The Challenge is on! Anecdotes has introduced the inaugural Minute Movie Challenge. Do you have the chops to make a movie? Can you tell a complete story in a minute? Then this challenge might just be for you!
Kicking off on Friday, June 21st and ending on Friday, June 28th; you will have a week to come up with your idea, based on a theme we will give you at the kickoff, and cast, shoot, and edit your film. To see the complete rules and how to register, click here or on the AMMC link above!
If you have questions that aren’t covered in the FAQ, simply email us at: AnecdotesNOLA@LaFilm.net and ask away!
Coming Soon!
The Anecdotes Challenge! What challenge? What is it? What the freak are you on about?
Just wait and all will soon be revealed!
Episode 2 is now available and features director and filmmaker Ryan Shovey. Ryan tells us a few stories about the making of his horror short, “Hunter”. Learn more about Hunter at Hunter-TheFilm.com and find out more about Ryan at FreakDaddyProd.com. Enjoy the episode down below.
Anecdotes is a bi-weekly web program featuring local actors, directors, filmmakers, producers, etc.. who will “Tell us a story, tall tale, bon mot, anecdote..” about something fun and interesting that happened on set, while auditioning, at a screening… you get it! It’s a fun way of getting to know others in the industry and see that they’ve had experiences just like you!
Take the time to follow Anecdotes on Twitter: @AnedotesNOLA, like our page on Facebook:FaceBook.com/AnecdotesNOLA, and Subscribe to our YouTube channel:Youtube.com/AnecdotesNOLA.
Do you have a story to tell? Then email us at AnecdotesNOLA@lafilm.net and be a guest on our show!
The show has launched… albeit a day early thanks to a glitch in Facebook! (In actuality, it was probably an operator error, but it’s more fun to blame Facebook.)
Anecdotes is a bi-weekly web program featuring local actors, directors, filmmakers, producers, etc.. who will “Tell us a story, tall tale, bon mot, anecdote..” about something fun and interesting that happened on set, while auditioning, at a screening… you get it! It’s a fun way of getting to know others in the industry and see that they’ve had experiences just like you!
Episode 1 featured the illustrious Johnny Rock, actor, comedian, DJ, voice-over artist, impressionist, floor sweeper… well, you get the picture! He’s terrific in EVERYTHING he does! In this episode, Johnny tells us a few stories about auditioning for a role in “I Love You, Phillip Morris“; meeting Sylvester Stallone; and doing his impressions of Wolfman Jack. It’s a blast! Enjoy the episode down below.
Take the time to follow Anecdotes on Twitter: @AnedotesNOLA, like our page on Facebook: FaceBook.com/AnecdotesNOLA, and Subscribe to our YouTube channel: Youtube.com/AnecdotesNOLA.
Do you have a story to tell? Then email us at AnecdotesNOLA@lafilm.net and be a guest on our show!
Carryspeed.com introduced their VF-3 universal viewfinder less than a year ago. I’ve been looking at getting an LCD viewfinder for a while. I have the SmallHD 4″ EVF and, while it’s a great piece of gear, it’s not quite right, for me, for run and gun shooting. After looking at reviews from around the web, including Cheesycam.com, I came across the VF-3. It seemed to fill the bill, so I ordered one!
When the box arrived, (no open box video here), the viewfinder appeared well made. The viewfinder is made of two parts, the baseplate and the viewfinder itself. The baseplate is made out of solid machined metal and is Arca Swiss designed to attach to most Arca Swiss tripods. It also has a few 1/4-20 threads for mounting other quick release plates. More on this later. The LCD viewfinder attaches to your DSLR camera through the Quick Release baseplate designed with a non-slip, rubberized platform. The 3″ LCD video viewfinder is used to magnify the image on your Live View LCD to achieve more accurate focus, color, and exposure especially in when operating under bright outdoor lighting. It has been designed to fit a variety of cameras with its forward, back, horizontal, and vertical adjustments. The magnifying loupe uses high-quality glass optics with a built in diopter to adjust screen focus. It even comes with a built-in lens cover. A very nice feature for those of us who tend to lose lens caps! The loupe can be easily flipped up when not in use or very quickly removed by simply loosening the nut on the side of the baseplate.
Here’s their product page in case you want to see for yourself!
