Actor on the Office!

Hey everyone,

Just wanted to pass the word that one of Kennyboy's fine actors will be appearing on the Office on October 8. I hope everyone will watch and keep an eye out for Ken Kreps!

I am now firmly ensconced in a new city, but the movie is still being worked on. Hope to have some more information soon.

Absent again

Sorry for another long absence. At least the job search was more fruitful this time around. In the meantime, we've applied some pro help to the special effects work in the movie, so some good stuff is going on there. I'll be looking at getting a bunch done in a couple of weeks here and should have some more detailed info soon about a final end date.

You can hide, but you can't run

Sawyer's Bail Recovery
"Bounty Knows No Boundaries."
555-9279

Dear cigarette counterfeiters,

We're watching.

Sincerely,

Jim Sawyer
Owner

Ted Brown
Chief Financial Officer and Lead Bail Enforcement Specialist

Gina Masters
Executive Enforcement Specialist

President?

Why Ted played Mike...or vice versa.

After waking yesterday his first question to his girlfriend was, "Is Reagan still President?"

Editing a monologue...what a nightmare.

Also, despite what the documentation might tell you, the frames you select when reversing a clip have no bearing on what the final result will be. It actually appears to perhaps count back that distance from your first frame, which makes little sense. So the only way to achieve the result you want is, of course, trial and error. Woot!

From The Economist:

"TOWARDS the end of the cold war Ronald Reagan announced plans to use powerful lasers to shoot down any incoming intercontinental ballistic missiles that the Soviet Union aimed at America. The lasers were real but the plan was fanciful. Scientists now propose a more modest system, aimed at insects rather than nuclear warheads. They think lasers could be used to zap the mosquitoes that carry malaria, a disease which kills more than a million people each year, most of them children, and debilitates hundreds of millions more."

Have Jim and Ted gotten it all wrong?

Viewing party

Had a chance to show a big portion of the movie to part of the crew last night. It was cool. There's still a neverending stream of work to do, but this was the largest continuous assemblage yet seen, of both film and personnel.

Film, please finish yourself now.

Ah, disaster

Nothing like making some edits to a scene only to discover you've killed the audio sync for 90% of the movie.

Let me pose a question to you, Adobe. Your ripple edit is a powerful tool and behaved as designed, but do you really think someone making a small change to one clip really expects two hours of footage and hundreds of clips to be pulled out of audio sync in doing so? It's not wrong, but is it right?

The fix was relatively simple since only one video track was affected, although the whole affair was rather stressful. Of course it happened after I'd been thinking how oddly well things had been going. In general, despite my initial frustrations, Premiere has been a powerful and useful tool. Now if only it would stop rendering my computer unable to emit sound every now and then...

Teaser poster

No, we haven't changed the tagline. When we were getting ready to shoot, Mike came up with a list of possible slogans for Sawyer's Bail Recovery. There were a wide range of options. One of the most interesting was "We make your problems reappear." It didn't have the instant recognition pop, because you have to think about it for a second, but I liked it. Besides "Bounty knows no boundaries" was too perfect for the movie. Another entry was "Criminal Magnets" which just seemed appropriate for this image. This shot arose on one of the days when we let Nicholas out of the office prison and I like the result.

Seeking Adrenaline Friend

Okay, so something happened.

While deciding what to watch the other night, it came to my attention that Susan had not seen "Point Break". This was a cause for some concern on my part. Some people in "Hollywood" use a phrase to indicate that a production is coming together with a solid vision, "we're all making the same movie." Essentially, all the pieces fit the whole and serve the key idea of the story. That our producer had not seen one of the seminal films of the 90s and possibly the single greatest Patrick Swayze-Keanu Reeves collaboration, meant a key piece of filmmaking DNA was absent in her person. I mean, how could she even begin to understand where Kennyboy came from if she had never seen Gary Busey punch John C. McGinley?(If you know of this event occurring in a different film, please let me know immediately)

Having prechambered the film on Netflix Instant Watch, I immediately fired up 120 minutes of thrill-seeking ecstasy. Yes, it's a bankrobber surfer movie and Keanu's character arc basically consists of him being able to summon enough adrenaline to beat Swayze at each new challenge, but there are some smart choices that separate this movie from most action fluff. Setting the two sides of the same coin story around their thrill-seeking testosterdome and having Keanu's choice to bust Bodhi be not about purely breaking the law, but crossing a personal code wherein ego caused friends to be injured makes things interesting. It's not "Five Easy Pieces" but I think even that bit of character subtlety amidst the action has been burnished off of most recent Hollywood productions.

