Beast Legends
Season One, Episode Five, Wildman of Vietnam
Original Air Date: Thursday, October 7, 2010
Episode five begins with Steve and Francis in southeast Asia to get the ball rolling on the teams research into the Vietnamese Wildman. Kathryn, Mike and Scott are back home in the Beast Lab researching the origins of the legend. The Wildman of Vietnam is said to roam the rainforests. The beast walks like a man, has superhuman strength and an appetite for flesh. According the Kathryn, the legend has been around for centuries.
First person accounts of the Wildman of Vietnam have been given by inhabitants of Vietnam as well as by American soldiers who fought on Vietnamese soil during the Vietnam conflict. One American soldier who was willing to tell the tale of what he witness during his tour of duty is Gary Linderer. Linderer was stationed in central Vietnam in 1968. He had been in country for approximately a month before encountering the Wildman. He was dropped into the jungle by helicopter before dawn. When the sun came up, he saw the creature. Linderer recorded his recount of his experience on video. Linderer describes the creature as being approximately 5'6"-5'10" tall and the eyes were very clear and intelligent looking. Mike begins constructing their creature by starting with the form of a man.
In Hue, Vietnam, the region where Gary Linderer was stationed in 1968, Steve and Francis want to get the Vietnamese side of the story. Nguyen Duy Thanh is their driver/translator while in Hue. He will be taking them to meet a man who knows the legend inside and out. On the way, their jeep stalls and a downpour begins as they have arrived in Vietnam during the monsoon season. Francis manages to hitch a ride for he, Stevie and Nguyen with a passing truck driver. They finally arrive at their destination 3 hours late.
They interview Ho Van Hanh (village elder/Vietcong veteran) about the Wildman. He still believes in the survival of the Wildman and describes the appearance of the creature for Francis. According to the legends, the face is round and somewhat similar to the monkey's and the eyes resemble monkey's eyes. Ho Van Hanh relates vivid descriptions of the features of the Wildman and Francis sketches what is described so the team back at home can start constructing the creature. Mike updates the figure of the man on the computer with the new features uploaded from Hue by Francis.
Steve and Francis next go to Hanoi to speak with a professor who claims to have a plaster cast of a footprint made by the Wildman. The impossible to navigate traffic is making things difficult for them so Steve decides to run to their destination, the Hanoi Pedadgogical College, while Francis takes a skateboard. The lack of street signs causes both men to become lost in the congested streets of Hanoi. Francis arrives at the College first. At the College, they meet with Dr. Tran Hong Viet (Zoologist, Hanoi Pedadgogical College). Dr. Viet believes the Wildman is an original form of man and is classified as Homo Erectus, scientifically. They view a photograph of the footprint. Dr. Viet found the print in 1982 in Kon Tum (in central Vietnam). The very curved arch of the foot separates the print from that of a human. Viet explains that while the foot looks like that of both an ape and a human, it is neither. The physical cast cannot be filmed by the Beast Legends cameras because of research agreements and future publication agreements the scientists have entered into. While Steve and Francis are looking at the cast behind closed doors, Scott takes a copy of the photograph to a friend of his in Iowa.
After leaving Hanoi, Steve and Francis head into the wilds of Vietnam where Gary Linderer shot his footage in 1968. They guys and their translator head into the jungle to see the Wildman's alleged habitat first hand. The area isn't jungle anymore as it has been cleared for farmland and wouldn't be a suitable habitat for the Wildman.
Scott is in Pocatello, Idaho visiting with Dr. Jeff Meldrum (Anatomist, Idaho State University) to discuss the photograph of Dr. Viet's Wildman footprint. Dr. Meldrum has analyzed hundreds of suspected Bigfoot prints from all over the world. Dr. Meldrum believes part of the print looks like a drag-out rather than part of an actual foot. Meldrum provides Scott with a visual of how the print of a bear would look with a drag out on its print. There are bears in Vietnam capable of making a print the size in the photo Scott has from Dr. Viet and Meldrum feels it is very possible the print could be a misidentified bear print. However, Gary Linderer is positive what he saw in 1968 was not a bear.
Steve and Francis next head off to see the fossilized remains of Vietnamese orangutans. They speak with Dr. Vu The Long (archaeologist) who carefully lays out each piece of the skeleton for the guys to see. Francis sketches out an orangutan skeleton from the bones while Steve describes the mannerisms of the orangutans. Mike updates the Wildman on the computer with the new information from Steve and Francis.
Another eyewitness in southern Vietnam saw more than one Wildman and saw them for a longer time than Gary Lederer was able to see the creature in 1968. Steve and Francis speak with Hoang Trong Quong (farmer) about the sightings he has had. On an overcast afternoon, Quong saw the creatures while he was collected wood in the forest. Their faces were similar to human faces and the bodies covered in sparse, light brown hair. The distance between Quong and the creatures was two meters. The creatures jumped from the trees they were in and ran away when they saw Quong running away.
Steve and Francis go next to the location of Hoang Trong Quong's sighting, Ke Bang National Park, where they will be heading into the jungle. Approximately 60% of the Park has probably never been visited by a human being, ever so it is a largely unresearched and dense territory. Based upon Quong's description that the creatures were comfortable both in the trees and running on the ground, Steve describes the features the Wildman's feet should have. Mike updates the feet on the computer image. He also updates the teeth based on speculation of what the creatures might eat.
Steve and Francis are looking for the perfect cave for their creature to call 'home'. They find a cave that is flooded with water. Steve swims in but finds no dry areas where the creature could live. A distance away they find a cave that would be perfect for the Wildman. They come across a small herd of cows that proves to Francis how a large creature could move silently through the thick jungle.
Back at the Beast Lab, the team assembles to watch their complete Beast Movie. At night, in the wilds of Vietnam, the creature leaves its cave as a lone man walks through the jungle. The creature watches the man from the trees then jumps to the ground. The sound of a captured monkey causes the man to begin running and the creature is in pursuit. The man is able to escape but the creature devours the captured monkey.
Beast Legends airs every Thursday night at 10 P.M. (9 p.m. Central) on the SyFy Channel. The final episode, Bird Monster aired on October 14, 2010.
For More Information:
Official Web Site: http://www.beastlegends.com/
Official SyFy Site: http://www.syfy.com/beastlegends/index.php
TV Rage: http://www.tvrage.com/shows/id-26229/?vote=10
Francis Manapul's Official Website: http://www.francismanapul.com/
Showing posts with label Beast Legends. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Beast Legends. Show all posts
Monday, October 18, 2010
Monday, October 4, 2010
US Television, Beast Legends, Episode 1.4 "Winged Lion"
Beast Legends
Season One, Episode Four, Winged Lion
Original Air Date: Thursday, September 30, 2010
In this weeks episode, the team researches and creates the winged lion, or as it is also known, the griffin.
Steve and Francis begin in Germany where they are searching for the bones while the rest of the team is at home in the lab researching the griffin legends.
The Griffin can be traced back even farther than Greek legends to Mesopotamia onward to the Mongolian area of Central Asia. Scott suggests that they break the project into two parts. Since there is an eagle in the front and a lion in the back, he suggests starting with a cave lion. Currently, there aren't lions in Mongolia but there were cave lions that went into extinction 10,000 years ago.
Steve and Francis are looking for the bones of a cave lion found in Zoolithen Cave in Burggaillenreuth, Germany. They enter a deep cave protected by scientists for the valuable information contained within it. Dr. Cajus G. Diedrich takes them into the dark and dangerous cave. They want to see the bones to help determine the size of their griffin. Only 1% of the bones found in the cave were lion bones. They find cave bear bones but must continue down through dark and tight crevices to reach the few precious lion bones the cave contains. They turn off their torches and the cave is literally pitch black. Steve describes a scenario of how it might have been for the sleeping bears when the lions came to prey upon them. Francis takes some time to make some amazing drawings of the bears and lions but he still would like to get the scale of lion to human.
Four hours later and two hundred feet down into the earth and they have still only found bear bones. When they feel ready to give up, they find the lion bones. They find leg and 'finger' bones and are able to get some scale with them to give the team in the lab.
The team decides to divide to gather more research quicker. Steve heads to the far east of the region to work on the front of the griffin while Francis takes the size evidence back to the Beast Lab. The cave lion was about 10 1/2 feet long, 4.3 in the length of the tail and about 5 foot tall from floor to shoulders. The entire height, including the head is 6 1/2 feet and the weight is an estimated 700 pounds! Francis begins sketching their lion on a large piece of paper on the floor. When he finishes the drawing, he gets on the floor next to it and, as Scott comments, he truly would be a nice, small snack for the cave lion. As Mike begins work on the griffin on the computer using the sketches and size measurements, Scott rips the head off Francis' amazing drawing saying they now just need to find out about the head.