Now for my experience. The viewfinder is all it says it is. I can view my camera’s LCD quite nicely even when, or especially when, I’m wearing my ever present glasses. Once set in position, the loupe is easily removed or put back in place. The locking nut on the side of the baseplate does a fair job of securing things. You do need to remember to tighten down the locking screw or it can easily fall out and be lost. Another issue is the seal between the loupe and the LCD on the camera. If you remove and replace the loupe too quickly, light can easily leak in. It’s best to take your time (just a few extra seconds) and make sure you have a good seal. My final issue is a bit of a personal one. The baseplate does indeed have three 1/4-20 holes on the bottom, and you can attach other quick release plates to it… but… each of the mounting points is off center. The center mount is taken up by the screw used to mount the viewfinder to the camera. If I then add rails to the system, they’ll be off-center from the lens. Most follow focus units can be adjusted to account for this but if you use a matte box, alignment is critical.
This isn’t a life threatening issue by any stretch of the imagination. It’s just a quirk that irritates me. I like things to work together, even if they’re from different manufacturers. Isn’t that why rails were standardized at 15mm with a 60mm span? I think if I mount an Arca Swiss designed QR plate to the bottom of the baseplate, I can adjust the offset enough to make it work. Don’t quote me though, I haven’t tried it yet! I contacted the guys at Carry Speed and they said they are working on the problem and may have a solution for their 2nd version of the viewfinder. We shall see.
All things considered, the Carry Speed VF-3 viewfinder works just fine for me. It’s light enough for a long shooting day and is easily and quickly removed for taking stills. The light leaks and loose screws are annoying but the annoyances can be mitigated by simply taking your time and being careful. This also goes for a lot of things in your kit! The off-center mounting holes are more annoying to me. I wanted to use the VF-3 with my new Edelkrone Pocket Rig. I believe these would be a great match, however the off-center mount kind of makes things “iffy”. I post a review of that a little later on. Let me play with it a bit first!
I just attended, if you can call it that sitting in front of my computer, the launch on Facebook of the new slider, the Edelkrone Slider PLUS+. The event was called “The Slider Reinvented”. Now, I ask you, how much more can we reinvent a slider? Ball bearings? We have that. Friction runners? We have that. Expandable? We have that. Edelkrone, a company out of Turkey, has actually come up with a portable slider solution that does something extraordinary!
So what’s the big deal? The Slider PLUS+ fits in a backpack but also has a 2 foot reach for slides. The slider itself is only about 12”-15” or so in length. Wait… if it’s so small, how can it span 2 feet? The slider is unique in that the rails it slides on actually move in relation to the camera, effectively doubling the length of the slide. Don’t believe me? Take a look at their teaser video here: https://vimeo.com/55437050
Here is what they’ve posted on their slider page:
“FINALLY A 2 FEET PROFESSIONAL SLIDER THAT FITS IN YOUR BACKPACK.
Another first from, edelkrone.
Ultra Portable
Slider Plus is the only 2 feet slider in the world that you can fit in your backpack.
Lightweight
Thanks to Slider Pluses unique design it uses only half the amount of rails to achieve the extra long distances it goes. So you carry half the weight you would normally carry around.
Practical Setup.
It is compact! So you manage the setup much easily.
Smooth Start and Stop
Slider plus moves as a whole. So more mass travels when you operate the slider. This gives smoother and very natural starts and stops compared to the regular slider designs.
Ready for the motorized motion control unit.
Slider Plus has a port on its side to attach the “motorized motion control module”. It is convenient for repeating the same shot or time lapse projects.
Longer dolly-in/out range
When shooting dolly-in/out style, slider plus gives double the range compared the regular slider designs. When you pull the camera back the rails also retracts and they don’t interfere with the shots.
Amazing built quality with 1st grade materials
Slider plus has 22 roll bearings in its design. The rails are military grade chrome coated steel. Since itis gonna be with you all the time, it is designed and built to LAST.
Works both on tripods and on ground
Thanks to the 4 height adjustable knobs under the slider plus it works on ground too. Slider Plus delivers 2 ft travel on tripod and 1 ft travel on ground.
Quick Drag Adjustment and Locking
Quickly and conveniently adjust the amount of drag you want for better speed control. Or lock completely in any position with a flick of a knob.”
