Smuggler's Ransom- OFFICIAL THREAD

[KOVAROVA]

Probably not. I generally don't do that. We'll see :)


im curious to know your thoughts on why you wouldn't do that? have your actors seen any of the footage besides the trailer?

[Brandon Rice]

Hmmm.....what type of planes. The mansfield lahm airport is not too far from me....its all national guard though. They mostly fly big C130 type carrier planes. Other than that its small private jets. No commercial aircraft.

I would need commercial planes. 747 or 737. Something that would be around in the 80's as well.

[KOVAROVA]

Tony has seen a little bit. I generally think that the actor's wouldn't really know what we're going for.

i dont understand why they wouldn't know what you were going for? shouldn't they? would be cool if you could explain this a bit more. sorry to bug..


I hope that doesn't come off as prideful or anything. This is just the way I've done it.

not at all.. everyone has their own way.. im just interested in your process because most of the stuff i do is biz related... so someone is always having a look and giving feedback before i lock a project. most of the time it actually improves it, but not always.

[D_and_G]

Big thanks to Weston who picked up our new Lubenkoff ext. establishing shots! Thanks!

http://www.noariceprod.com/lubenkoffext.jpgMuch better Brandon ! :beer: Good luck on the screening etc ...

[Brandon Rice]

Much better Brandon ! :beer: Good luck on the screening etc ...

Thank ya! Screening won't happen for some time. Some private stuff here and there. I am planning on throwing a nice kind of party screening thing at the end of the year. So, those in LA... stay tuned.

[Brandon Rice]

I thought I'd post a screenshot of my project in Avid. Since so much work is now post... it's tough to show so much Behind the Scenes stuff. So here ya go.

http://www.noariceprod.com/editing1.jpg

[donkathon]

Ew- Avid.

JK. Looks good Briceman- is that going to be the title in the movie?

[Brandon Rice]

heehee... I love Avid! :)

Anyway, yep, that's the title in the film. It's really coming along nicely. Everything's looking great!

[KOVAROVA]

what does your dad and your sister think of it?

[KOVAROVA]

your sister is an actress right? and your dad owns a prod co (i think) ? have they seen any of it yet?

[Larry Rutledge]

I think one of the main critics I have is my brother though (19). He pretty much thinks any work I do is automatically downgraded, because I did it.

Sounds like it is time to warp him away for good :evil: :grin:

[Norm Sanders]

Brandon, if I can make ONE suggestion for your film ... before it's totally done with post, have folks who've never heard about the story, or read the script, screen it privately.

You can sit there & watch for your own notes, but don't allow them to interact with you ... they just need to sit & quietly watch the film.

Then afterwards quiz them on certain things of the film to make sure it's clear, most people are able to follow it well, etc.

One thing I learned with SPARROW, was that I was running things past people who knew the script well, so they'd think something was great while others could be totally lost. From now on, when I screen something for audience response, it'll be with those that know little to nothing about the story.

[Brandon Rice]

Great suggestion Norm. I plan to do that. I will most likely have my mother watch it, who knows NOTHING about the film. She just had to know when I was going to be shooting at the house, haha. Anyway, she is a good one to gauge if the film flows and makes sense, as when a story in a film is not clear, she gets lost very quickly. I always show my films to her and see if she understands them. I will seek out some others as well. Great suggestion, thanks! :)

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

I would reccomend someone other than your mother as well.
While she may know nothing about the film, she's probably kind of impartial on your work :)

[Brandon Rice]

I would reccomend someone other than your mother as well.
While she may know nothing about the film, she's probably kind of impartial on your work :)

Indeed... though she tells me when my work's crap, LOL! Believe it or not, my family is pretty stinkin' objective... though still supportive, even if they do say it's crap. HAHA :grin:

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

lol, Does your mom put it like that?
I mean does she say "Well Brandon that was just a bunch of crap. It really was."

[Brandon Rice]

Haha, my dad will say that, in those exact words!... but she'll tell me, no I didn't like it... and she'll usually explain why... which is GREAT. I'll tell you the most annoying thing ever is when you show someone something and they say, "I didn't like it" and you ask why and they say ," I just didn't" LOL!

[Norm Sanders]

True, but for me it's most painful when my family doesn't get something ... just annoys the hell out of me.

But if OTHERS don't ... not only is it more objective anyway (often times), but I don't get nearly as bothered by it. For instance, my wife is nearly afraid to give her opinion anymore, just because I can get so frusterated if it's not on the same page with what I'm thinking. Poor thing! :embarrassed:

[Brandon Rice]

This weekend I plan on showing the cut of the film to at least four seperate individuals and get their opinions.

[macintosh]

you the most annoying thing ever is when you show someone something and they say, "I didn't like it" and you ask why and they say ," I just didn't" LOL!

That and when people just don't give any feedback at all. I've had people watch my work and they just go "oh hey, that was real good. nice job." I find that to be really aggravating because it's almost like they don't care to give any time to point out what specifics were done well or what could've used improvement. Because we all know that nothing we do is ever perfect.

[Norm Sanders]

Sure, but if you can I mean have a REAL screening. Meaning, get at least 10 or more people that haven't heard about the film. Start with a couple of friends, and ask them to bring friends that don't know you, etc. Prize goes to the person with the most friends present.

You can also post a screening event on CRAIG'S LIST to see how many people want free pizza & pop for an evening in exchange for watching a film & giving their candid responses.

Have a camera set up to film their responses during the show (facial, emotions, etc.), as well as record the interactive discussions afterwards.

It's a little work to organize it, but the feedback you may get could be invaluable to the completed film. Not to mention, it's networking. Just never know how someone who's invited knows someone, who knows someone, etc.

[Brandon Rice]

Quite true. Good idea. I will think about that. I am dealing with getting legalities done right now. Contracts for people and such. And, I have a lot of color grading work, and effects work to be taking my time up.

[Norm Sanders]

Understandable, just make sure you do an honest screening before you get too locked into the film edit. Just sharing what I've learned, and will do in the future.

[KOVAROVA]

Understandable, just make sure you do an honest screening before you get too locked into the film edit. Just sharing what I've learned, and will do in the future.

i would second that. i think it is a great idea. just be sure to invite all your dvxuser brothers.. :thumbsup:

[Brandon Rice]

word. will do. :)

[Brandon Rice]

I am considering changing the scope of my film to 2:3:5. I was doing some tests and I love the more epic wide look.

[dvpixl]

crazy stuff Brandon. nice!

[Brandon Rice]

crazy stuff Brandon. nice!

Thanks a lot! :) :thumbsup:

[Brandon Rice]

Got some HOT music from Matt tonight, for the opening. Will post later.

[Brandon Rice]

Here's a bit of some of the music Matt did tonight! Good stuff :)

www.noariceprod.com/smugglers/music/OpeningMapRun.mp3

[ChrisHurn]

Hi Brandon,

Tell Matt nice job! :)

-Chris

[Brandon Rice]

Thanks Chris, I will for sure!

