Final Draft 8 finally here

Well they kept us waiting long enough and kept what was going to be new a closely guarded secret over there at Final Draft HQ.

I just had a quick scan through the new features and frankly I'm a little underwhelmed. Why boast about a new improved courier font when full screen mode is STILL unavailable.

You can upgrade now for 63euro (from Movie Soft*) till the end of June other wise its close to 80 or buy new for a whopping 200 quid.

For those of you new to Final Draft, I can't recommend it enough, its intuitive, easy to navigate and frankly works at the speed of thought. And is the industry standard.

I love this program and I will more than likely upgrade in due course, but after waiting so long for this new version I'm pretty disappointed from what I've read in the new features.

I so had my fingers crossed for full screen mode, but alas no.

Final Draft people if you're reading this, how 'bout this simple little extra for version 8.1 huh?

* quick note about moviesoft. Small company in Dun Laoghaire. When I first bought Final Draft a few years ago, it was from them. I ordered off their site, they called me up and said they would be heading into town later. They drove to where I work, I handed over the cash, they gave me my software with a free tutorial DVD thrown in for good measure. Now thats personal service!

I'll be ordering my upgrade from them.

Great news

I'm filled with great joy today, not only is the sun out but my faith in humanity has been fully restored.

It started last week when a kindly gentleman from somewhere in England, someone who I had never met before, generously offered to help me out of a bind and do some After Effects work for me.

Today, not only have I secured free studio time in a state of the art Pro Tools HD studio to do my final mix but I've also secured an Emmy award winning sound designer to mix with me that day too.

I can't thank the people who helped me make this film enough! From Steve Wilson to my step daughter Nicole, to Tom O' Leary himself for his patience in this long drawn out post production process, to the band The Spook of the Thirteenth Lock for donating music and the others mentioned above but most of all my wife and child for putting up with my occasional scattered absences. And excusing the funny sounds coming from behind my studio door.

Christ, you'd swear I was writing a speech!

Long story short, I'm in a good mood.

The Spook of the Thirteenth Lock

Just want to mention The Spuke who have generously donated a track: "The Lords Prayer" from their incredible debut self titled album.

I was utterly blown away by this album when I heard it first. Its one of the best things to come out of Ireland in recent years and it kicks some serious arse.

If you like Lift To Experience then you'll love the spuke. If you had a passing interest in Horselips or a bit of trad then you'll love the spuke. If you have a penchant for the ROCK then you'll love the spuke.

A great record and I'm proud to have them on the soundtrack of my short film.

Cheers Alan and the lads.

The record is out on Transduction Records

Buy it online here from the label or from iTunes.

Or if your in Dublin, buy it from Road records, Irelands best indie music store. Tell em I sentcha!

Necessity is the mother of invention

You may have read a few posts back about the fact I was getting no work done during my only available window of opportunity to do so, ie in the evenings after I put my son to bed, because of no baby monitor...

See below picture:

Microphone placed by my kids bedroom door.

The other end of the lead goes up the stairs, into my studio, and into the mixer on my desk.

So now, with headphones on I can mix the movie and still monitor the little fella at the same time.

Chuffed.

Why I didn't think of it earlier in the week is beyond me.

Why I love the internet

Tearing my hair out as I was about the insane reflections in my footage and the amount of After Effects work that was ahead of me in order to remove said reflections had me, well... tearing my hair out.

No amount of online tutorials or plug ins was going to make me in any way adept at using AE and fixing said problem.

In fact I was making things worse.

Then, on a forum I was getting advice from I was finally compelled to ask was anyone available to help me. I got one reply. A god send. I sent this extremely generous guy a low res quicktime as an example of what was wrong and the next morning he had FIXED THE EXAMPLE!

What a talent. What generosity.

I have just sent him ful HD1080 25p files via my remote server provider (review pending).

I can't thank this guy enough.

I'll post his details in a later post after I seek his permission to do so.

But, I'll be honest with you, it makes my heart happy that there are people out there in the world who are this kind in the dog eat dog world of independent filmmaking.

I of course say that, feeling no sense of community between fellow filmmakers here in Dublin.

Yes there are a few, but total strangers helping out. I'm mighty impressed.

Celtx upgraded

Celtx has just been upgraded to version 2.0

I don't actually use this application since I purchased Final Draft some years ago, but I'm all for these open source freeware applications standing shoulder to shoulder with the big boys. Well at least trying to. Kudos.

