What follows is a brief summary of what I saw happening in 2007. (for reference my cable provider today in 2017 offers me the capability to download ~37,500K a second at up to 300Mbps - and video streaming services proliferate - heck I've even got myself a couple of distribution deals across platforms and manage a very small YouTube multi channel network). Will What's Happened to Music Happen To Movies?
First, you must believe the postulation that picture follows audio. What do I mean by that? I mean that audio workflows digitised long before movies, just as the audio CD predates the DVD, audio tape predates video tape, etc
In 1997 I was downloading about 3K a second. Today in 2007 I'm doing up to 500K a second. So in ten years, that's 166 times faster. But still not fast enough to watch "digital 35mm" in realtime, nor particularly practical to download. But it will happen. When it does, what incentive will there be to watch movies at the cinema, or buy a physical disk of the movie? Like music today, will people be satisfied with high quality device-readable files?
So the movies future is probably in your front room, what today is called home cinema. The cinemas themselves will no doubt continue to exist, just as theatre, radio and books do today. Is the AppleTV perhaps a precursor to that day, albeit in laughably low-resolution to keep file download sizes sane for today's broadband connections.
How does an indie moviemaker survive in that climate, yet alone see success coming anywhere near to an eighties blockbuster?
But workflows of the future will be all digital, including delivery. That is an advantage to the indie on the longtail - the price of admission is lower, although you'll still need great craftsmen to get close to your original vision for the movie, just as any moviemaker knows today.
Apple may become a movie distributor. Typically today big movies are not made without an assured distribution deal or completion bond. Self publishing will remain an option, but will remain niche, hobbyist and vanity as it does today. Distributors understand marketing. Apple understand marketing.
So content creation is available to all. So what.
Distribution is available to all. So what.
Marketing is available to all. Is it?
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What I take away from this decade old short brain-dump, what I still see all around me, is that indie filmmakers still do not understand the importance of intelligent marketing - if you want to be an indie filmmaker today and haven't got lucky yet I'd recommend delving into psychology which segues nicely with marketing. Or partner with someone who does understand marketing and the absolute slog behind it.
Talking with co-conspirator Evil C about our next January film production, I was reminded about how AirNinja germinated from the tactics used filming and completing "The Original Soundtrack" over a two week period in 2009.
The project was a success, here's a brief trailer:
I thought I'd dust it off, and see if any insights still stood today. I've reprinted my essay below, but do check out the others that were part of the same project.
We live in interesting times. Avatar reportedly is the most expensive film in history and is the culmination of 10 years work. It’s projected to make $1 billion globally. Cameron is advocating 48fps and stereoscopic acquisition. The film is almost three hours long.
How on earth do you get to make films on such a scale?
Let’s start by paraphrasing a piece of Cameron’s advice to filmmakers yet to have made a movie: “Start by making a film. Complete it. From then on you are negotiating budget for your next one”.
But that quote’s probably two decades old or more. From a by-gone era - it’s from the era of scarcity when not everyone had access to the means of making a decent movie. We now live in an era of abundance where punters will accept anything from shakycam smartphone footage to 4K RED, or anything inbetween. Shooting at 1920 x 1080 (the same resolution the Star Wars prequels were acquired at) only requires a modest investment with the huge advantage that you can also go tapeless.
In the era of abundance you need to be able to stand out from the clutter. Cameron largely does this on reputation (“From the director of Titanic, Terminator, Piranha II”, etc). How can you hope to match that reputation? Do you even need to? Zen Buddhism has a good piece of advice, “begin by beginning”, in other words get out there and do it, make a fool of yourself until you’re comfortable with the process. With the technology abundant (therefore affordable), it doesn’t make sense to hold back if all you want to be doing is running around out there making movies. If you want to raise finance and stay warm and dry, study accountancy, wear a suit, go to meetings and act conservative.
