Shane Felux Director's Blog - Creator of Star Wars Revelations, Pitching Lucas, & Trenches

What's that smell? Is something burning?

2008-07-11T15:47:00.013-05:00

That is the smell of the creative juices burning from a film maker's tallow candle burning from both ends, on both sides, around the middle, and up the back!

I have been very busy as of late and the good news is that I have now completed all the final FX for Trenches! Rejoice!!

Yes the picture is now locked to edit and visuals FX completed for the entire series! A huge thank you has to go out to my buddy Zafe, who came in and helped me get it done towards the 11th hour. I wouldn't have made it without ya Zafe!

Yes at 3:30am, Saturday July5th, with my right arm burning from 4 , 12 hour days straight of doing FX, with some help (love ya Zafe) I was able to get all FX on the film done. I then got about an hour and a half of sleep and then had to catch a plane to go out of town for my 9-5 job. Which is where I am now.

Where to now?
Now Trenches goes through the final color process which is being done by Laser Pacific on the West Coast and really is looking amazing with what they are doing. I am really pleased with the color/treatment, and Joe Hathaway ,the colorist , is a stunning artist as is the facility and people of Laser Pacific.

As Trenches is getting the final look and treatment applied, 328 Studios continues to work on the sound design and audio treatment, as the composer Mark Edmonson finishes up the socre and will then do the final mix when all audio is done.

When it's all done and put together, the studio will then all sit down together and watch the finished product, and see if they are happy with it (let's hope so) then they will work to getting it released., unless they want to do more work on the film. I am hoping by August it will be out and ready for all you guys to see as I am excited at being this close to done.

It has been a long long hard hard road to get here and I so hope it's worth it. I am proud of the film and just hope you guys enjoy watching it. So soon.. very, sometime soon Trenches will be out, but the good news is that FX and picture is completed! Now on to the frosting on the cake and maybe a few cherries.

FX shots provided by: Jim Hibbert, Greg Metcalf, Lee Stringer. Zafer Mustafa, Shane Felux

- Shane

Donde está Shane??

2008-05-20T15:15:00.006-05:00

Some of you may have tried calling or tried getting in touch with me and I am sorry if I have not returned the call or been in reach. I have been away for the last 2 weeks in Panama working. Every now and then my 9-5 jobs requires me to go out to location and this time it sent me to Panama City, Panama!

The weather was hot, sticky, but being originally from San Antonio, Texas, I didn't find Panama to be that bad in terms of the weather. I didn't get to see and do a whole lot as I was working during the day and at night in the hotel I would work on Trenches as I could.

I did get out a bit thanks to Marco and his wife (Thanks guys for the kindness!) and saw some of old town Panama which has very cool Spanish influence architecture. in fact the new James Bond Movie, "Quantum Of Solace" shot in Panama and we drove by the location of the old club they used for the film.

I also did a bit of gambling while there. My last night in Panama I walked out $90 richer winning with 4 Aces in Texas Hold 'em. That was with a $6 bet on the table. A great way to end the trip.

So with $90 in my pocket I said "dinners on me!" and off we went to a great restaurant called "Beirut" which is Lebanese food. I have never had Lebanese food nor could I tell you where the country is (I suck at geography among many other things) but the food was excellent and we smoked Hukas and watched Belly Dancers perform. A great night of entertainment, good company, and a great send off from Panama back to the states.

So I get back to my hotel at midnight, pack my bags and hit the bed at about 1am. I am up at 4:30am and in a car to catch my flight at 7:30am. from there I arrive back home at my front door step in the good 'ol US at 6:30pm.. a long day.

The bad news is that while I was gone, my youngest son has been having troubles breathing and has been sick. My wife taking care of all 3 kids while I am gone has taken the little one to the doctor a few times and Saturday night when I got back in town, my wife wakes me at 3am and says she is taking the baby to the emergency room as he is having a hard time breath.

Long story short, my youngest son, Hayden, was released yesterday and doing better but still not feeling a 100%. My wife stayed in the hospital the whole time while I watched after the other boys, and my wife continues to be the strong one with doing the medicines, doctor visits, and super mom. I love ya babe! Always stronger then me.

Today I am back to work. So a long trip and then some stress when I got back, then my 9-5 job and then .. oh yeah.. Trenches. Yes still doing that as well.

So I am starting to get back in the grind and get things back up and going but bear with me a moment as I try and get things square and I will be with you as I can.

FearNet.com Covers Trenches

2008-04-24T09:14:00.005-05:00

Here is one of the interviews I did while at NY ComicCon. This one is from FearNet, a great site with really good content. I love their site design! They interviewed for "The incredible Hulk" new movie, "The Sarah Connor Chronicles" , "Ghost Hunters" and many more. check 'em out!

Why is it I always wink at the camera? I know.. it's because I am a dork.
Or it's just my Carol Burnett 'ear pull' gesture to my wife. Yeah, whenever I wink to the camera I am really sending a signal to my wife saying "I love you." .. yeah let's go with that, or that I am just a dork. Well what can I say.. you guys be the judge as I think the jury is still out on this one. BTW.. that's me at the end of the video making the scarry "Ooooooh" sound.. dork.

