My Opinion on Duck

So I'm going to voice the unpopular opinion of actually still liking Duck.

Before I start, I totally get why people dislike him nowadays. All he's done is put in a few great western lines here and there, be the subject of a 'duck' pun, and that's about it. But I feel that the hate is getting misdirected at the character, when it should be at how he's written.

I'd like to mention some of Duck's characteristics, and compare them to other characters in the show. The most obvious one is he's proud of his heritage and background. Whilst other characters like Donald, Douglas, or Oliver are also proud of their origins, Duck is arguably the most prideful in this regard. But he didn't always bring it up back in the day, in fact, he only said it a few times. Now, every time he's on screen, the writers have decided that he has to say the catchphrase, and have limited him from saying much else from it. They see it as some sort of running gag/line, but it's gotten old quite fast. But there are plenty of other lines used constantly in the show that for some reason, we don't find grating. Such as "Really Useful Engine", "luckily no one was hurt", "you have caused confusion and delay" etc. Also, we say Duck is so one-dimensional, but that's only one side of him, Most of the time, the other characters in the show are fairly one dimensional, James being prideful, Gordon being arrogant, Percy being naive, Edward wise etc. They all have the same building foundation as Duck does, but they've had much more time to develop traits and other things making them more fleshed out. Something Duck hasn't had the opportunity for. Moving on, this would be the first time Duck has been on screen in a long time, and they basically have to reintroduce him to a totally new audience. The writers see this as the most important aspect of his character, just how Thomas is cheeky, James is vain, etc. This is actually quite important to establish a dominant trait or feature for each character so that children can recognize them better. A character that didn't have this during his introduction was Porter. He's hard-working (almost every engine on sodor...?) and that's about it...we're not given any distinguished characteristics about him. I'm really hoping that all of this catchphrase stuff is only their 'intro' for Duck, and they drop it down to develop the other parts of his character. Like what? For one, he's extremely sassy when the situation calls for it, but he knows when to joke and when to stand firm. He'll act on his instincts, even if they may not be correct. He can't let himself not act, and he won't panic. I think the closest character to this would be James, but he doesn't usually have the wisdom factor playing, thus most of his actions are rather ignorant and don't end well. Duck is totally self assured, and can be seen as being haughty, but he only thinks he's in the right, which loops right back into his pride of his heritage, with the Great Western way being the right way. There is much more to his character than meets the eye, and I'm really going on shadows of things he's said and done throughout the years. But I feel that the 'hate' for this character is totally uncalled for, and instead the way he's written in the series is to blame.

Sorry if I've offended anyone, this is only my opinion. You don't have to agree with it, but I ask you respect it.

Making a Set

So I often get questions about my sets, and how I make them. So until I actually make a Behind the Scenes video, this will suffice for now.

In making the Windmill set, I first lay down some foam pieces to act as the hill, and then lay my grass mat on top of everything. I then place down the actual windmill, and finally lay and pin down the track.

After this is done, I quickly lay down some ballast all over the tracks, and then smooth it out with my fingers, and make sure things can roll on the tracks.
I think now would also be a good time to mention I don't use model railroad ballast. I actually use Kitty Litter. I can buy lots of it for cheap, and it has the same effect. When buying it though, you must be careful not to buy any with colored bits in it.

Now the fun part; adding bushes and trees. I just stick the trees on the sides of the set, and add lots of bushes here and there, using the smaller foliage to go closer to the tracks. Finally, put down a fence, and it's done!

More to come soon!

Me and you and you and you...

I remember when I used to only get about 6 comments on a video, and my subscriber count was under 500. I used to be so in touch with my audience, and while I try to respond to as many comments as I can these days, I feel like I've lost a certain connection with my viewers. I like to talk with them as if they were some friend stopping by to visit, and that they could feel they could ask for tips or anything if they needed. But nowadays many a time my replies will simply consist of 'Thank you' and some sort of smiley. Now I don't copy paste, but I feel like I'm doing so. But when I have to respond to about 60+ comments, I can't reply to them in the depth or detail that I'd like to. However, some comments are only 1-3 words, and while I am appreciative for them taking the time to leave a comment, there's not a whole lot I could say, reply-wise. I think what I feel the worst for, though, is when someone asks a question, and I may see it, but can't reply just that minute, and when I go back, I might just forget to answer it! I really should make a FAQ post on here...

Anyway, I'd really like to get to know more of you better, and so I'm wondering if a livestream of some sort would be in order. I think I should mention that I do get a lot of Skype and Facebook requests, and I used to accept them all, but I just can't talk to all of you on a daily basis! (Sorry!) Anyway perhaps I could try to comment more regularly. (Also, I should probably finish that Q&A, haha) Or maybe take fan requests for videos or something. For those of you that read this blog, what do you think the best way for me to get in touch with all of you would be?

