#my edit of captured film audio

[another-supernova-girl]

I should not be left alone with audio and video editors. Especially not while under the influence of edibles.

[vivwritesfics]

Handheld Camera

Tyler's best friend and camera person screwing a member of Storm Par? More likely than you think

Warnings: smut, p in v, hate fucking I guess, sex tape, unprotected sex, possible pregnancy

2.7K

"What're you doing?"

The handheld camera was pointed at Tyler as he walked towards her. When he stepped forward, she stepped back, keeping all of him in frame.

It had been a good ride, and she had videoed all of it. Both rounds were on her camera, ready for to be edited and gifted to Tyler. He reached for it, trying to snatch it out of her hands, but she stepped back.

"Come on, Ty!" She said as she stopped filming and put the camera down. "These are gonna be gold when you're a famous bull rider."

That had him grinning as he wrapped his arms around her and led her back to his truck. He wasn't going to tell her that he was rethinking a career as a bull rider, that he was thinking of going to school.

She spent the night clipping up the videos, perfecting the audio and piecing them together. She could have posted it online, drawn more people to Tyler's name.

But she held back. That was a conversation for later.

A conversation that would never come. Before she knew it, Tyler was off to study meteorology and she was, well, left behind.

Left in Oklahoma, working in her parents cafe. She watched the sky as she wiped down tables, thinking of him. Did he miss her as much as she was missing him?

Of course, he came home in the holidays. But he wasn't riding, anymore. He just watched storms, chased them.

At first, she was reluctant to go with him. Why would she throw herself into danger like that? But it had never been easy, saying no to Tyler Owens. Not when he gave her that look that guaranteed fun.

On the first chase, she'd been too scared to do anything other than hold onto her seat. On the second chase, she'd had her camera out the entire time, filming the storm and Tyler.

He was so natural in front of the camera, his personality shining. An idea sparked in her head, one that wouldn't come to fruition just yet.

That came after college, when Tyler was home for good. He was a little lost in what to do next, wanted to do something meaningful with his life. A terrible time to bring up storm chasing on YouTube.

But then they drove through a town, so full of devastation. They stopped, helped where they could, but there wasn't much. Finding people and lost pets.

That was when the idea came to life.

"We start a storm chasing YouTube Channel. We live stream, take the footage for the streams, and clip them up into videos. Ty, we could make so much money." He opened his mouth to protest, but she beat him to it. "And that money could go towards helping people. People who have been ruined by tornadoes."

Tyler went to shake his head, but then he thought about it. "You'd handle the filming and the editing, and I get to just chase storms?"

A grin split across her face. "Exactly, Ty."

He pulled his bottom lip between his teeth, looking like some fucked up rabbit. "I'm gonna regret this," he mumbled and shook his head. "I have a condition."

"Lay it on me."

He stared at her, green eyes sparkling as he let his grin match her own. "I get to put my face on a tee-shirt."

***

Storm Par.

They weren't exactly trouble, more a nuisance. Always getting in the way of a good chase. It made for entertaining videos, if they were allowed to upload them.

They couldn't help what they captured on livestream. But that email she had received from a member of the Storm Par legal team had her editing the white trucks out of any clips she had before she uploaded them onto YouTube.

She remembered the first time she laid eyes on him.

Her camera was in front of her face, capturing footage of the storm to later use in the video. It was beautiful, something she didn't understand as well as Tyler.

But then she zoomed out, captured the storm with the wheat field beneath it. And the man in the hat and sunglasses. The tall man, who she could tell was scowling. He didn't even need to remove his glasses.

Ending the recording, she lowered the camera and looked at him. "Can I help you?" She asked, voice a little snippier than she meant for it to be.

He pulled his glasses off of his nose and let his expression soften as he looked at her. What was he thinking? What thoughts were turning over in his mind.

"You like storms?" He asked. For just a second, it sounded like a pickup line.

She looked down at her camera? "Like storms?" A grin crossed her face. "Oh, no. I record them because I hate them."

The sarcasm wasn't missed. It wasn't unappreciated, either. He stepped closer and tucked his glasses into the breast pocket of his white shirt. "I actually chase storms," he said. "As my job."

"Really?" Her eyebrows shot up. This was before Storm Par and Tyler's little gang of chasers were really aware of each other. They knew one another was out there, getting in each others way, but not more than that. "Must be exciting."

"It is," he answered. "You get right up close to the danger."

"Is that all you do? Just chase them?"

He shook his head. "My team and I study them. We collect data on them to... help people." The way he said it, the way he paused. He knew he was spouting shit.

Before she could say anything more to the man from Storm Par (their hottest member, if you held a gun to her head and asked her), Tyler called her name. "We gotta go!" He shouted.

The man's eyes widened. "See ya, Storm Par," she said and saluted to him with just two fingers. She left him standing there as she ran over to Tyler's truck and climbed into the passenger seat.

They encountered each other on the chase, him staring at her through the window. Every time she pointed her camera at him, he looked back at the road.

Storm Par turned left at the fork in the road, and they turned right. Storm Par's tornado died, but theirs stayed strong. She buckled herself in and held the camera up as they drove into the tornado.

Storm Par parked up at the same motel they did. She locked eyes with him as she climbed out of the truck.

It was almost like he couldn't stop himself as he strode towards her. "You work with a bunch of cowboys," he said and chewed the gum in his mouth.

She released a flirtatious giggle. "Thank you," she said and blinked at him. His sunglasses no longer sat on his face and she could finally see his pretty eyes. They really were pretty. "You work with a bunch of stuck up assholes." She looked him up and down. "And you're the biggest stuck up asshole of them all."

Suddenly she was against the wall and his lips were against hers. The way she ran her fingers through his hair was almost feverish, knocking his hat from his head as he pressed his hips against hers.

"I can't fucking stand you," he growled out between kisses.

"I hate you too."

