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COMMANDER LOCK TALKS Source: <Conventry Evening Telegraph>

His nephews and nieces have been desperately trying to dig out the secrets of the new Matrix movies, but Harry Lennix's lips are sealed. The Chicago-born actor appears in the two sequels of the sci-fi blockbuster as Commander Lock, but has been sworn to silence about what happens to Keanu Reeves and Co next.
"We've have to sign contracts," he explains, "and we can't say anything about it. "All I can really say is that I don't think people will be disappointed. If we film a crowd scene with lots of extras we even change the line of dialogue if it gives away an important plot point."
The Matrix is Harry's first big action sci-fi movie and follows acclaim in films like Titus with Anthony Hopkins and Jessica Lange. "The special effects are so painstaking and take a lot of time and it's a very different way of working for me," says Harry. "It's really not like anything I've done before."

The award-winning actor began filming early this year and heads to Australia next year to shoot Matrix 3. .

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UNSTOPPABLE MORPHEUS Source: <Entertainment Weekly>

Production on the Matrix sequels may not be complete, but star Laurence Fishburne has hit the road. For a car-chase sequence in Warner Bros.' $ 127 million Matrix Reloaded, producers spent more than three months building a two-mile highway in Alameda, Calif.--and the actor did some Morpheus motorin'. "There's no cops!" Fishburne says. "You can get in a vehicle and put pedal to the metal and forget about it. I was going so fast, they couldn't stop me." The Matrix pit crew spent three months filming on the counterfeit concrete, constructed at an abandoned naval air station. "It's the first time a studio has built a freeway for a movie," boasts second-unit director David Ellis. (Warner Bros. declined to comment for this story.) The set was torn down after the sequence wrapped--with the materials to be recycled in a low-income housing development in Mexico.

Interplay could run into roadblocks in releasing its games based on The Matrix films.

While development on The Matrix video game continues at Shiny Entertainment, the future of Interplay's hold on the license is starting to look a little murky. The company's licensing agreement for The Matrix allows the licensor, Warner Bros., to terminate the license if there is a substantial change of ownership without its approval. Although this is a relatively common contract clause, the inclusion of the stipulation in this case may become important due to Interplay's recent financial problems--the company recently reported an 87 percent decrease in earnings over the same period last year and a net loss of $20.6 million for the third quarter alone. Insiders at Interplay are concerned that the company's recent financial troubles may dampen Warner Bros.' confidence in the publisher's ability to deliver the multiple product releases based on all three films in the series.

The Matrix games are in the action-adventure genre and are rumored to be using Shiny's Messiah game engine. Interplay could not be reached for comment at press time.

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3D-CAMERA USED FOR SEQUELS Source: <The Advertiser>

FORGET Geoffrey Rush, Cate Blanchett and Nicole Kidman, the Hollywood spotlight is falling on a new Aussie. I-SiTE Laser Imaging Camera is revolutionising the film-making, crash investigation and mining industries by creating something never seen in photographs before - A 3-D image.
Developed in Adelaide over five years, I-SiTE can capture a digital, three-dimensional image of a room or scene. The image can be manipulated by a computer, zooming in or out and rotating through the scene. It can be pieced together with other images to create a 360-degree internal and external picture.

The camera package including survey set-up, computer, control and modelling programs has a Hollywood price tag - more than $200,000 - although like most technology this is likely to reduce with time.

I-SiTE is used by Manex Visual Effects and will be used in the Matrix movie sequel to be shot in Australia this year and will star in the new Spider-Man movie with Tobey Maguire. I-SiTE is also being used by big-name production companies, to assist in visual effects. For example, if a film is set in New York, camera operators go to New York and take pictures with I-SiTE of buildings or sites they want in the film. Instead of building these sets in the studio, they simply project a 3-D image on to a blue special effect screen, cover it with a high resolution digital image and a set is ready-made.

The Transport Research Laboratory in London uses the I-SiTE camera as part of its rapid response investigation vehicle, which is usually among the first on the scene in a car accident. I-SiTE's parent company, Maptek, has been involved in the mining industry for 20 years, so I-SiTE also has mining permutations. With a range of 350m, the camera is able to survey mining sites from a safe distance.

