Comments on: Children of Stone http://dontmesswithdinosaurs.com Short films, animation, music and illustration by Brian Engh (aka The Historian Himself). Don't Mess With Dinosaurs is the aesthetic mantra behind the work displayed on this website. It attempts to express the necessity of respect for the ancient forces of the universe, and the sense of wonder and awe that they give me. In other words, respect to the ancients. That being said, expect some pretty serious prehistoric bizness: we talkin dinosaurs, monsters and rap music. also, paleo art, illustration, hip hop, short films, movies, music videos, action, adventure, environmental, ambient, ecology, creatures, biology, concept design, drawing, painting, digital music composition, visual fx, practical fx, effects, model making, puppeteering, explosions, aliens, bugs, squids, octopi, tyrannosaurus rex, theropods, ornithischian, deinonychosaurs, birds, reptiles, amphibians, triassic jurassic cretacious, robots, ancient monsters forever, rock monsters, cats dogs and danger, strange beasts, forests, deserts, underwater things, photography, lasers, space age science, wizardry, mysticism, sorcery, pagan animism, ritualistic sacrifice, awesome things, elemental spirituality, primeval forces, nocturnal species, parasaurolophus, deinonychus, spinosaurus, corythosaurus, baryonyx, natural history, fossils, plants, botany, magics, jungles, rainforests, trees, arboreal, forest canopy, caves, caverns, exploration, natural history, running, jumping, climbing, ghosts, spooks, ghouls, demons, ogres, dragours, mythology, minotaurs, centaurs, cerberus, harpies, sirens, hydras, cnidarians, bryology, moss, cephalopod molusks, entomology, herpetology, zoology, marine, estuarine, dont mess with dinosaurs, a thousand years of fighting, godzilla, kaiju, rodan, gidorah, kamakuras, kappa, yokai, samourai, ninjas, philosophy, earth beasts awaken, dirt, buckets, handfulls of gravel, rocks, rock formations, geology, physics, volcanoes, volcanology, pyroclastic flows, lava, magma, mass extinction, asteroid impact, hominids, primatology, global warming, climate change, ferns, horsetails, primitive organisms, cannibalism, short stories, long rants, lyrics, beats, percussion, samples, homegrown art, sound design, vikings, folk tales, ceramics, archaeology, paleontology, artifacts, petroglyphs, heiroglyphs, griffons, cyclops, geckos, lizards, frogs, hawks, owls, eagles, falcons, falconry, cassowaries, living fossils, crocodiles, crocodilians, caimans, alligators, garials, archosaurs, coelophysus, ornitholestes, gallimimus, dilophosaurus, monoclonius, styracosaurus, triceratops, brachiosaurus, amargasaurus, diplodocus, afrovenator, carcharadon, robots of redsmoke, valley of the shadow, children of stone, footprint, moss: a tribute, experimental animation, traditional. Sun, 05 Sep 2010 03:09:38 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.1 By: Ethazoid http://dontmesswithdinosaurs.com/?page_id=383#comment-6165 Ethazoid Sat, 13 Feb 2010 11:32:36 +0000 http://dontmesswithdinosaurs.com/?page_id=383#comment-6165 watz da movie???? watz da movie????

]]> By: Undead Backbrain » Blog Archive » Weekend Fright Flick: Children of Stone http://dontmesswithdinosaurs.com/?page_id=383#comment-6093 Undead Backbrain » Blog Archive » Weekend Fright Flick: Children of Stone Sat, 06 Feb 2010 22:24:20 +0000 http://dontmesswithdinosaurs.com/?page_id=383#comment-6093 [...] can see many more images and read about the film’s background on the director’s Don’t Mess With Dinosaurs website. A high-res version of the film that can be viewed full-screen is also available [...] […] can see many more images and read about the film’s background on the director’s Don’t Mess With Dinosaurs website. A high-res version of the film that can be viewed full-screen is also available […]

