Amber and I recently completed a short that played at the ACM conference in Washington DC. Please visit our webpage to view the movie.

Short Synopsis: In the spirit of a graphic novel – a 1930s detective is stuck in a futuristic world, unable to comprehend the power and efficiency of modern technology. Meanwhile, workers show an increase in productivity, yet remain elusive. This efficiency is challenged by Lieutenant Baker. Suspicious of the workers, he deploys his best detective to discover the truth behind the mystery.

Uploaded with plasq‘s Skitch!

Uploaded with plasq‘s Skitch!

Uploaded with plasq‘s Skitch!

Just a few notes on the process:

We shot the movie on June 9th, had a final cut by July 3rd with absolutely no sound, and screened the final final version on July 7th. The movie was then uploaded to our trade show server the following day – then shipped out on the 9th.

We used many programs to complete the project. Here’s a list of just a few:

-Google Docs – to write the initial notes and treatment
-Final Draft – to formalize the treatment and write the screenplay
-Final Draft Tagger – to break down the script into props, characters, effects, sound, etc.
-EP Scheduling – to schedule the shoots
-Final Cut Pro – to import footage and cut the assemble edit

Uploaded with plasq‘s Skitch!

-Adobe Bridge – to manage the assets of the project

Uploaded with plasq‘s Skitch!

-Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop – to create the backgrounds and digital props
-After Effects – to key out the green screen; animate and light each shot

Uploaded with plasq‘s Skitch!

-Final Cut Pro (again) – to edit the first, second, and final cut
-Garage Band – to create the score
-Soundtrack Pro – for sound design

Uploaded with plasq‘s Skitch!

-Apple Compressor – to encode the quicktime download
-Flip 4 Mac plugin for Quicktime – to encode the WMV format
-Adobe Flash Encoder – to encode the flash version

It’s quite clear that the making of this short movie would not have been possible with Apple. Okay… and Adobe. So, thanks Apple… and Adobe. Also thanks to my brother, Ben, for providing me with some loops. And thank you to Andy and JJ for letting Amber and I screw around at work. This last screen shot is for Brandon.

Uploaded with plasq‘s Skitch!