Operations manager Michael Watson said the Frewville-based company was hoping for revenue of $65 million a year within three years, employing an additional 85 staff, at present only 12.

How it works:
* I-SiTE collects real-world spatial data by emitting a laser at a rate of 6000 pulses a second.
* Each laser pulse is reflected back to the camera when it hits the surface of an object. The data is transferred to a computer and a 3-D image is constructed.
* Software interprets the data and allows the user to view the image from every angle and merge other scans of the same scene, to give a 360 degree view.

Visit the official I-SITE site <here>

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MORE ON THE ANIMATRIX Source: <Anime news network>

The Matrix has enjoyed a great deal of success since its release. A lot of speculation about just what was in store for the movie's two sequels has created a lot of rumors about the upcoming Animation series. Next week will see the release of the Matrix Revisited DVD. The DVD is a "making of" DVD that also imparts a great deal of information about "Animatrix", the anime series based off the movie.

Animatrix will be 5 short films about how Earth went from here to there. The stories will detail events that caused the rise of mahicnes to be the dominant rulers of the planet and how they were created. The series will bring some of most reknowned Japanese Anime talent. Micheal Arias will be producing the series as a whole, but each film will have it's own staff, writers, and artists. He is best known for working on one the Halloween movies. His experience in Anime may be lacking, but to make up for that they have a plethora of talent to help him out.

Yoshiaki Kawajiri of Ninja Scroll and Vampire Hunter D fame will be directing one of the films. Yoshiaki Kawajiri of Madhouse Studio says he thinks that the Matrix is a "flat-out incredible experience both visually and on a narrative level. It conviced me that a new breed of Film making had arrived". This film takes place in a simulated training program heavy in the Ninja department and eventually ends up leading back to the bleak desolate world of the Matrix.

Yoshiaki Kawajiri is also working on a second episode. The second episode is about a man who is able to break through the viel of the Matrix into the real world by pure stregth alone. He is also joined by Takeshi Koike, an animator at Madhouse Studios.
Another episode is being directed by Mahiro Maeda, director of Blue Submarine No. 6, and is a "prequel" of sorts to the first Matrix movie. His work will tell the story of the war between humanity and the machines.
Another of the episodes will be produced by Square, makers of the Final Fantasy Movie. The film will use the technology created and used in the Final Fantasy Movie.

The animes will be released on a regular basis in about a year as a precurser to the second Matrix Movie. They will be on DVD, but it is suggested that they may also be streamed across the internet. The information on the medium is not yet set in stone.

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MATRIX: REVISITED REVIEW Source: <CurrentFilm>

The Movie: In early 1999, "The Matrix" amazed and thrilled audiences with its remarkable special effects, interesting story and fascinating visuals. Much really hadn't been said or heard about the film early in production, then more and more details and images from the production came out and the excitement built.

A series of marvelously edited and powerful trailers were the first elements to hook audience's interest - by the time of release, the excitement of the film's release had built to an exceptional level, but not quite to the point of the kind of hype that will overpower a film's possibility for success in the way that "Star Wars: The Phantom Menace" ran into.

The film's success and continuing box office run after its release not only opened the doors to two sequels for the picture (which are currently in production), but influenced quite a number of action films that came after (most of which, like "The One", pale in comparison). It's now been quite some time since "The Matrix" really hit audiences and Warner Brothers has obviously felt the need to pull audiences back into the "Matrix" stories and give fans something to hold them over at least somewhat until the release of the sequel - hence, "The Matrix: Revisited", a 120 minute documentary about the making of "The Matrix".

The documentary mainly revolves around interviews with those involved: directors The Wachowski Brothers, ace cinematographer Bill Pope, editor Zach Staenberg,legendary (rightly so) fight choreographer Yuen Wo Ping, producer Joel Silver, actors Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie Anne-Moss and other members of the film's cast and crew. The documentary mainly revolves around the first picture - for those who are hoping to see some sneak peeks of the second picture, there really aren't many. "Revisited" revolves almost entirely around the production of the first picture, as we hear from many of the crew members, who discuss their roles in the film's production - such as costumes, sets, visual effects and other elements. Most of the detailed production interviews are quite informative and interesting; yet, there are moments that talk about the story (Reeves often discusses it in his interviews) or how great everyone as that offer less insight. These moments are brief and mainly at the begining of the documentary.

