The Railways of Sodor - Episode 8 - Gordon - Part 1

[legopeople11]

why are they so uglyer than bachmann?

[RyanRed19]

Anyone else notice that Gordon sounds like Jon-Luc Picard?

"Kirk, MY Enterprise is the more reliable ship."

[DafAnimationStudios]

Very cool models! The cc transcribe auto English beta feature on this video is completely and hilariously off. "Self-serve was Muslims itself." @ 4:17

[sparkshot]

@DafAnimationStudios - I just watched all of this part 1 with th eCC audio turned on. really funny in places! TFC to Gordon: "You'll loose your urine" !

[ProfessorMaple2]

There are many things about this that I absolutely adore. Two of them in particular though are the animation for the faces, and the way the steam is done. I'm not much of a model railroader, so the latter might be less impressive to everyone else than it is to me, but I think it's cool nonetheless.

[NintendoPlatform07]

Great job! Amazing piece of work from you I've ever seen. :)

[JohnBachofer]

The special effects are fantastic. I am beyond impressed!

[mackiemachine3]

that james model is absolutely amazing!

Are you the guy from the Railway Series site?

[sparkshot]

@mackiemachine3 - I think so, The Real Lives of Thomas website. some of my work and the models in this film are on there under my 'studio / brand' name, Knucklehead Entertainment, or Gavin Rose my real name. Thanks. :)

[TheWaluigiking]

@sparkshot who voices edward henry and gordon?

[sparkshot]

@TheWaluigiking - Credits.

[BramGroatFilms]

Phenomenal and Outstanding Job!

I have to agree with leokimvideo: best Thomas and Friends fan film online!

[DoctorWho50Years]

i just think ALL the engines shouldve had faces...

[Hunter18ism]

scones, scones, scone

[TrainMaster24]

Worth the wait! Awesome job. The story was excellent and the models are too! I must say, the faces are my favorite part.

[sparkshot]

@blueengine123 Apart from Edward all the engines were non 'thomas' items. I adapted both Henry'es and Both Gordon's from Hornby's more realistic engines and James was a brass kit I adapted. Actually the damaged gordon was a hornby gordon, but it was broke before.

[dannymale1988]

for how long it took gavin and seeing u doing the working project, its really good, and im not into modeling trains conngrats

[sparkshot]

@dannymale1988 - Cheers Cous'  :)

[BhanuHabbo]

@MyFavoriteNerd Go away. That isn't even CLOSELY related to this video

[MyFavoriteNerd]

@BhanuHabbo I'm sorry, I removed the comments.

[VeryOldEngine]

Brilliant work, Gavin. You've exceeded by expectations once again :)

[cudak888]

13:53 - Magnificent; even the Old Bean's characterization of TFC is present.

[ericpierre53]

Did You Use Crazytalk

[sparkshot]

@ericpierre53 - Have a look in the credits at the end of part two to see what main programs I used were.

[Damocles178]

4 years well spent mate; that much is obvious; the models the sets; truly stunning :) This is no mere video; this is an absolute master piece! I like the more serious tone too :D

[MyFavoriteNerd]

fRIGGIN' AWESOME. I've never seen the faces moving without the episode being @%#*, if you catch my drift-

MyFavoriteNerd

[TheTrainDude48]

Very impressive job on this part Knuckles.

[Dooby1986]

WHose that engine at 5:35 ???

[RonEarnhardt3]

Knuckles, This one of the best episodes of ur series beside Ep 7. This was worth the wait. 5 out of 5. Great Job and good luck on future episodes.

[camscott]

> that James model

> OMG LANCY 8D

[sparkshot]

@camscott , Unsure if it's an 8D, but it's definetly a L&YR Class 28 modded with the changes Wilbert described.

[MultiDoctorwhoboy]

and how did u make the eyes move

[MultiDoctorwhoboy]

how did u make the mouths move

[penninefilms]

This is outstanding I rely like the moving faces on the models.

[Trensahnethetram]

This was pretty awesome! I loved how smooth the transition was between stationary and moving faces was - not seen anything quite so professional like that done with CrazyTalk yet.

[Enterprisingengine93]

That was incredible.

[Enterprisingengine93]

HOORAY! 

[leokimvideo]

arguably the best Thomas and Friends fan film online!

[sparkshot]

@leokimvideo - Thanks Leo :)  I'm taking a well earned break now to build a new layout/s. Think I've burnt myself out.

[tomatojamsam]

the James model, it's unbearable!

[sparkshot]

@tomatojamsam - What do you mean?

[MyFavoriteNerd]

@sparkshot To respond to your latest question, perhaps tomatojamsam meant the look?-

MyFavoriteNerd

[sparkshot]

@MyFavoriteNerd - Still don't understand what you are on about, sorry.