Steve is in western Mongolia to find out which of the nine species of eagle currently living in Mongolia would be the perfect choice for the front half of the griffin. With the help of Vyenyera "Venus" Shyndaulyet (translator), Steve heads into Olgii, Mongolia in search of eagles. The area is snowy, cold and remote. Venus takes Steve to meet one of the most skilled eagle hunters the area has to offer, Manna Raimkhan. Manna has a 2 year-old Golden Eagle trained as a hunter. Steve uploads footage of this magnificent bird to the rest of the team in the Beast Lab. Mike removes the lion's head on the computer and replaces it with that of the Golden Eagle.
Next, Steve goes to see an eagle in action to better figure out how the griffin would be hunting. The hunters split up and the one at the base of the mountains scares the prey out from behind the rocks. The hunters that make their way to the top of the mountain release the eagle. Golden eagles can spot moving prey from 1,000 feet in the air and from one mile away. Steve gets footage of the eagle's eye which will be a crucial part of the griffin. Mike adds the eagles eyes to their griffin on the computer and Kathryn notes that the next step will be to give the griffin ears.
Griffin ears throughout history have been of various shapes. Some like those of a cat or dog. Others are long like horses ears. In Orono, Ontario, Canada, Francis and Scott go to Jungle Cat World to get an up close and personal look at a lion so Francis can sketch the ears for their mythical griffin. Upon seeing the ears, both men feel they really don't fit the griffin. They agree an ear that swoops down or is flatter would be more appropriate to a creature that flies through the air with the speed and skill of the griffin. Mike adds the ears Francis sketched to the computer version of the griffin.
Next, we have to decide about the legs that will carry our griffin when it is walking on the ground. Historical accounts of the griffin have been inconsistent as to what the legs looked like. Some have four lion paws. Others have the front talons of an eagle and the back legs of a lion. How the Beast Legends griffin will be designed rests with the manner in which an eagle attacks. The computer version is updated with eagle legs in the front complete with talons for grasping and lion paws with claws for ripping in the back.
Steve is able to get more footage of Manna's awesome eagle as it is eating. He describes how the eagle is tearing at its food and swallowing what it is eating noting that the griffin should have some of those same characteristics.
The next task is to figure out the size of the wings. They need wings that will be large enough and strong enough to raise the massive body of the griffin off the ground and carry it through the air. The size of the prey must also be taken into account as griffins were described as being able to swoop down and pick up horses.
Steve and Scott meet up in Mongolia to track down a rare breed of horse that might be the right size for griffin prey so they can figure out just how big to make the wings. In Ulanbaatar, the capitol city of Mongolia, where the temperature is now 35 below, they meet to visit a sanctuary just outside Ulanbaatar. There, they will be seeing Przewalski's Horses, a rare animal that has literally been brought back from the brink of extinction. At Hustai National Park in Mongolia, they embark on the task of finding one of a couple hundred horses in the almost 200 square mile park. Several hours after entering the park, Steve finally spots a few of the rare and gorgeous horses. They photograph and observe the short and stocky horses. The animals stand about 4 feet tall and weigh around 600 pounds. Scott figures that to lift a Przewalski's horse and the weight of its own body, a griffin would need a wingspan of approximately 25 feet. Mike updates their computer griffin with the new information.
The final bit of research: where does the griffin live. Steve looks at an eagles nest to get inspiration for the griffin's home. Still in frigid Mongolia with Manna the eagle hunter, Steve enjoys a drink of fermented mare's milk and inquires about seeing the nearest eagles nest. The next day, they locate an eagles nest high on a cliff but they cannot get to it because of the winter weather. Since they cannot get to the nest, they decide to construct a full-size griffin nest themselves. Mike re-creates the nest on the computer.
Finally, the team sits down to watch their Beast Movie and see their griffin in action.
As much as I love giant sharks, Kraken's and fire dragons, I'd have to say that this episode has become my favorite thus far. I loved seeing the Przewalski's horses. As usual, Francis' drawings were a highlight of the show for me. He's an amazing artist and I love watching him do his sketches throughout the show. Also, I think that the griffin was also the most realistic looking of all the Beast Legends creatures thus far. There might not be too many griffins that pick up motorcycles. However, this is a modern griffin we're talking about.
Beast Legends airs every Thursday night at 10 P.M. (9 p.m. Central) on the SyFy Channel.
Episode Five, Wildman of Vietnam airs on October 7, 2010.
For More Information:
Official Web Site: http://www.beastlegends.com/
Official SyFy Site: http://www.syfy.com/beastlegends/index.php
TV Rage: http://www.tvrage.com/shows/id-26229/?vote=10
Francis Manapul's Official Website: http://www.francismanapul.com/
Season One, Episode Four, Winged Lion
Original Air Date: Thursday, September 30, 2010
In this weeks episode, the team researches and creates the winged lion, or as it is also known, the griffin.
Steve and Francis begin in Germany where they are searching for the bones while the rest of the team is at home in the lab researching the griffin legends.
The Griffin can be traced back even farther than Greek legends to Mesopotamia onward to the Mongolian area of Central Asia. Scott suggests that they break the project into two parts. Since there is an eagle in the front and a lion in the back, he suggests starting with a cave lion. Currently, there aren't lions in Mongolia but there were cave lions that went into extinction 10,000 years ago.
Steve and Francis are looking for the bones of a cave lion found in Zoolithen Cave in Burggaillenreuth, Germany. They enter a deep cave protected by scientists for the valuable information contained within it. Dr. Cajus G. Diedrich takes them into the dark and dangerous cave. They want to see the bones to help determine the size of their griffin. Only 1% of the bones found in the cave were lion bones. They find cave bear bones but must continue down through dark and tight crevices to reach the few precious lion bones the cave contains. They turn off their torches and the cave is literally pitch black. Steve describes a scenario of how it might have been for the sleeping bears when the lions came to prey upon them. Francis takes some time to make some amazing drawings of the bears and lions but he still would like to get the scale of lion to human.
Four hours later and two hundred feet down into the earth and they have still only found bear bones. When they feel ready to give up, they find the lion bones. They find leg and 'finger' bones and are able to get some scale with them to give the team in the lab.
The team decides to divide to gather more research quicker. Steve heads to the far east of the region to work on the front of the griffin while Francis takes the size evidence back to the Beast Lab. The cave lion was about 10 1/2 feet long, 4.3 in the length of the tail and about 5 foot tall from floor to shoulders. The entire height, including the head is 6 1/2 feet and the weight is an estimated 700 pounds! Francis begins sketching their lion on a large piece of paper on the floor. When he finishes the drawing, he gets on the floor next to it and, as Scott comments, he truly would be a nice, small snack for the cave lion. As Mike begins work on the griffin on the computer using the sketches and size measurements, Scott rips the head off Francis' amazing drawing saying they now just need to find out about the head.
Steve is in western Mongolia to find out which of the nine species of eagle currently living in Mongolia would be the perfect choice for the front half of the griffin. With the help of Vyenyera "Venus" Shyndaulyet (translator), Steve heads into Olgii, Mongolia in search of eagles. The area is snowy, cold and remote. Venus takes Steve to meet one of the most skilled eagle hunters the area has to offer, Manna Raimkhan. Manna has a 2 year-old Golden Eagle trained as a hunter. Steve uploads footage of this magnificent bird to the rest of the team in the Beast Lab. Mike removes the lion's head on the computer and replaces it with that of the Golden Eagle.
Next, Steve goes to see an eagle in action to better figure out how the griffin would be hunting. The hunters split up and the one at the base of the mountains scares the prey out from behind the rocks. The hunters that make their way to the top of the mountain release the eagle. Golden eagles can spot moving prey from 1,000 feet in the air and from one mile away. Steve gets footage of the eagle's eye which will be a crucial part of the griffin. Mike adds the eagles eyes to their griffin on the computer and Kathryn notes that the next step will be to give the griffin ears.
Griffin ears throughout history have been of various shapes. Some like those of a cat or dog. Others are long like horses ears. In Orono, Ontario, Canada, Francis and Scott go to Jungle Cat World to get an up close and personal look at a lion so Francis can sketch the ears for their mythical griffin. Upon seeing the ears, both men feel they really don't fit the griffin. They agree an ear that swoops down or is flatter would be more appropriate to a creature that flies through the air with the speed and skill of the griffin. Mike adds the ears Francis sketched to the computer version of the griffin.