[Brandon Rice]

Got another cut of the sound work... it's sounding great. I especially like the sound of the silenced pistol we have... I'll post later. :)

New "Director's Diary" on the way tonight.

[Brandon Rice]

I put out yet another call for help. If anyone has some amazing airport plane landing footage or has access to shoot some, PLEASE let me know, as I am in dire need of some footage, thanks!

here's what I currently have... not too happy with it

www.noariceprod.com/plane.mov

[Brandon Rice]

All righty! Brand new episode of "Director's Diaries"! Enjoy! :)

http://www.noariceprod.com/smugglers/behindthescenes.htm

[Evan S]

http://www.fotosearch.com/DVA007/061-0022/
http://www.fotosearch.com/TGI003/trb90001/

Lots of money. not mine though
maybe someone can give you something free.

[Brandon Rice]

oh man, that's a high price... anyone out there that can film something, please...

[Evan S]

http://www.revostock.com/FileCloseup.html?&ID=4253
you could probably match this up with your existing footage

I dont know how these websites work though.

[Brandon Rice]

Just thought I'd toss up another screenshot, this is from the finale of the film.

http://www.noariceprod.com/screens/Scene26b.jpg

[Tom Marshall]

Hey Brandon, Burbank airport at magic hour ought to be nice! Problem is, I don't have a camera... :(

[Brandon Rice]

Hey Brandon, Burbank airport at magic hour ought to be nice! Problem is, I don't have a camera... :(

Bummer, yeah, that would be nice! I took those shots I showed at the Burbank airport... couldn't get very close though...

[MalcolmOng]

Just thought I'd toss up another screenshot, this is from the finale of the film.

http://www.noariceprod.com/screens/Scene26b.jpg

Hey thats some nice CC going on but there seems to be alot of green noise and grain on the image...Is that intentional?

[Larry Rutledge]

Just watched DDd:5 (Director's Diaries Day 5) :thumbsup: Very fun! My favorite quotes:

"It's really cool...I didn't even expect it to" - Brandon Rice, DP
"I wore Antony Tyler Quinn's clothes" and the follow up question, "You're telling your girlfriend about this tonight, right?" :grin:

The music sample you posted yesterday is great too, everything seems to be coming together nicely. Looking forward to seeing the finished product.

Peace,
Larry

[Brandon Rice]

heehee! Thanks Larry I am glad you enjoyed it!

Malcolm: The shot doesn't look NEARLY as grainy in motion, and it's also supposed to be during a trance-like scene at the very end... we'll see how it turns out. I may go LESS dramatic on the CC :)

[Brandon Rice]

Here's the silenced pistol sound effect I love so much!

www.noariceprod.com/silenced.mp3

It's.... tasty! hehe

[Brandon Rice]

UPDATE: Not a ton of progress today... though we added some text at the beginning of the film, to give a bit of backstory. It's lookin' good!

[Weston]

that pistol kind of sounds like a phone....



kidding!.....sounds good :thumbup:

[Brandon Rice]

hehe yeah, the phone's ringing in the BG in the scene. :) Thanks dude.

[Brandon Rice]

UPDATE: Not a lot to report. First 4 scenes should be sound designed, and scored by the end of tomorrow. Also, DVXuser member fixitinpost is grabbing some great airplane shots for us. He sent me some samples today and is going to grab some more tomorrow. Thanks!

[Brandon Rice]

Some BTS for ya'll. Here's a dolly test we did the night before the first day of principle photography... the shot in the movie is of Bill Donley walking down the hallway to his boss, Chase's, office.

www.noariceprod.com/dollytest_web.mov

Enjoy.

[Brandon Rice]

Some more BTS. A few photos from our cast readthrough (yes, we documented EVERYTHING, lol)

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/6061/1158442804.jpg

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/6061/1158442860.jpg

[Brandon Rice]

ok, some more grabs... I don't think you've seen these yet...

http://www.noariceprod.com/smugglers/Scene14.jpg

http://www.noariceprod.com/smugglers/Scene21.jpg

http://www.noariceprod.com/smugglers/Scene26b.jpg

[Daniel Skubal]

woah! Good CC man, the skin tones in that second screenie are perfect. Looks like you exposed just under the blow-out range, which seems to be the prime area for lateral color.

I'm glad you switched over to 1.85:1 aspect, fits the epic style you're aiming for.

[MalcolmOng]

Kudos from me as well!

[TheatreGuy]

Hey Brandon, you've been keeping real busy on this thread. Wow! I haven't visited in a while with all of the focus on Horrorfest. Looking good. I'll have to catch-up on the Director's Diaries... I love those!

Just wanted to pipe in on amazing airport footage... have you found any? I don't know if this is a lead or not, but Rezfactor has an amazing shot of a passenger jet leaving a runway. Have you seen it? It's on his thread for Horrorfest.

Anyway, I don't know if he has other footage but wanted to pass along any leads!

Good luck, bro!

[holymexicobatman]

I am considering changing the scope of my film to 2:3:5. I was doing some tests and I love the more epic wide look.
agreed. =) 2:3:5 ROCKS MY SOCKS OFF. just make sure your framing doesn't suffer. sometimes its not possible when your composition is too 16:9 dependent. but try it out and it just might work...hope it does.

[Brandon Rice]

We're gunna go with 1:85:1 as it gives us enough frame for what we want and maintains that epic feel. Thanks for all the comments!

[Brandon Rice]

Hey Brandon, you've been keeping real busy on this thread. Wow! I haven't visited in a while with all of the focus on Horrorfest. Looking good. I'll have to catch-up on the Director's Diaries... I love those!


Thanks for checking in. I try to do my best and keep things updated over here :) :thumbup:



Just wanted to pipe in on amazing airport footage... have you found any?

DVXuser fixitinpost is getting some fantastic stuff for us. Should have it on Monday. Thanks! :thumbup:

[Brandon Rice]

New music from M. Derr over the weekend... Yeah!

www.noariceprod.com/smugglers/opening.mp3

[Larry Rutledge]

Here's a dolly test we did the night before the first day of principle photography...

I'm assuming that was a trackless dolly? Any pics of the dolly you used?

[Brandon Rice]

I'm assuming that was a trackless dolly? Any pics of the dolly you used?

Sure :cheesy: Here it is

http://www.noariceprod.com/smugglers/dolly.jpg

[macintosh]

Great picture Brandon. Nothing like the chair method.

[Brandon Rice]

Great picture Brandon. Nothing like the chair method.

For sure. :thumbup: :beer:

[Brandon Rice]

Great news! Jerry Turner (aka fixitinpost) got a great airplane shot for us....

http://www.noariceprod.com/land.jpg

[Matt Sconce]

Coool!

[ChrisHurn]

Nice! that looks great.

