I tell ya, this blog thing is going to be chock full of interesting, snappy information very... very... soon!
This weekend I'll be posting clips from the film.
a film by Erik Hammen
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Monday, October 3, 2011
Time of the Robots on imdb.com
Update: the film is now on imdb.com.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2070877/
That makes it serious, man!
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2070877/
That makes it serious, man!
Trailer thinking
Time of the Robots is an unusual film in that being created using parts of other films, when I've tried to make a trailer in the past it simply looks like a montage of film clips, not like a coherent piece.
And that undercuts the whole idea I'm trying to assert: which is that TOTR is the result of a powerhouse drive of writing, editing and composing.
Right?
Maybe not.
The last time I tried to make a trailer I was still using exclusively public domain music for the film, and since then I've ended up scoring about 2/3 of the film with original music.
I lay awake last night thinking about this, and it came to me that maybe I can use a combination of titles, strategically chosen clips, and my music, maybe I can drum up a cool little trailer.
I'll try this out in the next week or so. It'll probably take longer than I think to do it.
But it'd sure be nice to have a trailer or teaser of some short to POST online.
We'll see.
And that undercuts the whole idea I'm trying to assert: which is that TOTR is the result of a powerhouse drive of writing, editing and composing.
Right?
Maybe not.
The last time I tried to make a trailer I was still using exclusively public domain music for the film, and since then I've ended up scoring about 2/3 of the film with original music.
I lay awake last night thinking about this, and it came to me that maybe I can use a combination of titles, strategically chosen clips, and my music, maybe I can drum up a cool little trailer.
I'll try this out in the next week or so. It'll probably take longer than I think to do it.
But it'd sure be nice to have a trailer or teaser of some short to POST online.
We'll see.
Friday, September 23, 2011
FINISHED
I finished my absolute final edits on Time of the Robots last night, and a previewable DVD it is now ready to go to film festivals, beginning with entry to Sundance tomorrow morning.
It is a typical "Indian Summer" in Seattle today, hot and humid in September after a very weak summer during the actual summer months. The window is wide open and the air smells of smoke from the bonfires people are holding on the beach nearby. The smell is sort of nice, but the air is very thick and there's a toxic, choking element to the smell as well.
But that's neither here nor there...
As much as I like to do things at home, my own (cheap) way, I ended up going to a big post house in town to get my final DVD made. I had been making them on my computer, but it seemed like the old thing was straining under the stress of converting the FCP files to Quicktime then compressing them then burning them to DVD, and that stress was affecting the film (I think that's what it was, it's hard to prove either way).
The problem was that I could not rely on the film coming out at extactly the right playing speed each time I made a new DVD. This was a major, major problem, so I talked to my friend Apple expert Gordon Modin about this, and he thought it might be there was not enough free RAM.
I unloaded a bunch of things to my portable harddrive, but still... it was still a bit shaky.
So I decided to invest in a little pro treatment with Modern Digital.
It was totally worth it. I stopped sweating immediatly after I heard they could squeeze me in.
I registered the project on Withoutabox (imdb) and goes to Fed Ex first thing tomorrow morning, for Monday delivery at Sundance.
And then, we shall see what people think of my little space opera.
It is a typical "Indian Summer" in Seattle today, hot and humid in September after a very weak summer during the actual summer months. The window is wide open and the air smells of smoke from the bonfires people are holding on the beach nearby. The smell is sort of nice, but the air is very thick and there's a toxic, choking element to the smell as well.
But that's neither here nor there...
As much as I like to do things at home, my own (cheap) way, I ended up going to a big post house in town to get my final DVD made. I had been making them on my computer, but it seemed like the old thing was straining under the stress of converting the FCP files to Quicktime then compressing them then burning them to DVD, and that stress was affecting the film (I think that's what it was, it's hard to prove either way).
The problem was that I could not rely on the film coming out at extactly the right playing speed each time I made a new DVD. This was a major, major problem, so I talked to my friend Apple expert Gordon Modin about this, and he thought it might be there was not enough free RAM.