Next, we have to decide about the legs that will carry our griffin when it is walking on the ground. Historical accounts of the griffin have been inconsistent as to what the legs looked like. Some have four lion paws. Others have the front talons of an eagle and the back legs of a lion. How the Beast Legends griffin will be designed rests with the manner in which an eagle attacks. The computer version is updated with eagle legs in the front complete with talons for grasping and lion paws with claws for ripping in the back.
Steve is able to get more footage of Manna's awesome eagle as it is eating. He describes how the eagle is tearing at its food and swallowing what it is eating noting that the griffin should have some of those same characteristics.
The next task is to figure out the size of the wings. They need wings that will be large enough and strong enough to raise the massive body of the griffin off the ground and carry it through the air. The size of the prey must also be taken into account as griffins were described as being able to swoop down and pick up horses.
Steve and Scott meet up in Mongolia to track down a rare breed of horse that might be the right size for griffin prey so they can figure out just how big to make the wings. In Ulanbaatar, the capitol city of Mongolia, where the temperature is now 35 below, they meet to visit a sanctuary just outside Ulanbaatar. There, they will be seeing Przewalski's Horses, a rare animal that has literally been brought back from the brink of extinction. At Hustai National Park in Mongolia, they embark on the task of finding one of a couple hundred horses in the almost 200 square mile park. Several hours after entering the park, Steve finally spots a few of the rare and gorgeous horses. They photograph and observe the short and stocky horses. The animals stand about 4 feet tall and weigh around 600 pounds. Scott figures that to lift a Przewalski's horse and the weight of its own body, a griffin would need a wingspan of approximately 25 feet. Mike updates their computer griffin with the new information.
The final bit of research: where does the griffin live. Steve looks at an eagles nest to get inspiration for the griffin's home. Still in frigid Mongolia with Manna the eagle hunter, Steve enjoys a drink of fermented mare's milk and inquires about seeing the nearest eagles nest. The next day, they locate an eagles nest high on a cliff but they cannot get to it because of the winter weather. Since they cannot get to the nest, they decide to construct a full-size griffin nest themselves. Mike re-creates the nest on the computer.
Finally, the team sits down to watch their Beast Movie and see their griffin in action.
As much as I love giant sharks, Kraken's and fire dragons, I'd have to say that this episode has become my favorite thus far. I loved seeing the Przewalski's horses. As usual, Francis' drawings were a highlight of the show for me. He's an amazing artist and I love watching him do his sketches throughout the show. Also, I think that the griffin was also the most realistic looking of all the Beast Legends creatures thus far. There might not be too many griffins that pick up motorcycles. However, this is a modern griffin we're talking about.
Beast Legends airs every Thursday night at 10 P.M. (9 p.m. Central) on the SyFy Channel.
Episode Five, Wildman of Vietnam airs on October 7, 2010.
For More Information:
Official Web Site: http://www.beastlegends.com/
Official SyFy Site: http://www.syfy.com/beastlegends/index.php
TV Rage: http://www.tvrage.com/shows/id-26229/?vote=10
Francis Manapul's Official Website: http://www.francismanapul.com/
Sunday, September 26, 2010
US Television, Beast Legends, Episode 1.3 "Mega Jaws"
Beast Legends
Season One, Episode Three, Mega Jaws
Original Air Date: Thursday, September 23, 2010
In this episode of Beast Legends, the team is researching the Fijian legend of Dakuwaga, the Shark God.
While Scott, Francis and Mike stay in the lab researching the legend, Steve and Kathryn head to a small Fijian island to meet with the locals to learn more about the Dakuwaga legend. The legend states that Dakuwaga is a shapeshifter that can be a man, sea snake or giant shark. The Shark God protects the innocent and punishes evildoers. The all-knowing, all-seeing Shark God has a terrifying wrath.
Tiger, reef and bull sharks are known in Fijian waters and are used as the starting point for the team to base their creature on.
On Beqa, Steve and Kathryn gain the trust of the elders and become honorary members of the village. They go out onto the water with Manasa "Papa" Bulivou, a village elder, to learn more about the Dakuwaga legend. They go diving with the sharks even after Papa tells them of the largest shark he's seen in the waters: a 6.5 metre (21 ft.) female named "Scarface". Thirty feet down, local divers feed the bull sharks while Steve manages to get some images of the animals and their teeth for the rest of the team back in the lab. Back on land, Steve and Kathryn split up to continue interviewing the locals about the Shark God legend.
In the Beast Lab, the guys get to work constructing their Shark God. They start with the bull shark body. To learn more about the senses of a shark, Scott and Francis head to Bimini Island to see sharks up close and personal. There, they meet with Dr. Sam Gruber (Director Bimini Biological Field Station) to learn more about how sharks can detect electrical fields in the water. Francis, who can't swim, gets in the water (along with Scott) to attract the sharks so they can observe how they react around an electrical field. Dr. Gruber shows them the lateral lines and little black dots that go down a sharks body. The dots are filled with sensory cells to pick up vibrations in the water to enable sharks to hunt down prey more efficiently. The info about the lateral lines is sent back to the lab where Mike adds it to their virtual shark.
Steve and Kathryn head back into the water to search the ocean floor for fallen shark teeth. Knowing they need teeth that are larger teeth, Scott and Francis head to Gainsville, Florida at the Florida Museum of Natural History where they meet shark tooth expert George Burgess (Director, Florida Program for Shark Research). George shows the guys several different kinds of shark teeth before taking them to a reproduction of a megalodon jaw. The jaw houses teeth at large as 7 inches. All the teeth are fossils, not reproductions. The jaw itself measures 6 1/5 feet across and megalodon would be about 60 feet long. George gives them a few tips about how the shark's tail should be so that it will be super-fast in the water. Using the information and Francis' drawings, Mike updates their virtual shark.
To help visualize the shark, they go to the beach to build the shark to scale using sand. With the help of Dave Walker, a sand sculpture expert, Francis and Scott are able to build a scale replica of their massive shark.
Steve goes diving off Benau island to an underwater cave where it is rumored that Dakuwaga lives. Back in the lab, Scott, Francis and Matt size the shark on the computer. Using the data Steve collects in his dive to Dakuwaga's cave, Matt is able to finish the project so the team can watch the video of their creation.
I greatly enjoyed this episode. I've had a fascination with megalodon's for quite some time and I found all the shark research the team did in this episode extremely interesting. It was fascinating seeing all the shark jaws and teeth at the Florida Museum of Natural History and even more fascinating to see the sharks in their natural habitats during the dives. Sharks are something that I find incredibly interesting but, at the same time, incredibly frightening. This episode blended everything together to create a creature that, if it truly existed would be both intriguing and horrifying.
Beast Legends airs every Thursday night at 10 P.M. (9 p.m. Central) on the SyFy Channel. Episode Four, Winged Lion airs on September 30, 2010.
For More Information:
Official Web Site: http://www.beastlegends.com/
Official SyFy Site: http://www.syfy.com/beastlegends/index.php
TV Rage: http://www.tvrage.com/shows/id-26229/?vote=10
Francis Manapul's Official Website: http://www.francismanapul.com/
Season One, Episode Three, Mega Jaws
Original Air Date: Thursday, September 23, 2010
In this episode of Beast Legends, the team is researching the Fijian legend of Dakuwaga, the Shark God.
While Scott, Francis and Mike stay in the lab researching the legend, Steve and Kathryn head to a small Fijian island to meet with the locals to learn more about the Dakuwaga legend. The legend states that Dakuwaga is a shapeshifter that can be a man, sea snake or giant shark. The Shark God protects the innocent and punishes evildoers. The all-knowing, all-seeing Shark God has a terrifying wrath.
Tiger, reef and bull sharks are known in Fijian waters and are used as the starting point for the team to base their creature on.
On Beqa, Steve and Kathryn gain the trust of the elders and become honorary members of the village. They go out onto the water with Manasa "Papa" Bulivou, a village elder, to learn more about the Dakuwaga legend. They go diving with the sharks even after Papa tells them of the largest shark he's seen in the waters: a 6.5 metre (21 ft.) female named "Scarface". Thirty feet down, local divers feed the bull sharks while Steve manages to get some images of the animals and their teeth for the rest of the team back in the lab. Back on land, Steve and Kathryn split up to continue interviewing the locals about the Shark God legend.