-Chris

[Brandon Rice]

Yeah, Jerry did a great job with that shot!

Still waiting on ONE last shot... should have it soon... The edit is pretty well locked... we need to watch it once more and decide 100% on a few things...

[Brandon Rice]

UPDATE: Worked on editing/tweaking stuff today. We'll be sending the next few scenes off to the sound designer (Stephen) and composer (Matt) in about two days.

[Brandon Rice]

Worked on editing some transitional scenes tonight... Have one last shot we still need... I'm also exporting all the green screen footage and BG plates to give to Henry tomorrow, so he can start work on keying it all.

Another Director's Diary is also on the way... it's from our ADR/2nd Unit day. Stay tuned.

[MalcolmOng]

Great! So you're almost done with your parts of editing?

[Brandon Rice]

Great! So you're almost done with your parts of editing?

Really close... I'd say the first half is pretty solid... I still need one last shot of an establishing shot, but then I'll have everything.

Also, still waiting on the final renders from Mark... who has been busy and stuff with his nephew's accident and working on Jack's film, as the deadline approaches.

[Brandon Rice]

Just got word from Mark, he's uploading the files now! I cannot wait to see these final renders!

[Brandon Rice]

Expect another episode of "Director's Diaries" tonight, and some new music, from Matt Derr.

[Geoff_R]

This looks awesome. I had seen your banner on Smuggler's ransom for the longest time but didn't click on it till today. Looking great man!

[Brandon Rice]

This looks awesome. I had seen your banner on Smuggler's ransom for the longest time but didn't click on it till today. Looking great man!

Hey! Thanks for checking it out! I am really looking forward to your horrorfest flick! :) Keep checking back around here for updates... I try to keep things updated regularly. :thumbup:

[Brandon Rice]

Quick update! I am downloading the new upgrade for my Avid, so I won't have time for a Director's Diary tonight... will have one up this weekend.

[Tom Marshall]

Lookin good B-man... glad you got the plane shot!! :)

[Brandon Rice]

Lookin good B-man... glad you got the plane shot!! :)

Thanks man! Yeah, the plane shot looks fantastic and it added a lot!:thumbup:

[Brandon Rice]

Update: This weekend we'll have the first 9 min. of the film scored sound designed and edited! We're churning through it, slowly, but surely. :)

[Drew Ott]

Glad to hear you're still working hard. A lot of people would have given up by now.

[Brandon Rice]

Glad to hear you're still working hard. A lot of people would have given up by now.

Thanks dude! It's been a fantastic ride, and I hope it doesn't end anytime soon!

I'll be posting up another episode of the Director's Diaries tonight...

[Norm Sanders]

Glad to hear you're still working hard. A lot of people would have given up by now.

Seriously? That's horrible to imagine people putting in so much time & work, and even MORE importantly having others do it with them, only to just end up quitting because they got tired, etc. Sheesh, once I got others depending on me, or got involved as well, I've got an obligation to finish it, do or die.

Brandon, when it DOES finish, I'll be interested to hear how you feel afterwards. SPARROW was such an involving process that ended up stretching nearly 4 months from start start to finish, that I swear I had post partum sydrome afterwards. It was like giving birth (k, I don't actually KNOW what that's like), and then ... now what?

Depressed a little, didn't know what do do with myself, creativity felt low, food didn't have the same taste, etc. Really REALLY creepy. So I decided to make another film, LOL, while we're working on the development of our first feature.

Thankfully my wife's EXTREMELY supportive, and understands I need (or at least have a strong desire) to keep fairly busy with this stuff. :thumbsup:

[Brandon Rice]

Awesome dude! Yeah, I am sure I'll feel pretty darn happy when it's all done... if the rest of the movie is anything like the part that we're just about finished with, we're going to have a mighty awesome film...

We're also working on getting some stuff out to that new distribution company FoxFaith... we're hoping they bite!

I am also in pre-production on another short film right now, A superhero spoof... for a fundraiser promotion video, I am producing/writing/directing/DPing/Editing it. :) We had some auditions today, and they went fantastic!

[Brandon Rice]

Some new music from Matt Derr.... WOW!!!!

www.noariceprod.com/opening.mp3

[Evan S]

The music sounds like a 80's movie mixed with pirates of the carribean.

In a good way.

[Brandon Rice]

The music sounds like a 80's movie mixed with pirates of the carribean.

In a good way.

VERY GOOD! I hope to evoke the 80's feel with the music! :) awesome! :thumbup:

[MalcolmOng]

Anything new in the world of SR?

I love reading these updates!

[Brandon Rice]

Post audio work and score being done now... this is a long film, takes a lot longer than a short.... Some special effects work is being done this week also, and last night I got the final chopper render from Mark... I'll post a shot of that up in a bit, and hopefully some green screen work up this week as well.

[Brandon Rice]

I've been bad about updating this thread lately... Here's a still from the final render of the helicopter shot from Mark! Looks fantastic!

http://www.noariceprod.com/finalcopter.jpg

[macintosh]

Agreed, that shot looks great. I haven't made too many comments lately but I've still been reading all your updates. It's great to hear the progress your making, congrats.

[Brandon Rice]

Agreed, that shot looks great. I haven't made too many comments lately but I've still been reading all your updates. It's great to hear the progress your making, congrats.

Thanks man, I am glad you've been keeping up with everything! :)

[Tom Marshall]

I've been bad about updating this thread lately... Here's a still from the final render of the helicopter shot from Mark! Looks fantastic!

http://www.noariceprod.com/finalcopter.jpg

I agree - that looks awesome!!!

[Brandon Rice]

UPDATES!

Matt got another music cue done... He's now starting the next several scenes... here's a bit from what he's done...

www.noariceprod.com/new.mp3

(I added a little bit at the end... for effect :))

[Brandon Rice]

I picked up the Robert Rodriguez book: Rebel without a Crew tonight and started reading through his post-production chapter and then the first distribution search chapter... Something struck me as I was reading through the book. The scenario of Smuggler's Ransom is VERY similar to what Robert did. Here are some interesting parallels...

1. Robert Rodriguez spent his summer making a film as did we

2. Robert made a film for a specific market he felt was weak and he could compete in... The Spanish Video Market. We've done the same, by targeting the Christian Film Market, which we believe needs strong content.

3. Robert planned to sell his film in order to make his next film, which would be a sequel to El Mariachi (he of course did two sequels later)... We have two sequels for Smuggler's Ransom lined up as well.

4. Robert made a film with a much higher perceived value than what he really made it for... as we hope our film has a much higher perceived value.

Interesting similarities I thought... and I imagine we'll be having similar conversations with distributors as Robert did over ten years ago when he was trying to sell El Mariachi.

That's my long post tonight... good night.

