Grrr...Argh...

So, a very minor update - and just to vent some new technical problems.

First off, in order to fix some major recording head problems with my camera I purchased a digital drive, called the Firestore FS-4 - basically it works like a harddrive for the camera and records the footage as actual files, saving time with capturing footage after filming. So that's all good. Well, it would be aside from the fact that now that unit is acting sketchy - it started beeping like crazy last night and was unable to do anything, until it finally just decided it's tantrum was over and it went back to normal...That can't be good.

Contacted the manufacturers - they said something about "frail" connections and recommended replacing it...Fun.

Contacted the folks I bought it from - they don't offer replacements after 10 days from the date of purchase. Too late for that. They did however give the contact info of some folks who can fix it, turnaround is usually 2 weeks - but how much will that set me back? Don't know yet, looking at getting a replacement from the manufacturer first.

It's always something.

So, in the midst of all that - just some more update kind of stuff.

I started organizing the special effects this morning, making a shortlist of what FX are needed for each scene and trying to get my head around it all. Just off hand, without actually having all the footage yet - I estimate about 150 - 200 FX shots - and I may be estimating on the low end of things. I won't know exactly until all the footage has been edited, or at least shot.

And, I'm almost finally finished gathering all the last minute props and extra crap I need to completely finish. Seems like with each new scene there's some prop or something I've forgotten. I think I've gotten most of it though. I'm heading out tonight to pick up a few more little items for shooting this Sunday.

And lastly, The Animated Monkey Rodeo idea...I'm thinking it probably will happen, but not until the spring at the earliest. And I've decided it will probably be computer animated, as much as I've warmed up to Flash the more I thought about it the easier going 3D seems. With Flash, with each new "thing" I would need a character to do, or even just various poses, I'd have to do a new version of the character - whereas with 3D, it's just the same model for everything. So, 3D it is.

That's it for now I think. Just felt like updating with something. This Sunday, the scene we're shooting will have some cool props so hopefully there be some pictures to post afterwards.

UPDATE:

This just fits in with everything else. One of those things that happens where you can't even get mad because it's exactly what you expected would happen - regardless of how much of a pain in the ass it is.

There one prop that's been annoying me - annoying me even more since it's only in one or two shots, but I just wanted it to look cool and figured it wouldn't be that hard to stumble upon something.

A bottle.

That's it. I wanted a kind of weird looking bottle for a scene where Malice shows up at Grayson's place and presents him a bottle of "Delvian Demon Rum". Given what it is, an almost throwaway sequence, I didn't think I'd have to spend this much time thinking about it. Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a rather unique looking bottle that could pass as some weird demon rum bottle? Apparently next to impossible. But, at the last minute I found one, and it was perfect. Then I went to pay for it...Insufficient funds on my bank card. I was 4 freaking dollars short. I looked into it, and yet again my bank felt the need to charge me overdraft when I hadn't used it - thus causing the problem. Got it fixed, went back to get the prop...Gone. Bloody hell.

So I have one more day to suss something out. I have a few ideas, should be no problem - but like I said, did it really need this much effort?

And also, on the FX side of things. I finished my list of FX. And there's roughly 60 different special effects - involving anything from matte paintings, lighting effects, computer animated actors and so on - and each of these probably has anywhere from 1 to 20 different shots involved in the effect, so I'm thinking my original estimate might be a little on the lean side - espcially considering I've already done close to 30-40 of these, and didn't bother listing them.

That's it. I'm done again.