One of the things that I really like to do when I need a good distraction, is to write beats. I guess the same way a guitar player would write a lick, a drummer can write a loop. So I sit down behind the kit, fire up a click track, and play some random beats.
Once it's recorded in the system, I can sample it any number of ways and add effects. In this case, the drums are essentially just raw, there's no delays, phasers, distortions or anything like that. Just a little gating ad compression. I really haven't even EQ'd much.
The loop is raw and is ready to be used by an electronic musician, or anybody who creates sample and loop based music. This loop is influenced by afrobeat and funk. Fun times!
http://soundcloud.com/cgaudry/afro-16-100bpm
Monday, April 19, 2010
The Video Game Blog Post
Today we had a video game designer speak to a group of CreComms about designing games. He was a developer for a small, independent firm, but had some positive things to say about big production games as well.
At the start of the presentation, he mentioned how part of his job included attending trade shows and spending allot of time with the game developer community. He mentioned one such trade show, which took place in Austin, Texas last year.
I was actually at that trade show, but for different reasons. I was actually working as the trade show coordinator and account manager for OMT at the time, and the NAB radio show was taking place at the convention center at the exact same time as the video game show.
When I first landed in Austin, the cab driver took me to my hotel, passing through a really poor part of town to get there. My hotel was really close to the convention center (something I like to do so I can walk to the show each day), so I ordered a Heinekken from room service and walked to the convention center. The actual show started on a Wednesday, but I had to fly in on Monday in order to receive our shipments, setup the booth and graphics, and setup the computer network for the demo computers we'd be using at the show.
When I got to the convention center I was absolutely blown away at what I saw. No, it wasn't the video gamer's exhibits (although, they were super cool and laid back). What blew me away was the number of refugees who had to leave the coastal city of Houston because of the hurricane, ahhh, Ike I think it was. Over the course of the week that I was there, I spoke to a ton of people whose houses had been ruined, and jobs that had been lost as a result of the damage. It was pretty epic.
Anyway, at the convention... during the two days of setup, I spent a bit of time hanging out at the video game show. My access badge for the NAB radio show looked similar enough to the ones being used for the video game show, so nobody questioned me. And, it meant that I could take in the cuisine and free booze that was being given away by the companies that were exhibiting at the show.
The radio show ended up being ok. It was one of the rare shows where mostly everything went well, and so I got to spend a good chunk of time by the pool at the hotel. I really miss alot of the people I use to see at the trade shows. When you do alot of shows, you end up seeing alot of the same people, time and time again. And those people become your "road buddies". Throughout the year, you occassionaly speak with them over the phone, or email, about business, but over the years, they kind of become your solace on the road, because it sucks being away from your home, friends and family.
Overall, I would love to go back to Austin. It's like a little blue city, inside of a red state. Their art scene is stellar, actually quite comparable to Winnipeg's scene. There's live bands playing all the time.
Here are some pictures from that trip (I smashed my head on the last day of the trade show, which explains the photo of myself in my hotel room bathroom).
At the start of the presentation, he mentioned how part of his job included attending trade shows and spending allot of time with the game developer community. He mentioned one such trade show, which took place in Austin, Texas last year.
I was actually at that trade show, but for different reasons. I was actually working as the trade show coordinator and account manager for OMT at the time, and the NAB radio show was taking place at the convention center at the exact same time as the video game show.
When I first landed in Austin, the cab driver took me to my hotel, passing through a really poor part of town to get there. My hotel was really close to the convention center (something I like to do so I can walk to the show each day), so I ordered a Heinekken from room service and walked to the convention center. The actual show started on a Wednesday, but I had to fly in on Monday in order to receive our shipments, setup the booth and graphics, and setup the computer network for the demo computers we'd be using at the show.
When I got to the convention center I was absolutely blown away at what I saw. No, it wasn't the video gamer's exhibits (although, they were super cool and laid back). What blew me away was the number of refugees who had to leave the coastal city of Houston because of the hurricane, ahhh, Ike I think it was. Over the course of the week that I was there, I spoke to a ton of people whose houses had been ruined, and jobs that had been lost as a result of the damage. It was pretty epic.
Anyway, at the convention... during the two days of setup, I spent a bit of time hanging out at the video game show. My access badge for the NAB radio show looked similar enough to the ones being used for the video game show, so nobody questioned me. And, it meant that I could take in the cuisine and free booze that was being given away by the companies that were exhibiting at the show.
The radio show ended up being ok. It was one of the rare shows where mostly everything went well, and so I got to spend a good chunk of time by the pool at the hotel. I really miss alot of the people I use to see at the trade shows. When you do alot of shows, you end up seeing alot of the same people, time and time again. And those people become your "road buddies". Throughout the year, you occassionaly speak with them over the phone, or email, about business, but over the years, they kind of become your solace on the road, because it sucks being away from your home, friends and family.
Overall, I would love to go back to Austin. It's like a little blue city, inside of a red state. Their art scene is stellar, actually quite comparable to Winnipeg's scene. There's live bands playing all the time.
Here are some pictures from that trip (I smashed my head on the last day of the trade show, which explains the photo of myself in my hotel room bathroom).
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Video Montage - Choice is a Weapon
I recently completed a montage for the song "Weapon" by Matt Good. The montage ended up being a great project, because I learned that I love to use a video camera. This was my first real experience with a video camera. My family didn't even have one on vacations when I was growing up (yet I still have all the memories, weird). The way the video was produced was exactly the opposite of what I had planned going in to the project.
