aksdjfa;lsdf

My camera and speakers came in today. Definitely digging on it. Camera works great. Speakers sound nice. I am pleased.

I went and checked out some equipment from school today. We're going to shoot 2 interviews this weekend and I we want to get a good bit more B-Roll. I'm planning on shooting Natosha tomorrow. She is 28, just got married, just got pregnant, bartender/real estate agent. She just quit bartending because of her pregnancy. Really cool girl. She worked at Slick & Red's. After we got our footage captured, we decided that, for one, we needed to even out our girl:guy ratio, and secondly, we felt like we needed a fairly accomplished, motived older woman. (Not that 28 is old..) I think she will do the trick.

Elaine is trying to set up an interview with a girl she knows for this weekend as well. She's around 23, recently graduated, good job, still parties pretty hard....I believe that's the jist of her. I've never met her, so we'll see.

We're meeting with Dave for the first time next week. We're going to give him the DVDs we showed in class as a representation of our footage...just so he has an idea of what we're working with. We basically have a gameplan for the edit. Even while we were putting the DVDs together for class, the clips were fairly easy to flow together. We've never put all our media together at once, so I think that will definitely change the pace a little bit...inserting in B-Roll during interviews, etc. We've been brainstorming on what we can do to tie all the clips together. I want to have re-occuring themes and motifs and the like through-out the film. For instance, with the "My Generation" idea, it could re-appear at different points during the film and act as segways through the different sequences. I don't know that we will go with that, in particular, but I want something like it.

I just keep thinking over things that I know how to do in editing to really bring it to life. I have experience with found footage, shooting super 8, stop-motion animation, 16 mm film manipulation, as well as the ability to go shoot whatever I need to on DV. I just haven't thought of anything really good yet. However, I'm sure that when we actually start putting things together in the timeline, ideas will start popping out.

updates and exciting news

Lots of good news to report on...

The semester has started and my classes seem to be going alright. I have a lifeguarding class that may prove to be a bit much, but I just need to pass it. I hate it when one-hour courses seem like six-hour courses. Besides that, though, all should be good. I have two 3-hour Theatre classes. One will basically involve a lot of note-taking during lectures and a research paper. The other is very dependent on building play sets. Should be cool. Nothing too crazy. Besides those three classes, I have my FST DIS to edit this doc and a 3-hour THR DIS, in which I will be working on sound design for a couple of plays this semester. 13 hours till graduation. Very do-able.

Our edit has made some progress. Well, I shouldn't say edit, because we really haven't edited anything, but the footage is nearly captured. 12 tapes. It's taken a while, but I figure we're well ahead of schedule considering where I was supposed to be at with my footage last semester for Advanced Editing. All the software has been working fine. Nothing too terrible to speak of. I'm so glad to be out of the editing lab. Jesus Christ, that place is horrible. Elaine told me that there will be a new computer lab for Fall 07. Thank God. I was wondering how long it would take before it got a (much needed) over-haul. But, yeah, it's really nice being able to work from my house. I can sit around and watch playoff football and have a beer and when I get bored (or it's half-time), I can go get some work done. I think that having a workstation at my home will allow me to be a lot less stressed out about the project. I don't have to schedule lab times. I don't have to work around a class-lab schedule. I don't have to worry about people using a computer I need. I don't have to worry about the equipment crapping out on me. It's a really nice thing.

While I'm on topic of my little work-at-home studio I'm building...I'm taking major steps in getting organized and becoming professional. I got a hand 3-compartment storage tower thing for all my cds, manuals, wires, electronics, etc. That little thing keeps my work station from looking crazy and out of control. Gives me a peace of mind. Haha. My equipment list is also coming into it's own. In the last week I have made some major upgrades. I got my graphics card.

I installed FCP + the other programs that came with Final Cut Studio. I purchased an Shure SM-57 Studio mic.

I bought some new speakers (albeit not the best quality...they're better than what I have...)

and....and.....and....AND.....I bought a camera! I am so pumped. I had been stalking cameras on eBay for the last month or so and I finally commited and got me one. It was some-what of a bitter-sweet purchase, though. I had been watching this auction that had the Canon XL-1 camera, but it also included a bunch of extras (wireless mic setup, studio mic, 3-point light kit w/ stands, a tripod, XLR adapters...the works), but I forgot to bid on it before it ended and it slipped through my fingers. It pissed me off because it went for a lot lower than I thought it would. After that, I was pretty set on finding a camera and buying it. Tired of waiting. So I found one at a reasonable price and bought that sucka.

It's a Canon XL-1 and it comes with the XLR adapter, a nice bag, shoulder strap, and 3 batteries. Pretty basic and I still need more stuff (like the wireless mic setup, boom mic, light kit, tripod, etc.), but I am quite pleased that I have this piece of the puzzle.

