Here you can check out the original script for 'The Recruits.' I was really happy that we were able to stick very closely to the original script, with a few minor changes (such as characters and stuff). Check out the original ending which included Laserboy delivering the closing line instead of Obie.
Note that the actor that played Obie (Jesse) was originally meant to play Silas (see script). Guess who was first cast as Obie? Everyone's favorite actor: Timmy a.k.a. Odor boy.
The idea was that in the not-so-distant future, Odor boy becomes the director of the Ultrakids headquarters (with Laserboy still the primary leader). Now that he's an adult, he changes his name to Obie (O.B. Odor boy. Get it?).
But when it came down to it, Timmy wasn't available to film his scenes (which is why he has one quick cameo at the beginning and not a major role). So we quickly switched actors, erased Silas, and merged him with Obie. 
One of the random facts about the movie which is completely useless information, but now that you've read it you'll never forget it. :)

Here's the movie. Enjoy! Lots of behind the scenes and blog posts to come. :)

Yesterday....It was 1:00 A.M. 'The Recruits' was almost finished. I carefully typed up all the names in the credits, making sure not to miss anyone. 
I watched the movie two times, once to approve the visuals and second to approve the audio. Then I rendered it.
At 5:45 A.M., I woke up and checked the renders. Done. I watched it again. 
It was finished.
We had an incredible premiere later that day. God protected us from technical difficulties and other mishaps. The parents loved the movie, as did other church members . The cast was ecstatic when they saw themselves on the big screen.
Just like all other productions, there were times when I doubted that this movie would be finished. At least, finished well. But God came through again, and the movie ended up looking as great as I imagined it.
Links coming soon! If you're good with a computer, you can probably find the movie before we post it here. 
Praise God for another awesome movie experience! 

We're almost done shooting 'The Recruits.' It's been about a week since we started filming; I think this is a record for the fastest Ultrakids movie ever made, from script to screen. I'm really excited to show everyone the movie, yet also nervous because the premiere is next Friday (not tomorrow, the Friday after that)! Hopefully everything will go smoothly in editing. I purposely wrote it so there wouldn't be a lot of visual effects, so for those of you hoping to see the Ultrakids version of 'Avatar' you will be sorely disappointed.
On the other hand, my true passion for this project comes from the story itself, and the themes within. I'll do another blog post more about the theme of 'The Recruits' because it's something that God has put in my heart recently, and has urged me to share this message to others. 
Okay, that's all for now. TTYL (Triceratops Teasing Young Leopards).

Round 5....

It was a sunny day in the park. I set up my camera on a tripod and positioned Laserboy on the field. I told him to swerve his head from right to left. He did so without hesitation. He looked like he was dancing, and some of the other actors laughed.
Several months later, everyone ooh-ed in awe of a cool shot of Laserboy releasing a powerful optic blast during a midnight battle scene. I smiled as I thought about the day we shot it. Of couse it looked silly then. But when an actor completely trusts his director even if the director tells him to do something completely ridiculous, great movies come out.

This is a draft of the climax for Ultrakids 4. You can tell many elements of the finale are the same, just reordered and changed a bit. 

What do you think? Should we have followed this draft of the script, or make the changes seen in the movie?

Assuming Ultrakids 4 will be the last Ultrakids movie in a while, here's the email that started production (I sent this out to the cast and crew near the end of Sept 2010):
Okay, I've got a starting idea for Ultrakids 4, but I need your guys help.

What I've got so far:
Laserboy, Veggie boy, and Odor boy volunteer to help out at a superhero camp. There, they meet new recruits and also a suspicious camp counselor (no name yet). Meanwhile, Odor boy is feeling really really sad because he stinks so much. HE JUST WANTS TO BE ACCEPTED!!! His sweet-smelling sister Daisy isn't helping and just rubbing it in more (quote: "Odor boy, you and a cup of milk contribute to half the world's pollution"). Back at Ultrakids HQ, Invisigirl has created a time machine that accidentally turns her into her younger self. She goes to camp hero to retrieve a memory charm from Odor boy to turn her back to her present self. But Odor boy refuses to give it to her. (quote:"Now you'll learn how it feels to be an outcast like me.") Odor boy, under the pressure of the evil camp counselor, finally turns bad, cleaning himself but at the same time threatening to turn the world into a big smelly fart. Laserboy gets help from the new recruits to stop Odor boy from destroying the world.

New Recruits

girls:
Brooke - control water, btw i did some water tests and it looks cool
Destiny  - sees future
Casey - sense movement like toph in avatar

boys:
Kai  - control fire
Jalen - can heal wounds

We probably have room for one more main character and everyone else will be minor characters.

So do you guys have any other ideas for conficts and character arcs for the new recruits? rule: you can't make a character arc for your own character! if you want to play a character (or have an idea for one instead of the ones I've listed) please email me.

we don't have a lot of time. We should start filming in october. If you want to act, please give me your schedules (eg sports practices, family events, etc.) so that we will know what days to film. Thanks!
Josh

Yep, that's how this whole mess started. Obviously we made some major changes to the plot, but the emotional core of the story (acceptance) is the same. 

I wish we could've had a poster made for U4. I still remember getting this poster emailed to me by a church friend who was a great graphic artist. I also remember getting my mind blown away. 

It's been sitting at the middle right of the site for about a month now, but I wanted to draw attention to the Facebook page for the Ultrakids movies. If you have a Facebook account and enjoy the Ultrakids movies, you can like the page at facebook.com/ultrakidsmovie

Funny story how I created that page. I tried to get the URL facebook.com/ultrakids but I accidentally set it to my personal account's URL instead. 
After removing the URL, Facebook for some reason doesn't let anyone else use it. Even if it's not being used. So I had to make it facebook.com/ultrakidsmovie instead.

Anyways, check it out and like the page. See you guys soon.