There are a couple of things about Celtx I find intriguing, like the ability to schedule, storyboard etc that apps like Final Draft or Movie Magic don't do. Or don't need to do for that matter.

I do see myself using Celtx in the future, I do have it installed and it looks mighty fine, but it will take a lot to tear me away from Final Draft and its ease of use. But when it comes to scheduling etc, Celtx looks like a winner. And its reassuring to know they are still developing the software. I'm going to download the upgrade and have a look.

So here's the skinny

I feel embarrassed that I didn't cop on to this fact sooner.

I'm running Pro Tools M-P 7.3 (yeah, I know I should upgrade) and being incompatible with Digidesigns DV Toolkit add on I thought when it came to post production of Video, I was therefore dead in the water.

Last night I stumbled on a (painfully obvious) workaround.

What DV Toolkit offers the Pro Tools user is essentially .omf importability and timecode imbedding. I'm sure there are tons of other features, but primarily this is it.

Last night in my import options was "import video" in the drop down. I've always ignored this as I thought my version of PT was incompatible with DV Toolkit. Witch it isn't, but it does NOT MEAN its incompatible with being able to import a video track! Duh

Timecode imbedding. Don't need it. Its a 3min short and I'm doing everything.

As for the .omf workaround, I simply exported all my individual 26 tracks from FCP and lined them up in PT. Simple!

Sure you get tracks in PT with a lot of silence but once they are imported and aligned you can in turn cut out the silence.

OK this is very time consuming, and considering the DV Toolkit add on is quite expensive AND incompatible with my PT this is quite a good workaround and one I'll be using again in the future.

You just have to be very "secretarial" in your media management as you are using multiple files as opposed to one nice tidy .omf

In fact, all the audio editing & effects spotting I did in FCP I could have done in PT where it should have been done in retrospect. At least now I know.

EDIT: Here, if I export the video from the timeline with "burnt in" timecode, viola! I have timecode lock in Pro Tools. Just saved myself over a grand.

Rockin

Mixing and scoring

The picture is finally locked.

I've the mix now sitting in protools ready to be mixed blind.

I think I'm a little insane for attempting this.

I exported each individual track from final cut pro after I separated each sound element to a single track each. Atmos on one, Steve on another etc... Numbered 26 in total.

My problem is right now is finding THE right synth sound for this. I just want a one note John Carpenter type solitary bass note pulsing every now and then and I can't seem to find a decent synth sound from any of my soft synths.

Due to technical reasons I decided not to use the casio as midi would be easier to adjust. With the casio it would be in real time and I'd only have one pass to get it right... I've chickened out and decided to go midi. But jesus they're are some awful sounds...

The search continues.

EDIT: GForce to the rescue. Enjoying their minimonsta and Oddity soft synths.

Pure balls out 80's vibe from them, perfect for my needs.

I actually had the balls of laying down "Humanity" from The Thing soundtrack as a temp track and I'm now remodeling my sounds to emulate. I'm open and honest, yes, I'm ripping it off! Hell, its Morricone, at least I'm ripping off one of the greats! (Don't worry, I'll tone it down.)

I'll be honest with you. I always thought Carpenter himself did the opening music for The Thing as it it very synth based and Morricone scored the orchestral score. But from what I gather, Morricone did the synth stuff also. Long way from pan pipes and whip cracks he was for that film!

Its late. Must crash.

EDIT Eureka! Looks like my version of Pro Tools will import video after all!!!

Edit again: I've no idea why the fonts are all fucked up in this post...

Why I love my wife.

She has generously offered to take the baby out for a few hours today so I can finally get the audio edit finished.

She rules.

Grabbing the odd 45 mins here and there is getting me nowhere fast.

This is only a 3 min short and its got the post production schedule of the bleedin' Lord of The Rigs trilogy!

Audio editing...

...has kind of ground to a halt right now.

I need to get a new baby monitor, as the one I have picks up too much interference and therefore useless.

But I digress...

I only get the chance to work on the film after 7pm when I put my son to bed for the night (I wish).

I have to keep an ear out for him and therefore am unable to even turn on my mac and get stuck in.

Its been a week now.

I'm picking up a new baby monitor tomorrow, while ironically my other monitor remains switched off.

(But thats not really irony though is it?)

