Yuku free message boards

I love the fact that in the movie we learn that half the world has been searching for Q's treasure, and there are STILL treasure hunters in the area every day -- but when we see Zucco go to the area, he gets out of his car, walks a little bit, and there's a big rock wall with a closed rock door in it. In hundreds of years, thousands of treasure-hunters couldn't find that?

And it's not even hidden behind a bush!

When Zucco first drives out to the site there is a painting of the temple area. This is followed by a hood shot of Zucco driving in his car. Then there is another wide shot painting of the temple area. The implication is that Zucco has been driving through the temple area for quite some time. After looking at this footage it's clear that the painting is the same in both shots even though the live action below it is different. In the first shot we get a bit more of the painting to screen left, in the second, more to screen right. But the temple, with its columns is the same. Also, the first shot has some palm trees matted over it to try and convince us that the next shot is not the same painting.

Later, when Dr. Lambert (James Metcalf) drives out and passes through the same terrain, it's made clear that the two separate shots with the painting are meant to depict a long distance. We see Lambert drive through the shot with the foreground trees, then we cut to Zucco out at the site dealing with Q for quite awhile. We cut back to Lambert and then DISSOLVE TO: (always an indication that time has passed) his car driving through the second shot with the painting just as Q is about to descend on him.

All I've got to say is that the temple area must have been ginormous.

The technical question now is whether this was a matte painting or a glass painting. A glass painting would have been the cheapest and most versatile option for a company like PRC. Either technique would have required some retouching to match the terrain in the second shot. With a glass painting they'd know when they packed up that they'd gotten the shot. With a matte painting they'd be taking a chance on two optical shots. Tom, did PRC have a technical wizard?

Yes, the way Q flew certainly reminded me of the Lydeckers.

I went back and took a look at the film and noticed some other special effects. There's another very nicely done painting that features a smaller but interesting temple ruin. There are a couple of shots involving Q flying that are done against what looks like a painted backdrop of a cliff facing. There's some foliage and a foreground tree.

It looks like Q was rotoscoped into a shot when it swoops down and attacks the man at the window examining the feather. Q is undersized in this shot. And as for the first painting that is seen, the studio got full value on that shot as it's seen about a half dozen times in the movie. Since they had to be on location for awhile to get the various drive-bys and scenes this would lend a little credence to the idea that it was a glass painting.

This must have been a super production for PRC what with all the special effects.

Some more stuff that amused me:

The sheriff says they don't want to disturb the feather before somebody gets out there to look at it and, then, when he's alone, what does he do? He picks it up and walks around with it. When Zucco takes Hope Kramer out to his secret lair he tells her to watch out because it's dark. It was then that I noticed he has to walk across the whole soundstage in pitch darkness to get to a torch. Why not have a torch near the entrance? And even though Zucco is constantly out at the temple "doing archaeology" no one connects him to the sinister happenings. Everybody who just passes through gets to see Q but Zucco, who's out there every day, twice a day claims to never have seen it.