While much of the documentary offers interviews from around the set and in offices, there are also some terrific behind-the-scenes clips, showing the actors in serious physical preparation for their fight sequences and some clips of the production at work in Australia. The documentary gets more enjoyable in the second half, as we see more about the making of the film and some of the obstacles that had to be faced (Reeves' physical problems as the production began) and in-depth footage of how some of the film's biggest stunts were achieved.

I think there was some concern over this release and what it would contain (I didn't even know that the main piece that was going to be included was this two-hour documentary. Overall though, I was very pleased. I didn't feel this was just some "promotional" piece, but a well-crafted and often very informative two-hour documentary about the film's journey from pre-production to final film.

The DVD
The Video

The documentary is presented in 1.33:1 full-frame, while the clips of the movie throughout are presented in 2.35:1 widescreen. The quality of the image is generally excellent, as the image remained sharp and detailed throughout the entire program, with only a few minor instances of shimmer to take away from the image. Colors remained bold and vibrant throughout, with no concerns.

Sound

The documentary is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1, but there's really little for the surrounds to do but lightly reinforce the music. The interviews are the focus and the discussions of those on-screen remained clear and easily understood.

The Menu's

Slightly animated, with background music and film-themed images

The Extra's:

What Is To Come?: While there was some discussion at the end of the main documentary, this section actually offers some production footage of the sequel and slight discussion of what you might see. At a little less than 3 minutes, it doesn't offer more than a glimpse.

What is the Animatrix

A short documentary discussing the planned animated "Matrix" stories. The head animators, as well as producer Joel Silver, are interviewed.

Whatisthematrix.com

A short featurette where producer Joel Silver discusses what is included on the "Matrix" website and how the material was produced.

The Dance of the master

This section allows the viewer to watch fight choreographer Yuen Wo-Ping's blocking tapes as the film's fight sequences are planned out. 5 min - 39 sec

The True Followers

A short featurette about the film's internet fans. A bit strange.

Bathroom Fight

A smaller documentary about the preparations for the bathroom fight sequence.

But wait there's more

Additional random clips of the production at work, cut together into a short featurette

Final Thoughts: While I wouldn't say that "The Matrix Revisited" isn't without a few minor slow moments, I thought the majority of the documentary and the extra features were well-crafted, informative and entertaining - the entire package provides substance and isn't something "promotional". Priced at $19.99 ($14.99 at most places is likely), this is a nicely done package that fans of the film should consider taking a look at.

Note: there is also a "2 pack" now available with the "Matrix" and "Matrix: Revisited" DVDs together.
The Matrix Revisited is released on November 20th

Thanks to: <The Matrix Online>

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MATRIX: REVISITED ONLINE

The official website whatisthematrix.com has added a Matrix: revisited section. The DVD which comes out on the 20th of November contains lots of background information on the first film and an exclusive report concerning the sequels. You can find all the information, a trailer and some videoclips <here>. Visit it now!

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2ND UNIT REPORT Source: <Aint it cool>

Aint it cool found this report from 'Paul X'. He's a 'member' of the 2nd unit:

"yes they filmed all nite, right up till 0430 on Tuesday nite, and 0600 on Wednesday, which incidentally was a resounding success because it didn't rain as much. But that Lincoln Continental with the suicide doors has to be one of the most awesome looking cars I have ever had the privilege to see up close. But with the rain came some inventive road drying techniques, luckily Stand-by had some flamers to heat the road for light reflections, rain really only reads on film when it is lit properly, so they did the flame action and got their shots. (that's what took up time) All in all it was a great two nites, 2nd Unit is always heaps off fun...even bumping out at 0700 after about 15 hour on my feet, and their still is another nite of filming to go...so might see you in the back of the unit truck...PaulX"

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STUNT DOUBLE INTERVIEW Source: <Sf Gate>

An interview with Mike Martinez who worked as a stuntman for the 'Matrix' sequels:

One unexpected consequence of the Sept. 11 attacks is that demand is way down for people being set on fire. "There are a lot less burns going on these days," said San Carlos stuntman Mike Martinez, who is the go-to guy in the Bay Area for any movie or TV human-torch effect. "It used to be that the burn was the big deal for how you killed the bad guy or the monster. Now, people are a little more touchy."