It wasn’t really until April 2009 that I’d realised how things had progressed with the technology - and how affordable moviemaking had become to outlaws such as myself. Having just signed up to Twitter I was invited to take part in the first #2wkfilm aka two week film challenge - shoot, edit, finish a feature length movie in a two week window before the end of May ’09. Up to that point I’d basically been spinning in neutral since the completion of my mockudrama ‘Crooked Features’ which was shot standard definition on miniDV tape with the Canon XL1 and a Sennheiser K6/ME66.
Seeing #2wkfilm as a way to get the fire started once more I started looking around for a means of acquisition. I already owned a Panasonic Lumix TZ which could record 848 x 480 and a bunch of professional boom mics with a Sound Devices 702T. All I needed was a script. And crew. And actors. And locations. Etc. I only had about two weeks to sort all this out if I was to meet the deadline of the end of May ’09. Oh, in that time I also upgraded my Lumix to a TZ 3 which shoots 720p (1280 x 720).
Well, we did it. The result was ‘The Original Soundtrack’ which screened on home turf alongside the other completed #2wkfilm entries at the Portobello Film Festival. The intent was never to make money from this particular venture. It was to make connections with local moviemakers, test a cheap SDHC card tapeless workflow, and chalk another one up in the IMDb. Secondary objective was to promote the local musicians without whose work the ‘Soundtrack’ part would not have been possible.
In aggregate the two versions of ‘The Original Soundtrack’ (700MB and 2.5GB version) on mininova have been downloaded 5,500 times. Somewhat predictably, DVD sales have been anemic (though to be fair it’s not like I’ve given the product any marketing push whatsoever). It was never meant to make me a profit though (the DVD is sold at cost), but it has added considerably to my wealth of connections and experiences.
In comparison I’ve had short film work on Archive.org for several years (always the progressive, me) and the most downloaded there is ‘Adult Contacts’ at 60,000 times. It’s been there so long I can’t remember when I uploaded it. It’s also my directorial debut (well, with real live actors anyway) if you’re interested in my take on “two people talking in a room” from 1995. The final cut is just under seven minutes but funnily enough I remember the original cut was almost 15 minutes long. Yet, now, I can’t remember what I cut out. I do remember cutting between a Video8 deck and a NICAM VHS deck and some crappy Sony LANC protocol which was not frame accurate; being really jealous of my mate who was editing on Media100 NLE. Anyway, I digress.
Part of my “problem” is that I am a part-time moviemaker. Like many outlaw filmmakers I have a day job, a family, and a life. I just don’t have the energy for self-promotion and I don’t have the bravado to go full-time freelance. I like to eat, and so do my kids. Taking part in the first #2wkfilm has enabled me to re-engage locally and led to my enrollment onto the second #2wkfilm. That, however has turned out to be an entirely different kettle of fish.
‘The Fix’ is my second #2wkfilm effort although currently I disqualified it: although we shot the rushes over just five days, the remaining time was not enough to complete the movie to fine cut (though I did get it to a very rough cut and survive a bout of the ‘flu). The big difference here was bringing a production designer on-board and having access to Rennie Pilgrem’s back catalogue as well as a commitment for some scoring. The production locations were also more ambitious, everywhere from an autumn forest to a small studio space at Ealing. I also shot using a Xacti at 720p and recorded sound single-system (poorly but mostly adequately, the horror) with my recently acquired used Neumann RSM-191 M-S mic. Lesson: my next movie really must be shot double-system and that pretty much precludes it from being a #2wkfilm. It’s expected that ‘The Fix’ will be completed by June ’10 (some way off from the #2wkfilm target of October ’09) but that’s the great thing about being an outlaw - no rules, no deadlines, all my own terms.
To conclude, Hollywood finds itself at a juncture, similar to that when the printing press arrived in Europe in the 15th century. The printing press was a revolution for many reasons, and it put many scribes out of work. The advantages of the printing press were obvious to almost everyone and production costs were 700% less than employing scribes. I guess the scribes weren’t too happy about that.