But he pulled her away from the wall and up to his room. It was nothing fancy, just a bed, a television, and a dingy bathroom. It was an exact copy of her own room, but that wasn't what she cared about at he threw her onto the bed.

That night was the first time they hooked up. He pulled down her jeans and discarded them on the floor, along with her shirt. She didn't even know his name as she rolled onto her stomach.

He grabbed her hips and held her up, thumb stroking over her skin as he entered her. That was sweet. The kisses he dropped onto her back were sweet.

But that was where the sweetness stopped. He snapped his hips against hers, setting a brutal pace. The bed beneath them squeaked, but it was drowned out by her whines and moans, her cries for more.

He grunted, tipping his head back. Sweat dripped down his face and his grip on her was bruising. She was loving every second of it.

Her legs spasmed, giving out ad she came. She clenched around him, the only thing holding her up being his strong grip. But he kept coming, kept burning the tip of his cock between her spongy walls.

But he was getting sloppy, his thrusts deeper, holding himself inside of her for longer. His breaths came out in short pants, spilling himself inside of her.

Breathless, he let go of her, let her collapse onto the bed. He fell down beside her, neither of them touching.

Her mouth was dry, throat somewhat sore as she looked at him. This wasn't how things were supposed to be post sex. She shivered as she shuffled closer, not close enough to touch.

"What's your name?" She asked, the question barely audible.

"Scott," he answered and shuffled back against the headboard.

The way he was staring down at her, she couldn't tell what he wanted. If he wanted her to get up and leave, or stay for a moment longer and tell him her name.

She was thinking too hard and too much, Scott decided as he scooted down the bed. Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her against his chest. "This can't happen again," he said as she let her hand settle against his beating heart.

"No," she agreed, voice croaking. "It can't."

Spoiler alert, it happened again.

They weren't always after the same tornado, weren't always on the same chase. But every time that red truck pulled in where they were, Scott couldn't help the way his heartbeat quickened.

If they were chasing the same storm, they ended up in each others bed.

At first, it was just sex. Sex with cuddling after (because Scott knew she needed it). But it turned into something more when he sat there reading while she edited their videos.

"I've had an idea," she said one evening as she let Scott into her hotel room. Her camera was in her hand, held down by her side.

Scott's stomach dropped. "We're not making a sex tape," he immediately said as he sat on the bed and toed off his shoes.

Sinking into his lap, she wrapped her arms around him. "C'mon, Scott. I just want to get a quick video of how hot you look while I'm riding you. Just for the Scott files."

The Scott files. A collection of every time she had edited him out of their videos. The collection of angry faces had turned into him unable to hide his smile.

Grinning, she pushed him down onto the bed. Scott held her hips as he looked up at her, the camera already in front of her face. The red light flashed as she began moving her hips.

Scott squeezed her hips but gave nothing away on his face. So, she put the camera down and unbuttoned his shirt.

He laid there, let her work. She unbuttoned his shirt and let it fall open. Grabbing the camera, she held it in front of her face once again, filming herself dragging her nails down his chest.

Throwing his head back, Scott let out a throaty moan. She caught it all on camera.

She opened his trousers and freed him. Scott sucked in a breath as she wrapped her fingers around him. The camera stayed focused on his face as she pumped her hand once, twice and then released him.

His eyes flew open and he glared down at her. But it was short lived. She put down the camera and began stripping off. The moment she grabbed the bottom of her shirt, Scott reached for the camera and held it up, capturing her as she stripped.

She was gorgeous. Scott already knew that, but this he wanted to keep forever.

Dropping her underwear, she reached for the camera once again. "Give it," she said and snatched it away from him.

Sitting on his lap, she concentrated the camera back on his face and ground against him. "Fuck," he breathed and reached for her hips. "Please, cowgirl."

Cowgirl. When had he started calling her that? It had started as an insult, she knew that much. But she loved it. Lifting her hips, Scott positioned himself beneath her and she sank herself down onto him.

Scott sucked in a breath. The camera was trained on him as she began to move. He gripped her hips, helping her to keep a steady rhythm.

She tried to keep the camera trained on Scott as she rode him. But it kept dropping, and it took her a moment to get it focused back on his face. But Scott took the camera from her hands. He put it down on the bed, pulled her to lay against him, and took charge.

The camera kept recording on the bed. It didn't capture much, and the audio wasn't as clear as she wanted it to be. When Scott came, throwing his head back, the camera just about caught it.

***

"Have you got yesterdays footage?" Tyler asked as he walked into her motel room.

Folding her arms over her chest, she grinned as she looked at her best friend. "Yesterdays footage, huh?" She asked and cocked her eyebrow. "What do you want with that?"

Tyler held his hands up in defence, but he was grinning. "Just science, I swear," he said quickly.

Just science and Kate was how she read it. Ever since they'd met Kate, Tyler had requested more footage than he usually wanted to see. But she didn't mind. Tyler was a lonely guy; she was going to do anything she could to help him get some.

"Yeah, it's on my laptop," she said and pointed to her desk.

Tyler walked over to the laptop. He opened the lid and typed in her password (of course he knew it, it was the same password as their YouTube Channel).

The laptop took a moment to load up. It was old, and she was putting a small fund together to get a new one, a better one for video editing. Her editing software opened, the screen blank for a moment.

But then the last thing she was working on, the last video she was editing, came up on her laptop.

"What the hell is this?"

She turned on her heel. There it was on her laptop screen, the video she had taken all those weeks ago. The editing process had been slow, since Scott would watch over her shoulder, start kissing her neck and pull her onto the bed.

Tyler looked back at her. He knew the face on the screen, the man that was staring at the camera as he moaned. "Is that Storm Par?" He asked. "Are you sleeping with Storm Par?"

She swallowed. But then she steadied herself, holding her head up high. "So what if I am?"

Tyler shrugged his shoulders. "Sleep with whoever," he said and clicked out of the editing software, minimising the screen. He didn't need to be seeing that. "As long as he's good to you and you're not getting hurt, you can sleep with who you want."