Not that Martinez, 47, is unemployed. He recently performed in car-chase scenes for the upcoming "Matrix" sequel when footage was shot in the East Bay and has some stunt work planned for several other pictures. But being set on fire -- his particular field of expertise -- is pretty much a thing of the past as filmmakers and TV producers scramble to tone down the violence in their works.

Martinez tosses out that old stuntman staple -- "I just fell into it" -- when asked how he got into the business. In reality, being the fall guy in show biz was a childhood dream, one that he acted on 25 years ago by offering himself to movie crews as one of only a handful of local stunt professionals. There was just one problem: Martinez doesn't like heights. He did one fall from 50 feet and that was enough for him. He realized he needed a different area of specialization.

His big breakthrough, if you can call it that, came in 1985 when he landed a stunt gig in the Erik Estrada blockbuster "Light Blast," in which San Francisco is terrorized by a madman with a powerful new weapon. "I was doubling for a guy who was trying to kill Erik with a bulldozer," Martinez recalled. "Erik throws a gasoline container under the tracks, he shoots, sparks fly, and then everything goes up in flames, including me."

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NEWSPAPER ARTICLE Source: <The Daily Telegraph>

SYDNEY streets were transformed into an inner-city Chicago streetscape today for the filming of The Matrix II. The sequel, expected to be titled The Matrix Reloaded, follows the 1999 Hollywood blockbuster The Matrix. Stars from the original film including Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne and Carrie-Anne Moss are back in Sydney filming alongside local actors and extras. The sequel has an expected release date of May 2003.

Overnight, a clearway was created along Castlereagh and Campbell Sts. Traffic signs were changed, American-style trash cans, fire hydrants and newspaper dispensers were added to the footpaths and American number-plates were placed on dark cars which lined the street. Neither Reeves, Moss nor Fishburne were on location today, but an untrained eye could have thought they were as stand-ins took their places.

Moss' stand-in was wearing her character Trinity's trademark black vinyl dress, while Fishburne's stand-in was suitably coy in dark glasses and a suave trenchcoat. The crew spent most of the night setting up and filming a scene where Moss and Fishburne drive around a corner in their midnight blue sedan. No detail was overlooked with the scene complete with smoke filtered out of the drains to keep the film's location authentic.

Motorists may be confused when they drive past two banners this morning - one with a cow saying "mmmm steak" and the other proclaiming "watch TV", which have been erected on the corner of the two streets and are expected to remain there as filming continues. Trees lining the street were wrapped in brown hessian and covered by green cylinders. Technicians and gophers on the set said they were excited to be back filming in Australia. "It's a beautiful place," said a crew member. Onlookers were equally thrilled as they watched the action from behind barricades. "I can't believe that this is going to be in the film," said one. "That's pretty cool."

Local stars Hugo Weaving, Christine Anu, Ada Nicodemou and Lachy Hulme all have roles in the film. Filming will also take place at Fox Studios as well as in California and Chicago in the US. By filming the original Matrix in Australia, the producers were able to keep the budget down to about $60 million -- estimated to be about a third of what it would have cost if it had been made in the US. A third film - The Matrix Revolutions - will also be filmed in Sydney. The back-to-back productions are expected to inject $300 million into Sydney's economy. The cast experienced a tragic setback as they began filming when co-star Aaliyah was killed in a plane crash in the Bahamas in August.

by Freya Grant

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CONTRACT OPTION FOR MATRIX 4,5,6 Source: <The Gold Coast Bulletin>

By Lisa Simmons for The Gold Coast Bulletin:

WATCH this face ... it's going places. Former Gold Coast schoolboy Clayton Watson has landed a role in The Matrix, opposite Hollywood star Keanu Reeves. Watson, 24, will play The Kid, a teenager who casts himself in the mould of his hero Nero (played by Reeves). The Kid's mission is to join Neo, Trinity and Morpheus in their search for truth. The trio, however, think The Kid is too young to cut the mustard on their team.