[MyFavoriteNerd]

@sparkshot Holy mother flubber! You replied.! Believe I got all flubbed up and confused. Apoligies!-

MyFavoriteNerd.

[ShunterProductions]

great work on the facial expressions and mouth movement great work :)

[NewController01]

What did you do to get that shreaded look of a running plate?

[sparkshot]

@NewController01 - well my friend, to get the look of a shredded running plate..... I..shredded it! LOL Literally I bashed it all up and modelled it to a mess, but I also used thin brass to get the 'peeled can' fine look to it.

[NewController01]

@sparkshot very effective, I assume this was a spare body shell?

[paulgem123]

Oh yea, part one. LOL good place to start "in the beginning"

[sparkshot]

@paulgem123 - LOL, In joke there. I hear ya ;) Y'chanan's hint. Don't think I'll be making another episode for ages now.

[trainboy7]

why doesn't the fat controller have his top hat on?

[Lightninging63]

@trainboy7 I saw that too, but the logical answer is because the model doesn't have one. Or on the day of Gordon's incident, it was hot and made him itchy. Either or.

[TheHistorySoldier]

My analysis is on the forums so I'm just gonna say this. I love eveything about youtr sereis. Awesome, Fantastic, SUPERB, Amazing. Patience really is a virtue as this great video shows.

[BhanuHabbo]

Another question, Is that Edward completly new? Or is it the one we've seen in the past?

Cause I would recomment maybe a possible cut and shut, making it smaller and maybe repainting it? To blend in, as it looked like it was an outsider amongst all your built models.

[sparkshot]

@BhanuHabbo - Yeah, I was going to make my own version of Edward but it was taking too long, had to film ep 8 at some point. I didn't want to use Hornby's Edward Jelly baby.

[BhanuHabbo]

@sparkshot Ah yes of course. Hornby's idea of using the D49 for Edward was a very dumb and odd one. However, it is good enough. Hopefully you can get your Edward done soon, would love to see what you've created :)

[NewController01]

@sparkshot Can't wait to see your attempt on Edward when it comes

[Ewan4meno2]

Welcome Back Railways of Sodor.

I like how you made the Models more realistic

and the Moving Faces feature. :D ;)

[MrComedy01]

this story is like deja vu, almost similar to Edward's Exploit with the accidnet and The Sad Story of Hnnry with Gordon alone in the sheds, I've only seen your models on TRLOTTTE, They're epic, I have a Hornby Thomas that could kick any Hornby Thomas' butt (or bunker LOL) It's a rare 1985 model with RWS Payne style face, you can see it on one of my vids :)

[ShaurntheSheep]

i like that rusty tank engine that keeps turning up what type of engine is that

[eoin730]

@ShaurntheSheep j52 tank engine

[14warr]

Wheres my 14:42

[ShaurntheSheep]

wow wicked love it live the smoke effects the lighting, the face animation, also the way railway terminology is used like the signal bits like the signal animation i love everything about it its great

[FLYTRAP47]

cool episode mate

this was worth the wait

[whitehousefilms]

Well what can I say but... Fantastic!!! I enjoyed every second of this and really liked how you set up every scene. Well worth the wait. Well-done!

[Tomthetrainfan]

absolutely amazing stuff knux great seeing the series back on the air ^^

[eoin730]

WHOOOT WHOOOT its here WHOOT!GREAT EPISODE

[dominoesandtin]

great job knux. Kudos to loey for that edward voice!

[sparkshot]

@dominoesandtin - Loey?

[dominoesandtin]

@sparkshot did loey machan do his voice? it sounds like him

[sparkshot]

@dominoesandtin - No it wasn't Loey. Look on the credits at the end.

[x00001]

wow that was great to watch worth the wait. I liked the moving faces the best. I liked you new enigne designs for Gorden, Henery and James. I liked the idea of the episode, everything seems to go wrong for gorden when he get to puff up in his smoke box, oh was that music at the begining you on your guitar?

[sparkshot]

@x00001 - I wish it was, nah, I'm not that good yet, but a bit better, It's Falkenbach.

[Whizzer1]

is this a new layout as well because it looks amazingly awesome

[sparkshot]

@Whizzer1 - Nope, it's the same layout but I've shuffled a few things for a few scenes.

[Whizzer1]

This is amazing its good to see you making videos again

[HenryBlueProductions]

This is absolutley brilliant so far mate, youve got everything down to a tee. Guess it was worth you texting me in the middle of the night about it!... cheers for that btw :P

[sparkshot]

@HenryBlueProductions - I wouldn't normally do such a thing, but it's you and it's a weekend so I knew you'd be ok with it. See, you even thanked me for it!

[simierski]

Gavin, this is amazing. Just utterly brilliant.