She released a deep, relieved breath. Hiding all of this from Tyler had been no easy task. She'd almost slipped up, almost mentioned something 'she and Scott' had seen the night before.

Tyler opened his arms and she fell into them, holding her best friend close. "He's not hurting you, is he?"

She shook her head. "He's good to me, Ty," she mumbled and shut her eyes. It felt so good to be in Tyler's arms again.

Neither of them were aware of how late her period was.

[commsroom]

OK I need you to point me to the nearest entry point into this fandom. I don’t know what this is, but you popped up on my dash.. and I need to know what this is. Please lead the way.

oh!! that's exciting. yes. okay!! wolf 359 is a science fiction audio drama about the isolated and questionably competent crew of a deep space research station, the u.s.s. hephaestus. the initial four characters are comms officer doug eiffel, 'everyman' pop culture guy who really, really hates his job; commander minkowski, who cares about her job and the rulebooks that come with it a little too much, and desperately wants to feel like she's keeping everything under control; dr. hilbert... eccentric? station medical officer and mad scientist whose methods and mission objectives are not entirely above board; and hera, the station's mother program, who struggles with her job and the ways she's perceived by others.

there are other characters who show up later - i would say only three of the above characters are "main" characters, while the actual fourth main character is introduced in s2 - but that requires way more context, and i don't want to get into spoilers, obviously.

wolf 359 is a character drama - it's my personal gold standard for character writing - and the brief descriptions i gave you are the most surface, surface level parts of them. the writers once said something about it, like... that they weren't interested in subverting typical sci-fi character archetypes so much as looking at them and asking "why would a real person behave that way?" and i think it really worked. whether i like them or not, they all feel like real people to me. it has great sound design and a lot of "physicality" in the performances for an audio-only show, which i think comes down to gabriel urbina's film background and the way the scripts are written and performed. (and alan rodi's incredible soundtrack and sense for music cues.) you can't see a lot of what's in the scripts, but they're acted out in a way that you can kinda feel it anyway. i love that.

here's a fan made trailer that i think captures a lot of the right energy. it's a show about a lot of things, but some of the primary themes are communication + music, and i think the collaborative nature of the show itself adds something very sincere to that. it's also about corporate and medical exploitation, resisting dehumanization, what makes us human, connection, identity and autonomy, guilt and accountability, the stories people tell themselves to justify who they are or what they feel it's necessary for them to do, and, of course, the enduring philosophical question: "what's wrong with handcuffs?"

you can check it out at the website i linked above, or anywhere you can listen to podcast feeds! it's free, but they added ads a few years ago, which i hate, so you can pay a dollar here for the ad-free feed if that'll make a big difference in your ability to enjoy it: https://www.patreon.com/Wolf359Radio

it's a sequential story, nothing you really need to know about listening order except that i recommend not skipping the mini episodes (they have important character context and are where they are in the feed for a reason) (with the exception of mission mishaps ones near the end; those are comedy bonus episodes you can listen to whenever) and that you should definitely watch the live show after ep 26 and listen to special episode change of mind between s3 and s4.

i also have a folder here of every recording script where i edited any parts that were different from the show's dialogue + added transcripts for the ones that didn't have available recording scripts, if that's something you'd find useful! i also recommend checking them out just to see what i mean about how they're written.

the first season is pretty short, so i'd say stick with it until at least episode 12/13 (two part finale) if you can - i love the first season, personally, but that's the point it really becomes serialized, and so that's where i think you can safely say if it's something that's going to capture your interest or not. ... and that's it! sorry this is kind of an essay, but i got excited about it. i hope you love the show, please keep me updated, and let me know if there's anything else!!

[thefanficmonster]

hii could i request a Seth Borden x gn!reader where the readers been teasing him abt being scared while they’re filming a haunted video and then they comfort him when he gets genuinely scared?? TYY

Hi sweetheart! Thank you so much for the request! I hope you enjoy the fic <3

Lots of love, Vy 💌

Safety Blanket

Pairing: Seth Borden x Reader (Gender Neutral)

Warnings: Swearing, Ghostly activity, Paranormal Investigations

Genre: Fluff, Comfort, RPF (Real Person Fic)

Summary: see request above

"What's up guys, it's Sam and Colby!" I mentally check out for a few seconds as Sam and Colby start filming the intro to their video as Seth and I idle around in the background. "Today, we'll be investigating one of the most brutal prisons in US history." Colby explains to the camera, turning to Sam to give him his cue.

"The Darkmont Correctional Facility in Huntsville, Alabama." The blond declares before turning off the. "We'll film the history segment inside, it's too windy out here. The audio will be a bitch to edit." He tells us, tilting his head to the entrance gates of the massive and downright terrifying building that has been abandoned for decades.

A shiver runs down my spine as I look up at it. Not so much out of fear, more so excitement. I was an urban explorer long before meeting and dating Seth, let alone Sam and Colby. I have a decent pile of trespassing charges under my belt but my adventures never included dabbling into the paranormal. It brings a whole new level of adrenaline to the table and it always makes for a remarkable experience, especially with these guys.

Seth, on the other hand, approaches the paranormal with much more skepticism and a ton more fear which I believe contradict one another - how can you be afraid of something you don't believe in? But alas, I don't fight him on it, I know it's pointless.

Messing with him, however, works like a charm.

I take my opportunity to do just that when I see him very visibly gulp as he takes in the exterior of the prison as we enter the courtyard past the giant metal gates the tour-guide left open for us.

"Someone's looking paler than usual." I poke his side with my finger, hitting a particularly ticklish spot that causes him to jump.

He grabs my hand, lacing our fingers together, "Not at all, I've seen worse." He shrugs, feigning nonchalance with a simple shrug even though I can clearly see the goosebumps on his skin.

"Whatever you say, babe." I mock him with a pout, dragging him along with me, forcing some speed in his steps to catch up with the guys.

