Large Fierce Mammal

It’s with thanks to the ever vigilant Jim Keating that I’m bringing you this today. I always start every year of Dark Sentiments with a surplus of material, and every year he throws me curves that are too good to miss. This is one of them.

Miguel Ortega

Born in Bogota, Columbia, raised in Miami Beach, Florida, and now living and working in Los Angeles, California, Miguel Ortega describes himself as, “… a Creature Visual Effects Artist  ….” You’ll find his impressive website here. When you go there, don’t miss his FX demo reel, containing sample movie shots and scenes that feature his creatures. If you are a fan of the horror genre, you’ll no doubt recognize some of them. This man does incredible work, a seasonally appropriate example of which we’re presenting for your enjoyment today.

Stage 5 is, ” … an entertainment network dedicated to emerging trends in gaming and geek culture. Our mission is to engage viewers with smart, sophisticated, and well-crafted comedic and dramatic programing, ongoing documentaries, and live event coverage celebrating the interests, culture, and stories of gamers and geeks everywhere.” The film you are about to see – Green Ruby Pumpkin – was published on 16 October 2012 on the Stage 5 TV YouTube channel as, ” … the pilot episode for Stage 5’s new anthology series, ‘The Continuum’,” where it is described as, ” … a lighthearted short about Halloween. This was a personal passion projected created in the spare time of two visual effects artists, Miguel Ortega and Tran Ma. The entire project was shot in their living room.”

Stage 5 is all about education, and promises –

In this episode you’ll learn:
HOW TO get a witch to give you candy
HOW TO pick the best possible Halloween costume
HOW TO transform into a troll as revenge

What more can you ask? When you’re done marinating in today’s feature, don’t miss the film that follows it – Creating a World in a Living Room. The Making of the Green Ruby Pumpkin.

The Making of The Green Ruby Pumpkin from miguel ortega on Vimeo.