Week 10 Photo Challenge: Professional Networking Event

I would consider myself a people-person. When in a new group of people, I usually try to break the ice with my sense of humor and make an effort to talk to everyone that is around. I attended First Friday in September downtown. My first stop was Blackbird Studios. A friend of mines boyfriend’s brother was debuting his work there. Sadly, by the time I got there, they were gone, but there was still plenty of art to be seen and plenty of people to talk to. As I entered the gallery, there was a colorful array of charcoal art on multi-colored paper. I was fond of the Mountain Dew pieces but I did not stop there.

As I wondered from room to room, I talked to the artists, introducing myself as production professional. We chatted about their inspirations and what their plans for new pieces were. Surprisingly, it seemed they were more interested in knowing what it is that I did. As soon as I told them what it was that I do, digital media production with a specialty in audio and video, it seems they were intrigued. It was an authentic meeting of new minds and comparing the paths that lead us to our passions. I concluded the conversions by cementing in their hand, a business card.

Next stop, the CAC, Contemporary Arts Center. I only visited the bottom floor of the center since the upper floor is mostly resident artists. I was really excited when I saw that one room was converted into a toy shop! I went to the counter to chat with the creative minds behind these stellar pieces. I was able to chat with them for a moment. Unfortunately, they were out of business cards but they did point me to their websites. I was pleased to learn that they had been wanting to do a promotional piece for their work and my golden opportunity was called. I gave them a business card and gave them the light spiel on my talents and told them to give me a call when they were ready to create their video.

After I made my rounds in the CAC, my last stop for the night was a favorite place of mine, The Beat Coffeehouse. I absolutely love this place. They had a local band. I was able to steal a seat on the bench. Next to me was a young couple, visibly pregnant. I conveniently bumped into them and apologized and there was my “in” to a conversation. We started talking about baby showers and I told them I was about to be an Aunt myself. We chatted about planning and I informed them that I would be doing a video for the shower, since I am in production. They said they had the same idea but weren’t sure if they could afford it. I gave them a business card and told them, I can work within any budget and make it memorable. I made some great progress that night and made some great connections.

Week 9 Photo Challenge: Producer's Choice

This was one of my favorite projects. Something that I have been trying to do lately is work on my live audio skills. This recording was done with a friend’s band. It was suppose to have vocals but the vocalist couldn’t make it, so it became an instrumental. We recorded two songs. The plan was to do a scratch track as a reference then track them individually to the scratch track. In theory, this seems simple.

First was the set-up. Since there were no vocals, we had a drum kit and an acoustic guitar. I miked the guitar with a stereo pair of microphones.  One was aimed at the hole for the direct sound and the other at the frets to pick up some of the fret noises. For the drums, we had another stereo pair for the overheads, a SM 57 on the snare, another stereo pair on the Toms and a Beta 52 on the kick. There were eight tracks total. I had to patch the 1-2 DAW outs to 23-24 monitor inputs to be able to monitor in protools. I assigned a master fader, and after some fiddling with the Aviom system, we were in business and ready to begin.

The scratch track went well. I ran into problems when we tried to record the guitar. The guitarist had trouble keeping rhythm. I decided to create a click-track and had to tap out the bpm. I thought that would have been the solution to that problem but he was still having trouble. I decided to let him fly solo and have the drums track to his solo. That proved to be troublesome as well at first. Then he eventually was able to get into the groove.

After a few tribulations, the session was over and it was time to edit. I listened to it raw a couple of times for the best takes. I decided to go with the second one. It kept the rhythm the best and the two of them seemed more in tune. From my initial analysis, it was drum-heavy. I needed to create a space for the guitar to shine and breathe. I did some fine-tune EQ-ing and listened again.  It sounded better and just needed to be brought up in the mix. I added a delay to the guitar to make it sound more spacious and full. That was the presence it was lacking and that instantly made a difference. One last listen and it was complete. 

Week 8 Photo Challenge: You as the Professional

      This photo was taken in the home office.  I dressed up in a sweater and dress and sat on a stool and had my sister take this photo. After a few snapshots, I settled on this image. I think it is very professional-looking. I would give me a large sum of money and trust that I would do only honest and honorable things with it.

     I had originally planned to Photoshop myself out of this photo and into another more expensive chair. In fact, it was one of the candidates for the director’s chair challenge. I still love that chair and want it for my living room! But, after taking a second look, I thought it was much more authentic looking since the book case was right behind me. I thought the point came across very well.

     Behind me is the bookcase. I often do my work here. This is where I plan to base the post-production side of the business. Anything post will take place here. Also, this is where the equipment will be stored. This is the place of business for me. My office away from office (home away from home), so to speak. I do think it is important that when you own a business, you should look like a business professional. Since the nature of my industry my require a little grunt work, I think casual Friday attire is acceptable. No messy-rool out of the bed- look here at JZM Media Group LLC.

Week 8 EOC: The Producer’s Most Important Role

When it comes down to the role of the producer, which producer are you speaking of. There can be several on any given project of a decent size production. There can be executive producers, producers, line producers, and associate producers. They all have there own roles.