[disneyrangerblue02]

Poor Gordon.  I sure hope his overhaul comes soon.

[TheBlueE2]

Holy s**t, it's finally here :o And it's come as a masterpiece....

Well done on all the work put into this, the Rev would be proud :)

*clicks onto part 2*

[TheFattHatt1943]

This is just bloody amazing. This was well worth the wait. Lovely job :)

[tardisrescue]

This is incredible, and a standard that all videos should try and reach. It's quick, and witty, and fun. The twists you've put on are really nice. The moving faces are lovely. Nice and readable, unlike the blobs of CGI we see on TV. The acting was uniformably excellent, with a special shoutout to Davey for his extraordinary portrayal of Gordon, and I'm proud to say I played a minor part in the production of this video. Thanks for letting me be the signalman :)

[sparkshot]

@tardisrescue - I've I've set a new standard or benchmark for others to follow then I'll be very happy indeed. Apart from having a better layot and NOT having smoke go behind a face I'm not sure how I could improve uplon this to be honest. No problems about your inclusion, after hearing that line you sent I was converted, you have an excellent voice in my opinion.

[Railroadkid1937]

I like the way you have set your serise up more than the modern thomas serise because you have kept some of the feel of the older serise but making it a tad more realistic this is impresive to say in the least awsome job my friend :)

[sparkshot]

@Railroadkid1937 - Thankyou, that is kind of what I'm after really. Trying to film the RWS in a realistic way. I spent ages researching typical sounds at typical speeds with different loads and scourcing new sound effects, so this time I had more clunks, grinds and flange squeels and less PUFF puff PUFF puff. WHen Gordon leaves the station that was originally a rhythm of 4 puffs, 1234, 1234, 1234 etc, but I changed it to 123, 123, 123 because in that form he has 3 cylinders. --

[sparkshot]

@Railroadkid1937 - then I learnt it should be 6 puffs for a 3 cylinder engine. If this is true, oh well! Apart from the faces the bulk of effort was in mixing sound effects. This is the area I spent longest on. For instance, in the initial shed scene you can just about here Gordon's fire being stoked and a spanner being dropped in the background and a few other mini touches.

[Zorran202]

Bust my buffers, this is EPIC!!!!!! :O

How do you move their faces in certain scenes while they're moving at the same time?

[sparkshot]

@Zorran202 - You have to keyframe it, it's hard. In somce areas I had to zoom the time line and key frame every face every 100th of a second. Took ages. :( Problem is, the program does it smooth, but my footage is only 25 or 30 frames per second so it has a juddering effect. not only that but when an engine passses off scene the face changes angle so the only way I could do this was to blend the face out to it's original. In some areas it looks ok but in others it's abit rough.

[Zorran202]

@sparkshot Even with the flaws, you're one of the few people to incorporate moving faces, even if some looked creepy :P

[sparkshot]

@Zorran202 -Yeah, I thought that in a few shots, sometimes it worked great, other times it was a bit iffy. In the shed scene at the start Edward twitches at one point but I couldn't seem to remove that. Also it's hard to make a carved mouth in open expression talk properly because it needs to move like a normal mouth. You still get the impression though.

[sgprailfan]

HOLY COW THIS IS AWESOME! !!!!!

[theshedrailway]

Well weth the wait

[ToaCelon549]

I'm guessing you used the same program that CookieMonster4sael uses to make the faces move? Either way, splendid work.

[tencents6]

Nice Job with the moving faces. It's like the CGI series...EXCEPT WITH MORE EFFORT PUT INTO IT!!! DX O.K that's the last time I make make fun of CGI Thomas and Friends. It's getting old and there's always a chance the show will improve.

[sparkshot]

@tencents6 - Thanks a bunch :) One thing I like about this method is you still retain the original carved expression, the TV series faces seem to all congeal into a soft friendly blob.

[BhanuHabbo]

It was worth the wait ;)

[BhanuHabbo]

@BhanuHabbo Question, is the broken valve Gordon a whole different A0 model you made? Or is it the same thing?

[sparkshot]

@BhanuHabbo - Seperate, you know that Gordon that went Plop in the ditch? It's that. My 22 year old Hornby Gordon that stopped working a good few years ago. has served me well but now it's a stunt model.

[BhanuHabbo]

@sparkshot Ah. Stunt doubles are always the way to go. :)

No good show would be complete without them!

[DarthWill3]

At long last! A new episode! And all based on Gordon, too!

By the way, I recommend other facial expressions for Gordon, such as the big-eyed surprise face, in future.

[MITCHELLtheC17]

i must say,making the faces move added more realism to the stories, and the transistions from using crazy talk to an engine in motion were seamless.

also i cant get over james' laugh....hehe

fantastic Gav :)

[Jackw2492]

I think I can fairly say the effort you put into this clearly shows. Great job!

