Impulse

Well, I didn’t quite hit my 8/31/08 deadline, but I’m close.  I’ve finished the first pass of color correction (during which I learned so much about the subtlety of that art - I’ll blog later about it), and have finished mixing the first act of the movie. 

Audio mixing is turning out to be much slower work (1 hour of work for 1 minute of movie), not only because the process is just plain slower, but because I can only do it for 1-1.5 hour chunks of time.  Just like during a concert, my ears get fatigued and it’s hard to hear the full spectrum of audio.  So, I alternate: 1 hour mixing, 1 hour quiet. 

Today, I decided to be a little less of a perfectionist, so I suspect I’ll be able to go much, much faster now.  It’s not like I’m trying to make a surround sound, theatrical mix; just something good enough for your TV.

Posted by Rob McKaughan at 07:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I just spent 2.5 hours color balancing 6.25 minutes of my movie.  At this rate, I only have 27 more hours to go - and then I get to do the audio.  Wheee!  Looks a whole lot better, though.

Posted by Rob McKaughan in Movies , My creative work at 05:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Speaking of new works of art, my friend Amanda Koster is coming out with her first book next month.  By day, Amanda is a full-time assignment photographer. She dedicates the rest of her time to social documentary (and cooking fabulous meals). This book, made up of her photographs and personal journal entries, describes how everyone use their creative talents to change the world. 

I love Amanda’s work — in fact, I have at least 7 of her photos hanging in my house right now — more than any other photographer (including me!). 

Amanda’s book is available for presale at her publisher’s web site.  She’s also having a lecture & signing on September 18.  Those who buy a ticket get a free book (or, if you prefer, you get a free ticket for buying the book).  Either way, go here right now to buy one or the other.  I’ve already got my order in.

Posted by Rob McKaughan in Cool Art , Inspiration , Photography at 04:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I hereby declare picture for my first documentary film, LOCKED!  Sure, it took 2 years, 1 month, and 28 days to complete the story edit, but hey, who’s counting, right?  It got done and that’s all that matters.  Now on to the technical dotting of the i’s and crossing the t’s: mastering the audio tracks, completing the titles and bottom-thirds ("bottom thirds" are the text & graphics that pop up at the bottom of your screen, used ridiculously often in news programs), color balancing and visual polish, and music. 

For the end credits, I’m planning on using some music written by my friend John Pilafidis, to which this film and the race in the film, are dedicated.  The song’s intro is a little long, but I’ve got John’s master files.  Always wanted to learn how to edit music…

I want to thank all of my friends who gave me feedback through the editing process.  Your feedback made this a much, much better film.  Thanks Amanda, Karen, Becky, Linda, Mike, Will, Susan, Helen, Bernie, Laurie, Tom, Marisa, Mark, and Harvey. 

Posted by Rob McKaughan in Movies , My creative work at 04:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I’m bouncing off the walls with excitement!  I’ve just showed my last cut of the RAAM movie to 5 people and they all loved it.  Those who’d seen it before thought it was surprisingly better than previous cuts.  (One said, "this is a completely different movie")  I’ve just a few minor tweaks based on feedback, and I’ll be set for Picture Lock by the end of the day tomorrow.  That puts me solidly on a path to FINISHING THIS MOVIE by the end of the month.  I’m very proud of how it’s turning out.  It’s much better than I expected.

Posted by Rob McKaughan in Movies , My creative work at 06:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

After working on this project for over two years, it’s time to call this thing done.  At the end of this month, I will declare this movie - in whatever state it’s in - done.  That means I’m shooting for picture lock this Sunday.  (Picture lock is when I’ve stopped editing the sequence of edits, and moved on to things like sound mastering, titles, and color balance).  I’ve made some major edits based on test screenings and watching the raw footage over again (incredibly valuable).  Benjamin Zander’s description of musical phrasing, and the structure of Samuel Barber’s Adaggio for Strings have also provided great inspiration.  Look for more news in the next few weeks.

Meanwhile, try what I did this weekend: unplug the internet.  I think I gained at least 3 hours per day doing that.  Hmmm… Probably need to do it right now…

Posted by Rob McKaughan in Movies , My creative work at 08:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

There’s nothing quite like a manically enthusiastic British professor. Benjamin Zander’s TED talk is excellent. Switching easily between comic and profound, he demonstrates how classical music can move everyone, and smoothly weaves in excellent lessons on leadership and optimism. I want to grow up to be like him someday.

Continue reading "Benjamin Zander: on music & leadership"

Posted by Rob McKaughan in Inspiration , Life at 01:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

“A poem is never finished, only abandoned” - Paul Valery

Many have generalized this quote to apply to all artistic endeavors. On a video for current.tv, Ira Glass pointed out that all artists have excellent taste. They have a clear taste or vision of what work in a particular medium could be, and they create because they are driven to demonstrate that taste. But, there’s often a gap between the artist’s taste and his skill level. That gap causes endless frustration, and in part gets to the phenomenon behind the above quote. Often, an artist’s taste exceeds his skill (or materials), thus can never finish a particular work; only abandon it and move on to the next project.

Continue reading "To finish or to abandon: that is the question"

Posted by Rob McKaughan in My creative work , On being creative at 09:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The FISA Amendments Act comes up for a vote tomorrow in the Senate. For those not in the know: FISA extends the 4th Amendment so that wiretapping or electronic surveillance requires a warrant. The Amendments Act coming up tomorrow guts FISA so that the executive branch can listen to your phone conversations without a warrant. At issue here too is whether or not the telecoms who allowed warrantless wiretaps (even before 9/11!!!) should be granted immunity. Here’s some interesting info & things you can do.

Continue reading "Sticking to first principles"

Posted by Rob McKaughan in Politics at 11:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I didn’t really know much about Buckminster Fuller until a recent New Yorker article educated me. The inventor of the geodesic dome & modular housing was a pretty wacky guy. Though nearly all of his ideas flopped, he had some good ideas in his approach. My favorite involves clinging to a piano cover as a life preserver.

Continue reading "Clinging to piano covers and other bad assumptions"

Posted by Rob McKaughan in Casual commentary , On being creative at 06:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)