Latest news with #Fleet
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘The Boys' VFX supervisor Stephan Fleet explains why a one-minute shot ‘took about 17 hours' to make
'We don't want the simple way,' proclaims The Boys visual effects supervisor Stephan Fleet, who joined Gold Derby's "Meet the Experts" VFX panel. 'We don't want the obvious magic trick that everyone's seen before. So even something you read on the page that you think could be the most simple thing, like a split screen of someone, can be a very complicated thing to do.' Watch the full interview above. The Prime Video series was adapted from the comic book series of the same name by Eric Kripke. It focuses on a group of vigilantes trying to take down corrupt superheroes. 'The original pitch to me, before I signed on, was that this isn't a superhero show. This is a show about the intersection of celebrity and politics, told if celebrities were superheroes," Fleet says. "I love superhero shows. I watch them. I've worked on ones myself. But in this case, I'm looking at it as a satire on celebrity and politics first. So you're always trying to find, no matter how absurd, a foundation of something real to base everything off of. We're always trying to find that basis in reality on the show, and then just crank it up to 11 if we have to.' More from GoldDerby 'Gypsy' and 'Just in Time' producer Tom Kirdahy on serving a 'social and cultural need' through creative work TV Visual Effects supervisor roundtable: 'Black Mirror,' 'The Boys,' 'The Wheel of Time' 'The Wheel of Time' VFX supervisor Andy Scrase: 'I always think of visual effects as the magic of filmmaking' SEEEric Kripke, Antony Starr interview: 'The Boys' Fleet acknowledges that 'every season our wonderful team of writers led by Eric Kripke are gonna try and raise the stakes in some way.' And the recent fourth season is no exception. A new character, called Splinter, was able to clone himself multiple times, which led to the visual effects team needing to work on a scene with multiple Splinters performing sexual acts. He explains, 'Fully nude clones means a lot of matching. Their whole bodies have to look identical. So there's a lot of replacement and prosthetics too, if you can read between the lines.' The trickiest scene was when seven Splinters were all in one shot. Fleet says, 'It's about a minute long motion control shot. There's no face replacement; it's all the actor playing himself. It took about 17 hours total to rehearse and film this one shot. Anyone who's done visual effects knows motion control can be a very slow and complicated process.' 'On The Boys, we found our tone and we do it in our way," Fleet continues. "I just wanna keep honoring everything in the show with visual effects and never make it about the visual effects. But I want to also acknowledge that visual effects are an important component of the storytelling.' This article and video are presented by Prime Video. Best of GoldDerby 'Étoile' creators on writing a show for 'genius' Luke Kirby How 'The Handmaid's Tale' series finale sets up 'The Testaments' TV Visual Effects supervisor roundtable: 'Black Mirror,' 'The Boys,' 'The Wheel of Time' Click here to read the full article.
Times
6 days ago
- General
- Times
Hunting London's lost rivers — and nearly drowning in the Fleet
Every time I walk down Farringdon Road, I think about the time I nearly drowned. It was my own stupid fault. I am fascinated by London's lost rivers, the most formidable of which is the Fleet, which flowed from Hampstead to Blackfriars through King's Cross. This was once a major river flanked by mills and warehouses, but as it became increasingly stagnant, it was hidden away like an embarrassing relative and used as overflow for the sewer. And into this dark and putrid tunnel I descended one sunny afternoon, cheerfully defying the law in the company of two total strangers. It was all good fun for the first hour, when the water level began to rise ominously towards our waists. As we found ourselves flailing against a tide of filthy water, fat, floating rats and toilet paper, feet struggling to grip the slimy floor, I wondered: was this where it would end? Obviously not, but it felt a close-run thing at the time. I was working for Time Outand while journalists sometimes get official access to London's river-sewers I was young and reckless, so had instead contacted a couple of urban explorers I found on the internet. These are people who break into abandoned locations — tunnels are popular — and take photos, ensuring always to leave things exactly as they find them. It was frighteningly easy to pop a manhole and access the Fleet; you can get anywhere with a hi-vis vest and a couple of traffic cones. And it was genuinely thrilling to admire the fine brickwork of this dead river unbeknown to the world above, the noise of which sporadically filtered down through the grates. Unfortunately, on our way back somebody, somewhere, decided to flush excess water down the Fleet into the Thames — almost killing us. There are, fortunately, easier ways to find London's buried rivers. The Fleet's upper stretches are very visible in the form of Hampstead and Highgate Ponds but it's the subterranean elements that most intrigue. This once great river can sometimes be heard rushing underneath the street from a manhole cover in the road opposite the Coach pub on Ray Street in Farringdon, and if the Thames is low, you can see where it tips into the river under Blackfriars Bridge. But the best perspective comes from Holborn Viaduct — stand on the bridge and look up Farringdon Street; you can clearly see