Pro Tools M-Powered Trial and Error

I was testing out some relatively new equipment and programs so I could successfully implement these new aces-up-my-sleeves for the Elan Vital soundtrack. Anyhow, some of the equipment is (hopefully subtly) implemented in this new Mutiny Universe commercial:



In the process of creating the above video, I stumbled upon a new problem with Pro Tools M-Powered, as well as a possible workaround (through the process of trial and error). When using Pro Tools M-Powered with the Mobile Pre USB to score to a video file, make sure the video file is on the computer's hard drive and not on an external drive. If both the music files and the video are on the same external hard drive, the external M-Audio interface/sound card will make a hideous noise to prevent any and all productivity...or at least on my shoestring budget equipment. I'm guessing that my external hard disk drive isn't as fast as the computer's hard disk drive to access video.

To reiterate the above spiel: Save your music files on an external hard disk drive (as recommended by virtually everyone who uses Pro Tools), and have Pro Tool M-Powered access the video on the computer's main hard drive. The interface will be less noisy, less often, and you will be more productive. (I just did a quick search on Google, and apparently, intermittent noise is inherent to M-Audio's Mobile Pre USB...which means I really should save my rubles and pesos and Euros to get a better Pro Tools-ready interface.)

Also, on a related note: A few months ago, I discovered a catastrophic problem in Pro Tools M-Powered. Never, ever, ever add time to the beginning of the Pro Tools timeline, as it will give you an Access Error involving the Tempo Map.

Beatmapping the Movie

Replacing the temp track on a previous Mutiny Universe production, Outcasts, involved accurate beatmapping of the temp track, which was used in the editing of the film and therefore essential to the film's timing. Using this click track of multiple tempos, the original song "Time (Lose Your Hold)" by The Society of Gloves (featuring moxy phinx) was recorded at the locked pace of that particular scene of the film, preventing any major restructuring on the video end of things.

The soundtrack of Elan Vital is essentially ten (possibly fourteen) times the amount of beatmapping, click tracking, and obsessing during the recording process of "Time (Lose Your Hold)." When you have an entire film right in front of you - with demo songs, songs by third-party artists, and blank space where music should be - it would be a good idea to beatmap the entire film in broad strokes (the more accurate, the better). Elan Vital currently has its share of demos I recorded earlier this year and three songs by artists that aren't me, and that music is part of the locked picture. The music itself isn't locked, as there are parts of the demos that need to be rearranged or rerecorded to perfectly fit with the video. This is why it would be a good idea to accurately identify the beats per minute, the time signature, and where each song/theme/cue/leitmotif should begin in the movie. If you're using virtual instruments in addition to flesh, blood, metal, and wood instruments, then creating an accurate click track is essential for effective film scoring.

Once you have the structure and accuracy of a beatmap / click track and BITC / timecode, then all that remains is the artistry...in theory, anyway.

Post Production: Getting There

We are getting there with the movie. A film tends to take on a life of its own. It reminds me more and more every time I work on it of a painting. There just is not a formula. It is so much like life. Unexpected twists and turns and wonderful surprises wait around every corner. Besides crafting the "cut" of the scenes, I've been working with visual effects which is an ongoing learning experience, an experiment, and an exhilarating process all at once. It's also very technical. Final Cut 6 is a fantastic program that has evolved considerably from previous versions in a seeming effort to steal some thunder from Adobe After Effects. The Color program as part of the FCP suite is also fantastic and robust program, proving useful as I get into the color and effects process.

On another note, this is a phase that has me a bit on edge. In the past, I've had complete control of all aspects of the post process for my projects. I had the footage, sound effects, music, and any extraneous material right in front of me. This case is a little different. I have the footage and access to thousands of sound effects and visual effects but what I do not have readily available is the score and finished dialog. Mr. Ryan DeRamos has been working hard on these aspects of the film in a different studio with his own pro equipment. This causes two disparate things to happen at the same time: First, I get all anxious because I'm at a point in the process where I'd really like to see this picture a step closer to completion. Second, I get kind of a charge inside as I keep honing the picture and all its thousands of details into the one that I am looking for. This charge occurs because I realize that soon, when Ryan's work is added to mine, a HUGE jump will be made in the quality and impact of the work that I have been doing on Elan Vital. I look forward to this point and I am sure the film will evolve even more from that point on as sound and picture should be a marriage with a long engagement and not a blind date.

