Photo Update on flickr

I've gone ahead and loaded a lot of new photos (unfortunately none of them new from "Magnum") primarily of sets I did for "Hawaii 5-0" http://www.flickr.com/photos/rick_romer/

I think I might actually have too many photos, but it's always hard to decide what anyone might be looking for in my work and ultimately it's about diversity and range and that covers quite a large area. I spent 12 hours and watched several movies while doing it and I see now it's 2:00 a.m. so I guess it's time to quite.

Aloha, Rick

OMG - A Big Blog Blast!!

Thanks again for your continued comments about me and the show. I do have some news and pictures to share.

One of our loyal fans who built his own model of the Bridge on the River Kwai sent me these screen grabs from the episode where Tom blows up Higgins' model. As you may recall from an earlier post, I built 3 versions of this model for the show when I was still working up the hill at what's now Diamond Head Theatre as their last resident designer. There was the just started model, the halfway there bridge, and finally the completed one. I was there just off camera when they filmed the scene with Higgins building it. He'd go to place a piece and then they would yell "CUT" and I would take it off, wipe off the glue and get another piece ready. Sure glad I spent 7 years in college for that one!

I wasn't there when they filmed the scene with Tom blowing it up. Well, actually Jack Faggard, the special effects coordinator, did the actual explosion. These screen grabs are great since it really shows the pieces being blown up in the air. What I don't actually know for sure (and yet can still sleep at night) is who built the model they really did blow up? My guess is they completed more of the half done model and blew that one up. The reason I think that is that when I did start working on the show full time in season 3, my Higgins' model was already established on one of his bookcase shelves. Also don't know when the decision was made to place my completed model on the set as permanent dressing.

Well, I hope the gentleman who bought my invoice for the bridge sees these photos. When I was selling off anything I had left from the show on ebay, one person purchased my copies of the invoices I'd sent to the show for building the bridge and a couple of other things and framed them all together. Don't forget you can click on any of the pictures to make them larger. I blew them up a bit and corrected the colors.

Next bit of news for those of you with $10-15 million or so that you don't know what to do with. The estate where the pilot of "Magnum" was filmed (not to be confused with the Anderson Estate where the series exteriors were sometimes filmed) is being sold again. The estate had been owned by the State of Hawaii for decades, then a division of the Teamsters Union (another interesting story best told over a mai-tai) and finally a private owner is now for sale. The man who bought the estate in a very sad condition and spent many millions restoring what was one of the grandest estates ever built in Hawaii (for Clarence Cooke in the 30's) is having to sell it. I did get to tour it last year and gave him photos of some of the sets I had done in the house over the years (sorry, all post "Magnum"). The room with the brick where they did the first Higgin's den is there along with what became the drive-up and entry for Rick's Bar (aka Kamehameha Club) all look fantastic. He also restored the pool house, pool, servants quarters, all the decorative tile on the lanais and put in a kitchen any 5-star restaurant would envy.

The line is amazingly short for those who want to purchase it so you still have time to think about it. I may have some other news soon about my lack of career since "Alvin 3" ended in January. I did join the film board at the Honolulu Academy of Arts--the main film art house in Honolulu at the Doris Duke Theatre. Hope you're all having a great summer! Aloha.

Ignore the tubley email--sorry!

I foolishly opened an email about something called tubely and it sent offers to everyone else within my Magnum email list. I am normally more vigilant, but this time I slipped. At least you didn't get the i-pad offer I supposedly sent out to all my facebook friends! Now if I could just figure out how to get the millions of dollars that keep being left to me by relatives who are constantly dying in Nigeria, I could buy all of you new ipads!

Aloha,

Rick

Happy New Year

I can't believe it's been this long since I've posted anything. It has been an interesting time, however.......

2010 turned out to be the most productive, lucrative, and ultimately frustrating year I've had. I did still manage to keep my 28 years of filing for unemployment record intact, but it was only a matter of a few weeks. The frustrating part came just before Thanksgiving when I was fired from "Hawaii 5-0." This isn't a very good forum to air dirty laundry and since in the real world most people are fired because they probably did something wrong, discussing it in detail here isn't a very good idea. For the record, however, I did an amazing job on a very difficult show that ultimately used my experience, crew, and contacts to set up the first 12 episodes. With no reason or excuse given (since there wasn't any), I was fired in a very unprofessional, undeserving sort of way in the parking lot. Soon, other departments lost their local heads and replacements from other C.S.I. shows or "24" replaced us since that had become the look and style of the show and from where all of the producers got their starts. One big happy family now reunited in Hawaii.