I unloaded a bunch of things to my portable harddrive, but still... it was still a bit shaky.
So I decided to invest in a little pro treatment with Modern Digital.
It was totally worth it. I stopped sweating immediatly after I heard they could squeeze me in.
I registered the project on Withoutabox (imdb) and goes to Fed Ex first thing tomorrow morning, for Monday delivery at Sundance.
And then, we shall see what people think of my little space opera.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Status: September
Ah yes, more time passes and more minutia is gone over and over again.
I've spent the last few months getting the rhythm back in the film, and trying to trim some fat off it.
For example, I quickened up the bit on the boat.
I moved the Mercury intro to the BEGINNING of the film.
I also removed a whole scene where Fritz fights a dragon beneath the hell pit. That was a good scene but it slowed things down at a crucial point.
But the main thing I've been sweating about has been the first 10 minutes or so -- getting it to be clock-tight but also say what I want to say, etc. In this process, I accidentally came up with a cool Groton Bridge Films logo for the very beginning of the film.
It has been a very hectic week for work/home life so I had a few days off the film, last night started late, stayed up very late with the intent to make sure the scene transitions were working properly so I can do a watch-through in peace this weekend. I think this time it'll be good.
I'm also swearing off making ANY more changes to the initial landing shot on the Planet, it's driving me nuts and ever time I change it, it's not much better than the last time. It currently "works", and I don't want to miss the drop dead Sundance deadline because of that stupid transition.
So it goes.
I've spent the last few months getting the rhythm back in the film, and trying to trim some fat off it.
For example, I quickened up the bit on the boat.
I moved the Mercury intro to the BEGINNING of the film.
I also removed a whole scene where Fritz fights a dragon beneath the hell pit. That was a good scene but it slowed things down at a crucial point.
But the main thing I've been sweating about has been the first 10 minutes or so -- getting it to be clock-tight but also say what I want to say, etc. In this process, I accidentally came up with a cool Groton Bridge Films logo for the very beginning of the film.
It has been a very hectic week for work/home life so I had a few days off the film, last night started late, stayed up very late with the intent to make sure the scene transitions were working properly so I can do a watch-through in peace this weekend. I think this time it'll be good.
I'm also swearing off making ANY more changes to the initial landing shot on the Planet, it's driving me nuts and ever time I change it, it's not much better than the last time. It currently "works", and I don't want to miss the drop dead Sundance deadline because of that stupid transition.
So it goes.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Status: July 2011
I viewed an updated version of the film at the end of June and while the changes were excellent, the delicate rhythm of the film has been thrown off, and there were techincal issues such as the brightness of the tinting and the title lettering, and the audio levels, that I also need to address.
Currently I am working on the pacing - the most important part I think. I've been trimming scenes a bit to both move things along and avoid using blackouts, which I think were giving the film a start/stop quality in the last viewing, especially in the beginning, which is crucial in establishing that this unusual film IS worth watching, and that I am doing something good.
I'm still hoping to have a copy ready by the Sundance deadline, for what it's worth, but I've said that every year since I started.
Currently I am working on the pacing - the most important part I think. I've been trimming scenes a bit to both move things along and avoid using blackouts, which I think were giving the film a start/stop quality in the last viewing, especially in the beginning, which is crucial in establishing that this unusual film IS worth watching, and that I am doing something good.
I'm still hoping to have a copy ready by the Sundance deadline, for what it's worth, but I've said that every year since I started.
Friday, March 11, 2011
update
Time of the Robots was previewed for an audience of about 30 in November and I am making final edits and adjustments. It will be ready for release to the festival market later in 2011.
In the meantime, I've finished a short film, The Last City in the East, which is premiering at the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Film Festival on April 19, 2011.
In the meantime, I've finished a short film, The Last City in the East, which is premiering at the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Film Festival on April 19, 2011.
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