Instagram?

Flaming Death Productions now has an Instagram account, too!  Not quite up to speed on this one yet, so we'll see how it goes.

Action Trektion access via Pinterest

Action Trektion is now accessible via Pinterest as well as through flamingdeath.net!  It's on somewhat of a trial run right now, so we'll see how it goes.  Just search for Flaming Death Productions in Pinterest's search box.

Flamecast #033: Dead Talking

Wes and Todd debate The Walking Dead and then try to schedule the next couple of years’ worth of Marvel and DC movies into their calendars.  Head over to the Flamecast section to listen!

Flamecast #032: Sidetrack City

Wes and Todd talk Star Trek, Rogue One, and jump back and forth between so many topics that they don't know where they are heading.  Recorded 10-6-16.

Flamecast #031: The Return of Wes

Wes makes a return as we discuss movies and trailers, Star Trek, and offer up a fan film idea for whoever wants to follow up on it.

Flamecast #030: Wessss

Todd welcomes Wes Swingley to the podcast to talk Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Game of Thrones, the Star Trek/Paramount fan film problem, and more!

Flamecast #029: The Walk of Shame

Superstar Travis and Todd pay their respects to Prince, dive into the Marvel universe with a sprinkling of DC here and there as well as other upcoming films, and gush over DC's shows on the CW, all in this episode of Flamecast! Recorded Monday 5/31/16.

Mobile Flamecast through the Podbean app

Flamecast is now set up to be compatible with your mobile device through the Podbean app which itself can be found through Google Play. It seems there was one particular setting I needed to change in my site options so you don't get the desktop version. Now that I finally have a smartphone, myself, this stuff is kinda important, right? Don't get me started on iTunes crap, though.

Website updates!

Yes, you may have realized that the website has gone through some big changes. I've eliminated the frames setup and modified the blog section to be the main page that now includes the links to the other sections of the website. Those will get their updates at some point, too, but for now let's enjoy what we have, shall we?

Flamecast #028: Freeloader Todd

Superstar Travis and Todd talk Star Trek, Star Wars, and more DC and Marvel superheroes than you can shake a stick at. Head over to the Flamecast page now!

Flamecast #027: Mystery Guest!

Since Matt and Travis couldn't make it this time around, I ended up getting a surprise mystery guest! Enjoy!

Flamecast #026: Mr. Pool, Dead

It’s all about Deadpool on this Flamecast as Todd and Matt give their thoughts on the rated R box office hit. Well, almost, as we couldn’t help but throw in a little Star Wars news as well.

Flamecast #025: Todd Needs Meds

Superstar Travis and Todd (with a cold) go through the Oscar best picture nominations as well as some TV news. Sorry about the sounds quality on my end. I guess I need to experiment with Windows 10 a bit more.

Flamecast #024: It's a Faaaaake!

After lamenting yet another Vikings playoff loss, Todd and Matt finally get around to discussing their thoughts on Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

New e-mail address

Flaming Death Productions now has a new e-mail address! Turns out the website host we have our contract with gives out three e-mail addresses with our free plan, but they don't allow mail to be sent from them, only received. How dumb is that? Well, there's other free e-mail accounts out there, so we've created a new G-Mail account which is listed in the link to the right.

Flamecast #023: Get the Iodine

Superstar Travis, Matt and Todd give thanks in this year's Thanksgiving episode.

Flamecast #022: Who Could It Be Now?

Hot Word of the Month winner Mike Scheff joins Superstar Travis and Todd in this month's spooky Halloween themed episode.

#PodcastDay

Happy International Podcast Day™!  See http://internationalpodcastday.com/

Get your own valid XHTML YouTube embed code

Flamecast #021: A Trip Down Memory Lane

This month we have Maureen Petrowiak (Lau) who makes an appearance in the forthcoming FDP film "The Audition".  Join us as we reminisce about the good ol' days at St. John Vianney grade school where we make a bunch of embarrassing discoveries.  (Also, LAST CALL for a winner of the Hot Word of the Month!)

