#combat wombats productions

[daveinediting]

August 2 Wednesday poc

It's a week later that definitely feels like more than a week later. Last week, though, Tuesday night, was the debut of films from this year's 48 Hour Film Project among which was the world premiere of "PTAgent" from Combat Wombats Productions. 

That's the team I'm on.

These showings on the big screen with a live audience are rare in my career so they're always enlightening.

Enlightening?

Yeah. Sitting with an audience watching the film you cut... you feel the reactions in real-time. Sometimes you hear a spoken word or two nearby. There's no longer need for informed choices or best guesses. This experience is the answer to the question How's this gonna play?

Our very own test screening, if you will. And yes.

It's enlightening.

The Combat Wombats also have a tradition of gathering at the director's home before the screening to hang out for drinks... and dine on pizza baked in an actual pizza oven. It's a social event for a team that, when last they saw each other, were flying by the seat of their pants to shoot a seven minute short film in one day. (That's a self imposed deadline, of course. You can take however long you like. The CW template, however, is script Friday night, shooting and first assembly Saturday, editing and polishing Sunday. It's a schedule that works super well for us and the films we create.)

The gathering at the director's home is a fantastic way to decompress and debrief and just be, by the way. It's also an opportunity to—

Okay.

Here's the deal:

I'm an editor. By design, I only work with the producer and the director on any given project. Mostly the producer. For this production, I also coordinated with the composer and art director by phone and text Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. In general, though, if the production team was a house, I'd be the mother-in-law apartment out back.

Typically (although I'm trying to change this) there's no opportunity to speak with the production crew after the fact. I don't usually debrief with the sound person or the director of photography, for example.

These Combat Wombats gatherings solve that shortcoming in a big way. 

Definitely I get to talk shop with the art director and the composer. We compare notes on the experience and later talk about the finished film (as they only see it for the first time when the rest of the world does). Of course as it's also a social gathering, we can talk more broadly about our careers, if we choose. 

In addition to the post production crew, I have the opportunity of speaking with members of the production team like costume and make-up, production assistants, sound and, of course, actors. I have the unique experience of telling the actors how their on-set efforts worked, added, and fit within the editing and polishing process of the film. As well, I get to hear stories from the set, learn more about how these actors do what they do, and I get to ask questions. It's a huuuugely instructive and wonderfully entertaining discussion for me.

Now, I mentioned the sound person in passing earlier. That's just me getting distracted. What I meant to point out was how easy it is to overlook the contribution of the sound crew. After all, when they get that job right, well... everything sounds great. And when you're used to, as I am, everything sounding great on a fairly consistent basis, that "great" becomes "normal", more or less. It's only when I think about the specific challenges with which the sound department must deal on a given project, how many wireless mics are on set, how good the live mix of those mics are, and the fact that iso files of each of those mics exist, well... that's a sincerely well done job. And I got the chance to say that out loud to the person who did me a solid.

So I did. 😊

As I said before, in general, if the production team was a house, I'd be the mother-in-law apartment out back. I really do work separately and isolated most of the time from the rest of the production team.

But.

There's yes... a lot to be said, a lot to be gained, from getting out every so often, sharing our stories back 'n forth, giving each other feedback, and most of all: taking in a little of the other person's perspective. Soaking in a little of their discipline: how they engage with the film and the story we're all trying to tell...

From their part in the telling.

😊

#48hfp #48 hour film project #PTAgent #combat wombats productions #combat wombats #production #post-production #editor #editing #composing #art direction #sound #director of photography #producer #director #make-up #hair #costume #storytelling #production team #sharing production perspectives #debriefing #learning

[thedaveandkimmershow]

Now that I'm thinking about it, it's not that far away.

Far away?

Yeah. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. July 14, 15, and 16.

The 48 Hour Film Project.

Yup. It's that time of year again.

To review:

I joined the Combat Wombats production team a coupla years ago in 2021. My first swing at cutting a 48 hour production was for the sci-fi short, Cleaners. My second and, I think, my favorite, was the following year's mockumentary, Convergent Belonging. After which we launched into our third effort in the Fall, our horror short, What Lingers.

I was especially proud of the neck snapping in that one, by the way. 😉

Now, the 48 Hour Film Project occupies a position in our marriage that's fully unique. Not just a little. Not just a lot. 100 percent nothing like it. It's the only production during which I impose no boundaries. There is no work/life balance to be found here. No need to lie about it.

From the moment our specific genre and required elements are announced Friday evening, I. Am. On.

Right then I slide myself into the Zone based on my best judgement about the genre and required elements. That can be anything from prepping sound effects and visual effects to sifting for inspiration from some of the best work in that genre. And then, a few hours later when the script is distributed to the team, I'll read the script a few times and go to bed. Let it seep into my subconscious.

It's not a late night. But it is a work night.

The next morning, after a normal amount of sleep, Kimmer 'n I'll have breakfast together, then I'll jump in the shower, get dressed and, finally, settle on the couch or the porch or someplace comfortable where I'll get serious about the script and its implications and so on.

It's a day... is all I'm saying. A day that doesn't end until somewhere between midnight and 5AM Sunday morning.

9AM Sunday morning is when I rejoin the living and get back to work that'll end somewhere between three and five in the afternoon after which Kimmer 'n I go out somewhere for dinner. Because it's tradition. Also because it's summer and dinner outside as the sun seriously begins its arc toward the horizon feels totally deserved.

So.

A work weekend without boundaries.

I wouldn't do it. Seriously I wouldn't do it.

It's just that it's the best.

Experience.

Ever.

And now I'm thinking about it...

It's not that far away.