Now, I do have some issues with the slider as we have only seen what they’ve posted on their website. How well does it actually work? The video shows it mounted on a tripod. As it reaches the end of the slide, will it be off balance? What kind of weight limit does it have? It looks like it is also solid machined metal, good for strength, but not for weight itself. I’m just wondering how it will work in the real world. I don’t see it competing with time lapse sliders like Kessler Crane, DitoGear, or Dynamic Perception, but I do see it being more useful for live video slides, weddings, run & gun situations and the rest. I’d love to get a Slider PLUS+ to test. (HINT HINT, Edelkrone!)
All in all, looking at the latest offering in sliders, I’d say Edelkrone has scored! How big? We’ll find out soon enough. The slider itself is selling right now for $499.00 US and will tentatively ship in January. Can you find less expensive and more expensive slider options out there? Yes, you can. Edlekrone’s Slider PLUS+ seems to fall into the middle, price wise which makes it affordable to almost any filmmaker’s budget. Check it out at: http://www.edelkrone.com/e-store/83-slider-plus-8680177980323.html
FADE IN
EXT. SIDEWALK – DAY
Stranger
Hey you!
Me
Who… me?
Stranger
Yeah, you… What’s the big deal?
Me
Uh… what deal?
Stranger
(angrily)
You know!
Me
(the lightbulb comes on)
Oh!! Well, you see, it starts like this…
FADE OUT
No, seriously, what is The Big Deal?
The Big Deal is a short story written by Jamie Brindle. You can read the story here: www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/BigDeal.shtml It’s listed as Fiction (of course), Humor, and SciFi. All of which simply intrigues me! After I read the story over a year ago, I got to thinking… what if this were a short film? I contacted Mr. Brindle, who lives in England, and asked permission to use his story. To my amazement, he said YES… on a few conditions (to be listed later). He told me that more than a few filmmakers have approached him to make his story into a short film, but to date (myself included) nothing has gone further than that!
I reread his story and cogitated the way most writers do, then, also like a lot of writers, it slipped from my mind and lay dormant. This Thanksgiving, I was sitting on a beach in Alabama, having a nice strong cocktail (it was after 9 AM, so I was allowed), and staring at the pure glassy gulf. No clouds, blue sky, just the hint of a breeze, and it struck me. THIS is where Quince’s office should be! This is what the “space” looks like! (Read the story to find out what I’m blathering about!)
I had previously thought about this short being shot on some sort of white infinity stage, but the logistics would have been too much for me at this stage. I let the idea of that far horizon blending into the glassy sea sit and stew awhile in my brain. Going inside, I played with the interwebs a while just surfing with no purpose all the while simply thinking of the story. Then I came across some older animations by a lovely fellow named Bill Plympton. You’ve probably seen his “Plymptoons”. If not, go to YouTube and do a quick search. You’ll find them! But what, you ask, has that got to do with things? What’s the big deal?
Just wait young grasshopper… all will be revealed!
So, where am I now? I am in the middle of turning the short story into a script. I’m planning on taking my time with it, to get it right, but I also plan on having script lock prior to Mardi Gras at the latest and New Year’s at the earliest. I’ve got other projects and the daily grind to attend to, so that puts a crimp in things! After script lock, I’ll be looking at the rest of Pre-Pro and figuring out how I’m going to do this. Plenty of ideas are rambling through this skull of mine… but keep Plymptoons at the forefront!
More to Follow!
48 Hour Film Project Waiver and Release Form(For All Cast and Crew)
1. For good and valuable consideration the receipt and adequacy of which is hereby acknowledged, I agree to participate in and in connection with a motion picture (“Film”) being produced by _________________________ (“Filmmaker”)as part of the 48 Hour Film Project for __________________ (City)on or about _____________ (date) (the “Project”), as well as in connection with any “behind the scenes” recordings taped, filmed, recorded and/or otherwise produced by the 48 Hour Film Project, Inc. (“48HFP”) with regard to the “making of” the Project(“Documentary Footage”). For the purposes hereof, the Film and the Documentary Footage including without limitation any portion thereof shall be collectively and separately referred to herein as the “Footage”.