Moving on

2008-04-22T12:15:00.005-05:00

Well if we missed you at the NY Comic Con event it wasn't my fault. I looked for you. Where were you? I text messaged you! .. ah well. I will catch you at the next event maybe.

Here is a pic from the "Trenches" panel we did at ComicCon
(man Aaron needs to cut his hair :)

(photo by: Zafe) left to right, Lev Gorn, Aaron Mathias, Shane Felux

So moving on, the NY trip was good and it was great to hang out with some very good friends. Unfortunately I got sick, I think I picked it up from on of the kids, as I was feeling a bit off when I flew into town. Now I am pretty miserable.

At the event Stage 9 released a new Trailer for Trenches.
Take a look at this studio cut trailer and let me know what you think.

The studio wanted to put out something new so there ya go. I dig the movie voice over guy. That made me smile. So perhaps a bit more info and look at Trenches as we work to completion and delivery. When you ask? Err.. soon. No later then July.. how about that? :)

Hope all is well with you and send some love sometime!

Trenches at NY ComicCon & NEWS

2008-04-08T12:17:00.014-05:00

If you are wanting to catch me and see perhaps a bit more on Trenches, we will be at New York ComicCon this month April 18-20. So if you are on the east coast and near the big apple come on out to the event. It should be a lot of fun as Comic Con is one of the best with lots to see.

The idea is that Trenches will show perhaps a new trailer (cut by the studio.. be afraid) and will air right before the new Star Wars "Clone Wars" trailer and the new Indiana Jones Trailer.

Also from what I hear, a special ComicCon message from George Lucas and Harrison Ford.
From what I hear. See the full guest list here:

The "Trenches" presentation is stated for the place and time below. Check the schedule here:

Saturday

3:30 PM

4:00 PM

1E12-13-14

ABC TV/Stage 9 Digital Media present - TRENCHES

Also at the event we will be giving out these new cool "Trenches" postcards I designed for the studio. let me know what you think?

Click on the postcard image to see larger size

IN OTHER NEWS:
The Associated Press put out an interesting article talking about Trenches, and even quoted me a few times. Read the article here. "TV Studios Embrace Originals on the web"

Also NewTeeVee.com mentions us in a very cool write up you should check out titled " Weekend Vid Picks: Fan Films Good Enough to Fool You" Thanks for thinking of us guys!

The one really cool thing is this live action "Legend of Zelda" (fake) trailer that was put out on April fools and man is it impressive. I fell for it to as I thought it looked awesome. The gaming site IGN, got people good with this one. Check it out.

Other Other News
Trenches now has full picture lock (thank you lord) what that means is that the studio has signed off on the full edit of the film and now the process for color, treatment, sound, music, FX call all focus on completing the film. Rejoice!

The funny thing is that picture lock is a huge piece off my shoulders but it's like this.
Crawling through the desert dying of thirst while burned at day and freezing at night., knowing that just over that next distant sand dune is civilization and salvation.

And so you crawl and crawl looking only to that distant sand dune and when finally at last you crawl up it, your mouth caked and dry with sand, your mind baked in the hot sun, that when you finally crest that sand dune.. . you look out and see..!
More sand .... and another distant dune with the teasing promise of hope.
Head down we start to crawl forward.

Yeah, it's kind of like that. So be my mirage and catch you at NY Comic Con :)

When I Grow up ...

2008-03-05T13:22:00.024-05:00

Here is something different and fun for you guys.

When I was a kid (ok still am) but regardless when I was younger, my aspirations had always been to be involved in movies, theater, TV ... The industry (though I didn't know it was called "the industry" for a long time.. in fact I just found that out thanks to this thing called the inter net.. or something)

Anyway, when I was young, it was a film called "Star Wars" that opened a new dream for me, "wow, I know what I would like to do.. I want to be involved in that .. somehow!"

yeah it's cliche but true.. sorry. Then a film called "Indiana Jones" and for a while I actually pursued becoming an archaeologist and researching the arc of the covenant.

My Grandmother gave me tons of religious things to read about the arc. I then soon realized archaeologists really don't carry whips and have exciting adventures, but really sit in some squaller sweating to death, while meticulously sweeping dust with a tiny brush for hours on end, to then discover "look I unearthed a tiny piece of a pot that looks more like a lump of dirt.. wow"

(to all the archaeologists out there .. I am sure it is a fascinating job, so no offense, but not for me) Plus I found out you have to be smart to be an archaeologist.. again .. not me :) . I think we are safe though, as I do not really see many archaeologists reading my blog.

So at a young age if I could not be these things, I could possibly play them, or make a story about these characters and adventures, and so at a young age I pursued it.

My first job in front of a professional camera was I think age 9 or 10. It was for an HEB Grocery store company training video. You know the ones they make you sit and watch when you join a new company.