EDIT: Just to clarify, I'm not actually complaining that I have to listen out for my boy! Let's just get that straight ok!

In other news, my copy of Soundtrack Pro keeps crashing so it looks like I'll have to mix the film in my DAW, which unfortunately is the M-Powered version of Pro Tools, and is incompatible with video. I don't even think it recognizes a .omf file.

I don't have the money nor the time to upgrade even to the LE version of the software, but being a Digidesign product would also entail upgrading my hardware also. Forget it. I'll just mix blind. I'll have all my audio editing done as perfectly as I can and just export each track separately (I think there will be around 20 or so) as aiff's and then sync them back up in Pro Tools and mix away. Its only a 3 min short, so it shouldn't be too complicated. (I'll regret saying that won't I).

I'm also doing the score in Pro Tools, so I may do it all in the one session as I do want the score to be really part of the mix. I'll be using just one synth; my "vintage" 1980's Casio CZ-5000. (Below)

Used in the 80's by the likes of Vince Clarke & Jean Michelle Jarre among others, but I'll be using it to achieve that minimal John Carpenter/Alan Howarth style kind of all synth score. Particularly Assault on Precinct 13 and Christine, are the two I think will be worth "ripping off" the most for this film.

Also pictured is my beloved Farfisa Matador organ, but I doubt I'll use it for this film.

Screaming into a pillow...

Just finished voice recording with my step daughter Nicole for the short.

Same set up pretty much as for Steve yesterday accept for a dramatic change in the EQ.

The pillow over the face is to simulate a voice coming from an enclosed space.

Truly terrifying stuff! Nicole gave it her everything and I'm well impressed by her performance, particularly since she's a non actor.

There was a pint of water and a pack of thought lozenges on stand by for her.

No teenagers were harmed in the making of this short.

Check out the below picture for proof!

I'm just parking this still here for a while.

I'm getting advice on a forum as to how to remove my reflection.

Don't get attached to this post... It'll be gone soon.

Voice recording

Steve Wilson generously donated his voice talents for the "voice on phone" for Shut The Fuck Up today.

You may notice he's actually wearing two sets of headphones. The iPod headphones are connected to my Macbook in front of him where a quicktime of the film is shown, where he can sync his dialogue and get cues from Toms performance on screen. The bigger AKG's are connected to Pro Tools for reference where I recorded everything.

I used a se 2200a mic a workhorse of a microphone through a RNC compressor and an ART pre. You really only need to get a good level on Steve's voice and your sorted. I've used his talents on radio ads etc in the past and the guy's really got one of "those" voices. Makes my job so much easier.

After arseing around for almost two hours talking shite and eating beans on toast, we finally got down to work and had it wrapped in under twenty minutes. Only one tiny edit was needed as the performance synced up beautifully with Tom.

It great to see this finally coming together.

Tomorrow I record the voice of the girl with my most obliging step daughter Nicole.

Links

I've decided to put in links to most things I reference to.

Particularly in reference to Books, Equipment, Movies, Software and Sites.

Anything really that has an outside reference.

Since I'm Irish and anything I order/purchase has been made from Ireland, I'll refer only to the nearest (geographically) link.

All books are going to be referred to amazon.co.uk

And even though I use B&H in New York City as my main source reference (and where I've bought some gear in the past (amazing store)) I'll endeavor to include as many local links as I can.

I have of course purchased on ebay in the past but will only refer to there if the link is still valid.

If you go to The Rig post below you will see I've added links to the list of equipment.

Occasionally I'll have to refer to the manufactures website, your on your own after that.

I still haven't found what I'm looking for... or have I?

After trawling the net for any info on how to remove reflections in glass I think I have finally found something.

Most sites seem to suggest that a Circular Polarizing Filter will miraculously get rid of any reflections. I dutifully ordered and purchased one before the shoot to avoid such post production headaches.

Being a fan of the Video Copilot guys, I'm kicking myself for not checking out their site sooner.
I love their Riot Gear elements and also their Designer Sound Effects package, but they have some of the best tutorials out there.

http://www.videocopilot.net/tutorial/magic_glass

Hopefully I will be able to take elements from the above tutorial and apply it to fixing my problem...

Ah, the dreaded "fix it in post" mantra plagues me yet again!

Score!

Today I picked up a second hand copy of William Goldman's Adventures In The Screen Trade for a mere fiver.

