new movie

noreply@blogger.com (Azure Production) — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 02:31:00 +0000

Its been busy for the last two months. I've been helping my friend on his movie its pretty interesting, sad and a little weird. It talks about a character that's going through life, he just moved in to his new apartment when things started to go strange. His neighbor seem to be doing some strange things on the top floor, and his girl friend seem to not show too many emotions and want to hang out with him. Then suddenly one day, everything is exposed and he realizes what has been happening. Its not like any other romance or drama movie, its a unique story with a memorable ending. Although I haven't seen the movie yet, the script says a lot. I can't wait to share it with you guys.

On the other note, my brother and me are making another short film. We got the idea when my cousin decided to come to Toronto to perform her music. It was difficult to create an idea that was purely original in such short notice. When we were filming, we didn't even have the entire story layed out in detail. We filmed the basic concept of the movie with her. Once the movie is coming closer to its release date, I will post more information up. For now keep checking!

Filming All weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Azure Production) — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 16:10:00 +0000

Hello, we were filming my friends project all weekend.

Saturday was pretty cold, the day had all outdoors scenes and we started off with the ladder shot where the camera was at a high angle. That went off pretty smoothly, when temperature are cold outside there is lack of motivation to be outdoors. The next shot was a track shot during longer takes it was difficult to operate the camera because your hands were frozen. Unfortunitly, someone else opearted the camera after I left. But I heard the rest of the filming went smoothly.

Sunday was much more comfortable because we were indoors. We took quite a while to set up the first shot, we made sure all the technical and acting aspects were good before we began. There was also a hallway shot after that. The setup time for that went relatively quicktly.

We are half way through the movie and I'm about to put together a trailer for it. Stay tuned for more details!

how to capture MiniDV to video onto computer

noreply@blogger.com (Azure Production) — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 17:49:00 +0000

Finally the Rimage printer has arrived..... in New York City. I've recently purchased it on ebay, and my cousins from New York will be bringing it to my location. This baby can duplicate and print thermal full colour labels on your disc, can't wait to try it out.

Anyway, I stumbled upon some freinds recently that needed help in capturing video. To capture from MiniDV to computer simply place the tape in your camcorder that has 1394 firewire cable on it.

1) Open Sony Vegas select file then select capture video.
2) Choose capture DV video (or HD depending on your format).
3) Another window will appear
4) Select where you would want to save your footage under the tab "Disk Management"
5) Select ok.
6) To capture the footage into 1 single file and not let Vegas choose the scenes for you, go to Options and select preferences. Go to the Capture tab and uncheck "unable scene detection"
7) Select Capture tape the unit will automatically rewind the tape and capture itself.

Generally you'll want to capture at 720X480 frame size at 29.92fps NTSC (North America) and 44Hz uncompressed for audio. a 1 hr MiniDV tape will take up about 13GB of space. Hope this tip helps out for you. Merry Chrismas!

helping out on a friends project

noreply@blogger.com (Azure Production) — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 02:00:00 +0000

Wow, finally we're working on something here, just been very busy at work these days. Its been a while but we've just started production in a movie directed by my friend. I'm working as DP. I'll also be working on another short exercise with my brother this Christmas Season. Maybe I can get my cousin visiting from New York to visit guest star in it. Stay tuned as I'll be posting more information up, maybe some behind the scenes pictures from the shoot. I don't want to release the name of the title yet. Its going to be surprise.

Anyway, here's a video tip/question I recently received.

Question: My DVD won't play on my DVD player.

1) Try to look at the bottom of the disc to see if there are any scratches or dirt and oil. If there is, clean it off by rubbing the disc center out.
2) Make sure the bottom of the disc is facing the ground when placing the disc into the machine
3) Try to see if the DVD will work on a different DVD player or computer.

Slowly coming along

noreply@blogger.com (Azure Production) — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 18:55:00 +0000

Finally got some time to find a good script from a movie. Has some good dialogue, but not sure when I'll be actually be filming it. Perhaps during the Christmas holiday when my cousin's arrive from New York? Fresh crew new ideas?

Been quite busy with my video editing services recently, trying to push my duplication services a little more. Just got a industrial machine that can print thermal colour, it will be here in December, can't wait to use it.