Yeah, that was the one. I played a young Howard E. Butt, founder for HEB ( which is a huge grocery store chain in Texas where I am from)

My mom at the time worked for HEB and when they were looking for children to she knew I had a dream to do movies and so forth and brought it up " I have a son who would love to do it"

and I did and from then on I had the bug. I still do. From then I had done may other projects. I have done outdoor theater, stage, live TV, commercials, feature films, indies, industrials.. you name it. Everything but porn.. still looking into that one .. JK ;

And I couldn't have done it or gotten where I am (still just a little guy buy living the dream) with out my family and there support.

Love you mom!

So when I was home the lest Christmas holiday (I am behind, give me a break) my mom dragged out these old pictures of my first time on a set and my first acting job. She even still had the old VHS tape. So here it is for you, a retrospect look back when I grow up ... (look how cute I was!)

I have posted pictures of my first time on a set (wow the 70's) and my first short acting job. even then it was a lot of hurry up and wait :)

Now today I still would not be able to do this without the support of my friends and family and though she reads this blog rarely, a big thank you to my wife! It's very hard I know.

Note: If you watch the video, notice how the kid (yes that me) actually looks at the camera .. amateur! So when I grow up I want to be in movies .. let me know how it turns out, as I am still waiting to grow up .. someday.

So here is my 5seconds of fame at age 10. Boy I sure could pull a wagon back then, just look at the dedication and believablilty, I really believe his is pulling a wagon and loading grocerys. genius. Well we all start somewhere, and for me it was at a young age.

SHANE FELUX - FIRST ACTING JOB AT AGE 10

Stage 9 - Squeegees

2008-02-28T10:08:00.009-05:00

Well as promised Stage 9 released "Squeegees", their first of a slate of 20 programs to debut on ABC.com and through online video giant YouTube. "Trenches" will be one of those programs. So go watch the first two episodes of "Squeegees" and give your support if you enjoy it. Congrats to Stage 9, and Squeegees! Very exciting

LA Times writes about the debut, Stage 9, ABC, Disney, and mentions "Trenches". It's good coverage for Stage 9 and a great start. I love the picture!

Here is Stage 9's press release from their site

Here is the question. What type of advertising and promotion do you find about the release of Stage 9 and Squeegees? Do you feel the studio is doing their job or really hitting it hard for Stage 9 and promoting their product?

What I would want to see is ads, click through, or something on major sites such as yahoo, google, etc, with banners, and I don't see anything about it on youtube yet, or really anything major but abc.com - It's still early to tell as the release just happened today. I see good fortune for Stage 9 and I think it will all grown and get bigger. Baby steps.

If I do a yahoo or google search for "Squeegees" in general on that word, I get tons and tons of non related sites dealing with window washing, janitor supplies, floor cleaning and so forth. Pages and pages that do not relate to the Squeegees new web series. If I do a specific search for "Stage 9 Squeegees" I get just a hand full of sites dealing with the new series, my blog comes up as #3 on the search, so what does that tell you, as no one reads this blog.. ok .. I am sorry, I think we are up to 20 of you read my blog now .. but what I am saying is that I want to see pages and pages talking about the new series "Squeegees" and Stage 9.

Actuall it apears there are more then 20 of you now, as it seems some of you guys are actually reading my silly rants and poor grammer write ups. Maybe I need to start watching what I am saying now.. no telling who is reading this.. what do you guys think.

Here is an article I found that Doug pulled form my blog.. what's up Doug!

webpronew.com

So you guys are sending me some love.. ahh right back at ya.

Now think about this. I had to do a specific search on "Stage 9 Squeegees" just to find a hand full of news and sites. What if I didn't know anything about this Squeegees new series, or Stage 9. I have never heard about it, I don't even know what it is.. how would I happen to find out about it?? huh? How is it that I would just run across and watch? ..Swirl that around in your mouth for a while.. how's that taste? Because it taste like jack diddle squat to me :)

It's very early and "Squeegees" just released today, so it is very early and perhaps the snowball will build and pick up momentum. Let's be watching and help promote yourself if you like it.

The one thing about online content or the Internet in general is that everyone needs to understand it is very very easy to get buried and lost on the web. There some 7 million plus unique sites on the web. Audience are not just going to find you. You have to really let people know your content is out there and advertise, promote, market and hit major numbers of people. That takes tireless work. To just rely on viral video to happen is lighting in a bottle, or you get lucky, and sometimes it takes a long time. It actually has to be planned and worked to get people to find your content, and that means media relations, press and if your content is online that is what you should be hitting, and lots of it. TV Network spends millions on advertising. Think what would happen if then spent just a fraction of that on online advertising. I think you will see more and more of that soon. If they are smart.

One big web hit series "Quarterlife" was picked up by NBC and premiered to Tuesday Night TV Watchers and did very poorly. Even my buddy Chris covered the story, as he always seems to have his finger on the pulse of online content.