😊

#48hfp #48 hour film project #seattle #combat wombats #production #post-production #editing #sound design #fun

[animalansaveagethefittest]

100 years 36,500 days Let’s dream of humans not signing a document when they exit the WOMB to COMB and COMBAT the WOMBAT that says that they will work love and play to eat animals every single meal for 36,500 days. I have a dream when I NAP 😴 that humans eat no animal products on NAPKINS and that humans don’t NAB KIN. https://www.instagram.com/p/CopGzHerQJz/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[gigamesh-mocs]

Artakha, Architect of the Universe.

All credit for the design goes to WholesomeGadunka, I just recoloured it so he could be built with minimal painted pieces and colours more in line with the canon depiction by Combat Wombat & Perp3tual.

Mask is the Mask of Creation designed by Perp3tual and modelled by Galva. Available on Thingiverse: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4658277 and Shapeways: https://www.shapeways.com/product/X3WR8JKZ8/great-mask-of-creation-axle?optionId=211475419&li=marketplace.

Karzahni design belongs to gerou100

#Artakha #bionicle #karzahni #lego #too big for my lightbox

[askagamedev]

When pitching to publishers, which aspects of a prototype is classified as pointless polish. What can I ignore work on (Ex: Make functional menu but it looks terrible)?

Anything you show a publisher should look as polished as possible. This doesn’t mean it has to be bulletproof playable - you don’t need to finish the game before pitching it to them. The game just has to look good. This means polishing all of the visual elements you’re showing in the pitch presentation. Remember, you’re trying to convince them to give you money - you need to sell them the idea of the finished game. They need something concrete enough to extrapolate into an idea for a finished product.

Pitch presentations are highly scripted and practiced affairs, similar to what you see at E3 press conferences. Most of the time, the presentation consists of a single developer or producer talking about the game and features while a second team member “drives” - plays through the game demo, showing off the various features and elements of the game that the speaker is talking about. This means that the pitch presentation follows a script - the developers take the viewers down a defined path with defined encounters and defined elements. Presenters will spend hours practicing their presentations for timing, phrasing, impact, etc. 

This means that the parts that can be cut are basically anything that isn’t in the script for the presentation. If you aren’t going to show this part of the UI in the pitch, then you don’t need to build it. If you are only going to the Wombat Forest from the world map, the other map locations don’t need to be built. If you’re only showing the melee combat system, you won’t need to show the crafting, summoning, or magic systems. Sometimes the “driver” isn’t actually even doing anything - the entire “gameplay” part of the presentation is just a pre-recorded video while the “driver” just presses buttons on a controller that isn’t actually connected to the game. Just remember that whatever you are showing must be as pretty and cool looking as possible. You want the audience to get interested and excited for the features and gameplay you’re showing them. That means polishing what they get to see as much as you can.

Edit: Here’s a great example of a publisher pitch. Note the things that they are showing (special traversal mechanics, combat, time control, locomotion) and the things they aren’t (UI, what happens if you try to do things not on the critical path, the actual boss fight, etc.)

The video comes from a leaked Ubisoft trailer from a 2012 Prince of Persia game that didn’t get green lit.

[Join us on Discord] and/or [Support us on Patreon]

The FANTa Project is being rebooted. [What is the FANTa project?]

Got a burning question you want answered?

Short questions: Ask a Game Dev on Twitter

Long questions: Ask a Game Dev on Tumblr

Frequent Questions: The FAQ

#pitching to a publisher #presentations #game demos #game development process

[mechagalaxy]

John T. Mainer: Chocolate is essential

Chocolate is essential

I am Supply Officer Rampjet of the Fists of Doom mercenary company, you may ask yourself, how do I come to this place, selling a prize Spitfire mecha to buy six tons of chocolate and one pair of augmetic knees. I would say it’s a funny story, because 99% of the Fists of Doom is laughing about it right now, but that was my Spitfire, and the knees I need to be certified for combat again. It is a cautionary tale for all Academy graduates, listen to your NCO’s; kneecaps and clues turn out to be really expensive.

We were in the middle of the Gorax plague, it had been going on for a while, and looked to be going on a whole lot longer. My hours were bad, being supply officer when the supply chain was breaking down was not good. Contracts were getting tight, as we agreed on terms for our defensive contracts pre plague, and the profit point was healthy enough. Turns out having almost all travel locked down, international trade lower than the last time the Hegemony tried to eat Cogwork.

I had argued for some stringent cost cutting measures. I went over the repair and maintenance schedules and looked at any replacements that were not failure driven and flagged them as non-essential. I needed to cut replacement parts costs, and I needed to cut expenses every way I could to make sure we retained a profit margin or officers like myself would find out what life was like on base pay, with no fat bonus cheques.

That is like drinking local whiskey, and eating in the commissary, not the officer club. I may as well be enlisted for niodes sake!

Sgt Rosa Gonzales and Sgt Pepper Nakamura, our chief technician and quartermaster burst into my office in scary lockstep. One thick Latina with thicker accent, and one tiny ice cold Shogunate refugee in matching glares.

Gonzales started shouting first.

“What pendejo thought after making us work overtime for straight pay ‘for the duration of the emergency’ then decided suddenly I have to get all the repairs done, but can’t decide when to replace parts? These are war machines, not minivans.” Rosa was obviously upset.

Pepper Nakamura tossed a data slate across my desk, narrowly missing my coffee cup. It was a drama queen move when the same data could have been projected on the office hologram like she was doing right now, and only included to make me jump. Her voice was not as loud as Rosa’s but her contempt was cold like deep space with a busted cockpit heater.

