Pick of the Week #5 | The Underwater Realm

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This weeks ‘Pick of the Week’ actually has us cheating a bit as we are not showing you just one short, but five.  This is because they are part of a series know as “The Underwater Realm” and come from the awesome Devon based folks over at Realm Pictures.

The short films, each between 4-5min, document the five times throughout history that man has come in contact with the Atlantan people that live beneath the oceans surface.

These shorts show what is possible for a team of dedicated individuals to produce in Devon, which, according to Kevin Smith*, is “about as far away from Hollywood as you can get”.  

One of the most exciting parts of their process for those at home were the weekly video blogs they released, documenting the 'behind the scenes’ for the entire project. Worth a watch if your interested, and have a lot of time.

Now, something that is worth remembering when your watching these films is this:

  1. They were produced by a team of volunteers with a budget of approximately £131,000. (i.e. this is low budget Indie not Hollywood)
  2. They were made as a springboard to get funding for a set of three features and are clearly meant for this purpose.

Anyway, hope you enjoy!

Jamie M

The Underwater Realm - Part I - Present Day (HD) from Realm Pictures on Vimeo.

The Underwater Realm - Part II - 1942 (HD) from Realm Pictures on Vimeo.

The Underwater Realm - Part III - 1588 (HD) from Realm Pictures on Vimeo.

The Underwater Realm - Part IV - 1208 (HD) from Realm Pictures on Vimeo.

The Underwater Realm - Part V - 149 BC (HD) from Realm Pictures on Vimeo.

Pick of the Week #4

Jujitsuing Reality from Chad Mann on Vimeo.

After presenting you with ‘The Forge’ last week with its tragic yet beautiful purpose for creation I was not expecting to be sharing another video that would be as moving.  That was of course until I saw this short documentary a few days later and again thought “people need to see this”.

'Jujitsuing Reality’ gives an insight into the life of Scott Lew, a screen writer who suffers from ALS (Motor Neuron Disease).  Despite this, Scott has continued to do what he loves, writing.

The documentary won 'Best Documentary’ at the LA shorts festival in 2012 as well as being shortlisted for a number of other awards.

Pick of the Week #3 | The Forge

So when I saw this video I felt that I just had to share it, the message is very important.

I really don’t want to say that much about it as I would rather you watch it for yourself and find out.

What I will say, is that it was created by Eric Lim after his sister, Tanya Lim, committed suicide in 2011, and that it is a truly beautiful tribute which will hopefully go on to help many fight their demons.

To see the process that went into “Forging The Forge” watch the video bellow.

As always I hope you enjoy, and really take something out of the beautiful meaning behind this film.

Pick of the Week #2 | Jockstrap Raiders

The Jockstrap Raiders from Mark Nelson on Vimeo.

For our second ‘Pick of the Week’ we’ve chosen the animated short from UCLA student Mark Nelson.

Nelson made the short for his MFA thesis project and it has gone on to do great things, winning a number of awards notably the 'Student Academy Award’.

For a quick look at the making of check out this video which shows the characters from conception to modelling and animation.

Making of “The Jockstrap Raiders” from Mark Nelson on Vimeo.

Hope you like it!

Jamie M

Pick of the Week #1 | “Tell”

For our first ever ‘Pick of the Week’ we have chosen “Tell” from Ryan Connolly, the man behind the Revision3 YouTube series Film Riot.

This half hour short follows Taylors (Todd Bruno) descent into madness after he brutally murders his girlfriend.

Connolly used a crew of family and friends only, all with no filmmaking experience, and for a budget of $2000 (£1295).

Enjoy!

Jamie M

MoVI from Vincent Laforet

So two weeks ago Vincent Laforet released a short film shot entirely using the new MoVI Stabiliser rig. The 6 minutes 37 second short features an array of impressive shots; including a tracking shot down a spiral staircase, a fly through a hoop, and a track through the window of a moving taxi. The MoVI Stabiliser rig also manages to capture some amazing aerial shots of the cityscape demonstrating the diversity of this rig.


Created by Freefly Systems, the MoVI is a 3-axis gimbal stabiliser that can be used by a single operator or, more impressively, using a secondary operator who controls the camera movement and framing, using a separate radio remote control. This allows you to pull off some phenomenal shots very easily.