[Brandon Rice]

UPDATE: We're planning on sending the trailer off to FoxFaith (new Christian and Family division of Fox) next week... here's hopin'! :)

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

Brandon did you stay in a medical research facility for 6 weeks to finance and write your movie? (jk) :)

[donkathon]

UPDATE: We're planning on sending the trailer off to FoxFaith (new Christian and Family division of Fox) next week... here's hopin'! :)

Do tell when you get a response. A distribution deal with Fox would be good. Really good. Cannoli good.

And be sure to get it out to Nexflix or Blockbuster or HWVideo. That way, anyone can rent it.

[Brandon Rice]

Brandon did you stay in a medical research facility for 6 weeks to finance and write your movie? (jk) :)

THat's the ONE Rob's got on me!!! :Drogar-BigGrin(DBG)

[MalcolmOng]

Lmao. Good luck with your distribution tho!

[Evan S]

I think the rendered shots need to be blurred and g(r)ained, they're to clean. and I think the lens flare should be brighter.

but this is judging a still so meh.

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

yeah I think they are straight form the VFX artisr who's leaving that up to Brandon to match the rest of his picture.

[Brandon Rice]

Yeah, they'll be grained up a bit :) Thanks for taking a look guys!

[Evan S]

Brandon you're to freaking nice. You need like ... to be rude and make your posts interesting.

"NO EVAN, YOU'RE WRONG!!! THEY DON'T NEED TO HAVE GRAIN. GO EAT A PIE!" etc etc

[MalcolmOng]

Naw the nice brandon is a good thing

[Brandon Rice]

Naw the nice brandon is a good thing
:Drogar-BigGrin(DBG)

[Brandon Rice]

UPDATE: Sending off several more scenes to the sound designer and composer tonight. We're movin' right along. I have some more BTS stuff I will be posting soon...

[donkathon]

Dont get Bricey mad... its really hard to, but when you do, hes got this whole Hulk thing goin' on, and its not too pretty.

[Brandon Rice]

haha right PTO. Well... we're still prodding along. Things have been slightly delayed due to my horrorfest entry being pushed out quickly... But progress is still being made! :)

[Brandon Rice]

WOW! I haven't updated in forever! Now that I am finished with my horrorfest film, I am back at Smuggler's full force again... finishing tweaking some transitional scenes and getting everything out to composer and sound designer. Pressing onward!

[Matt Sconce]

Sounds awesome dude! Keep up the good work!

[Brandon Rice]

Thanks Matt! I watched the first couple scenes again, after not seeing for at least two weeks, and they blew me away :) I'm charged up again!

[JaydeeG83]

We have two sequels for Smuggler's Ransom lined up as well.

Wow! Man, I really wanna see the first one...Two more!? Hey, will they both have Anthony Tyler Quinn?

[Brandon Rice]

Wow! Man, I really wanna see the first one...Two more!? Hey, will they both have Anthony Tyler Quinn?

Awesome! :)

Yes indeed, if we do do the sequels, he will be in them :thumbsup:

[jpbankesmercer]

Website is cool. Looking forward to it.

[Brandon Rice]

Thanks man, glad you liked it. I got an email from the guy who was associate producer of Boy Meet's World, and he said quote, "Trailer looks great."

:):):)

[Larry Rutledge]

Thanks man, glad you liked it. I got an email from the guy who was associate producer of Boy Meet's World, and he said quote, "Trailer looks great."

:):):)

:thumbsup: Cool deal!! :thumbsup:

[Gord.T]

Hey Brandon. Thanks for stopping into the Draco Thread. It's nice to see someone taking the time to visit us little guys. Sais alot. (Is time consuming though). Good luck, looking forward to seeing your flick. Sounds like your on the ball. Cheers.

[Brandon Rice]

Hey man, thanks for checking it out... been SO busy with horrorfest, but will be updating this with more info soon :)

[Brandon Rice]

Had to STOP watching horrorfest films and writing reviews for a bit to work on the trailer DVD file, we're sending off the trailer to FoxFaith tomorrow!

[ChrisHurn]

Sweeeet. Let me know how this goes!

GOOD LUCK!!! :beer: :beer:

-Chris

[Brandon Rice]

Sweeeet. Let me know how this goes!

GOOD LUCK!!! :beer: :beer:

-Chris

Oh I will! For sure! Just got finished rendering the DVD file for the trailer!

[Brandon Rice]

Just wanted to announce that Herman Witkam is going to be working on the final song for Smuggler's Ransom... we're working on getting Patrick Levis for vocals!

[Brandon Rice]

Working on some CC... another screen grab :)

http://www.noaricedigital.com/Scene12.jpg

[MalcolmOng]

Poor guy...

Looks great though!

[Brandon Rice]

Poor guy...

Looks great though!

Thanks man!

Looks like we're going to get into direct contact to FoxFaith! Yes! Very excited about things right now.

[Owen]

Awesome -- Good luck with that!

[HKFF]

This looks like it's going to be a great film keep up the good work!!!!!!! Very impressed!

[ernesto]

Hey Brandon, I've been reading this thread for quite a bit and I'm excited for this film. Seems like you're a really hard working guy. I had a few questions about your film.

How did you pay your cast/crew? Deferred payment or upfront? Also, how'd you find a budget for the feature?

Good luck with the Fox Faith distribution!

[Brandon Rice]

Thanks for all the comments! I am getting pretty excited as I can see the end of post ahead!

ernesto- We payed our crew members when we shot the film. There were several unpaid crew, AD's, PA's and such, but our main crew was paid.

We wrote up deferred pay contracts for all of our cast members and had them sign them after we finished production. Those contracts are for pay, if we get distribution and cover are initial production costs.

The budget was found through a few private investors who had seen our previous short, and felt we could move on to another level. :)

[Justin Marx]

Hey dude.. Great job.. Looks great..
Where do you get all of your sound effects/background sounds? They are great!

- - Justin

[Brandon Rice]

Here's an opportunity! The first TWO people who PM me, will be given the chance to see the first two minutes of the film, Smuggler's Ransom. Please PM me for the details! You won't be disappointed.

[Brandon Rice]

thanks to those who checked out the first two min. and for your comments.

[-zach-]

So, any updates on how it's going? I'd love to hear about how you are working out the distribution... and this "FoxFaith" thing sounds really interesting, just wondering how you're gonna get the film on the market...

[Larry Rutledge]

When're we gonna get another Director's Diaries? :)


Hurry up and finish this thing already :grin: We're all looking forward to seeing it. And good luck with FoxFaith :thumbsup:

[-zach-]

Just thought of something else.

If (and when) there is a Smuggler's Ransom 2...

it can't be named Smuggler's Ransom 2.

It's gotta be like, "Dealer's Ransom", or "King's Ransom" some other type of new-but-in-the-same-type-of-name thing, like Smuggler's (insert noun here).

[macintosh]

Here's an opportunity! The first TWO people who PM me, will be given the chance to see the first two minutes of the film, Smuggler's Ransom. Please PM me for the details! You won't be disappointed.