Susan had issues with the end. Being 'tough on crime' she thought Bodhi should be denied his chance to go out in the waves-that was the point of punishment. I maintained that yes, that was the right choice for her perhaps, but that Keanu's character would not necessarily agree. Protagonists need not make the decisions we might but should make decisions appropriate to their situation and personality to be realistic and our empathy latches on to those parts of them with which we can identify. This did not satisfy her, so I suggested that perhaps she needed to spend more time staring into the eye of the tiger. Immediately, she made this post on craigslist:

-------------

22f Seeking Adrenaline Friend - Seattle

I just saw Point Break. I have no friends like they are friends. Will you be my adrenaline friend?


-------------

Amazing.

PS: Not having seen the film in many years, I was astonished hen Keanu went to fight Swayze at the end. All I could think was, "What is he doing? Swayze is just going to Roadhouse him. Right in the neck." And he does. Only through trickery does Keanu overcome the galaxy's greatest bouncer.

Magnum P.S.

Apparently there is also a Magnum, P.I. episode where he decides to give back to the world after a brush with fate. Offscreen, he experienced an encounter where two people opened fire with him between them and he escaped without a scratch. Shortly thereafter he finds a fortune cookie that encourages him to repay his karmic debts. Anything you want to say about Pulp Fiction, Mr. Quentin Tarantino?

Fits with his M.O. is all I'm saying. And it proves conclusively that all great things stem from Magnum. Would Thor Peterson wear hawaiian shirts if not for Magnum? Would anyone have ever watched that show Friends if Tom Selleck wasn't on it? Would Ted Danson ever have played Gulliver if not for...ok, nevermind.

Yes, it's been a slow week for editing. Obviously.

I also don't think Thor's hawaiian shirts came from Magnum, but now I can't remember what the inspiration was. Probably Magnum after all. I know Andrei's helicopter that Mike is still trying to cut from Corporate League definitely would be painted like TC's.

Magnum wins

Who knew there was a Magnum PI-Simon&Simon crossover episode? Two really since it was cliffhung. The only problem with Netflix increasing their watch instantly lineup is that I'm far more likely to get stuck watching it now that they've added 30Rock and Kubrick films. Oh well.

We had another viewing session last night sans Patrick unfortunately. He has apparently violated the Don't Have a Life rule of filmmaking. Nevertheless, we keep adding minutes to the movie.

Mike is a machine

So I've secretly been keeping track of 'blooper' takes while editing. Not to ever show anyone of course, more from an accounting perspective. What's amazing is that a number of takes make me wonder if they're bloopers or part of the film. Something will happen in a shot that makes me go, "oh, blooper", but Mike will simply roll with the event and play some new element off of the mistake. So instead of ending in laughter or chaos, the scene keeps going. It's kind of a trip to watch. There are two keys as I see it: his improv background and his focus.

Focus is the essential part. One need not riff on top of every unexpected event, but strong focus lets a scene progress despite adversity. It's an important trait for actors. If something falls off a table in the scene and someone breaks that concentration, you have to reset the whole scene and run the take again which always takes more time. Whereas if everyone keeps going, that little element can often be trimmed out and you have a usable performance that often is blessed with a unique spontaneity. If you're in a situation with a gifted comedian or improviser, that focus is even more important because you might only have the single take where they add a fresh bit and you don't want it disrupted.

Anyone can get caught off guard and break out for a moment and you accept that. Mike the machine is not immune, as one of my favorite moments during editing proves. But actors should work to develop concentration and focus so that between 'action' and 'cut', they never break character.

Credits?

Mike is like a computer generator. Voting now open.

Jason Cage
Rick Yondle
Rodney Ramathorne
Marcus Feedback
Louis L. Moor
Fender Robinson
Tyler Time
Fistro Rosebud
Juke Boylston
Samsom Stitt
Victor Stepania
Jonathan Johnson
Will Cunningham
Lucas Tripple

Apparently, hiding

Sometimes scenes just don't go together. Little combinations of performance, positioning and the space just make assembling some takes really difficult. It's always a drag when you run into that, because it really slows down the pace of editing as you explore different ways to try and get the thing to work. Often it's painful because the best performances might get tossed in order to have a nice even flow. I've been working on a scene like that and have been a bit demoralized because it's a cool scene. I think I've finally found something that works though, so I can move forward again.

I rechecked Imdb and apparently it can be 6-8 weeks before some people can show up on the site? Wow. So it may be a little while before everything comes through. It's not like Jim and Ted need to be in the credits anyway. So be really patient if you don't see yourself. The trailer went up as well, but it looks better on youtube so watch it there for best results.

Ha! Can't hide now, actors!

