Muckrakers shooting in full swing!

Check out the new muckrakers blog over at muckrakers.tumblr.com! We have and will be posting all sorts of goodies there as we cook up the new webisode series.

Dan Get New Camera, Take Lots of Pictures

Over 1,000 in a weekend in four separate shoots to be precise. I just picked up a spanking new Nikon D90 as well as a Nikkor 50mm AF-D 1.8 prime and I love it. The duo is a low light portrait monster for a great price. I sound like I'm advertising for Nikon. The equipment was put to the test, as 3 of the 4 shoots were indoors at night with no flash or extra light available, all the while trying to capture children that just won't stop.

You can see a few of the pictures here.

Muckrakers shooting is this weekend. 24 hours of outdoor shooting in the beginning of winter. This is going to be fun. Wish us luck, we're going to need it. That and maybe a blanket.

Test Version of New Website Up!

I'm currently testing out a version of my website that I intend to up and running on an independent domain on the Ball State servers. Check it out here. Let me know what you think!

In other news, ADR work for Bloody Good Movie continues and the Digital Corps are about to begin coloring. Run Hollywood Summer is still being sent out, and we've finally found a weekend to shoot Muckrakers. Hopefully this time we won't have a random reshoot pop up or anybody get sick. ...Hopefully.

As always, there's a whole mess of new pictures up on my flickr site!

Thanks to everybody who came out to the Bloody Good Movie test screening!

It may be a tad belated, but I just wanted to extend some big ole' heartfelt thanks to everybody who came out to the Bloody Good Movie test screening last Friday! The feedback we got was constructive and quite useful, we'll be using all the info collected as we continue to refine the film. As for those of you who haven't seen it, unfortunately you'll have to wait until spring before there will be any more screenings.

In other news, if you're interested in getting head shots, let me know before it gets cold outside! I'm going to work on building a little studio for the winter, but it probably won't be ready until December or so.

all sorts of new photos up!

It's been some time since I've posted some pictures here. As always, everything is up on my flickr site. Enjoy!

Bloody Good Movie Test Screening!

Be one of the first to see the new feature film Bloody Good Movie!

We will be having a test screening at Ball State on October 16 in LB 125 at 7pm. All you have to do is arrive, watch a movie, and fill out a brief questionnaire about how you liked the film. We'll be using the feedback in further cuts of the film.

All are invited and the event is free of charge. Seating is limited, so be sure to get there on time!

If you didn't know, Bloody Good Movie is this year's tcom Summer HD film, directed by yours truly. It's a comedy/horror that follows a group of writers as they try to come up with their next big hit.

The next screening won't be until at least spring 2010, if not later, so be sure to come out if you want to see the film!

Hope to see you there.

Run Hollywood Summer submitted to Sundance!

Well kids, after well over a year and a half of hard work, Run Hollywood Summer is finally on its way out to film festivals! I just sent it off the the first and most important film fest: Sundance. I'll find out later this fall whether it gets in or not, so keep your fingers crossed. It's a lottery ticket, but who knows?

In other news, I just put up some pictures from my recent photo shoot with Olivia. They're some of my best head shots, so mosey on over to flickr and check it out. The pictures were all shot with available natural light. I made sure to shoot at dusk and found some nice locations that gave me the back and fill light I needed.

The Constant Nightmares

Ever since I first goofed off with a digital camera, I've always been interested in taking pictures that made the mundane threatening and bizarre. 'The Constant Nightmares' is a set of these particular photos. I shall be adding more pictures regularly. Enjoy!

Oh yeah, some small, tiny, minuscule news. I'M FINALLY DONE EDITING RUN HOLLYWOOD SUMMER! CELEBRATE! WOOOOOOO!!

Muckrakers Auditions!

Auditions are coming up for the new webisode series I'm directing! If you happen to be spending your year at lovely Ball State and fancy yourself an actor you should mosey on down to room AC 312 Thursday, Sept 3rd at 8pm and try out.

In case you don't know, the webisode series Muckrakers follows the misadventures of two narcissistic freshmen journalism students out on a mission to find the best story on campus. The humor is in the style of such sitcoms as 'Always Sunny in Philadelphia' and 'Seinfeld'.

Here is the informational email I sent out in case you didn't get a copy:


Hey there!

You may recall me talking to you at some point about a webisode series I’m doing this year called ‘Muckrakers’ and something about how you should audition for it. Well, audition time is here, specifically this Thursday, September 3 at 8pm in AC 312. Let me know if you can make it, and if you can’t, if there’s another time you could audition.