The interior is infinitely worse than the exterior. It's stonewall, concrete and metal wherever the eye can see - which isn't much considering how dark it is. No lights are on, the only visibility being provided by the daylight seeping in through the barred up windows. It's a pretty cloudy day so there's not much of said daylight to go around either.

In short, it's the perfect atmosphere.

That's only confirmed further when I feel Seth's hand tightening its hold on mine, seeking the comfort he's too prideful to actually ask for.

"Welcome, yall." A deep voice with a southern drawl catches our attention out of the blue, startling us. Well, some more than others considering I didn't fail to pick on Seth's little jump out of the corner of my eye. I can't help but laugh, causing him to blush.

The voice belongs to our tour-guide Alan. He greets us each individually before starting the tour, telling us the stories stemming from this place. Sam, Colby and I take turns holding the main camera, capturing different angles as we walk through the eerie halls and cells. Seth tried helping out as well but his hands are too unsteady to get any usable footage so he's just taken to carrying the bag with the equipment and holding my hand as if I'm the scared one.

As the tour comes to an end, Alan turns off the lights he had turned on at the beginning, wishes us luck and sets off on his way, saying he hopes to see us all alive and well in the morning. It's the cherry on top of the terror cake he'd made with the history of the place as well as visitor horror stories. He gave us further proof of the paranormal activity in the place with pictures and recordings that Seth discreetly avoided looking at for too long.

The early hours of the night are upon us at this point and we've switched over to flashlights and the camera light to guide ourselves around the premises. Sam and Colby excuse themselves to the so called 'taming dungeon' to film the history segment for the video.

I walk around, looking at the marks on the stone walls while Seth remains rigid and jumpy in the middle of the large space that used to be a lobby. When I stray down the hall, following a trail of what I hope is paint on the wall, he jogs to catch up, prompting a laugh from me.

"Don't worry, babe. I ain't going anywhere. You're alright. The ghosts aren't coming to get you....yet." I add the last part with a low whisper and a tickle to the back of his neck. I've come to realize that defocusing his attention from the fear factor and instead move it to our banter is the best course of action. He'll never admit he's scared, so the best I can do is try and actually make him forget he's scared.

"Shut up..." He laughs, tickling my side as a counter-attack. "You're the worst."

I grin up at him, "Oh you love it."

Something tells me it's gonna be a pretty long night.

* * * *

"Is it just me or is it freezing in here?" Seth speaks up as we migrate from one floor onto the next after a brief investigation with the flashlights and other equipment. The spirits are talkative but dodged properly answering any of the questions we asked. They actually appeared to be talking amongst themselves more than us but it was still informative.

"I think it's cause you're a little bitch." Colby, who's also been put on edge by the activity we've gotten so far, replies. He masks his own fear by messing with the rest of us and I respect that. I'm doing the same.

"Oh fuck you!" Seth laughs, lightly punching his arm, "Y/N back me up here!"

Sam and I have already begun setting up the flashlights and REM pod so I'm partially distracted when I turn my head to look at the two. I glance between them, Colby giving me a fast nod. "Yeah, whatever Colby said." I shrug, evoking two completely different reactions from them.

As soon as we start, we are basically told to leave. We try to get a few questions in to try and ease up the tension but the spirit's opinion doesn't change - he wants us gone. And I can't blame him, if I died in this horrible place the last thing I'd want is to talk about it.

With that last group investigation we reach the audience favorite - and Seth's most dreaded - part: the solo investigations.

A game of rock-paper-scissors decides the areas we'd be covering: Colby takes the attic, Seth is on the second floor, I get the ground floor and Sam takes the basement somewhat voluntarily - something I greatly admire. We each take a piece of equipment with us and we split up.

"Hey..." I take Seth's hand before he follows Colby up the stairs, "I'm just a flight of stairs away. If you get freaked out, just call out to me, I'll meet you at these stairs, ok?"

He gives my hand a reassuring squeeze, and truthfully - I needed that. "I'll be ok, I hope. But the same goes for you. Anything happens, I'll be right down."

With a parting kiss, we each begin our investigations.

I, for some reason, chose the music box to be my piece of equipment. I've placed it at the beginning of the main hallway and take a seat in a fold up chair, turning on night vision on my camera.

"Here goes nothing. I'll be fine, I'm far more worried about Seth, he hasn't been handling the night very well..." just as I say that I hear a voice and my heart nearly drops in my ass. Turns out I haven't been handling it all too well either, considering Sam's faint voice was enough to send me into cardiac arrest.

I take a deep breath, willing myself to actually say something to the potential presence keeping me company at the moment. Just then, the music box whirrs to life, playing its creepy tune for a good couple of seconds, as if encouraging me. "Hi, are you here in the hall with me?"

The answer is almost immediate as the music box comes to life once more.

"Were you a prisoner here?" I ask once the tune has stopped playing. I get no answer so I try again, "A guard?"

There it is, I think as the music creepily bounces off the walls in the quiet space. Sam has walked to a different part of the basement because I can no longer hear him. It makes the situation much more eerie, makes me feel much more alone.

I throw out a few more questions with no outcome that can be considered content worthy so I begrudgingly decide to relocate to somewhere else on the floor. Just as I grab he music box to turn it off, I hear a huge crash from upstairs and a string of curses that quickly get louder, accompanied with footsteps approaching the staircase behind me.

I quickly flick on the camera light, illuminating Seth who gallops down the stairs with inhuman speed. I barely manage to catch him, placing my hands on his arms in order to slow him into a halt and stabilize him. He's shaking like a leaf, his eyes are wide and his face has reached a sickly shade of pale.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, what happened?" I ask as I pull him into a hug, "Hey, you're ok, you're ok. Everything's ok."

I see Sam peep his head up from the staircase, coming up from the basement, alerted by the noise. "What's wrong?" He asks as he jogs over to us. Colby is nowhere to be found, clearly oblivious to what happened.