I'm going to deconstruct how the video was produced below; here's the video;
Originally, I planned to conceptualize a story, and have actors, a storyboard, etc... As I began to plan the logistics of a video like that, things such as sets, creative shots, actors, and such, I realized how much work would have to be put into the video in order to make it a reality. Really, it wasn't necessary. The point behind the project was to develop some basic camera skills and video editing skills.
So I picked a day to shoot, and hoped to be inspired by the surrounding environment. I really lucked out, because when we showed up at the Forks, the Winnipeg Fire Department's water rescue squad were doing training exercises on the water and ice. So naturally, we asked them if we could shoot, and they said yes. It wasn't like they were trying to be discrete, they were training at the Forks on a Saturday.... good PR.
Later in the day I decided to shoot some kids skateboarding at the skate park. The first time we shot, it was really cold outside, but still lots of people. I was really impressed at the dedication of some of the kids at the park. I ran in to the same people three Saturdays in a row. If you look closely, the same guy is in my video wearing different clothes every time. He volunteered his time, I didn't plan to have him there. In fact, Mike Choi (the lead) was the only actor, and we didn't use a script at all.
I probably could have just submitted the footage that i got, with any song, and that would have been sufficient, because the footage was so interesting. But it also occurred to me that I might be able to make a story out of the footage by tying it together somehow. The idea to have Mike fall in the water seemed obvious, but the challenge was that I had to imply that he was falling in the water with the footage, because we obviously couldn't have Mike fall in the gross, freezing cold Red River (or is it the Assiniboine there?)...
Them came the idea of picking a song that would work with the footage. I originally planned to pick the song first, and try to make a story around a song. In the end, I chose a song to match the footage. Because the lead character dies in the end (or that is what is implied), it seemed very dark. Matthew Good seemed like a good choice. After all, his second last album was called Hospital Music, and was apparently written during a period MG spent in the hospital after trying to off himself. So yeah, dark.
The song has 6 main parts to it, but the last two parts (5, 6) are essentially the same as 3 and 4, so I edited the track to 4 parts (almost like movements in the song), which worked out to be just over four minutes. Once I had the track ready and imported into Final Cut, it was essentially just a matter of using the footage I had to fit the parts of the song.
The main thing I think is missing from the story are the reactions of people. I think some shots of people's reactions to the rescue would enhance the emotional aspect of it.
Now comes the part of explaining why I put my cat, well, having a bath in the credits. I am not a particularily dark person, and so I had to add some humor to it, because I though it lacked some of my own personality. And, I only get to be in college once.
I'm very excited to start work on my next project...
I'm going to deconstruct how the video was produced below; here's the video;
Chris Gaudry Montage from Chris Gaudry on Vimeo.
Originally, I planned to conceptualize a story, and have actors, a storyboard, etc... As I began to plan the logistics of a video like that, things such as sets, creative shots, actors, and such, I realized how much work would have to be put into the video in order to make it a reality. Really, it wasn't necessary. The point behind the project was to develop some basic camera skills and video editing skills.
So I picked a day to shoot, and hoped to be inspired by the surrounding environment. I really lucked out, because when we showed up at the Forks, the Winnipeg Fire Department's water rescue squad were doing training exercises on the water and ice. So naturally, we asked them if we could shoot, and they said yes. It wasn't like they were trying to be discrete, they were training at the Forks on a Saturday.... good PR.
Later in the day I decided to shoot some kids skateboarding at the skate park. The first time we shot, it was really cold outside, but still lots of people. I was really impressed at the dedication of some of the kids at the park. I ran in to the same people three Saturdays in a row. If you look closely, the same guy is in my video wearing different clothes every time. He volunteered his time, I didn't plan to have him there. In fact, Mike Choi (the lead) was the only actor, and we didn't use a script at all.
I probably could have just submitted the footage that i got, with any song, and that would have been sufficient, because the footage was so interesting. But it also occurred to me that I might be able to make a story out of the footage by tying it together somehow. The idea to have Mike fall in the water seemed obvious, but the challenge was that I had to imply that he was falling in the water with the footage, because we obviously couldn't have Mike fall in the gross, freezing cold Red River (or is it the Assiniboine there?)...
Them came the idea of picking a song that would work with the footage. I originally planned to pick the song first, and try to make a story around a song. In the end, I chose a song to match the footage. Because the lead character dies in the end (or that is what is implied), it seemed very dark. Matthew Good seemed like a good choice. After all, his second last album was called Hospital Music, and was apparently written during a period MG spent in the hospital after trying to off himself. So yeah, dark.
The song has 6 main parts to it, but the last two parts (5, 6) are essentially the same as 3 and 4, so I edited the track to 4 parts (almost like movements in the song), which worked out to be just over four minutes. Once I had the track ready and imported into Final Cut, it was essentially just a matter of using the footage I had to fit the parts of the song.
The main thing I think is missing from the story are the reactions of people. I think some shots of people's reactions to the rescue would enhance the emotional aspect of it.
Now comes the part of explaining why I put my cat, well, having a bath in the credits. I am not a particularily dark person, and so I had to add some humor to it, because I though it lacked some of my own personality. And, I only get to be in college once.
I'm very excited to start work on my next project...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
