OUTSIDE IN

“Busy as a Dee” – as in DCP

stephenv2 — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:59:46 +0000

I’m still riding the inspiration from smashing my fundraiser goals thanks to the incredible generosity of so many – you guys rock! And I’m going to need all of it as the new clip will be screened in the “Digital Films in Production” segment. There was neither time nor money (it costs about $12,000 to transfer 2 minutes of footage) to transfer to 15/70mm IMAX film.

But fortunately, GSCA this year has a digital section. However, this will be in a digital multiplex venue, so no DVD or Blu-ray or plug in your laptop. I need something called a “DCP” as in “Digital Cinema Package”. This is how Hollywood is distributing films to all the tens of thousands of digital screens in your local multiplex.

A DCP, it turns out, it a very complicated thing. It’s not something you can convert or “save as” or “render out” of your software program. In the hundreds of pages of documentation, most indie and low-budget filmmakers just assume that door is closed. But it’s not.

Enterprising folks online – partially driven by Red camera productions and by low-budget 3D filmmakers, have improved some open-source tools for creating a package. Sure, there is a software package you can buy to make a DCP easily (called, of course EasyDCP). If you’ve got $3000 dollar or so for it and few utilities. Or you can pay a post house double that to have them do it.

But the open source tools are totally free – and yes there is catch. They are mostly command line utilities adapted to Mac or Windows with various kludgy parts that often crash or don’t work as hoped. Plus, the one step that has a GUI interface generates older legacy DCP packages which don’t play in a number of digital theaters. So to make that package, means editing/writing code (in XML) by hand.

Fortunately, I found a good overview by an enteprising guy in Finland who’s blazed the trail. It took about 15 hours to get my first one done as lots of errors and issues popped up. All the filmmakers I know that have often given up in frustration, but my “wasted” years in the information technology field really come handy with stuff like this.

The new clip with a few more seconds of footage is currently being turned into a DCP as I write this. If I get an okay to show this clip locally, I will let you know!

Outside In featured on Adobe After Effects Blog & IndieGoGo

stephenv2 — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 15:35:20 +0000

Outside In has been getting some nice mentions on the interwebz – first, the very helpful “Regions of Interest” blog that Todd Kopriva runs for Adobe did a nice post on how the new version of the software has finally allowed Outside In to move forward.

As a result of the incredible success of you awesome supporters of the film, IndieGoGo has featured Outside In on their main film page and in rotation on the home page.

The nice side benefit of all the new interest is it has improved the search to for “outside in” on Google that the website is now link #5 – up 4 places in a week.

Outside In IS going to GSCA!!!!!!

stephenv2 — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 18:32:34 +0000

I’m overwhelmed, inspired, grateful…

you guys rock

Film Fee Paid! Still need to raise $600 by the end of this week.

stephenv2 — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 17:04:07 +0000

First, a big thanks to everyone who has generously donated so far. I just mailed off the $500 film fee to screen the awesome new clip from Outside In, so step 1 is complete! Step 2 is raising the rest of the registration. If you have not yet donated, any amount from $1 or more is appreciated. And please spread the word around – and encourage people to help bring this film to the giant screen.

Donate here: http://www.indiegogo.com/outsideinGSCA

the check is in the mail

First Footage from Film Released!!! (and a little help needed)

stephenv2 — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 02:47:11 +0000

I’m very excited to present the first test from “Outside In” that actually represents real footage in progress from the film. Camera moves are still being tweaked and this is cropped version as IMAX-sized stuff does not play well online. But thanks to the new version of Adobe After Effects, “Outside In” can made made as I have always envisioned. Much thanks to everyone who has supported and contributed to this. This is the beginning, just a taste of incredible things to come.

This is fly-through of this photograph – photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA11141 – only a little brightness and contrast has been made to balance the moons with saturn’s body. Do note that several thousand layers of many Cassini photographs were animated to make the fly-through work without any 3D CGI. The saturation is off due to lack of Flash Player ICM support. This is still a work-in-progress and it’s an art film, not a science film, but as new image data comes down I will tweak this shot for improved accuracy. To watch in HD, click on HD in window below or click here.

And if this excites you even half as much as it does me, I need to raise $2500 in the next couple of weeks to showcase this clip at the international IMAX conference at the end of September (GSCA Expo 2010). I heard today the my last grant application was denied, so it’s up to you to help Outside In get made.

I’ve set up a special fundraiser at IndieGogo that is tied in with Fractured Atlas for tax-deductible status. If you can’t donate, please spread the word far and wide. Click here to claim your special perks!

‘Nuff Said

stephenv2 — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 01:37:17 +0000

Failure is the path of least persistence.