]]> By: Sean http://dontmesswithdinosaurs.com/?page_id=383#comment-5613 Sean Fri, 08 Jan 2010 04:00:33 +0000 http://dontmesswithdinosaurs.com/?page_id=383#comment-5613 I liked the ideas, and the designs but the whole thing seemed raw and the visuals were rough around the edges. I'm trying to finish my senior film this semester and I'm running into major quality issues. Seems no matter how much I planned and how well initial photography went, I'm finding the final product a bit of a muddle. Filmmaking is hard! I liked the ideas, and the designs but the whole thing seemed raw and the visuals were rough around the edges. I’m trying to finish my senior film this semester and I’m running into major quality issues. Seems no matter how much I planned and how well initial photography went, I’m finding the final product a bit of a muddle. Filmmaking is hard!

]]> By: coleoptera http://dontmesswithdinosaurs.com/?page_id=383#comment-5234 coleoptera Fri, 20 Nov 2009 02:20:31 +0000 http://dontmesswithdinosaurs.com/?page_id=383#comment-5234 slashing mouthparts rule. slashing mouthparts rule.

]]> By: Mark http://dontmesswithdinosaurs.com/?page_id=383#comment-5214 Mark Fri, 13 Nov 2009 23:31:17 +0000 http://dontmesswithdinosaurs.com/?page_id=383#comment-5214 To the Brian Engh, Finally got to watch this and I really enjoyed it. It's good to see Kaiju is still alive and well. The design of the rock beings was great and their sound design was expertly composed. They sounded like two rocks being rubbed together combined with a loud growl. As expected the music was great and I agree that for a final, this was a great film with much care to it. Bravo -Mark To the Brian Engh,

Finally got to watch this and I really enjoyed it.

It’s good to see Kaiju is still alive and well. The design of the rock beings was great and their sound design was expertly composed. They sounded like two rocks being rubbed together combined with a loud growl. As expected the music was great and I agree that for a final, this was a great film with much care to it.

Bravo

-Mark

]]> By: Chris http://dontmesswithdinosaurs.com/?page_id=383#comment-5180 Chris Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:54:00 +0000 http://dontmesswithdinosaurs.com/?page_id=383#comment-5180 Hey Brian, I came across this website through your songs on Youtube which give off an intelligent, refreshing, unique style. This finished project of Children of Stone is of the same stock. I loved it from beginning to end. Im afraid I don't have the experience in Film making to make any helpful critical comments but I dont really need to. It was great. -Chris Hey Brian,

I came across this website through your songs on Youtube which give off an intelligent, refreshing, unique style. This finished project of Children of Stone is of the same stock. I loved it from beginning to end. Im afraid I don’t have the experience in Film making to make any helpful critical comments but I dont really need to. It was great.

-Chris

]]> By: Mark Fischer http://dontmesswithdinosaurs.com/?page_id=383#comment-4985 Mark Fischer Fri, 09 Oct 2009 05:23:47 +0000 http://dontmesswithdinosaurs.com/?page_id=383#comment-4985 Dear Brian, I enjoyed several things about "Children of Stone," but the opening sequence -- what I call the animated cave-painting -- was my favorite. It had beauty and grace. It foreshadowed the actual movie but kept things "primitive." The next scene about the older man with the walking staff and the boy was refreshing. It also seemed to harmonize with the earlier cave painting. Then, when the boy and the man pause to overlook the ruined city, it is a surprise. We realize that we are not watching the past but the future. The rock monsters were believable, and their vocals were especially good. Naturally, I was looking forward to your dad's "stealth bomber" (which was terrific) and the missile contrails were convincing. I think I also caught sight of your Jurassic monster at some point in the evolution tableau. It was a little hard to follow the scene in which the one rock monster destroys the technological city. By that time, the viewer "knows" that the dark colored rock monster is morally good and sympathetic, even to those humans who did not reverence "Their Mother." I guess the monster had made the moral distinction between the evil humans below and the good humans (the man and the boy) above, Thanks for creating such a thought-provoking film with such expertise. It was a pleasure to watch. Mark Fischer Dear Brian,

I enjoyed several things about “Children of Stone,” but the opening sequence — what I call the animated cave-painting — was my favorite. It had beauty and grace. It foreshadowed the actual movie but kept things “primitive.”

