Often a film maker, after having just seen an extraordinary movie, comes away from that experience with conflicting reactions. He/she is either inspired, or just plain wants to give up. If you were one of the lucky few who got to see the nine short films at the Dec. LAFCPUG Holiday Party/Show and Tell Festival, then you understand what I am saying. If you weren't there, then.... well, you understand what I'm saying.

Doors opened at 7:00PM and the lafcpug faithful began pouring in to partake of the vast quantities of food and drink laid out on a long table downstairs at the Dr Rawstock headquarters. Ned Soltz, our tireless Treasurer and crack Party Host, directed the hungry around the table pointing out the delicious varieties of cheese, crackers, mini sandwiches and vegetables. Unfortunately everyone seemed to be on the Mediterranean Diet, so the only thing being eaten was the mini sandwiches and dry roasted peanuts. Very few drank the Champagne Punch except myself and Ralph Fairweather who was over heard saying that a rusty chain saw couldn't get a buzz off this stuff.

Show was called to order by yours truly at 7:45PM. My head awash with cheap Champagne Punch, I made a couple of announcements concerning future meetings. Ron Margolis of Intelligent Media announced they have about 100 free passes to MacWorld in San Francisco this January. Just Call IM if you want a pass. Joseph O'Connor handed out information about very inexpensive FCP classes at Pasadena City College. Joe will help you get through the maze that is enrollment.

First Show and Tell was Kerry Millerick from Artistry in Motion, a company that furnishes confetti and confetti canons for just about every event you have ever seen that used confetti and confetti canons. This seven minute corporate video was shot on DV and edited in Final Cut Pro and featured dozens of clips from the seemingly hundreds of big events this company supples confetti for. Intermixing footage captured on VHS from TV shows, interviews with passionate employees who work for the Company, and narrated with just the right amount of verve, this Confetti 101 video will tell you everything you have always wanted to know about confetti. Everything. Different shapes, sizes, colors and textures all make up this world of confetti, and damn, we got to see them all. This sure ain't your Fathers confetti.
Super Bowls, Political Conventions, Rock Concerts, TV shows and Movies, this video leaves you no choice but to do business with Artistry in Motion. Which is, after all, what a corporate video is supposed to do.

Next up was freelance editor Brian Hardgrave who showed us three promos he cut for the cable network Animal Planet. Using a Aurora Igniter card to capture Beta footage and edited in FCP, the three heavily composited and very creative commercials show what you can do using FCPs compositing features. First spot was a promo for that crocodile hunter guy and was a fast cut, MTV style montage with an African vocal music track used to punctuate the crocodile hunter's own vocal utterances. Real cool. For the second spot Brian cut his own mortises made his own black and white mattes in PhotoShop, used colored backgrounds and Luma Key, put it altogether for some really neat effects, and composited the whole thing in Final Cut. Wow.
The third spot used extensive use of FCPs compositing features and After Effects to form a menagerie of animals performing for your pleasure, including a cute little rabbit who couldn't stifle his "wild" instincts. Very creative use of the tools FCP includes.

Film maker Larry Rosenberg was up next and showed us his first FCP project called "Making the Last Leaf," a look at the making of the film "The Last Leaf" based on the great O'henry story and slated for Sundance. (Does anyone make movies NOT slated for Sundance anymore?)
Larry shot on a VX2000 using the on board microphone, edited in FCP, and featured interviews with the actors as well as a behind the scenes look at the crew at work.
A simple straight telling documentary of what will hopefully be a wonderful film. Better be. It's a great story. And a good beginning for Larry and his new adventure with Final Cut.

Feature Film Director Anthony D.Dalesandro showed us his "final" for a UCLA extension class he took last January and I can only imagine he got an "A." Titled "Saboteur", it was shot on a TRV-900, edited in FCP, and tells the story of a young Mother cooking up a meal using "dangerous ingredients with lasting consequences for the people she loves most."
Written and directed by Tony, this movie is an extremely witty, intelligent telling of what we all suspect is fed into into our stomachs and into our lives by the people who most love us, but not until viewing this movie, did we have any idea how to explain those suspicions.
Tony scanned the various ingredient labels into PhotoShop, tinkered with them to create the desired effect, and printed them out on a HP printer. For those of you who weren't there to see this movie you have no idea what I'm talking about, but if you ever get to meet Tony ask him to show you this movie.
It is obvious it will be a festival favorite, as long as the festival directors are not Catholic.

Editor Michael Friedman wowed the crowd with a showing of the Film, "This Guy is Falling." A visually stunning, expertly crafted, story of a young man who accidentally turns off the switch that controls gravity.
Directed by UCLA Grad students Michael Horowitz and Gareth Smith and written by Horowitz, this movie employed dozens of blue screen effects with every shot of the film composited. The film was accepted to Sundance 2000 and has been on the festival circuit since winning many awards for it's makers. No doubt. It's an extraordinary work.
Shot on 16mm film and DV, edited in FCP, composited and rendered on various NT stations, photographed beautifully by Allen Clark, with a brilliant music score by Chris Holmes, this movie will leave you with your mouth on the floor, gravity not withstanding.
Elements of hand paintings, live action, photographs, and 3D modeling were melded together using After Effects, Infinity, Electric Image, and good ol' fashion imagination. The result is a world unlike any you have ever seen. A special mention must go to Peter Zaslav who did the wonderful hand paintings that make up the cityscape.
The film makers put up a web site to explain how they did what they did so as soon as Michael writes me back with the address I will post that site here. So keep checking. You really ought to see this.
Michael also showed us a How2 on the seemingly complicated yet surprisingly simple process.
A truly wonderful movie that shows what talented people with good story telling skills can do with a camera, a sound stage and a desktop computer.
To check out what the film makers are doing next, go to hypnotic.com and follow the progress of their next film "Doppleganger."