Have any of you heard of Quartlife? I bet some of you haven't. But where have you been this is a huge successful web series and has a huge following, over 6 million streams!

Ah.. so you see my point maybe?

I enjoy "Quarterlife" myself and find the writing very well done and with some engaging characters. It's not my full cup of tea but I have to take my hat off to them. It did poorly because they already showed their episodes online and on MTV, so what was aired on NBC this week wasn't new, so of course no one watched. NBC says they did great advertising for the show.. but did they? Quarterlife was on NBC front page yesterday and now you can barely find it on their site. sad.

My point folks is that audiences are not just going to magically find you. I still have people emailing me saying "wow, I just came across your site and watched Revelations. I really enjoyed it!" It's been 3 years now, and still new people discover and find it.

So let me know your thoughts if you have any. How about you Tish, your very smart :)

For me, I will just keep working on Trenches and doing what I do.. hopefully we will meet up on the otherside, and hopefully you like what I come out to show and I still have your support.

Stage 9 comes up - Premiere

2008-02-27T10:02:00.007-05:00

Here is some exciting news for you guys. The studio that is finnacing and distributing "Trenches" is getting ready to premiere and officially release their first series online this week!

Very exciting!

It's official. Stage 9, the new division of Disney, will put it's first web series and premiere this week, Thursday 2/28.

The first project Stage 9 will be releasing is a great new comedy called “Squeegees”, about the wonderful world of high-rise window washing! The trailer is now online so go check it out and let me know what you guys think of it. Here is the older teaser trailer.

“Squeegees" is produced and directed by the crazy guys at Handsom Donkey.

Adam Countee, Brendan Countee, Marc Gilbar, Aaron Greenberg.

They shall be the first into the breach if you will, and I consider them brethren of a kind, as we both have gone through the Stage 9 system and both made our films through them. We are film compatriots of different spectrums. They doing fun comedy and me .. "what the hell was I thinking" scifi. I wish them the best in success!!

I am very interested to see how Stage 9 promotes and markets "Squeegees", how it does, and what they are able to do with it. Let's see how the studio does it shall we guys?

My understanding is that the series will be online this week and hosted I believe on ABC.com and others to be announced. Stayed tuned for that.

So Stage 9 comes out and is official now. First "Squeegees" then "Trenches" .. maybe.. at some point.. just watch "Squeegees" and keep sending me love.

FedCon Appearance - June 13-15 2008- Dallas

2008-02-08T11:52:00.000-05:00

Just for an update, I had a chance to talk to an old friend Tim Brazeal the other day, who is the creator of Scifi Studios as well as others like TrekUnited, SaveEnterprise, and has been a great help and supporter to me and my projects.

Tim is know in the community as one of the guys who achieves and get amazing things done. He is one hell of a guy. He was the guy who raised millions and offered Paramount the funds raised by fans to keep Star Trek Enterprise going for one more season. On top of running Scifi Studios, film projects, and other events, Tim is also heading up one on the largest scifi conventions from Europe and brining it to the states come this year in June 13-15 2008.

The event is called FedCon and WoW do they have an amazing guest lineup!


Jonathan Frakes	Marina Sirtis	Garrett Wang


Paul McGillion	Connor Trinneer	John Billingsley


Anthony Montgomery	Bonita Friedericy	Menina Fortunato

So if you are into Scifi stars, excellent panels, shows, programming, and one hell of a great time, this is one you should go and check out. I will be there as well, and hopefully at that time I will be done with Trenches and can talk to you all about it and show a bunch of stuff on the film and my past experiences in film making. (As if you guys want to go to hear me talk even more.)

So mark your calendar and get all setup from the FedCon website. I will see you there!

Also, you have got to check out a new web series scifi studios is going to be putting out called IQ 145. This new show looks really high-end and great production value. I am amazed at the level of talent and professional look on this. Looks to be top drawer.

The show:
Sarah Connor Chronicles' Thomas Dekker takes a bold step into the future of Digital media with this high-end, Sci-Fi Web Series. To be released through SCIFiSTUDIOS.COM and WWW.IQ-145.COM this new webisodic experience is sure to send the traditional Network model into a real test of intelligence. As the TERMINATOR franchise simultaneously hits Network air, IQ-145 levels up what the WEB is destined to offer.

LOG: Son of a renowned, inventor/futurist father, who has mysteriously committed suicide; Nate Palmer (T.Dekker) is recruited by a secret organization to help search for his fathers last experiment.

Go check it out and see what you think. It looks like a hit to me. better then my work.. damn you Tim!

LA, LA, LA, Land

2008-01-31T09:51:00.000-05:00

Well, last week I had to travel out to LA for a day to meet with the studio to go over Trenches as well as go into a post production house to look at color timing and treatment for the film.