Damnit Brandon, I wish I would've seen this thread yesterday...although I wasn't around at the time.

[Brandon Rice]

Hey all, sorry for not updating or being around much... been super busy. Anyway, Smuggler's is still pressing on. Working on our last song for the credits, Herman Witkam is going to be orchestrating the music for that one. Matt Derr is also working hard on the score for the film, and Stephen Brock is still moving on sound design. We have "our foot in the door" at FoxFaith so we're excited!

[Brandon Rice]

I am working today on tweaking some things on the trailer to send to FoxFaith. I really could use some help with the sound design. Please PM if you're interested. Thanks.

[Brandon Rice]

Updates..... Lots of em'

Here are the updates people!!

Mark Johnson is working on some new VFX for Smuggler's.... Including some matte shots and several gun effects.

Herman Witkam is going to be orchestrating our end credits song, which we are working on now. We have a rough draft of lyrics down. Just finishing that up.

Patrick Levis from the band: Least of These (www.leastofthesetheband.com) has signed on to be lead vocals for the end song as well, so we're stoked about that.

http://camppleasant.com/images/Patrick%20Levis.jpg

Thing's are good here... just slow, as I've been out of town the last two weeks.

[ernesto]

Brandon, how many shooting days did you guys have for your movie?

Because I was looking at the production diaries and there were only four, and in the second one, one of you guys mentioned being halfway through. So did you guys shoot most of the feature on just four days? If so, how'd you manage to do that, even no-budget features usually have like 18-day shoots don't they?

Thanks,

Ernesto.

[Brandon Rice]

First off, the movie times out to around 45-50 min. runtime. Not quite a feature length... about half... So, in essence we could have shot a feature length in 8 days...

The way we shot so fast is many reasons.

First, we were blessed with having extremely talented and well prepared actors...

Second, we (Daniel and I) always discussed things down to the smallest detail before getting on set, as well as having a rough shot list, which is revised while shooting from time to time.

Third, I try to shoot everything using one lighting setup. Usually this takes more time initially, but if I cover all my angles right, it saves lots of time.

Hope that answers some Q's :)

[Aaron Marshall]

I thought 50 mins was feature length?

I want to check this film out. I think it looks promising, especially after seeing your Horror entry.

[Brandon Rice]

I don't know, maybe 50 min. is feature length. I thought it was closer to 90.

Anyway... found this funny pic of our lead (Anthony Tyler Quinn) from way back... in his Boy Meets World days...

That's him on the right.

http://myspace-050.vo.llnwd.net/00202/05/01/202321050_l.jpg

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

i don't see a pic ...
but i see the link in the notification email ...
here's the pic ...
http://myspace-050.vo.llnwd.net/00202/05/01/202321050_l.jpg

[khmuse]

First off, the movie times out to around 45-50 min. runtime. Not quite a feature length... about half... So, in essence we could have shot a feature length in 8 days...

The way we shot so fast is many reasons.

First, we were blessed with having extremely talented and well prepared actors...

Second, we (Daniel and I) always discussed things down to the smallest detail before getting on set, as well as having a rough shot list, which is revised while shooting from time to time.

Third, I try to shoot everything using one lighting setup. Usually this takes more time initially, but if I cover all my angles right, it saves lots of time.

Hope that answers some Q's :)

OK, I gotta ask a few questions:

1) How long (in terms of hours) is your description of a shooting day?

2) How many setups are you accomplishing in a shooting day?

3) How much coverage are you getting for each scene?

4) Are you lighting practical locations or working on a standing set on a stage?

I have never, and I mean never, heard of anyone coming anywhere close to 12 minutes of final footage from a single shooting day.

You really have to elaborate on this, its so far outside of anything that I have ever experienced that I am without a frame of reference to even understand it.

Thanks in advance for anything you can share!

[Brandon Rice]

OK, I gotta ask a few questions:

1) How long (in terms of hours) is your description of a shooting day?


10-12 Hours. We never went over that amount of time. The cast was generally there for 8-10 hours, crew from 10-12.



2) How many setups are you accomplishing in a shooting day?


Forgive my ignorance on this one... by setups do you mean actual shots, is a setup different each time the camera moves? If this is the case, then we got on average 60-65 setups a day... if setups means lighting setups I tried as I said above to light the scene completely at the beginning so very little adjustments were made each time we switched angles or "turned the scene around" The first day was our big day. 12 hours and 4 seperate locations. We had about 10 lighting setups that day.



3) How much coverage are you getting for each scene?


We always had a master shot, and CU's for each actor. I always want cleans as they can get you out of some nasty predicaments while editing. For the action stuff we shot in sequence and knew where and when we wanted to cut... this made the action stuff move along a lot faster than it normally would.



4) Are you lighting practical locations or working on a standing set on a stage?


All our locations were practical. A park. Three different houses, a warehouse and an elevator.



I have never, and I mean never, heard of anyone coming anywhere close to 12 minutes of final footage from a single shooting day.

You really have to elaborate on this, its so far outside of anything that I have ever experienced that I am without a frame of reference to even understand it.

Thanks in advance for anything you can share!

Hope that helps... it's hard to explain how we shoot so fast, unless you're on set...

[Brandon Rice]

Well, here's the EXCITING news update!!!! I found out a few days ago that several VERY influential people will be seeing Smuggler's Ransom when it is completed. I don't want to name names at this time, thanks! Things are looking great right now!

[Larry Rutledge]

Yea, yea, that's great. All we want to know is, when is the next director's diary going online? :grin:

Just kidding, that is fantastic news!!!! Good luck with the project, may God bless you and your team and this film! :thumbsup:

Peace,
Larry

[Brandon Rice]

Ok Larry, I get it... you want more Director's Diaries! :) Well... I will TRY to do a little something on the process of score composition soon, but no promises, as I have another project I am shooting in less than a month.

[macintosh]

Well, here's the EXCITING news update!!!! I found out a few days ago that several VERY influential people will be seeing Smuggler's Ransom when it is completed. I don't want to name names at this time, thanks! Things are looking great right now!

Thats great news, glad to hear things are going well.

[Brandon Rice]

Thanks a lot man.... thanks for the support everyone here on the boards! We continue pressing on. :)

[Kyle Stebbins]

i'm one of those important people!!!


heh. i wish.
but i can't wait, brandon! hey man, if you need any help in the way of music, lemme know... i just picked up one of these bad boys: fantom x-8 (http://www.roland.com/products/en/Fantom-X8/)

it's ridiculously sweet.
-kyle

[hereatrainacomin]

Thanks a lot man.... thanks for the support everyone here on the boards! We continue pressing on. :)

Ive been visiting these forums for quite a while, and I cant take my eye off this movie your making. Good Luck, Brandon Rice.