Flamecast #020: The Meeting in Michigan

Matt and Todd meet up in Michigan! Listen as we talk of some of the highs and lows of this summer's movies. Head over to the Flamecast page and listen!

Don't forget to e-mail us for the Hot Word of the Month contest! A prize awaits the first person to send the correct word (found in Flamecast #019).

Flamecast #019: Movie Talk

Todd and Travis finally find time to catch up after a busy summer of filming, movie-going, and...well, listen for yourself! Click over to the Flamecast portion of the website and check out our late from July episode.

Filming has begun!

The first round of filming for the new Star Wars Fan Film, "The Audition," is complete! Travis got most of his shots done. All that's left for him is the final scene.

Clap on!

And so it begins

"To boldly go...to sleep"

One of his first shots here on flamingdeath.net, Matt and Juli Spielman's son Alex is going to become quite the little Trekker.

Flamecast #018: A Lot of Stuff

Superstar Travis and Todd talk about...well, a lot of stuff: Comic Con, movies, TV, and a bizarre dream. Don't forget to e-mail us at fdp@flamingdeath.net for the Hot Word of the Month contest! A prize awaits the first person to send the correct word! This month's prize will either be an FDP t-shirt or a guest spot on a future Flamecast!

Flamecast #017: Trailer Gold

Superstar Travis and Todd delve into trailer-mania as we discuss the multiple movie trailers that have been released over the past month as well as Travis' experiences at Star Wars Celebration 2015 in Anaheim, CA. Just head over to the Flamecast page!

Don't forget to e-mail us at fdp@flamingdeath.net with what could be the last time for the Hot Word of the Month contest! A prize awaits the first person to send the correct word!

Flamecast #016: Certifiable

The trio of Todd, Travis and Matt congratulate themselves, then talk TV and movie news with a sprinkling of Muppets here and there.

Don't forget to e-mail us at fdp@flamingdeath.net with what could be the last time for the Hot Word of the Month contest! A prize awaits the first person to send the correct word!

Congratulations!

A big congratulations go out to our very own Matt Spielman and his wife Juli on the birth of their son, Chewbacca Morpheus Crazypants, otherwise known as Alexander Garrett Spielman, born March 17!

NEW ITEMS at the Flaming Death Stockroom!

More items are now available for purchase in the Flaming Death Stockroom! Never before released DVDs for "Luke & Leia" and "Connect More" are now for sale as well as new clothing items. Check them all out!

Flamecast #015: He Lived Long and Prospered

This month we remember Leonard Nimoy on his passing into the great unknown.

Don't forget to e-mail us at fdp@flamingdeath.net with this month's Hot Word of the Month.

CAST & CREW CALL!

If anyone is interested in helping out on the film "The Audition", let us know! Head on over to the webpage for "The Audition" on the top menu. From there, you can view both the cast and crew pages, and any position without a name is still up for grabs. Just reply to this same posting on Facebook or e-mail fdp@flamingdeath.net and tell us what you're interested in doing. Good luck!

Website Updates

I've made a few additions to the website with the addition of The Audition material. More will be on its way as we round out the cast and crew, so stayed tuned!

Star Wars fan film: The Audition

Time to get serious about the next film, The Audition. I created the outline for it last month, but a few scenes need to be scripted out. I was initially going to ad-lib them, but I think some tighter structure is needed. As with the other films, I will not only be writing but directing, producing and editing as well. I'll even be making an appearance, myself. Here's hoping this isn't a multi-year endeavor like our previous films. I'll also be locking down locations in the next couple of weeks. Hopefully I can get casting completed during this time frame as well.

Let's make a movie!

Flamecast #014: Oscars or (The Unexpected Topic of Poo)

Join Todd and Superstar Travis as they discuss this year's Oscar nominees, the latest movies and television, the state of our Star Wars fan film, and poop (twice!...unless you also count Travis' movie review). Don't forget to e-mail us the Hot Word of the Month at fdp@flamingdeath.net!

Flamecast #013: 2014 Flamecast Holiday Party

Join the Flamecast crew for some festive fun as they engage in some friendly competition. Just head on over to the Flamecast link for your present. Happy Holidays to you all!