A perfect time to take a break and talk about what we just saw, and so we did.

Following 20 minutes of mini sandwich munching, next up was Joseph O'Connor who gave us an intimate look into the life of his beautiful eight year old daughter who is afflicted with a chromosomal deletion known as Cri-du-chat Syndrome or Five P, which leaves her without the ability of speech and somewhat "floppy" in her movements.
Titled "Siobhan" (pronounced Shiv' von) and narrated with a child like innocence by Joe, this movie was made to show the range of Siobhans abilities so she might qualify for a guide dog.
Told in simple home movie style this film is notable more for what it says, then for any technical or creative wizardry.
We learn of this rare affliction no one has ever heard of. We witness an obviously happy child, adored by her parents, simply make her way through life. Joe doesn't want us to feel sorry, just watch and share a few moments in this little girls life.
To talk, she uses an augmentative communication system known as the Picture Exchange System or PECS, which is simply a book filled with different icons representing words or phrases. When she wishes to communicate, she finds the appropriate icon and hands it to you. Simple and no batteries.
"It's not easy helping her get the best education," says Joe, "especially in a state placing around 45th in the nation in terms of per student school spending. What I'm doing about all this is what any concerned Hollywood Daddy would do: I'm making a movie. Check out my treatment called "Only Words" at http://www.blacktelephone.com and tell me what you think. I want to make this movie for all the kids who, like Siobhan, literally don't have a voice, and for all the other kids in this state who need help and aren't getting it."

Actor/filmmaker Kenny Blank dazzled us with a clip from a short film he co-produced, edited, photographed, did the visual effects, sound mix, and probably catered, titled "Silent Movie" It's an 18 minute silent film that's a throw-back to the old silents of the late 20s. Shot on a PD-150, and made to look like old-film using Cinelook and Film Damage and rendered at 125% speed, the finished DVCAM master was transferred to 35mm using the EBR process at 4MC.
The whole film was shot, edited, scored, mixed, and transferred in 25 days. It was screened at the "Silent Movie Theater" on Fairfax in Hollywood on November 27, 28,and 29 to qualify for Academy Award consideration.
Beautifully photographed, it tells the story of a struggling young film director who falls in love with the actress he is directing. The whole look is almost indistinguishable from a authentic silent movie and the actors do a dead on impersonation of silent movie performances.
Kenny, as usual, gave us a visual how2 on this whole process, and quite frankly it was as much fun as the movie itself.
The film was directed by Eduardo Cisneros and written by David Fickas who can expect a lot a buzz to surround this project.
Next up for Kenny is a film he has written and will direct beginning in late January. He promises to keep us posted on his progress and will report in with clips and stories of his adventure.

Writer/director and Filmmaker Alliance member David Willis showed us a couple clips of his work.
As a means to learn FCP and just get some footage, David borrowed a consumer camcorder from a friend and went around asking friends and strangers why they adored him. Using "many gratuitous and unnecessary effects" this hilarious video certainly put to rest any doubts as to Daves adoration. EVERYBODY loves Dave. Well, except for that gal who works at Sony.
Dave then showed an scene from the feature film, "Magic 101" where a magicians beautiful assistant confronts her rival in love.
Shot on DV edited in Final Cut, with Cinelook applied to the final cut., David directed a straight narrative telling of two people, one of whom, just doesn't "get it." I look forward to the finished movie. Good work David.

Joe Botano showed us a killer music video which combined live action 35 mm, hand drawn animation, Flash, and blue and white screen effects. The film was transferred to DigiBeta, then to DVCAM and finally edited AND composited in Final Cut.
Featuring a beautiful Latina pop singer, it's about as good an example of FCPs compositing features you are going to see.
Joe also showed a heavily composited piece he did originally on an Avid but was forced to online using FCP because the EDLs were so complicated that the Henry, which was budgeted to be used for finishing, would have a lot of trouble replicating the EDL. So he took the EDLs, imported into FCP, transferred the DigiBeta footage to DVCAM, and finished the dang thing himself, avoiding three days of EDL transfer hell to a Henry. The results, at least to my eye, were no different then if they had finished on ANY high end station. Oh, yeah, he used a GV-D900 to capture into FCP. Amazing.

Despite the late hour, there were very few tired eyes. It was flat out - a remarkable night, and sent us all into this holiday period with a sense of having shared something really special. With a desktop computer and whole bunch of talent, there is NOTHING you can't accomplish. This night affirmed that.
Viva la' Digital Revolution!

World famous raffle was up next and all eyes were on the SteadyTracker generously donated by Charles McConathy of Promax Unfortunately I cannot post the names of the winners as I forgot my clipboard with the winners names on it. But as soon as I get it I will post here. It was a dandy raffle, lemme tell ya.

Special thanks go to Ron Margolis from Intelligent media for donating a copy of DV Companion, a copy of the video training tape, Final Cut Pro A - Z, and a free one day advanced training class on FCP. Also thanks to Josh Mellicker of DV Creators.net for donating a PowerStart CD and a beautiful DV Creators Polo shirt. And a real big thanks to the lafcpug for donating a DH-Max Dual Head card.

Furthermore special thanks go to Dan Brockett for taping the show tonight and Ned Soltz and Doug Lindeman for helping put the party together. Finally to all of those good members who took food home, we thank you too.

Happy Holidays and see you all Jan 24, 2001.

Michael Horton
"Head Cutter"
lafcpug