Lucas is doing a new movie, we're having auditions at the Ralph Thornton Centre tomorrow (Nov 22) The majority of the filming will happen at my new place. Can't wait to work on that project. For now Stay tuned!

New Script

noreply@blogger.com (Azure Production) — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 05:35:00 +0000

Two projects are currently in post production, but will take a while to put together since everyone has work and school. Dont' worry guys, trying to output something fresh, and different everytime. Stayed tuned!

Ideas for script?

noreply@blogger.com (Azure Production) — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 04:32:00 +0000

Me and my brother are planning to do a two minute dialogue scene about anything! Anyone have any ideas? Let us know by sending you ideas or scripts and get your name in the credits.

Greenscreen or CG?

noreply@blogger.com (Azure Production) — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 18:19:00 +0000

Greenscreen or computer generated?

Today many movies use CG to create a model then animate so that it will fit into the live action. I see that more and more independent filmmakers are also using this technique, but for people that aren't computer savvy there is another solution to create your model.

For me, using 3D Studio Max or Cinema 4D will take me weeks of learning. In one of my movies a helicopter was to be flying top of a car driving down the highway. How did I think of doing this since I did not know how to animate and build models via computer? I purchased a model helicopter, and filmed it in front of a greenscreen taking into consideration of the lighting and position of camera, the blades weren't rotating, but I've angled in a position in which I will be able to rotate them in post afterwards. I then I filmed the background plate with the cars moving also taking note of the camera angle and lighting, then used After Effects to composite the shots together.

I've used a mask to remove the fixed blades, then used a single clear image of a blade and placed it into the shot. Of course the footage on the helicopter is moving, so I had to track the blades onto the helicopter so that it looked as if the blades were on it. Together with the blade stuck on the helicopter, I've took the entire shot of the helicopter and placed it onto the live action plate with the cars. The camera was moving in this shot, so I had to track the helicopter in. Now that the helicopter is in the shot, for every frame, I've turn on and off the opacity of the blades giving the illusion that the blades are rotating.

All that's left is the shadow of the helicopter, and I had to colour correct the helicopter to match the live action plate. Then did another colour pass for it to match the rest of the footage.

This shot was about 2 seconds in length and took me about 3 days to put everything together learning several new techniques on the way, if I used a 3d software application, for me, it will personally take me much longer.

So for those people out there that aren't computer savvy, greenscreen models may be the way to approach the shot. You can also film your talent on a greenscreen background then track them onto the model. You can also research on matte painting, 3d tracking, set extensions to help build that scene that your looking for! Thanks for reading.

Long nights, lack of sleep

noreply@blogger.com (Azure Production) — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 05:06:00 +0000

Work has been picking up, I guess its becuase most everyone's back from the summer holiday. Got to juggle between the volunteer work and paid work. This year, I'm volunteering to film the spelling competition again, I hope I can get better coverage and audio this time. Maybe if there's a small budget, I can hook up the mics all into one board.

I haven't really gotten a chance to think of a movie yet. Its very difficult. I'm thinking something along the line of comedy or drama, but the most part is to concentrate on the technical side of things. The acting... not so important for this particular situation, this would be more like an exercise for us.

So, a new project?

noreply@blogger.com (Azure Production) — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 01:21:00 +0000

Making that Animal Movie was a lot of fun. Over the days I was thinking of a title for it, and I've came up with "Blood Water" What do you guys think?

Anyway, my friend and I were thinking of another short film to do. This time we will treat it more like an exercise. We'll probably have 1 or 2 scenes, and each of us will take turns rotating roles (directing, acting, camera...) in hopes to refine and gain more film making experience. And at the same time just to hang out with old buddies from highschool again. What do you think our next short should be? Feel free to leave a comment! Be Cool

How to detect Internet Fraud

noreply@blogger.com (Azure Production) — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 05:40:00 +0000

Over the years, I have placed many ads onto free online classifiedss. I have recently come accross some internet fraud that I would like to share. A couple weeks ago, there was a person asking for this VCR I was selling. He didn't want to look at it, he never gave me his contact information even when I requested for it. I also realize that over several emails, he has been asking the same questions I've already answered. This felt very suspecious because he seems to be forgetting my answers, and he's not giving an information out that I've requested, and he also wouldn't want to check out the VCR. He said he was on a business trip and cannot make it, but he'll send the money order .