Flamecast #012: The Flame Awakens

Todd and Superstar Travis discuss the new Star Wars teaser trailer, the Doctor Who season finale, and other topics of geek culture as Flamecast gets uploaded a tad late for November. Included is the new Hot Word of the month contest, so listen and win! Just e-mail the Hot Word to fdp@flamingdeath.net and win a free Flaming Death Productions t-shirt.

Cast and Crew Wanted

We're gearing up for filming "The Audition," our latest Star Wars Fan Film endeavor. We do need some help, though. Cast and crew openings will be announced soon for those who are interested, so stay tuned!

2015 Star Wars Fan Film Contest

It's official. We're in pre-production for our next short film!

Star Wars Fan Film Contest webpage

Flamecast #011: Two Troops and an MIA

Flamecast is back but missing a tardy participant as we delve into television, movies, and the 2015 Star Wars Fan Film Contest. Click on the Flamecast link for episode #011.

Flamecast #010: The Threeeeeeee Amigos!

It's a combo platter as Todd, Travis and Matt all get together for the milestone Flamecast #010. Listen closely to win our first contest giveaway! E-mail fdp@flamingdeath.net with this month's clue.

Done!

It's complete! The move over to the new web host is done. Now maybe I can work on the next Flamecast. :-)

Under reconstruction

I was notified last week that my free web hosting site is going to start charging a monthly fee, so I've been looking at alternatives. The current site is actually cobbled together from three places: Doteasy.com for flamingdeath.net hosted content, Blogger for the blog posting, and Podbean for the Flamecasts. Ideally it would be nice to get everything under one with the design freedom that I have under Doteasy, but I think in the meantime I'll just find a suitable replacement for Doteasy. So, you may experience a disruption of service over the next couple of weeks as I switch, however both the Blogger and Podbean pages will themselves be available. Any news will be posted on the FDP Facebook page.

Flamecast Theater

You may have noticed a new addition to the menu up above. Flamecast Theater is an idea that I've been shooting around recently, and I'm going to be taking some steps in the future to bring it to fruition. Stay tuned!

Flamecast Live Bookmarks Feed!

Flamecast is available as a Live Bookmarks feed! Head on over to http://flamingdeath.podbean.com/feed/ and click on the 'Subscribe Now' button. It will add a link in your browser's bookmarks toolbar if you have it set up to show RSS feeds.

Flamecast #009: High School Reunion

In this episode, Matt and Todd lament the ides of summer, feel disappointment from Transformers, and have their own high school reunion in the form of yearbook recollections. Click over to the Flamecast section to hear the latest podcast!

Caretaking

Just like a garden gets its weeds and needs some extra care, this website needs some cleaning up here and there, too. Either the browser updates have reinterpreted my HTML files incorrectly, or the files have been corrupted and need some updates. I'll try to get to those later today. In the meantime, listen to a Flamecast (or eight of them). :-)

Flamecast #008: The Return

We're back! After an extended leave of absence, the new Flamecast is up and ready for your listening pleasure. In this episode, Travis and Todd catch up on the six month absence. Click on over to the Flamecast section!

Argh....

Okay, so I've been way behind in getting updated Flamecasts recorded. I did have one almost ready to go had it not been that I got through the entire conversation and found out that it didn't record properly. Blah. I'll try again here soon, so have faith.

You may have also noticed that my Star Trek related site is no longer listed. I'm killing off that site once and for all. I am, however, going to reboot the Action Trektion portion as a side project of this site and reshoot the pictures for better quality. Something else to look forward to!

Delays, delays....

The next Flamecast will be a bit late due to out-of-state basketball tournaments and classes/homework once again. On the bright side, I have some new audio equipment on the way for recording in better quality! Sound mixer, new mic, mic stands....

Flamecast #007: Happy Hobbit-days!

Yes, open up your Christmas present! It's the return of an all new Flamecast as Todd and Travis sit down to talk about Christmas gifts, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, Stan Lee, and more! Head on over to the Flamecast page and download or stream the long awaited gift. Merry Christmas to all!