"I...oh fuck...." Seth mutters, his breathing still heavy, "I mean, I got what I asked for. I wanted a clear sign and a door slammed shut. It freaked me the fuck out." He explains, still extremely shaken up but a bit calmer as he clings to me.

"Ok, ok, well that's great." I see the conflict on Sam's face, balancing between excitement over the footage Seth captured and worry for his friend. "Are you alright? Take a breather, stay here. I'll go grab Colby and we'll do the Estes method when you're ready." He says calmingly, his gaze fixating on me for rational and coherent responses but all I can do is nod, my full focus is taken up by Seth.

"Yeah, yeah I'm good. Holy shit, that was insane, though." He manages to say, tapping Sam on the shoulder, "Go get Colby."

I lead my boyfriend over to the chair I was previously occupying and sit him down, crouching in front of him, "You captured something incredible back there, babe. You're incredible!" My hands rest on his knees as I too still am wrapping my brain around what happened just now. "Whoever was there with you can't hurt you. You're stronger than them and you have authority. Hey, they might like you, even! I barely got anything down here. The spirits must really like you to shut a whole ass door for you." I'm rambling, I'm aware, but it seems to be working since Seth is smiling now, some color having returned to his cheeks.

He lets out a chuckle as he runs a hand through his hair, "Well, I am the distant relative of a murderer. That's gotta count for something." He says, making me laugh.

"That's what I'm talking about." I smile up at him, my thumb drawing abstract patterns on his knee, relieved to see he's feeling better already.

"Thank you." He adds after a stretch of silence, "You're like my safety blanket." His hand cups my cheek, automatically prompting me to lean into his touch immediately.

"Happily, babe." I slowly rise up so I can lean in and meet him halfway.

Just as our lips are within a millimeter, we hear pure disbelief echo off the walls as two pairs of footsteps rush down the stairs. "A fucking door slammed shut?!!" Colby shouts breathlessly, causing us both to burst out laughing.

[zannolin]

now that my break and my four-disc edition of narnia has arrived i am going to subject you all to the things i am obsessing over or thought were very fun from the audio commentaries and bonus stuff that i KNOW has been talked about elsewhere i'm sure but NOT ON MY BLOG! so here's a list of stuff i'm foaming at the mouth over from the filmmakers' (not the actors') commentary on LWW:

knew this already but to hear it made me scream; it was peter's plan to use the gryphons bombarding the witch's army with rocks at the beginning of the battle of beruna, and he got that idea from the blitz bombings that the movie itself opens with. GOD.

they shot the film as much in chronological order as they could, despite it being inefficient, because they wanted to capture the changes that narnia (the atmosphere, the exercise, the scenes, etc) would bring out in each character/actor.

every line in the set built for the wardrobe is directing the viewer's eye to the wardrobe itself. the decision to cover it was last-minute and somewhat debated because it wasn't originally in the book, but everyone agreed it was 100% worth it for the effect.

they were not able to make the wardrobe out of apple wood like it is in the books but they WANTED TO and made it out of the closest they could get which. god. i love when people CARE.

a bunch of the furniture in the set of the professor's house is literal antique english furniture??? for the accuracy and the vibe???

everyone talks about how skandar was the last one cast and how he spent a lot of time off filming on his own and thus hit all the right vibes of being the odd one out, BUT did you know while they really liked william, anna, and georgie for the other pevensies, they weren't going to cast any of them unless all four actors (whichever four that may be) clicked and worked well as a family? again: ME WHEN PEOPLE CARE.

i love when i'm right about minor set/costuming details i notice (the lamppost was specifically made to look as if it had grown; the witch wearing aslan's mane as a trophy and trying to symbolically Become him; the carvings on the wardrobe telling the story of the magician's nephew)

william moseley wasn't even supposed to hit skandar keynes with the cricket ball that was an accident and they decided to make it into part of the scene

andrew adamson is MY BEST FRIEND for shooting all the night scenes during the day and editing them to be night scenes which makes them very distinctly beautiful AND YOU CAN SEE WHAT'S HAPPENING.

the amount of suffering they endured to have nice looking grass on the set is so funny to me you guys have just got to listen to these commentaries. i can't even explain it.

crying because i missed this but when mrs. beaver gives lucy a plate of fish and chips THE CHIPS ARE WOOD CHIPS.

they used actual wolf hybrids for a lot of the shots with the wolves, not just cgi (though apparently they had to redo their tails because they were often too happy to be running around lmao) and it makes me sooo happy

tilda swinton's dress that she wore for the majority of the film was apparently so large in the shoulders she couldn't get through the door to the dungeon properly and just had to go at it sideways. AND she injured herself because of it.

they based the change in the witch's eyes from green during most of the film -> black when she kills aslan on hunting cats and how their pupils get REALLY big.

andrew adamson mentioned he thought about cutting father christmas from the movie as other adaptations had done but heard about how father christmas being there nearly ended tolkien and lewis' friendship and decided "well, i guess i don't have a say in it really if lewis STILL left him in there" and i love him for that.

i had so much freaking fun with this it was so amazing to see how much effort and work and love and care went into the crafting of this film. like they did not have to do all that. movies today will NOT do all that. they'll do such a shoddy job and cgi everything and not even make full costumes and stuff but LWW put all that work in and it was so good because of it. and i'm gonna be thinking about it forever.

[ashleywool]

What would you need from the fans of How To Dance In Ohio for a ProShot to be streamed somewhere like Broadway HD or similar? Would it need to be a Kickstarter or a social media campaign? Is there anyone we can write to? Part of my reason for asking is selfish, since I would love to see the show, but this show is also historic and groundbreaking in a lot of different ways and I also think your amazing performances need to be preserved as a part of Broadway history.

I know this is probably a really sad time for you and the rest of the Ohio cast/creative team and even if a ProShot never happens and nothing ever comes of it, just know that you, all of you, touched more lives and hearts than you could possibly know just by being who you are.

