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Hey, just like a magazine! We'll print your letter if it
praises us enough! No, seriously, we'll use this page to
display some of the more recent and interesting
communications we've gotten; pro OR con. It's a chance to
get your name on the Web without payin' nuttin! See? Even
more incentive to give us feedback on the Guest
Page! Note: In order to protect their privacy,
all correspondents are given pseudonyms, unless they have
approved public release of their name. The letters are real;
some have been edited for brevity.
Subj: Hiya! Hey! Firstly I must congratulate u on your web page!
Very creative, but I guess that's what u do for a living;
being creative? Anyway, I was interested in finding a place that
supplied fx makeup within Australia, when I stumbled upon
this site. It informed me somewhat into the business and
I have gained information that I haven't been able to
recieve *anywhere*, even if it was just as a matter of
interest. So in all I guess I'd like to say:
"Thanks!" Mertan.
Dear Rick, it is unbelievably unlikely that you'd
remember me, but I had the good fortune to visit your
shop in June '93 as part of a study tour I was
undertaking. I was the hairy Australian guy who arrived
when you were getting ready to move to a new location.
You were extremely helpful, patient and gave me a very
enjoyable tour of the workshop. I'm very impressed to see
that your homepage reflects the same attitude. Thanks for your generosity then and now. Milip Phillar Rick replies: There you have it, a
couple of nice letters from Down Under. You'd think I'd
remember a hairy Australian guy! Well, if it was a hairy
Australian girl, now THAT might stick in my mind a little
more permanently! And generous, schmenerous. Isn't it
obvious that this whole site is a self-obsessed shrine to
my compulsive need to see my name in print? :)
Really nice and huge. You have done quite a few
impressive pieces of work. Actually, after Dr. Who, it
looks like no feature will go for anything less than the
best. I guess, I've seen you on TV. Was that you who talked
about the alien Autopsy and that if the tape was a fake,
you'd like to hire the person who did it? I would like to put a link to your pages if you don't
mind. Best Regards Nalik Rick replies: If you saw the "American
Journal" on the Autopsy Hoax, that was me. If it was the
Fox show you're thinking of, then it was Stan Winston. As
for linking, feel free to link away!
Date: Fri, Feb 9, 1996 9:36 PM PST My name is Jose Bodega. I was wondering if you could
come out. I think you should have a contest and let the
winner go through a make up session of the choice of his
creatures. I would like to be turned into an ape. That is
why i would like you to come out. Also i'd like to be
turned into an abominable snow man. I am requesting these
things because i am making a movie and would like help
with makeup. These are my wishes. If you wish to answer.
Jose Bodega Rick replies: Er, hello, Jose! My busy
schedule keeps me from doing extracurricular activities
such as those you describe. But keep on plugging away,
and good luck on your abominable snowman/ape movie!
So today the United States Government, pilot of the
most powerful and influential aggregation of humanity on
this slightly bruised planet, has decided to give me one
extra hour, sensing that if I had only the normal
allotment of 24 I might miss out on something this
Sunday. I am quite convinced I was given this extra hour
to check out your site. MAN what a great place! Even the blatantly self-promotional stuff was
interesting. I read through everything y'had there, which
is about the only valid praise one can give a website.
Loved the technical stuff, found the Grand Promenade Of
Creatures And Armatures quite ginchy, and LOL at the
anecdotes. You seem to know your way around a keyboard as
well as you do a human gall bladder. Thanks for the kind word...allow me to lob one or
three back at you! Have long known and admired your work,
in my various guises as film nut, technical geek, and
wannabe artist. Inadvertently I've been following TCS
very closely, via CINEFX and the other usual rags. So I guess you guys must have a lot of fun on
Halloween! Say, can I have some of those puppets and
armatures when you're done? On the subject of another item on your site, it occurs
to me that TCS may indeed hold the final piece of the
puzzle in getting the proletariat to embrace the 'net.