Website issues

Ugh...it appears some of the website HTML files have become corrupt. I noticed the flamingdeath.net index file a while back and finally have it fixed by just re-uploading the file, but now I see that there are others that are messed up. Maybe this would be a good time to remove my Star Trek based site since I haven't updated in a long, long time (other than the Sci-Fi Party announcements, of course).

More Flamecasts coming soon

Sorry for the lack of Flamecasts. It's been quite a busy few months that don't look like they'll let up until December when my classes end for the semester. I'm hoping to return to a month-to month basis when time once again allows.

Flamecast #006: Return of the Matt

Matt Spielman makes a return to Flamecast in a discussion about high school and movies we've recently seen. Check out the latest Flamecast! Recorded 9/1/2013.

Flamecast #005: Cory Anderson

In episode #5 of Flamecast, we welcome a reluctant Cory Anderson to the mic to talk about our adventures in past productions. Head on over to the Flamecast page to listen!

Flamecast #004: Travis Buckmeier

In this episode of Flamecast, Todd and Travis talk about Star Wars, Star Trek, high school, and... oh yeah, some Flaming Death Productions projects as well. Click on over to the Flamecast section and check it out!

A look back

The official Star Wars Facebook account posted THIS YOUTUBE LINK earlier today with the following: "Tasked with creating their own short films, our fans did not disappoint. Check back over the next week, as we will be adding more past Star Wars Fan Movie Challenge winners to this playlist!"

Do you think ours should have been included in the years they were released? Granted, "Yoda's Treasure" was a first attempt. I felt pretty good about "Luke & Leia", though.

Flamecast #003: Chris Marler

You've heard from his better half. Now hear from the man himself! This Flamecast we talk with the man who brought us An-Win March, the Adult Customer, and gratefully loaned us Mr. PVC Man for a death-defying leap. Welcome Chris Marler! Links to the podcast are once again up above and over to the left.

Flamecast #002: Tina Marler

Flamecast #002 is up and ready to dig into your ears like a Ceti Eel from Wrath of Khan! Click on one of the links to get the new podcast featuring a chat with the one and only Jedi #5, Tina Marler.

And...we're live! Flamecast #001: Matt Spielman

Yes, podcast #001 is up and ready! It's a chat with Darth Smiley himself: Matt Spielman! Go ahead and click on the link to the podcast page, either from the banner on the left or in the menu up above. Enjoy!

Web Host Switch

After doing some investigating, it looks like I've been short-changing myself after all these years on the web hosting service I'm currently using. Only a 100MB storage limit? Blah. I can do much better than that elsewhere. There will be plenty of room for podcasts if I make the switch. I could even host each one of the films there as well and not have to worry about storage or bandwidth. So, look for this change to come soon because I would really like to get our first podcast out into the public.

Yes, I said soon!

The first podcast is in the can! However, I've run into a snag in hosting issues since my webspace doesn't have the capacity (I could have sworn I had more than 200MB of space!). So as soon as I can find a site that's decent and cheap enough, you'll be able to listen.

It's always something....

Coming soon: Flamecast!

Yes, it's been a long time since there has been some updates here. I've had a blurb over on our Facebook page every now and then, but soon there will be some semi-regular additions to the website. Coming soon will be our very own podcast, the FDP Flamecast! The plan is to start out having a different guest on each time as we discuss our history and film-making experiences. The guests will consist of former cast and crew members. Once we go through the list of people, we'll see where it takes us. I'm planning on getting the first Flamecast recorded sometime in the beginning of February, so it shouldn't be too long after that we'll have it posted. Stay tuned!

The Light Stand

Yes, I haven't forgotten! A third item in the series of FDP equipment, the light stand was created from scratch in September of 2006 for use in the production of Luke & Leia, and used again for Connect More. Inspired by Chris Marler's Mr. PVC Man, it is made from 1" PVC pipe and attachments, a modified extension cord, a photo umbrella, some fluorescent light bulbs, and a modified camera tripod. Ah yes...back when PVC was cheaper than it is today, but isn't everything?