So, I fly out last Thursday night and got to my hotel at about 2am my time(eastern).
I stayed up a bit working on the presentation and materials I was to be showing the studio that day, and got to bed at about 4am (again my time)

The studio put me up in West Hollywood, which is pretty cool, and I guess could be considered the equivalent of the village in NY but more glitzy. I stayed at an interesting parlor hotel called "The Grafton" right on Sunset. It's a pretty different hotel and definitely Hollywood. When I got to my room there is this huge picture over my bed of an artsy B/W photo of a girl's legs in fishnet's.. OK .. so I am at West Hollywood.. kewl ..but different. Dig the zebra skin comforter! I could just imagine if I had the family and my kids with me.. that would be funny. "it's called art kids.. now get down from there and stop touching that"

So I have a west coast breakfast of gram pancakes, egg whites, and fruit (yeah I am in Hollywood, and when in Rome .. btw, does that rule only apply just when you are in Rome or other cities as well? ) Anyway, I head over to the ABC building in Burbank to meet with the studio. the meeting went great and the studio is very positive and excited about the project. My deadline to finish Trenches is April 30. You guys keep me on this but don't push me to hard... I am fragile and could break :)

So everyone is on the same page, loving what we are seeing and it is then off to The Post Group, the post production house who is currently taking on the challenge of color/finishing Trenches. No easy task. I sat in a 4 hour session with the colorist and staff/ studio staff and was very pleased with what I was seeing.

Trenches is being colored on a Da Vinci 2K System, pretty amazing technology. I am fascinated and love the final process of post production. To me that is where it all comes together and the film takes it's true life. The art of color and finishing is amazing to me and so important. As is music and sound design. hell every little bit that makes it happen. It all adds up and makes a film what it is when you finally get to see it.

After this session I had another 2 hour meeting with my FX Post team heads, and then we all went for some dinner. After that long day I simply went back to my hotel, watched some "Entourage", (love that series) and then crashed.

Saturday morning I got up early, had a quick breakfast with my good friend and writer for Trenches, Peter Robinson, then off to LAX, and I was back home. A fast whirl wind tour and then back to work on Monday. That's the latest for me. So you see it's not all glamorous guys. It's just me trying to do a job and be proud of what I am doing so I can give you guys something I hope you and I both enjoy.

Trenches is looking great and we are getting some work done. The FX team is starting to crank out some great shots and music/ sound are working their magic. I have to be finished and done by April 30th. So that gives you guys something as to when the series might come out for you to watch. Let's stick together and see it through... then you owe me a drink :)

IN OTHER NEWS - TRENCHES
A few weeks back there was some news put out by the Hollywood Reporter that Trenches was finished but delayed to release from Stage 9. This simply is not the cast or accurate. I WISH I was done with Trenches, but the fact is I am still working on the film and no delays are due to WGA strikes or Disney at this time. the only delay is Shane is still working to finish it :)
Here is a better article by Chris Albrecht that has the facts more clear on the subject.

Also, it looks like I will be going for a day to the Farpoint convention to show a few things and talk about Trenches. So if you are in the Baltimore, MD area February 16, I should be there.
Their other guests include:
James Callis (Battlestar Galactica)
Marina Sirtis (Star Trek:TNG)
Erin Gray (Buck Rogers in the 25th Century)

Happy New .. what?!

2008-01-07T16:29:00.000-05:00

Oh yeah.. Happy New Year and all that.. wow, I almost did realize it was the new year, what year is it anyway??

Well, a new year ,my birthday and all that actually past and we are older, tireder, wiser.. ok mainly tireder (is that a word?) let's go with that. I know I am getting older when I it gets harder and harder to stay up till midnight unless you have to, and these days I have to, even beyond. Mostly each night I am in a dark cave editing on Trenches and making some good progress. It's coming guys, it's coming, but a great deal of work yet to be done (I think I keep saying that in each post.. ah well)

So Happy New something and .. ok back to work for me.. I really don't see what is so new about this year compared to the last one. I am still tired and still working late hours (sigh)

2008 looks to be a great year and you guys be sure to let me know when we get to 2000 and 8.. whenever that is, for now back to work :)

In other news the LA Times mentioned Trenches briefly in an article, "Sites to watch in 2008"
So we seem to be on the radar and 2008 holds great things .. yet it is so far away ... I guess the news is able to see way into the future or something. 2008 that is a long way off yet, and my name is what again? right back to work.

Trenches update - 2nd Vblog video release

2007-12-29T11:43:00.000-05:00

Well as 2008 looks us square in the eye, the team at X-ile Pictures continues to work on Trenches. We still have a great deal of work to do but it is looking good. The progress that is being made is slow but the film is really starting to take shape and we are aiming at a release date early in the new year. As a belated Christmas gift or a New Year treat, however you want to look at it, we are pleased to finally release a new Vblog entry on the making of Trenches.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE TRENCHES 2ND VBLOG ENTRY

Catch the new exclusive second Trenches Vblog entry here. This edition deals with the location shooting of Trenches and the various places we shot the film to give you all the looks it has. Editing and shot by Jon Minor.
Video courtesy of: Jon Minor, Errol Spat Oktan, and Cat Simone.

2008 looks like an exciting time and we hope you will be with us when we release Trenches. Be patient, we are working on it, and I think you will enjoy the results!

