Do It Yourself Sound, New Composer on Film

It seems that I had another change of plans for my short film, "The Pet". I handed it off to numerous composers and sound engineers just to have them either disappoint or disappear. After waiting a few weeks, I feel that I should just push harder to get this short film finished.

The new game plan is for me to finish the post-sound and hand the music off to another composer. This is a great example of why you should have backup plans, especially when you are not working with a budget. Credit and nice words alone will not keep your crews on your project; approaching and keeping contact with several potential crew/cast members can give you some insurance. If all else fails, at least one person you know offline or online can point you to a friend of a friend that knows how to work a keyboard or a c-stand.

As far as adding additional sounds, you have two options. The first is to record sounds yourself. The second is visiting the free sound project. The website hosts thousands of user created sounds, all royalty free and some absolutely amazing. If you do use these sounds, be sure to thank the original authors. Another alternative for free sounds is visiting FlashKit's Sound FX page. While not as user friendly as the free sound project, it does have seniority by collecting sounds for years before the free sound project existed.

I'm working on an uber-post, as well as a video tutorial for you guys, so keep checking this blog!

Rotoscoping Video Is For Dummies

After shooting another short while waiting for the post-sound and music for "The Pet", I've come to this logical conclusion: Never think that rotoscoping is a reasonable alternative to chromakeying!

During this arduous journey through the post on "Little Man", I'll put up a comprehensive tutorial on how to rotoscope a mask to lift elements from a shot. Before doing so, I do want my readers to remember that rotoscoping is a time and patience consuming process. After three nights of rotoscoping, I haven't even put a dent into the two minutes of footage I have.

After subjecting myself to this self-induced torture, I will do my research on a cost-effective way of building a greenscreen. Until then, may the gods have mercy on my soul...

Climbing Up Jacob's Ladder Again

News rose today that "Jacob's Ladder" was being remade. While my opinion of remakes in general is unfavorable and I quickly try to forget, this one really made me think.

"The Sixth Sense" seemed to be more than inspired by Jacob's Ladder. This would take any sting from the "he was dead all along" twist of the film.

Supernatural films are flooding the market. By the time Jacob's Ladder is released, supernatural films will be played out, so no one is going to take the film seriously.

I would've thought that someone putting together a multi-million dollar film would take these things in mind, but I guess time will tell if I'm right or wrong.

What do you think?

New Crispin Glover Interview

Today I stumbled upon a rather intensive interview of Crispin Glover. It covers an eclectic stretch of Crispin's life from his acting methods, to his books, and to his reflections of many of his past movies.

I do have to warn you though: Each question asked has its own video, so prepare for a lot of page loads.

Check it out.

Edit Is Done, Waiting For Music

The rough cut of my short film, “The Pet”, has just been finished. The responses from cast and crew are pretty positive, which is a relief.

I'm pretty anxious to finish this film, but I'm awaiting the post-sound effects and music. Without those, this film would certainly not be as robust. As I wait, I'm going to be working on the trailer and the website.

Meanwhile, check out the website for Cyn. It's a pretty little short film that you should definately watch out for.

How I'm Editing "The Pet"

I'm currently editing my short, called “The Pet”, using Adobe Premiere Pro. I haven't been taught the methods I use, nor do I say they are the best way to edit a film, but if you are having trouble editing they might help you from getting in a tight bind.

I use the layering ability of Adobe Premiere Pro to my advantage. After importing my film clips, i slice them up into setups and arrange them in order of appearance.



I watch the entire arrangement, and pause to cut each clip after every take. If I see absolutely no use in the clip because of an early flub or mishap after slicing, I usually toss it right away. When I have several clips I want to cut between, they would be placed on top of each other on different layers.



This gives me an easier time assembling the cut. I can run just pick up the takes I want to use as if they were a dish at the school cafeteria, and leave the mystery meat behind. To build the cut, I copy the appropriate take and bring it to my master layer, then trim off the excess. I don't spend too much time on this, but sometimes it's necessary if you are cutting between takes.



I admit, editing takes forever and will give you a headache. I usually do it with a screwball and chips to dull the pain, but if you just apply yourself, you'll end up with a cut you'll be proud of.

If you have your own editing tips and tricks, let me know!