After all, home video recorders didn't escape from their
niche among video nuts until access to a whole new form
of porn, a form which took advantage of the unique
features of the machine, became available. I firmly
believe that this prototype you've built -- I am _not_
talking of the Warrior Waldo, though that one _is_ ten
pounds of cool in a five-pound bag -- is the only way
we're going to make fiber-optic T1 links as commonplace
in American homes as light fixtures. The future of The Industry is in your hands, Rick. So
to speak. Please stop by my own website when y'have the chance
(http://www.zdnet.com/~macuser/people/andyi/). You can be
dang sure that I'll be putting in a link and an
enthusiastic word about your site when next I update the
thing. -- Andy Rick replies: There you have it, folks.
Our first celebrity review, and it's a doozy! Don't tell
me you don't know who Andy Ihnatko is, MacUser columnist
extraordinaire and all-around humorous fellow! DO visit
this man's web site; it nearly had me in tears, I laughed
out loud so much!
Subj: TCS Auto-Feedback Other comments -> I'm currently a senior mechanical
engineer at Carnegie Mellon University and am interested
in getting into the animatroanics and special effects
industry. I've been doing filmmaking and special effects
since high school and i have a strong interest in
robotics. I realize you probably get a million letters
like this but i'm very serious and i follow the film
industry closely. If there is any chance that you would
be hiring mechanical engineers in the near future, please
let me know and i'll send you my resume, even if you
aren't, could you send me an address or contact where i
could send my resume. Thanks for any help and keep up the
good work! Jeff
Subj: Re: BodyTech "Body Parts" are on the
Web.... Love your web page and the work it shows off - great
stuff!! One nit - it would be nicer if your "high rez"
pictures were bigger - they seem to be just a bit bigger
than the thumbnails representing them. Great stuff, though. (John Michaelson) Rick replies: Thanks very much! That's
good feedback; the site desn't have all of its' bugs
worked out yet. In the days to come, I'll be looking for
pix that should come up bigger.
Subj: TCS Auto-Feedback Found site from: a newsgroup post: visual effects Other comments -> It's good to see that nice guys
with a sense of humor
From: Margaret Hall Hi Rick ! Your background is awesome. I love the commercials
with the Bud Frogs and the Foster Farms Chickens. I love puppets too ! I taught puppetry to grade school
kids through the Parks and Rec. Depts. of several
cities. For the past two years I've worked for a
paleontologist reconstructing dinosaurs and marine
reptiles. Not quite as creative as making puppets, but
interesting. Margaret H.
Replies © The Character Shop,
1995-96
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| Realistic | Whimsical
| Scary | Animatronics
Prosthetics | Puppets
| Publicity | Waldo®
| TCS Fun | FX
FAQ | Feedback | Reference Except where noted, all contents
are the property of The Character Shop, Inc. and copyright
1995-98
Date: Mon, Feb 12, 1996 4:50 AM PST
Subj: At last, an entertaining homepage...
Date: Sun, Mar 3, 1996 2:35 AM PST
From: M.P.
Subj: Your Site
Date: Thu, Oct 26, 1995 12:25 PM PST
From: Nalik
Subj: Wishes
From: Jose Bodega
Subj: Re: Our Creature FX Web site (it's NEAT!)
Date: Sun, Oct 29, 1995 9:40 AM PST
From: andyi@world.std.com (Andy G Ihnatko)
Date: Sun, Oct 29, 1995 3:13 PM PST
From: jcd4@andrew.cmu.edu (Jeff L. Clark)
Date: Thu, Oct 26, 1995 6:42 PM PST
From: John Michaelson
From: LTHanlon@aol.com (Leigh Thomas Hanlon)
Liked Behind the Scenes, Pictures, Sneak previews,
Anecdotes, How-to Info
can be successful. I'll be visiting your site again.
Some friends and I are beginning production of an
independent,
zero-budget SVHS vampire movie -- and your site has
lots of helpful info and encouragement for us amateur
horror videomakers.
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