From the world of Sound

2007-11-09T12:09:00.000-05:00

Here is something new for you guys. A good friend of mine and the composer /sound engineer for Trenches, Mark Edmonson, attended the latest Audio Engineering Society convention and did a great write up for it I thought you guys would be interested to read what he had to say. Especially if you are into the industry of sound and technology, but even if you aren't, it's really interesting and the video industry is much in the same boat.

Mark did all the sound work for Pitching Lucas and has uber years of experience in his field of audio. I am so glad he joined me again to work all all things audio for Trenches.

Here is his knowledge and convention coverage notes for your enjoyment.
Take it away Mark!

Report from the 123^rd convention of the Audio Engineering Society

Jacob Javitz Convention Center
By: Mark Edmondson

Conventions are a funny thing. In order to truly get a sense of what one has to offer, of its place in the world, one must try to attend a few, year after year. In this way, patterns begin to emerge; what people want, what the industry can (or in many cases, can not) seem to accomplish, and how, year after year, manufacturers manage to stay afloat by (no surprise here) trying desperately to offer higher quality at lower prices, and more importantly, continuing to refine each of their little niches.

And really, if one had to begin thinking of ways to characterize the audio industry of the 21^st century, it is just that way- niches. The industry has, it seems, accepted a few things of itself. For starters, the Home Studio is no longer a revolution. It is more than a fact of life, more than a “necessary evil”; it is the standard. The most respectable, and respected, recording artists, producers and directors now perform anywhere from some to all of their audio-related work in some manner of home studio. And the Big Rooms aren’t scoffing any more at those who work in home studios- because they’re… well, they’re sorta gone.

Oh sure, Mix Magazine still manages to have a new picture of some sweet, unbelievably über-hip recording space on its cover every month (and one must wonder… where exactly are all those facilities, 6 months after their cover story?). Of course, there will always be a need for the Abbey Roads of the world, to handle those moments when only John Williams and the LSO will do. And maybe, just maybe, the era of the Big Room will make a comeback.

Or then again- maybe not.

For now, the point is that it is no longer seen as anything other than completely and perfectly acceptable- many would say preferable- to hire a freelancer with a Pro Tools system in a town house to perform your sound design, track your band, compose or record your score, master your disk, or even perform full-scale film re-recording, ADR or foley. The tools are just that good, just that reliable, just that affordable.

And if there was one message at AES- it was that the industry isn’t about to sit around and cry about the passing of an era.

Rather than simply embrace the needs of the small/home studio market, audio manufacturers have set out to redefine it, make it… professional.

Virtually every type of system being demonstrated at this year’s AES offers, in some way, shape or form, the ability to be scaled and customized and adapted to small offices, bedrooms, garages- and to give those spaces the same properties and specifications that used to cost millions.

Acoustic treatment, for example: thanks to CAD-assisted acoustic modeling and design, there are now available at least 10 competing systems for acoustically tuning your average 10X12 space to accommodate advanced recording and mixing needs; duties that only a decade ago would have been solved with carpet remnants and egg cartons. Everything from bass traps to HF absorbers to midrange diffusors can now be brought home in a ready-to-install box for about the price of taking the family to a dinner and movie. And man, does this stuff look cool.

Cabinetry, consoles, racks and stands have also turned the corner. These are not your father’s dusty pressboard and laminate gear racks of the 90’s. Today’s consoles are available in virtually every design aesthetic, from classic to modern, of nearly the same sturdiness and reliability of custom-fabricated woodwork.

But in the end, it’s about the gear. And by gear, of course, one means, software.

While there will probably always be some degree of appeal for small, dedicated hardware-based studio recording systems, it is becoming quite clear that for the foreseeable future, studio recording is now the domain of the desktop computer.

Since its inception in the early 90’s, Pro Tools has reigned supreme as the de-facto method of recording and manipulating sound on a computer. However, during this time, not all were enchanted with its system of (relatively) expensive and proprietary hardware cards and rack units; so, for the last decade or so, a large number of very smart, talented people have been developing… perish the thought… alternatives to Pro Tools. And if anything is clear, it is that those alternatives have arrived.

In large part buoyed by simply ridiculous increases in desktop horsepower (a quad core Mac Pro is something like 32 times more powerful than the G5 processors of just 2 years ago), it is now completely realistic to want- expect- a desktop computer, running an alternative system such as Nuendo or Logic Pro, to equal (make that rival) a respectably-stocked Pro Tools HD system… with, um, no additional hardware.

And oh yeah- the Mac Pro is $40,000 less.

Case in point: Apple Computer’s Distributed Audio technology quite literally turns a Gigabit-Ethernet network of Intel Macs into a DSP farm; being infinitely scaleable, this can rapidly be made to outperform even the most high end TDM system.

The added benefit is, of course, that the network itself becomes the processor. Meaning, that simply by virtue of constructing a computer network (weren’t you going to do that anyway?), one creates an audio processor-sharing environment- one that is always on, requires no supervision or task management… it just works.

