Famous Last Words!

I’m done with audio! Yep, it only took me a scant year to finish that phase of post-production.

Geez.

I can’t begin to tell you how happy I am to have that behind me. There were times I wasn’t really sure if audio editing was going to end. Ever. Maybe I’d already died and just didn’t realize it yet and this was hell and I’d be laying in footsteps by hand for eternity.

I suppose I should explain “laying in footsteps” a bit. I choose to explain this, as opposed to the deranged fantasy of already being dead and eternally punished. Anyway, sounds that are created to accompany the on-screen actions of actors, like footsteps or the sound of a door opening, are called Foley effects. And they’re usually created in real-time by a Foley artist on a soundstage watching the movie. So for example, if an actor walks across a room in a film, her footsteps would be rerecorded later by a Foley artist mimicking her actions, wearing similar shoes and walking across a similar surface, trying as best as possible to match the action on the screen.

But, we didn’t have a Foley artist or a soundstage, so I used Foley effects from the free (and royalty-free) sound effects libraries that I could find: the 5,000 + effects that come with Apple’s Final Cut Studio and two online libraries, the amazing Freesound Project (http://freesound.iua.eupf.edu), which I made extensive use of and can’t thank enough for its mere existence, and Soundsnap (www.soundsnap.com), which I didn’t use as much, but which also has some excellent recordings.

Which leads us back to footsteps. After locating the right sound (sneakers walking on a wood floor, for instance) I would then chop that clip up into individual steps and place them to sync up with the actors’ movements. Which doesn’t seem so bad the first, oh, hundred times, you do it. But, after adding footsteps to the whole movie…well, let’s just say I think I would have been better off building my own Foley stage. Next movie maybe.

“Things We’ll Do Differently on the Next Movie!” is going to be a rather lengthy future post.

To be fair, there were some parts of audio work that I really loved. Mixing, for example, although it would have been a lot easier with some sort of control surface (I just used a mouse and set keyframes where I wanted to make changes in volume, panning, etc.). And sound effects were a lot of fun to put together. There’s a camera flash sound that I particularly like that was made by putting together the sounds of an instamatic camera, a gas stove lighting, an Uzi, as well as a few other effects.

While I’m thinking about it, there are a couple of fantastic sites focused on sound in movies, if you're interested: www.filmsound.org, in their words, “dedicated to the art of film sound design,” has tons of great information and links; and www.filmsounddaily.com, which has some very nice interviews with sound professionals, as well as awe-inspiring (to the guy who used a mouse) pictures of real audio post facilities with their beautiful, enormous mixing consoles that I desperately want for my very own.

Next movie…

Bad Pig, Good Pig

Bad Pig

Good Pig

Sometimes it's hard to tell the difference. Hope you all had a felony-free holiday season.

Imagine Some Audio Here

I know you can't hear the audio mix from a screen capture, but trust me--it's fabulous.

Our heroes

Zombie finishing school

Trevor Fanning in Assasination Attempt!

Funny, most of us assumed it would be Nick.

In all seriousness, Trevor Fanning, who played Pete for us, writes to announce his new show:

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Sondheim's Most Controversial Musical, ASSASSINS, Shoots Its Way Into The Hedback Theater for a Limited Run by Lowbrow Productions

Indianapolis, IN, December 14 – 30, 2007 — Stephen Sondheim's musical, Assassins---the dark-humored, poignant musical about nine of the fourteen Presidential assassins throughout American history---will be presented for a limited run this December in Indy at the Hedback Theater, 1847 North Alabama Street. Sondheim is an American stage musical composer and lyricist, one of the few people to win an Academy Award, multiple Tony Awards (seven, more than any other composer), multiple Grammy Awards, and a Pulitzer Prize. He has been called the greatest writer of American Musical Theater and Assassins is no exception. Some of his greatest successes have been "Company", "Follies", "Into the Woods" and "Sweeney Todd", now a major motion picture. Mr. Weidman co-wrote the book for the Broadway revival of Anything Goes. A former editor of National Lampoon magazine and a writer for television's Sesame Street, Mr. Weidman's first theatrical venture was another collaboration with Sondheim, "Pacific Overtures."

Assassins is based on an idea by Charles Gilbert, Jr., with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by John Weidman. The musical evokes a fraternity of Presidential and would-be assassins across a hundred years of our history (including John Wilkes Booth, Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme, and John Hinckley, Jr). and climaxes in a surreal sequence where the assassins convince Lee Harvey Oswald that his act is the only way he will connect with them, history and the world. The cast includes many Indianapolis based actors including Eric Karwisch, Bobbi Bates, Scot Greenwell, Amy Reynolds, Triston Ross, Michael Davis, Trevor Fanning and Dean Reynolds. The production is produced by Doug Johnson, Nick Carpenter and Brian Noffke. Direction is by Brian Noffke. vocal direction by Brenna Campbell, and musical direction by Larry Bonebright.

Assassins will run December 14-30, 2007. Show times for Thursday, Friday and Saturday will be at 8pm; Sunday will be at 3pm, (except Sunday, December 16 is at 4pm). The production will be held at The Hedback Theater, home of Footlite Musicals. 1847 N. Alabama St. Indpls, IN 46202. For reservations please call 317-523-7462 or visit www.lowbrowproductions.org

Ticket prices are: $15.00 for reservations, $18.00 for walk-ins, $15.00 for students and senior citizens.

Lowbrow Productions is an Indianapolis based company. We strive to facilitate theatre, music, film and video arts productions of the highest quality to entertain, challenge and enlighten in order to bring positive change to the community. Assassins is the perfect inaugural piece because it dares the audience to understand the right way in order to achieve the "American Dream" and examines success, failure and the questionable drive for power and celebrity in American society.

"Nothing quite prepares you for the disturbing brilliance of Assassins" - New York Times

"Dark, Demented humor, as horrifying as it is hilarious" - Associated Press

"Intelligent and thrilling musical Theater. Dazzling in its originality" - Theatreweek

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If you're in the Indianapolis area, check it out. After all, Trevor would go to your show.

Remember, send us your announcements. northanger (at) cox.net. That's us.

Audio Update!

Let’s see, when I wrote last, I think I said something like, and I’m paraphrasing a bit here, “I promise to give more regular updates on our progress.” Given that was written about three months ago, I clearly have a lot to learn about the wondrous world of blogging. I am managing to beat my previous record of seventeen months between updates, so that should count for something, don’t you think?

I just wanted to let you know that last night I finished the audio work on Scene 45 (where, after having lost Zorg again, Andy and Jen decide to find Dr. Harpax). Overall, I’m about three quarters of the way through the entire movie. So, the end is in sight! Although psychically damaged from the experience, I’m pretty happy with how the final mix is turning out, and am resisting the tremendous urge to turn the remaining scenes into a silent film in order to be done with it.

Actually, I’m expecting to be done with audio editing by mid-December. Famous last words, I know. Anyway, it’s a nice thought.

Back to editing!

Talk to you soon!

Geniuses!

Our director and cinematographer are geniuses.

Pig and Man, facing the future.

Just beautiful. The movie is full of shots like this. They're geniuses.

Everybody Loves the Pig!

The Pig makes a public appearance!

Just like it's not really David Prowse (or James Earl Jones, for that matter) in the costume when Darth Vader helps open up a new multiplex, this was a Pig interpreter wearing the iconic helmet.

You can tell because he's not eight feet tall.

If we'd been thinking, we would have stencilled "www.zorgandandy.com" on the back of the Pig's blazer. Live and learn.

One more thing: Our Pig interpreter would like to comment on how well Nick Kraynak, the True Pig, did in the costume. That thing's impossible to see out of.