Deadscapes II has begun production ...

[Cereval]

I posted this at Precious Nightmare (http://www.preciousnightmare.com/Index.php?mode=viewid&post_id=12) and the Deadscapes official site (http://www.preciousnightmare.com/deadscapes/blog/news_item.asp?NewsID=41), but I thought I'd share here as well ...



http://www.preciousnightmare.com/archive/Look/2006/November/112506_23.jpg

After announcing the second episode of the Deadscapes series back in October, I'm proud to add that some production has begun. As mentioned previously, this next episode will be given a bit more patience in contrast to the rushed feel of the first one. To write, edit, and release a short film in 3 months flat is not something I care to duplicate. Having said this, "By Mourning Light" will be mostly pre-production in the winter time aiming for the brunt of shooting (and completion) to be in Spring / Summer 2007. Ideally, a Halloween release is preferable.

Yesterday's shoot was quite successful and I'd again like to reiterate my gratitude to the guys over at Hombre Films (http://www.hombrefilms.com) for coming out and being a part of the production. They've got a collection of well-done short films - please show some support. These are talented (and hilarious) guys, some of whom share a history with me from way back in the day (we're talking grade school and high school).

You can check out some stills from the shoot yesterday by clicking here (http://www.preciousnightmare.com/cgi-bin/emAlbum.cgi?c=show_thumbs;p=Look/2006/November;i=12;pg=2).

Maybe when this zombie ball gets rolling in the Spring I'll humbly ask for a dedicated forum here ... one fun aspect of CTD was all the groupies ... ;)

[capncnut]

Damn. I still got to see the first one yet!

[Cereval]

Damn. I still got to see the first one yet!

Grab the DVD or free VCD (http://www.preciousnightmare.com/deadscapes/episode1) ... :skull:

[MinionZombie]

Are the free VCDs free to Brits as well?

lol, a bit cheeky I know, I'm just rather desperate for cash thanks to a hard-drive dying on me last month and my household tab coming in from the past 6 months-ish...*sigh* Hopefully sometime soon I'll get some friggin' cash and then I can actually buy some projects by my fellow HPOTD-ers.

How about sending me one of them 'sweet piece of ass-pie' groupies? :D:):lol:

[livingdeadboy]

Awesome, cant wait to see it!

[Cereval]

Are the free VCDs free to Brits as well?

lol, a bit cheeky I know, I'm just rather desperate for cash thanks to a hard-drive dying on me last month and my household tab coming in from the past 6 months-ish...*sigh* Hopefully sometime soon I'll get some friggin' cash and then I can actually buy some projects by my fellow HPOTD-ers.

How about sending me one of them 'sweet piece of ass-pie' groupies? :D:):lol:

<sigh> ... MZ ... dude, email (cereval@gmail.com) me your address. Your DVD screener has been collecting dust. :sneaky: :rockbrow:

And as for that groupie ... it'll have to wait until you can get some cash to pay for shipping. :kiss:


Awesome, cant wait to see it!

Thanks, man. Bring on NOTLD07! The preview looked great. :)

[capncnut]

Just requested a free VCD. Had a lot of trouble filling out the address though, it kept asking for numbers only in the zip. I hope you guys got it okay.

[Cereval]

Just requested a free VCD. Had a lot of trouble filling out the address though, it kept asking for numbers only in the zip. I hope you guys got it okay.

Email me (cereval@gmail.com) your address and I'll make sure it goes through. :skull:

[MinionZombie]

Just emailed mine off, damn those zip code text fields, hehe.

Again, very kind of you Sir Evil. :)

[Dawg]

I posted this at Precious Nightmare (http://www.preciousnightmare.com/Index.php?mode=viewid&post_id=12) and the Deadscapes official site (http://www.preciousnightmare.com/deadscapes/blog/news_item.asp?NewsID=41), but I thought I'd share here as well ...

Maybe when this zombie ball gets rolling in the Spring I'll humbly ask for a dedicated forum here ... one fun aspect of CTD was all the groupies ... ;)

Okay, I gotta ask you this in hopes that it will help me out myself.

01) What camera are you using? (I have a GL1)

02) Do you ever use an external mike plugged into the camera to pick up your actors voices?

I use one with a mike boom, but I had to get an adapter for the end of it to plug into my camera. Problem is, the damn camera doesn't seem to be made right (or the adapter), because it doesn't fit properly into the jack. I constantly have to make sure it is still plugged in all the way or I'll get static feedback, sometimes a loud buzzing on the filmed sequence. (I had to go back and have a voice redubbed on one instance because of this and thank God I had about three takes on another scene because the buzzing was present during the first two, but not the third!)

03) How about your headphones? What type do you use? I used some cheap ones, but I couldn't pick up any sound from them, yet they worked else where. Do you think it matters or maybe my camera isn't set up for this?