The Clap Board

A second picture in the series of FDP equipment, the clap board was created from scratch for use in the production of Connect More back in October of last year. Made from a 1"x1", some plexiglass, 1/4" plywood, black and white paints, and a few odds and ends, and there we have it!

New camera

I meant to post this a while back, but I purchased a new camera for future filming. This is the Canon Vixia HF R10 Dual Flash Memory Camcorder. It's a pretty nice camera. Its first true test will be an informational film I'm working on for the Mayo Clinic Health Information Management Services department. Yes, now I won't have to borrow anyone else's camera anymore!

Connect More is live!

Head on over to the Flaming Death YouTube channel! It's now also in the Connect More downloads section right here on the website.

A few changes

Ugh...obviously the latest version of Firefox doesn't like my scrolling movie menu that should be at the top of the page here. If you're looking at it in Internet Explorer, it's still there. I'm going to have to work on that later. Blah.

I was also informed by Facebook that the FDP group page is going away if I didn't convert it to the new group style. Since I've been wanting to change it to a "community" page anyway, I started working on that page and it's now viewable. Make the switch and join the community! I'll update the left-menu Facebook icon here on the site in the near future.

Finished!

I'm burning a few DVDs for the cast and crew of "Connect More" as I type this. Yes, it's finished!

Connect More is almost done!

Yes, it's been a while, but I finally have the voice-overs finished. All I need is the final product shot and then we can call it done!

Editing

Primary editing for Connect More has gone great! The footage is everything I'd hoped for. Just need the final product shot and a couple of voice-overs, and we'll be finished.

Updates for Connect More

We have the final "box shot" as well as some photos to show you, plus I updated the crew listing. No, the movie isn't up yet due to time constraints, but I plan on editing over Christmas break. Patience!

It's a wrap!

Filming on "Connect More" went great today! Still promo shots will be posted in the near future. A big "THANK YOU" to the cast and crew!

Filming for "Connect More" on November 6th!

That pretty much says it all, huh? The actors are ready to go, and the crew is being assembled. I sent out a few invites to a select group of people, but depending on the response you might still get one if you haven't already.

New logo?

Anyone out there who is graphically gifted who would like to help design a new Flaming Death Productions logo?

NEW CASTING CALL

Okay, since I'm really having a difficult time tracking down a Vader costume that's affordable or any people that have one, I'm leaning back towards using the Darth Maul type character. This means I will be needing someone to fill that role. Of course, it would consist of wearing the black and red makeup, plus a black robe (which I have), black gloves, and a black shirt for under the robe. That would be about it for what's on camera. I'm going to post a notice on the Facebook group as well. Give me a shout back if interested.

I'm looking into using a different camera and sound recording equipment than what I've used in the past, so there will be a slight delay there while I get that aspect organized as well as the film crew. As it looks now, I would guess that the soonest we could shoot would be as soon as mid-July although I know summers get pretty busy for people.

FHS Class of 89 20 Year Reunion slide-show now online!

For those of you who didn't buy a DVD yet, here's your chance to revisit the glorious 80s during our time in FHS. Just follow the link in the menu up above.

YouTube

Just did a few updates to the FDP YouTube site. And while you're there, please subscribe!

Blogger header

Yeah, you may have noticed the new Blogger bar right underneath the filmstrip menu. It came with the migration Blogger did to eliminate the FTP publishing of its blogs. I guess it's not too annoying just as long as the color isn't something like fluorescent pink.

Casting call!

If anyone knows of a person that has a great Darth Vader costume that would be willing to co-star in the forthcoming short film "Connect More", let me know! Once we get that taken care of, everything else will fall into place fairly quick.

Problems, problems, problems

For those of you following me on Facebook, you've already heard the latest news that my video cards died on two of my computers within the past two weeks. Combined with the fact that the townhouse I'm in is moving me out into another one across the street, and it means more delays for Connect More. Hopefully we'll be able to work something out soon.