In the Beast Lab, the guys get to work constructing their Shark God. They start with the bull shark body. To learn more about the senses of a shark, Scott and Francis head to Bimini Island to see sharks up close and personal. There, they meet with Dr. Sam Gruber (Director Bimini Biological Field Station) to learn more about how sharks can detect electrical fields in the water. Francis, who can't swim, gets in the water (along with Scott) to attract the sharks so they can observe how they react around an electrical field. Dr. Gruber shows them the lateral lines and little black dots that go down a sharks body. The dots are filled with sensory cells to pick up vibrations in the water to enable sharks to hunt down prey more efficiently. The info about the lateral lines is sent back to the lab where Mike adds it to their virtual shark.
Steve and Kathryn head back into the water to search the ocean floor for fallen shark teeth. Knowing they need teeth that are larger teeth, Scott and Francis head to Gainsville, Florida at the Florida Museum of Natural History where they meet shark tooth expert George Burgess (Director, Florida Program for Shark Research). George shows the guys several different kinds of shark teeth before taking them to a reproduction of a megalodon jaw. The jaw houses teeth at large as 7 inches. All the teeth are fossils, not reproductions. The jaw itself measures 6 1/5 feet across and megalodon would be about 60 feet long. George gives them a few tips about how the shark's tail should be so that it will be super-fast in the water. Using the information and Francis' drawings, Mike updates their virtual shark.
To help visualize the shark, they go to the beach to build the shark to scale using sand. With the help of Dave Walker, a sand sculpture expert, Francis and Scott are able to build a scale replica of their massive shark.
Steve goes diving off Benau island to an underwater cave where it is rumored that Dakuwaga lives. Back in the lab, Scott, Francis and Matt size the shark on the computer. Using the data Steve collects in his dive to Dakuwaga's cave, Matt is able to finish the project so the team can watch the video of their creation.
I greatly enjoyed this episode. I've had a fascination with megalodon's for quite some time and I found all the shark research the team did in this episode extremely interesting. It was fascinating seeing all the shark jaws and teeth at the Florida Museum of Natural History and even more fascinating to see the sharks in their natural habitats during the dives. Sharks are something that I find incredibly interesting but, at the same time, incredibly frightening. This episode blended everything together to create a creature that, if it truly existed would be both intriguing and horrifying.
Beast Legends airs every Thursday night at 10 P.M. (9 p.m. Central) on the SyFy Channel. Episode Four, Winged Lion airs on September 30, 2010.
For More Information:
Official Web Site: http://www.beastlegends.com/
Official SyFy Site: http://www.syfy.com/beastlegends/index.php
TV Rage: http://www.tvrage.com/shows/id-26229/?vote=10
Francis Manapul's Official Website: http://www.francismanapul.com/
US Television, Beast Legends, Episode 1.3 "Mega Jaws"
Beast Legends
Season One, Episode Three, Mega Jaws
Original Air Date: Thursday, September 23, 2010
In this episode of Beast Legends, the team is researching the Fijian legend of Dakuwaga, the Shark God.
While Scott, Francis and Mike stay in the lab researching the legend, Steve and Kathryn head to a small Fijian island to meet with the locals to learn more about the Dakuwaga legend. The legend states that Dakuwaga is a shapeshifter that can be a man, sea snake or giant shark. The Shark God protects the innocent and punishes evildoers. The all-knowing, all-seeing Shark God has a terrifying wrath.
Tiger, reef and bull sharks are known in Fijian waters and are used as the starting point for the team to base their creature on.
Season One, Episode Three, Mega Jaws
Original Air Date: Thursday, September 23, 2010
In this episode of Beast Legends, the team is researching the Fijian legend of Dakuwaga, the Shark God.
While Scott, Francis and Mike stay in the lab researching the legend, Steve and Kathryn head to a small Fijian island to meet with the locals to learn more about the Dakuwaga legend. The legend states that Dakuwaga is a shapeshifter that can be a man, sea snake or giant shark. The Shark God protects the innocent and punishes evildoers. The all-knowing, all-seeing Shark God has a terrifying wrath.
Tiger, reef and bull sharks are known in Fijian waters and are used as the starting point for the team to base their creature on.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
US Television, Beast Legends, Episode 1.2 "Fire Dragon"
Beast Legends
Season One, Episode Two, Fire Dragon
Original Air Date: Thursday, September 16, 2010
In the second installment of the Beast Legends series, the team sets out to create the fire dragon. Kathryn, Mike and Scott are in the lab researching the dragon legends. The Polish legend of Smok the Dragon is their starting point. They next look over images of dragons from all over the world and find they all typically have wings and fire breathing in common.
Steve and Francis start in southern Poland on their search for information about the fire dragon. They are in Krakow, Poland looking for the bones of Smok the Dragon at Wawel Castle. They see the bones that have hung on the cathedral wall for centuries. What has been believed to be the rib bone of the dragon Steve identifies to be the jaw bone from a whale. The skull, Steve identifies as that of a rhino, possibly even an Ice Age woolly rhino. The large thigh bone: an elephant or mammoth.
They get in out of the rain where Francis begins his sketching. Using the measurements of the bones at the cathedral, the sketch shapes up to look more like an "overweight dragon" than the fearsome beasts of mythology we've all come to know. Even once the dragon is on the computer, it still doesn't look the least bit fearsome thanks to its roly-poly belly.
Steve and Francis next go to the Holy Cross Mountains in Poland to see some supposed dragon footprints. They photograph and measure the huge prints. The "dragon prints" were determined to be dinosaur prints in the 1950's. Francis sketches the feet based on the prints and Mike adds the look to the dragon they are creating on the computer (and trims that pudgy belly down a tad, too!).
Next, Steve and Francis head to Jagiellonian University Library in Krakow to research the dragon in 16th century Polish manuscripts. In the manuscript, they find a reference to the dragon being "Olophagus" meaning it swallowed whole. Kathryn feels this gives clues about the head and mouth shape as well as the dragon's behavior.
The team heads to Louisiana to research alligators for their swallowing and eating behaviors. In Manchac Swamp, Dr. Brian Crother (Professor of Biological Science at SE Louisiana University) and Dan Bourgeois (Swamp Guide) take Scott out to see some of the local gator attractions. Scott feeds the gators chicken legs and thighs so they can see their mouths in action. A massive gator appears and this beast gets an entire chicken. They watch as the gator devours the chicken, swallowing it right down. Using the footage from Louisiana, Mike adds the gators eating actions to their virtual dragon.
Steve and Francis are sent to the Aquarium and Museum of Natural History in Krakow to research snakes to give their dragon the fearsome fangs dragons have long been famous for. They get an up-close and personal look at the fangs of a puff adder. Francis makes a sketch of the dragon with the puff adders deadly venom-dripping fangs in its mouth. Mike adds the new features to their virtual dragon.
Now, they need to add an impenetrable armour to the dragon. Back in the Manchac Swamp, Scott goes in search of another gator. This one, he wants to catch to get a good look at the strong armour of the gators skin. A guide, who is much braver that I will ever be in my entire life, steps from the boat to catch a young gator. He simply reaches down and grabs the animal then brings it back into the boat. Scott is able to feel the tough armour on the animals back. After an examination, they release the youngster then head off to find a solution to the soft skin on the gators belly.
Scott, Dr. Crother and Bourgeois go "fishing" for a creature that is so tough it can withstand the bite of a gator: a gar fish. They catch one and bring it aboard the boat. They prepare the fish for lunch and test its armour. A knife will not even penetrate the tough armour. Mike adds a combination of the super-tough skin of the gar fish and the hard armour of the gator to their virtual dragon.
For the dragon's wings, Steve and Francis head to Jersmanowicka, Poland to meet with Dr. Bronislaw Woloszyn (Polish Academy of Sciences) to study some bat wings at the "Bat Cave". They go deep into the 1,000 foot deep cave to catch a bat so Francis can get a good look at the wings to sketch them for the dragon. Francis sketches the wings and raises a new question: how big should they be to raise the dragon off the ground? Mike adds the wings to the dragon on the computer.
With their model, they want to test it in the "right environment. They go to Bialowieza Forest in Poland with tracker, Dariuse Wiacek. With the thick forest environment, they determine that a large, hulking beast would have trouble flying through to hunt for food. So, they feel the dragon should be able to glide. Mike updates the dragon on the computer to include the gliding element.
Fire. Dragons breathe fire. However, there aren't any animals that breathe fire. Scott feels he has a way to make the fire-breathing work. They will need three things: a fuel source, air/oxygen and heat or spark to start the reaction. He suggests a way to harness the methane in the dragons belly so it will come out the front of the creature rather than the back. He suggests to use the fangs (now upper and lower fangs) as a means for the spark.
Scott and Francis journey to Ancaster, Ontario, Canada to consult with Tom Comet, a pyrotechnics specialist for ways of bringing the fire to life. Tom has built a makeshift dragon mouth and throat and equipped it with a fuel source and spark. In a very cool display, he does a fireball test. Fire shoots from the mouth of his makeshift dragon. A short burst produces a quick fireball. A longer hold produces a steady stream of fire.