04) Do you tend to light your scenes and bring them down a notch on post-production in case they are too bright? Or do you use one of those light gauges to determine if the light is just right?

05) Have you thought about getting one of those digitial camera adapters so that you can use 35mm, etc lens to get it closer to film quality? (Problem is, these suckers cost thousands of dollars! And then the lens cost hundreds!!)

06) Do I get a copy when your done? I'm your best, honest reviewer after all. ;) Hehe.

:dead: Dawg

[capncnut]

Email me your address and I'll make sure it goes through. :skull:

Thanks a lot man, it's definitely appreciated. I saw a trailer for the original Deadscapes a while back and was really impressed with how dark it looked. This next one looks good too, any idea of when a little clip will surface?

[scotty Boy]

Just wanna say thanks for the VCD i have made a slot in my dairy to watch it tommorow after work! i know ill love it cos the trailer was awsome. thanks again

[Cereval]

Okay, I gotta ask you this in hopes that it will help me out myself.

01) What camera are you using? (I have a GL1)
02) Do you ever use an external mike plugged into the camera to pick up your actors voices?
03) How about your headphones? What type do you use? I used some cheap ones, but I couldn't pick up any sound from them, yet they worked else where. Do you think it matters or maybe my camera isn't set up for this?
04) Do you tend to light your scenes and bring them down a notch on post-production in case they are too bright? Or do you use one of those light gauges to determine if the light is just right?
05) Have you thought about getting one of those digitial camera adapters so that you can use 35mm, etc lens to get it closer to film quality? (Problem is, these suckers cost thousands of dollars! And then the lens cost hundreds!!)
06) Do I get a copy when your done? I'm your best, honest reviewer after all. ;) Hehe.

:dead: Dawg


I use a Panasonic AG-DVC7. Sadly, the XL1 and XL2 and GL2 I've used in the past were all loaners. This one fit in my budget and although it lacks 3CCD (preferred) I have a lot of the manual controls that I want. It's a commercial grade camera.
I use the area microphone built into the camera. I wanted to dish out a few hundred and get the Sennheiser shotgun mic that mounts, but I've heard poor reviews of it and I don't like the fact that it is battery-powered. I'm pretty diligent about my audio. In addition, I foley the hell out of some scenes and also layer in the music appropriately. So far, my sound engineering just gets better with practice.
For headphones I don't use anything special, just a pair of Samsons. They do the trick. I can monitor audio perfectly with them.
My learned method is to overlight and dim in post. What I've done thus far is the opposite, having to lighten scenes. Although with Deadscapes (b & w), it's been about balancing the shades rather than color correction so it makes the lighting process that much easier.
That sounds pretty neat. Unfortunately, that's way out of my budget. I'm happy with the quality of the stuff I'm getting. It's on par with the production itself. I wouldn't my video quality being super slick and in turn outshining other aspects that aren't so pro. I'm satisfied with my wide angle lens, it makes me happy.
Of course!



Thanks a lot man, it's definitely appreciated. I saw a trailer for the original Deadscapes a while back and was really impressed with how dark it looked. This next one looks good too, any idea of when a little clip will surface?

Cool! Let me know what you think. I may have a Deadscapes II clip online as early as late Winter. I'll keep everyone posted.


Just wanna say thanks for the VCD i have made a slot in my dairy to watch it tommorow after work! i know ill love it cos the trailer was awsome. thanks again

Glad it made it there safely! Let me know what you think ... I appreciate any and all feedback.

[deadpunk]

I ordered the DVD. :)

My damn computer is too old for VCDs. Besides, I always say: support your local zombie film maker/fiction writer/whatever!

Cheers, Sir Evil. I can't wait to watch! If this had been posted in the other areas, I might have ordered it sooner...I never visit this forum...

[MinionZombie]

I just got the VCD in the mail this morning, will check it out over lunch methinks, I'm looking forward to seeing it - and indeed, like deadpunk says - support your fellow talent, and indeed I will once the season of "ah sh*t I'm spending too much!" has subsided and I get a few quid in me coffers from a bit of work in the new year (hopefully anyway! :eek:) then I'll order up me a copy of the DVD right nice. :)

[capncnut]

You lucky dawg.

[The Alive Man]

You lucky dawg.

What is a "dawg"? Always wondered.

[Cereval]

I ordered the DVD. :)

My damn computer is too old for VCDs. Besides, I always say: support your local zombie film maker/fiction writer/whatever!

Cheers, Sir Evil. I can't wait to watch! If this had been posted in the other areas, I might have ordered it sooner...I never visit this forum...

Sweet, thanks.

VCDs should play in your DVD player though ... I've only encountered a few incompatible players.