Auditions will consist of cold readings from the script, mostly from the first episode. It will be set up more like callbacks, everybody will be reading with each other.

As for time commitment regarding the shoot itself, shooting will take place late September / early October over two weekends. Also, you would be needed sometime next semester to shoot Season 2 of Muckrakers. Shooting has not been scheduled yet, so we will work around your schedule.

I’ve included at PDF of all the episodes for the first season for you to read. If you have any questions or need to get a hold of me my email is danfinnen@gmail.com

Thanks!

Dan

Manhattan Atmospherics

Just got back from a debaucherous little weekend in NYC. Ah, vacation. Never content to only drink copious amounts of alcohol, I managed to find some time to do some photography and writing. All of the photos are up on my flickr account here.

Principle Shooting Done for Bloody Good Movie

Principle (principal? I never know which) shooting is all wrapped up for the latest Ball State tcom summer HD film, Bloody Good Movie. Yeah, it used to be called Blood, Bath and Beyond, but apparently some pornographic film already got that name first. I think its a good sign that I'm competing with pornography for names.

Now that I'm not directing all hours of the day everyday I'll be restarting all the projects I had off to the side. Right now I'm working on film festival submissions for Run Hollywood Summer, and Muckrackers preproduction will begin in earnest once again.

More about new projects will be coming soon, but in the meantime, here's a smattering of some pictures I've taken lately. Enjoy!

Final Draft of RHS is done!

The final draft of Run Hollywood Summer is finally done! I've fallen behind on the last stretch of editing this summer because the labs aren't open on weekends, but I managed to find a computer hidden in the basement of the library that I could use. After spending the weekend toiling away at color correction, final tweaks, and motion graphics, the final draft is done! All that remains is a final audio mix and the film will be ready for film festival submission!

Which speaking of, if you know or have any experience with the film festival circuit please be kind enough to share your knowledge with me. I've never submitted to any before so this will be a new adventure for me.

Well, thought I'd send out an update. I have to get back to Blood Bath and Beyond for now.

dan

New photos up - first half of Summer 09!

I don't get to play with the camera a whole lot when I'm working on the set of Blood Bath and Beyond, so I've been taking pictures whenever I get a chance. Here are some highlights of a bunch of pictures I just put up on my flickr account.

Everybody's a (Film) Critic

Once upon a time a while back ago, specifically my freshman year here at college, I did a segment called 'the search for the worst movie ever.' Basically, I seeked out the worst the Walmart one dollar bin had, then showed clips and generally tore it apart. It was all good natured fun and most of these movies were so unbearably bad that I considered it a public service of sorts. I produced the short segments throughout the year, put them online, and forgot about them.

That summer I finally made the leap from short films and 40 minute mini features to my first 90 minute full length film. I struggled through the production and poured every ounce of my heart into the project. My hardy and fiercely hardworking cast and crew of only a few people brought their best to the table in order to make the best film possible.

Later, on one of the many long nights editing that film, I looked at some of my old videos, including the Search for the Worst Movie Ever segments I worked on. I looked at the comments that people had posted. Some agreed with my assessments, some were the usual mature YouTube LOLZ U FFAGS commentary, but a handful of other comments got to me. They were the few that stood up for the films that I made fun of, that told me I didn't understand, that I was too young to say anything.

I continued slaving away at Run Hollywood Summer for months in post, all the while immersing myself in further research on independent production. And I kept thinking about those segments. What right really did I have to make those comments? Some of the videos I tore apart were the work of people who had put all their passion, their life into making their film. They really cared, and what if it all had come to a mediocre film? Aren't they entitled to some sort of respect for even putting themselves out there in a way that most of us are far to afraid to ever do?

But mostly, what if my film, the one I put so much sweat and love into, turned out to be a piece of shit? What if Run Hollywood Summer, despite all my efforts, was utterly unwatchable? How would I feel if some snarky college kid just called it a piece of crap left it at that?

So late one night I got online and removed every Search for the Worst Movie Ever segment from youtube. I was embarrassed that people ever saw them at all, saw a younger, far less experienced me rip on filmmakers I have now come to respect.

For example, I don't love Michael Bay, so what? He makes movies he loves and quite a few others love as well and I respect him for that. I could pick apart any movie I've ever seen, but anybody who can sit in a chair can do that. Could I have done a better job? Maybe, but probably not.