I've been hearing about this for years and every screenwriting course I've done or book I've read seems to have at least one quote from this legend.

I'd like to do some book reviews at a later date on this blog. I've had to sift through a lot of shite to find half decent books on screenwriting, perhaps the 1 or 2 other people who read this blog (other than my wife) could benefit.

I would have linked to an image of the cover, but blogger suggests that that is a bad idea in terms of stealing other peoples bandwith, and copywrite theft. So I've opted for a quick snap from my camera phone of the inside "carpet" page.

Speaking of screenwriting courses, I've just completed my second with Zoetrope and must admit I fell lost in the wilderness again. I just finished earlier this week.

Writing is such a solitary activity it was great to have the solidarity of eight other writers writing together around the world. I miss it already.

Gotham hosts the Zoetrope course, I highly highly recommend this course to anyone interested inn screenwriting. I'll post a direct link to the courses on offer at a later blog as the site seems to down at the minute, but I'm sure you can find something at www.all-story.com

Currently I'm reading and thoroughly enjoying Richard E Grant's diary on the making of his directorial debut film; Wah-wah. I've not seen the film but hope to view it before the chapters on production are covered and I don't ruin the film for myself.

I really enjoy his matter-of-fact style of writing. Very witty and personable. I loved his film diaries With Nails, which I read over a decade ago now I think.

This post is running long so I'll save my reaction to finding the original script of Plan 9 From Outer Space for another day.

Out.

Update on the flick

My good friend and talented actor Steve Wilson has agreed to do some voice work for Shut The Fuck Up.

Steve was my first choice in voice talent in my promo days and I'm honored to have him on board.

There is a LOT of audio work on this piece. I think I have exhausted my multiple gig library of Sound Effects options for this piece and will have to enter an area I was hoping to avoid; Foley.

Making this short for no money does not need the expense of recording foley.

Frustrating.

The SFX I have been using thus far are clean pristine recordings (mostly from the early 90's I think) and have a great fidelity.

I am replacing most of the location sound (apart from dialogue) with effects sound and badly recorded foley will stand out like a sore thumb.

Grrr

The Rig

This here is a photo of my lovely wife Jen in our back garden, kindly modeling my rig as I took some snaps, while we were shooting some test footage of our son last week.

Seeing as we had no crew for the STFU shoot, the end titles are a little bare, so I decided to list all the gear that was used on the shoot in the titles.

I'm posting that gear list here, and will in turn try to give a half decent review of each piece of kit (among others) in following blog posts.

And give me something to do while progress bars slowly inch there way to their conclusion.

Canon hv30 HDV camera
Letus35 mini DOF adapter
Manfrotto Fig Rig stabilizer
AKG c1000s Condenser Microphone
Beachtek DXA 2S Mixer
Lcd4video 7” Monitor

Cavision 15mm Rod Support System
Nikon Nikkor 20mm Lens
Jessops Circular Polariser Filter
Nikon HN-24 Hood
Panasonic Professional grade HDV Stock
AKG K-271 Headphones

Second unit gear:

Canon MV500i Camcorder
Sony ECM-MS907 Stereo Microphone

Post production finally goes ahead

Having a pretty good day of it so far.

Did more work today than I have done all week.

Its slow going due to the mac and my tendency to experiment with effects and end up shutting them all off anyway.

Since there was no crew per say, there was no one to document the shoot, so Tom and I took a couple of snaps as we were ready to return home exhausted before our wives woke up. It was a beautiful dawn by the sea.

This is Tom. Still in character (a bit).

And this is me, Ian, wrapped up well.

I'm hoping to have things wrapped up well with this film hopefully by the end of the week.

I'm playing with different effects right now as the 6 hour progress bar slowly reaches its conclusion as FCP's SmoothCam analyzes my bouncy footage in the background.

I did want to shoot handheld as I think it suited the piece (and after I found out my rig was too heavy for a steadicam merlin) I opted to use Manfrotto's Fig Rig. I'm glad I did.

I may not use the SmoothCam'd footage after its done as I quite like how it looks right now, but we'll find out how much it improves the footage (if at all) in 6 hours or so.

Also, a big thing about this is that I've decided to re render the footage in Black and White. It just looks soooo much better n Black and White, even thought the dawn light gave some lovely colour, I don't think the HV30 coped with it very well. (But then again, that could be my fault).

'rafter