The Arms Race Escalation team

In this photo we have about two thirds of the Arms Race Escalation cast and crew. This photo was taken on the final day of shooting, so is missing a few crucial cast members, extras and crew that helped out on other days. Nevertheless it does serve to highlight that Arms Race is now much bigger than the core It’s A Trap crew and that we couldn’t possibly have made it without the cooperation and hard work of a large number of very talented individuals.

As we move into post-production over the next few weeks, we’re also going to be taking a look back at the shoot and highlighting the work of particular teams, from sound to pyro to make-up to the art department. We want to make sure that everybody’s hard work is shown off, not only as a way of thanking them but also to give an insight into what it takes to produce a low budget web series such as this, in case there’s anybody out there who is thinking of trying something similar.

Meanwhile, the edit continues in the hands of director Nigel Clegg and Simon Jones has begun compositing a few key shots from episode one…

Arms Race Escalation wraps principal photography

On Sunday we wrapped principal photography on Arms Race Escalation, marking the successful completion of our most ambitious shoot to date. The 9 days of filming couldn’t have gone better, mainly thanks to our amazing cast and crew who put in an immense amount of work in often challenging conditions.

Now we switch gears and enter the long phase of post-production, starting with drafting up the first edit. We’re aiming to have at least one update every week leading through to the November release, so make sure you bookmark this blog, follow us on Twitter or like us on Facebook if you want to be kept in the loop!

From a small short film to a big web series

Arms Race clapperboard

Principal photography on Arms Race: Escalation continues apace, having now moved to interiors after the weekend’s epic outdoor shoots.

The web series has been designed to be much bigger in scope than the original short film. Check out some of these vital statistics:

  • 6 episodes, each approximately 4 minutes in length.
  • Two custom-built interior sets, complete with moveable walls and hidden panels.
  • A couple of greenscreen virtual areas with partial sets and tracking markers to free up the camera.
  • A dressed Victorian-era boardroom.
  • Several locations along the Norfolk coast – a particularly harsh environment to shoot in, with sand having a habit of getting everywhere.
  • Numerous forest locations on private land, giving us some particularly stunning rural landscapes.
  • A cast and crew of about 45, compared to the short film’s 20.
  • A ton of new, custom-built steamtech props. Make sure you check out our prop-building videos on our YouTube channel for a sneak peek!
  • Less than halfway through the shoot, we already have over 140GB of data. Erk.
  • More VFX shots in just the first episode than in the entire Arms Race short film.
  • A bigger VFX department, with the addition of 3D modeller and animator Mark Wickham.
  • Bigger camera department, with Tom Martin coming on board as DoP and main cameraman.
  • The short was shot on a single Panasonic HVX-200 camera with a single lens. The web series is being shot on multiple Canon 60D DSLRs with multiple lenses and other bits of fancy camera gear.
  • We have a helicam.

Arms Race Escalation begins shooting!

The 6 episode web series follow-up to the 2010 Arms Race short film begins shooting this weekend on the Norfolk coast. We’ll have lots more information filtering through over the next few months leading up to our November online premiere of episode one.

In the mean time, the video above gives you a sneak peek at some more of the props and costumes created for the web series. For more videos, make sure you check out the It’s A Trap YouTube channel.

Arms Race in Abney Park music video!

The latest music video from awesome steampunk band Abney Park features a couple of clips from the Arms Race short film!

For Steampunk Revolution’s music video Abney Park put out a call for steampunk images and videos from the community. The music video is a collection of amazing steampunk clips (including our favourite, a giant steam elephant thing). We’re very pleased to have Arms Race featured among such inspiring creativity.

We’re big fans of Abney Park and hopefully this won’t be the last time we get to collaborate with them on a project…

Weapons Test: Arms Race props in action

This short scene was created to test some of the new props created for the upcoming Arms Race web series. We’ve also got a whole range of guides to building your own props, arranged into a useful YouTube playlist.

If you’re new to Arms Race, here’s a quick bluffer’s link guide:

We’ll be saying more about the web series soon!

Arms Race will return in 2012

The Arms Race web series is in pre-production. You wanted it, we wanted it, so we’re making it.

Also coming this year is an Arms Race web comic, bridging the gap between the original short film and the web series.

And, of course, it’ll all be free to watch and read.

Stay tuned.

Watch Arms Race in HD and 5.1 surround sound

Arms Race was created in high definition with 5.1 surround sound. Unfortunately not all festivals and online video services are able to show it in its original format.

That’s why we uploaded a pristine, 720p 5.1 WMV version. You can download it for free here.

Alternatively you can of course switch to 720p HD on YouTube, although you won’t get the surround sound:

The Making of Arms Race book!

Here’s something cool: a 42 page behind-the-scenes book taking a look at the making of our 2010 short film Arms Race.

Here’s a 15 page preview:

You can buy it direct from blurb.com in hardback or paperback by clicking the ‘buy’ button just above, or by clicking here. We’re selling the book at production cost, so we don’t make any actual profit from it.