There are so many variables that go into the production of a film that hard work and good intentions alone don't always result in a great movie. Everybody who works on a project wants it to be the next Pulp Fiction or Godfather, but it just doesn't work out that way. The secret is, nobody knows how to make a great film. It just happens. Some have a better track record than others, but if we truly knew, how come every film isn't a great film?

Lately it feels like Facebook and the internet is filled to the brim with amateur film critics. Everybody rates everything, gives their own opinion why a film is garbage or not. They usually speak with complete authority and conviction. A movie is such an easy entity to judge, such an inviting target to just tear apart. While I applaud so much interest in the medium, the idea that some teenager at a computer can publish a scathing review of a project that hundreds put all their effort into to create just seems unsettling.

Don't get me wrong, I love film criticism. I check Metacritic on a regular basis and look at reviews before I ever plop down a dollar to see a movie. But the best film critics have a love and understanding of film that only comes with age and experience. Such as I do not have.

I'm still learning, and as I embark on my second feature length I find that I know far less than I ever thought. The experience of directing is a humbling one, and I realize how little I truly know and understand, and how much I have to learn from everybody around me. I am in no position to publicly criticize anybody who has ever put their film, their baby, out there to entertain the world. Because, for the first time in my life, I'm starting to understand what it feels like to be on the other side.

So Ron Marchini, I owe you an apology. I tore apart your indie low budget futuristic flick Karate Cop in my first Search for the Worst Movie Ever segment. You went out there in the days when independent film was far more expensive and difficult than it is now in the digital age and made a movie, to hell with anybody who told you no. Wannabe filmmakers, such as myself a year ago, have nothing on you, because you made your movie. And for that, you have my utmost respect.

And so, a toast to the good, bad, and ugly of film. Celebrate it all, because anybody can talk, but only a few get out there and do. So if you're a doer, my hat's off to you, even if your film makes my spleen want to claw its way out of my body. You did it anyway.


dan

Lotsa New Pictures!

I find photography incredibly relaxing and creatively stimulating. It's amazing.

I remain quite inexperienced, but I'm learning all the time. I'm always amazed how good so many people are at this art.

These are pictures I've taken from the past few weeks. Enjoy!

Norman Mailer's 'An American Dream' Abridged and Performed by Legos

It's been a while since I've been able to put out a short film since I've been so busy with BBB and RHS, but I managed to get this little thing done. For my honors 199 class we were allowed to film a summary of Norman Mailer's rather violent novel in place of doing an essay, and my mind naturally drifted to legos.

I had a lot of fun building the sets and playing with depth of field effects with my still camera lenses. This is the thing that gets me about still photography. I paid only 500 bucks for my Nikon D40 and two lenses, but they are far superior to lenses that I've toyed around with on 100,000 dollar video cameras. What gives? My only guess is that the consumer market is huge for DSLR cameras and competition has driven prices down and quality up.

Anyways, I'm getting off topic. You can find the short here.

As always, enjoy and thanks for watching!

Mountains in Muncie

I haven't posted many pictures for a while, but this is one I took last week. It is easily one of my all time favorites. It was a windy spring day in Muncie and a storm was rolling in.

When I was a little kid I always desperately wanted to be a weather photographer. I'm living the dream.

There are some other new pictures I added as well. http://www.flickr.com/photos/danfinnen/

Side note, since I haven't had a chance to mention it yet, thanks to everybody who came out for the Run Hollywood Summer premiere, I deeply appreciate it!

dan

Dan's Guide to Sony HDV Workflow

I've been working in HDV 1080 60i full time for the past year and a half, spending much of that time pulling my hair out over problems encountered with the codec. I put together a little guide to help out anybody who is embarking on a journey to cut a video using HDV footage assembled from the myriad of lessons I've learned. Enjoy!

Sony HDV workflow for FCP

I am going to write this in a painfully obvious manner as I tend to forget steps like turning on the camera myself.

This is the workflow for capturing Sony HDV 1080 60i and converting it to ProRes to edit. You can edit HDV natively, however, it is a terrible format to edit in and will cause problems if you want to key, color correct, or add visual effects to your project.

CAPTURING HDV

This is assuming that you are shooting HDV 1080 60i on a Sony camera. If you don’t know what the frame rate of your camera is, it is most likely 60i, you have to manually change settings on the more expensive cameras to get false 24p and the such.

