See various free clips on YouTube: http://uk.youtube.com/results?search_query=calvertfilm

TECHNICAL DETAILS of Calvertfilm PC2 computer used to make the bulk of 'The War of the Starfighters':

HARDWARE

The computer that Laurie uses was bought in Feb 1998. It is a 233 MMX P2 with 46Gig of hard drives (one SCSI and two EIDE) and later on two more 36Gig SCSI drives totalling 118Gig, 64MB SDRAM, a Miro Pinnacle DC30+ video capture card, LX Gigabyte Motherboard 512K, 4MB Matrox Millennium, 24 speed SCSI CD ROM, 16 Bit sound card, (are you still reading this?) 15" Monitor, Trust 9600 Scanner, Epson 800 Printer (later a 680), 33600 Fax Modem. It was built to his specification by Manhatten Computers, Romford, Essex Tel: 01708 738777 (well done if you got to the end).

SOFTWARE

Windows 95, Adobe Premiere 4.2 (for editing and effects), Adobe Photoshop LE and Photosuite (for stills), Asymetrix 3DFX, Poser, Bryce 3D, Illusion (computer graphics), Sound Forge (sound), E-Jay (music), Easy CD Creator (to make CDs), plus a few others. Laurie created this web site with Front Page.

VIDEO

Sony Video 8 systems such as the Sony Video 8 XR CCD-TRV15E PAL (would love it to be 35mm).

TECHNICAL DETAILS of Calvertfilm PC4 computer used to complete 'The War of the Starfighters' and 'Monsters of the Id' and to make DVDs:

HARDWARE

The computer that Laurie uses was bought in Feb 2003 to replace PC2. It has a 2.4 Gig P4 cpu with several removable hard drives totalling over 1000 Gigs, 512 DDR, a Miro Pinnacle 500 DVD video capture card, Gigabyte 8PE667, ATI Radion 9000 128 Meg, 16 x 48 DVD ROM, Sony 500 DVD Burner, Sound Blaster Audigy card, 7 bay ATX case, 19" Monitor, Mustek Scanner, Epson C62 Printer, 56K Modem, Creative 5.1 surround sound six-speaker system. It was built to his specification by Manhatten Computers, Romford, Essex Tel: 07973 628862.

SOFTWARE

Windows XP Pro, Adobe Premiere 6.5 (for editing and effects), Adobe Photoshop and Photosuite (for stills), Asymetrix 3DFX (objects, ships), Poser 4 (characters), Bryce 3D (interiors, landscapes and ships), E-Jay (music), Easy CD Creator (to make CDs), Record Now (to make DVDs), Power DVD (to play DVDs), and access to: Illusion (computer graphics), Sound Forge (sound FX), Impression and DVD Workshop (to author DVDs), plus a few others. Laurie created this web site with Front Page 98. Ghost for backing up.

VIDEO

JVC Digital Mini DV camcorder. Also used with DV in for back-up.

INVENTIONS & IDEAS:

Over the years Laurie has had a few ideas, some of which are listed here. Some are strange and some might just make him rich one day. Others have probably already been done.

ELECTRICALLY TINTING WINDOWS (invented about 1980)

Liquid crystal strips are set in glass. As a current is passed through them the glass tints. More current = more tint. For reasons of security, windows could be on maximum tint. During dark periods the tint could be switched off. The default setting is off. This could also be used on a building linked to sun position sensors and the air conditioning regulator so that as the sun moves around the windows tint. Laurie submitted this idea to Fords in the early 1990's and they said their windows manufacturers were already working on something similar. In fact about a year later the idea was mentioned on TV as being in development for 20 years at that stage.

BLURRED ANIMATION (1980)

As an animated model is being filmed it could be on a 'rig' which could move it to blur its motion during the taking of a frame. This would create much smoother motion because of the blur effect. After Laurie had this idea in 1979 someone at ILM invented it and called it Go-motion.

COMPUTER GENERATED ACTORS (1990)

Computers could put the faces of actors on stuntmen to make it look as if an actor performed a feat that the stuntman did. Dead actors could be brought back to life. Several years after Laurie had the concept in mind this was being done.

VOCAL CODER (1987)

A special synthesiser which gets its input from a microphone. As someone hums in a tune it converts the notes to sounds played on the synth. The sounds could be trumpets, strings orchestra, anything. Anyone could play a tune quickly. So far as Laurie knows this idea hasn't been done and he thinks there is a market for this.

TATTOO TAN (1988)

Stickers which are to be used during tanning so that an area is left not tanned. The stickers would be shaped so that a decorative shape is left behind e.g. a heart shape. This idea was considered by a European company but not adopted.

SMALL CANS (1988)

Small Pepsi cans instead of the normal size to quench a thirst (and also a kids size). Several years after the original idea, these cans came out.

WHISTLING CANS (1988)

Utilises the rush of air escaping from a can to blow a whistle. Just for effect. Kids would love it. The whistle would work just by blowing manually too.

COMPUTER GENERATED GLAMOUR GIRLS (2000)

Computer generated (CG) characters seem to be all the rage. Nobody has made glamour girls as CG creations yet though. Laurie made his CG girls in Jan 2000 and submitted the idea to some companies in the UK but was turned down as they considered there to be no market. In Feb 2003 he discovered that top of the Anime charts (and ahead of Titan AE feature film) was a DVD called 'Virtual Stars' that featured short stories about CG girls in lingerie. The market was in Japan especially.

UMBRELLA WASHING LINE (2005)

The idea is to have a clear umbrella on top of a circular washing line to keep the clothes dry even in a shower. The brolly could even be solar powered with a system to unfold the brolly when rain hits a sensor but probably just the clear brolly would be enough.

STELLA COLLECTORS / GLOBAL WARMING SOLUTION (2005)

I don't think I'm the first to have this idea but I did consider it independently. Huge (tens of miles across) solar panel spacecraft in long range orbit that collect the Sun's energy and beam it back to Earth in the form of a laser beam. These craft would create 'clean' energy from a virtually limitless source. Not only that but they could be moved into position to partially block out the Sun to combat the effects of global warming. Mini eclipses that go unnoticed on Earth but that reduce the temperature by a fraction when necessary.