2. I hereby grant to Filmmaker and 48HFP and their respective parents, affiliates,subsidiaries, licensees and assigns: (a) the right (but not the obligation) to film, photograph and otherwise visually and audiovisually record me and to record my voice, conversations,sounds and performances, and any pre-existing materials furnished by me (“Pre-existing Materials”) in and in connection with the Footage; (b) all rights of every kind and character whatsoever (including without limitation copyrights) in and to the results and proceeds of my appearance in the Footage including, without limitation, all film, photographs and video and audio recordings produced by 48HFP and/or Filmmaker in connection therewith (collectively“Recordings”), any and all performances, stories, statements or actions made by me,whether written, spoken, sung, or otherwise uttered or expressed by me, or information given by me, captured on any such Recordings (collectively the “Results and Proceeds”).
3. Filmmaker and 48HFP shall be the exclusive owner(s) of the Footage and the Results and Proceeds giving them the right to, without limitation, in perpetuity throughout the universe, in any and all languages, in any and all media know known or hereafter invented:(a) exhibit, broadcast, use, reproduce and license others to use as they see fit all or any part of the Footage and/or the Results and Proceeds; (b) edit, dub, subtract from, add to or modify the Results and Proceeds in any manner, combine it with any other material and/or incorporate it into other films, projects or programs; and (c) use and license others to use my name, voice, likeness, image, photograph, performance, participation, expressions, personal experiences and biographical material (collectively “Name and Likeness”), in and in connection with the production, distribution, advertising, publicity, promotion, exhibition and other exploitation of the Footage, the Results and Proceeds and/or any portion thereof, and in connection with 48HFP or 48HFP’s products and services, an unlimited number of times,without any obligation of any kind to me whatsoever.
4. I hereby expressly waive any and all so-called “moral rights” or “droits morale” in connection with the Footage, Results and Proceeds, my appearance(s) and my furnishing of any Pre-existing Materials in and in connection with the Footage. My signature hereon subsequent to the production of the Footage and/or the Results and Proceeds shall have the same effect as if I had signed in advance thereof.
5. I represent that my appearance in the Footage (and my furnishing of Pre-existing Materials, if any) will not to the best of my knowledge (i.e., what I know or should know after the exercise of reasonable prudence) infringe upon the rights of any third party. I represent and warrant that I have all rights and authority to enter into this Waiver and Release(“Release”) and to grant the rights granted herein. No other authorization is necessary to enable Filmmaker and/or 48HFP use my Name and Likeness, the Results and Proceeds and/or the Pre-existing Materials (if any), for the purposes herein contemplated. I hereby waive any right of inspection or approval of the Results and Proceeds, the Footage, my Name and Likeness and/or the uses to which such Results and Proceeds, the Footage and/or my Name and Likeness may be put.
6. As used in this Release: (a) the term “Releasing Parties” means and refers to each of me, my heirs, next of kin, spouse, spousal equivalent, guardians, legal representatives,executors, administrators, successors and assigns; and (b) the term “Released Parties”means and refers to Filmmaker and 48HFP and each and all of their respective parents,subsidiaries, related and affiliated companies, licensees, sponsors, successors and assigns,and the directors, officers, employees, agents, contractors, partners, shareholders,representatives and members of each of the foregoing entities.
7. I voluntarily assume any and all risks, known or unknown, associated with my participation in the Project and actions and undertakings in connection with the Project and the Footage (collectively “my Participation”). I acknowledge that my Participation may present certain risks to me, and I hereby assume any and all risks associated therewith,including, without limitation, the risk of physical or mental or emotional injury, minor and/or severe bodily harm, and/or illness, which arise by any means, including, without limitation:acts, omissions, recommendations or advice given by Filmmaker and/or 48HFP or their agents, employees, or other persons or entities affiliated with the Project; participation in inherently dangerous activities, latent or apparent defects or conditions in any equipment used in the Project; weather or other natural conditions; human error; my physical and mental condition; my own acts or omissions; first-aid, emergency treatment or other services rendered to me or others. Notwithstanding the foregoing, I hereby agree to voluntarily accept and assume any and all such risks as well as any risks not mentioned herein that are in any way associated with my Participation and the subsequent or simultaneous exhibition or other exploitation or dissemination of the Footage, the Results and Proceeds and/or any portion thereof in perpetuity throughout the universe in any and all media, whether now known of hereafter invented (“Exhibition”).