As for posting sooner ... I'm not as brazen 'round here as I used to be. I'm sure if I posted in more than one forum, I'd be given a citation from the law enforcement here :rolleyes:. Anyway, enjoy (hopefully) and let me know what you think.


I just got the VCD in the mail this morning, will check it out over lunch methinks, I'm looking forward to seeing it - and indeed, like deadpunk says - support your fellow talent, and indeed I will once the season of "ah sh*t I'm spending too much!" has subsided and I get a few quid in me coffers from a bit of work in the new year (hopefully anyway! :eek:) then I'll order up me a copy of the DVD right nice. :)

Wow. I'm still astounded by how fast regular mail travels overseas. Glad to hear it made it safely. Let me know what you think. :skull:

[deadpunk]

Sweet, thanks.

VCDs should play in your DVD player though ... I've only encountered a few incompatible players.

As for posting sooner ... I'm not as brazen 'round here as I used to be. I'm sure if I posted in more than one forum, I'd be given a citation from the law enforcement here :rolleyes:. Anyway, enjoy (hopefully) and let me know what you think.


Bah...I would have ordered the DVD even if I had known that, anyway. Like I said; I can't wait to see it, but it's mainly about showing support for the project.

You'll get my posted review the moment I've seen it. :evil:

Do you reccommend imported or local beer for viewing with Deadscapes? :shifty: ;)

[capncnut]

Got mine in the mail today, cheers man. Expect a review later tonight. :)

[MinionZombie]

You being a combination of the two makes me extra appreciative of your reaction. Thanks.

:thumbsup:

Indeed I know exactly what you mean with being spread thin over a whole series of tasks. With the shorts I make it's basically me doing everything except acting. My very cool mates who come through for me everytime I wanna make a film help out in others way too, lug stuff around or help splash some fake blood about or apply some make-up now and then or come up with good suggestions. Other things like noticing I've gone and left a back pack filled with towels, water, fake blood and scripts in-shot is really useful - being spread thin thinking of a bunch of things you end up missing little things like that - the tricky nature of being a one-task-at-a-time-male.

Aye, from the BTS stuff it looks like you had many a hassle with the lighting, damn that generator was loud! Like you said - Deadscapes sits very well amongst its indie peers. Reviewers who expect an indie to have Bruckheimer production values are numpties and need a slap, the great thing about indie is it's a bunch of people out there for free just having fun and getting together to make a flick - very evident from the gag reel. :)

[Danny]

sounds good ,i may have to add this to my collection right next to deadlands....:sneaky:

[HLS]

yay!

I am getting the vcd!

[capncnut]

I'd never heard of Howard Nowarth previously. I looked him up on IMDB and saw he has quite a track record. Although his credits are primarily sound FX? Is there a particular score he did that you're referring to?

Well I liked the way the music did some of the talking in Deadscapes, especially in the scene where the RV guy is smoking on the roof at the beginning. To have an extended piece playing over a scene can work quite well and I feel it did in this case. One soundtrack in particular came to mind, was the one John carpenter and Alan Howarth did for Halloween III.

Here's an example.
http://www.last.fm/music/John%2BCarpenter%2B%2526%2BAlan%2BHowarth/_/Main+Title

[Cereval]

Well I liked the way the music did some of the talking in Deadscapes, especially in the scene where the RV guy is smoking on the roof at the beginning. To have an extended piece playing over a scene can work quite well and I feel it did in this case. One soundtrack in particular came to mind, was the one John carpenter and Alan Howarth did for Halloween III.

Here's an example.
http://www.last.fm/music/John%2BCarpenter%2B%2526%2BAlan%2BHowarth/_/Main+Title

I hear what you mean. I've had Carpenter mentioned to me a few times in regards to the score - he was a big influence in addition to John Harrison's Day of the Dead soundtrack. You can especially hear my Day of the Dead homage in the main theme track (http://www.preciousnightmare.com/cgi-bin/emAlbum.cgi?c=download;p=Listen/Miscellaneous;f=marchofthefallen.mp3).

[capncnut]

That was the tune I was was thinking of actually. It's strange that a lot of zombie soundtracks (including Romero's) have the 'heartbeat' bass drum when it's the brain that activates the creatures. :lol:

By the way, that tune kicks ass!

[MinionZombie]

Ahhh ... so my ears weren't deceiving me, I thought there was a bit of a Day of the Dead vibe in there, noiiice. :thumbsup:

[Cereval]

That was the tune I was was thinking of actually. It's strange that a lot of zombie soundtracks (including Romero's) have the 'heartbeat' bass drum when it's the brain that activates the creatures. :lol:

By the way, that tune kicks ass!

Actually, if you read the liner notes for the soundtrack to NOTLD 1990, the composer mentions the necessity of a heartbeat in any score for such a film - I think that kind of stuck with me.

BTW, thanks for the props! :D :skull: