s like joining a gym in January.

Another port from the old site – 2004′s greatest hits!

Here’s a timelapse video I made in March.

A 1/20th scale Maschinen Krieger Lunar Diorama I made over the past year, for a client.

Well, Halloween was fun as always, though we did miss the Wynn’s, who traditionally spend the evening with us. We passed out candy, and I made chili the night before, which we ate with the neighbors!

Work is progressing nicely and is starting to intensify on the Blade Runner Blimp project. I have the bodies built with armatures installed, and am currently sanding and puttying the seams smooth. Also working closely with Lightbenders on an amazing light rig that will feature some killer electronic bells and whistles… a custom searchlight is being created for me – each blimp has four roving searchlights underneath controlled by motors!

I also received the Red Leader Y-Wing, which is the twin to the Blue 1 X-Wing, as it was also the first-built example of this particular ship, in December 1975! It was created by a team of very talented individuals and I am honored to be building the first one, as it will also allow me to generate instructions and produce beauty shots! More to come on both of these monsters, soon!

Lisa and I had a blast at the the Smoley residence this evening – HALLOWEEN WEEKEND!

Lisa and I had a great night out last night with Emily, a.k.a. Stoutwoman on the Decemberists Orate message board! We took her to Hampden and the Golden West Café for dinner, and then to Café Hon for coffee. She’s so awesome! For next time, I promised to cook a meal, since our house is currently in a minor shambles with the roof woes…