Watson makes a short debut in Matrix 2, with his character's history further expanded for fans in a Japanese anime short, which will tail the movie when it is released on DVD. Watson, meanwhile, is off to join Reeves and crew for a bigger role in Matrix 3 when shooting begins next year. His contract options him for Matrix movies four, five and six should the series last that long.

"I was such a fan of The Matrix. I just couldn't believe it when I learned I'd got the role," says Watson, who won the role from hopefuls who auditioned in Australia and the United States. "I got a phone call about two weeks after my final audition in America, so no one else saw my reaction, luckily. I laughed, I cried and I even swore," he laughs.

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SET REPORT 2 Source: <The Matrix Online>

By Nerje for The Matrix Online:

I've been doing a little bit of research, and I've found out the following:

- Brown is apparently a very easy colour to edit in special effects, so all of the trees in the street were bagged up in brown hessian cloth. Also, the car at the front of the line was the same shade of brown. Apparently the car becomes pretty much destroyed, and the brown will be changed to a different colour at a later date. Let's hope it's black, because black cars are cool.

- The crew filmed for ten hours, all through the night. And one of my sources tells me that it was all for six seconds of the footage. Remind me never to get into the editing business- 10 hours of filming just for six seconds of footage? Ouch.

- I heard two things about the phone I was playing with. My more reliable source has notified me that it won't be used as an exit at all, but another source has mentioned that it will be used by the Agents somehow.

- As the scene plays out, everything stops, and the cops get out of the car. Now at this point, I really need to mention, that everything I have heard or been told says that the cops are DEFINITELY Agents. Whether this means that they become Agents, or are Agents in disguise, I don't know. I tend to think they become Agents, due to the fact that they are apparently in the script as Cop 1 and Cop 2.

Somebody has notified me that everybody gets out of their cars and looks at the sun rising over a New York skyline. At this point in time, I want to stress that this has been contradicted by everything else I have found out from people close to the production. The only people in cars that get out are the cops- everyone else was dressed in black. What actually happens in the scene is still unknown to me, but I've been told it's fairly interesting. This may not mean that the New York thing is untrue, but please take caution when it comes to believing what you read. Everything, including this article, should be taken with a grain of salt.

- The filming did not involve any of the key actors or actresses. However, Keanu Reeves was there, in the Travelodge building in Elizabeth Street, overlooking the scene as it was shot.

A big, big thankyou goes out to the man behind the info, Lion. He's the one to credit for the additions and clarifications.

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SET REPORT Source: <The Matrix Online>

By Nerje for The Matrix Online:

I arrived at 6 pm, and nothing was happening yet. After a while I saw some truck scooting around, and unloading equipment. Excited, I checked it out - I spoke to a very secretive security guard, and it went a little like this:

NERJE: So what's happening here?
SECURITY GUARD: We're filming.
N: Filming what exactly?
SG: A film.
N: No kidding! What film?
SG: The Burly Man. I suppose that doesn't mean much to you.
N: I know what it means.
SG: Oh. (Shuffles away and begins a lengthy campaign of ignoring me)

So that was my first clue that I was in the right place. Then, at 6:30, they started towing cars out of the street. Friendly. Between this time and 8:30, they unloaded a lot of props from the many white trucks around the area. The props included:

- Mesh trash cans full of pretend rubbish
- Green and red brochure stands, emblazoned "Free, take one!"
- A small metal phone stand - Very American fire hydrants
- An American post box
- A newspaper box (the ones where you put the money in the slot and lift the lid)
- And a City Phone booth.

