‘DeResFX.Kill(KarmaPhysics < Elvis)’ (2004) by Brody Condon
Karma Physics < Elvis is a modification of the bloody science fiction first person shooter computer game Unreal 2003. When plugged into a projector/moniter and power, a small custom pink computer automatically starts and displays the work. The viewer is pulled slowly through an infinite pink fog filled with floating, twitching bodies of Elvis Presley. The convulsions of Elvis are controlled by the original game’s Karma Ragdoll real-time physics system – generally used to simulate the physical dynamics of game character death.
On March 31, 1993, while making The Crow, the crew filmed a scene in which Brandon Lee’s character walked into his apartment and discovered his girlfriend being raped by thugs. Actor Michael Massee, who played one of the film’s villains (Fun-boy), was supposed to fire a gun at Eric Draven (Brandon Lee) as he walked into his apartment.
When the blank was fired, the bullet shot out and hit Lee in the abdomen and lodged in his spine. He fell down instantly and the director shouted “Cut!”. When Lee did not respond, the cast and crew rushed to him and found that he was wounded. He was immediately rushed to the hospital. Lee’s heart stopped once on the set and once in the ambulance. Following a six hour operation to remove the bullet, and despite being given 60 pints (or 28 liters) of blood, Lee was pronounced dead at 1:03 pm on March 31, 1993. He was 28 years old.
