Pimbley

It has been too long since I posted.

Production on Defective Detective has begun, and is going pretty smoothly now that I have my act together. Four of 20 scenes are in the can, and with any luck at the end of this weekend 12 of 20 scenes will be completed. At this rate we might actually finish this movie! And that would be an exciting twist.

I keep meaning to work on the website but I am a slacker. I can't decide how to host all of my movies. I suppose I'll go with YouTube. That just seems like the most accessible option right now. I just need to stop delaying finishing all my movies. Bleh.

This has been a quality entry.

Announcement!

Some of you may have heard the rumors, but I'm announcing it here officially.

1+1+1=2 has won the Audience Award for our showing in the 48 Hour Film Project!!!!

I'm really really proud of this accomplishment and anxiously awaiting news on the judging results, but this has me really excited...

Success!

Progress is actually being made here people.

The films section menu is complete! The films section is not... but the menu is. And actual content is soon to follow.

Also, the documentary for 1+1+1=2 is finished! I'd like to screen it for a few people before I release it though, it may be a bit too long. But it is put together.

In the even more good news department, I think I've figured out what I need to do to finish the director's cut, but I haven't tried it yet.

(For those interested in the actual specific problem I am having, it involves the previously cut theater scene. I was trying to add music that was supposed to be coming from the movie they are viewing, not background music from 1+1+1=2 itself. I couldn't find a good way to make the music not sound like a soundtrack. But now I think if I add a subtle distortion and echo I can make it sound more natural.)

If this does work out, the scene will be finished, as will be the movie. I'll make a few DVD's to circulate around the cast and crew, I know you've been waiting for it.

In conclusion, I'm pissed at the 48 Hour Film Project. Where are the judging results? The movies premiered two weeks ago! Come on!

So Close...

This director's cut would be finished if not for one thing that I can't figure out a good way to make work. Hopefully I will soon. I was hoping to have some DVD's ready this weekend. Although actually I just remembered that I haven't started the documentary. So... how about next weekend?

Also, today began my involvement in The Defective Detective. It's a great script. It's also the first feature I've worked on since The Last Move. Let's hope things go a little bit more smoothly. More on that as it develops.

Fixed It!

Hah! That took way too long. As you can see, this blog is finally integrated with the Dobson Studios website. Now to finish that films menu. Maybe I'll make a contact page...

Status Report

I have stayed up much later than I wanted to, but at least I made progress.

Executive Decision is ready to go, I just tweaked a few rough audio moments and edits. Strings and Hammers is also complete, I've decided to leave it as is. Torn, Accountable, and The Coward are next on my list.

But here's the big announcement. Ready for it? There is now an official Dobson Studios website! Granted I haven't finished making it, but soon dobsonstudios.net will be the online home of several of our films. I'm still working on the layout and site design.

So yes, progress. Finally. One other note, if anyone is reading this regularly (or at all) please post some comments, I'd like to hear your thoughts.

DVD

Ugh too much to do. I know it's taken way too long, but I'm making a DVD of all the short films. This includes:

• Executive Decision
• Strings and Hammers
• Strings and Hammers Documentary
• Torn
• Torn Documentary
• Accountable
• The Coward
• Only Way Out
• Retribution
• 1+1+1=2
• 1+1+1=2 Director's Cut
• 1+1+1=2 Documentary
• Outtakes
  

There are a few additional odds and ends I'd like to throw in there but I'd also like to get this finished before the end of the summer so I'm making that my priority. Unfortunately, about half of these are actually finished. Only Way Out needs a lot of SFX work that I'm losing patience for. The Coward has some continuity issues. I haven't even started the 1+1+1=2 Documentary. So uh, I'll get to work.

Director's Cut Cont.

It's almost finished. I didn't change too much. When I tried some things they just didn't feel right. And I don't want to leave this thing in limbo like I do with so many of the short films I made recently.

Also, I have confirmed that only one documentary tape was filmed. I could've swore I gave Elijah another one. Sadly once again the documentary will only show the first night, and a little bit of Saturday. I really need to not let that happen next year.

Director's Cut

It's hard to make a director's cut. I've already shown the film. Once people get used to it being a certain way, seeing it any other way starts to seem "wrong" even though it might work better. I'm trying to limit how much I change but at the same time I know I could keep tweaking it endlessly. It's a fine line.

1+1+1=2 Premiere

As per the title, 1+1+1=2 premiered last night at the Baltimore Art Museum. Naturally I was nervous, as I always am before these things. Part of that was technical anxiety: Will they make it too quiet? Too loud? Will the video drop out? Will the sound be out of sync? Will it come out too dark? Too bright? I hate not having any control over the projector.

(Speaking of which, they ran every film in squished 16:9 which pissed me off. They make such a big deal about always submitting your film letterboxed because not all projectors can handle 16:9 and supposedly letterboxing will avoid this issue. But they still messed it up. At least everyone's was equally messed up so no one had any unfair advantages. End of rant.)

The other half was audience reaction anxiety. Will they laugh? Will they follow the plot? Did we make it unclear? Did we leave out any important points?

So yes. Anxiety. I needed a cigarette and I don't smoke. Instead I chain-smoked my pencil. It didn't really help.

The movie played very well, if not a little bit quiet. The audience seemed to like it a lot, though I never heard quite the uproarious laughter I was hoping for. I did hear a thunderous applause at the end. I take this to be a good sign. During the Q&A session I got multiple questions directed at me! It must have made some impact.

Overall I'm very happy with the film and the premiere. I remain hopeful that it could win Baltimore but I won't be upset if it doesn't. There are a few little flaws that I'm sure the judges will notice, even if the audience didn't. The scenes we had to cut for time purposes really would've filled out the movie and made it more whole. These things will all be remedied in the director's cut on the DVD.

In closing, I would like to state for the record that this was the best filming experience I have had. My team was so focused and determined that I could really step back and let them do what they do, and trust that the final product would be really good. I guess my point is, this wasn't my movie, it was theirs, and I'm glad I had the chance to put it together for them.