Our title got its approval from IMDB so it's now up there for your reference pleasure. Various aspects of IMDB entries update at different rates, so if you don't see yourself, be patient. There may be a few entries still to be added and some corrections, but we'll get them all up there as soon as possible. If you do notice that we've made an error with your name spelling or anything like that, please let me know and we'll try to get it resolved.

Hopefully the trailer will go up as well. It's an...interesting...process.

IMDB Entry

Trailer is Live!

The first official Search for Kennyboy trailer is now available!

Big thanks go out to Mike and Patrick for putting in some serious hours and really developing this preview. Our DP, Nicholas, also made a trailer way back when we were shooting that helped focus our thoughts around this effort. We on the production team are all very excited about this release. Please pass it on to your friends, family, coworkers and whoever you might currently have locked in your basement. Let's get that buzz going!

Trailer

Note that the trailer is available in HD, so be sure to click on that option. You'll much prefer it to the standard version! (Youtube can lag on the HD version showing up, so if you don't see it, try again later)

Happy Viewing!

The Once and Future Actor

Mike came by the studio last night and lent some serious effort to the editing process. He really helped provide some decision-making power on the project of the moment.

Also, we devised the concept for what may be our most important creative work ever - yes, even surpassing Kennyboy.

Highlander vs. Predator.

I'm thinking maybe Daniel Day-Lewis as the new highlander, an aging man who has renounced his martial ways, stirred from his deep emotional disquietude to defend the planet from its greatest threat...

No slight intended towards Adrian Paul, who I actually like quite a bit. Maybe he can take the role in Highlander vs. Zombie Alien.

The Database

I discovered I was in IMDB tonight, although not for what I expected. Seems they've added a video game credit, providing me auspicious billing for Sound Department duties on Project Gotham Racing. Now I just have to figure out how to classify my design work on FSX.

The Patrick Stewart episode of Extras came up in conversation this evening, bringing back fond memories of blogging during shooting. Do people cherish memories of when they were blogging now? Weird. Anyway, the David Bowie episode is pretty cool too, though in a very different way.

Wow

We shot a lot of footage.

T+One

Yesterday marked the one year anniversary of our production start. Some of the production crew stopped by the studio to view the current state of the film. The viewing generated a number of good suggestions. This was the first time others got to see substantial portions of the movie, which was cool.

It's hard to believe an entire year has passed since we started shooting. There is still plenty of work to do, but hopefully we've found some ways to keep moving forward consistently. I want to thank everyone for their patience. Check back later this week as we expect to make an exciting announcement.

Love those mistakes

Great scene, unfortunate equipment malfunction. I think in the end the audio is salvageable. If not some poor actor will have to do some looping.

T minus two...

Editun'

I thought I would breeze through a scene yesterday and a couple more after it. So much for that idea. It decided to be a difficult scene to put together. There was some great work in it, so it was tough to figure out how to reveal all of it. Of course, the usual answer is, you don't and leave it on the floor. Yes, I printed the movie out onto overhead transparencies and am editing with a razor and tape.

Not actually, but I should have.

One of the good things about editing is that you can also leave your worst moments behind. I'm looking at you, stupid indestructible head.

Stuff

So I've made two blog posts since we've wrapped, which suggests I have not been blogging frequently enough. I am still job searching, which continues to make editing difficult. Unfortunately, it must remain priority two 'on account of the economy', to quote Mr. Springsteen. Nevertheless, I have been making some progress, particularly now that the sun is out. Obviously one should avoid its rays whenever possible. Also, Patrick will probably tear my aortas out at some point if I don't finish this thing. It's been nearly a year since we started shooting and he's still mad about waking up early on a Sunday.

Anyway, we've started talking to some people to see about helping to move this thing along, since I know everyone is as anxious as we are to see it finished. We'll probably be scheduling some editpocalypse sessions coming up.

For those of you who might have tried to contact me see above for reasons you might not have heard back. Things have been pretty busy overall but the project is not dead nor have we disappeared.

the bleeding edge

This is the first time I've ever blogged from a game console. being a decidedly xbox man to this point in my life, I'm spending more time with the playstation to stay on top of the current state of the gaming world. All of which has little to do with Kennyboy other than this was the first site I thought to check out(after achewood) with the built-in browser. Kind of a nifty feature although typing is slow. Not too much to report on the movie other than we'll be trying to get it up on IMDB soon.

Editing?

So it's been a long time since I've posted. Sorry about that.

Editing had been somewhat slow due to a number of distractions, but had been starting to ramp up. Unfortunately, I was caught in the round of Microsoft layoffs a couple weeks ago. So there is no further editing really until I get my job situation sorted out. Hopefully that will happen quickly and I'll have some time to spend finishing up work on Kennyboy. If any of you know of opportunities for a filmmaker or game designer, I'd love to hear them.

Hope all of you are well.