With all the details in place, the team settles back to watch the final movie of their finished beast. The dragon emerges from its cave, scales the rocks and glides out over the countryside and into the city. It finds and devours a young man then scales Wavel Castle where it unleashes its fire. The team is pleased with the final product and Scott even remarks "in some ways, it's surprising that biology hasn't figured out how to make one".
Next weeks Beast Legend: The Shark God
Beast Legends airs every Thursday night at 10 P.M. (9 p.m. Central) on the SyFy Channel. Episode three, airs on September 23, 2010.
For More Information:
Official Web Site: http://www.beastlegends.com/
Official SyFy Site: http://www.syfy.com/beastlegends/index.php
TV Rage: http://www.tvrage.com/shows/id-26229/?vote=10
Francis Manapul's Official Website: http://www.francismanapul.com/
Season One, Episode Two, Fire Dragon
Original Air Date: Thursday, September 16, 2010
In the second installment of the Beast Legends series, the team sets out to create the fire dragon. Kathryn, Mike and Scott are in the lab researching the dragon legends. The Polish legend of Smok the Dragon is their starting point. They next look over images of dragons from all over the world and find they all typically have wings and fire breathing in common.
Steve and Francis start in southern Poland on their search for information about the fire dragon. They are in Krakow, Poland looking for the bones of Smok the Dragon at Wawel Castle. They see the bones that have hung on the cathedral wall for centuries. What has been believed to be the rib bone of the dragon Steve identifies to be the jaw bone from a whale. The skull, Steve identifies as that of a rhino, possibly even an Ice Age woolly rhino. The large thigh bone: an elephant or mammoth.
They get in out of the rain where Francis begins his sketching. Using the measurements of the bones at the cathedral, the sketch shapes up to look more like an "overweight dragon" than the fearsome beasts of mythology we've all come to know. Even once the dragon is on the computer, it still doesn't look the least bit fearsome thanks to its roly-poly belly.
Steve and Francis next go to the Holy Cross Mountains in Poland to see some supposed dragon footprints. They photograph and measure the huge prints. The "dragon prints" were determined to be dinosaur prints in the 1950's. Francis sketches the feet based on the prints and Mike adds the look to the dragon they are creating on the computer (and trims that pudgy belly down a tad, too!).
Next, Steve and Francis head to Jagiellonian University Library in Krakow to research the dragon in 16th century Polish manuscripts. In the manuscript, they find a reference to the dragon being "Olophagus" meaning it swallowed whole. Kathryn feels this gives clues about the head and mouth shape as well as the dragon's behavior.
The team heads to Louisiana to research alligators for their swallowing and eating behaviors. In Manchac Swamp, Dr. Brian Crother (Professor of Biological Science at SE Louisiana University) and Dan Bourgeois (Swamp Guide) take Scott out to see some of the local gator attractions. Scott feeds the gators chicken legs and thighs so they can see their mouths in action. A massive gator appears and this beast gets an entire chicken. They watch as the gator devours the chicken, swallowing it right down. Using the footage from Louisiana, Mike adds the gators eating actions to their virtual dragon.
Steve and Francis are sent to the Aquarium and Museum of Natural History in Krakow to research snakes to give their dragon the fearsome fangs dragons have long been famous for. They get an up-close and personal look at the fangs of a puff adder. Francis makes a sketch of the dragon with the puff adders deadly venom-dripping fangs in its mouth. Mike adds the new features to their virtual dragon.
Now, they need to add an impenetrable armour to the dragon. Back in the Manchac Swamp, Scott goes in search of another gator. This one, he wants to catch to get a good look at the strong armour of the gators skin. A guide, who is much braver that I will ever be in my entire life, steps from the boat to catch a young gator. He simply reaches down and grabs the animal then brings it back into the boat. Scott is able to feel the tough armour on the animals back. After an examination, they release the youngster then head off to find a solution to the soft skin on the gators belly.
Scott, Dr. Crother and Bourgeois go "fishing" for a creature that is so tough it can withstand the bite of a gator: a gar fish. They catch one and bring it aboard the boat. They prepare the fish for lunch and test its armour. A knife will not even penetrate the tough armour. Mike adds a combination of the super-tough skin of the gar fish and the hard armour of the gator to their virtual dragon.
For the dragon's wings, Steve and Francis head to Jersmanowicka, Poland to meet with Dr. Bronislaw Woloszyn (Polish Academy of Sciences) to study some bat wings at the "Bat Cave". They go deep into the 1,000 foot deep cave to catch a bat so Francis can get a good look at the wings to sketch them for the dragon. Francis sketches the wings and raises a new question: how big should they be to raise the dragon off the ground? Mike adds the wings to the dragon on the computer.
With their model, they want to test it in the "right environment. They go to Bialowieza Forest in Poland with tracker, Dariuse Wiacek. With the thick forest environment, they determine that a large, hulking beast would have trouble flying through to hunt for food. So, they feel the dragon should be able to glide. Mike updates the dragon on the computer to include the gliding element.
Fire. Dragons breathe fire. However, there aren't any animals that breathe fire. Scott feels he has a way to make the fire-breathing work. They will need three things: a fuel source, air/oxygen and heat or spark to start the reaction. He suggests a way to harness the methane in the dragons belly so it will come out the front of the creature rather than the back. He suggests to use the fangs (now upper and lower fangs) as a means for the spark.
Scott and Francis journey to Ancaster, Ontario, Canada to consult with Tom Comet, a pyrotechnics specialist for ways of bringing the fire to life. Tom has built a makeshift dragon mouth and throat and equipped it with a fuel source and spark. In a very cool display, he does a fireball test. Fire shoots from the mouth of his makeshift dragon. A short burst produces a quick fireball. A longer hold produces a steady stream of fire.
With all the details in place, the team settles back to watch the final movie of their finished beast. The dragon emerges from its cave, scales the rocks and glides out over the countryside and into the city. It finds and devours a young man then scales Wavel Castle where it unleashes its fire. The team is pleased with the final product and Scott even remarks "in some ways, it's surprising that biology hasn't figured out how to make one".
Next weeks Beast Legend: The Shark God
Beast Legends airs every Thursday night at 10 P.M. (9 p.m. Central) on the SyFy Channel. Episode three, airs on September 23, 2010.
For More Information:
Official Web Site: http://www.beastlegends.com/
Official SyFy Site: http://www.syfy.com/beastlegends/index.php
TV Rage: http://www.tvrage.com/shows/id-26229/?vote=10
Francis Manapul's Official Website: http://www.francismanapul.com/
US Television, Beast Legends, Episode 1.2 "Fire Dragon"
Beast Legends
Season One, Episode Two, Fire Dragon
Original Air Date: Thursday, September 16, 2010
In the second installment of the Beast Legends series, the team sets out to create the fire dragon. Kathryn, Mike and Scott are in the lab researching the dragon legends. The Polish legend of Smok the Dragon is their starting point. They next look over images of dragons from all over the world and find they all typically have wings and fire breathing in common.
Steve and Francis start in southern Poland on their search for information about the fire dragon. They are in Krakow, Poland looking for the bones of Smok the Dragon at Wawel Castle. They see the bones that have hung on the cathedral wall for centuries. What has been believed to be the rib bone of the dragon Steve identifies to be the jaw bone from a whale. The skull, Steve identifies as that of a rhino, possibly even an Ice Age woolly rhino. The large thigh bone: an elephant or mammoth.
They get in out of the rain where Francis begins his sketching. Using the measurements of the bones at the cathedral, the sketch shapes up to look more like an "overweight dragon" than the fearsome beasts of mythology we've all come to know. Even once the dragon is on the computer, it still doesn't look the least bit fearsome thanks to its roly-poly belly.
Steve and Francis next go to the Holy Cross Mountains in Poland to see some supposed dragon footprints. They photograph and measure the huge prints. The "dragon prints" were determined to be dinosaur prints in the 1950's. Francis sketches the feet based on the prints and Mike adds the look to the dragon they are creating on the computer (and trims that pudgy belly down a tad, too!).
Next, Steve and Francis head to Jagiellonian University Library in Krakow to research the dragon in 16th century Polish manuscripts. In the manuscript, they find a reference to the dragon being "Olophagus" meaning it swallowed whole. Kathryn feels this gives clues about the head and mouth shape as well as the dragon's behavior.