Vader and some Star Trek Online news

While I'm sure some of you are wondering about the progress on Connect More, I don't have much to tell other than we're looking at getting another Vader other than the one I thought we would get. The search continues there. But in other news, a few of us are getting together in the new MMO of Star Trek Online. If you're interested in joining up, fire me off a message. So far there are three of us from FDP, but we'd be open to more once you pass the initiation (which may or may not involve Lake Minnetonka). ;-)

Updates

I did a few updates to the FDP website today. I removed the left hand side frame where the links were to incorporate it into the rest of the main page so they scroll along with everything else. Also new is a Flaming Death Productions history page. This will save me a lot of time so I don't have to write the history over and over when new people ask about the origins of FDP. Yay for me!

Yeesh...

Looks like next year's Star Wars Celebration V will be held in Orlando, Florida from August 12 through the 15th. I guess that means I'll probably pass on yet another one of these... unless we somehow manage to get in as a finalist in the Star Wars Fan Film Contest.

Acting roles for Connect More up for consideration

I've had one audition so far for the Jedi role, and I'm considering getting someone from the local 501st Legion for the Sith role. I also have the perfect person to perform the announcer if he so chooses to accept my forthcoming invitation. This is looking to be quite the project!

So far it's looking like we'll be shooting sometime early next year, perhaps January or February depending on when everyone can get together. I also have a couple of locations in mind, but I need to do a little more investigating before making the final choice.

Script is ready....

Okay, I do have a finished script. I finally got around to revising the one I had since I was creating the first one from memory. Between games on Facebook, LOTRO, and a busy summer, it's about time I get back into the swing of things.

I'll be sending e-mails out to people soon regarding their participation in this one. It'd be nice to get a few more volunteers, though, just so I have some choices available.

The Price is Right? I hope so!

Argh! I think I finally have the price of DVDs in the Stockroom at the correct price. Turns out that the shipping was $0.17 more than what I was charging, but that should now be fixed. I also upgraded my PayPal account to a business account while I was working on all this.

New DVD: Class of 1989 20 Year Reunion

For those of you who went to Fairmont High School and graduated in 1989, this is the new DVD I created for the 20 year reunion which was this weekend. Yes, there is a charge of $4.25 per disc, but it's only for the cost of materials and money transfer fees. Just click on the link to the Flaming Death Stockroom either in the menu along the top of the website or in the link on the left hand side. While you're there, you can also purchase Flaming Death t-shirts or DVDs of our first short film, "Yoda's Treasure".

Atom Contest

Winners of this year's Star Wars Fan Film Contest have been chosen and are viewable at http://www.atom.com/spotlights/starwars/challenge/. I haven't seen all of them yet, myself, but I have seen the winner of the George Lucas Selects award, "Star Wars Retold". Good stuff!

Next up: "Connect More!"

I'm looking for people interested in being either in front or behind the camera on this one. For the actors, I need two male leads. One will be a Jedi which could be similar to Ewan McGregor's Obi-Wan, but that's flexible and not definite. The other will be a Sith wearing Darth Maul-like makeup. Also needed will be two camera operators, a boom operator, an audio recorder. Other jobs may come up as production gets closer. So, fire me off an e-mail if you're interested!

*sigh*

The folks over on the message boards at TheForce.net have discovered who the finalists for the 2009 Star Wars Fan Film Challenge are, and unfortunately we didn't make the cut this time. So, it's back to the drawing board for next year's contest. Voting for this year's awards begins on July 1.

Here are the finalists for the 2009 Star Wars Fan Film Challenge:

Bad Day for Vader
Blasted Behavior
Death Star Over San Francisco
Emperor Palpatine and the Attack of the Copyright Infringement
Glen Eisley Glen Mos
Jedi Camp
Knights of the Old Republic: Revan
Lord Vader's Trial
Mark Valley vs Drew Mazanec
No Love for Wampa
Saber
Star Fury!
Star Sports Theatrical Trailer
Star Wars in a Notebook!
Star Wars: Cinemagic
Star Wars: Retold
Sudden Remakes 1
SW Episode XVI: Family Dysfunction
The Closet Unleashed
The Fate of the Duel
Where Are They Now
WTF Star Wars

Deadline arriveth!