8. I and the other Releasing Parties hereby voluntarily and knowingly, release, discharge and relinquish any and all claims, actions and lawsuits of any kind against the Released Parties related to or arising from my Participation, including, without limitation, travel to and from any location used in connection with the Project, the making, taping, production, use,editing, distribution, licensing, promoting, and/or Exhibition of the Footage, the Results and Proceeds and/or any portion thereof, including, without limitation, any claims, actions or lawsuits for wrongful death, negligence and/or other fault, either active or passive, personal injury, wrongful death, defamation, false light, violation of right of publicity, invasion of privacy, disclosure of embarrassing private facts, fraud, breach of contract, infringement of copyright, and negligent or intentional infliction of emotional distress.
9. I acknowledge that I may hereafter discover claims in addition to the ones released in this document, and I and the other Releasing Parties hereby release the Released Parties from any such unknown and/or unsuspected claims. I and the other Releasing Parties acknowledge and agree that this waiver is an essential and material term of this Release,and without such waiver neither Filmmaker nor 48HFP would have accepted my participation in the Project. I and the other Releasing Parties hereby represent that we have been advised by legal counsel or have been given ample opportunity to be so advised and understand and acknowledge the significance and consequence of this Release and of this specific waiver.
10. The validity, interpretation and legal effect of this Release and any other agreements into which I may enter or documents I may execute in connection with the Project shall be governed by the laws of the District of Columbia applicable to agreements executed and fully performed within the District of Columbia, without regard to its conflicts of law provisions.Should any provision hereof be found invalid, in whole or in part, it shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other provision hereof or of that provision insofar as it is not invalid or unenforceable. Any waiver of any term of this Release in a particular instance shall not be a waiver of such term for the future.
11. This Release shall bind and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors, assigns, heirs, legal representatives, administrators, executors, and guardians. I represent that I am at least 18 years of age, and that if I under 18 my parent or legal guardian has signed below.
12. I acknowledge that 48HFP and Filmmaker will rely on the waivers, releases and permissions granted herein potentially, at substantial cost to 48HFP and/or Filmmaker and hereby agree not to assert any claim of any nature whatsoever against anyone relating to the exercise of the permissions granted hereunder.
48 hours. One line, character, prop, and genre. One group of people who need to form a team.
Two days later, hopefully, a finished film.
This year is the fourth year I’ve participated in the 48 Hour Film Project (48HFP). It’s also the first year I wasn’t a team leader! Lisa Mackel Smith, a wonderful actress I met last year while shooting “Marshall for Senate” for the 2011 48HFP took the lead this year and started the Lower Depths Productions team.
Before we get too deep into the story, understand that I’m writing this from my own perspective as a member of the team. Any miscalculation, misspeaking, or misnomers are mine and mine alone!
The preps for the 48 this year included meeting team members I’ve never met before such as N Harold Gervais, Nijme Rinaldi Nun, Rodney Patreikis, Jaime Choina, and others. We looked at various locations and settled on a pretty neat house in Chalmette, LA. The house itself still showed the scars of Katrina but the extra long living space cried out; “Shoot me! (with film, of course!)”. The large property was ringed by a wooden fence, was well placed away from any major traffic, and had a pretty neat in-ground pool! We had visions of the entire film being shot there. Bodies in skimpy bathing attire, wet flesh, inuendo, more… I’ll stop now… gotta take a breather…
We got together as a team a few times and talked over various scenarios depending on the genre we pulled from the hat. These gatherings were more of a team building exercise as anything substantial we might have come up with would be contrary to the spirit of the competition. We thought about a helluva lot of “pie in the sky” ideas during these gatherings from renting scuba gear, underwater cameras and lighting gear, to a car rig for traveling car shots. In reality, we were going to use what we had and not count on any “pie in the sky” solutions.
Friday, August 10, 2012 came quickly. Lisa, Harold, Rodney and I showed at the Big Top 3 Ring Circus near St. Charles Avenue. Alexander Garcia, the New Orleans 48HFP producer, did his job and kept us waiting after 6PM just to make it interesting. (Way to go, Alex!) Around 6:30, with all the teams checked in, he called the teams up to pull their genre. Lower Depths was third to pull. Lisa walked up and stuck her hand into the hat. We had previously discussed the genres and decided that we could accept anything except Western/Musical. Lisa pulled her hand out of the hat and produced: COMEDY! I was happy! We could do something with that! The only thing was we had not discussed that genre previously. Some of our team were praying for and focusing on the horror genre, but we got comedy, my first time with comedy… would we be funny enough?
