SeaKings Project Archive

The Lord of the Rings: The Sons of Elrond
Synopsis: A Fan Film by Toby and Cody McClure. The Fourth Age of Middle Earth. The Sons of Elrond have stayed behind—their destinies not yet complete. Their journeys have taken them to the forests of Lorien, where they are reminded of victories of the past and the light of their kin, still sailing the skies.

On Christmas day 2001 our lives were forever changed when we saw The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. Since that day the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien have made a tremendous impact on our lives and in everything we do. For all the fans, we hope this short will be at least a small reminder of Middle-earth and the great inspiration it has made in all of our lives.

PRODUCTION NOTES: When this production came about we were going through the most difficult time in our lives. Our older brother, Joe, was in a serious accident in which the doctors gave no hope. We found ourselves in 3 different hospitals and finally a nursing home before we were able to bring him home. This was the darkest time of our lives. We’ve never felt so much fear and hopelessness.

This lasted a total 18 months and then Joe went to Heaven in October of 2005, just 5 days before our birthday. We couldn’t believe it. It’s so hard even writing about it now, but we’re still not giving up hope that somehow God is going to get glory for his life. We know that Joe still has a great destiny to fulfill on this earth and that we will see him soon.

It was during this time of taking care of him that we happened to celebrate one of our Dad’s birthdays with a Lord of the Rings birthday cake. While picking it up we met the cake decorator who asked us about the logo's on our shirts (SeaKings). His name was Aubrey Serr and that was the meeting that would birth “The Sons of Elrond.”

We basically had one hour each night to talk with Aubrey, look at the dailies, and work on the movie while tending to our brother the rest of the time. What began as a 12 second SeaKings animated logo turned into an eight-month journey doing things we never dreamed of. All the visuals were created from scratch by Aubrey - from the digital matte paintings to our faces being built in 3D by hand (no scanner available in Oklahoma!). Aubrey put in countless hours including having to purchase a new computer to handle the production. Along with our composing original music to finally finish, we all gave a big sigh of relief when it was uploaded to our website Christmas 2005.

The film was nominated and won "Best Fan Film" at the OneRing Celebration (ORC 2006) celebrating the works of J.R.R. Tolkien by fans worldwide. Special thanks to Catherine Frizat, staff member and now our friend, who made the presentation at the Warner Bros. Studio Lot (Burbank, CA), and of course, to our friend Aubrey who without his dedication and determination made it all possible. Thanks Aub!!
December 2005
Back to top ^

Behind the Scenes: The Sons of Elrond
A look at how the film was made including original artwork, animation and music.

Back to top ^


The Adventures of Eyespy: Episode 1
The Adventures of Eyespy: Episode 1 is the first in a series of online animations for Eyespy Consulting. With their newly created web presence, we transformed their spinning "E" logo into a comic book style spy agent with Hi-tech means to get the job done! With his own original theme music, "Eyespy" takes on projects others dismiss as "IMPOSSIBLE!" April 2005.
Back to top ^

Narnia Fan Trailer - The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
In May 2003 prior to the start of production for LWW we decided to make a fan trailer for the upcoming movie.  It was a small project with limited resources.  All of the imagery was created in Photoshop with  animation and effects to be added later.  But, it was in those two years before the Films began that we saw over 400,000 fans from all over the world view our trailer.  

With one thing in common, Narnia fans were hungry for myth.  To believe in something other than what our natural eyes could see.  To experience the power of believing in the impossible, to find the unity of those alike in heart, and to know that the most unlikely creature imaginable can change the course of the future. That is why the stories of C.S. Lewis have meant so much to us.  

But like so many, we are those who hold these stories true in our hearts. We are a part of all those who believe in the magic of storytelling—who without hope, believe in hope. We are those who look through the eyes of a child, and behold a world more real than the one we live in. Narnia will always live in our hearts and inspire us in all we do. For it is a deep magic, a true magic, and the belief in the One who made the magic that is the foundation of all. It may not always be a safe road, but we know that it is good. May 2003.


Back to top ^