Three steps forward, two steps back – Fundraising & News Update

stephenv2 — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 17:41:56 +0000

I realize it’s a little quiet here, but things are very busy here in the basement. The big push for full fundraising is underway and like all fundraising in tough times – there is bad news but good news on the horizon.

The quiet is because I’m in the middle of the final weeks push to get the low-budget feature film Hellphone finished which will help fund Outside In. Hellphone was created during the period when Outside In was on semi-hiatus waiting for the 64-bit version of Adobe After Effects (which I beta tested – if you missed it, the whole saga is here).

On the Outside In front, first some bad news. I was not awarded the NC Filmmaker’s Fellowship which is awarded every 2 years. My application was very strong but it appears, as in the past, the fellowship looks more at academic background (I’m a film school dropout), festival screenings/presences (applying to lots of film festival costs thousands of dollars and needless to say, I don’t enter any that cost money) and “southern/regional work”. My work is not southern or regional at all – obviously Outside In focuses on the whole universe – though perhaps I should add a banjo score.

Step two back: I had spent much time (many, many months) trying to secure full funding through a small NC based company that would acquire the technology developed for Outside In for other IMAX projects – however, they have passed in favor of doing their own film project as they did not feel Outside In has much “box office potential”. Despite the fact the Outside In is not-for-profit film, the response I’ve had locally, online and in the giant screen industry has been tremendous, so I think given its very low budget, it will be a big success. But they did not see it that way. However, I made a lot of good connections, got a chance to do some very heavy testing of IMAX film production issues which will greatly benefit Outside In.

Anyone who knows me at all realizes setbacks just motivate me all the more. I’ve already got another grant applications in the mail, two more grants upcoming this fall, two private fund-raising events in two cities where my dad has connections are being planned and a major fund-raising event in early winter here in Greensboro. And don’t forget Team 11!

And there’s more – I have some great new footage to showcase which I aim to generate some great new buzz for Outside In – some very cool “never be done before” stuff. It may seem like Outside In is taking a very long time, but just remember, the average time from start to a release in theaters for a project like this is 8 to 10 years and I’m not even halfway to that.

So, yes a couple of steps back, but good things ahead.

“Outside In” on WanderingSpace

stephenv2 — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 15:35:01 +0000

One of my fav blogs, Wandering Space, has posted news on the new forthcoming Outside In clip.

Oh 3D, We Hardly Knew Ya’…

stephenv2 — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 20:41:48 +0000

So, box office receipts have plunged this month despite all the new 3D movies, theaters, hype and fat increases in ticket prices. As covered here a number of times, Outside In is double 3D-less: the film uses no 3D CGI, just real photographs and also will not be presented in 3D at all. Now IMAX fans and Francis Ford Coppola are chiming in as well as Michael Bay and Christopher Nolan about why 3D is not the holy grail of filmmaking. (see links below)

I don’t think 3D will die, though, it does have a place. I really enjoyed U2:3D. The 3D in Avatar added a bit (although not much). But I see a lot of bad uses of 3D. I thought 3D actually detracted from much of Hubble 3D except for the closeup astronauts shots.

I’m not the only filmmaker pointing out that the 3D is not the future of cinema (like sound and color were), including in the giant screen IMAX world. There are some very good reasons. First, current (and for the foreseable future) a 3D image is lower resolution, much dimmer, poorer colors and full of various artifacts (ghosting, strobing etc.). So if you want the best possible image quality, 2D is way, way better. Secondly, our stereo vision is only really stereo for objects very close to us. If you add stereo 3D to distant images, they look silly. Third, shooting 3D is a pain in the butt, expensive and camera on twice as big and huge as their 2D counterparts.

Stereo photography has been around for many, many decades yet 99% of still pictures are 2D. While Hollywood may decide to try to make tons of 3D movies, I’m not sure how long the hype will last. 3D will likely settle down to some subjects (it’s a cool way for look at certain objects that are very close/small – that “reach out and touch” kind of thing). Maybe sports, cartoons, some animation, concerts…and continued use in IMAX.

In my own personal experience, the very best, most immersive cinema experience is a giant screen 2D experience, especially IMAX domes. Outside In is primarly aimed at those screens. Perhaps technology will allow 3D that brings the best of both current 2D and 3D together, but until then, 2D is still king of the big screen.

Den of Geek: IMAX 2D beats 3D Everytime

Francis Ford Coppola: 3D is “Tiresome”

Christopher Nolan: Not interested in 3D but is in 2D IMAX

Must Watch Video: Brian Cox on Exploration

stephenv2 — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 21:52:00 +0000

Another great TED talk – Brian Cox on “Why we need Explorers”. This one is great summary of the themes in Outside In. The best part? The images he uses are the “big moment” images in Outside In. Awesome.