[Brandon Rice]

Thanks very much for your kind words... that goes out to everyone who has taken the time to check our film out.

As for an update, I am seriously considering going to AFM (American Film Market) next week, and shopping the film around. I'll burn some trailers and have one-sheets, and try to speak with some distributors there. I may, or may not go, we'll see. I'll keep ya'll updated...

[aria951]

hey i'm here lol finally haha

You should go to AFM. And keep up the good work!

[Brandon Rice]

Hey, good to see you here on DVXuser! This place rocks! Thanks for the encouragement as well!

[aria951]

no prob :-)

[Shaun Patrick]

Exciting news, man. Keep up the good work.

[Brandon Rice]

thanks dude :) I can't wait for you all to see the final film, I hope it doesn't disappoint.

[Paul Coleman]

Brandon, you may be the world's greatest film promoter. I am totally serious. You really know how to get visibility for your films. :thumbup: :beer:

[Brandon Rice]

Thanks dude! That's half the game out here!

[Paul Coleman]

Thanks dude! That's half the game out here!

True, true.:beer:

[Kyle Stebbins]

yehhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[MalcolmOng]

Brandon, you may be the world's greatest film promoter. I am totally serious. You really know how to get visibility for your films. :thumbup: :beer:

Maybe if i ever make a film to sell i'll hire briceman as my publicist :D

Although....he's a better filmmaker...he's many things

[Paul Coleman]

Maybe if i ever make a film to sell i'll hire briceman as my publicist :D

Actually, that is a good idea.:beer:

[Brandon Rice]

I know I haven't updated in quite awhile. Anyway, things are still moving onward :) Talked with Mark this weekend and he said that the effects should be wrapped up pretty soon :) One concern is still sound and score, as my sound designer is having some difficulty in a move to another country right now.

[Brandon Rice]

UPDATE: More music in today... good stuff. Looking at getting this sucker finished in about three weeks!

[aria951]

UPDATE: More music in today... good stuff. Looking at getting this sucker finished in about three weeks!

didn't you say that 2 weeks ago? ;-) just messing with ya!
Keep up the good work! I love how it sounds so far!

[Brandon Rice]

Well, here's a little update. We're in need of a composer for Smuggler's Ransom. We have a few offers out, but haven't confirmed anyone yet... please contact me via-PM if you're interested, thanks!

[Brandon Rice]

Justin Durban (Edgen) is now officially on board to score Smuggler's Ransom!

[Kyle Stebbins]

Congrats!!! Excited to hear the music!!

[Brandon Rice]

Me too! We're stoked to have him aboard!

[ChrisHurn]

I'm a little bit confused. What happened to the other composer (matt?)

-Chris

[Brandon Rice]

Matt was unable to complete the movie, due to other commitments at this time.

[aria951]

Me too! We're stoked to have him aboard!

I heard some of his stuff and he's excellent! I miss Matt though for he was doing a great job...is justin going to follow Matt's style or is he doing his own thing?

[pixelated]

Many thanks for an awesome thread! - looks like the movie may be ok too <g>.

Curious if you decided to go to AFM and how marketing is progressing. Spent so long wading thru this damn thread I'm either gonna have to take up speedreading
or wait for the movie to come out. . .

Seriously hope you're planning a premiere screening - I'll fly in for this one.

[Brandon Rice]

Glad you enjoyed the thread! I was unable to attend AMF as some other projects came up. We are however planning on having a screening sometime at the end of the year, or right at the beginning of the new year. I'll be making an announcement.

[Brandon Rice]

I have not updated this thread for awhile... basically we are still in post. I believe all of our visual effects will be done by today. Our score is now in the hands of Justin Durban, and we're very excited to see what he does with the film. Our sound designer will also get crackin' on the film again soon, as he's finally been able to get his move approved and everything (he moved to Moscow).

[Brandon Rice]

I do also have some NEVER BEFORE SEEN character photos to post online a bit later today! And... I should mention... the first several pages of Smuggler's Ransom 2: The Chase Dispatch have been written!

[aria951]

I do also have some NEVER BEFORE SEEN character photos to post online a bit later today! And... I should mention... the first several pages of Smuggler's Ransom 2: The Chase Dispatch have been written!

awesome!! i'm so excited!

one question...is Justin durban going to change the entire score of the movie or is he taking up where Matt left off?

Keep up the good work! Your almost there! :)

[Brandon Rice]

Justin will be scoring the entire film.

[Brandon Rice]

UPDATE: Looks like we've run into another problem... Stephen Brock just recently moved to Moscow, and was planning on finishing up the sound design there, but it looks like he has dial-up internet access, and is only capable of transferring files over floppy discs!!! That having been said, we're now in a desperate search for a sound designer, as I can't do that stuff well at all! Please let me know if you know someone, or can help! Thanks!

[khmuse]

There are a lot of great sound designer's in LA, I know a few. Do you have a sense of the scope of the project (in terms of time) and do you have a budget for this task? I will be happy to ask around, but I know that these will be the first two questions that will be asked in response to a "do you want to work on sound design for a film" question.

[Brandon Rice]

Pm'd ya Kevin.

[khmuse]

I sent you a PM back with a suggestion as to how you might accomplish this. If it turns out to work for you, I might suggest that you share the idea in this thread as others may be interested in these types of "solutions" to similar problems.

Best of luck,

Kevin

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

hope it works oiut for you brandon.

[Brandon Rice]

Thanks for the help Kevin, and thanks Jack... we're workin' on it! :)

[Brandon Rice]

Here are some never before seen BTS pics from the 1st day of shooting Smuggler's Ransom... Enjoy!

http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/6061/1164587782.jpg
http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/6061/1164587883.jpg
http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/6061/1164587928.jpg
http://www.dvxuser6.com/uploaded/6061/1164587961.jpg

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

Thanks for the pix Brando.

How;s that Spiderbrace treatin' ya?

[Brandon Rice]

How;s that Spiderbrace treatin' ya?


Oh man, I LOVE that thing! I used it quite a bit in Captain Fundraiser as well! It's just perfect for handheld work! I can even get smoother pans with it than my tripod sometimes... (probably cause I don't have the 503 fluid head, need to upgrade that soon!)

[Brandon Rice]

Good news to report... we've found a sound designer, through a craigs list ad listing! Yes! Back on track again!

[aria951]

Good news to report... we've found a sound designer, through a craigs list ad listing! Yes! Back on track again!

Good job Brandon! How is Justin doing on Smuggler's Ransom? Do you think the movie will be done by Christmas or is it delayed? Just curious...cuz i'm really freaking excited!! haha no pressure man! Keep it up Brandon you guys are doing great! :thumbup:

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

What's captain fundraiser?

[Brandon Rice]

HAHA! My other project in the works right now...

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=72448

[Brandon Rice]

NEWS: Nearly all visual effects are done... Mark is adjusting some last minute things, and we'll be golden! This thing is looking great!