The team heads to Louisiana to research alligators for their swallowing and eating behaviors. In Manchac Swamp, Dr. Brian Crother (Professor of Biological Science at SE Louisiana University) and Dan Bourgeois (Swamp Guide) take Scott out to see some of the local gator attractions. Scott feeds the gators chicken legs and thighs so they can see their mouths in action. A massive gator appears and this beast gets an entire chicken. They watch as the gator devours the chicken, swallowing it right down. Using the footage from Louisiana, Mike adds the gators eating actions to their virtual dragon.
Steve and Francis are sent to the Aquarium and Museum of Natural History in Krakow to research snakes to give their dragon the fearsome fangs dragons have long been famous for. They get an up-close and personal look at the fangs of a puff adder. Francis makes a sketch of the dragon with the puff adders deadly venom-dripping fangs in its mouth. Mike adds the new features to their virtual dragon.
Now, they need to add an impenetrable armour to the dragon. Back in the Manchac Swamp, Scott goes in search of another gator. This one, he wants to catch to get a good look at the strong armour of the gators skin. A guide, who is much braver that I will ever be in my entire life, steps from the boat to catch a young gator. He simply reaches down and grabs the animal then brings it back into the boat. Scott is able to feel the tough armour on the animals back. After an examination, they release the youngster then head off to find a solution to the soft skin on the gators belly.
Scott, Dr. Crother and Bourgeois go "fishing" for a creature that is so tough it can withstand the bite of a gator: a gar fish. They catch one and bring it aboard the boat. They prepare the fish for lunch and test its armour. A knife will not even penetrate the tough armour. Mike adds a combination of the super-tough skin of the gar fish and the hard armour of the gator to their virtual dragon.
For the dragon's wings, Steve and Francis head to Jersmanowicka, Poland to meet with Dr. Bronislaw Woloszyn (Polish Academy of Sciences) to study some bat wings at the "Bat Cave". They go deep into the 1,000 foot deep cave to catch a bat so Francis can get a good look at the wings to sketch them for the dragon. Francis sketches the wings and raises a new question: how big should they be to raise the dragon off the ground? Mike adds the wings to the dragon on the computer.
With their model, they want to test it in the "right environment. They go to Bialowieza Forest in Poland with tracker, Dariuse Wiacek. With the thick forest environment, they determine that a large, hulking beast would have trouble flying through to hunt for food. So, they feel the dragon should be able to glide. Mike updates the dragon on the computer to include the gliding element.
Fire. Dragons breathe fire. However, there aren't any animals that breathe fire. Scott feels he has a way to make the fire-breathing work. They will need three things: a fuel source, air/oxygen and heat or spark to start the reaction. He suggests a way to harness the methane in the dragons belly so it will come out the front of the creature rather than the back. He suggests to use the fangs (now upper and lower fangs) as a means for the spark.
Scott and Francis journey to Ancaster, Ontario, Canada to consult with Tom Comet, a pyrotechnics specialist for ways of bringing the fire to life. Tom has built a makeshift dragon mouth and throat and equipped it with a fuel source and spark. In a very cool display, he does a fireball test. Fire shoots from the mouth of his makeshift dragon. A short burst produces a quick fireball. A longer hold produces a steady stream of fire.
With all the details in place, the team settles back to watch the final movie of their finished beast. The dragon emerges from its cave, scales the rocks and glides out over the countryside and into the city. It finds and devours a young man then scales Wavel Castle where it unleashes its fire. The team is pleased with the final product and Scott even remarks "in some ways, it's surprising that biology hasn't figured out how to make one".
Next weeks Beast Legend: The Shark God
Beast Legends airs every Thursday night at 10 P.M. (9 p.m. Central) on the SyFy Channel. Episode three, airs on September 23, 2010.
For More Information:
Official Web Site: http://www.beastlegends.com/
Official SyFy Site: http://www.syfy.com/beastlegends/index.php
TV Rage: http://www.tvrage.com/shows/id-26229/?vote=10
Francis Manapul's Official Website: http://www.francismanapul.com/
Season One, Episode Two, Fire Dragon
Original Air Date: Thursday, September 16, 2010
In the second installment of the Beast Legends series, the team sets out to create the fire dragon. Kathryn, Mike and Scott are in the lab researching the dragon legends. The Polish legend of Smok the Dragon is their starting point. They next look over images of dragons from all over the world and find they all typically have wings and fire breathing in common.
Steve and Francis start in southern Poland on their search for information about the fire dragon. They are in Krakow, Poland looking for the bones of Smok the Dragon at Wawel Castle. They see the bones that have hung on the cathedral wall for centuries. What has been believed to be the rib bone of the dragon Steve identifies to be the jaw bone from a whale. The skull, Steve identifies as that of a rhino, possibly even an Ice Age woolly rhino. The large thigh bone: an elephant or mammoth.
They get in out of the rain where Francis begins his sketching. Using the measurements of the bones at the cathedral, the sketch shapes up to look more like an "overweight dragon" than the fearsome beasts of mythology we've all come to know. Even once the dragon is on the computer, it still doesn't look the least bit fearsome thanks to its roly-poly belly.
Steve and Francis next go to the Holy Cross Mountains in Poland to see some supposed dragon footprints. They photograph and measure the huge prints. The "dragon prints" were determined to be dinosaur prints in the 1950's. Francis sketches the feet based on the prints and Mike adds the look to the dragon they are creating on the computer (and trims that pudgy belly down a tad, too!).
Next, Steve and Francis head to Jagiellonian University Library in Krakow to research the dragon in 16th century Polish manuscripts. In the manuscript, they find a reference to the dragon being "Olophagus" meaning it swallowed whole. Kathryn feels this gives clues about the head and mouth shape as well as the dragon's behavior.
The team heads to Louisiana to research alligators for their swallowing and eating behaviors. In Manchac Swamp, Dr. Brian Crother (Professor of Biological Science at SE Louisiana University) and Dan Bourgeois (Swamp Guide) take Scott out to see some of the local gator attractions. Scott feeds the gators chicken legs and thighs so they can see their mouths in action. A massive gator appears and this beast gets an entire chicken. They watch as the gator devours the chicken, swallowing it right down. Using the footage from Louisiana, Mike adds the gators eating actions to their virtual dragon.
Steve and Francis are sent to the Aquarium and Museum of Natural History in Krakow to research snakes to give their dragon the fearsome fangs dragons have long been famous for. They get an up-close and personal look at the fangs of a puff adder. Francis makes a sketch of the dragon with the puff adders deadly venom-dripping fangs in its mouth. Mike adds the new features to their virtual dragon.
Now, they need to add an impenetrable armour to the dragon. Back in the Manchac Swamp, Scott goes in search of another gator. This one, he wants to catch to get a good look at the strong armour of the gators skin. A guide, who is much braver that I will ever be in my entire life, steps from the boat to catch a young gator. He simply reaches down and grabs the animal then brings it back into the boat. Scott is able to feel the tough armour on the animals back. After an examination, they release the youngster then head off to find a solution to the soft skin on the gators belly.
Scott, Dr. Crother and Bourgeois go "fishing" for a creature that is so tough it can withstand the bite of a gator: a gar fish. They catch one and bring it aboard the boat. They prepare the fish for lunch and test its armour. A knife will not even penetrate the tough armour. Mike adds a combination of the super-tough skin of the gar fish and the hard armour of the gator to their virtual dragon.
For the dragon's wings, Steve and Francis head to Jersmanowicka, Poland to meet with Dr. Bronislaw Woloszyn (Polish Academy of Sciences) to study some bat wings at the "Bat Cave". They go deep into the 1,000 foot deep cave to catch a bat so Francis can get a good look at the wings to sketch them for the dragon. Francis sketches the wings and raises a new question: how big should they be to raise the dragon off the ground? Mike adds the wings to the dragon on the computer.
With their model, they want to test it in the "right environment. They go to Bialowieza Forest in Poland with tracker, Dariuse Wiacek. With the thick forest environment, they determine that a large, hulking beast would have trouble flying through to hunt for food. So, they feel the dragon should be able to glide. Mike updates the dragon on the computer to include the gliding element.
Fire. Dragons breathe fire. However, there aren't any animals that breathe fire. Scott feels he has a way to make the fire-breathing work. They will need three things: a fuel source, air/oxygen and heat or spark to start the reaction. He suggests a way to harness the methane in the dragons belly so it will come out the front of the creature rather than the back. He suggests to use the fangs (now upper and lower fangs) as a means for the spark.
Scott and Francis journey to Ancaster, Ontario, Canada to consult with Tom Comet, a pyrotechnics specialist for ways of bringing the fire to life. Tom has built a makeshift dragon mouth and throat and equipped it with a fuel source and spark. In a very cool display, he does a fireball test. Fire shoots from the mouth of his makeshift dragon. A short burst produces a quick fireball. A longer hold produces a steady stream of fire.
