The huge visual effects shot I started working on on Aug. 14 2011 is finally finished. That was the main one–the climactic reveal of the meaning of the film; and it presented so many challenges. There are close to 100 versions of it that existed. Now, there really isn’t too much left to do on “Wood.”
Blog
Special Features
Sorry for the lack of updates. I’ve been spending some time with my music projects and also preparing special features for the “Wood” Blu-ray/DVD. I know it seems odd to do this when the film’s not finished yet. But I wanted to capture a few interviews with specific people (for the special features), and two of them are sadly leaving Austin this month. (Dad and Mom were crew for my interview with Fr. James Martin [of Austin’s St. Ignatius-Martyr]–one of my favorite people.) So I’m ping-ponging between a few projects. Hope everyone is having a great summer!
Theresa Hodapp’s 2nd Anniversary
Today is the second anniversary of the day Theresa Hodapp, our Beautiful Young Woman, entered Heaven. Remembering her and her beautiful family.
Photo of the “Week”
Still working on the visual effects shots. Wish I could show the finished ones to you, but they’re spoilers.
Creative District Project Page
Wanted to share a page that has information on “In this Wood.”
http://www.creativedistrict.com/#/project/2240/
Sorry about the lack of updates. Right now I’m working to refine almost-finished vfx composite shots so they are photo-real.
A Musical Sidebar
While brainstorming ways to raise money for the film’s upcoming expenses, I thought of using my graphic design skills to create papery goodies like cards or posters.
But Mom suggested putting my music out there instead, to see if it might do anything. (I have a CD about 80% finished; 14 songs I think. But I put it on hold when I started working on film projects.) So instead of waiting until “Wood” is complete before finishing and releasing my album, I put my first single out there: “Suns Used to Shine.” It’s the first song I ever recorded (way back in 1996).
So as I continue to work on “Wood,” I hope to release pieces I’m almost finished with as singles. “Suns Used to Shine” is available worldwide, and as a download on Amazon , iTunes and CDBaby. You can also hear it on Spotify. If you feel like helping out, please spread the word. Thank you!
Memory Upgrade!
I just upgraded my Mac Pro’s memory from 4GBs to 12GBs of RAM. I should have done this a loooooong time ago. This film would probably have long been finished. My sanity level would have remained higher. Until now almost every time I moved the mouse, my memory-intensive visual-effects programs would spin that beach ball for minutes. Or the Mac would lock up entirely. Though the program’s aren’t running at fantasy speeds now, I can actually watch a massive VFX shot chug (albeit in slow jerks) at quarter resolution. This is big. It will help me get these shots finished reasonably and relatively quickly.
Update
Just a quick update. Still working on adding feathers to several shots for continuity. The CG feathers I’m getting now are so real that you can’t see the difference between those and the real feathers any more. There’s been a learning curve, and I’m happy to be able to go back and fix the first shots to make the continuity between shots seamless. The photo above is a great one by Dan Eggleston of some of the Windsor-Moore prep girls and Mr. Ian taking a break from shooting.
Photo of the Week–Plus a Quick Update
Seems I’m running into more and more people these days asking about the film. Thanks for your patience, everyone. To put it in a nutshell, a handful of visual effects shots are left on my end. Then it’s fundraising season for the final post processes: recording the soundtrack, sound mix and color grading chiefly–the fun stuff. The film’s pretty much finished. Meanwhile, I’ll try to post production stills on the blog to keep it entertaining.
*PS: The Windsor-Moore Prep “crew” t-shirt is available on Red Bubble. This is not a fundraising project. It’s just available for fun for anyone who wants a film t-shirt.
Shot Finished
The first of several feather-particle shots is complete. Getting those feathers to look and behave convincingly and match the live shots was more difficult than I thought it would be. Hope the other feather shots are easier, now that one’s completed.
