Filming recently took place for the DAC’s newest animated short, “In Event of Moon Disaster”. The film, based on presidential speechwriter William Safire’s most infamous speech, is set for completion in 2012 and already has a very promising future. Using the latest in Optitrack’s motion capture technology, IEMD is going to be like no other DAC animated film before it. If you will remember, “8 Second Dance” featured the premier work of CBSD, and the partnership will be continuing over the course of Spring 2012 to create this bigger-than-life reenactment of William Safire’s infamous speech...the speech which would have been read had Neil Armstrong and Buzz Alrdin not arrived safely on the moon. With a very serious and respectful take on the speech, “In Event of Moon Disaster” explores what writing the speech must have been like for Safire, what must have gone through his head, and will even depict the horrifying possibility of what would have happened had the crew not arrived safely. It was written by Howard Cook (whose previous work includes LucasFilms LTD, Paramount Pictures’ Star Trek TV series, and Universal Studios’ Apollo 13) and Craig Volk (screenwriter for over 20 years, staff screenwriter for the 90’s hit Northern Exposure and the 2007 winner of the PENN Center Award), both UC Denver faculty.

You can stay tuned here for more information on this film as it matures, with more pictures and videos soon to come. It can be rest assured that the soundtrack will be nothing short of professional and absolutely breathtaking. The process began with creating a sound-reinforced tent around the camera technology. Because the cameras and attached computers must be in the same room and were too bulky to move elsewhere, we had to make sound work around the visuals. This created a very unique problem, as we had to deaden the room while not compromising the integrity of the camera calibrations or the producer’s ability to direct the actors. What you see is the end result: C-Stands gaff taped together to create a very sturdy tent. Sound panels and blankets were placed along the walls as well to provide extra support. We then attached a lav to the actor and placed a boom on a stand in front of them for double coverage. Because the motion capture recognizes the dots via reflective surface, any conflicting reflective surfaces in the area needed to be covered or removed...and this included gaff taping the lav mic itself, which was quite shiny.

We wound up rolling 41 different takes between our two actors, in about 3 hours’ time, to capture the VO and motion capture data. This is obviously only the beginning, as the director looks through the takes to find the ones he wishes to commit to. Then it’s on to post prep and spotting as the animatic becomes the fully-featured film! Honestly, working with the Digital Animation Center here in Denver has been nothing but the most professional and enjoyable experience I have ever had, and I have yet to experience one reason to not recommend each and every one of their animators for further work. I know that they will continue to churn out on the most top-quality films an animation studio can make, and I can only hope that I get the privilege of working with them for many years to come.

Tags: Animation|3D|Film|Post-Production|Studio

I ran across a rather amazing blog post today that I feel all producers should read. "How to Pay Your Crew". Chris Collins over at Wide Open Camera has written a great article on something that's been on my mind for a very long while. How does a professional handle the methods of payment in a professional (albeit necessary) manner? In an industry plagued with producers who are never wrong and actors who are always right (both often existing on the same set), how do you bring up the issue of money without sounding needy or, in my case, coming across as having the "I'm only here for the money" mentality? My greatest fear in asking for payment, no matter how duly I deserve it, is that asking for money is going to bring up a sore point that leaves the wrong impression about me. Mind you, no sane person would ever assume that a person who asks for payment is only in it for the money. It's as Chris Collins says in his opening paragraph, "The film business is, after all, just that-a business...". But I can count on one hand just how many sane folks have ever paid me for my services as a sound designer. The toes are used to count the insane. Well, Chris' post is from the producer’s perspective, and I absolutely love how it relates to somebody on the other end, such as myself. The majority of discomfort comes from the uncertainty of the producer’s motives and assumptions. However, there are a few uncertainties that can be set aside from this article. I’ll leave you to read, but I thought you might be interested in reading. Follow the link if I’ve piqued your interest.

Tags: Links|Relations|Finances

CBSD has teamed up David Griesinger (Denver Sound Guy) to provide post-production audio for The Prophet’s Son, the latest Colorado-exclusive feature-length film shot in right here in the Centennial state. Filming took place a few months back, and this film is currently slated to finish as soon as next week! You can see it in theaters throughout the states shortly thereafter. This has been one of the most challenging films to work on, but by far the most rewarding. Please visit the website and read up on the film. You can be guaranteed that there will be a post here again soon to follow up its completion.

In synopsis (taken from the website):

Abel Benjamin is a talented, internationally known, concert musician, and one of the sons of a respected pastor and prophet. Juliet Oscar is a published author who has loved Abel from a distance and is quietly waiting on God to reveal his plan in their lives. She lives with her widowed mother and twin, younger brothers who are trying to establish their separate identities and deal with the loss of their father. The lives of these two families intertwine as they reach inside a high school where one of the twins becomes involved in a gang and loses his life trying to prevent a school shooting. It tells the story of his brother's anger and subsequent disappearance into the streets and the heartache of the families uniting to search for him. It begins in the year of a hotly contested presidential election and ends during the nation's process of recovery when the new president's inexperience opens the door to a nuclear attack. Throughout the film there is the consistent message of love, self sacrifice, hope and unity.

Tags: Film|Feature-Length

Zach Barker came to the studio to lay down some drums, and thus far, everything is looking...need I say...A-OK. Hitting a BPM of 240 (not just a doubled 120 either), I’m seriously stoked to rock this new track. These guys are doing me a huge favor for my class, and I hope to make this worth their time and effort by making some serious music. It’s looking like next week I’ll have Justin and Zach, and perhaps the rest of the crew, as we lay out the rest of this song. I hope you keep updated with my RSS feed!

Here’s the vid of Zach tackling 240 BPM. Note that the kit isn’t mixed, save for some temporary reverb.

Tags: Bands|Studio|Drums|Album

This week, I sit in with colleague Pete Buchwald as we discuss reversed sample techniques in his Creative Audio Production podcast. This is a great resource of new, innovative ideas to really make the mix engineer’s final master stand out from the rest. My great friend and amazing colleague, Pete Buchwald, has just created a site that I think all studio mix engineers would find increasingly beneficial. The site is Creative-Audio-Production.com, and Pete has some amazing stuff in store as he processes through the various creative techniques that he’s gathered throughout his career. I don’t think I should give away any of his potential ideas, but let’s just say you’ll want to watch in the upcoming weeks for some truly innovative ideas.

In this week’s ‘cast, we discussed “The Sympathetic Reverse Piano”. Simply put, we played a synth into a piano and recorded the sympathetic vibrations. Then we reversed them and implemented them into a song. The whole thing turned out amazingly well, and it’s only the tip of the iceberg! There are several other examples and ideas that he goes through in the ‘cast, all of which are very viable for the up-and-coming audio engineer. Frankly, I can relate. There have been so many times when I turned out a mix, and it was absolutely solid, except that it was missing that one...special...something... But at times like that, it’s hard to figure out what! But to have a resource such as CAP to go to for inspiration is a true treat, and I personally hope that he’s able to stick with it for a long time. Community contributions to the site are going to be key, as this is truly a community-driven topic. So please, hit me up here, or go email Pete’s Mailbag and give him some pointers or possible avenues if you know of any. His website details it best, so I’ll leave that to him.

Tags: Studio|Audio Production|CU Denver|Logic