I sat right next to it as the actual phone console was screwed in. I got to mess around in it, pretend I was using the hardline, and all sorts of other stuff. At first, it had white signs, one saying city and the other saying phone. Later in the night, both of these were replaced with green signs saying CITY and a phone symbol next to them. Extra cool stuff.

The crew were hard at work, messign around, then at 8:30 the street was closed to traffic. Then they brought in the CARS. A whole heap of right hand and left hand drive cars. The ones that were incorrect were being changed by putting a cloth over the steering wheel and putting a fake one on the passenger side. Tricky. There were also a few nice sports cars amongst them too.

Two cars to note:
At the front of the queue was a really badly painted brown Chevrolet. Painted too badly to be in the movie as a prop - maybe to be crashed or blown up? The other car was a police car. There were two police officers walking around. Through conversation with them and many, many other people around the street, I found out:
The cops were professional drivers, and they are had been here shooting for 6 weeks. They were expected to stay until next year. Somebody told me they claimed to be Agents in disguise and pointed to the silver tie clips. Another guy heard that in the particular scene "the grid is being shut down, and everything is slowly turning off," "this whole street will be darkened soon," "it'll be dead as a ghost town when we slow the cars to a halt."

I was told the scene would be in Reloaded, not Revolutions. Check out the link below for more.

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LACHY HULME'S ROLE Source: <Dark Horizons>

Gillian spoke to Lachy Hulme and sent her report to Dark Horizons

I spoke with upcoming Aussie actor Lachy Hulme the other week in regards to the recent comedy release "Let's Get Skase" (full interview going up tomorrow), but before that I asked him the big question - what's his involvement in "The Matrix" sequel: "I play a guy called Sparks, who is Niobe's (Jada Pinkett Smith) right hand man. She's the captain of the 'Logose' (pronounced Low-Ghose), I'm the operator of the Logose", Do you get to get into the Matrix at all? "No I'm born in Zion...that's about all I can tell you"

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AWARD FOR RECYCLED SET Source: <Variety>

The California Film Commission and its 57 FLICS (Film Liaisons in California, Statewide) paid tribute to those who help make a filmmaker's vision a reality at the 7th Annual California On Location Awards (COLA).

The event, held Oct. 21 at the Castaway in Burbank, honored location managers and production companies for professionalism while working on location in California. The awards also honor the state's public employees for their diligent work in assisting production companies.

The Humanitarian Award was presented to location manager Peter Novak for his ingenuity recycling the sets built for "The Matrix 2" and "The Matrix 3." Novak donated and delivered the set materials from the Bay Area to Mexico for the creation of 100 single-family homes.


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MATRIX REVOLUTIONS CONFIRMED Source: <Ain't it cool>

Producer Joel Silver has revealed that the title of the second MATRIX sequel will be THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS. The film, now expected to be released in 2004, will follow THE MATRIX RELOADED, due in 2003.
Speaking of THE MATRIX Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Mosss are fast becoming part of the furniture around Sydney. Moss is often spotted taking her dog for a walk along Campbell Pde (see photo) and Keanu spent his Saturday night seeing the film at the top of the Australian Box Office, THE MAN WHO SUED GOD at Double Bay.


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INTERVIEW JOEL SILVER Source: <Coming Soon>

Producer Joel Silver has been talking more about the much-anticipated "Matrix" sequels.
"[The Wachowski (Larry and Andy) brothers]...keep telling me that these two new movies are so expensive and such a complicated shoot that it could break them, destroy their reputation if it doesn't live up to people's expectations. As a result, we're trying to do what nobody has ever even dreamed of seeing."

He also spoke a bit about the preparation Keanu Reeves goes through in bringing his character to life. "Having made a picture with Jet Li and seeing the level and amount of preparation he devotes to these kind of movies is staggering but Keanu is ten times what Jet Li has given to the screen. Keanu is just a machine. Jet will shoot the fight sequences in small pieces. He plots out exactly how the individual sequences will go together and shoots them separately." "Keanu wants to do the whole fight with no breaks. He's relentless. Like Larry and Andy he wants to deliver what no one has ever seen. I look at the dailies and it's unbelievable. Cutting edge doesn't begin to describe what they're creating."


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