“I see that you have cut back on feminine hygiene supplies by fifty percent to offset cost overruns by the officer club liquor budget”

Holy crap, how did she spot that? I mean I didn’t link them, and I imposed them in different transactions, but you can’t slip a lot past an experienced quartermaster like Pepper.

Sure it looked bad, but at the end of the day, I was an officer and a gentleman, and they were a wrench jockey and store keeper. Rank hath its privileges.

I put on my best reasonable tone and laid down the law to my subordinates.

“Listen ladies, times are hard, and hard choices have to be made. Everyone is sacrificing here. Sure you have to work within the budgets I allow you, and anything I deem non essential you will have to live without. If the officers need to relax now more than ever, well Rank Hath Its Privileges.”

Pepper turned to Rosa and said, almost casually.

“Did you know that right after ruling tech crews were no longer allowed to use the Stim Packs when working overtime, our good Supply Officer Rampjet disallowed the chocolate budget as….non essential?”

Rosa actually drew her multitool from her belt, the arc welder sparking to armour cutting life and for a second I thought she was going to swing at me, but Sgt Pepper Nakamura had anticipated it, locked one hand on her wrist, and used a delicate finger to move the multi tool control to off. Shaking her head, she bowed far too deeply, almost but not quite openly mocking her superior with its insincere depth as she stated quietly.

“I am sure that Supply Officer Rampjet would never put his own interests above the company, or its hard working men and women. I am sure that in the fullness of time, the good officer will come to a deeper understanding of what is essential.”

Looking back, I should have been worried, but I wrapped myself around the better part of a bottle of Glen Wombat 12 year old, and some Vol Wurm stuffed mushrooms and let the mellow wash the unpleasant encounter away.

The Emerald Dragons came calling that Wednesday. We held the contract for Bubba Duck transport, and they had a minor trade war going with Swift Turtle Logistics over control of the Aga Khan gateport complex. Both wanted to be first carrier in the queue, and only one was going to get it.

I fight in the third rank, Supply Officer is basically a staff position, but in the Fists of Doom everyone fights if they want to get paid. My Fext “Necessary Roughness” was showing a lot of amber lights, nothing was outright failing, but not tuned the way I expected. I opened a channel to the tech bay to bitch, but instead of my own technician, I got Rosa.

“Listen pendejo, you have a lot of little failures because some pendejo decided I was not allowed to pull parts I thought were going to fail and replace them, I had to wait until they actually failed, and then get a commissioned officer to sign off on it. I couldn’t replace your lasing crystals any more often than I can change my FRACKING PAD!”

Ah crap. Rosa was on the rag, and a little upset. I decided that there was no sense reasoning with her, and besides I had a battle to fight.

“Don’t go getting bent out of shape about a little blood on the undies Rosa, we all have to make sacrifices!” I shot back as I killed the connection. I was still chuckling at my cleverness when the second rank started to take fire.

Crap. The Emerald Dragons had cut our front rank to ribbons and were hitting the second rank pretty hard. I pulled my shields off standby and powered them up.

They were out of tune, not balanced properly as they fine synchronization required was not quite there. Eddies of disruption created weak spots of interference. Normally maintenance deals with that but they were still functioning within, albeit at the extreme low end, of tolerance.

My lasers preheated. Two of them went red as they overheated, and I cut them out of the firing sequence. Damn. Now they failed. Those should have been replaced as a precaution, but they hadn’t failed in the mecha bay, just fluctuated a bit, so under current rules they couldn’t be stripped out.

The Humbaba beside me rocked, its trample shields flaring bright as it shrugged off the better part of a thousand points of overshot from some kind of heavy kinetic cannon; whatever it was had enough to go through and Apatotron lengthways and still rock the Humbaba. Luckily his trample shields guided most of it to either side harmlessly.

Something hit the Kami in front of me, and a massive shock hit my Fext. My trample shields were only partly effective, and while bits of broken and flaming Kami were directed aside, a cold lance of Leviathan hammered my Fext, and the flash freezing shattered my cockpit glass, shredding my pilot suit and flooding my cockpit with the copper/iron scent of my own blood.

I was distracted by the pain enough that when the attacking Boreas stepped forward my own shots flared along its shielded flank, while it punched a Chiller Equation at me. My lasing crystals were over heated, and the cold shock caused them to shatter. The released unfocused energy tore through my systems and ignited by capacitors, who then exploded. I was awake and screaming as the fire took my legs. The fire fighting equipment was stale dated, and should have been replaced, but during the crisis if it hadn’t actually failed yet, I had ordered it not to be replaced.

Pepper Nakamura was waiting by my trauma bed when I came to.

“It doesn’t look good. We don’t have enough replacement parts for all the mecha that are down. We took almost twice the casualties we should have because so many systems failed in combat due to marginal parts not having been replaced, and ordinance from missile and cannon mecha being reused even when the potential for damage destabilizing them normally required their removal. Rosa has six technicians injured from fatigue, no stim packs or even chocolate and twice the usual damage to correct, they are bleeding from doing without”

Pepper’s voice was correct and cold. I was not in the mood to be criticized.

“I HAVE NO LEGS YOU UNFEELING BITCH!” I screamed at her.

She laughed, and quoted me in a voice at least as cold as the Chiller Equation that did me in.

“Don’t get bent out of shape about a little blood on the trousers Supply Officer Rampjet, we all have to make sacrifices”

She tossed a data slate onto my lap, above my stumps.

“For the price of your Spitfire, we can get the supply parts we need for the mecha, and you will still see a good sized profit, those bonus cheques are so important after all. I negotiated an offer that included full sensory feedback augmetic legs, the finest work out of the Dragons own facility on Delos VII”

I took my time and focused on the slate. Here it was, the supply order I had rejected, plus an additional supply order to cover the losses we took because our ill maintained machines took such a pounding, and an additional supply order to cover the butchers bill of the pilots maimed and wounded as a result.