The next scene about the older man with the walking staff and the boy was refreshing. It also seemed to harmonize with the earlier cave painting. Then, when the boy and the man pause to overlook the ruined city, it is a surprise. We realize that we are not watching the past but the future.

The rock monsters were believable, and their vocals were especially good.

Naturally, I was looking forward to your dad’s “stealth bomber” (which was terrific) and the missile contrails were convincing. I think I also caught sight of your Jurassic monster at some point in the evolution tableau.

It was a little hard to follow the scene in which the one rock monster destroys the technological city. By that time, the viewer “knows” that the dark colored rock monster is morally good and sympathetic, even to those humans who did not reverence “Their Mother.” I guess the monster had made the moral distinction between the evil humans below and the good humans (the man and the boy) above,

Thanks for creating such a thought-provoking film with such expertise. It was a pleasure to watch.

Mark Fischer

]]> By: Historian http://dontmesswithdinosaurs.com/?page_id=383#comment-4880 Historian Sun, 27 Sep 2009 18:09:23 +0000 http://dontmesswithdinosaurs.com/?page_id=383#comment-4880 It was supposed to be a flashback - Volciathan remembering his final battle with the ancient reptiles to save the people of the trees. I agree, that whole sequence is unclear. Partially because I wanted it to to be kind of alien and confusing, but mostly because I rushed and did it poorly. Thanks for the feedback! It was supposed to be a flashback - Volciathan remembering his final battle with the ancient reptiles to save the people of the trees.

I agree, that whole sequence is unclear. Partially because I wanted it to to be kind of alien and confusing, but mostly because I rushed and did it poorly.

Thanks for the feedback!

]]> By: Chad http://dontmesswithdinosaurs.com/?page_id=383#comment-4838 Chad Thu, 24 Sep 2009 18:05:22 +0000 http://dontmesswithdinosaurs.com/?page_id=383#comment-4838 Came across your site through Amazing Super Powers. I saw that you didn't have any comments on your wonderful film, so I thought I'd help out. I thought it was a great. Great concept, good execution, and a subtle moral at the end. Overall, very very good job for a 'final project' film. Only one major criticism, and that's the scene where the rocks morph into there (volcanic?) true forms. I felt that the visuals got a bit confusing there and I wasn't sure what was going on, especially with the cuts to the fire-breather. Did one come back? Was it a flashback? Symbolism for returning to their roots? Anyway, kudos! Good job on the interesting universe you've created. Came across your site through Amazing Super Powers. I saw that you didn’t have any comments on your wonderful film, so I thought I’d help out. I thought it was a great. Great concept, good execution, and a subtle moral at the end. Overall, very very good job for a ‘final project’ film. Only one major criticism, and that’s the scene where the rocks morph into there (volcanic?) true forms. I felt that the visuals got a bit confusing there and I wasn’t sure what was going on, especially with the cuts to the fire-breather. Did one come back? Was it a flashback? Symbolism for returning to their roots?

Anyway, kudos! Good job on the interesting universe you’ve created.

]]> By: chanKyweLdlin http://dontmesswithdinosaurs.com/?page_id=383#comment-4812 chanKyweLdlin Wed, 23 Sep 2009 04:12:40 +0000 http://dontmesswithdinosaurs.com/?page_id=383#comment-4812 your children of stone series were good. a little slow for me, but im picky.lol. i wouldve given you an a...-.ha your children of stone series were good. a little slow for me, but im picky.lol. i wouldve given you an a…-.ha

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