With all the details in place, the team settles back to watch the final movie of their finished beast. The dragon emerges from its cave, scales the rocks and glides out over the countryside and into the city. It finds and devours a young man then scales Wavel Castle where it unleashes its fire. The team is pleased with the final product and Scott even remarks "in some ways, it's surprising that biology hasn't figured out how to make one".
Next weeks Beast Legend: The Shark God
Beast Legends airs every Thursday night at 10 P.M. (9 p.m. Central) on the SyFy Channel. Episode three, airs on September 23, 2010.
For More Information:
Official Web Site: http://www.beastlegends.com/
Official SyFy Site: http://www.syfy.com/beastlegends/index.php
TV Rage: http://www.tvrage.com/shows/id-26229/?vote=10
Francis Manapul's Official Website: http://www.francismanapul.com/
Saturday, September 11, 2010
US Television, Beast Legends, Episode 1.1 "The Kraken"
Beast Legends
Season One, Episode One, The Kraken
Original Air Date: Thursday, September 9, 2010
I've got to say, I love stuff like this. I've always had a fascination with mythology and legend. When a television show comes along that looks to take myth & legend and build upon it with biological facts I've got to check it out.
Beast Legends is a new six-part documentary series currently being aired on the SyFy Channel. The goal of the show is to take legendary creatures and bring them to life using state-of-the-art computer graphics. Behind those computer graphics is old fashioned research, planning, animation and hard work. The investigative team consists of five individuals who bring a unique eye and imagination to each project. Steve Leonard is an adventurer and veterinary surgeon. Francis Manapul is a very talented comic book artist. Kathryn Denning (anthropologist, archaeologist & associate professor, York University, Canada) is a Legend Specialist. Scott Edwards (Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University) is a biologist. Mike Paixao is an animator skilled at bringing anything to life using a computer.
The team has sifted through all the legends relating to the Kraken. They've gone through written accounts and take the information they glean from each source and make note of it to use in creating their computer-generated Kraken.
After approaching the Kraken from the mythological standpoint, they begin researching actual animals that the legend could be based upon. The three animals they research: giant squid, colossal squid and giant Pacific octopus.
Steve heads to Vancouver Island, Canada to catch and study a giant Pacific octopus. Jim Cosgrove (research associate, Royal British Columbia Museum) has been catching and researching octopi for some 30 years. Kevin VanClemput (scientific research diver) is an experienced diver who assists in catching the octopus. They find one and bring it on board to examine.
Meanwhile, Scott, Francis and Mike are working on the preliminary ideas for their Kraken. Francis and Mike want to add elements to the Kraken that Scott feels are unnecessary and make it too much like something from a comic book. Scott wants the creature to be based on on the real world.
Kathryn goes to Brest, France to speak with world-class competitive sailor Didier Ragot who, in 2003, had an experience he won't soon forget. A giant squid attached itself to the rudder of his boat some 200 nautical miles from the Canary Islands. The squid slowed his boat from 24 knots to 8 knots. Ragot, who has been sailing for four decades, estimated the length of the squid to be anywhere from 32-35 feet long.
Steve and Francis head to Wellington, New Zealand to view a video and the body of a colossal squid that is on display at the Museum of New Zealand. After viewing the just half-grown 14 ft, 1,091 pound creature they head to the Soren Larsen, a tall ship they use to base just how the Kraken would have taken down a similar ship. Using the scale from the ship, they determine the size of their Kraken: a full 200 ft.
The episode ends with the finished computer-generated animation of their Kraken. Their beast lives in the Kaikoura Canyon off New Zealand. First, the Kraken dines on a whale then attacks a boat.
Each member of the investigative team brings a lot to the mix. Kathryn, Steve and Scott bring real-world scientific knowledge while Francis and Mike bring a youthful and limitless imagination and creativity. I couldn't imagine any single creature that Francis and Mike would have difficulty bringing to life. At the same time, I couldn't imagine any creature that Kathryn, Scott and Steve would find difficult to find some sort of real-life animal upon which to base their legendary beast.
I greatly enjoyed that this episode blended mythology and legend with actual animals. That they found the three most likely suspects for a Kraken, researched them then based their computer-generated creature on that research. The reality blended with the mythology adds a bit of credence to the project and makes it just a bit more believable that a creature of the magnitude of the Kraken could actually dwell in the world's waters. This was almost like a blending of an oceanographic documentary and Monster Quest.
Future episodes of Beast Legends will focus on the dragon, the griffin, a giant shark, a killer bird and the Bigfoot of Vietnam.
Beast Legends airs every Thursday night at 10 P.M. (9 p.m. Central) on the SyFy Channel. Episode two, Fire Dragon airs on September 16, 2010.
For More Information:
Official Web Site: http://www.beastlegends.com/
Official SyFy Site: http://www.syfy.com/beastlegends/index.php
TV Rage: http://www.tvrage.com/shows/id-26229/?vote=10
Francis Manapul's Official Website: http://www.francismanapul.com/
Season One, Episode One, The Kraken
Original Air Date: Thursday, September 9, 2010
I've got to say, I love stuff like this. I've always had a fascination with mythology and legend. When a television show comes along that looks to take myth & legend and build upon it with biological facts I've got to check it out.
Beast Legends is a new six-part documentary series currently being aired on the SyFy Channel. The goal of the show is to take legendary creatures and bring them to life using state-of-the-art computer graphics. Behind those computer graphics is old fashioned research, planning, animation and hard work. The investigative team consists of five individuals who bring a unique eye and imagination to each project. Steve Leonard is an adventurer and veterinary surgeon. Francis Manapul is a very talented comic book artist. Kathryn Denning (anthropologist, archaeologist & associate professor, York University, Canada) is a Legend Specialist. Scott Edwards (Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University) is a biologist. Mike Paixao is an animator skilled at bringing anything to life using a computer.
The team has sifted through all the legends relating to the Kraken. They've gone through written accounts and take the information they glean from each source and make note of it to use in creating their computer-generated Kraken.
After approaching the Kraken from the mythological standpoint, they begin researching actual animals that the legend could be based upon. The three animals they research: giant squid, colossal squid and giant Pacific octopus.
Steve heads to Vancouver Island, Canada to catch and study a giant Pacific octopus. Jim Cosgrove (research associate, Royal British Columbia Museum) has been catching and researching octopi for some 30 years. Kevin VanClemput (scientific research diver) is an experienced diver who assists in catching the octopus. They find one and bring it on board to examine.
Meanwhile, Scott, Francis and Mike are working on the preliminary ideas for their Kraken. Francis and Mike want to add elements to the Kraken that Scott feels are unnecessary and make it too much like something from a comic book. Scott wants the creature to be based on on the real world.
Kathryn goes to Brest, France to speak with world-class competitive sailor Didier Ragot who, in 2003, had an experience he won't soon forget. A giant squid attached itself to the rudder of his boat some 200 nautical miles from the Canary Islands. The squid slowed his boat from 24 knots to 8 knots. Ragot, who has been sailing for four decades, estimated the length of the squid to be anywhere from 32-35 feet long.
Steve and Francis head to Wellington, New Zealand to view a video and the body of a colossal squid that is on display at the Museum of New Zealand. After viewing the just half-grown 14 ft, 1,091 pound creature they head to the Soren Larsen, a tall ship they use to base just how the Kraken would have taken down a similar ship. Using the scale from the ship, they determine the size of their Kraken: a full 200 ft.
The episode ends with the finished computer-generated animation of their Kraken. Their beast lives in the Kaikoura Canyon off New Zealand. First, the Kraken dines on a whale then attacks a boat.
Each member of the investigative team brings a lot to the mix. Kathryn, Steve and Scott bring real-world scientific knowledge while Francis and Mike bring a youthful and limitless imagination and creativity. I couldn't imagine any single creature that Francis and Mike would have difficulty bringing to life. At the same time, I couldn't imagine any creature that Kathryn, Scott and Steve would find difficult to find some sort of real-life animal upon which to base their legendary beast.
I greatly enjoyed that this episode blended mythology and legend with actual animals. That they found the three most likely suspects for a Kraken, researched them then based their computer-generated creature on that research. The reality blended with the mythology adds a bit of credence to the project and makes it just a bit more believable that a creature of the magnitude of the Kraken could actually dwell in the world's waters. This was almost like a blending of an oceanographic documentary and Monster Quest.