Make sure you have Final Cut Pro 6, otherwise you’re not going to have access to Sony HDV settings or ProRes. Open Final Cut Pro and set your scratch disks. Make sure you have at least 30 gigabytes of space on whatever hard drive you choose.

Also set video settings, don’t worry about easy setup. Make your sequence ProRes 422 1440x1080 60i. NOT ProRes HQ. NOT 1900 x 1080. NOT 1220 x 1080. Import settings should be HDV – ProRes 422. Once again, not HQ. HQ is the same quality of ProRes except with massive files that are impossible to store. You’re already going to be hurting for space using just standard quality. Finally, set your camera settings to Sony HDV. It used to be HDV Firewire Basic, but FCP 6 has the Sony setting.

Rewind your tape to the very beginning. ProRes import is different than DV and won’t rewind the tape for you. Plug the camera in to the computer using good ol’ firewire 400. Put your camera into VCR mode. If you’re using a deck, make sure that the deck is in HDV mode. I’ve spend hours yelling at a VCR for not working when it was just sitting in DV mode the whole time.

Select Log and Capture. A tiny window will come up asking you to name the tape. ProRes importing will work through the tape and automatically divide up the footage into clips and automatically prefix them with the tape description. It is wonderfully easy and far superior DV capture. Let the computer capture. As it captures you’ll be able to monitor the footage. Don’t worry if the motion is behind, the computer will be screaming.

NOTE: If you’re on a Mac laptop, be very careful about importing. After one tape the computer will overheat and you’ll get a grey screen of death.

After it finishes importing a large amount of clips will suddenly appear. Now your footage is ready to edit. Make sure you keep your timeline set to ProRes 422 1440x1080 60i throughout the process. When you first drop in a clip a warning might appear that asks whether or not you want to change sequence settings to match clip settings. Always click yes on this.

EXPORTING PROJECTS ORIGINATED IN HDV

Exporting high definition is a pain in the ass. I’ve been struggling with it for years and there are no clear answers, just compromises. However, here are some of the tricks I’ve picked up over hours of swearing at the machines.

The primary reason that exporting footage that originated as HDV 1080 60i is a hair pulling process is the fact that it’s interlaced. I don’t know why the gods decided to make interlaced HD, but they cursed us with it and we have to deal. When you edit on your computer, you’re going to look at motion that looks 30p, and all will be well. However, when you go to export it, suddenly it looks like your parent’s home videos with 60i motion. Huh? I’ve tried a billion techniques to try to make my footage 30p and I’ve only come up with a handful of processes that work.

DVDs

Since Mac has a tradition of making everybody’s lives miserable by ignoring formats that they helped create (like the recent abandonment of Firewire 400), Mac has shrugged off Blu-Ray as well. Thus, you’re stuck with DVD if you want to give out your HD film in a consumer friendly format. But wait, isn’t DVD standard definition and interlaced? Yes. Welcome to hell.

Forget about trying to make things progressive in DVD Studio or Compressor, it’s not going to work and you’re going to get those awful interlace artifacts. Once you finish editing your project, go to your sequence settings. You’re going to see a box that says ‘upper’ in reference to scan lines. Select none. Then go to advanced settings and uncheck the interlaced box. Now your timeline is 30p without any artifacts. Take this timeline and send it to compressor. Compress it like any ordinary SD project, and you got a 60i DVD with progressive motion and no artifacts.

WEB OR COMPUTER VIDEO

Sweet! So by just changing the sequence to 30p all of your problems are solved in regards to Progressive looking motion? Sadly, no. For some strange reason, if you export using the sequence settings above to quicktime, you’re going to end up with some wonky artifacts. So return your sequence to its original settings of interlaced motion if you changed them or just keep them as they are. For some reason, the weirdly progressive interlaced motion that you’ve been editing in will be preserved, so you’ll get 30p from 60i. It’s a mysterious world.

If you’re wanting to make a master copy of the film, simply export as a quicktime movie, make sure it’s self contained, and use the exact same settings that you’ve been editing in. Don’t expect to use this file for anything other than archiving or further compression, it won’t play on PC and takes at least a quad core Mac Pro to play properly.

YouTube is now HD, so there’s no reason to export in anything other than sweet HD when posting to the web. Select export with Quicktime conversion (not movie). You’ll need to change the settings from default. Select H.264 as your codec and set it to 10000 to 6400 kbps depending on how big you want the file. If you just want to make a sweet looking file and aren’t concerned about size, ignore the bps box and push the quality slider to highest quality. Now move down to size. Select HD 720, not 1080. Ignore the weird default that will be listed when you open the window. If you’re adventurous, I’ve heard that adding a filter that crushes the blacks makes videos look many times superior. Let me know what you find out.

