Saturday, March 28, 2009

More gearing up

There seems to be no end to the stuff you need when you're making a no-budget movie! This week's need list included the following:
  • DVD burner, for backing up the data
  • DVD-Rs, 50 of them to start with
  • portable charger for the VIXIA, because the last thing I need at the Gathering, where every second of footage counts, is to sit out camera #1 so it can charge its own battery
  • A couple more packs of mini DV tapes - brings me up to about 48 hours of blank tape, which may or may not be enough

Now I'm working on packing logistics. By this time next week, I'll be on a plane. Good lord.

Saturday, March 7, 2009

The saga continues

that great liver and tuna taste...with just a hint of cheese.Here we are, enjoying another Saturday live in Studio B! This episode is sponsored by Yappy's Dog Treats.

Last week I paid a visit to Bryan Johnson, a board game designer who's about to see the release of his first published title, Huang Di, published by JKLMgames.com.

This time my camera man couldn't make it, so I was running the equipment setup and the interview solo. That's a challenge, but it was easier than I expected. Just a note that if you are having to do this stuff solo, you kin do eet.

Up next, preparing for the Gathering of Friends in April.

Sunday, March 1, 2009

The Unity Montage

We had an awesome time filming at Unity Games XV, and ever since then I've had this burning desire to put together a tribute video of the event, a little souvenir for attendees, something for potential attendees to look at and say, "Wow, I've got to go to this next time!"

We shot a decent amount of B-roll/outtake footage there, but half the day we were cloistered away in a lobby side room doing the individual interviews. If I'd had this montage in mind to begin with, I would have taken more footage of specific games being played, more genre-representative games like Catan and Agricola, and replaced those choppy pan shots with that. Still, I am quite happy with what I was able to throw together:



Stereo MCs said they were cool with letting me include their song, and that's just another reason I can't recommend them highly enough.

To all who organized this convention and provided the essential services to make it run smoothly, thanks and KUDOS! Every last minute was a great experience and it was obvious everyone was having a wonderful time.

Can't wait for the next one!