Finally after several weeks, the money order came. It was late. I looked very closely at this money order. first of all, it was more than I was asking for, he had instructions to tell me to cash out the asking price for the VCR and send the rest to him. I hesitated, I told him that I will not respond until he has given me his mailing address so I can mail this money order back. He never responded. I also looked at the date stamp on the envelope, and the date on the Money order. It was mailed from France, and arrived at the same day in Toronto (The bank where the money order was issued) I did a scan on this money order and realize that it does not exist. I believe the reason why he kept forgetting my answers was because he's dealing with more than 1 person at the same time and he's getting confused.

My conclusion is that I believe if I did cash out the money order and send the remaining balance, he will take that cash, then I'll later realize that the money order bounced? The money order was a fake. I'm only guessing, I'm not sure what his intenstions were.

There were many similar incident that happened like this one above. For example, there were a few people asking to rent my place and said they will deliver the money in advance. I just told them that I'm dealing locally and said once you've arrived, I will find a place for you.

Just becarefull out there, especially when people hesitate to give information such as a contact number. Or where they say they're out of town and will deliver the money in advance. Even when it arrives, really check and scan the cheques before hand. If I were you, I will only deal face to face. But becarefull, don't meet any strangers in the dark alley way. Maybe at a large intersection in the day light where everyone can see you. Or at a coffee shop when dealing with these kinds of transactions.

New movie completed!

noreply@blogger.com (Azure Production) — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 23:27:00 +0000

Wow, finally its completed. This 4 minute movie took about a month to put together. The first day, we filmed all the action sequences with the actors, then whenever we got the chance, we filmed the background plates for the live action. I also used a lot of visual effects, such as greensceen removal for the driving scenes, and models (helicopter), 3D tracking with Boujou. We also learned how to paint out the background and add in an object, or a city like the one you see near the end of the movie in these pictures. It was a lot of fun fooling around with this stuff. We also applied the same technique for the car damage. We took a picture of a damaged car, colour corrected, tracked the shot, and placed it above the live action. If the actor covered the picture, we would have to rotoscope it almost frame by frame

The shooting schedule was a killer like usual, we never have enough time to film anything. But without the crew we had, and the actors we've cast, this short film wouldn't of become a vision.

Also check out some more pictures at: Our Gallery"

Enjoy the movie!: watch

my first real fx movie

noreply@blogger.com (Azure Production) — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 19:48:00 +0000

Its been several months of greenscreen testing. Then, out of coincident I thought of this new idea, so made it into a movie, turn out to be one of the most hours spent on AE I've ever done. Luckily thanks to many tutorials which helped me out on this project.

Check out this 10 second spot:

http://www.azureproduction.com/animal.wmv

Helicopter greenscreen?

noreply@blogger.com (Azure Production) — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 06:14:00 +0000

We are about to wrap on on the post-production of our new movie. I'm trying to add a helicopter into the shot via greenscreen. I think the most difficult part is the make the blades rotate. I'm thinking to do it in post. I don't want to cut out the existing blades, so I'll have to paint most of that out frame by frame, then add the rotating blades in afterwards. The movie is looking great, I can't wait to show you guys. Here are a couple of pictures from the set

greenscreen keying

noreply@blogger.com (Azure Production) — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 05:32:00 +0000

While putting this new movie together, it was really my first time using a greenscreen for a movie. I've done tests in the past which was extremely difficult to remove that greenscreen with clean edges. During this shoot, we had little time, my brother and my friend help hold up the greenscreen for that entire shot. I have to say it was pretty tiring for them. Once in the editing room. I used After Effects and key light to remove the green. Then I used a matte choker to clean up the edges. It turned out pretty good after I added in the reflections, blur and glow. I can't wait to show it to you guys. The movie is almost done. I'm waiting for the helicopter I purchased on Ebay to fit it into the shot.

New movie coming soon!

noreply@blogger.com (Azure Production) — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 15:06:00 +0000

We are currently working on a new movie on animal rights. Stay tuned for more information. The project is now in its editing process.