the Fleet valley and its impact on London's topography. • How 'See it. Say it. Sorted.' became Britain's most effective earworm Also rising from the hills of Hampstead is the Westbourne, which passes through Sloane Square Tube station in an iron pipe, carried across the District Line in its eternal voyage towards the Thames. The Westbourne's finest moment came when it was dammed to form the Serpentine but this is now fed by other means, the Westbourne having been diverted into an underground sewer in 1813. The last of the big three is the Tyburn, which starts in Hampstead and then runs down to Regent's Park, crossing the canal in a pipe built into a bridge. Shortly after, the Tyburn is rumoured to run in a channel through the garden of the home of the US ambassador — a glimpse of a lost London river that very few people will ever get to see. A good place to get a sense of the Tyburn is on the meandering Marylebone Lane, once an old riverside path. In Mayfair, Grays Antique Market claims its basement pond is part of the Tyburn, but this seems most unlikely. Imagine the smell! ALAMY GETTY IMAGES The Tyburn empties into the Thames directly opposite south London's great Effra. I once followed its meandering path — above ground this time, having learnt my lesson — in the company of a water diviner, who claimed she could detect buried water through some unspecified means involving a magical stick. The route her divining abilities took deviated wildly from what is known about the river, but it was raining at the time, so perhaps that interfered with the process. We did at least end at the correct point: alongside the MI6 building in Vauxhall. The Effra starts life in Norwood before wandering through Herne Hill and Brixton towards the Thames. Like many lost rivers, you get hints of the old river in street names — Effra Road, Brixton Water Lane — while a series of rust-coloured manholes have been introduced to the pavement that plot the river's course: one example is opposite Brockwell Lido in Herne Hill. Created in 2016 by Atelier Works, these are one of the best — indeed, one of the only — examples of London acknowledging its lost rivers. London has other buried rivers including the Walbrook in the City, Counter's Creek in west London and Bermondsey's fabulously named Neckinger, but it also has a buried canal. The Grand Surrey Canal once transported goods between Rotherhithe and Camberwell. It opened in 1810 but declined through the 20th century until, with breathtaking short-sightedness, it was filled with concrete in the 1970s. Gone, then, but not quite forgotten, if you look in the right place. The canal's basin is now Burgess Park, and its route can be seen in the rigidly straight canal-sized path that goes through the park from the Walworth Road towards Peckham. At one point, this path passes under a pleasant bridge with steel-lattice work painted bright red. The bridge was left behind when the canal was closed and now crosses the old towpath with joyful frivolity. Locals call it the Bridge to Nowhere. It's really a bridge to London's past and the waterways that still live beneath our feet.
Boston Globe
6 days ago
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Fleet captain Hilary Knight, Bruins prospect Will Zellers among honorees by USA Hockey
Knight also represented the US during the 2024-25 Rivalry Series, recording three goals in four games to lead all skaters in the series. Advertisement While competing with the Fleet, the forward led the PWHL in points with 29, and was second in goals with 15. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Zellers, whose RECORD-SETTER! 📣 Will Zellers ( — USHL (@USHL) He is the first member of the Green Bay Gamblers to win USHL forward of the year. The Maple Grove, Minn., native also led the league in game-winning goals (7) and was sixth in power play goals (10), helping lead the Gamblers to a spot in the 2024-25 USHL Playoffs. The forward was selected by the Avalanche in third round of the 2024 NHL Draft with the 76th overall pick after posting 57 goals and 111 points in 54 games with powerhouse Shattuck St. Mary's. Advertisement Colorado shipped him to the Bruins, along with Casey Mittelstadt and a second-round pick in exchange for Coyle and a 2026 fifth-round pick at this year's trade deadline. Zellers will be a freshman at North Dakota next fall. Follow Andrew Mahoney
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Mastering Recap Hours and Sleeper Split Rules in 2025
Compliance with Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Hours-of-Service (HOS) rules is how drivers keep their schedules legal, fleets avoid violations and everyone stays safe fighting the fatigue epidemic. After all, HOS violations are double-weighted. Recap hours and split sleeper berth exemptions are two of the most underutilized tools in a driver's logbook. Too many drivers are either confused by them or unsure how to apply them in real time. Let's break them down and explain why understanding these rules matters more than ever in 2025. If you're running under the 70-hour/8-day rule (common for most interstate operations), you're limited to 70 hours of on-duty time in any rolling eight-day period. Each day, the hours you worked eight days ago 'fall off' and are added back into your available time. That's your recap. Understanding this is critical for HOS management and for drivers who operate without a 34-hour restart. If you're running hard and skipping the restart, knowing what hours will be added back each day gives you a tool for long-haul planning. You ask, 'So, a 34-hour restart isn't required?' No, it's