• An executive producer is at the top of the production chain. They are usually in charge of handling the film’s financing and all the top decisions having to do with the actual production of the film, for example hiring the director, actors etc.
  

• A producer supervises and controls the project from conception to completion. The responsibilities range from hiring the cast and crew for all the technical aspects to the financial aspects.
  

• The line producer is more of a link between the set and the production office. This person deals with cast and crew and handles all the little issues in the film.

• Lastly, there is the associate producer. This is one of those titles that are just given to someone to get him or her to be a part of the project.
  

There are many elements to a producer’s role, all of which should be clearly defined. This is where the producer services agreement comes in. It should in detail explain what controls the production company maintains and what controls the producers are able to have. Maybe the producer needs verify that they are able to financially produce the film before they are hired and if they are hired, their work is contingent among the finances to support the film. Perhaps they are required to fulfill and types of engagements for the film. The role of the producer can be whatever it is crafted out to be in the agreement.

Week 7 Photo Challenge: Screenplay Cover

Politik is a screenplay that I have been thinking about doing. It is about the millions of Americans who are without insurance and are unable to get any kind of help anywhere. This story resonates with me personally because my mother is one of those Americans who are ill without health insurance.

When I was in my last couple of years of high school, my mother's health started to decline rapidly. She was missing work because she literally lost control of her entire body. Her muscles would spasm uncontrollably. One minute she would be fine, and then the next, she would be struggling to walk, pick up a glass, etc. My worst fear was that she would fall down the stairs when I was at school.

She has seen multiple doctors and still no diagnosis. She has tried to work since but ended losing her job because of her illness. She has since started a new job, in hopes that she will make it to get insurance again. It saddens me. I know that there are millions of people in similar situations and wanted to shine a light on the seriousness of the problem.

Politik will be an adaptation of the stories of the millions dying on some of the richest soil in the world.

Week 7 EOC: Keeping it Real

Having a legitimate office front is important. I have chosen the Watermark Executive Suites. They have several locations around the Las Vegas Valley. I have chosen an office at the Rainbow location. They offer an array of amenities. If you are unsure what amenities you need, they offer them a la carte, so you only pay for what you need. If you do not an actual physical office, you can go the virtual office route and select the services that you need. There office spaces start at $500 and can go up if you want to add more services. These are the services that are included in the actual physical office package.

• License Hang
• Mail Receiving & Forwarding
• Call Answering
• Call Screenings
• Receptionist Services
• Break Room and Kitchen
  
• Training Room seats up to 20
• Small Conference Room
• Unfurnished Offices from 120 sq ft - 600 sq ft

It might be a good idea to start out with a virtual office since I can do a lot of the grunt work from my home office. It is nice to be able to customize the amenities. Below are the services that you can choose from.

$15- Use of address for only License Hang
$50- Mail Service and License Hang
$120- Phone Number (1) , Voicemail Box (1) with 24 hours access, Mail Service and License Hang
$150- Call Answering,(100 Calls), Phone Number (1) , Voicemail Box (1) with 24 hours access, Mail Service and License Hang,
$220-Virtual Standard, 8 Hours of Office Time, Call Answering,(100 Calls), Mail Service, License Hang, Phone Number (1), Voicemail Box (1) with 24 hours access
$280- Virtual w/Conference Room 4 hours and 8 Hours of Office Time, Call Answering,(100 Calls), Mail Service, License Hang, Phone Number (1) , Voicemail Box (1) with 24 hours access

*These prices are based on a 12 month agreement*

Additional Services

$15 Lobby Directory Sign monthly fee
$60 Call Screening
$35 Secretarial Services
$5 411 Listing
$25 Office time per hour
$35-$45 Conference room per hour
$60 Training room per hour

There is a lot of flexibility with this location. I think starting out with a virtual office, maybe with some additional amenities, is the best route starting out. Eventually, transitioning to a physical office will be necessary.

Week 6 Photo Challenge: Special Effects

Special effects in audio is something I like learning about. I did a project recently that required the use of some effects. It was for an cut scene to the video game, “Oddworld: Munch’s Oddysee.” It was basically about how this sea creature’s race just up and disappears one day and he is the only one left. He goes on a search to find them but what he thought was the call of one his people was actually a trap set by the aliens that had captured everyone else.

The task for this project was to replace all the sound with new original sounds. This scene tasks place in the ocean and in the forest. The creature, Munch, is what I perceived to be part alien and part sea animal. I manipulated his voice so that he sounded somewhat human and somewhat like an alien using various plug-ins and sound effects.

Replacing the natural-sounding elements of the scene like the ocean and land sounds was quite fun. I was to do this by using everyday items to create the sound of water and rolling waves. After added some cool effects like a dull drum and underwater effect, it sounded beyond real. It was pretty cool.

Lastly were the sounds of the spacecrafts. I had some sounds that I had never used for a previous project that made the perfect noise for a spaceship, of course after some processing. I added some synthesizer sounds for the power up and power downs and some alien effects and voila…it was complete. I am really proud of how it turned out.