In the 21st century is it a necessity to spend $300 million to tell a story on celluloid? Will outlaws become organised and create a parallel industry leaving Hollywood to wither on it’s own sick vine. Or perhaps efforts like Paramount’s to keep a slate of $100,000 movies will appease the masses and put the outlaws out of a job. One thing’s for sure. No one can predict the future. Everyone can sidestep the little bits of history repeating. Me? I really enjoy home cinema.
Last night saw filming of the title sequence and final voice-over for 'Scissor Happy'. I was there representing Deer Studios in my capacity as sound recordist. We got some cracking footage and a silky smooth v/o. And a beer.
Chris Jupp, Mark Oakley and Phil Lyndon rehearse title sequence actions.
We were also able to review the final cut of the film and it's a really well-paced dark comedy.
It does however need some serious work on M&E (music and effects) which is where I come in. I'll be working with director Chris Jupp of Fat Finger Films over the coming weeks to nail the foley, spot effects and any music cues.
No doubt I'll also have an opinion on the final mixdown.
This project will continue to be a lot of fun, though will no doubt need a solid few days to complete the post-production sound. This is planned to happen after next week - which gives me plenty of time to continue working on another major Deer Studios project - Seb Hunter's 'Dark Is A Long Way'.
Going well. The iPhone production scratch sound recording holds up so well. If I did this all over again, I would have the strength in my conviction that the iPhone 6 Plus recorded audio is good enough to shout 'quiet on set' before each take.
The edit has been through three iterations so far -
Example of foley stage at Sony museum.
1. Rough assemble.
2. Fine cut.
3. Locked cut.
What we have remaining to do,
4. Black & white processing.
5. Looping / ADR (Automatic Dialogue Replacement or Additional Dialogue Recording depending who and when you ask).
6. Music.
7. Sound Effects / Foley.
An initial black-and-white look has been applied shot-by-shot to the locked cut. This will be reviewed by the director tomorrow when he drops by with the lead actress to re-record dialogue (ADR). This was always in the plan, as I say the intention has always been to shoot MOS and use whatever the iPhone records as reference.
So this morning I have to think through the setup for an ADR session tomorrow and render some loops. Although this is a Deer Studios production, the studios in question tend to be where the deer roam - that is, out in the forest (much like early movie studios were about large warehouse spaces and back lots rather than isolated audio booths). So front room it is.
So technically we wrapped production on Saturday and proceeded to discuss future film projects over a great curry.
It's been a fun week and I look forward to turning in the first finer-cut edit to the director, Seb Hunter. But Monday is a day off, I'll tackle that tomorrow.
The film is already loosely cut and clocks in at around 28 minutes sans titles. But too loose to show anyone, just yet.
Floor 6, Chesil Street MSCP. Park by phone.
So let me reflect on what I've learned on this production -
1. To park by the statue of King Alfred on Broadway in Winchester requires 'coins'.
2. In freezing muddy conditions you can do a lot worse than Vivobarefoot Tracker hiking shoes.
3. In freezing muddy conditions at night you can do a lot worse than Nitecore TM26 at 150 lumens with a runtime of approx 41 hours.
4. If the production unit is highly mobile with added agility then kit choice needs to reflect this. Mobile means why not use mobile. Thus, airninja movie method is validated.
5. Even though we are not using production audio from the iPhone 6 Plus, if we had planned for it, we could have. Audio perspective matches the fixed lens, MEMS microphone DSP helps noise reduction (although it didn't reduce the noise of overhead aviation, it won't do miracles nor should you expect it to).
6. All I want from a video camera app is simple - fix the white balance to a preset, fix the exposure, but leave autofocus roaming (AF with focus pixels works very well in iPhone 6 Plus). Currently the native app can't do this, so the closest I have found to my needs is Kinomatic.
7. Parkas are in fashion this season.
8. I didn't need touch sensitive gloves to operate the iPhone - just a naked hand and a spare pocket to keep it in between takes.
9. I used the ShoulderPod S1 + Manfrotto PIXI with wrist lanyard 95% of the time. The other 5% was on a Manfrotto Compact Action tripod.