So now to the edit...I think Elaine and I are going to meet up tomorrow and really do some thinking about the direction we want this thing to go. We have a lot of footage, but I think we both agree that some supplemental B-Roll and possibly other stylistically pertinent footage needs to be shot. I don't intend to shoot 12 more tapes of footage, but I'm pretty sure some supplemental media is going to be required to achieve the desired final product. I'm very optimistic about how it will all shake-out. We have a ton of good footage. We just have to figure out how we want to piece it together.

We've been kicking around the idea of motifs and themes. That's what we really need to figure out, I guess. What do we really want to say with this film and how is it going to be structured. After we are able to determine that, it's just a matter of putting the pieces into place.

lets get crackin!

It's finally starting to come together. I got my new graphics card in the mail yesterday and subsequently installed it and Final Cut Pro Studio (which includes Final Cut Pro, Motion 2, Soundtrack Pro, and DVD Studio Pro). All the programs work and look really cool. I'm super anxious to get started. Elaine is going to bring over our tapes tomorrow and we're gonna get cracking on logging and capturing (AGAIN!).

With the addition of the other programs that came with FCP Studio, we should be able to add some really cool stuff into the edit. Motion looks really awesome. I've never worked with it before, but I am definitely eager to get my feet wet. I have plenty of manuals and tutorials to go through... It should add a new visual dimension to our film...effects and so on. Soundtrack Pro will be plenty helpful as well. With that program, we'll be able to do a pretty decent sound mix without using ProTools. I've already seen some of the neat stuff it can do. For example, it automatically finds pops and impurities in audio tracks and removes them without messing up the other audio. Hells yes. DVD Studio Pro, while not necessarily pertinent to this project, looks really excellent as well. Loads more options than iDVD, for sure.

Anyhow...I'm really pumped to get started. The DIS finally went through. The equipment is here. I talked to Dave and that is all gravy. Woot!

On a different note, Lexi and Aaron came by the bar last night to check it out for the microcinema thang, but I ended up not even talking to them. D'oh! I was enthralled in a Dallas playoff game that was pretty intense and in my intensity, I completely forgot about them. Very shitty on my part. Hopefully, we can talk about it another time, though....when my emotions aren't running so high (and I haven't been drinking). At least they got to see the bar, though....so they have at least an idea of what the possibilities are.

the new year brings promise

Happy New Year! Hooray! Hoorah! I didn't go too hard on New Year's Eve, as I caught some kind of bug that put a damper on my spirits. I think I celebrated enough Friday night, though...Long-story short: Went to Raleigh to see the Hurricanes game...got fucked up...got robbed to the tune of $170...bleh. Good time, but had some bad stuff go on too. That's all over and done with, though, and I'm looking forward to a brand new year full of exciting possibilites and new directions in my life.

I just purchased the graphics card I need to run Final Cut Pro. I got it off of Ebay and it should be here within the next week. God-willing, that will all be up and running when classes start, so our editing can flow smoothly. My schedule for next semester is kind of eratic. I have two 3-hour theatre course (stagecraft, and western theatre history), a 1-hour lifeguarding course, and two 3-hour DIS courses; one for the editing of this project, and one to finish out my theatre major. Neither of those DIS courses have come up on my schedule yet, which has me kind of worried, but I did all the paperwork and turned everything in, so it should all come through...again, God-willing. Anyhow, the point is, I should have a good bit of free time to work on the edit (and also some re-shooting).

Equipment Update: I got a 250 gb hard-drive for Christmas to go with the 160 gbs on my computer already, so I should be all set with space. Elaine also got a 250 gb hard-drive, so I believe that should be well taken care of. Word. As I stated earlier, I just purchased my graphics card needed to run FCP (ATI Radeon 9800 Pro). My next purchase is a camera. I've set my sights on a Canon XL-1. I've scowered Ebay and found that the going rate is about $1,500 for just the camera. However, I have seen a lot of auctions for the camera + extra accessories (microphones, tripods, lenses, filters, etc.). It would be pretty dope to pick up some of the stuff that I'm going to want anyways when I get the camera. I can also get a better deal by combining stuff like that. Anyhow, that purchase will be forth-coming within the next month. I also need to get Microsoft Office for Mac. As cool as Macs are, I still need the universal applications of Word, Excel, Powerpoint, etc. Whateva. It's all coming together. I'll be set soon enough.

christmas aspirations

So I decided tonight while driving home from work that I want to continue with this blog on into post-production. It has proved useful during pre-production and through production...helping me come up with ideas and just, I guess, expanding on thoughts and documenting them. I figure the same will stay the case during the post-production process. Besides, I had to keep a journal for advanced editing and that was helpful...It makes sense.

(Side-note: I'm experiencing crazy technology overload right now. I've got my mp3 player going, IMs are buzzing around, and I'm trying to think and write....it's weird. Technology is the deal, but it gets to be a little much sometimes.)