We waited around until 7PM rolled nearer and Alex announced the other required elements: Character – Keith or Karen Flippen, a musician; Line of Dialogue – “There’s only one way to know for sure..”; and the prop – a ring.. a physical object not a sound effect.
And they’re off! The teams evacuated the Big Top like it was full of Limburger cheese and headed off to write their scripts. I drove alone to the location thinking of all the scenarios we could use. The pool actually was out of the equation because the Saturday weather forecast called for rain most of the day. We would have to shoot indoors for the most part. One of our team wanted to begin shooting as soon as possible… maybe 10PM or 11PM Friday night… I’ll tell y’all now… I’m not comfortable shooting without a script or even a complete idea! We all decided to nix that idea and got down to writing the script… after eating some delicious chinese food!
One major issue we encountered early on was a lack of positive communication. We had come up with our concept, the writers were sequestered to complete a script, so Jaime and myself left to pick up props and set decoration. When we returned to the location the house was dark and the doors were locked. Our writers had a connection for some cool props and left to pick them up for the morning shoot. They returned within the hour and everything got back on track.
The script itself was written by 3:30 Saturday morning and call time for cast and crew was 7AM. I actually had the luxury of a 2 hour nap before production actually began. It wasn’t very restful because my mind would relax enough to let me nap! I was thinking of the shots we needed, the lighting requirements and above all, the 48 hour time frame!
Time remaining: 36 hours —
The additional crew arrived including my son Rob Krieger and his friend David Commander. Let me tell you, those to were the best help I could have hoped for! I informed them of the first shot and they got the camera, dolly and crane ready to go while I tried to figure out the rest of the shots. I also have to give a shout out to my wife Tracy, Jaime, Nijme, Rachel Whitman Groves, and others for their help in dressing the set!
Time remaining: 32 hours —
Still waiting for the first shot. The script is being rewritten and I’m waiting to see how it will go. After a few more tense minutes we’re finally we’re ready to shoot. The rest of the afternoon is a blur. There were tense moments when personalities conflicted, angry words fired back and forth across the room, and, tongues bitten, we continued to shoot though the complete script continued to elude us.
There were a few gems throughout the day, however. We thought of a great bit to add to the film that required the use of a condom. Lisa was to place one into her bra and have it prominently featured throughout the rest of the film. We had none, however. She did ask loudly to the assembled cast and crew if anyone had one we could use and… one was offered… by her son… who played her son in the film. Nope, not awkward at all… not at all.
We continued shooting until around 9PM Saturday night and then wrapped. There were questions about additional shots to raise the production value of the film, but general consensus was that we had what we needed. I needed to get back across the lake , an hour away, to begin editing. We had about an hour of footage and audio to conform and cut down to less than 7 minutes. We packed up the gear and headed out, stopping once to refuel with energy drinks.
Time Remaining: 20 hours —
The footage was uploaded to Aragorn, the new editing workstation, and readied for syncing since the audio and video were recorded separately. There was one small problem… Synchroneyes was installed on the other machine! It was too late to figure out how to transfer to the new machine, so I had to sync manually. Never do that if you can at all help it! Especially when you are very tired!
After syncing, I decided to get an hour or two of sleep. It ended up that I got 45 minutes of uninterrupted bliss prior to resuming the edit.
Time Remaining: 11 hours —
Lisa arrives to give her input on the edit. Rob and David spent the night there and woke to lend their input as well. What evolved was a breakfast coffee klatch and the edit was forgotten. I was quite enjoying it until I turned around and realized… dang it! I’m wasting time! Continuing to edit I realized that we didn’t shoot a number of transitional scenes and shots… dang it! Looking at the clock I realized I didn’t have a lot of time left… dang it!
Time Remaining: 4 hours —
We finished editing and, to paraphrase Dudley Moore as Arthur, it didn’t suck. The story worked from beginning to end and, above all, got laughs in the right places! We copied, slowly, the file over to a flash drive and, handing it to Lisa, wished her well on her way to turn in our completed film! She still had to drive the hour back across the lake to turn in the flash drive and all the paper work.
