By Ryne Knudson, SolidLine Summer Intern

At the request of Kevin Wright, a producer here at SolidLine, I left my desk and followed him into the hallway. Never in the brief time that we’d been acquainted had I ever witnessed, nor did I ever expect to see, him walking at such a brisk pace. As I followed I began to wonder if something was seriously wrong and whether I should share his sense of urgency. My confusion persisted until I reached the atrium, long after Kevin had, finding all the members of the SolidLine team waiting. As they began to sing “Happy Birthday” I was given a box containing a baseball decorated cookie cake so large that my beloved Chicago Cubs may have even managed a hit or two off it given the opportunity. It was my third day at the office.

Now a year removed from graduating with a degree in Journalism from Michigan State, my first full week as summer intern here has been decidedly docile. Aside from learning how to assemble the studio, shoot and edit with our equipment, some “NATO” thing, and composing my inaugural blog post, there has really only been; familiarizing myself with the office’s etiquette, navigating around a giant cardboard box that seems to keep finding its way to the middle of the office’s high traffic areas, and growing accustomed to the numerous other nuances that are now the basis of my existence every day between the hours of 8 and 5. Also I would be remiss not to mention the good people of “Continental Tire” who were in our studio for two days shooting a narrative that allowed for me to master the teleprompter. Not to worry though I’m confident that things will pick up soon.

I look forward to learning and experiencing as much as the active ten percent of my brain can handle in the weeks to come as well as sharing it all here. It is truly a unique environment with an equally unique penchant for the work done there and is something I will do my best to emulate through this blog. In a very short period of time I’ve come to realize that there will be many days similar to the one my birthday just so happen to land on. It won’t be every day that there is a prodigious cookie with my name on it for everyone to share but it’s already evident there will continually be the collaboration of work and ideas to at least match it.

After belting out a Dave Matthews-ish performance of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” Phillip Phillips won America’s heart and never looked back. He consistently remained above the bottom three and last night became the 11th American Idol.

We thought we would compile some of our favorite Phillip Phillips performances here on the blog. Check them out below.

You can see more at AmericanIdol.com.

“Home” – Top 2

“We’ve Got Tonight” – Top 3

“Volcano” – Top 4

“Movin’ Out” – Top 10

“Superstition” – Top 13

“Thriller” – Audition

“A Night To Remember” is hosted annually by Heartland Church. More than 200 students with special needs were treated to a prom of their own, getting the full tux/dress combination, with hair and makeup and a roaring red carpet.

SolidLine Media was proud to sponsor this year’s event, which was another amazing success.

Check out highlights from this year’s event…..

Our Director of Post Production Michael Kromm is back with another suggestion that should make your next video editing project a much more enjoyable experience. This week, he’s talking about labeling the different layers on your timeline – both how to do it, and why it’s important to keep everything in order.

Check out the video below, and as always, if there is something you’ve been trying to figure out on the Avid, or a tip of your own you’d like to share, let us know on our Facebook or Twitter page!

Be sure to check out all of Michael’s Avid video editing tips HERE!

The first teaser trailer for the latest James Bond film has hit the web. When we’re not knee-deep in our latest high definition video production production project, we love us a good spy movie!

The teaser for “Skyfall” doesn’t show us too much about the plot of the movie, but there are plenty of glimpses at some of the action and atmosphere. “Skyfall” opens on November 9th, after a very busy movie season – “Men In Black 3″ (May 25), “Snow White and the Huntsman” (June 1), “The Amazing Spider-Man” (July 3), “The Dark Knight Rises” (July 20), and more.

Here is the trailer for “Skyfall”……

After making numerous comedic shorts, with one being accepted into the South by Southwest Film Festival, Joe wanted to challenge himself and take his filmmaking to the next level. The result was “Master of Inventions,” a feature-length film about the “world’s worst inventor,” he would write and direct. Throughout the process, he would release completed scenes online, asking for support to keep the movie alive.

“Once I started putting stuff out there, I made a deal with the audience,” Avella told us. “It made me accountable. I kept thinking, ‘Oh my God, people gave me money. How depressing would that be if I had to send it back?”

There were a few other downsides to shooting a movie over such a long period of time.

“People getting haircuts was kind of a problem,” Joe said about some continuity issues. “But there were times we just had to take breaks. Our cast had major shows they were starring in around town. Can I expect them to take time off of their off-Broadway shows to shoot my little movie?”

Lucky for him, the cast believed in his project and took the time to get the movie done. And perhaps the best part of “Master of Inventions,” Joe finished the film debt free. He had the help of numerous friends and colleagues, including Ed Boe of SolidLine Media. SLM also opened the doors of our new studio space and supplied equipment to help him finish the job.

Joe says he got through the movie by specifically writing to his budget, which was next to nothing. But he now has a full length feature to show future investors what he’s capable of.

“I said, ‘What if I make a movie like I make short films?” He told us. “Then I can use it as leverage to make a better one next time. I can put it online to share it with the world, because I have no debt. Now I can go to investors and say, ‘Look what I did with NO money, imagine what I can do with $40,000?’”

Check out the first five minutes of “Master of Inventions”…..

If you like what you see, you can watch the entire feature, free of charge, on the film’s website – it’s MasterOfInventions.com. And you can find Joe’s personal site at JoeAvella.com.

Solidline Media Director of Post Production Michael Kromm is back with another video editing tip for those of you who use Avid. Today, he’s talking about the use of “indicators,” and how these relatively simple dots can really streamline your high definition video production project.

As always, if you have a request or question about the Avid, Michael is ready to give you an answer.

Just drop us a line on Facebook or Twitter.

Enjoy and happy editing!

Be sure to check out all of Michael’s Avid video editing tips HERE!