Like any sort of unplanned break-up, the best cure is a rebound relationship....fast! Less than a week later with barely enough time to get another fantastic Christmas tree up and 300' of fresh cedar garland hung with the Thanksgiving roasting pan still soaking in the sink, I started as the Assistant Art Director on "Alvin and the Chipmunks 3: Chipwrecked." Not having seen Alvin 1 or 2, I had no idea that they had made over a BILLION dollars at the box office and DVD sales worldwide! Who knew? The best part was being needed again, finding a fantastic crew, working for a SUPER boss, and basically running the local art department and setting up set dressing as most of the movie was being shot in Canada and on a cruise ship in Florida. The work was all on a beautiful secluded beach, jungle, or water fall and most of the construction went into an ocean going raft. Lots of technical problems like wet coconuts in cargo nets are REAL heavy and matching Hawaii jungle plants to the ones they were putting in their tropical jungle on a Vancouver sound stage were a welcome change. Very interesting to see how they film real sets with real people and no real chipmunks, too. Well, if I'm only as good as my last set, I am very happy it was "Alvin 3" and not the one with another number in it.

I'm back to working on my house and need to also start hacking on my encroaching jungle as well. My productive year for me did not bode well for the maintenance on my house. I've met with the Disney Imagineering people working on their fantastic billion dollar resort, "Aulani," being built out at Ko Olina (west side). Hoping to get something more regular there.

"Magnum" is now airing daily here on one of he stations, ironically just before the original "5-0" comes on. If I were to do a chart graphic based on the work load and enjoyment level of the work then vs. what has happened to the business today........why bother? Moving on!

Thanks for the well wishes and a little news.....

I appreciate all your comments especially after such a long work drought. I think I've still got it! I almost hesitate to report since I don't want to jinx anything--but it looks as though I am working with the best creative team of my career! It's not just that we all get along and are on the same page, but the people in the art department are fantastic, creative, and listen! Not to say that it's been easy by any account, but at least our challenges are being met with professionalism and creativity and not.....well, like some of the not so pleasant working relationships I've had in the past!

Being reunited with my crew again and having the most experienced shopper/buyer to follow through on the paperwork and track down the best prices is a huge help to me. If it wasn't so frustrating it would be funny, but the set dressing warehouse we fought so hard to get is already full and we haven't even started filming yet! I think once we have time to organize and get some racks we will be all right for awhile. I had no idea we had so much stuff from the pilot. We'll make it work somehow. Is it too soon to say "I told you we needed a larger space?!!"

One challenge at the moment is not having a script. We have outlines for 4 episodes, but nothing specific and they still expect to start filming on the 15th. The entire creative team will be arriving shortly so I'm sure we will have more info soon. I was able to see the entire pilot episode on DVD--there's nothing like it on TV AND it's in Hawaii! Knowing that it's been 42 years since the original premiered, I think they've done an excellent job of updating the show while still keeping the original flavor of what made the show so popular in the first place. Many local people are already wondering if they will still be driving by Diamond Head. turn right and suddenly be on the North Shore or maybe Waimanalo Beach like the original did. Can't say, but they are committed to showing Hawaii so you can expect lots of scenery no matter where their "creative geography" says it is.

As already reported in the media, we are going to be filming in one of the 2 warehouses left behind when the 154 year old Honolulu Advertiser shut down last month and doing construction and painting in the other building next door. Originally they wanted me to share space with construction, but the former "LOST" construction coordinator helped convince management that he needed all of the space and set dressing needed their own. When over 400 workers left their offices behind (either losing their jobs or now working our only daily paper the new Star-Advertiser) they left a treasure trove of 50+ years of desks, file cabinets, shelves, lockers etc. behind. We not only furnished our production offices but I was allowed to purchase enough office furniture to do every police, bad guy, or retro office set they can come up with. With the economy still not recovered here, old office furniture is difficult to find and even more difficult to sell so it was a perfect winning combination. They will be auctioning off the rest--still a considerable amount! Speaking of offices, our production office space could hardly be more perfect for the company than if it had been designed for us. Ok, first floor would have been better, but that's about it. Some of my main retail sources are in the same building.