10. Digital zoom, you guessed it, sucks. Which means all next wave rebellion against airninja must use digital zoom.
Look out for the final cut of Dark Is A Long Way playing in Winchester cinemas with live musical accompaniment from the Provincials - ETA Easter 2015.
Today I recce Spinney Hollow along with the director and cast of 'Dark Is A Long Way' (DIALW). I will be taking my shooting kit with a view to get some test footage and just a general dry-run of British winter cold and boggy shooting conditions.
Shooting with iPhone (this is essentially a zero budget shoot, so zero kit hire), I am well aware of its limitations but also of its supreme advantages. If limitations can be turned into advantage, so much the better.
What strikes me about iPhone is the fixed lens and lack of optical zoom. This isn't necessarily a disadvantage on an airninja movie method shoot. If you resist the digital zoom (and I never use it) then the onboard mic gives a good representation of audio perspective and in my experience a high degree of clarity.
Let's talk about the iPhone onboard mic. I mean, recording production audio with any onboard mic is absolute heresy, right? A smartphone mic must be atrocious, right?! Don't be so quick to dismiss.
Firstly, the iPhone has three onboard mics, of the MEMS variety. This allows DSP to cancel out off-axis noise which can really help in reportage and documentary situations.
Specs on the iPhone MEMS mics are hard to come by. They have a relatively high noise floor (current generation around 64dB SNR is some way off desirability) but are generally capable of capturing HiFi 20Hz - 20kHz (how flat is anyone's guess - I suppose that is where the DSP comes in too). To my ear though, it always sounds good given constraints of whatever the recording situation was. Traffic noise isn't going to suddenly disappear but damn it if the person talking isn't more intelligible than when I was actually there listening with my own ears. Amazing!
This is no coincidence. For a few years Apple's audio was directed by Tomlinson Holman who should need no introduction to anyone in the audio field. More recently, Dana Massie who was previously director of DSP at Audience.
It makes sense that a device optimised for phone calls in highly variable environments would also do the best it can in any given video recording situation. High wind remains an achilles heal and can start the DSP overapplying noise reduction until things sound very odd.
Now, admittedly DIALW has been written as almost a silent movie, with very sparse moments of dialogue. In quiet, low wind conditions the iPhone onboard mics do a great job, especially if you are close to the subject. We proved this shooting GAIN (albeit that was shot on iPhone 4S). Although I intend to record any DIALW dialogue with my Apogee MiC 96K (a digital signal path directly to the lightning port), I also intend to use production audio from the iPhone if I consider it good enough. I am confident it will be (famous last words). Then, I can declare MEMS mics an official part of the Airninja Movie Method and stop worrying.
Choosing the AirNinja Movie Method for producing upcoming British movie 'Dark Is A Long Way' is all very well, but why?
Firstly, note that 'Dark Is A Long Way' (aka DIALW) is a British movie. Made with pounds, not dollars. In today's world of Hollywood slickness, that's a distinct disadvantage? Perhaps, for raising finance. And this is where AirNinja capabilities begin to differentiate. When you look at BECTU ratecards, it becomes clear very quickly that a 30 man crew operating a video village isn't going to be made with indie GBP.
"PSC will set you free." - Mike Peter Reed, accredited airninja (aka yours truly, 2095).
Familiarise yourself with the Portable Single Camera of yore. Now add 30 - 60 people on-set and welcome to Hollywood. Nothing wrong with a 30 - 60 man crew unless you can't afford them.
British indie movies can't afford 30 - 60 people milling about on set, avoiding all creative risk taking for the sake of the done deal. I know this because, along with Evil C, I have been interviewing British moviemakers over the last couple of years.
PSC will set you free, when correctly defined, designed, and applied. If your movie is about content rather than gear, then pick any single portable camera and there you have it. No excuses. You can make your movie, designing its parameters around creative decisions based on the tool's capabilities. Once your movie is made you can simply distribute it globally - globally - on platforms such as Youtube, Vimeo, even Facebook. However, marketing your movie to find a paying audience - that's the real trick!