A quick note, for any sort of HD export in any codec for delivery, I recommend exporting in 720 not 1080. First off, nearly every monitor that people actually watch is 720 max, so 1080 doesn’t get you anywhere. Second, 720 gives you square pixels rather than the strange anamorphic ones with normal 1080 footage (Remember, HDV actually records a square picture and stretches it out later). Last and most important, there have been tests that show that the human eye usually can’t tell the difference between 720 and 1080, so why waste date on redundant information? If you’re trapped at 10 mbps, why not use that data rate to make a kick ass 720 picture than a mediocre 1080 picture at the same rate? 1080 exists to sell expensive televisions and equipment.

If you need to export something in a hurry and aren’t concerned about quality, use the MPEG-4 codec. It’s just a worse and fast version of H.264. Put quality at best and give it 6000 kbps. (MPEG-4 settings are a tad different than H.264) Put frame size down to anamorphic 16:9 NTSC. It’ll export extremely fast, but if you have any sort of movement, expect the picture to pixelate severely. On the plus side, this file will play on even the slowest of computers.

I hope you find this mini guide helpful. Let me know if you have any questions, problems, or better ideas!

Run Hollywood Summer Preview Screening at Ball State!

We will be having our first public preview screening of the third draft of Run Hollywood Summer April 18th at Ball State! It will take place at 8pm in LB 125. If you're in town be sure to stop by for a good movie and to meet the cast and crew!

See you there!

TCOM Summer HD Film Casting Call!

Attention all actor types!

Ball State’s Tcom department is producing another high definition feature length film this summer and we need actors!

The Tcom summer HD film program has produced such films as Grove Lake and Freewall. We are looking to take the program to the next level this summer with the comedic horror Blood, Bath and Beyond, with the goal of national straight to DVD distribution!

Auditions will consist of cold readings from the script. In order to audition, email bsufilm@gmail.com to request an audition time. Each appointment is for ten minutes. Please send me what time you are available within the following times:

Monday, March 30
1 PM – 5 PM
AC 314

Tuesday, March 31
7 PM – 12 AM
AC 312

Once you email bsufilm@gmail.com I will email you back with an appointment time, selections from the script to read, and a copy of the working script (the script is not fully written yet, and is still subject to several rewrites before shooting.)

Callbacks will happen Wednesday evening. If you cannot make callbacks just let me know at the audition and we’ll figure something out.

Blood, Bath and Beyond centers around a group of screenwriters attempting to craft the next horror masterpiece. Stuck in a rut, they decide to each tell a story to get the creative juices flowing. Each of these stories become their own short film, telling the story of a tattoo artist who refuses to let his work walk away, a home schooled girl who happily lives alone with her two preserved parents, an incompetent boy too in love with zombies to save the neighborhood, and an old lady who finds a new purpose in life when her husband becomes (literally) fertilizer.

The film is an ensemble piece, with many roles spread throughout the picture for every type. The film will be filmed both summer semesters (ten weeks total), however, most roles would not require you to be here for the entirety of filming. There is a possibility of double casting, which would then require the double cast actor to be filming for a longer period of time. Once cast, you will receive a schedule before the summer begins so that you can plan housing and work arrangements around shooting.

Any questions or concerns let me know! Just email bsufilm@gmail.com.

I look forward to seeing you at auditions!

Thanks,

Dan Finnen
(Your humble director)

New Headshot Pricing

As much as I wish I could keep doing headshots for free, I now have to start charging a small fee to start paying off the equipment I use. In order to keep taking pictures, I'm charging 40 bucks for one head shot or portrait session. Still an incredibly good deal when you can get the same quality from the pros for hundreds of dollars more. Yowsa!

So what's in a session? Basically, we go to a location of your choice and take as many pictures as you want for an hour or so. Usually I rack up about 150 or so in a good hour. You can have as many different outfits as you want, and I can take as many different types of pictures as you want (black and white, head shot, portrait, you attacking a random passerby, use your imagination).

Afterwards I hand you a CD with every single picture on it for you to use for whatever nefarious purposes you want. Put them on facebook. Print them out. Photoshop yourself hanging out with Christopher Walken. It's up to you. With me, you won't have to worry about copyright restrictions keeping you from using the pictures you paid for.