And who would have guessed that, thanks to an “if the user wants it, it will be coded” mantra, Steinberg’s Nuendo has become, virtually overnight, the film mixing platform of choice? Its offerings of custom macros (and nested macros), combined with its completely programmable and customizable key commands, its compatibility with every single I/O and control hardware made, to say nothing of its integration with the elegant and powerful Euphonix System 5 MC console, is simply too powerful, too accessible, for any creator of TV or film sound to ignore.

Put simply, users want power- gobs of it- and whoa, is it available. The key to power? Scalability and compatibility: let users expand their systems whenever they want, with whatever they want. Don’t make them buy new hardware each time a new Rev comes out. And especially, don’t limit your hardware’s compatibility to one application.

These are areas in which the industry standard, legacy systems, have begun to truly show their “old school” loyalties.

As the concept of the single, large-format mix facility has gone by the wayside, so too has the idea that any one DAW will or could ever meet the needs of everyone. A walk around the floor of the Javitz Center makes one realize, quickly, that committing to any single workflow concept or hardware platform is, frankly, just not a choice people want to be made to make. And starting now, it’s not a choice people have to make. There are just too many options- too many good options, to expect users to want anything other than full compatibility between hardware and software- all of it.

To that end, Solid State Logic quietly announced the release of Pro Convert- which, as it turns out, may very well break more ground, and open the door to complete software universality, than any conforming- or translation utility before it. Pro Convert, rather simply and elegantly, performs a task many had deemed impossible- it converts timeline files, of any DAW format, to a timeline file of any format. Pro Tools to Logic, Nuendo to DP4, Logic to Nuendo… it’s all possible with this dongle-based application (projected price $1000USD). Pro Convert intelligently manages all plugin, automation, MIDI and other data, and asks questions during the conversion process any time it encounters a potential compatibility issue. Been putting off a purchase of that new, super-affordable DAW app because you didn’t know how you would get your Pro Tools files in to it? Go for it.

Long live open standards

As manufacturers once agreed on standards such as ¼” tape, 48V phantom power, and the guitar cord, so have they now hammered out standards such as USB 2.0, firewire, audio file formats like WAV and AIF, interapplication standards like Core Audio and ASIO, VST, XML, SMF, AU… the list goes on. The progressive hammering out of these standards have allowed the computer-based recording world to share the same level of compatibility, and the freedom to choose hardware and software based on needs and budget, as has existed in the analog world for decades.

Manufacturers of DAW’s based on the proprietary hardware concept are realizing their need to not only support open standards, but that any goal of “owning” the recording industry, of establishing “the standard”, is simply no longer realistic. The recording studio of the future will be based on many platforms, all speaking the same language.

The more things change, the more they stay the same

One area which seems to have gained little to no ground is the ongoing debate over how to measure loudness. In a 3-day panel, experts from TC Electronics, the (recently defunct) ITU, Dolby, CBC, and others firmly dug in and held their ground, as they have for the past few years; loudness is too subjective to measure… it’s easy to measure… it’s hard to measure… we should just compress everything, we should all just buy this one box… we should just give up…

If anything did in fact change this year, it was in the length and, at times, pitch of the debate. Short of finger pointing and name-calling, it became clear that no conclusions would be unanimously agreed upon by the end of this year’s panel. With the exception, perhaps, that it may simply be time for the AES to step in, establish some standard (one that many would certainly reject), and encourage the industry to continue moving forward.

If anything, it seems that the current level of disagreement can in large part be attributed to the fact that virtually all those on the panel were, in fact, representing an equipment manufacturer, or at minimum had a vested interest in some piece of gear or code.

One thing’s for sure: where there’s money to be made, there’s an agenda. Or sixty. Hence the loudness debate seems to be something that broadcasters will continue to be forced to shoulder, and push forth on standards, alone, for some time to come.

In that spirit, Dolby Labs has announced their automated quality control system for broadcast, the DP600. Based on the LM100 loudness monitoring technology, it is able to, via network, ingest, correct and output any program content, all in a fraction of real time. Their recent adaptation of the ITU response curve in future iterations of the LM100 might indicate some concession that there are at least a few valid ways to measure loudness, rather than just one.

Dolby was also discussing their soon-to-be released Dolby Volume - a technology aimed at the consumer market that corrects, or “smooths out” uneven broadcast audio levels, while reportedly, not utilizing any form of compression or audible alteration of program dynamic range. Dolby Volume would likely be installed in mid- to premium- priced consumer receiver units, and depending on implementation, may or may not offer any degree of user control. They were clear to point out two key facts- Dolby Volume is not based on the LM100 engine, and, it is not a “loudness button”.

While it remains to be seen whether the LM100 will “win” the loudness debate (or, certainly, at this point, if anyone will win), Dolby is clearly willing to go the long haul and stand behind their unit, and offer support to all customers who choose to utilize this standard.