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Movi Camera Stabiliser with Canon 1DC


The really exciting thing about the MoVI (M10) is the fact that it only costs $15,000. Now I know for us lowly Indie Filmmakers that might sound like a ridiculous sum, but once you consider what this piece of kit can do, you may begin to realise just how reasonable that is. The MoVI can pull off shots that would normally require huge cable cam, dolly, or crane set ups – as well as skilled crew needed to operate such elaborate rigs. Set ups like these would traditionally require a significantly higher budget. 


It is also worth noting that the MoVI will come in a variety of models and subsequent price brackets. The MoVI that we have seen so far is the M10, which is set at the $15k level; however it has been announced that there will soon be a $7.5k version: the M5.
The real difference between the two is the weight that they can carry. The M10 is capable of holding a 10lbs camera set up, which equates to a rigged up DSLR or a bare RED Epic.
In the future we are looking to see a M20 model that will hold larger camera set ups. (price TBC).


Lafotet’s short was filmed entirely using the Canon 1DC - their £8,000 Cinema Line DSLR – which is able to shoot at a beautiful 4K resolution. The main lens used was a wide angle 24mm T1.5, also from Canons Cinema line (Zeiss 18mm CP.2 being used for the aerial shots).


You can watch the short film for free on Vimeo here.

MōVI from Vincent Laforet on Vimeo.


If you want to see a bit of the behind the scenes action with commentary from the Director and the MoVI operator, including a look at the MoVI operator on a pair of roller-skates then you can check that out here.

MōVI BTS from Vincent Laforet on Vimeo.


Additional extras are available on the recently released service ‘Vimeo on Demand’ where for $3 you get access to the final short with Directors and MoVI Inventors commentary. There are also three ungraded clips from the Canon 1DC in Log Profile so you can see what the straight ‘off-camera’ results look like from the MoVI.


Overall the MoVI stabiliser looks to be a fantastic piece of kit which, for the pros at least, is set at a very affordable price. It’s great to see new systems being released though that can do new and exciting shots and are really going to help filmmakers continue to push themselves and their films to new levels.

 

 

Jamie M

We’ve started Aftermath Micros!

As i’m sure you are aware if you’ve been following our website, over the last couple of months we have been pushing forward with a selection of very short films, which we’ve entitled ‘Micros’.

The concept behind them is to release regular, short, unrelated films, which will be covering a range of genres and styles. The unifying idea behind the micros will be thought provoking concepts, which will hopefully leave the viewer considering what they have watched after the film is finished.

To date, we have now released our first two micros, and are going into production on our third, with no lack of ideas for the future. Keep checking for new releases!

In any case, here are links to the last two shorts:

Stasis | Short Film from Aftermath Films on Vimeo.

Omitted | Short Film from Aftermath Films on Vimeo.

Jamie M

Foley Madness! How to Create Staple Foley Sound Effects

As the insanity of our editing period comes to an end, Aeternus Terrarum is starting to look in pretty good shape. Episodes 1, 2 and 3 now exist fully as rough cut edits and we’re in the process of working on episode 5 as we speak.

Over the course of the past 7 days, we have also ventured into the world of foley for the first time, recording a first selection of the sounds that we require to build up the audio track. Below are a few tips that we have picked up, on how to record your own perfect foley audio.

Step 1: Soundproofing

In the world of Indy film, it is rarely financially possible to rent out a professional sound studio for ADR and Foley. Luckily, you can easily create an effective substitute sound studio in your home following these steps:

1) Wait till no one else is home (You don’t want friends or family to be making any noise in the background!)
2) Find a room with muffled acoustics. You want a room with as small an echo as possible, as this will give you the best possible base to start making your studio.
3) Soundproof. Collect up as many soft objects as you can from around your house, and fill the chosen room with them. Focus on covering flat, reflective surfaces (mirrors, frames, windows), and then pad out the rest of the room, especially the walls, as much as possible.

4) Shut all windows and doors.
5) Prepare your soundbooth. The booth is what you will be actually recording sound in. This should ideally be separate from your computer an any other noisy recording equipment. One great tip we picked up from Realm Pictures from an old BTS was to make a room out of mattresses, which almost totally muffles all sound.