I opened a two new line items, left the amount blank, then authorized the sale of my Spitfire.

“You left two things off the list, I need you to fill them in.” I said as I passed her back the slate.

Pepper Nakamura looked at them and raised one shapely eyebrow.

“Chocolate and feminine hygiene products sir? I thought those were non-essential?”

I forced my eyes to focus on her and put what command authority I could into my voice.

“Stim packs for the crews working overtime, scheduled overhaul of our combat and support systems, are both essential. Anything required to keep the men and women of the Fists of Doom in top shape during combat and post combat operations are essential. Yes Quarter Maser Sgt Nakamura; chocolate is essential.”

For the first time ever, she stepped back and gave me a parade ground salute. I waved vaguely in return. New knees, and new perspective. You get them as a set at no extra price. That kind of deal is only offered here in Mecha Galaxy.

John T Mainer 28840

[thestudyofanerd]

Quarantine Tips

With Covid-19 circling around us, lockdowns have been put in place to make sure the spread of the virus is hopefully reduced to nothing. However, this may take a toll on people mental health so here are some things that may help keep people occupied.

· Clean out your room

With all this spare time available, cleaning out your room may be a good idea. However with shops being closed, it may be hard to get rid of old clothes but if you put them aside in a bag in a cupboard for a while, when shops re-open you can take them to charity shops or cash-for-clothes.

Here are some helpful links 😊

Closet = https://www.doctoroz.com/article/closet-clean-out-guide 

Room=https://i.pinimg.com/originals/b3/e3/94/b3e394d30f2c95dfe62c57d4ffc8765a.jpg

Spring cleaning tips and tricks - https://craftsyhacks.com/spring-cleaning/

· Learn a new hobby or thing

One way to combat boredom is to find something you might love. There are many things you can do in this spare time that you don’t need to go for as the power of the internet allows you to do anything you want. Here are some things I recommend.

· Learn a new language (Duolingo or Sign language is a good option)

· Bake or cook

                    o Vegan cupcakes - https://foodwithfeeling.com/easy-vegan-chocolate-cupcakes/ 

                    o Chocolate Caramel Slices / No-Bake -         https://jernejkitchen.com/recipes/chocolate/chocolate-caramel-slices-no-bake

                    o Candy-filled M&Ms Cake - https://intensivecakeunit.com/candy-filled-mm-drip-cake/

· Take an online course and learn a new degree

· Start up a daily blog (you never know, might be used in a history paper one day)

· Learn Photoshop

· Read!

Now with all the spare time you’ll have, indulge yourself in a good book. Clear out all the books you bought with the intention to read but never did! And if you’re not an avid reader these are some books I highly recommend.

§ The Good Girls - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Good-Girls-Perfectionists-Sara-Shepard/dp/0062074539

§ Looking Glass Girl - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Looking-Glass-Girl-Cathy-Cassidy/dp/0141357827

§ Murder Games - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Murder-Games-Instinct-James-Patterson/dp/1784753866/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Murder+games&qid=1584735123&s=books&sr=1-1

§ Guess who - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Guess-Who-ROOM-SUSPECTS-KILLER/dp/1409178080/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Guess+who&qid=1584735185&s=books&sr=1-1

§ Eleanor and Park - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Eleanor-Park-Rainbow-Rowell/dp/1409157253/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1MWQAPVRL87QW&keywords=eleanor+and+park+by+rainbow+rowell&qid=1584735233&s=books&sprefix=elenor+and+park%2Cstripbooks%2C151&sr=1-1

· Discover new music

A way of discovering things to do is through music as it takes your mind off things and be a very healthy coping mechanism. Also, when we are no longer trapped in the house, concerts and gigs will be available therefore allowing something to look forward to. Here are some of my suggestions.

§ The Wombats - https://www.youtube.com/user/TheWOMBATS

§ Imagine Dragons - https://www.youtube.com/user/ImagineDragons

§ Radiohead - https://www.youtube.com/user/radiohead

§ Dr Hook - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYDWtgeChGox9JV0x0QbOXg

§ Harry Styles - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZFWPqqPkFlNwIxcpsLOwew

§ Gorillaz - https://www.youtube.com/user/gorillaz

• Makeup and Photoshoots

During this time, working on bettering your makeup skills (basic makeup or special effects) maybe a brilliant way to combat boredom. Also, not letting your self-confidence slip is a big thing so taking photoshoots of yourself could really boost that lost self-confidence.

Makeup ideas

http://sharevid.ru/index.php?s=makeupheavenjournal.suburbanmen.ru&p=84808-trendy-makeup-tutorial-for-beginners-younique-ideas.html

https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/825003225476970674/

§ https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/465911523953792770/

§ https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/541980136405238389/

§ https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/745908757020027322/

§ https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/370702613076658988/

§ https://i.pinimg.com/originals/62/67/54/6267540ec783da882684c69da40ab9e3.jpg

§ https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/390898442656936003/

§ https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/670966044467645767/

§ https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/139048707230253974/

Self Photography ideas

§ https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/436286282651138012/

§ https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/774830310876453887/

https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/225883737544687017/  

§ https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/863635666029238270/  

§ https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/368310075777564334/  

§ https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/587297607637491252/

https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/479633429054079454/

§ https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/643803709217675056/

§ https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/517280707202854177/

Discover new shows, podcasts and YouTubers

A good way to deal with life is through getting obsessed with things. Here is some of my personal recommendations.

