MacBreak Studio Podcast

This is a very informative podcast! I have learned a lot of tips, tricks, and shortcuts relating to Final Cut Pro and Soundtrack Pro. They also cover other Apple Final Cut Studio apps like Motion and Compressor.

"Join Steve Martin, Mark Spencer, Brian Gary, Alex Lindsay and friends as they reveal the ins and outs of video production on the Mac. From 3D to audio, video, and compression, learn from the experts how to add advanced techniques to your production workflow and a professional touch to your video content."

Click Here to check it out on iTunes. Or you can subscribe to the RSS feed here.
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Good Production Design

I found a good article entitled "Production design is simple. At least when it's good."

"If your character is neat, a little mess is not okay. If your character loves music, there's no reason for him to have a collection of shot glasses. Unless there's a reason for him to have a collection of shot glasses, in which case he needs to have them.

A novelist can tell you about the shot glasses, then explain why they're there. Why they're perhaps ironic. Or a holdover from a time when the character felt a need to collect something...You can't."

Click here to read the full article.
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Picture courtesy of Philip Burthem

 

12 Hour Contest - ENTRIES

32 videos were submitted to the contest, and each video is a minute or less. Click Here to watch the films that were submitted.

 

NOW AVAILABLE for Download!

ReelCast Productions now has a working download store! The first movie for download is, Twas the Week Before Christmas.
This 5 minute movie tells the story about a little boy's wholehearted endeavor to honor the true Kind of Christmas. You can view a short clip from the movie here. Click Here to read more about the movie on the store site!
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Christian Filmmaker Holiday Contest!

"December 28 at 8:00AM filmmakers around the world will be producing a one-minute story on video. Twelve hours later they will upload their video to YouTube. Entries will be judged on Story, Cinematography, Sound, Performance and Editing. The winner gets $500."

Click Here for more info! I'm thinking about participating in this one!
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REVIEW: "Pendragon: Journey Behind the Scenes"

It is popular these days for the DVD of a movie to include at least one BTS (Behind the Scenes) documentary. However, it is very rare, especially in Christian filmmaking, to release a BTS book to go along with a film. Well, Burns Family Studios has done just that, and the book is incredible!

"Pendragon: Journey Behind the Scenes" is a 100-page book that takes you on an adventure to explore the making of this epic Christian film. Exclusive stories from the cast, inspiring interviews with the crew, and hundreds of newly released pictures have been carefully woven together to present an experience that will leave you feeling like you have been on the set and a part of the team! One of my favorite parts is the “Pendragon Fun Fact” sections sprinkled throughout the book.

How did you get so many people to help with the movie? Were you ever worried that you wouldn’t be able to finish? Where did you find the locations? Which sets did you build? How were the costumes made? Who made the swords and weapons? What was it like to be an extra on set? Why does Nick play the bad guy? How did you make that much fire? Are you going to make any more movies?

The answers to these questions are full of humor, scary accidents, friendship, innovation, and, of course, God’s provision. It is a lot of fun to read stories of the creativity and resourcefulness that were required to shoot an epic film on a shoe-string budget.

Topics Covered:
-Interviews with actors: Aaron, Marilyn, and Nick.
-Building the fort, creating the market, filming the opening night attack, details on the Sword Dance scene, and fun during the funeral scene.
-In-depth interviews with the costume, makeup, and weapon departments. (These are really neat.)
-Interviews with extras and also with the director.
-Building the team, writing the music, working with horses, running a camera (Yours Truly was interviewed for this section), creating visual effects, and supervising the sound design.

This is an inspiring story of what God did through two ordinary families who were willing to take a step of faith and follow His guidance. You will be encouraged and in awe of our amazing God!

Click Here to visit the Pendragon Store.

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TONIGHT: The Mysterious Islands Premiere in Dallas, Texas!

The Mysterious Islands Road Trip Concludes With Tonight's Premiere in Dallas, Texas!The screening will be held on Wednesday, 16th at theLakewood Theater Door opens at 6:30 p.m., and the 100-minute film will start at 7:00. Following the screening, there will be a short Q and A with filmmakers and crew, along with a poster and picture signing with the cast and crew.