And at this point you will be ready to record away!

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Step 2: Sound Recreation

When you record sounds for foley, often recordings of the actual sound dont sound  as you feel they should when inserted as foley. As a result, you sometimes need to find alternative ways to create some sounds. We’ve included a list below for a section of the sounds we have already recorded, which we know work.

  • Footsteps Through Long Grass: Take ¼ inch audio tape, which can then be balled up, and squashed to make sound.
  • Footsteps Damp Grass: We found a roll of turf works well (put it on a tray), then press down on it to create the footsteps. If extra sound is needed, lay soft salad atop the grass. for extra crunch (rocket or spinach works well)
  • Leaf Litter: For sound of motion over leaf litter, use balled up VCR tape, and compress once its balled up.
  • Flowing Streams: We intended to actually record a stream for this, however we found that it was dried up. Instead we used a garden fountain and splashed it over various surfaces. Layered together, this sounded like a gurgling stream.
  • Rain: An obvious one, take a hosepipe, and using a well spread spray of water, play it over various surfaces and record the noise. Use whichever ends up sounding best for the needed instance.
  • Fire: We have been trying to recreate a large campfire, and did this by burning a selection of materials in a furnace (A BBQ would work just as well). These were then layered up, and rendered into an overall fire sound. Materials we burnt were:
        - Small Sticks, for bulk sound and pops.
        - Large Sticks, for heavier wood sound and sap hisses.
        - Newspaper, for roaring sounds.
        - Magazines, for a variant roar.
        - Cloth, for a full background sound.
        - Drips of Water, these create a hissing sound.
    In addition to these, matchsticks were snapped, for sharp cracks of burning wood.
  • Flesh Hits: A selection of flesh impacts were also created, for use in fight sequences. These included:
        - Heavy Body Impacts: Take a chicken and stuff it with celery and carrot. Then slap the chicken with a spoon, to generate the sounds.
    Alternatively, mash up fruit (tomatoes are good), then dropping them from height onto a hard surface.
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        - Chest Stabs: Take the same chicken, and stab it repeatedly with a knife. Try knives of different sizes. The carrot and celery will make sound good for organs or bones, great for stabs to the chest cavity. 
        - Neck Stabs: Take a knife, and stab into a selection of fruit. melon, apples and tomatoes are all good. Overlay these sounds together to create the stabbing.
        - Exploding Heads: A slightly more niche sound, take a melon and hit it with a heavy hammer. You can then also take the pulped melon, and drop it from on height.
        - Shattering Bones: Celery is the best option here. Snap them with your hands. Experiment with layers of sticks, as well as snapping inwards and outwards, and twisting as you snap.
        - Dislocating and Shattering Joints: Take a chicken leg, and pop the joint out while simultaneously twisting. Tear bits of chicken from the carcass for squishing sounds. Celery snapping (as above). 
        - Soggy Stabs: For really disgusting stabbing sounds, try taking a spoon an plunging it up and down in a full jar of jam, or peanut butter. 
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That pretty much concludes our Foley listings up till now, though we will be posting in future with any new ones that we come up with.
Additionally, we intend to do a vidblog documenting the process of modifying these sounds after recording, to make them sound as good as possible.

Check back soon to find out more!

Sam 

Opening Credits Excitement

Day seven of our initial editing week for Aeternus Terrarum and I think it is safe to say that our entire team has finally succumbed to the inevitable caffeine-fuelled grips of editing madness. The footage is coming together fantastically, but with this comes the pain that only an editor knows of frantically searching for establishing shots, shouting at the screen because the actor’s head movement is just that little bit different from take to take and kicking ourselves for not getting that one angle that would have been just perfect for this particular scene. 

So you can imagine our excitement at taking a break from the Mac, when we were joined earlier this week by our artist, Andy Pompeus, who has kindly agreed to draw the animations for the opening titles for Aeternus Terrarum.

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Sitting down with Andy and being able to see our ideas come to life through his drawings has been phenomenal, and we’re incredibly excited for the finished result! We are itching to share some of his wonderful completed artwork with you, but for now we shall give you a glimpse of the latest picture in the works. Enjoy!

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Cambria

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