The RED QUEEN from FCP 5.04 to Amazon.com via LAFCPUG

The RED QUEEN is an 83 minute feature which I began a couple of years ago when I first got the G5, FCP Studio and a Sony Z1 camera as presents. I didn't know anything about FCP or the Sony Z1U camera at the time, so I went to the Pasadena Apple store; I asked the instructor so many questions that he recommended LAFCPUG.

I'd never been on a user group before. I had no clue as to the protocol. I thought user groups were like IRC. I was very wrong. It took me two years to get the pieces of advice on how to use FCP 5.04 to be able to edit and export the necessary files to create a professional looking DVD. I learned most of this here on LAFCPUG. I learned a few things at DV Creators and 2-POP.

LAFCPUG is the champ when it comes to expertise and speed of response. I really couldn't have made a Hollywood Industry standard movie in HiDef if it weren't for the help I received here. Now the movie is on Amazon!

[www.amazon.com]

I made The RED QUEEN all by myself. I shot, recorded and edited the movie by myself. I was the director and the all around filmmaker working for the first time in HiDef. All my previous experience making professional movies was in 35mm. I have made 35mm features on locations practically in the whole world. So after 40 years of filmmaking to be able to make a digital movie in such a short time and have it come out so well, it just makes me so excited about the potential of doing felliniesque movies in HiDef with my Sony Z1U and exporting the best quality DVDs and having the potential to even blow up the up-rezzed 1080i 60i to 2K and 35mm theatrical prints.

The workflow that I developed with the help of this user group and the few other ones I mentioned is the best workflow possible with the technology I have available to me, namely FCP 5.04 Studio, the G5 dual processors 2.7 kHz and 4 MBs of RAM.

Here it is:
1) Sony Z1U HDV captured and edited on the G5 in FCP 5.04 natively -- HDV timeline.
2) Basic Motion -- star effect and a few other simple effects.
3) Soundtrack Pro -- extensive musical effects combined with outside music and sound editing -- lots of cleaning up and filtering.
4) Compressor 2 for exporting MPEG2 for DVD SP.
5) Exporting 8-bit Uncompressed file for best encoding use for the web.
6) Eventually exporting 10-bit Uncompressed for theatrical blow-up and other Internet uses.

If you have any questions as to how to make a Hollywood Standard film for Zero-budget, just ask and I'll be happy to share my expertise with you the way you shared your expertise with me regarding FCP. I really appreciate it; all of you helped me.

Thanks, Mike