not. Argue if you want to. I said what I said. They extend your work cycle without requiring a restart. They help fleets maximize available hours without burning out drivers. They prevent unintentional HOS violations from poor planning. The chart above shows a sample 14-day pattern of daily hours worked under the 70/8 rule. Notice the fluctuations and imagine how a smart dispatcher could route loads based on upcoming recap returns. Drivers using a sleeper berth can split their required minimum 10-hour break into two qualifying periods: One of at least seven consecutive hours in the sleeper. One of at least two hours (off duty or sleeper berth). Combined, they must total at least 10 hours. These breaks pause the 14-hour on-duty clock, meaning you can regain drive time in ways you wouldn't with a 10-hour break. A driver might work seven hours in the sleeper (midnight to 7 a.m.), drive for eight hours and then take three hours off duty later. As long as the seven+three meets the requirements, the driver can reset the 14-hour clock from the end of the first qualifying period. The chart above visualizes how that might look on a grid log. While the math and rules can be confusing, most modern ELDs (like Motive) handle these calculations automatically if drivers are appropriately trained. FMCSA roadside violations still list HOS issues, especially 14-hour violations and log falsification, among the most cited infractions. The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance's Roadcheck blitzes and other initiatives seem never-ending and are becoming more aggressive. Fleets that don't teach sleeper splits or recap management risk not only fines but OOS violations, lost revenue and increased insurance rates. Motive's ELD, Free Electronic Logbook App for short-haul and other exemptions, as well as the Fleet Dashboard automatically: Alert drivers of available hours. Track qualifying sleeper berth splits. Calculate recap hours. Prevent HOS violations before they happen. Why did I mention Motive specifically? Many fleets operate under an hours-of-service exemption, and few allow for or provide an editable, nontracked method for timesheet record-of-duty calculations. Whether short-haul, driveaway, agricultural or other exemption. An ELD isn't always available, not all fleets have them but the free electronic logbook app is. Meanwhile, training platforms like Luma Brighter Learning allow fleets to onboard drivers with interactive hours-of-service modules tailored to real-world scenarios. Understanding sleeper splits and recap hours is a smart operational strategy in a world of rising litigation, nuclear verdicts and compliance crackdowns. Drivers who understand these rules can avoid unnecessary restarts and violations. Fleets that teach and track them avoid fines, improve retention and build a culture of operational excellence. These rules guide legal, efficient and profitable movement in the cab, dispatch office or safety department. The post Mastering Recap Hours and Sleeper Split Rules in 2025 appeared first on FreightWaves.
Asahi Shimbun
26-05-2025
- General
- Asahi Shimbun
Landing practice of U.S. aircraft opened to public after 6 years
The U.S. military in Japan opened the training of its carrier-based aircraft to the public for the first time in six years on May 25 on Iwoto island in Tokyo's Ogasawara village. During the field carrier landing practice (FCLP), pilots perform repetitive landings on a land runway strip that simulates the deck of an aircraft carrier. The roars of stealth fighter jets such as the F-35 Lightning II echoed across the island. The moment the aircraft touched the runway—after descending at high speed—it increased power, took off and ascended again. A roar that pierced the air vibrated reporters' eardrums even through earplugs and resonated throughout their bodies. The moment it landed, smoke rose from the aircraft's tires and a burning odor filled the air. The media filmed the scene several dozen meters away from the runway. Multiple aircraft passed in front of reporters in succession at intervals of about a minute. A U.S. military official explained that the black stains on the reporters' arms and faces were 'spray' from the tires. The landing practice is conducted every May, before U.S. aircraft carriers deployed to U.S. Fleet Activities Yokosuka in Kanagawa Prefecture depart from the port. This year, the FCLP started May 19 and is scheduled to end on May 31. This was the first time the landing exercise has been open to the media in six years, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During that time, the Japanese government decided to relocate the FCLP site to Mageshima, an uninhabited island near Tanegashima island in Kagoshima Prefecture, at the request of the United States. Construction of a Self-Defense Forces base, including a runway, is under way on Mageshima island. Iwoto island, also known as Iwojima, was the site of a fierce battle near the end of the Pacific War. The island is 1,400 kilometers from Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in Yamaguchi Prefecture, where the carrier-based aircraft unit is based. On Iwoto island, a joint Japan-U.S. memorial service was held in March to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the war. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and defense ministers from both nations attended the ceremony. In April, the emperor and empress also visited the island to mourn the war dead there. Currently, the remains of more than 10,000 people that cannot be accommodated remain buried under the runway and at other sites on the island.
