We've Been Featured!

Noah Metzger, a good friend of ours, has started a website called Christian Film Central.  If you haven't come here by that link, click on over and read his post, then stick around for news, reviews, and other Christian Filmmaking stuff!

Broadening Horizons

You may have noticed a new widget on the lower right hand side of the blog.  Jordy has decided to take the leap and (go ahead and laugh) try internet writing for profit.  Having signed up for a website called Hubpages, Jordy is attempting to write one random article a day (except on weekends).
If you want to follow him, here's a link to his profile.
Yesterday he posted the third article in a series on coffee.
Follow this link to sign up.
So if you've been wondering what we've been up to, wonder no more.  We've still got movies in the works though, so don't worry, we'll have something out soon!

Replacing Unusable Audio

     The worst has happened; your audio technician has made some mistake or maybe, like us, you don't have a large enough crew for a dedicated audio technician.  Either way the damage is done and the audio for today's filming is completely unusable.  However, rather than going for the surreal, dream-like feel to that scene, there is an alternative.
     In cases without dialogue (Such as our short film Tea and Toast, where the audio was entirely useless
due to camera directions, kitchen timers and a T.V. playing in the other room.) your problem can be easily solved.  What Jacob and I did, upon realizing that the audio needed replaced, was the old fashioned "find-something-that-sounds-like-what-you're-looking-at-and-record-it" technique used in animated films.  We were lucky that the sounds we needed were readily found be duplicating the actions in the film, this time making sure there was a functioning microphone on hand.  It did feel a little strange to be carrying toasters, spoons, glasses of water, and plastic bags into our studio, but it got the job done.

Year of the DRAGON

It was April 8, 2013 - A collective sigh of relief, followed by a cheer of excitement rang through the Internet.  Did you hear it?  RED announced that their newest upgrade to their modular "obsolescence obsolete" cameras, the DRAGON sensor was finished.

Quick Facts:

1. 6K (new Dragon sensor) is 2.2x 4K in number of pixels.
2. 6K has 45% more pixels than 5K.
3. 6K has over 10x the number of pixels than 1080P.
4. 6k (6144 x 3160) has more resolution than a Canon 5D MK III.
5. Pixels are good. Down-rezzing is good. Dynamic range is good.
6. The cleaner the sensor the more you can compress in REDCODE RAW. Dragon has less than half the noise of Mysterium-X.
7. Obsolescence Obsolete is good.
Just a few facts to chew on.

Eastwest Quantum Leap Virtual Instruments - SALE!

The software Jacob and I use to write music for our films is Eastwest Quantum Leap's Virtual Instruments, a sample library that uses prerecorded sounds of real instruments replayed in such a way as to mimic the instrument playing the notes you ask for.  We've used this software on Tea and Toast, Light Reading, and I have already done a few mock-ups of ideas for our next short.

Currently, the system is on sale, most instrument packs being 50% off, and the Complete Composers Collection is still being offered.  This second option is the one Jacob and I went with, it gave us all the instruments we needed to write our own soundtrack for $1000, and that includes the price of upgrading each instrument to the highest level of quality they offered.

If anyone wants to get this software and start writing their own music, or already has it and is thinking of expanding their collection, now is a good time with the Hollywood Brass and Hollywood Strings sets on sale as well.