The deadline for fan film submissions at atom.com has come. Now we wait for word on whether the film gets a nomination or not. Public voting begins July 1, so I'm assuming we'll hear something within a month. Cross your fingers, say a prayer, sacrifice a small animal, or do whatever you choose to do to bring us luck!

Class Reunion Project

As a side project, I'll be creating a slide show for the FHS Class of '89 20 Year Reunion. I created something similar for a reunion of sorts for the early 90s InterVarsity Christian Fellowship group a couple of years ago, but unfortunately that was one of the projects lost when my portable hard drive died. In any case, if you're from the class of '89, send me some photos to use! Just e-mail using the link on the left side of this browser window. The larger the resolution, the better. I can handle just about any file format that's out there, so no need to worry about that. For those of you who have posted photos on FaceBook, it would be nice to get those sent to me as well since the photos there have, for the most part, probably been shrunken down in the posting process and wouldn't retain their quality if increased in size. I'm putting a deadline at or about July 17 so as to give me enough time to work on this. Thanks!

New Link

After wanting to do it for quite a while but always forgetting to do it, I added a link to the U.S.S. Red October website on the links on the left hand side of the website. Since I sometimes refer back over to that site, it seemed... well, logical.

Also, only 8 days left until the Fan Film Contest submission deadline over at Atom.com!

Take 2 w/ short intro

It's been suggested by a couple of people that I shorten the credits at the beginning, and I'm starting to agree. I'll keep the longer version up, but I think I'll cut an abbreviated file and upload that for use in the contest. I'll get that done tonight.

"Luke & Leia" now online!

I've posted the movie over at YouTube and Atom.com. I'll have a streaming link in the "Luke & Leia" portion of the website in just a few hours. Enjoy!

SUBMITTED

Since I'm having thoughts of moving the party to the 16th, I decided to upload the movie to Atom last night. It's still in the processing phase, but it should be available at some point today. In the meantime, I'm going to get it rolling on YouTube as well while I can. It shouldn't take me too long to get that set up as long as I find the time to do it while I'm here at work. I'll send out a link at some point today. So, I guess that makes today, April 29, 2009, the world premiere day of "Luke & Leia"!

SUCCESS!

After screwing around with the film quality over and over to try to get the file size under 100MB as dictated by Atom.com's submission guidelines, I ended up using a converter to convert the good MOV file over to a WMV file which came in at less than 60MB! I was thinking of submitting it to Atom.com tonight, but I think I can wait a week and a half so that it coincides with the premiere at the party on May 9.

Quick Update

After playing around with the editing tools again, I decided to use the original footage of Abbie and use a still shot of Shawn and Chris as the transition piece for her to get off of the camera before the booth shot again. I know this may not make sense to anyone right now, but maybe it will when the film is released. I just wanted to let it be known that Abbie is still getting her 5 seconds of fame. ;-)

Some people have received their release forms via e-mail or will be in the next couple of weeks. If you could send the signed forms back ASAP, it would be much appreciated.

Last Edit, then Paperwork

I received the restaurant background photos from Chris over the weekend, and they look great. However, the green screen shot I took of Abbie is not cooperating well. It's far too pixelated around the edges against Chris' background pics, and I cannot smooth them out enough to make them decent. So, after all this time, I believe I'm going to have to replace that shot with a backup shot. Sorry Abbie! I should have this step completed very soon. I am having a difficult time getting the master AVI file working with Windows Media Player, though. I think I finally have it figured out, but in the meantime I'm going to go with a Quicktime file which I tested yesterday. Fortunately, Atom.com allows uploads of a few different file formats, mov files being one of them. Now to try to figure out how to get the file size down to 100MB or less without losing too much quality. Expect the premiere of the film to be at my 18th Annual Sci-Fi Party with online access to follow shortly after.

Next up is getting all the paperwork in order. Atom suggests signed contracts for actors, owners of locations, and music rights holders. I wish I would have noticed this before so this could have already been taken care of, but then again I should have expected it since I heard about what people went through the last time when I was trying to submit "Yoda's Treasure". According to their site, they say to submit the film anyway and will notify me if they need copies of any of the forms. That should give me a little time to get everything in order.