Thanks so much for asking. This is something we have been discussing with the producers, because obviously we'd all love it to happen too.

Warning: incoming info-dump, albeit a grossly oversimplified one:

It would cost about $3M to produce a pro-shot. Here's an incomplete list of where that money would go:

-The regular costs of the venue itself--which, when you include rent, utilities, and staff salaries (security, bartenders, ushers, custodians, all the people who are just in charge of maintaining the Belasco), comes out to about $1K a minute.

-The labor of obtaining necessary permits for filming onsite.

-The labor of the film crew, including load-in, setup, and breakdown of equipment, and coordinating with stage management to make sure their shooting doesn't get in the way of backstage choreography, and making any adjustments accordingly

-The collaboration between the film crew and the in-house sound crew to make sure the audio is captured and balanced properly

-The labor of post-production: editing, color correction, sound adjustment, etc.

-There are also different contracts (and higher pay) for the actors, stage managers, stage crew, sound crew, lighting crew, and wardrobe crew, in addition to our current contracts wherein we're just doing the show as usual. This can get particularly complicated with the actors and stage managers, since our Broadway contracts are through Actors' Equity Association (the union for stage actors and stage managers) but the contract for having our work filmed and distributed in theaters or on streaming platforms is under SAG-AFTRA (the union for film actors).

This is not a complete list, but to give you some context: that's about what it would cost just to make the thing. The costs and logistics of actually distributing it is a different story altogether, and a lot of that would depend on strategizing around future productions and making sure the availability of the pro-shot wouldn't compromise, say, a national tour. I'm not a producer and don't have the numbers and the research, but what I'd love to see happen is, the pro-shot gets a limited theatrical release to coincide with a national tour, and then gets released to streaming platforms when the tour is wrapped. (Of course, as an elder millennial who's genetically incapable of not being financially stressed, I don't care where or how it's released as long as I get those residual checks lol.)

As to your question of crowdfunding: as far as I understand it (and I'm not an entertainment lawyer so I likely have very incomplete information, so don't take my word at total face value): in order to crowdfund for a pro-shot, the producers would likely need to establish a new business entity and it would have to be a nonprofit entity so it could legally solicit donations from the public. Broadway shows are commercially produced, and each iteration of the commercially-produced production has its own business entity. When the show was in workshops and in Syracuse, the business entity was "Amigos in Ohio, LLC." The Broadway entity is "Amigos on Broadway, LLC." The only difference it makes on my end is the name that shows up on my bank statement when I get my direct deposit every week, but the difference it makes from a producer perspective is much more significant and it has a big effect on how productions are legally and ethically allowed to be funded, and again I'm not an entertainment lawyer so explaining what those differences are is beyond me.

I will say, however, Ken Davenport has been a real innovator when it comes to how shows can be produced--in 2010, he launched what eventually became the first crowdfunded Broadway musical with the Godspell revival. I know very little about how all of that actually works, but I do think something like that would be a boon to the industry in the year of our dark Majestic Theater 2024. And it would also give the fans a way to connect with the material and the business on a deeper and more personal level.

Meanwhile, if you want to learn more about how Broadway works from the producers' side, you should check out Sammy Lopez's Producing 101 course on The Business of Broadway. (I'm going to be in an upcoming class myself and it's all virtual, so maybe I'll see you there!)

[capturing-earths-beauty]

Pentangle - Reflection

from 1972

This recording is one of my favorites, every note is perfection. This song is a true jam! It blends folk, traditional, and jazz with psychedelic rock sounds in such a beautiful way.

The video is also amazing. The camera angles, and use of double exposure from multiple cameras and overall very artsy and surreal look is just captivating. Sorry to sound cheesy, I just love every aspect of this performance and video.

A little technical nerd enthusiasm about the production. This was captured with TV cameras that very likely used a Vidicon camera tube. (Camera tubes are very similar to their CRT TV counterparts but capture images rather than produce them. I won't get into that detail here) These cameras have a characteristic of darkening bright areas of the image or even creating a black circle around a very bright highlight. This results in a very interesting tonality to the image. This video looks like it was transferred from expensive video tape to film for storage which is where the grain and dust comes from which adds another layer of abstraction. When this was produced, there was no such possibility with video, as there is with film and modern cameras, to record multiple camera feeds at once. So every cross-fade, every double exposure, and every cut, was done live during the performance. Editing video in post wasn't an option. It was possible to record multi-tack audio and mix in post, and add that back to the video, but it was likely mixed live as well. I wish I could get my hands on one of these cameras but they are very large, expensive, and rare in working order.

[jmechner]

Karateka Climbs Again

When the Digital Eclipse team told me they wanted to give my early game Karateka "the Criterion treatment" and re-release it in a deluxe remastered edition, I couldn't quite picture exactly what they had in mind. Their enthusiasm and evident passion for video game history inspired confidence, so I said yes. I never in my wildest dreams imagined how far they'd take it.

The photo above captures my dad's reaction as (age 92) he watches himself climbing up onto the hood of our family car forty years earlier. He's wearing a karate gi at my request, in a Super 8 film I shot at age 18 to create rotoscoped animation for Karateka. (This was three years before I pressed my 15-year-old brother into service as the model for my next game, Prince of Persia.)

Digital Eclipse has reconstructed my Super 8 rotoscoping process — from film to pencil tracings to pixelated game character — in their interactive, hands-on "Rotoscope Theater." And that's just one element of "The Making of Karateka." It's packed with audio and video interviews with me, my dad, and game-industry luminaries; a podcast about Karateka's music (which my dad composed); rare original design documents; excerpts from my journals; and 14 playable games — including not only the final Apple II, Commodore, and Atari versions of Karateka, but also work-in-progress builds I submitted to Broderbund along the way, tracking its development from prototype to gold master. All the games are playable on a choose-your-own nostalgic menu of period monitors and TVs, with optional audio commentary and a "watch/play" mode that the Dagger of Time would envy.

