January '08 Meeting Info & Photos

Hello all,

Mark, your itinerate MacFilmmakers sound guru here. I've been taking some pictures at our meetings recently with a new Nikon D40x SLR I received this last holiday season. Thought I would start posting some of these for all to see.

Our January session was very informative with Kevin Johnson and myself presenting. I presented a talk on "Duplication vs. Replication... What you don't know". Though the meeting was lightly attended, a lively discussion ensued, running well overtime as I detailed the substantial list of pitfalls and caveats that you never think about relating to the subject. I even touched on the Blu-ray format.

There have been requests to repeat the presentation again as many did not get sufficient warning of the meeting day so let me or Kevin know if you would like a reprise.

Kevin's presentation was very interesting, covering his January Sundance Film Festival trip. The photos he returned with included a myriad of industry shakers and Hollywood actors and were very entertaining. He also covered a subject, I never even thought about before... the only still cameras allowed on the sets of major film productions because of their stealthy, sound-related characteristics. Unfortunely, we learned that they are all discontinued models now so you can only get them as used items from Amazon.com, eBay and the like.

I have some pictures from the April meeting that I will upload soon. Later...

Mark Calice

Ardenwood Sound & DVD

http://www.ardenwoodsnd-dvd.com

Instant Gratification

Here is the email address (spelled out to avoid spambots from grabbing it) we just discussed at our meeting:

sabrina007 at mac dot com

Note: those are two zeroes in the address, as in James Bond.

Next Meeting is Wed. April 30, De Anza 3, 7PM

Our next meeting is Wednesday, April 30, 7:00 pm, in Apple's De Anza 3 Auditorium. Our topic for the evening is the aesthetics of film editing. Here is an overview of the meeting:

Agenda:
Editing 101, Part One: The Basics
The Fabulous Pizza Break
Editing 101, Part Two: Demo Reels Critique

Editing 101, Part One:
The Basics

Presented by MacFilmmaker's member Sabrina Nelson, this instructional presentation will cover:

• The How, When and What to Cut

• Practical Applications of Eisenstein's Theory of Montage

• Cut, Color, Size, Shape, Direction: What Do They Mean in Editing

Following the Part One presentation we will have--are you quaking with anticipation?--YES, our Fabulous Pizza Break! Stretch your legs in the De Anza 3 lobby while you munch on pizza and network with your fellow filmmakers.

After pizza we reconvene for:

Editing 101, Part Two:
Demo Reels Critique

As part of Sabrina's presentation, we will also discuss demo reels/samples of our members' work. All members are therefore encouraged tonight to bring short sequences (maximum of 5 minutes) of either your narrative or documentary work for viewing and discussion. We will take 3 samples from the pool of submissions, view them and then use them as a point of discussion as we talk about editing. Samples can be complete shorts or excerpts from larger pieces and can be either finished work or works-in-progress. Please note the focus of this presentation is storytelling, so we are looking for traditional sequential scenes or pieces, not experimental or slideshow type of samples.

Sabrina Nelson, a Final Cut Pro expert and 17-year veteran in all manner of video, TV and film production, is currently teaching at the Academy of Art.

As always, our meeting is free and open to the public. Parking is plentiful and free as well. Note that the De Anza Three auditorium is at Apple's headquarters in Cupertino. For those in attendace last month at our March meeting, DA3 is the room we used--and where, by the way, we had near-record breaking attendance at an estimated 210 attendees (see photo below). If you are uncertain about the location, simply go to maps.google.com and search for:

10500 N de Anza Blvd, Cupertino, CA 95014

The green arrow indicates the building where we will be; DA3 auditorium (and parking) is on the backside of that building.

---

MARCH MEETING: Lance Trumbull, Filmmaker/Producer of "Everest: A Climb for Peace", addresses the MacFilmmakers audience.

Meeting is April 30th

Our next meeting is Wednesday, April 30th (keeping in mind that our new schedule is now the LAST Wednesday of the month).

3/26 LAST-SECOND ROOM CHANGE: MEETING MOVED TO DE ANZA 3

As can happen with our booking arrangement with Apple (and can, as with tonight's meeting, happen with virtually zero notice), for tonight's 3/26 MacFilmmakers meeting we just were bumped from Town Hall and are now meeting in De Anza 3!

Please help spread the word that the meeting is now in DE ANZA 3 AUDITORIUM.

Here is the official street address:

10500 N de Anza Blvd, Cupertino, CA 95014

If you do a Google Maps search (http://maps.google.com/), note that the green arrow indicates the building where we will be; DA3 auditorium (and parking) is on the backside of that building.

MacFilmmakers this Wednesday, 3/26, UPDATE

Hi, Folks--

This is an update about this Wednesday's special showing of "Everest: A Climb for Peace".

ANTICIPATED SCHEDULE for MARCH 26:

6:30 - 7:00 pm
Doors open to Town Hall (Apple's Building 4 at 1 Infinite Loop, Cupertino, CA)
Informal reception in lobby and adjacent Piano Lounge (snacks and drinks)

7:00 - 7:15 pm
Welcome
Introduction of filmmaker Lance Trumbull
Introduction of one of the film's sponsors (and the co-sponsor of tonight's showing), REI

7:15 - 8:20 pm
Showing of "Everest: A Climb for Peace" (runtime: 63 minutes)

8:20 - 9:00 pm
Hosted discussion with filmmaker
Audience Q&A
A raffle giveaway of $100 in gift certificates courtesy of REI will end the evening

**NOTE: There will NOT be a Pizza Break/intermission tonight.**

Naturally, all times are approximate, especially the ending time.

RAFFLE

Did you all notice that there will be a raffle tonight? See above for details.

SEATING

This event is getting a lot of publicity outside of the usual MacFilmmakers channels. As such, we may get a much larger than normal attendance. So, just in case, let me say that seating is on a first-come first-serve basis. (Lord, let a 300-seat auditorium be a problem!)

IF YOU MISS THIS WEDNESDAY'S SHOWING

You can catch the film at one of its next screenings, including a charity event for people in need in Nepal showing in Edmonton, Canada in April, or at the Eilat Internaional Film Festival in Israel in May. Yeah, probably a wee bit easier just to catch it while it is here in Cupertino... ;^)

You can stay up to date on Lance's film via the film's website:
http://www.everestpeaceproject.org

Next Meeting is Wed. March 26, 7PM, Town Hall

Our next meeting is Wednesday, March 26, 7:00 pm, in Apple's Town Hall auditorium. Our presentation for February is "Everest: A Climb for Peace". Produced by Lance Trumbull (whom many of you will remember meeting at MacFilmmakers many moons ago) and narrated by Orlando Bloom (who, sadly, has not yet appeared at one of our meetings, but there's always hope), this brand-new one-hour documentary is being featured at film festivals around the globe. We are fortunate to be able to show it at MacFilmmakers in its entirety, followed by a very special "Actor's Studio" style interview and discussion with Lance.

This meeting is free and open to the public. Parking is plentiful and free as well. Town Hall is located at Apple's main campus inside Building 4. For a map, go to maps.google.com and search for:

1 Infinite Loop, Cupertino, CA 95014

The green arrow indicates the main six-building complex; Town Hall (and parking) is on the backside of that complex up towards the freeway. Note that to allow time for tonight's special presentation, Demo Reels will be held off until our April meeting.