Apology for the Silence

So, it has been a while since we've updated our blog, obviously. But we've got a little treat for you. In the past months, we have been brewing a documentary. Yes, brewing. The brain child of mostly Stephen, we are now embarking on a new adventure which landed us in the office of previous Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson last Wednesday. Before asking Rocky about some policies and practices, he and stephen kicked back a local brew. Here's a sneak peak!

For your viewing pleasure

Hell Hole, The Series (episode 5 scene 6) for your viewing pleasure... since we have been talking about it so often. We are still working (when we are not really working) on tightening up the rest of the episode...

Enjoy!

Business Plan Update

Yesterday, we just finished a massive updated to our business plan for Hell Hole, The Series (as we are still on the search for funding). It sits as a beastly 47 pages thick... graphs, art, comics (oh yeah!) and data... coveted data.  Our business plan also includes a very detailed budget... which is constantly changing as we move from gear purchases to gear rentals to different gear, etc.  While the research we originally did on webseries success was initially the most challenging part of creating our business plan, it truly is the budget that keeps kicking our asses.  

The things most filmmakers don't initially consider when creating a budget:  

1. Food is expensive in mass and you can't skimp on that... it will mostly likely be one of the most expensive items on the list... other than gear.  

2. SAG fees. Ug. And if a SAG actor is considered a creator or the content/film, then it can become cheaper but more complicated.  Oh and there is sooooo much more to it than that...  

3. Gear Gear Gear.  At first we were going to purchase all our gear, then we were going to rent. Now we're somewhere in the middle where that keeps changing.  We have been making constant updates due to our progression with our own gear and who we meet and what their gear rental rates are.  Pad yourself here if you don't want to keep fidgeting with the numbers.  

4. POST! Yeah, this key item here seem to get left by the wayside in ultra-low budget films all the time.  With a crappy sound design and a poor edit, a film is as good as dead.  Doesn't matter how good the content is.  And what's funny is that post has become relatively cheap... and it still gets left behind.  

So... you want to know what is in our business plan???? Well, I can't tell you specifically as those are our guarded secrets.  But our budget is nine pages, our art/photos/comics is lumped into six pages, and the rest is our research and plan to make money back on the process.  And even with such a detailed plan, we are still working on finding funding.  It is quite a trick to find someone to say yes, but this is much more of a learning experience than shooting the series right now as weekend warriors.  Plus, I'd rather be more than a weekend warrior... wouldn't you?

Looking the Part

Sometimes, you have to look the part.  As Jason says... "Proceed with confidence!"  It's rather easy to put a logo on XLRs, so here are the first two official AOI XLRs!  

Slate Games!

Who ever said that an old skool slate and the slate game are unprofessional?





It doesn't matter who you are what you shoot, it's okay if work is fun!  

"Hand Held Hollywood"

http://www.macvideo.tv/editing/features/index.cfm?articleId=3212652

Here is a quick look at the latest and greatest tools for filmmakers on the iPhone and iPad.  Jorge already uses Hitchcock (which is recently relabeled).  Jason uses an equivalent to Artemis called pCam, which is not just a replacement for a director's viewfinder but also has detailed information on lighting, foot candles and ASA.  And of course there is the movie slate (which as a sound person, I am NOT a fan of).

Enjoy!

Savannah Music Video: Fighting for my Life

  

AOI's first music video! Check out the unfinished screen shots Savannah Outen's music video for "Fighting for My Life."  Editing has started, and currently we are moving from green to interesting... although I have to keep the final product a secret until it airs.

Below, DP Jason Ball discusses blocking and action with an actor.  

Commercial Work

When we at AOI are not doing narrative work like Hell Hole, The Series, we work on commercial content.  Here are a few photos from the most recent work on a toy commercial.  

We teamed up with several advertising and media branding companies to create these commercials.  Stephen put his producing talents to work not only as a producer, but with casting, locations and hiring additional crew.  But he could not have done it without the help of Erika, our 1st AD.  Jorge came up from Los Angeles to gaff the production.  He brought with him unique problem solving tricks which in combination with Steve's (our Best Boy) skills, made our set glow.  Of course it also became a forest of c-stand and kinos. Jason was the director of photography on the show, working closely with Gary (the director) to create an exciting visual strategy.  Of course, Jason shot the commercial using the trusty RED. As director of sound, I had the joy of sitting in the closet and running both the recording and the playback for sync with the pre-approved music.  James boomed and helped grip/electric between shots. 


Thanks everyone for your help!  More photos to come soon!


Photos by Darryl Dobson... thanks Darryl!