Sodor & Its Railways

So...I'm thinking about taking an EnterprisingEngine93 approach and remastering the first 4 episodes of my series. In case you need a refresher, they would be

Fumbles and Funnels
Mudslide
Wheesh!
James' Triumph

When watching all of my episodes straight through the other day, I can see that it would be very polarizing. I'm personally proud of the scripts for the first 2, but feel that with footage, voice acting, and editing combined in all 4 episodes compared to the newest 3 (Scrapes and Scrap, Ice, Guaranteed Connection) comes across as very sloppy. While the latest 3 episodes are by no means perfect, they are better than what came before them, and I feel that I should do some sort of refilming with them, get some new lines from some of the newer VA's, and re-edit them, and they might come out half-decent.

That out of the way, I'll be moving on the the next topic; seasons. I simply cannot do a full 26 episode season. Because of the typical school, and work and life stuff, and because simply filming with models and such is a very long process, and episodes are not the only things I want to make. I've decided not to set a number of episodes per season-instead, I've got loads of episode scripts/concepts, and I'll cut off each season once I think the filming style begins to change too dramatically compared to the first episode of said season. Now I obviously won't make 2 episodes and call it good, but you can expect about 6-8 episodes before a season will end. Now a lot of time has passed between the making of Episode 7 and now. I've already got the next episode planned, and am already gathering things to make it. It's also the beginning of my CGI styled videos, and will thus be a season opener. However, Sodor in Peril will be coming out BEFORE this, because I simply cannot release something utilizing the skills I have now, only to release SIP which the majority was filmed in 2013. SIP will most likely be the next video uploaded on my channel, and I'm using this as a motivator. Anyway, this is probably longer than most of you would like to read, so I'll end this off with a nice little picture. Take care guys!

2015 - Plans

So here I am again, almost a year later. I promise I'll update here a bit more frequently. Anyway, I'll get some things out of the way before I continue.

-I'm still doing that thing about a 'first episode' in April.
-Sodor in Peril is still coming this winter (at the latest, March)
-My series is not dead
-Kirklen is postponed
-Yes, I do tend to start things I don't finish.

Anyway, now I can move on. Right now, my channel is going under a reboot. I'm redesigning it, from the models to the format of videos. It could take one month, it could take four. However long it takes. Once Sodor in Peril is finished, I plan to crack down on getting more episodes released, and if I'm lucky, I'll pop one out about once a month. I'll also be trying to avoid generic location videos. I'm hoping to take things in a bit more of a professional direction.

One of the things I'm changing is the style I'm hoping to recreate. Previously, my videos tried to capture something like seasons 1-6 of Thomas & Friends. But I've decided I'll be leaning toward a CGI oriented style. Brighter colors, cleaner engines, and bigger sets. To help get me started on this, I'm switching over to CGI faces, from various toys.

In the above photograph, you may also notice I'm switching from Code 100 track (the one diesel's on) to Code 83 track (James and Henry) it's a small change but I think it makes a difference. I've acquired a lot more scenery as of late, and am hoping that the videos will look a little bit more lively. To help this, I've got back to something I tested quite a long time ago; Animated faces.

Now the last time I did this, I reanimated the ENTIRE face. I'm not doing that this time around though, and I most likely will not be doing lip-sync. I'm looking into Crazy talk for that, but I do think it looks rather awkward. I know that this isn't the smoothest, but it was only a test. It is also only on pictures at the moment, and I'll see what I can do about video. I think this is enough for now, so I'll keep you all updated. Take care guys, -Calebtrain

Almost to 2,000...Future Projects!

Well, here I am again! I'm almost to 2,000 subscribers, and have no idea what I'm going to do for it! Apologies for not updating this blog for a really long time, I often forget I have this blog! Anyway, I'm debating on whether the next episode should be focused on Percy, or have Gordon return and advance the over-arching plot for the season. I don't know. But for my 4 year anniversary, (April 27th), I will be doing something very special. I'll give you a hint, think "first episode".  ;)

1,000 Subscribers Videos - Hectic

Firstly I'm very grateful for 1,000 subscribers. But it really is quite some work to get everything uploaded. Think about it, I usually upload 2 or 3 times a month, and this many videos at one time can be a bit difficult sometimes, trying to do all the suggestions. Good news for you guys - I've only just begun. :P Ballast and the Storyboards are fillers, if you couldn't tell. Just to be there to give me time to film/edit other things (Such as the BTS video) Even the episode was going to be a filler, because it was so near completion. But no. Now that's on the backburner, and I'm burned about it. This means it's going to come out at the en of this month, or the start of August. By this time last year I'm pretty sure I had two episodes out by now. I'm rambling a bit here, sorry. So I guess I'll try to keep going on this. Stay tuned!


Have a picture from the episode.