Time Remaining: 2 hours —
I get a call from Lisa and a tweet from the 48HFP people. They’ve accepted the finished film and, as Lisa told me, we were the 2nd group overall to turn in! And it’s time to relax. The 48 second trailer would have to wait until Monday. My bed was calling my name!
Participating in the 48HFP is the challenge it is designed to be. You have 2 days to write, shoot, and edit a 4-7 minute short film, with all the required elements… and make it work! Big issues are not the gear you use, or the location, or even the story and required elements. The biggest “make or break” item is your team. Make sure you can work together. Make sure everyone knows that they are an integral part of the cast or crew but that no one is indispensable. I realize it’s a hackneyed phrase, but it’s quite important for a successful 48; there is no “I” in “Team”. Learn it, live it, love it!
If you get a chance to participate next year, I do highly recommend it. It’s a wonderful learning experience and you will get an opportunity to meet new people with the same passions and drive as you. Can you do it? There’s only one way to know for sure! <– THE LINE!
The premiere was last week and we received a lot of applause and laughter. We also got a lot of positive comments about our little film. With the awards ceremony is a little over a week away, I’m actually feeling good about our chances! I’ll post again once I know. Wish us luck!
Sweet Edit Suite
OK, folks, for those who are following this blog, I’ve finally gotten the most important pieces in place. I’m still waiting for some new furniture to arrive to finish the edit suite, but that’s another story. I received and installed Adobe Production Premium CS6. All other bits and bobs are installed and working fantastically! I needed to see how things worked with the new software and how rendering was improved, if at all.
My first course of action was to work with After Effects and see if the nVidia GTX 680 Kepler-based GPU helped out like I’ve read in the blogs. I created a simple comp 1080×1920 resolution. It contained a simple bit of stock footage video with a text layer on top. The text had 3D ray-traced extrusion with a light on top and a bit of a wiggle added. I thought this would be a simple animation, just a bit over 8 seconds long. The initial render was at the comp’s resolution of 1080p to an AVI. The render took a little over 27 minutes. Something smells in Denmark… I took a look online and found that Kepler support was enabled for AE version 11.0.1… and I wasn’t running that! A quick update of all Adobe products and then restart and re-render. No settings changed. This time the render took a little over 3 minutes. Much, much better! These are just my results, your mileage may vary. In any event… I’m slightly pleased…
Now for Premiere… I uploaded an older project and trimmed it to a little over 9 minutes. I will be participating again this year in the 48 Hour Film Project in New Orleans (I love that competition!) and wanted to guesstimate my rendering times so my team, Lower Depths Productions, can better organize the 48 hour time frame from concept to screen. Just so y’all know, the project was a DSLR AVCHD file based project with a moderate amount of clips and transitions. I wanted to render out to full HD; the same 1080p. On Gandalf, the older machine, a 9 minute H.264 render for Vimeo HD took about 27 minutes.
My results on Aragorn are as follows:
- H.264 Vimeo HD preset 1080p 29.97: ~12 minutes to render. The resulting file played back flawlessly.
- Quicktime DVCProHD preset 1080p 29.97: ~10 minutes to render. No playback because the PC does not support DVCPro playback! (Darn!)
- Quicktime YUV 8-bit preset 1080p 29.97: ~12 minutes to render. The file played back wonderfully.
As with anything, I’ll say it again: Your results may (will) vary! I will go ahead and double my estimate and say I’ll need 30 minutes to burn the file and copy to disk. That “should” give me a little wiggle room if/when time becomes an issue!
Aragorn Final Specs:
- Thermaltake MK-1 chaser case
- ASUS P9X79Pro motherboard
- Intel i7-3930 CPU @ 3.2Ghz
- 32GB RAM
- Win 7 Pro
- System Drive: Crucial 256GB SSD
- Video RAID: 2 x 2TB Seagate 7200RPM SATA III drives
- CD/DVD burner with Lightscribe
- Blu-Ray burner
- Media Reader (SD/xD/CF/Memory Stick/etc.)
- eVGA nVidia GTX680 GPU
- 3 x Asus 22″ 1920×1080 monitors
- Insignia 39″ HD 1920×1080 monitor for playback & review
That about covers it, class. Any questions?