[Brandon Rice]

Website updated... new release date, targeting January 07... we're scrambling to get it all done in Dec. but most likely a Jan. 07 date for folks to order it.

[ChrisHurn]

Hey Brandon,

Justin's link on the crew page links to my website..you might want to fix that up :P

-Chris

[Brandon Rice]

fixed, thanks dude!

[Brandon Rice]

NEWS: We'll be entering a trailer of Smuggler's Ransom to the onthelot TV show...

www.onthelot.com

[aria951]

Website updated... new release date, targeting January 07... we're scrambling to get it all done in Dec. but most likely a Jan. 07 date for folks to order it.

awesome man! your almost done! woo! :thumbup:

[Brandon Rice]

Thanks!

I also wanted to announce that Jason Fox is now officially cast in the film and is doing some OS dialogue for us!

[Brandon Rice]

I have some not so great news to report tonight...

For those of you who've been keeping up to date on the thread and website know we had the priviledge of having an awesome casting director for this film, Briane.

I am sorry to have to share that her Mom passed away tonight... Her mom had been suffering from some issues in her brain (I am not totally 100% sure on all the details), and it was inoperable... Her mom was moved to a Hospice a few days ago, and tonight she passed away... Briane was a friend of mine before we worked on Smuggler's Ransom together, and I was hearbroken to hear about this tonight... please pray for her family during this difficult time for them. Thanks.

[ChrisHurn]

Oh That's terrible Brandon. Very sorry to hear that. :(

Will be praying for her family, all the way over in New Zealand.

-Chris

[Brandon Rice]

Thanks Chris, her family appreaciats it a lot!

In other news, we finished all the stuff we had to record VO-wise for Smuggler's, so now really all that's remaining is two effects shots, some effects modifications, score, and sound!

[Brandon Rice]

UPDATE: I just heard some music from Justin... one word... WOW! He's got SKILZ!

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

UPDATE: I just heard some music from Justin... one word... WOW! He's got SKILZ!

Duh! :)

[Brandon Rice]

Oh yeah!

Just a quick update... there are some pretty nifty color grading things coming up on this thread... be on the lookout! I'll be showing you before/after plus my Curves and Levels I used in Avid!

[Brandon Rice]

Click the image below to see a full-screen image of my Avid color corrector.

You'll notice the first image on the left in the three panels is the corrected image. The second image is the uncorrected image. You'll also see I used the curves tool and the Master Saturation tool as well.

http://www.noaricedigital.com/smugglers/bts/beforeafter1_thumb.jpg (http://www.noaricedigital.com/smugglers/bts/beforeafter1.jpg)

[khmuse]

This is an area that is always so subjective that I am hesitant to even comment and the screen cap is so low resolution that I can't even be confident in what I am seeing.

That stated, there seems to be almost no shadow detail in this scene's corrected image. This might be exactly what you wanted, it might be perfect for this scene, I can't be certain. Perhaps you can post a pair of higher resolution grabs, both before and after, even better would be a pair of short clips.

[Brandon Rice]

I'll try to post a couple before/after clips soon. In this scene I was going for a more muted, stale look, as it's supposed to be a drab apartment, that is why you see very flat contrast in the lighting.

[aria951]

UPDATE: I just heard some music from Justin... one word... WOW! He's got SKILZ!

That's exciting! I can't wait to hear the music..as i've already told you the movie score is very important to me. I feel it can make even a weak movie great! :-) That's just me though.

I'm so sorry about your friend Brandon. I'm praying for her and her family. I can't imagine losing one of my parents...

[Brandon Rice]

Thanks for the prayers! I spoke to Briane yesterday, and she's doing pretty well (considering). Thanks for the continued prayers.

[Jack Daniel Stanley]

Brandon, I had to read back a couple of pages to find out what's going on.

Sorry to heart that.

[Brandon Rice]

Thanks Jack.

[Brandon Rice]

Perhaps you can post a pair of higher resolution grabs, both before and after, even better would be a pair of short clips.

Here are some Full quality clips from before and after CC.

These are 4:3, but they are cropped in the actual film.

www.noaricedigital.com/smugglers/bts/before_1.mov

www.noaricedigital.com/smugglers/bts/after_1.mov

[khmuse]

Just watched both the before and after.

I will start by saying that these types of things are very subjective, but it still feels like there is no shadow detail, same that I saw in your screen cap from Avid. I like the direction you headed, but for me, you went a taste to far in pushing the contrast.

How this works in the context of the whole story is what is really important and perhaps this is the best choice, I really can't tell from a few second clip.

Do you make your final choices on a calibrated production monitor?

[Brandon Rice]

Just watched both the before and after.

I will start by saying that these types of things are very subjective, but it still feels like there is no shadow detail, same that I saw in your screen cap from Avid. I like the direction you headed, but for me, you went a taste to far in pushing the contrast.

How this works in the context of the whole story is what is really important and perhaps this is the best choice, I really can't tell from a few second clip.

Do you make your final choices on a calibrated production monitor?

I hear you. The whole movie is very contrasty in nature. For this scene I wanted a grittier, more earth tone look (see some scenes in 24) as he (our protag) is questioning the man by force for information.

I do use a calibrated production monitor on final Color Grading. Most all of the scenes I've done that on, this being one of them. I'll probably go through it all one more time for final tweaks. Thanks for watching.

[khmuse]

Lets face it, if the story is good, the performances are good, no one but a few film nerds are gonna nit pick about the shadow details. Now in isolation, these types of things are a bit more apparent because that is all you can pick up on as there is nothing before this point in time to support it.

Being a film guy I kinda think in terms of exposing for the shadows and keeping a bit of detail there (unless the nature of the scene calls for something else) but that is just a personal perference.

There is a tendency to work forever on these types of things because you can and that can be more than a bit of a burden. At some point it is important to get a project to a finished point, if you are seeking perfection, you may never get there. Something that is hard to accept is that there is such a thing as "good enough".

Best of luck and I am looking forward to seeing the final product.

[Brandon Rice]

Thanks Kevin, agreed. A lot of it's preference and in many scenes the lighting schemes are much different. I'll be posting up another color grading example up.

[Brandon Rice]

Here is a color grading example that is a bit more dramatic than the last one... in this scene, our protaganist is having a flashback. As you'll see, color grading is used to help show a more dreamlike state that he is in....

Click the image below to see a full-screen image of my Avid color corrector.