“Standard”, of course, as in “one, somewhat contested and hotly debated, way of doing it”.

The take home

The real question, always, is this- how does one cull all the information bouncing around the halls of an AES convention, and get a sense of where we’ve been as an industry, and where we’re going? And will that sense be realistic? Will it hold true?

Trying to predict the future of audio is like, well, trying to predict the future. But, one thing is clear: we have turned a few corners.

The Big Rooms have closed; the Home Studio is now just The Studio. Hardware is software, and software is king. Including the word Digital in your company’s name now elicits the response, “um, duh…?” Networks are now multiprocessor grids.

Great stuff. Unfortunately, still nobody can agree on what the word “loudness” even means, much less how to measure it.

The best news is this: despite the decade of fears of the dumbing down of the industry by affordable, accessible computer technology, one thing is clear: no matter how many low-end players enter the market, Pro Audio ain’t going away. In so many ways, the low end is the high end.

But the concept of the convention itself seems geared against making that very type of judgment- so let’s look at this another way. If you realize that you’ve been working a certain way, with a certain toolset for a long time because it suits all of your needs- economically and in terms of productivity- if you are happy, then, by all means do what the “high end” is no longer positioned to scoff upon; keep doing what you’re doing. You’re the small time engineer/mixer/composer, after all, and you’re the sheriff in these parts.

Article by Mark Edmonson

What gives?

2007-10-30T13:01:00.000-05:00

Hey gang, well I am still swamped busy working on Trenches day in and day out and way behind schedule. Doesn't that always seem the way of it. Well it's a good deal of work as you all might know. The edits are coming along, though slower then I would like, but we are grinding away at it.

A typical night or day for me will be say this past Sunday. I edited for about 9 hours straight and got about a little over a minute of footage done. Yeah, good times locked in a dim edit room for hours on hours. but it's getting there.

Some of you have emailed and asked "So when is Trenches coming out!?"
Well we were shooting for an end of October release (Even I felt that was very ambitious.. ok impossible really) but that has been pushed out due to life, studio, technical difficulties, and simple hard-man working time. This happens a lot in production but one I am not familuar with as i do not tend to be behind schedule to much. Of course past film I set the schedule and deadline and simply got it done when I got it done.

Will Trenches come out at all? Oh yes, you better believe it! After almost a little over a year working on this, yes it will be finished. I am projecting for the beginning of 2008 or 2080 , which ever comes first.

Seriously, Trenches is looking now at a release in Febuary or so. Bear with us and I think your wait will be worth while. There is some great work being done. Below I have posted here for you a little treat to show you a test CG shot from the film. This is a first pass render test from two of our Trenches FX team: CG Supervisor Lee Stringer and FX Artist James Hibbert.

Trenches scifi CG Evac Ship Test Render

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On Spike TV

2007-09-28T12:40:00.000-05:00

I ran across this while reading Trey Stokes Blog (creator of Pink Five) and thought it was kind of cool. In connection with the Star Film Challenge on Atom Films, sanctioned by Lucas Film, Spike TV is actually airing some of the winning Fan films. Pretty cool for us little guys.
Check out the Spike TV promo they are running, and low and behold they are using a great deal of Pitching Lucas in the Promo..

For my cast and crew out there "Look your on TV!" Did you ever think taking a chance with a little guy like me making silly fan films would get your there? I didn't, but I am so glad you guys are being shown! the Ewok is actually my 6 year old son Ian who was only 4 at the time when I filmed him for Pitching Lucas... I know he will get a kick out of this.
For me I do not get a chance to watch much TV these days as I work on Trenches so I was surprised to see this promo, and I have no idea if they aired Pitching Lucas or just used it for the promo. You tell me if you know more. Thanks Trey for posting about this.

Trench Itch - First Trenches VBlog Up - watch now

2007-09-12T12:01:00.000-05:00

So if you have gotten the itch to know or watch more about Trenches as we on the Post team work as hard as we can to get you a release soon. I am proud to offer you our first episode of the Trenches VBlog entry that we hope to put out twice a month or so. WATCH NOW

The Trenches VBlog is a Behind the scenes look at the making of the film, the people that go into it and some glances at the film as we were shooting. See all the crew & cast that makeS up Trenches, and keep checking back with us as we release more and more. Other then the dork director in this first Vblog episode, hopefully you guys will enjoy it. Your cure for Trench Rot :)

(You know if this film is bad (and from what I am seeing I do not believe it will be) but if it is, I can so see critiques using that wit in a write-up "Trenches is as good and feels as good as Trench Rot!" yeah .. just remember I said it first - but it's not true I tell you :)

Trenches VBlog edited by Jon Minor who was our BTS videographer, thank you Jon!
Video courtesy of: Jon Minor, Errol Spat Oktan, (look Spat I posted your name) and Cat Simone.

So I hope that cureS any itch you might have for now on Trenches, otherwise if you are still having problems you might want to see a doctor about that or get some ointment or something. in the meantime we will keep working over here as Fall is creeping up on us way to fast!