Foley Tip - Reduce Ground Noise

To help eliminate any type of ground noise while trying to record a clean audio signal during foley, be sure to record from your camera/digital audio recorder using the battery mode and not with electricity (the AC current from your wall's outlet).

Foley Tip - Fuller, Richer Audio

While recording DIY foley sound effects, use two mics and two separate channels to capture a more realistic and fuller sound from both ends of the action.

For example, when recording footsteps, point one mic towards your toes and the other towards your heel.

No Country for Old Men

Definitely a film school pre-requisite, this highly acclaimed film (that's an understatement...see them here) has been the talk of movie buffs and non-movie buffs for its unique approach to rewriting the rules of modern cinema leaving audiences either in a state of wonderment or in a state of wonderment.

While waiting for the movie for a month or so after first seeing the trailer on apple's site, I knew just from the talent involved (Coen Bros., Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin and Javier Bardem) that it would be one to watch, I just wasn't aware of what exactly was in store for me until I saw it.

ATTENTION! SEMI SPOILERS AHEAD! DON'T READ THE REST OF THIS POST UNLESS YOU WANT TO KNOW ABOUT KEY SCENES IN THE MOVIE!

The Direction
The movie was crafted with great suspense, timing and pacing. But that's just on the surface. What the Coen Bros. opted for on another level was to play with the audience's ideas and expectations of how modern cinema has trained us all. What I mean is, just when you expect the crescendo and climax to hit...they give you something else instead - something that takes you in the direction of the story that they want to give you.

On the Ending
The ending of the movie left audience members moaning and groaning in disbelief. "What the?!", was my initial response. At the moment, I thought the movie ended without resolve, and also too abruptly. I felt cheated and even a little upset. Understand that when it comes to all films that I watch (indie to mainstream), I view them all with patient eyes and an open mind. And even with all my past viewing experiences, I was still thrown for a loop. I just couldn't "get it".

Then I Got It
From the theatre to the parking lot across the street, we kept trying to make sense of it all and why they left us with such a confusing ending. I just felt confused. Well...therein lies the answer - in the perspective of Tommy Lee Jones' character and the perplexing new world that has now taken over, he just couldn't understand "why" and "how". Why and how. So, little did I know, the real story was revealed - at the beginning and at the end of the movie. Everything in between is just a catalyst.

Multiple Viewings
I'm just giving you all the short version of my version. I could go on for days talking about what the movie stands for, what the character of "Chigurh" symbolizes and why the Coens did what they did. Instead, I'll leave that up to you. You might need to watch the movie more than once to fit the pieces together more clearly, but it'll be worth it.

For more insight to the movie, here are some really good blog posts:

Premiere.com - More 'No Country' Matters: Motel Shots, or, Gimme Some Chigurh
Premiere.com - A Ghost And A Dream: Notes on the final quarter of 'No Country For Old Men'
The New Yorker - No, But We Saw the Movie
Newsweek - Josh Brolin talks about his Moustache, and "No Country's" Ending
MeetInTheLobby.com - Debate: “No Country for Old Men” Ending
Ain't It Cool News Discussion Board - No country for Old Men
Rotten Tomatoes Discussion Board - No Country for Old Men

Understanding the movie after seeing it and not while watching it is pretty powerful stuff. Especially for the Coens' to have the gumption to do something like this - to go out on a limb at the risk of falling flat on their bottom in front of everyone. Kudos to the Coens.

Now, of course, this is just my take on it. I think it's the intention of the Coens to do just that. For everyone to open it up to interpretation of what they think it is and about, trying hard to peel away layers that just moments ago didn't even know existed. I think Don said it best immediately following the end of the movie after it cuts to black - "Ha ha! Your zipper's down!"

A DIY Treasure Found!

Create your very own DIY live broadcast and TV-style production on the fly all from within your web browser with the emergence of Mogulus! As brought to my attention from the folks at The Workbook Project, this DIY gem gives you the flexibility to produce your content and broadcast live with numerous collaborators and producers online. You can also incorporate as well as edit Youtube videos in your productions.

For more, visit the Mogulus Site.

Sundance Short Films Online for Free

The Sundance Film Festival in conjunction with NetFlix, Xbox and Apple iTunes, announce that they will continue their tradition of bringing selected short film submissions to the masses. The exclusive shorts can be viewed on their site and on the NetFlix member website, free of charge. According to Sundance, "everyday of the Festival one new short film will premiere online every 24 hours."

Aside from just viewing the streaming versions, short films can also be available for purchase and download at the Xbox LIVE marketplace Video Store (for $1.99) and the iTunes movie store ($1.99 for your iPhone, iPod or Apple TV). All three platforms will be launched beginning January 18, 2008 all the way 'til 2011. The short films that will be showcased will be announced by Sundance before the start of the Festival.

Free Flash Design/Developer Resource

This week while Don was taking care of ADR engineering, I switched hats and turned back into a DIY web designer. Since everything on Shiro's Head is comprised of everything DIY, I had to figure out a quick and dirty way to encode the trailers for the web in both flash and quicktime. Along the way I found a great flash developer resource for all of you other web DIYers:

http://www.gotoandlearn.com/

10 Great Christmas Movies for the Holiday Season

Of course open for debate, but here it is - my all time favorite Christmas movies (and TV shows) for the holiday season.

11. "Jingle All the Way" Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger - 1996
10. "Polar Express" Featuring Tom Hanks - 2004
9. "Just Friends" Starring Ryan Reynolds & Amy Smart - 2005
8. "A Christmas Story" Starring Peter Billingsly - 1983
7. "Trading Places" Starring Eddie Murphy & Dan Aykroyd
6. "Home Alone" Starring Macaulay Culkin - 1990
5. "Beautiful Girls" Starring Matt Dillon & Uma Thurman - 1996
4. "Die Hard 2" Starring Bruce Willis - 1990
3. "Love Actually" Starring Bill Nighy, Emma Thompson, Colin Firth, Laura Linney - 2003
2. All the animated TV specials : "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" - 1964, "Frosty the Snowman" - 1969, "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town" - 1970, "A Charlie Brown Christmas" - 1965, "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" - 1966
1. "It's a Wonderful Life" Starring Jimmy Stewart & Donna Reed - 1946