Shows

“You”- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lY55ig5js6I

“iZombie”   - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQhzQDW4L84

“Locke   and Key” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EonRi0yQOE

“Heroes”   - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deNDnHW1sWo

Podcasts

“Crime Junkie”    - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KThWSKTdbSY&list=PL21fBYI__NJYFxpWQRGjYmMVnIhVb0SmG

“Film   Pro Productivity” - https://filmproproductivity.podbean.com/

“Happy hour” - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrboPj-9ZOZvr3IVyyhXz6Q

Youtubers

“That Chapter”   - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCL44k-cLrlsdr7PYuMU4yIw

“Buzzfeed   Unsolved” - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKijjvu6bN1c-ZHVwR7-5WA

“James   Marriot” - https://www.youtube.com/user/BlackWhiteBlur

“Angelika   Oles” - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqBdhITIto1mF0k8C8t313w

Other things you can do!

§ Host a Kahoot game by face timing your friends and having competitions about yourself seeing what friend knows you best. (https://kahoot.com/)

§ Netflix Party – According to the website “Netflix Party is a new way to watch Netflix with your friends online. Netflix Party synchronizes video playback and adds group chat to your favourite Netflix shows.” (https://www.netflixparty.com/  )

§ Write letters to your friends and family, tell them about how life is cooped up and tell them how much you miss them. This will cheer them up and fill in your empty time.

§ Write CV’ s. With this empty time improving your CV will boost your chances of getting a job after the lock-in.

§ Work on your Tik-Tok dance moves. One way of combatting boredom is hours scrolling through Tik Tok. Well, why don’t you try your own stuff to allow people to enjoy your entertainment?

§ Make YouTube videos on things you love so that you can earn money while doing the things you love.

§ If you and your neighbour are safe, write letters to neighbours to see if they need anything from the shops or something is done for them.

Remember to keep safe, happy and healthy and support others around you

#coronavirus #covidー19 #teenagers #things to do #bored #mental heath support #support #books #hobbies

[hymen-records-blog]

monolog. conveyor. cd. hymen records ¥845

cd: https://mailorder.ant-zen.com/product/id/3001 digital: https://hymen-records.bandcamp.com/album/conveyor

tracklist: 01 the shakes 02 i will return to you from the abyss 03 contraction 04 the nothing room 05 open blade return 06 parse 07 nyctophilia 08 turmoil 09 for elisa 10 regain

upc 821272219828 release date: 10february2k17

danish artist mads lindgren aka monolog is a traveler in sound both figuratively and across the european continent, working intensely in the studio and on stage and taking care of various jobs in the audio industry. powered by influences ranging from king crimson, miles davis and nils petter molvær to karsten pflum, scorn and meshuggah, his musical activities started as a guitar player in various metal bands in the 90’s, but with distinct reference to the jazz guitar he grew up with. this combination resulted in an aggressive sound with complex harmonic structures, shaped as the band wombat in combat. later he turned towards modern jazz in the vestbirk noiz ensemble, and in 1999 he gave birth to monolog, a solo project colored by the sound of his prior sonic endeavors, but adding an distinct experimental angle to his music production. experienced as a drum’n’bass dj he drew a long trail in musical scapes and structures through a series of clashes with extreme noise, idm and drum’n’bass - some of which were released as a series of vinyl ep’s and a full length album. later he moved to berlin where he still resides, performing numerous live shows - solo or in collaboration with like-minded artists - presenting a wide range of sound aesthetics from doom jazz to breakcore and recently launching drum’n’bass and skewed wreckstep sets.

mads lindgren’s monolog project is constantly changing, aiming for extremities and seeking them musically, technically and emotionally. whether it is hammering the drums or creating soothing harmonies, these musical poles are given life by intense binding of contrasts. his first album on hymen records, ‘conveyor’, sums up recent steps in a harder, more dense and direct form that is new and yet unheard to the monolog alias. a staggering combination of ferocious intensity and atmospheric moments built on a flashing kaleidoscope of sonic facets between slow, steamrolling dub attacks and razor sharp drum’n’bass blasts. brilliantly produced and carefully composed, the ten tracks offer dense, overwhelming walls of forging beats, thundering bass drones, majestic keyboard lines and well-integrated samples.

this album has the ability to move the listener from a home environment to a club and vice versa - ascend the conveyor!

discography (excerpt) 02.2k17: conveyor. cd. hymen records ¥845. 2017 merge. cd. ad noiseam adn178. 2014 2 dots left. cd. ad noiseam adn172. 2013 lift and hold for stolen. cd. plasma torus plasmat009. 2013 aerodynamic. lp. uhrlaut ur004lp. 2012 sticktease. 12’. tender productions bah015lp. 2006 veneno. 12’. tender productions bah013lp. 2004 azùcar. 12’. tender productions bah012lp. 2004 slugs. cd. tender productions bah008cd. 2002 mumbler. cd. tender productions bah005cd. 2001

official websites: www.bitreactor.dk www.facebook.com/monolog.music

#hymen records #cd #¥845 #monolog

[daveinediting]

It's definitely a new experience watching a production spin up online through conversations and photographs, the evidence of a production team working hard to tell a story on the fly... a process that's its own fascinating story.

It also helps me make predictions about my own day.

The morning was, as expected, an exercise in absorbing the script. Reading and making notes. Reading and making plans. Reading and setting up the project in Premiere Pro. Thinking about what's coming my way and how I'll want to engage with it. And so on.

The morning was also about semi-front row seats to the work of two other professionals: the composer and the graphic designer who both got a head start on the day leaving me about 6-8 hours behind. The graphic designer took their cue from the producer about opening titles that also suggested the design for close credits. The composer sketched out some ideas first thing upon getting the script.