Worried about sound? Listen to any movie from the 1950s or 1960s and quit your worrying - both DamBusters and now The Italian Job is on TV and they sound fucking awful due to the best available technology at the time having fidelity below some of the cheapest tech today. Modern audiences can still be hypnotised with a bunch of audio perspective going on, and you still need to know the audio rules before you break them - but when considering the AirNinja Movie Method, content is king. Sure, you won't be winning an Oscar for best production sound mixing, but the point is that you must assess all weaknesses and turn them into strengths. Audio perspective on a fixed lens (such as you get with iPhone) is a strength when applied correctly. More importantly, it allows you all the agility of an artist in virtually any weather without the burden of loads of gear and bureaucracy. Audiophiles and camera assistants will hate you. Turn that hate into a strength.
The airninja can take highly cost-effective risks, those risks can be more extreme to chuck that dynamite into the lap of the audience.
'Dark Is A Long Way' is a risk at many levels. Look out for it being completed later this year. It'll either re-ignite Great British Pound filmmaking or serve to assist extinguishing it completely. No risk no reward.
It's less than 15 minutes long and was created entirely on the iPhone. And if that wasn't enough, well, you'll see what happens at the end.
My observations about using the iPhone/iMovie combo:
1. When watching this on my 50" Panasonic TV, it seems to gamma up the low-light stuff which otherwise can look very dark on the iPhone screen or laptop screen. Weird. Very 20th century, all this TV gamma. I keep my other screens intentionally dimmer (including iPhone) so as not to tire out my eyes, so that may be one explanation.
2. iMovie for 64bit iOS on iPhone really would benefit from the advanced edit mode - to enable easy J- and L- cuts.
3. iMovie for 64bit iOS really needs to allow me to do other things whilst uploading the finished movie. Keeping iMovie in the foreground and tying up my phone just reminds me of the patience needed when your desktop computer was tied up rendering with Adobe Premiere 4.2 fifteen years ago or so.
4. iMovie for 64bit iOS would benefit from a better way to scrub through longer form projects. Although the Pinnacle Studio for iOS Storyboard view would be an improvement, that's not perfect either.
5. The iPhone 6 Plus video camera performs very well with all its Focus Pixels and stuff.
6. The audio on the video recorded by iPhone never ceases to impress me. On playback I was able to hear speech that I wasn't able to discern intelligibly in the live environment. Wow. I hope Apple keep on top form in the audio area. It may go unnoticed by the vast majority of users, but not by me.
7. I'm now used to the size of the iPhone 6 Plus. It is tricky to use one-handed when reaching on the homescreen or typing, and in landscape mode I find typing even less accurate and more uncomfortable. Swype is great, when it's working. Fortunately I missed the iOS 8.0.1 update. I tend to cup with one hand, use Swype with one finger on the other hand. Swyping one-handed for me is close, but no cigar. Can't do it consistently.
Among my many talents is picture editing, and EVOL is one such output of my skills in that area (I recall I may have done some EVOL dialogue editing too, but it was a few months ago and my memory is fogged by more current events with live action Sexton Lovecraft preproduction).
Unlike the lovely Blue microphones, the Apogee MiC will work with iPhone 5s and so far I think it sounds great, and has a lot of potential with the serious iPhoneographer. (is there such a thing as a serious iPhoneographer?!)
In 1997 I was downloading about 3K a second. Today in 2007 I'm doing up to 500K a second. So in ten years, that's 166 times faster. But still not fast enough to watch "digital 35mm" in realtime, nor particularly practical to download. But it will happen. When it does, what incentive will there be to watch movies at the cinema, or buy a physical disk of the movie? Like music today, will people be satisfied with high quality device-readable files?
But workflows of the future will be all digital, including delivery. That is an advantage to the indie on the longtail - the price of admission is lower, although you'll still need great craftsmen to get close to your original vision for the movie, just as any moviemaker knows today.
.
, the Apogee MiC will work with iPhone 5s and so far I think it sounds great, and has a lot of potential with the serious iPhoneographer. (is there such a thing as a serious iPhoneographer?!)