So - we're getting there. It is taking longer than I expected but the film may actually be longer than expected and (better) than expected - but you can be the judge of that when we are all through. In the mean time, I continue shaping away the story and fine tuning the details. Anyone interested in an inspiring story of a director's first film against all odds, take a look at these facts about the film, Eraserhead from 1977 (the year I was born) - and don't worry - Elan Vital will not take nearly as long to complete. Thank God for digital!

Elan Vital Picture Update

So during production, people kept asking me when I projected the film would be complete. I would project anything from late July to August. Of course, this was because at the time, I was preoccupied with directing the film and actually had no idea how long it would take as it all depended on how the footage looked. On this point, I'll say that I have been an artist for much longer than I've been a filmmaker. I admittedly have some strange quirks that some people may not agree with but for which I cannot apologize since they are part of my process and seem to work for me at the moment.

For one, I do not like watching dailies. I actually know when I see it on set if I got what I want. I did watch the Elan Vital tapes but it sent me into a neurotic frenzy because I just wanted to get in there and start working. I could see only errors and potential and it seemed to distract me from the pictures in my head. The experience only enhanced my decision to stop torturing myself with raw footage until it is time to start composing. This means I decided to trust my crew and my own judgment on the set.

The other quirk that immediately follows this is that I do not like the idea of cutting together the film during production and certainly not by someone other than myself. Once everything is shot, I feel fine with working side by side with a competent editor but - you know - when you're in production, you're in production. Things are actually happening right there in front of you and beautiful things are being created - beautiful worlds. To break out of that world right in the middle of the experience just for the sake of efficiency is totally uncalled for. It's an abomination. I would sooner watch dailies than begin editing during production - and much like I would not ask another artist to do an under-painting for me before I paint, I cannot ask an editor to do a rough cut for me in order to save time and effort.

In any case, it goes without saying that my initial estimate for when this film will be complete was pretty far off. I am not interested in throwing something together for the sake of immediate gratification. I worked with some amazing people on this film who worked very hard and gave so much with very little immediately in return. The completed film is the reward. I am putting the kind of energy and time into Elan Vital that I would into one of my top notch paintings. Every frame matters. If there is something that we missed during production or a shot that does not match the mood that I am going for, I find a fix. That's the beautiful thing about non-linear editing. There ALMOST always seems to be a fix. The tools are there - add some creativity and ingenuity and you find some unbelievable gems hidden in the cut that you just didn't know were there at first. Katy has been fantastic in the process. Sometimes I work alone and sometimes she's at the helm which allows me to step back and see things differently and find unique solutions to problems or more effective ways of conveying the sentiment of the scene.

We will be upgrading soon to Final Cut 6 which has some features including a camera stabilization filter that will be wonderful to play with and we're armed to the teeth with post-production programs including Shake 4.1 and After Effects 6.5. For you techies out there, I am working on an Apple "Fall 2005" Powerbook G4 with 1.5G RAM, a Western Digital 500GB external hard drive, and until I get my package in the mail, Final Cut Pro 5.0.4. This level of preparedness will without a doubt add even more quality to the final movie. It also means adding a bit more time to the process. As Katy and I work the picture, Ryan is working hard on audio.

As you all (who worked on Elan Vital) know, it is not exactly a conventional, point and shoot kind of film and I am no less than a Perfectionist who demands a lot from my work. Right now it is early September. I would really really really like to have the whole thing finished by November but even that may be ambitious. There is post-production where we edit the picture and sound which in and of itself is complex and takes several runs through. Ryan's posts below on sound and music will go in depth on that end. But even after the final cut of image is married to sound and music and credits are in place, there is post-post during which color correction takes place, a high quality output is processed, and the final tweaks are made to everything.

I am eager to get the film out to festivals - especially in Europe and some deadlines will be missed this year due to time. We will surely try for those next year and in the mean time attempt to show off everyone's hard work everywhere possible. So in case you are wondering when it will be finished or if we have just dropped off the Earth, we are making wonderful progress daily and - yes - we have fallen off the Earth and into Elan Vital. I hope this post lends a little insight into my process and that of the entire post-production process of this very independent film.

Previously on "Élan Vital"...

As you can see, we shot a film. Now we're in postproduction.