As a bonus, they've salvaged and resurrected my never-before-published arcade shoot-em-up Deathbounce (the game I made before Karateka, which teenage me hoped would be my ticket to software success in 1982)… and the one I did before that, an unauthorized Apple II clone of the arcade hit Asteroids. Incredibly, they've not only remastered Karateka, but also remade Deathbounce, using today's technology to reimagine my 1982 prototype as a jazzy twin-stick shooter. All these are included and playable in "The Making of Karateka."

If "The Making of Karateka" were an interactive exhibition in the Strong Museum of Play (from whose collection many of the archival materials came), it would require several rooms and a full afternoon to explore. Now, you can download, play and discover it at your leisure, on your favorite platform. Details and links are on the Karateka page on my website.

With this release, Digital Eclipse has set a new bar for game-development history preservation. I'm touched and honored that they chose Karateka as the first title in their planned Gold Master series. I can't wait to see what comes next.

[deadpresidents]

Are there any specific historical figures that you wish there was a better all out biography about it? For example I know there are millions of books about Sir Winston Churchill but I have never found one that I feel stands out (also if you know of one please let me know!!!!!!) Same with stalin

I actually do think that Churchill and Stalin have definitive biographies that stand out amongst the scores of books written about them.

William Manchester's The Last Lion trilogy is the best biography I've read about Churchill. The entire trilogy is available in a boxed set (BOOK | KINDLE). The individual volumes that make up the trilogy are: •The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill: Visions of Glory, 1874-1932 (BOOK | KINDLE | AUDIO) •The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill: Alone, 1932-1940 (BOOK | KINDLE | AUDIO) •The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill: Defender of the Realm, 1940-1965 (BOOK | KINDLE | AUDIO) -- The third and final volume of the biography was finished after William Manchester died by Paul Reid, using much of Manchester's research and prep work. While one author stepping in to finish the work of another can sometimes be an issue, Reid's work and writing blends seamlessly with Manchester's.

As for Stalin, I think that Simon Sebag Montefiore's Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar (BOOK | KINDLE | AUDIO) is the best single-volume biography published about the Soviet leader. Stephen Kotkin's two-volume biography on Stalin -- Stalin: Paradoxes of Power, 1878-1928 (BOOK | KINDLE | AUDIO), and Stalin: Waiting for Hitler, 1929-1941 (BOOK | KINDLE | AUDIO) -- is excellent and also stands out amongst other books about Stalin's life.

When it comes to some other historical figures that I think are in dire need of new, updated, deeply-researched, definitive biographies, I think number one on my list would be Fidel Castro. It's not that there aren't any books written Fidel (or any other historical figures I mention), it's just that I don't feel like there's been a full-fledged, great biography yet written about them. I have a bunch of books about Fidel, but I think the most recent one was written in the mid-1980s. I also would be interested in a better biography of Saddam Hussein. Con Coughlin wrote a pretty good book about Saddam, but the most up-to-date edition of the book was published shortly after Saddam was captured and before he was tried and executed. I imagine that there's a significant amount of new information and research from the past 20 years that could go into a definitive Saddam biography.

I've also been waiting for years for a good biography about Muammar Qaddafi. All the books I have about Qaddafi are from the 80s when he was Ronald Reagan's nemesis as the "mad dog of the Middle East". None of those books cover his attempt to normalize relations with the West after 9/11 when he was seemingly scared straight by what happened to Saddam, and then his epic downfall during the Arab Spring and Libyan Revolution, when his convoy was bombed by NATO as he tried to flee his crumbling country and he ended up being brutally killed by the people he had terrorized for 40 years after they found him cowering in a drainage ditch with his gold-plated gun. Qaddafi was such a weird and fascinating character that I'm shocked that there haven't been more documentaries about him. Honestly, if I still knew how to write, I'd absolutely write a book or film about Qaddafi. Unfortunately, I forgot how to write somewhere around 2014 or 2015.

[vergess]

Curious question, how many Sherlock Holmes adaptations have you watched? Also, if you watched several , which one is your favorite?

Well, setting aside the Great Mouse Detective because it's unfair to compare other adaptations to something I loved as a child and thus can only view with perfect adoration in spite of any actual truths.

I am a tumblr user of repute, so I've of course seen the BBC's Sherlock. I think that A Study in Pink is the best episode in the show because the editing and cinematography are outstanding and serve the story beautifully. The writing is mediocre but competently sets expectations for the quality of the rest of the show. Then the second episode is so shockingly racist. So overall, it's bad, but influential in fandom whether we want it to be or not. I enjoyed it at the time, but as a more... like. Informed adult? It's bad. Don't bother.

A Study in Emerald. Short story by Neil Gaiman. Barely constitutes an adaptation, but we deserve to be reminded of good writing after that last one. It's available for free on Mr Gaiman's website, here:

Apparently there's a graphic novel version of Emerald, but I've not read it. Unless the graphic novel is just the fake newspaper on the website? Wikipedia was somewhat unclear.

Downey Jr movies: I love them. Absolutely horrible adaptations, but fucking amazing films. More fun than you're expecting. Highly recommended.

Elementary: Probably the best modern adaptation. Captures the serial spirit and commitment to Solving Mysteries Realistically of the original. However, I cannot watch it. The lead actor's performance is basically perfect for 'what would the Holmes character be like today' but I cannot stand it for some reason. I haaaaate watching him, and that makes this one hard for me. I recommend it highly anyway.

I watched two of the Basil Rathbone films to the point of nausea as a kid, but over exposure to the Worst Kinds Of White People in high school discussions of his body of films left a bitter taste for me. Because these films were an adaptation for an audience MUCH closer to the audience of the original stories, there is a period and character authenticity that just cannot be matched by anything else. Honestly, if you only ever watch one adaptation, it should be one of these. I say that in spite of these movies attracting the worst people on earth. There's a reason the 'generic' image of Holmes looks that way, and it's Basil Rathbone.