Also, if you're running up against a deadline, or have an audition coming up and you suddenly find yourself with a new hairdo, I'm always on call.

Samples of what I've done before are up on flickr if you want to check them out. Thanks to everybody who has helped me build up a portfolio so far!

As always, if I recruit you for a creative project you'll get those pictures for free.

Thanks!

dan

Sunset in Cincinnati

RHS cast and crew showing!

Right now the second draft of Run Hollywood Summer is complete and making the first rounds through test audiences! On Monday ABSO improv comedy screened the film and provided some great feedback. The second draft is currently being reviewed by several faculty members as well. When I get back I'm going to work on a third draft while Derek begins audio editing.

Which brings me to the cast and crew screening. I'm close enough to a finished product (finally) that we can go ahead and have a screening. So if you're on the cast or crew of RHS expect to hear from me soon about which weekend you would like to have the screening on in April.

Also, some new headshots are up on flickr!


daaaaaaaan

David headshots!

I played around with a new lens today and some new configurations and I think I'm starting to figure out this whole headshot thing. Here are some of the highlights, tell me what you think!

Info! Info! Info!

AUDITIONS!

Attention all actors! Auditions for the Tcom Summer HD film 2009 will be taking place soon after Spring Break. We have major roles for those who can stay at BSU both summer sessions, small roles for those of you who can only stay a week. I'm directing the film and it's going to be good, so be on the lookout for when I release more specific information in the near future!

RUN HOLLYWOOD SUMMER!

The second draft and the cut to time of RHS should be done within the next week as I plow through what's left of editing. Then Derek will get sound all fixed up and I'll do what color correction I can. I think we're looking at a late March cast and crew preview showing, but as always, I can't be sure as we've never done sound for a feature length and aren't sure what we're in for.

The movie is looking really good. I can't wait to get it done.

HEADSHOTS!

Thanks to the enthusiastic response to headshots! I'm doing quite a few this weekend and week, and I shall have those up for your fun and pleasure fairly soon.

If you are interested in getting free headshots, move soon, because sometime after Spring Break I will have to begin charging a small fee for headshots (somewhere in the range of 40 to 50 bucks, still far, far cheaper than the normal rate of 500 or so) so I can pay back the money I borrowed for the rather expensive equipment I use.

This concludes a boring message about fun stuff.

daaaaaaaaaaaan

high quality photos now on Flickr!

For now on my photography portfolio and any new photos will be available for your fun and pleasure in glorious full quality on my flickr profile! Check it out here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/danfinnen/

dan

Also, a few new photos are up!

New website launched!

After messing around with Adobe Dreamweaver for well over a year and a half I have finally figured out basic web design, and I'm proud to announce that my website has finally been launched! Well... at least on the Ball State servers. I don't have my domain name yet, but the site is viewable through this link: http://definnen.iweb.bsu.edu/home.html

The site is still under construction, so check back periodically for more fun and amusement.

dan take pictures, need people

As many of you have already discovered, I just started a group to find people interested in getting their pictures taken. I'm trying to build up a photo portfolio, and I need every type for head shots, creative shots and the such. So if you're interested in getting some professional photography for free, head on over to this link and join this group to let me know and for more info: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1433970174&ref=profile#/group.php?gid=51336158087&ref=mf

Thanks!

dan

ps, if you are in need of a specific type of head shot for an upcoming show or a website let me know and I'll be more than happy to do it for you!

First Completed Draft of Run Hollywood Summer is done!

Hello all,

I've created this blog device thing as a way to keep everybody up to speed on various projects that I'm involved with, especially long term ones such as Run Hollywood Summer. Since I don't get to see the majority of the world that lives outside Muncie too often, here's an easy way to see what the status of projects are, what new movies have been released, and if I'm incarcerated or not.

As of tonight, the first completed draft of RHS is done! I'm only behind by original goal of having it done in October by... a few months. I'm still not sure when the final product will be ready, March is seeming pretty reasonable right now. Audio remains, which might take a while.

I sent out a note on facebook about credits, so if you didn't get that message and you were involved in RHS make sure you send me what you want your name to appear as and what you did crew-wise in the film. Thanks!

RHS is shaping up quite nicely, I can't wait to show everybody the final product!

dan

ps, if you haven't gotten a chance yet, check out the new short, 'Apples', which I directed with half of the crew for Ball State's upcoming summer HD film! Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKWdi8oVT28