[sparkshot]

@Jackw2492 - Thanks, there is a slight sub plot with TFC - see if you can figure it.

[NemesisHero123]

I truly Enjoyed it :D Every thing about it is floorless and am looking forward to Part 2 coming out ;)

[Danielthetankengine]

I'm in a lost for words now. This was worth the 4 years wait, and I enjoyed every second of it. The story was dark and realistic, the models you made were incredible, and I really liked the realistic faces that were animated. Can't wait for part 2 ^_^

Rating: 9.5/10

[sparkshot]

@Danielthetankengine - Glad you liked it, this engine shed scene was the 1st scene I made so the faces are a bit dodgy in areas I think. Got better later.

[legothomasguy]

this reminds me of a season 12 episode nice work and 4 years

[Lightninging63]

Four years wait.. totally worth every second.

A memory inside a memory.. if it were dreams, this would be Inception. But with trains.

But it isn't. I immensely enjoyed this first part, from the steam to the dialogue, the faces and the trains(obviously). That bit with TFC and the scones made me laugh.

And the end.. Well I just can't wait to see what happens next.

[sparkshot]

@Lightninging63 - Thanks, Inception was a truly great film, glad you enjoyed this. The last scene I tried to make uncomfortable, especially just before you see the moon. I tweaked the lighting so it looked like a sunset - but somewhat unnatural like a partial solar eclipse.

[Lightninging63]

@sparkshot The bad thing is, I have yet to see Inception. But I want to. A lot.

I think I got the intended feeling from the scene.. the partial eclipse thing is an excellent idea. Or was. I'm going to have to go over that scene a few more times...

[sparkshot]

@Lightninging63 - Yeah, I wanted to make it look a bit 'wrong / uneasy', almost nightmarish like a bad dream that's a bit hazy. I think the music from Edward buffering up to the end of the moon was perfect for the scene. Spent an age mixing the metal SFX for Gordon too, trying to get the speed match the visuals and also the dangeling excentric crank bumping along the sleepers is something I'm really hppy with.

[sparkshot]

@Lightninging63 - I watched Inception last night BTW! I think you influenced me to do so.

[Lightninging63]

@sparkshot Really? Well.. cool! Never had that said before.

Now I really have to go watch Inception. Does the plot make any sense?

[sparkshot]

@Lightninging63 - the plot does make sence, but if you miss a key part then it could all prove rather confusing. Try to watch it carefully and take it all in.

[LegoArtsProduction]

awesome!

[Farmerboy986]

Very well done mate. Really like the special effects. =)

[Sketchy2009Studios]

What did you use for the talking? It's genious as well as the rest of of this video!

[sparkshot]

@Sketchy2009Studios - CrazyTalk 6 Standrd was used for the faces. You get automatic lip sync but all the face muscles and eye animation is your own work.

[ClearwaterMK2]

You used crazytalk for this.

[georgemiser]

4 years and it was still worth the wait for this, knux. ^^

[sparkshot]

@georgemiser - 4 years too long, I'm glad it's uploaded too, can relax a bit now. Glad you like it.

[LionelThomas200]

awsome job, love the moving eyes & mouth and other things here. how did you do that, it's intresting? : )

[dave41184]

Excellent work - well worth the wait!

[Evsta101]

First 10 seconds scared me... didn't know what to expect as there was no sound...and then it got mental (or should I say got metal...lol).:D

Moving mouths... What...

"We're in the sh*te now." - Yes, you are, well done.:P

[DiamondThomas]

A flashback inside a flashback! Nice Touch! :D

[sparkshot]

@DiamondThomas - Thanks :) Yes, this story is a bit like an onion in places, you have to pay attension or you can loose the plot.

[knapfordjunction02]

I don't like moving mouths but you really pulled it off. Will part 2 be up soon or are you still making it?

[sparkshot]

@knapfordjunction02 - Part 2 is uploading, whenm it's ready it'll just pop up, keep checking ;)

[sparkshot]

@knapfordjunction02 - part 2 is now up :)

[Railwaystation1]

I'm lost for words really I am no wonder this took 4 years to make outstanding! One question tho why did Henry and Gordon have no numbers on their tenders?

[sparkshot]

@Railwaystation1 - Ahwell you see, in the RWS they didn't get numbers until a good few years later ;) However, i messed up becasue Edward and james have there blooming numers don't they! Ah well. :)

[TTTEandbigG]

Although I dont really care for moving mouths in Thomas, I love this! Well worth the wait! :D

[cybermurph04]

Really Good job.  Nice seeing your engines in action.

[VPT2]

...moving mouth....HO-LY SHIT!!!

[foxcell]

THANK YOU GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :-D

[jamiegoddard4]

First view :O so worth the wait.