One of the challenges of the day on the post production side, was that our composer had to tag out around 10 that night. She wouldn't be available all the way through Sunday when we polish polish polish... so there had to be finished music before the first cut was even on its feet.

And so it was.

For example, she had the music for the fight scene done well before I actually got around to cutting the fight scene. The music was done before I had an idea for the fight scene. Pretty much before I saw the footage for the fight scene.

And guess what?

It turned out brilliantly. As if she'd scored the music to what I cut instead what happened… which was that I cut the fight scene and then laid the music under it.

Speaking of editing, I finished my Saturday on the early side. Around 230 Sunday morning.

What can I say?

When your first time doing this takes you through 5AM Sunday morning...

Two-thirty in the morning seems pretty reasonable. 

In other news and once again, the writing team pulled off a quirky script with heart. It seems to be their signature regardless of genre. There's a cleverness in their work, a natural tendency to find the humanity in any circumstance including the fantastic, the strange, and the absurd.

And yes. They also have no problem finding the laugh out loud funny when they want to.

Their signature seems always to be a certain empathy for the characters they create that I find heartening.

I'm told, by the way, they have a secret weapon: one amongst their ranks who seems to thrive in the ungodly hours of the morning.

The reason that came up?

They delivered this round's script, intended for an 830 Saturday morning shoot... at 430 the same morning. After which, between call time and when cameras rolled, the director and producer reconciled diverging ideas for the script's ending with a clever compromise. Something that both served the story as well as each of their objectives, literally (and wonderfully) having it both ways.

I told them there's brilliance in their disagreements.

Which there is.

The major editing challenge of the day was Scene 2 of the script that was one of those very complicated to shoot scenes. It also, therefore, happens to be one of those scenes that's a headache to edit. This time around, we're talking about two speakers and four audience members for which there's three takes of the wide shot encompassing the entire scene, a two-shot of the PTA president and fundraiser, singles of each, a single of one of the group members and a two shot of that group member (the spy, actually) and the person next to whom they're sitting, as well as a two-shot of another pair of group members sitting nearby. Every take of the scene is the complete scene. There's full dialogue in every take. There are reactions in every take. There are different performances between the takes.

Just contemplating all those takes made my brain hurt. 

I was still working through all those takes when the producer and director came over after the shoot to drop off the afternoon's footage and talk through what they'd done... as some changes were made on the fly and weren't reflected in the script.

The best thing, though? The absolutely best thing once the director and I commiserated about Scene 2? 

He told me Scene 3 was done as a single take. And then it turned out scene 4 was shot as a single. Scene 5 was a short single. And Scene 6 was a fight scene involving a mop and an umbrella for which there was plenty of footage but not egregiously so. It's one of those things where I could see what the director and photographer were going for and I leaned into it.

Hard.

I think in my career, I've done a piece on boxing with actual fighting in the ring. I cut a short film that involved a fight on a beach with a flaming sword. And then this one with the mop, the umbrella, and the guy who gets his feet completely knocked out from under him. I haven't yet been able to stop watching and re-watching that section of film. If I'd been able to resist that temptation, I easily would've been to bed by two in the morning instead of two-thirty.

Oh well.

Anyway, last night's rough cut features full color correction, sound design, and music. We're missing the graphics that are forthcoming today. And I've got the sound mix yet to do.

However.

We're set up today to do what we've always done while some teams are still shooting and some editors are just grappling with their first cuts. When the director and producer wake up, they'll look at my overnight cut and judge it on the spot. They'll track any obvious misstep on my part that needs fixing. They'll think about what's already great and  figure out if there's even more great to wring from the footage. Or more funny. Or more intensity or empathy. Then they'll come over later this morning and we'll polish the first cut to within an inch of its life. We'll regard different options available to us, try a few of them out, and when we're done...

You better believe it. We'll be done.

A fully no regrets experience by the time we deliver our work.

And yes. Now that you ask...

There's nothing like it.

🙂

#production #post-production #pre-production #production team #production crew #production house #script #script notes #graphic design #graphic designer #music composition #art director #composer #creative process #creativity #editing #editor #writing #combat wombats #48hfp #48 hour film project #seattle #director #producer #competition #director of photography #sound #audio #scenes #single take scenes

[thedaveandkimmershow]

Dang...

So July.

A definite crescendo of a month. Especially for one that starts off with explosions.

One month after moving back to the house after four years living on the Hill, it turns out the correct answer was...

Moving back to the house.

What can I say?

The reasons that made the choice such a difficult one not even two months ago... weren't so tough to navigate after all. Especially the commute side of the equation. It actually does work better than we would've guessed. Plus... the house is super chill, very quiet. Which makes sense since I-5 doesn't run right in front of it. Plus, though the remodeling of the house wasn't actually intended for us, it sure makes the house more optimized for what we do and want.

So yeah. A great call.

July fifth was our dating anniversary, the date of our establishing being July 5, 1990. Kind of a while ago. We lazed the morning. Went to see Indiana Jones & the Dial of Destiny at the Crest Theater, hit the Ballard GoodWill for some random browsing, derailed a trip to Trader Joe's by going to PCC across the street instead for orange creamsicles we subsequently enjoyed on the roof. Had a picnic on the shores of Smith Cove in front of Expedia. Did a walkabout of the Seattle Center for old time's sake. Finished off at Tapster on South Lake Union all—

On a sunny summer's day.

It was a fantastic dating anniversary.