Priya's Passion movie completed!

noreply@blogger.com (Azure Production) — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 01:46:00 +0000

After a tight schedule of pre-production, filming and editing, we've finally completed Priya's Passion. We've recieved 4 awards at the University of Toronto Scarborough Campus taking in Outstanding Film, Best Editing, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Actor. You can view the movie here

Many people also asked about the visual effects. There were a couple special effects shot in the movie.

During the concert scene, there wasn't any piano. We only had the piano chair. We had to comp in the piano by taking a picture of a real grand piano in the same position as you see on the video. You noticed that in some shots, the camera was moving, in order to match the camera's movement with the piano so that it looks like it was "stuck" there, we tracked some points in the concert hall, then place the piano on top of the footage. We then colour corrected the piano to match the surrounding enviroment. Afterwards we did another colour pass for the entire shot.

The audiences in the concert scene were also added in. We filmed each person in front of a greescreen, we then removed the screen and place it on top of the composition. The lighting and camera angle had to match the concert hall footage, or else it may not match. It took a long time for the computer to render the footage.

During the fight scene, the blood was also added into the shot when Raj was punched by Davon. The blood came from stock footage which had a black background. We removed it, and positioned it into the footage. We added motion blur and colour corrected it to match the surrounding enviroment. When Raj moved his head, we had to re-position the blood to stay in the correct location. We also had to add a mask to give the feeling that the blood was in front front Raj.

I want to thank everyone that has helped out with this movie. I appreciate all the support and consistant hard work. We had difficult times but we've pulled through. I can't wait to work on the next project with you guys.

The DVD is also now available

Priya's Passion

noreply@blogger.com (Azure Production) — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 05:22:00 +0000

This movie was one of the best projects I've ever worked on. It was a lot of fun, and it was also very exhausting.

The project first came to me back in January, 2008. I read the script and decided to change it up. We had a couple of writers working on this one to come up with the idea. After many drafts we were finally ready to move on.

By February, we were preparing to film, everyone met up for the first time, and went through the first rehearsal. We've secured the location at the apartment at the last minute. We've also experienced many problems in this film, some people couldn't help us at the last minute, locations were difficult to secure, and many other technical problems as well. But at the end we finally put everything together.

A lot of new people helped out on this project, at first I was sceptical about their dedication, but I realize that they were very responsible and hard working people. By the end of February, we were 60% completed. Then all of a sudden, our restaurant location couldn't accommodate us anymore. Once again, I was back searching for another location. Luckily my friend Mas was able to help us out.

We've finally came crashing to the end of production and editing was time consuming. The special effects where we had to comp in the piano in the concert scene took forever to render, but at the end it was hardly noticeable. Some of the shots didn't make it to the final movie, but played an important role for the actors to adjust to their characters. Richard Taylor was also kind enough to compose some of the music for us.

By March, the movie was finally put together. We had our first screening for the cast and crew and everyone took notes for the changes. This week, we will be releasing it to the public for the first time at the film festival at University of Toronto in Scarborough.

This movie gave us more experience about how the film industry works. We've came from different backgrounds and we've shared our knowledge amongst each other. I had a great time working with everyone, and I think we had a lot of fun. I hope you'll enjoy the movie as much as we enjoyed working on it!

View Trailer

New Short Movie

noreply@blogger.com (Azure Production) — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 07:18:00 +0000

I haven't wrote on this blog for a while. I've been trying to concentrate on starting up a business on the other site. Its been hectic. I'm also trying to put together a music video but haven't gotten a chance to start it. The music has been completed, just got to put time into it.

Over the last few months, I've been working with some friends on their projects and also my brother's. Ian Chow has made a new short movie for his University project, you can view it here. Hopefully I'll get some updated pictures about what we've been doing lately. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to leave a message in our contact page

New music video

noreply@blogger.com (Azure Production) — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 15:09:00 +0000

It's been a while since I've wrote onto this blog, but I've been busy. I'm currently starting a new project, a music video which is about two parents that never gets to spend enough time with there kid, as he grows up, their kid never gets to spend time with his children. So the cycle continues. I'm having a composer working on the music right now, its amazing!

I've also got an office in downtown working on video production, hopefully things will work out as work becomes more busy. I'll keep you posted!

