engaged

I’ve been neglectful in posting. A few weeks back Rosie and I took a trip down to Daytona Beach and I keep meaning to write up a summary, but have been too lazy. Short version: we had a marvelous relaxing time. One day while driving along we spotted the Daytona Magic shop and visited it the next day. It was everything I could imagine a magic shop being. We were shown several tricks by the Amazing Anthony (I am horrible with names, but I think that was his) and I ended up buying the Flying Cards.

The other notable event from down there happened our first full day there. While tooling around the Daytona Flea & Farmers Market, we stopped at Amy’s Custom Jewelry so Rosie could examine the loose stones. As her favorite stone is alexandrite, when she spotted a stone with some color change she had to find out what it was. It turned out to be andalusite instead and we bought two of them. More on that later.

The one other big event I should have blogged about since the trip is the 48 Hour Film Project that I shot this past weekend. It was shot all greenscreen, which was quite a challenge. Fortunately I didn’t have to work on the editing or effects at all. I heard something second hand about our team being disqualified for not completing it though the last I had heard before that we had gotten it turned in on time. When it pops up online I’ll post a link.

Oh and one more thing, yesterday was Rosie’s birthday and I asked her to be my wife. A little while after coming back from Florida, I took one of the stones we bought to my dad and had it set in a ring. Yesterday, thinking she was getting something else, I surprised her with it and, after she realized I was serious, she said yes. To answer the most common question, no, we haven’t set a date. It still feels a little unreal to say I’m engaged, but I am.

Wakeup Call: Chapter 2

Because you demanded it, Wakeup Call: Chapter 2 is now live on Youtube, Flickr, and the Wacko Productions website.

That’s right, what was supposed to be a one off experimental project and test for the longer 7 part serial coming this fall, is now a serial on it’s own. Everyone wanted to know what happened next (including me!) so we decided to keep going. Chapter 3 should be online early next month with the conclusion coming in Chapter 4 a month after that. Then, this fall, a new as yet untitled serial will reveal exactly what sent Joe and Grace on the run.

spike lee and nokia get it

I’ve been saying it, I’ve been putting it into practice, but some still don’t get that we’re in the midst of a filmmaking and distribution revolution. Nokia gets it though and have recruited Spike Lee to help with a promotion/contest for films shot with cellphones.

red just won

A couple of years ago, Oakley founder Jim Jannard left that company to make a video camera. He made wild claims about it shooting 4K resolution footage (for a rough comparison, HD video is just shy of 2K), being about the size of a prosumer camera, and costing less than $20,000. Everyone thought he was crazy because, well, that was crazy talk. Cameras like that were shoulder mount size and priced upwards of $100,000. And then he went and did it. Panasonic, Canon, and Sony still haven’t caught on either as they’ve just introduced new high end HD cameras that cost around the same as the Red One.

Today Red announced that they have just won. Well, not exactly. They’ve announced two new cameras. One that shoots 5K and the one that wins the game, if the rumored price is even close to true. Called Scarlet, it will shoot 3K resolution footage, looks to be smaller than my old Sony Handycam and, according to rumors, will cost around $3,000. If that price proves true, Wacko Productions will be getting a new camera next year.

people to discover

The ever brilliant Damien, who has done me many a good turn by promoting my films and connecting me with people (including most recently Savannah Murphy, star of Wakeup Call), seeks to continue the turning by spreading word of others. With work returning and a half dozen films in the works, I’ve not had time to look over all of the people, so while I cannot vouch directly for them, I can vouch for him. Anyone he wants you to know about is worth knowing about, if not also following slavishly and drowning in heaps of money.

That being said, of those on his list I can offer up a quick recommendation for artist Kirsten Brown as I own some of her work myself, the site grinding as it is among the top feeds I check, the game work of Zachary Anderson who I fortunately know in real life, albeit not as well as I’d like, and the also wonderful art of Ben Templesmith (the 21st century’s answer to Bill Sienkiewicz, not that Mr. Sienkiewicz is not still producing great work, but if you like the latter, you’ll probably like the former and vice versa).