Moving through the month, the next big event was this year's 48 Hour Film Project competition with the Combat Wombats, the production team that was kind enough to invite me to be a Wombat a coupla years ago for their short film, "Cleaners". This year's effort, "PTAgent" was, yes, hard work and a delight for all of us. It also feels like we're getting better at this having begun the journey at a high level to begin with.

By the way, the 48 Hour weekend was also proof of something Kimmer created: my edit suite. This was basically the shakedown cruise for using the room as intended, including the space for clients.

Initially I was thinking the overstuffed couch should be replaced with something a more sleek. That is... until Saturday night and Sunday during the day when the weary director and producer of "PTAgent" put its overstuffed comfort to good use.

The end of the 48 Hour extravaganza always features a dinner out with Kimmer. It's a tradition we didn't know was gonna be a tradition... but a tradition we started with my first 48 Hour Film Project editing "Cleaners", an experience that kept me up that particular Saturday night until 5AM Sunday morning and then up again by 9... four hours later. I think I finished with the edit around 4 that afternoon? At which point Kimmer offers dinner at Maggie Bluffs, our first such celebratory dinner with this year's, our fourth, at Las Brisas in Edmonds. ☺️☺️☺️

The reward for our 48 Hour experience, of course, was the opportunity to watch our work on the big screen at the Uptown Cinema in lower Queen Ann where, once upon a time as a youngster, I watched Young Sherlock Holmes.

Moving on, the second half of the month was definitely the most incredibly packed half. 

So the 48 Hour Film Project competition began the evening of Friday, July 14 ending on the evening of July 16. Four days later, Thursday the 20th, Kimmer 'n I drive up to the neighborhood behind the Grand Avenue Park Bridge, park our car, and walk down to the Everett Marina where Linzy's performing with the band The Little Lies.

Two days after that, Saturday, middle of the day, we join the band again at their Bite of Seattle performance that's taking place on one of the busiest weekends in Seattle history including but not limited to a Mariners game, the Capitol Hill Block Party, various cruise ship departures, and a Taylor Swift at Lumen Field mega concert. All of which conspired to bring everyone into the heart of Seattle.

Every place in the city was packed, is all I'm saying.

Same deal the next day, Sunday the 23rd, when we return to the Bite to see another band of which Linzy's a member: Midnight High (more on that band in a moment).

The Midnight High performance was around 1 in the afternoon after which we went back to the house as Linzy went on to that evening's Taylor Swift concert which, according to everyone, was a VERY big deal. Certainly for Linzy who basically grew up as a musician with Taylor's career. 🤩🤩🤩

Now, while all these shows were happening, as the world premiere of the film I cut approached, Kimmer was also up to her eyeballs... having officially applied to a doctorate program at her alma mater. And, by the time the screening happened, she was officially accepted.

HUZZAH!!!!!! 😁😁😁

And the doctorate program?

Doctor of Science in Integrative Health from the American College of Healthcare Sciences.

So there it is.

We all three were having a very busy week.

A coupla evenings later, Tuesday the 25th, I'm prefunctioning at the home of the Combat Wombats' director as most of the team gathers for pizza oven cooked pizza and drinks and talking shop and talking life… before heading to the Uptown Cinema for the world premiere of "PTAgent" on the big screen. By the time I get home, it's already a half hour into Sunday the 26th, the morning on which we're leaving for southern California to visit family and check in on Kimmer's aunt. At this point, we've gotta be out the door in six hours but manage to eat one of those hours watching an episode of Madame Secretary, a series that's turned out to be a big deal for us this summer after we blitzed through the eight episode season one of The Diplomat four times in a row.

Yeah. We desperately needed another show to watch.

So credits roll on Madam Secretary and now it's a little after 130AM. The way things work out, we'll be up three and a half hours later at 5AM, ready and on the road to the airport by 640AM, in the air by 8, and so on.

Which pretty much explains how tired we were the rest of the day.

Our California family's family, though, which means they give us a huuuuge shot of energy for four solid days of taking our home life on the road, an essential part of which is about seeing Kimmer's aunt who lives in a memory care community.

By the time we're home again, we're into the first minutes of Sunday the 30th, a day that we figured will be a normal-ish, chores-ish day that suddenly turns into the world premiere of Linzy's music on the radio.

One of the bands in which she performs harmonies and keys, you see, is called Midnight High, their latest gig being that one at the Bite of Seattle. And Sunday evening, our day back from California, they're on the Locals Only show on KNDD-FM 107.7 The End. They're promoting their new album, "Swimming Lessons", showcasing a few songs from that album and sharing some of their favorite music including "I Don't Wanna Know" from Linzy's debut Dream Patrol project EP titled "Made For TV".

Dang.

That made for a very "That Thing You Do" moment for us at home and for Linzy over at her place.

And yup.

After a crazy busy July, that's seven months down.

Five to go.

🤔🤔🤔

#dating anniversary #family #friends #fun #love #busy #home life #road life #moving #48 hour film project #combat wombats #music at the marina everett #bite of seattle #the little lies #midnight high #PTAgent #uptown cinema #southern california #orange county #105 degrees #memory care community #achs #doctorate #american college of healthcare sciences #integrative medicine #KNDD-FM #locals only #107.7 the end #taylor swift #lumen field

[etes-secrecy-post]

Hi, before I explain my post, I want to say something important.

• What you see my blog has become a major overhaul. And despite the changes, I decided that my 2nd account will be now my artwork blog with a secret twist.