Well, better get that first paycheck in the bank and get to work. I've been printing out photos for work so I'm not goofing off too much. Really.

Aloha, Rick

P.S. I really like the idea about having Tom Selleck do something on this show. Maybe during the rating sweeps they will? Of course there's that other former Hawaii resident, President Obama, who wouldn't hurt the ratings either! Couldn't hurt his ratings either :-)

Five-0 Books Me!

I suppose most people think it was a done deal, that I would get the job, but in this business there are no done deals anymore--at least not until they ARE done. I was interviewed by the new production designer and producer on the 3rd and offered the job on the 4th. I start work next week but as of now the "where" isn't known. They are currently working out of the same hotel as "Pirates" which is convenient for those who are staying in the hotel but not for much else. "Off the Map" has the lease on the film studio even though their show is more about remote jungles and not Hawaii--but ABC had the facility first with "LOST." so it looks like Season 1 will be housed in warehouses or empty buildings somewhere. Given the talent and resources behind this show, I'm sure wherever they wind up we'll make it work. The original 5-0 started without a facility as well.

Thinking about it, this would seem to be the biggest revival of a show in television history. Other shows have been revived certainly, but none that ran 12 seasons. I like to remind people that the original show premiered 42 years ago and ended 30 years ago so not to expect guys in coats and ties, big hair that doesn't move, or shoot-outs in Iolani Palace! I guess that means no disco shirts, no million dollar ransoms, or even an atomic bomb in a refrigerator being delivered to Aloha Tower. You will, however, learn more about Steve McGarrett and Danny Williams in the pilot than you learned in the 12 years of the original 5-0 and some of the best dialogue I've ever read in a television script. Of course the sets will be so wonderful, you may not notice what the actors are saying! (guess I'd better say lol in case anyone else reads this)

Aloha, Rick

No News is........well, no news.

It's been great hearing from lots of people about the pilot being picked up (including 5 former art directors I've worked with), but so far no one has offered me a job yet! There is no "obvious" in this business and I will have to jump through the usual hoops regardless of my previous experience or great job I think we did on the pilot. I was very pleased to see they kept the original opening credits and added a few "C.S.I." grid graphics while boosting the drums a bit. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLKdYXyQa90&feature=email Also the trailer looks good as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmbrWOzvJDE

Not getting much publicity yet is the new ABC show called "Off the Map" about the Doctors Without Borders team. I did a couple of episodes dealing with them for "E.R." a few years back. They will be keeping the Hawaii Film Studio since they held the lease from "LOST" for the past 5 years. I suspect it will be your basic jungle clinic and tropical settings--again not "Hawaii." The humanitarian work these people do is amazing and there should be no shortage of exciting, ORIGINAL plots on this one. They shot the pilot already in the Caribbean. Also Steven Spielberg is supposed to be doing some sort of future/past series on the Big Island which probably means lava fields and fern forests and not much set decorating. "Pirates of the Caribbean" (12?) starts filming their water work this summer. Given that it is a franchise film (with major budget cuts) that already has much of their dressing, they are mainly hiring just to assemble and move things. The news makes it sound like there is a lot of work, but again, the reality remains that most of the jobs are filled in L.A. and with the exception of the 2 series, they will be over and gone by the end of summer.

In the old days they used to shoot pilots as MOWs (movies of the week) and air them before decisions were made. Given the expense of shooting a 90 minute or more show, they do the pilot and make an internal decision and just go for it. So you won't be seeing the pilot for 5-0 until it airs this fall on Monday nights with the series to follow. Other than their names and ethnic backgrounds, there is no attempt to replicate Jack Lord's famous rigid hair style. Interestingly though, both characters are of Irish descent. Makes you wonder if they ever revive "Magnum, P.I." if Thomas Magnum would have a moustache? Speaking of descents, I did work for a week on the George Clooney film "Descendants" as a shopper/buyer. No, George and I never had lunch together--in fact I never even met the decorator I was working for! They were all on Kauai filming and I was here taking pictures of potential set dressing and posting them each day. I was already involved in a roof extension project and garage sale when they wanted me back so it just turned out to be the one week.

Hopefully posting some actual (GOOD) news soon!

Aloha, Rick