The cost of the evening's premiere is $10 per family, or $5 for individuals. Space is limited. You must R.S.V.P. to reserve your seats.

Click Here to reserve your seats and view directions.
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NEW CD! - For His Glory

This is one the latest graphic design projects that I've been working on, a new CD from Shekinah Springs Studio! Caleb and Daniel Morris have been working on this CD for quite some time and it's finally at the duplicator. These guys wrote the music score for the award winning documentary Joel's Journey and also were a big part of the music team for the award winning feature film, Pendragon: Sword of His Father.

You can check out a couple of music samples here:
I'll Fly Away

Be Thou My Vision


Click here to read more info about the CD.
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The Perfect Gift

From the producers of Clancy and A Perfect Stranger comes a new Christmas film, The Perfect Gift.

"A spoiled schoolgirl (Christina Fougnie), her overworked executive mother (Amy Hess) and a disillusioned young minister (Matt Wallace) each receives an uplifting message about friendship, commitment, and the truest meaning of Christmas from a friendly, but mysterious, drifter named Jess."

I haven't seen this film, but looks like it might be good! If you have seen it, I'd be very interested to get your thoughts! Visit the official movie website here.
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Digital Juice's "12 Deals of Christmas"

Digital Juice is announcing a new "deal of Christmas" every day for 12 days. Head on over and check out the special pricing on Video Traxx HD, Stack Traxx, DJ Fonts, Font plugins, and more! Click Here
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"It's Time To Answer The Call of Manhood"

In a day and age where men are being turned into feminine sissies, I was very encouraged to read this bold yet true "call to manhood" from Dockers. I highly recommend that you take a minute to read the full "man-ifesto." Click Here
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Save 25% on BlueBehemoth.com Gift Cards!

Enjoy special December savings from BlueBehemoth.com! Through December 11, save 25% when you purchase a BlueBehemoth.com gift card at Vision Forum. Choose from gift card increments of $15, $25, $50, and $100, take 25% off the card’s face amount, and maximize your BlueBehemoth.com buying power!

Our gift cards make fun and simple gifts for any occasion. Let your loved ones choose from our massive selection of music, movies, audiobooks, sermons, and more, and know they will enjoy excellent products from a trustworthy source.

Visit Vision Forum to purchase your BlueBehemoth.com gift cards today. Offer ends at midnight (CST) on December 11, 2009.
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Watch Mysterious Islands FREE

You can watch the film FREE tonight!

Tonight, at 7:05 p.m. Central time, gather your family and tune in to American Family Association's special online presentation, "Deserting Darwin: The Galapagos Re-Discovered."

Join "Nothing But Truth" host Crane Durham and in-studio guest Doug Phillips, executive producer of "The Mysterious Islands," as they talk with experts in science, law and apologetics. Then keep watching to enjoy "The Mysterious Islands" in its entirety--for free!

To learn more about the film, click here!
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Red Giant Software SALE!

We are offering 40% off all products. This includes already-discounted bundles and suites such as Trapcode Suite or Magic Bullet Suite, as well as the brand new Red Giant Holomatrix.

The sale runs through Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2009 at 11:59 PM PST (California).

Click here to read more and get the discount code.

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Twas the Week Before Christmas

This is a re-release of the short film I finished back in 2007. This time it has a new logo and new color correction! You can go here and see some pictures from back when we were filming it!
Description:
In an unexpected turn of events, a young boy learns the truth about Santa and sets out to honor the true King of Christmas! This is a great short film to help emphasize Who our focus should be during the Christmas season!

Stay tuned, more news coming soon!
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Homeschool Dropouts: The Score

For anyone who is interested in learning more about composing music for films, I highly recommend checking out Ben Botkin's Blog! He has a lot of good articles and music samples.

"Homeschool Dropouts is a documentary, so most of the music I wrote for it plays under constant dialogue and keeps a very subdued and submissive role– almost exaggeratedly so, as most of the music is little more than ambient or atmospheric. Though I developed a couple different melodic motifs and musical textures that I could weave throughout the film, there was never really a place for a big, developed symphonic approach to melody or movement–most of the music would be pretty uninteresting or boring if you heard it on its own." ~Ben Botkin

You can listen to samples, see the trailer for the movie and read the rest of the article here!
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