Future episodes of Beast Legends will focus on the dragon, the griffin, a giant shark, a killer bird and the Bigfoot of Vietnam.
Beast Legends airs every Thursday night at 10 P.M. (9 p.m. Central) on the SyFy Channel. Episode two, Fire Dragon airs on September 16, 2010.
For More Information:
Official Web Site: http://www.beastlegends.com/
Official SyFy Site: http://www.syfy.com/beastlegends/index.php
TV Rage: http://www.tvrage.com/shows/id-26229/?vote=10
Francis Manapul's Official Website: http://www.francismanapul.com/
US Television, Beast Legends, Episode 1.1 "The Kraken"
Beast Legends
Season One, Episode One, The Kraken
Original Air Date: Thursday, September 9, 2010
I've got to say, I love stuff like this. I've always had a fascination with mythology and legend. When a television show comes along that looks to take myth & legend and build upon it with biological facts I've got to check it out.
Beast Legends is a new six-part documentary series currently being aired on the SyFy Channel. The goal of the show is to take legendary creatures and bring them to life using state-of-the-art computer graphics. Behind those computer graphics is old fashioned research, planning, animation and hard work. The investigative team consists of five individuals who bring a unique eye and imagination to each project. Steve Leonard is an adventurer and veterinary surgeon. Francis Manapul is a very talented comic book artist. Kathryn Denning (anthropologist, archaeologist & associate professor, York University, Canada) is a Legend Specialist. Scott Edwards (Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University) is a biologist. Mike Paixao is an animator skilled at bringing anything to life using a computer.
The team has sifted through all the legends relating to the Kraken. They've gone through written accounts and take the information they glean from each source and make note of it to use in creating their computer-generated Kraken.
After approaching the Kraken from the mythological standpoint, they begin researching actual animals that the legend could be based upon. The three animals they research: giant squid, colossal squid and giant Pacific octopus.
Steve heads to Vancouver Island, Canada to catch and study a giant Pacific octopus. Jim Cosgrove (research associate, Royal British Columbia Museum) has been catching and researching octopi for some 30 years. Kevin VanClemput (scientific research diver) is an experienced diver who assists in catching the octopus. They find one and bring it on board to examine.
Meanwhile, Scott, Francis and Mike are working on the preliminary ideas for their Kraken. Francis and Mike want to add elements to the Kraken that Scott feels are unnecessary and make it too much like something from a comic book. Scott wants the creature to be based on on the real world.
Kathryn goes to Brest, France to speak with world-class competitive sailor Didier Ragot who, in 2003, had an experience he won't soon forget. A giant squid attached itself to the rudder of his boat some 200 nautical miles from the Canary Islands. The squid slowed his boat from 24 knots to 8 knots. Ragot, who has been sailing for four decades, estimated the length of the squid to be anywhere from 32-35 feet long.
Steve and Francis head to Wellington, New Zealand to view a video and the body of a colossal squid that is on display at the Museum of New Zealand. After viewing the just half-grown 14 ft, 1,091 pound creature they head to the Soren Larsen, a tall ship they use to base just how the Kraken would have taken down a similar ship. Using the scale from the ship, they determine the size of their Kraken: a full 200 ft.
The episode ends with the finished computer-generated animation of their Kraken. Their beast lives in the Kaikoura Canyon off New Zealand. First, the Kraken dines on a whale then attacks a boat.
Each member of the investigative team brings a lot to the mix. Kathryn, Steve and Scott bring real-world scientific knowledge while Francis and Mike bring a youthful and limitless imagination and creativity. I couldn't imagine any single creature that Francis and Mike would have difficulty bringing to life. At the same time, I couldn't imagine any creature that Kathryn, Scott and Steve would find difficult to find some sort of real-life animal upon which to base their legendary beast.
I greatly enjoyed that this episode blended mythology and legend with actual animals. That they found the three most likely suspects for a Kraken, researched them then based their computer-generated creature on that research. The reality blended with the mythology adds a bit of credence to the project and makes it just a bit more believable that a creature of the magnitude of the Kraken could actually dwell in the world's waters. This was almost like a blending of an oceanographic documentary and Monster Quest.
Future episodes of Beast Legends will focus on the dragon, the griffin, a giant shark, a killer bird and the Bigfoot of Vietnam.
Beast Legends airs every Thursday night at 10 P.M. (9 p.m. Central) on the SyFy Channel. Episode two, Fire Dragon airs on September 16, 2010.
For More Information:
Official Web Site: http://www.beastlegends.com/
Official SyFy Site: http://www.syfy.com/beastlegends/index.php
TV Rage: http://www.tvrage.com/shows/id-26229/?vote=10
Francis Manapul's Official Website: http://www.francismanapul.com/
Season One, Episode One, The Kraken
Original Air Date: Thursday, September 9, 2010
I've got to say, I love stuff like this. I've always had a fascination with mythology and legend. When a television show comes along that looks to take myth & legend and build upon it with biological facts I've got to check it out.
Beast Legends is a new six-part documentary series currently being aired on the SyFy Channel. The goal of the show is to take legendary creatures and bring them to life using state-of-the-art computer graphics. Behind those computer graphics is old fashioned research, planning, animation and hard work. The investigative team consists of five individuals who bring a unique eye and imagination to each project. Steve Leonard is an adventurer and veterinary surgeon. Francis Manapul is a very talented comic book artist. Kathryn Denning (anthropologist, archaeologist & associate professor, York University, Canada) is a Legend Specialist. Scott Edwards (Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University) is a biologist. Mike Paixao is an animator skilled at bringing anything to life using a computer.
The team has sifted through all the legends relating to the Kraken. They've gone through written accounts and take the information they glean from each source and make note of it to use in creating their computer-generated Kraken.
After approaching the Kraken from the mythological standpoint, they begin researching actual animals that the legend could be based upon. The three animals they research: giant squid, colossal squid and giant Pacific octopus.
Steve heads to Vancouver Island, Canada to catch and study a giant Pacific octopus. Jim Cosgrove (research associate, Royal British Columbia Museum) has been catching and researching octopi for some 30 years. Kevin VanClemput (scientific research diver) is an experienced diver who assists in catching the octopus. They find one and bring it on board to examine.
Meanwhile, Scott, Francis and Mike are working on the preliminary ideas for their Kraken. Francis and Mike want to add elements to the Kraken that Scott feels are unnecessary and make it too much like something from a comic book. Scott wants the creature to be based on on the real world.
Kathryn goes to Brest, France to speak with world-class competitive sailor Didier Ragot who, in 2003, had an experience he won't soon forget. A giant squid attached itself to the rudder of his boat some 200 nautical miles from the Canary Islands. The squid slowed his boat from 24 knots to 8 knots. Ragot, who has been sailing for four decades, estimated the length of the squid to be anywhere from 32-35 feet long.
Steve and Francis head to Wellington, New Zealand to view a video and the body of a colossal squid that is on display at the Museum of New Zealand. After viewing the just half-grown 14 ft, 1,091 pound creature they head to the Soren Larsen, a tall ship they use to base just how the Kraken would have taken down a similar ship. Using the scale from the ship, they determine the size of their Kraken: a full 200 ft.
The episode ends with the finished computer-generated animation of their Kraken. Their beast lives in the Kaikoura Canyon off New Zealand. First, the Kraken dines on a whale then attacks a boat.
Each member of the investigative team brings a lot to the mix. Kathryn, Steve and Scott bring real-world scientific knowledge while Francis and Mike bring a youthful and limitless imagination and creativity. I couldn't imagine any single creature that Francis and Mike would have difficulty bringing to life. At the same time, I couldn't imagine any creature that Kathryn, Scott and Steve would find difficult to find some sort of real-life animal upon which to base their legendary beast.
I greatly enjoyed that this episode blended mythology and legend with actual animals. That they found the three most likely suspects for a Kraken, researched them then based their computer-generated creature on that research. The reality blended with the mythology adds a bit of credence to the project and makes it just a bit more believable that a creature of the magnitude of the Kraken could actually dwell in the world's waters. This was almost like a blending of an oceanographic documentary and Monster Quest.
Future episodes of Beast Legends will focus on the dragon, the griffin, a giant shark, a killer bird and the Bigfoot of Vietnam.
Beast Legends airs every Thursday night at 10 P.M. (9 p.m. Central) on the SyFy Channel. Episode two, Fire Dragon airs on September 16, 2010.
For More Information:
Official Web Site: http://www.beastlegends.com/
Official SyFy Site: http://www.syfy.com/beastlegends/index.php
TV Rage: http://www.tvrage.com/shows/id-26229/?vote=10
Francis Manapul's Official Website: http://www.francismanapul.com/
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