The finished film is currently rendering. Don't be fooled, dividing this project into three blog entries makes it sound simple. It is almost 6am and after yet another 11 hour editing session we are up to over 80 hours of post production efforts alone. I will discuss the final stage of completing this project and then discuss the work as a whole in the following paragraphs.
Concluding with Sound
Since we were only pulling from two visual sources we were left only two audio sources (makes sense, right?). This left the entire film feeling sloppy and unfinished... because it was. Relying on the ever faithful sound database from freesound.org and a random assortment of prerecorded game-specific sound effects from Halo: Reach, we slowly but surely created new atmospheres, textures, and music to support our visuals.
There is an interesting relationship between visuals and sound. As we finished the final touches on our sound layers we began to notice our visual flaws disappear. I, at one point, turned to Chance and said, "I almost forget that we're blue screened now." And it was true, the sound masked many issues we were struggling with fixing pre-sound editing. You can see my many layers of sound here.
Artist Statement and the Film as a Whole
Never have I put a month's work into a film project let alone a film project for school. Chance and I saw such potential in the idea behind this piece that we couldn't help but put in the extra effort to make this film an experience for us and the viewer and I believe we have (speaking for us of course).
There were talents that both Chance and I brought to the table that the other did not necessarily specialize in and looking back on the growth, we sharpened each others skills and attitudes on the project.
As is typical with the films that I make, I have seen them so many countless times that the magic and creative sparkle that the idea brandished has seemed to disappear behind all the flaws and unnoticeable (to the unknowing eye) mistakes that I now see instead of the finished film. I must say that I am very excited to release this to public viewing in the coming days to see what reactions the film can really generate.
During the intense nights of editing I found myself frequently wondering why I was putting so much effort into a film that was merely a final project for a school class? And while finals are important and I generally try my hardest to produce a good work that represents my skills, I at times had a hard time justifying the hours I put into this project. That was then. Now, seeing the complete film, I am ecstatic to say that I made this from start to finish and I know Chance feels the same.
I think making films is like raising kids. And while I've never raised a kid I know that they require a ton of work to raise well producing a stable young adult which ends up being the 'reward' for the parents. In a similar fashion, film requires a ton of work that you often get tired of and wonder why you even started it to begin with. But in the end, after seeing the stable adult that your film has become, you can sit back as a proud parent and relish in the fact that it was your hard work that got it there.
And I'm not saying all this to pat myself on the back and praise the film I have made. I am saying this to come to terms with myself the reasons behind why this project was necessary to the degree that we brought it and believe those terms have been reached.
NEWS UPDATE*****
The video is officially on Bungie.net have a look!
Watch it on Vimeo
Watch it on YouTube
Your friendly neighborhood giant,
~Alan
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