You'll notice the first image on the left in the three panels is the corrected image. The second image is the uncorrected image. You'll also see I used the curves tool and the Master Saturation tool as well.

http://www.noaricedigital.com/smugglers/bts/beforeafter2_thumb.jpg (http://www.noaricedigital.com/smugglers/bts/beforeafter2.jpg)


Here are some higher-res Stills of the before and after...

http://www.noaricedigital.com/smugglers/bts/beforeafter2_before.jpg
http://www.noaricedigital.com/smugglers/bts/beforeafter2_after.jpg

[smelni]

I see what you are going for but in my opinion you are compressing out all of your dynamic range (which is causing the highlights to blow out and glow a little unnaturally)

if you introduce this effect with a wider curve then you will retain more dynamic range. If you had the ability to use histograms (which you cant in avid) you would basically use the range of the "mountain" in the graph and then adjust your gamma point. You can simulate this in curves but its less precise (IMHO)

[Brandon Rice]

I actually like that glow, as this is a flashback scene :) So, I wanted the blown out... dreamy, out of world look.

[smelni]

that glow can look good but the way it is it looks processed because your range of tone is compressed so heavily so it steps up quickly. to have a smoother transition of tones you need the image to occupy a larger space. You will still have the same glow but it will appear less processed

just my 2 cents

[Brandon Rice]

Thanks, it's worth exploring, thanks for the comments, they are appreciated.

[Brandon Rice]

I just have to say this... Justin Durban is a genius! (hope you read this dude!)

[Brandon Rice]

NEWS: A Premiere Screening event is in the works... a select number of DVXusers will be able to attend. Stay tuned.

[Brandon Rice]

Justin is hard at work on the score... and Daniel's returning to LA in 3 days... more to come, stay tuned.

[Larry Rutledge]

I've heard some of Justin's work on this and I have to say, it is phenomenal. What an asset to this project. Great job Justin :thumbsup:

[Brandon Rice]

Indeed, Justin's been terrific! Well, Daniel is heading into LA on Thursday. Here's how some of our schedule looks so far...

Saturday: Driving down to Upland to meet with Mark Johnson (VFX) and check out the set for TTN (Threading the Needle). Also plan on discussing some of the final touches for the visual effects.

Then we head back to Santa Clarita and go through the first draft of the sound design work, and make our notes.

This is our schedule for this week.

[Brandon Rice]

Well Daniel Noa's plane is in the air... he arrives back today! Thing's in this thread will be heating up as we near the release date!

[Brandon Rice]

UPDATE: Just got the first full draft of the sound design, and from what I've heard so far, it's sounding really good! :) Daniel and I will be going through it this weekend and sending notes back to Justin K(Sound designer) Now I've got to get going, we're meeting with Mark Johnson and Kyle Stebbins at Cable airport today, the primary location of TTN (Threading the Needle)

[Brandon Rice]

Today we got our FINAL FINAL FINAL shot for Smuggler's Ransom!

[J.R. Hudson]

Congratulations Brice !

[Brandon Rice]

Congratulations Brice !

Thanks John! Where have you been buddy? Thanks for dropping in man!

[Brandon Rice]

UPDATE: Ok, we've been talking about setting up a pretty nice premiere for Smuggler's... we were curious as to who would want to come from DVXuser who's in the area. The screening would be a night... in Santa Clarita... (unless a better location presents itself) and we are talking about a $1-$2 ticket price to offset the cost of the screening location (which will be expensive). Please let me know if you're interested, it'll be an early Jan screening.

[Zak Forsman]

interested. and i'm sure people would be willing to donate a bit more than $2 for the cause. i know i would.

[aria951]

UPDATE: Ok, we've been talking about setting up a pretty nice premiere for Smuggler's... we were curious as to who would want to come from DVXuser who's in the area. The screening would be a night... in Santa Clarita... (unless a better location presents itself) and we are talking about a $1-$2 ticket price to offset the cost of the screening location (which will be expensive). Please let me know if you're interested, it'll be an early Jan screening.

i would love to go but i live on the east coast...but yea i would love to donate anyway! let me know how i should do it brandon! Congratulations!:thumbup:

[Tom Marshall]

I'm in for a screening man... and I'd be willing to pay more than a buck or 2. It'd be nicer if it were closer to LA though... :)

[Brandon Rice]

Thanks for the interest everyone! We'll be working out details soon... I am glad to see so many are up for a screening!

[Brandon Rice]

UPDATE: Just burned Smuggler's to DVD, Daniel and I are going to go over it tonight, and make notes on the sound design work. Can't wait to actually view this thing in it's entirety on an HD tv too!

[Norm Sanders]

Are you uprezzing this from the standard DVX footage? Just asking, Brandon, because you mentioned watching it on the HD TV. Glad it's all coming together for you.

Just purchased Justin's Holiday CD ... for anyone who's not done so yet, it's totally worth the cost & then some! :thumbsup:

[Brandon Rice]

Are you uprezzing this from the standard DVX footage? Just asking, Brandon, because you mentioned watching it on the HD TV. Glad it's all coming together for you.


Not yet... I just exported standard everything from Avid and burned it to a 4:3 DVD for the time being. It's letterboxed, so I just zoom it to fit the screen and it holds up really beautifully! For the finished product, we'll uprez it to True 16:9 Anamorphic.

[Brandon Rice]

Just purchased Justin's Holiday CD ... for anyone who's not done so yet, it's totally worth the cost & then some! :thumbsup:

Oh yeah! I've been rockin' it since the day it came out! It rules!

[Brandon Rice]

Just got home with my un-uprezzed DVD and played it on my 63 in. HD LCD TV. I was pleasently surprised! It holds up incredibly well! Much better than anything I've done in the past! I am going over to Daniel's place later and we'll be going through the sound design notes.

[Brandon Rice]

UPDATE: Just got all of our notes sent to Justin K. (sound design) It's looking and sounding good! Need to go in and make a few Color Grading tweaks on the film.

[khmuse]

Best of luck on this Brandon,

I will be curious to see how the story plays out.

[Brandon Rice]

Thanks Kevin! If all goes well, we should be finished with this very soon!

[Brandon Rice]

UPDATE: Worked on some Color Grading issues we spotted while watching the DVD the other night. Now I am looking into methods of uprezzing the film to anamorphic 16:9. At the moment I am just using the resize effect in Avid. I don't want to add too much sharpness to the image as I actually like the soft look we have achieved (looks more like film, less like video) Anybody have some ideas/suggestions on uprezzing??

[Tom Marshall]

Hey BMan, not sure if you've seen this or not...
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=6843

[Brandon Rice]

Thanks Tom, yes sir, sure have! :)

UPDATE:

Here are some of the things we're planning on including in the Smuggler's DVD.

-Film in anamorphic 16:9 transfer
-Director's Commentary
-Director's Diaries (7 mini-episodes)
-The Making of Smuggler's Ransom
-Cast Auditions
-Cast & Crew Interviews
-Color Grading comparision and Breakdown with Brandon Rice
-Visual and CG Effect breakdown with Mark Johnson
-"Adapting to Film" with Daniel Noa & Steve Losee
-3 Trailers
-The music of Smuggler's Ransom
-Bonus Short: "A Price Too High"


Some of these things might change, and we may add to it as well. But this is a pretty close list. Thanks.