I was thinking really ambitiously on the way home about the edit. Elaine and I had briefly talked about using The Who song, "My Generation" in the film. I brought up copyright infringement...but I think it could be done if the song was covered or sang by someone else...like if a local band did a cover of it. I think that we could get away with it, then. Anyways...assuming we could do that....you could have that song be a reoccuring thing in the movie. You could shoot the band doing the song (possibly a chance to shoot a music video!) and then use pieces here and there as a motif through-out the film. I think that would add a little fun to it, because, while I think our movie is serious and pertinent and soonandsoforth, I don't want the tone to become overly...serious.

As it turns out, I was listening to The Who on my way home from work. "My Generation" came on and all this stuff popped in my head. I was just visualizing how cool it might be if the film started out with a band in a front yard (ala Pete and Pete) playing this song and then it cuts to B-Roll of a really cool shot of one our participants doing some sort of B-Roll with the voice over of their introduction or whatever playing under it. I think you could really stylize it and make it pretty...cool. Haha.

I was also having thoughts about catching up with our participants after a little time has passed. It's not a lot of time and I don't think you would have to do this with all the participants, but I think it might cool (in certain cases) to see where things are at in their lives. For example, Jeff will be that much closer to finishing school. He has his grades from last semester. His relationship is turning into long-term. Etc. They might prove to be intresting juxtapositions. Another example: Jeremy stated in his first interview that he was not selling drugs. How powerful would it be if we could cut from that to Jeremy, 2 months later, selling drugs. Eh? Eh?

Of course, that takes more effort in post. Re-interviewing. More B-Roll. More shooting. It might be a little ambitious to have it finished by the end of Spring semester. However, I feel like if we dive right in and get going and keep going, we can get 'r done.

Equipment Update: Gen bought me a 250 gb external hard-drive for Christmas. That means I have 347 gb of hard-drive space, total. That should be enough. I think I'll be getting some more film stuff for Christmas too. At least, I'm hoping. I asked for all grades of shit: mics, headphones, xlr cables, boom pole, accessories, etc. If I don't get that stuff, I hope I just get money and I'll spend it on equipment. I've got to get a graphics card. I have my eye on the Radeon 9800 pro. $150+ on eBay. Bleh. I have to have that to run Final Cut on my computer. There is also the issue of a deck. My handycam will connect to the computer and that should be fine, but I would rest a lot easier if it was a little more secure. Decks are mad expensive. No room in the budget right now for that.

Anyhow, I'm excited to get back in action with the project. I'm optimistic about how everything will end up. It's late. 4:06 am. I have to take Gen to the airport at 5:30. There is no point for me to sleep. And so I won't. But I'm done typing.

closing up shop

So I suppose the semester is coming to an end. We are officially done shooting (at least for this class' purposes). I'm actually in the editing lab right now capturing footage to put onto tapes. By trimming a lot of the fluff out of our footage (meaning the times where nothing is going on, adjustments are being made, etc.), I think we will be able to fit a bunch of good stuff onto six tapes. We'll see. I'm working on all the B-Roll stuff and Elaine is doing the interviews. God bless hard-drives. I'll tell you what...If we didn't have a hard-drive, we would be up Shit Creek. There is hardly any space left on these computers at all. I know Stephanie and Ashli had to go buy a hard-drive just to get their stuff on a computer. Bollocks!

Anyhow, yeah. We're coming towards the finish line. Getting our little package together...which is actually turning into quite a big package. Whoever gets this in advanced editing next year should be pretty set.

stufffff

After my latest rant about equipment, I was pleasantly surprised today when I checked my email and found the Tony had OK'd my checking out of equipment over Thanksgiving. I was even more pleased when I went to pick everything up and discovered that I would be able to get a camera, as well. (I didn't request one because I thought it might help my chances of getting the other stuff.) That means I don't have to borrow one from my friend. Hooray! With that being said, I've done some scheduling for Thanksgiving break. I'm going to do one more interview with this guy named Jeremy. He should be a very different perspective. Not in college. Never went. Lives in a trailer. Cleans carpet. Pretty much lives to get drunk and high. He's a good guy and I know he has goals, but it will still be a different perspective than our other interviews. So, I have him Wednesday. I am also going to film open mic night at Slick & Red's Wednesday night. Jeff runs that and I can get some good stuff of him playing and interacting on-stage. I can also get footage of Kurt bartending (for real). I have a B-Roll session for Talia and Casey set up for Saturday afternoon, as well. Not sure what they'll be doing...I'll have to think about that one a little more. I'd also like to get some stuff of Jeff with his girlfriend Saturday during the day. Maybe holding hands and walking downtown or in the park....something that does not involve drinking. Also planned for Saturday is the weekly beer pong tournament at Slick & Red's. This event will afford us B-Roll of Kurt, Jeff, Jeremy, Drew, and Noodle, as well as some shots of Natosha bartending....whom I also might be getting an interview with. So, yeah, production rolls on.

As well as getting more footage this week, I am going to be hitting the lab to start work on our next screening as well as getting stuff together for our final turned in tapes. So I guess everything is winding down. At least for the class. This project will keep moving forward till May, but as for now, it will come to a close for this chapter. Word.