The Making Of Insula – Editing Diary: Downpour Assembly

Syncing footage is a slow and painful process, one that can well and truly fry your brain. With two camera setups on each instrument during the recording sessions it means I’ve got quite a bit of syncing to do.

It took several hours just to sync all the instruments for one song, after a while it’s so confusing trying to organise all the footage on the timeline, and then sync it up.

Thankfully Daw sat in with me throughout the process, he was also able to point out bits of footage that can’t be used; changes that were made to songs during recording etc. But we did manage to cut some shots to measure up to songs in other places which was quite handy.

It can be kind of difficult to put a narrative structure on something when you’re shooting without a script. Trying to blend into the background and just let the lads do their thing, not distract them whilst trying to keep on track of what I’m shooting on both cameras all the time.

That being said, as I begin to go through the footage, I’m delighted with the coverage of everything and how it accurately captures the mood and feeling in the studio during the recording process.

With all the coverage of ‘Downpour’ (it’s previously unheard ) ready to go, I couldn’t resist starting a rough assembly of the cuts. It’s easily going to be one of my favourite songs on ‘Insula‘; filled with catchy vocals and harmonies, the song slowly builds into chunky riffs and an awesome breakdown before drifting into an eerie ending.

I chiselling away at the footage and the rough assembly is already looking better than I imagined, it still needs a lot of work but it can only get better and as it’s taking shape I’ve also been able to figure out the structure of the project and how it will be presented.

All of which is still quite a bit away, for now it’s back to syncing footage…

The Making Of Insula – Editing Diary(Part 1)

The editing process has finally begun on ‘South – The Making Of Insula’; having uploaded the teaser trailer last week I got a bit side-tracked;

My birthday celebrations turned into a night of carnage and death-defying stunts, NoFx made a dream come true when they played ‘The Decline’ in the Olympia on Saturday night and just as I finally think I’m getting my head around editing, I run headfirst in to completely baffling technical issues. Thankfully, I have a Sla.

The shoot with South was a two-camera setup; using a Canon XHA1 (shooting on miniDV) as the main camera and a Canon HG10 (shooting straight to harddrive) as a secondary camera for pick-ups and cut-to’s. Focussing on the HG10 can be pretty limited, there’s no manual focus so I used the XHA1 for master coverage of takes on each instrument during the recordings. The XHA1 was set up on a tripod whilst I moved around getting cut-to’s on the HG10 using my miniDv steadicam.

Shooting with two cameras by yourself can be tricky, it’s important to keep track of what you’re shooting on each camera and trying to avoid shooting the same things on both (unless of course you want to!?). Having watched all the footage, I’m really happy with the coverage I have.

Last week I transferred all the footage onto my iMac and did some back-ups, it was a bit of a slow process; working with tapes can be a pain in the ass, the handy thing about the HG10 is how quick transferring footage can be.

Having transferred the footage from both cameras; I had my first problem; formatting!? It’s something I get the point of, but just can’t figure out. As I’ve said before; thankfully I have a Sla!

After a couple of days set-back, I’ve finally begun editing today. The first task was going through all of the footage from the XHA1 and separating the shots. For some reason, it doesn’t recognise the cuts. I think it’s something to do with how I logged the footage!? Either way I don’t care, it’s finally all in one project and ready to go.

Tomorrow, I’ll start syncing footage from both cameras and label the set-ups before beginning a rough cut.

I’m also still getting my head around the whole strobist style, I’ve uploaded a new shot to the main page of Oss237.com, it was shot strobist style; 50mm lens, I can’t remember the exact settings as I tested several, SB800 at half-power positioned in the corner of the room using the glow from my iMac, Powerbook G4 and the HG10 as back lighting. CHECK IT OUT!

Vultures Eps4: ‘The Case Of The Poisoned Dates’ Behind the Scenes (Video)

With the release date for episode 5 soon to be announced and a lot of people asking me about this over the past few months; I’ve finally uploaded ‘The Case Of The Poisoned Dates’ – Behind the Scenes.

The above video offers an insight into life behind the scenes of Mycrofilm’s web-based sitcom Vultures; beginning on the first day’s shooting for episode 4, back in October 2008. There’s footage throughout the preceding five weeks of shooting and some hilarious interactions and conversations with the cast & crew of ‘The Case Of The Poisoned Dates‘ right up until the last day’s shooting.

Running at 40 minutes or so, it’s nearly as long as the episode itself; this may be too long for some but for me it’s just right. So many people have asked me about seeing behind the scenes and in my mind this is a good insight to the production side of making the extremely low budget webcom.

More importantly it’s for the cast & crew who gave up their free time and worked so hard, making my first directing experience a truly awesome one. Some days of shooting flew by so quickly and I hope this will be another great way to remember working on the show (aside from the resulting episodes of course).

Unfortunately due to size constraints; I wasn’t able to upload a HD version, meaning the quality of photos in the video isn’t great, but that bit’s only at the end and you can check out all my behind the scenes photos here on flickr.

As usual any comments, criticism or feedback on the video & photos would be greatly appreciated.

Busker 2009 – Round 1 Voting Opens

Voting has opened on Round 1 of the Kilkenny 400 busking competition in association with KilkennyMusic.com, so don’t forget to cast your vote on the first three contestants of Busker 2009.

A bit of a slow start to the competition (with some competitors dropping out at the last minute), but myself and the Chief were on the streets of Kilkenny on Saturday afternoon to catch the first contestants do their thing.

And very different things they were; a range of musical styles (and even languages) being blasted out to passers-by in The Market Slip (Pete), the Town Hall (Liam) and outside the Kilkenny People Office (Jacob) on a beautiful sunny afternoon.

