Slow Start

 After a protracted holiday weekend, we're diving back into the melee, but it's slow going. One side works on the final CGI for Othersight, whilst the other integrates the post recordings for AI's and comm units into the edit, including finding the right atmospheric sound to blend it with the scene. I'm saving the caller in the warehouse scene for last, as it promises to be the most challenging.

 

The stunt team will start meeting again this weekend, and plans are in place to transform our work into an official curriculum, including a foray into the gyms of some local colleges.

Well, that's about all from this week. Until next time!

Merry Christmas!

 Well, that was a fine way to kick off Christmas Eve. We woke up without power, and it has just now returned. As a result, this blog is late, and we didn't get much done today.
This week was comprised of troubleshooting the render from a church event and discovering that we'd spent so much time obsessing over the one animation sequence in Othersight that we'd completely forgotten about another even more complex one. *sigh* Naturally. That said, we're making good headway in rectifying the situation.
Well, that's about it for now. Until next time, and Merry Christmas!

Phase 1 Complete!

 As the above title indicates, we have finally finished the edit for Chaos on the Fringe! Most of the sound is also synced, though there is still extensive audio work to do, especially as related to the fight scenes.

So now we turn to the mountain of effects work, likely starting with backgrounds and ships, followed up by weapons effects, color correction, and another layer of sound work.

Also the team got together this Sunday to play out the final chapter of the Chaos saga.

Meet the Janitor

Taking Cover

Set Phasers to Comedy

Introducing Chaos Squad

 Shots were fired, alliances shifted, and grudges were born. All in all a successful session.

Well, that's about all for now. Until next time!

Restoring

Well, this week has been... interesting. We finally got over the hump, past the midway point and the complicated warehouse scene. Sound is synced, though not yet complete... and then came the file corruption. A misplaced press of a button corrupted the entire project, and I was afraid we'd lost months of work. Fortunately, I was able to find a backup save and used that to restore the project with only a few scenes missing. As of this morning we have finally returned the edit to where it was before the accident.

 

So all in all a nerve-wracking experience, but not irredeemable.

That's about all for this week. Until next time!

Coming Off the Tryptophan Crash

Well, the holidays certainly took a bite out of this week. Since our last blog post, we've really only had about two days of work. Those were divided up between a failed 3D experiment with an over-hyped program (but at least it was free), and ADR-ing half of the Assassin's Temple scene. (Along with background audio for the desert sequence.)

 

 

 Now we're off to plot the designs for our digital and miniature sets!

Until next time!

Shipping Out

Okay, so really bad pun, but appropriate to the first image here; a work in progress screen cap of the pirate vessel from the first scene of Chaos.

Also appropriate, as the stunt team goes on a final march before we break for the holidays.

 In other news, the effects for Othersight are finished, now we're tidying up the audio a bit before final renders.

Have a good weekend, and Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Blind Testing

 I'm not sure if it's wise to admit what our latest escapade was with the stunt team, but the title probably gives you an idea. This week our trainees got to experience what many people consider trick-fighting: dueling with blindfolds.

 

 

 

 

 It may surprise people to learn that it doesn't require advanced martial arts training to "see" a lot without your eyes, just experience and focus.

 The sound edit (sans special effects) is almost complete for the first 20 minutes of Chaos, and attention has turned to the much-neglected final animation in Othersight. We are running test renders now, and hope to have this finished soon. But if the dragon is any indication, I may just be wildly optimistic.

 Well, that's about all for this week. Until next time!

Cycling Through

Now that we're about 20 minutes into the edit, I'm going back and developing the sound for those scenes. Bringing up levels, cleaning it up a bit, equalizing, and intercutting the computer voice as needed.Slow and tedious, but rewarding.

Sometimes you can only get so far teaching form and theory, then the best education is hands-on practice.

 

To properly develop the skills of sword and shield, our trainees faced off in a one on one duel, with massive performance and technique gains over the hour they worked.

Well, that's about all for this week. Until next time!

All Ahead Full!

 So this week has been quite productive. Tumultuous in so many ways, but productive nonetheless. We're in the process of sound syncing scene 9, with the edit complete through 11. With approximately 34 scenes in this little show, that's pretty decent headway.

 

 As per normal, the stunt team met, and this time we focused on the tried and true method of teaching proper cutting, a method known as "striking at the pells." Basically practicing your technique against a vertical post. Many things are learned when you strike something that resists.

 

So not a flashy week, but I feel content with the progress we've made thus far, particularly after the weeks of enforced boredom.

Well, that's about all for this week. Until next time!

Chaos Commencing

So just a brief update this week. We've begun editing CotF, and radically re-organized the office,. Surprisingly, we managed to fit all of the costumes and most of the props from three separate projects into one closet.

 

 

 However, it did take us two days...

We worked on more unit tactics with the stunt team for about an hour, before getting hailed out. When you're screaming instructions at someone four inches from their ear, and they still can't hear you, you've got a problem. That little storm lasted about half an hour.

There was a bit of a hiccup when the editing software didn't recognize any of the footage from the shoot, but we got that sorted after about five hours of trial and error.

Well, that's about all for this week. Until next time!

Status: Complete!

 After that fantastic runaround, it is with great joy that I report the new editing computer is COMPLETE! (...and running quite well to boot.) Now to find a place to put it. Hmm...

The team convened yet again this Sunday to train in massed close combat and plot for the next episode of The Game (aka. Chaos on the Fringe.) After maneuver drills we divided into two teams and practiced with the tactical variations required when you can't back up, cut from below, or circle.

 

Chaos ensued, and many "deaths" were accidental. We might need to work on that...

So that about sums up this week. Hopefully by next we'll be able to report on the first phases of the CotF edit process, Until then!

ERROR. PLEASE TRY AGAIN…

Yeah… so the computer parts came, I assembled them, we tried to boot up… the disc drive was faulty. *sigh* The replacement should be arriving today. Hopefully that’s the last problem we have. (At least the last one that requires more shopping...)

Stunt team this week focused on shortsword basics, with an expanded look at the spear, and a brief diversion into unarmed combat. (Specifically, punching and kicking with power.)

What with the new computer system not cooperating, I got a little bored and decided to experiment a tad with some of the footage from the desert scene. First a basic color adjustment, followed by something a little more aggressive...

That’s about all for this week. Until next time!

Woo Hoo!!!

It is with great enthusiasm that I announce the following: After weeks and weeks of shopping and research, the parts have been ordered and the last pieces should be arriving today! If all goes well, we should have the new system up and running by next week. However, if Murphy strikes and we come up a few cables short, well… same time next week?

The stunt team met yet again and continued work on the swordplay fundamentals, including sword and shield, and unit maneuvers.

Sword and shield is where I started my own training, so I may have gotten a wee bit excited about it. Even with the complications of attack and defense with a longsword, maintaining the proper synergy between sword and shield is complicated, requiring a lot of drilling, but very rewarding once achieved. 

Anyway, that’s about all for this week. Until next time!