⚠️NEW RULE! (W/ BIGGER TEXT!)⚠️

⚠️ SO PLEASE DO NOT SHARE MY 2nd ACCOUNT TO EVERYONE! THIS SECRECY BLOG OF MINE IS FOR CLOSES FRIENDS ONLY!⚠️

• AND FOR MY CLOSES FRIENDS, DON’T REBLOG IT. INSTEAD, JUST COPY MY LINK AND PASTE IT ON YOUR TUMBLR POST! JUST BE SURE THE IMAGE WILL BE REMOVED AND THE ONLY LEFT WAS THE TEXT.

⚠️ SHARING LINKS, LIKE POSTS, REBLOG POSTS, STEALING MY SNAPSHOT PHOTOS/RECORDED VIDEOS/ARTWORKS (a.k.a. ART THIEVES) OR PLAGIARIZING FROM UNKNOWN TUMBLR STRANGERS WILL IMMEDIATELY BE BLOCKED, RIGHT AWAY!⚠️

😡 WHATEVER YOU DO, DO NOT EVER LIKED & REBLOG MY SECRET POST! THIS IS FOR MY SECRET FRIENDS ONLY, NOT YOU! 😡

Okay? Capiche? Make sense? Good, now back to the post…↓

#OnThisDay: Feb 8th, 2018

Title: Cuteness Girl Member - Wombat

I'd decided to draw something random character from other shows that I never seen nor interested. Such the case, with this random cartoon named Wombat 🇦🇺🐻 from "P. King Duckling" 🟠🦆 joins the "Cuteness Defender Academy", with her first "Cuteness Mecha Armor"; The armored "Acguy". 🤖😁

Acguy Wombat Came from the real: MSM-04 Acguy [CLICK ME!]

Armament(s):

105mm Vulcan Gun • Small pocket turrets found on the top of the head. They release a burst of gun fire for close combat and for taking out smaller units.

6-tube Missile Launcher • Missiles can be fired from its left arm rapidly to destroy mobile suits, land vehicles, and buildings. The missiles are usually fired individually.

Mega Particle Cannon • Powerful beams can be fired from the right arm to pierce enemy armor and buildings for effective damage. Often used at medium to long range.

Vulcan Gun • Some Acguys have another vulcan gun in its right arm instead of the mega particle cannon.

Iron Nail • Mounted in the left arm is six extendable claws for stabbing mobile suits. When not in used, the claws are hidden in the arm.

Wombat - P. King Duckling © Little Airplane Productions, Uyoung Animation Armor (Mobile Suit Gundam 0079) - Gundam series © Bandai Namco Filmworks, Inc. (SUNRISE), Sotsu

[daveinediting]

I've written before about the production of our short film for the 48 Hour Film Project and how alternate takes, different shadings of performances, and various reactions were shot during that production.

I've also written about how, at the end of assembling the interviews on the first day of editing, I had questions about the ending, concern that there was a chance we might not be earning it.

And I've written about the importance of expressing that concern not for anyone else but for myself. To have my internal radar at full intensity seeking out ways to stick the landing of our story.

So.

I was talking to one of the writers over the weekend before we all headed out to the theater to finally see our film on the big screen with an audience. And during that conversation I hit on what it was the production crew and actors had done, what all the alternate takes, performance shadings, and reaction shots were.

Of course I knew what they were all about... but during the conversation with the writer I hit on the word for it.

You see, the director didn't know for sure how each performance across the script needed to play.

He had an idea, though. 

Definitely this was a different experience from last year's production. That film that leaned into plot. Tone and plot. But definitely plot driven. On the other hand, this year's film hinged on a change of heart by the interviewer who's off-camera during the entire film. Which meant something in the performances of the actors on-screen would have to make it obvious why this change of heart was happening.

But.

The script establishes their characters as ridiculous, absurd, irrational. And somehow, the narrator's arc is to see them that way in the beginning and ultimately discover something in those characters that's compelling, authentic, and appealing.

So with an idea of how to make that work, the production crew and actors bracket the performances. They bias performances toward ridiculous... and bias them toward compelling. And somewhere between those two poles, depending on where we were in the film, the actors captured exactly what the script, what the story required in order to stick the landing.

Like I said, the production team didn't know exactly, specifically, what each performance should be ideally, but they knew enough to capture a range of performances within which were the ones that would successfully take us on the emotional journey, the shift in tone and perspective, we needed to stick the landing.

Which.

We.

Did.

😁

#48 Hour Film Project #seattle #combat wombats #convergent belonging #script #editing #writers #director #actors #bracketing performances #production #production crew #teamwork

[animalansaveagethefittest]

100 years 36,500 days Let’s dream of humans not signing a document when they exit the WOMB to COMB and COMBAT the WOMBAT that says that they will work love and play to eat animals every single meal for 36,500 days. I have a dream when I NAP 😴 that humans eat no animal products on NAPKINS and that humans don’t NAB KIN. https://www.instagram.com/p/CopGytRrg7x/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[daveinediting]

I sat in a darkened theater last night and watched the short film I cut for the Combat Wombats production team a couple weekends ago during the 48 Hour Film Project.

This was the first time I ever watched something I cut in a theater, in this case, the SIFF Cinema Egyptian on Pine.

It was a fascinating and exciting experience even just waiting for the films to start. 

I won't lie, though. I was worried that I might see a problem on the big screen through theater speakers that I hadn't seen on my small screen through desktop speakers. And the more my brain kicked that thought around, the more likely it seemed. Only...

That's not what happened.

The picture was glorious. 

The sound... perfect. 

It was everything I hoped it would be. On top of which we got the laughs we were going for in the places we were going for them and we managed a successful tonal shift.

And this:

After an audience vote at the end of the screenings, our mockumentary, Convergent Belonging, turned out to be the audience favorite.

Enjoy!

#convergent belonging #combat wombats #siff #48 Hour Film Project #short film #editing #editor