The videos are now online and open to PUBLIC VOTING on Busker2009.com. One of these guys is walking away with €200 plus the cash he made on the day. As much as the idea of singing in public terrifies me, it’s still tempting to enter when it’s this easy!?

Don’t forget to cast your vote for your favourite busker and if you think you could do better then why not register for the competition which runs until September. Aside from cash made on the day and €200 for the winner of each round there’s a further €1000 up for grabs in the final.

Watch the videos from Round 1, cast your vote or register for the competition on www.Busker2009.com.

NOTE: Watch the videos in HD for best results.

South – The Making Of Insula (Teaser)

I haven’t had much time to post blogs or new photos lately; after our promo shoot a few weeks back, South asked me if I’d like to join them in the studio, as they recorded their upcoming debut album ‘Insula’.

For the past few weeks, I’ve had the pleasure of joining the progressive grunge rockers in the Mill Studio and I was armed to the teeth with cameras & equipment, shooting on two video cameras plus my D80; finally getting a chance to test my steadicam and my off camera flash triggers, quite literally sticking cameras in their faces throughout the process.

Hanging out in the studio with the lads was so much fun but capturing the recording process and witnessing 12 awesome tracks come together for their debut offering; that I have no doubts will be an awesome album, was nothing short of an absolute pleasure.

So as the recording process draws to a close, here’s a little taste of things to come; the teaser trailer for ‘The Making Of Insula‘ and a teaser image (one of my first attempts using my off camera flash triggers for a strobist style). As usual feedback and comments would be very appreciated.

South’s debut album ‘Insula’ will be released this Summer along with a host of videos, photos and more… so for future updates make sure and subscribe to their blog on the South MySpace.

NOTE: Please view the above video in HD for best results.

Devious Theatre’s Trainspotting: “Tripping through the meadows”

The Devious Theatre Company have just released the sixth video clip from our production of Irvine Welsh’s ‘Trainspotting‘ in the Watergate Theatre last June.

The final scene in act one sees Tommy (Ken McGuire) saying “love me do” to smack as Renton (Myself), Spud (Stephen Colfer) and Alison (Maria Murray) take “a trip” through the meadows. With the help of some eckies, it’s a magical tour of a funfair and some deranged encounters with some auld wifies and a squirrel.

You can read all about my experiences during Trainspotting here on a previous blog post. And don’t forget to subscribe to the Devious Theatre Youtube for plenty more video clips to come.

Cartoon Saloon’s ‘Old Fangs’ – Behind the Scenes (Video)

At the moment, I’m trying to get on top of a huge backlog of photos and video footage that has been building over the past few months. First up; behind the scenes of ‘Old Fangs‘, a brand new animated short film from the Cartoon Saloon, written and directed by Adrien Merigeau.

I have to say I was quite excited when I was asked to provide a voice for an animated character. I’ve done a little voice acting before, but not for animation, and who doesn’t want to be in a cartoon!? Especially a cartoon that’s going to look awesome; CHECK IT OUT!

To the best of my knowledge, the recording took place sometime in January!? It’s a little blurry because we were in the middle of shooting Vultures episodes 5 & 6. Myself, John Morton & David Thompson took a break from filming to provide voices for the characters of Fox, Cat & Wolf with Paul Young (Legend!) joining us as the voice of Father Wolf.

I’ve already seen a rough assembly of the short (it looks great) but at the moment I’m not sure of the release date. You can get more information here on the Old Fangs’ Blog which is filled with artwork, sketches and even an animated sneak preview.

I’d like to say a huge thanks to Adrien, Jennifer, Alan and indeed all of the lovely people in Cartoon Saloon for the opportunity to work with them. Also thanks to Davey Holland, the engineer in Brodericks Studios. Thank you all for your patience! Voice acting can be incredibly nerve wrecking; trying to nail the mood and tone, constantly having to tweak words or even sentences. But despite my struggle, it was an awesome experience and I can’t wait to see ‘Old Fangs‘.

I also have to say one final thanks to Greg and the lads from Parhelia for letting me use their awesome music.

***NOTE: For best results please watch the above video in HD***

South – Photoshoot (Behind the Scenes Video)

Last year was my second year as a judge for the Hype Entertainment Battle Of The Bands and once again I sponsored a photography package to the winning band. In the end the competition was won by progressive grunge rockers; South.

South has undergone a lineup change since the competition, my long time “partner in crime” Alan Dawson (Drums) has joined Thomas Donoghue (Guitar & Vocals) & Ken Farrell (Bass) and over the past few months the trio have been working on songs for South’s debut album, which will be released this Summer.

Last week, we finally got the ball rolling on the first in a series of photoshoots I’ll be doing with the lads in the coming months. The aim was simple; to get some up-to-date shots of South and have a bit of fun.

The shoot took place outside the Mill Studios on a damn windy day. The strongs winds were a bit of a nightmare with all three members of South having long hair which flew around, eyes were watering, nipples were hard, the clouds moved so quickly that I was constantly having to adjust settings and fight off too much flaring.

However, the nasty weather conditions didn’t put a downer on the occassion; South were in high spirits throughout, constantly focused on the fact that they were doing this “for the ladies!”.

The track used on the above video is ‘Symmetry’ and the song will appear on South’s upcoming debut. I have to point out that the version used in this video is not the finished track, although at it’s current state I think it sounds awesome.

You can listen to full versions of ‘Symmetry’ and ‘Levity’ here on the South MySpace and don’t forget to subscribe to their blog for updates on the album.

***For best results, watch the above video in HD***