Toronto films and movies

noreply@blogger.com (Azure Production) — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 21:03:00 +0000

Film is a term that encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. Films are produced by recording images from the world with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or special effects.

Films are cultural artifacts created by specific cultures, which reflect those cultures, and, in turn, affect them. Film is considered to be an important art form, a source of popular entertainment, and a powerful method for educating -or indoctrinating- citizens. The visual elements of cinema give motion pictures a universal power of communication; some movies have become popular worldwide attractions, by using dubbing or subtitles that translate the dialogue.

Traditional films are made up of a series of individual images called frames. When these images are shown rapidly in succession, a viewer has the illusion that motion is occurring. The viewer cannot see the flickering between frames due to an effect known as persistence of vision — whereby the eye retains a visual image for a fraction of a second after the source has been removed. Viewers perceive motion due to a psychological effect called beta movement.

Toronto films - compositing

noreply@blogger.com (Azure Production) — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 04:54:00 +0000

The art of compositing is that of combining two images, or elements of two images, together into one seamless shot. This can be done through green screen/blue screen, optical printing, and rotoscoping. Nowadays, this is usually done digitally, and often involves the incorporation of 3D models. special effects artists can trace an element in a shot, and the software, such as Apple Shake, will follow that object throughout the duration of the clip. The item can then be extraced from the shot, placed in another shot, and the edges softened or the "layer" colorized to match its new environment.

Compositing is done in layers, such as in programs like Photoshop. Individual layers, each with a certain amount of transparency, are added on top of each other to create a final image. It is necessary that some of the layers be partially transparent, so that they can blend with the other layers, and not dominate the full frame.

Toronto films - tips for filming

noreply@blogger.com (Azure Production) — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 04:24:00 +0000

1. Ensure your subject isn't centred and avoid cutting off people's heads as you would in any photograph. Just as important is ensuring people's legs aren't cut off in long shots. Even if they aren't the focus of your viewers attention, always ensure "complete" people are in view for longs shots.

2. For shots with movement, place the subject in the first or last third of your viewfinder to make the shot instantly more interesting. For static shots, ensure the subjects eyes are in framed a third of the way down the screen. If the subject is looking at something, ensure the object of their attention is placed in the following two thirds and clearly visible.
3. Make sure you shoot from differing angles too. Don't worry about having only one camera - overlapping audio can create the illusion of having more than one camera by keeping the sound constant despite the video cutting to a different angle.

4. Keeping your film rolling also ensures you have enough "room" to edit - and you may catch something you wouldn't have thought of using whilst in post production. If you're worried about battery life, avoid overuse of zooming. If you're going to zoom in, make sure it's for a good reason.

Toronto International Film Festival

noreply@blogger.com (Azure Production) — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 05:45:00 +0000

TIFF, known originally as "The Festival of Festivals", was founded in 1976 at the Windsor Arms Hotel.[1] It began as a collection of the best films from festivals around the world. It has since, through consistent investment and promotion by its organizers and sponsors, grown to become a vital component of Hollywood's marketing machine.

Many notable films have had their global or North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, including Chariots of Fire, The Big Chill, Husbands and Wives, Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould, Downfall, American Beauty, Sideways, Crash, and Shut Up & Sing.
In 2001, Perspective Canada, the program that had focused on Canadian films since 1984, was replaced by two programs:

Canada First!, a forum for Canadian filmmakers presenting their first feature-length work, featuring eight to 15 films, and Short Cuts Canada, which includes 30-40 Canadian short films.

The TIFF Group occasionally polls critics, programmers, and industry professionals, asking them to identify their Top 10 Canadian films. The TIFF Group has conducted three such polls, in 1984, 1993, and 2004.

noreply@blogger.com (Azure Production) — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 00:40:00 +0000

Visual Effects in Film

Special effects (abbreviated SPFX or SFX) are used in the film, television, and entertainment industry to realize scenes that cannot be achieved by live action or normal means.

They are also used when creating the effect by normal means is prohibitively expensive; for example, it would be extremely expensive to construct a 16th century castle or to sink a 20th century ocean liner, but these can be simulated with special effects. With the advent of computer graphics imaging, special effects are also used to enhance previously-filmed elements, by adding, removing or enhancing objects within the scene.

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