I've only seen the Peter Cushing movie, not the show. But, he's very much the performance I imagine in my head when reading the stories these days. My favourite live action Holmes actor, and a really top tier Watson. Definitely worth the time. I'm told the show is, um. Not so good on the Watson front.

I didn't like The Private Life of Holmes. I thought it sucked. I have no redeeming statements for it. It's objectively better that the 2010 BBC show, but I have nostalgia for that one's fandom. I just hate this one. It's bad!! Watch anything else. Watch the Great Mouse Detective, it has the same plot but it doesn't suck.

Young Sherlock Holmes is also a bad movie, but it's a bad Pixar Kids Movie so it's still perfectly competent for what it wants to be. If you need something to give a Holmes loving kid under 12 has 'seen them all' give them this. It's forgettable, and thus kids never really see it anymore.

I haven't seen Enola Holmes yet, but I'll probably get around to it. So I guess that's a tentative recommendation there.

The BBC radio drama Adventures of Holmes and its sequel Further Adventures of Holmes is REALLY FUCKING GOOD. If you like podcasts or audio books or stage plays, you have GOT to try these. The first half is a complete adaptation of every Holmes story, and the second half is professional fanfic of identical quality. I've never tried the American version and don't intend to.

I liked the 3 VHS tapes of the Granada tv series that I watched as a little kid, but I honestly couldn't tell you if they're good. I haven't watched any of it since I turned 9. A lot of people like them to the point of thinking Jeremy Brett is THE Holmes actor, so they had to be doing something right.

Sherlock Holmes in the 22nd Century and Case Closed are both like... impossible for me to parse as Holmes adaptations. Wikipedia says they are but like........ okay. I've seen them both and they are their own entities to me lol. Case Closed in particular is bomb as hell, highly recommended. But like... in a retro anime way, not a Holmes way.

Miss Sherlock has been good so far. I haven't watched enough to have a strong opinion beyond, like. Gay shit. As a Known Fagotte, I gotta say. They sure did cast very attractive actresses and leave all the homoeroticism in place. This, reasonably IMO, distracts me from having anything valuable to say.

The Star Trek TNG episodes with Data and Moriarty are obviously personal favourites. If you can suspend your disbelief enough to accept the god like powers of the holodeck, I think it's a really good time.

And the only one I can remember that wasn't on the Wikipedia list of adaptations is Slylock Fox. These are riddle comics for very young kids, like, ages 3-7. They're to help early readers learn new vocabulary and practice critical thinking. They were my very, very first Holmes media.

I. Hated. Those. Goddamn. Comics. I wanted to kill them. Not the characters or the author, but the comics themselves as a concept. I NEVER solved ANY of the fucking riddles, and to this DAY I will NEVER FORGET that latex paint dyes water and oil paint doesn't.

Probably good for kids who get bored in class a lot, but be ready for the rage.

[folxlorepod]

Sound Designer's notes on 'Excess': tiny explosions and the sound of queer euphoria

By @tincanaudio A friend of mine once sent me an experimental video game where you walked around an abstract, pulsing, strobe-light filled nightclub. People were represented by static, gliding, featureless 3D models that blended in with the surroundings, and there was a constant, thudding soundtrack that was just slightly too loud.

When the Folxlore team pitched the idea for Excess, it triggered this very specific memory (though I have sadly been unable to remember the name of the game or find it anywhere). I wanted to try and convey that abstract, untethered disorientation in the sound design.

There are a lot of aspects of this episode that are unusual, at least to me and the way I normally make things.

For recording, I set up two microphones high up above the actors, like I would for a film set, so they could move and shout and not have to worry about which direction they were facing. The performances influenced the music which, in turn, influenced the sound design and the mix which, in my experience, usually leads to something very special. I love the performances in this episode, there's an almost raw, bloodshot immediacy to them. I hope this was down to the microphone setup and nothing to do with how we run recording sessions.

Having two microphones set up also meant there was a considerable amount of bleed, something which is normally removed in the editing stage, but I ended up using for the bleary, psychedelic voice effects for the scenes at the party. I also used a granuliser in these scenes to take apart the vocals in real time and explode them into tiny, microsecond sounds across the whole mix to try and capture the euphoric feeling of being outside of yourself.

It was edited to a click track, something I've never done for an audio drama before. The music, the ticking clock and the sound of Zeke's digital alarm were all synced up to 120bpm to give the episode a constant, unrelenting pace. Everything is compressed and pushed to the point where the waveform for the episode is an ominous, rectangular, literal wall of sound, something you are definitely not supposed to do in audio fiction.

But it works. At least, I think it works.

Excess sounds entirely unlike anything I've ever made before. For me, that's one of the many joys of working on Folxlore: being challenged by these truly incredible writers and performers to make something completely outside of my comfort zone, and finding that I actually rather enjoy it there.

[another-supernova-girl]

Since my first audio cut of Cooper went over so well, I thought I'd make a cut of him, uh...keeping his 'victim' in line (I'm in Control monologue + We're leaving monologue, minus Lady Raven's audio).

[emmadarcyextra]

Unfortunate news causes Rhaenyra (Emma D'Arcy 🥰) to enter premature labor. I'n depicting this plus Syrax and Rhaenyra's bond...

Episode 10 of "House of the Dragon" is directed by Greg Yaitanes, the fame director who directed: "Children of Dune," a high favorite. I knew beforehand that a savoring treat was coming my way.

[SPOILERS]

With the news of her father's death along with her rights to the throne stolen, Rhaenyra enters premature labor; these scenes are beautifully filmed, with the woven of intermittent mixes of Syrax and Rhaenyra; their kindred spirit on full display. It's how I see their bond in my mind. Here, the talented director offer us the opportunity to see this visually. It grips the heart! Syrax feels Rhaenyra's pain, and somehow consoles and strengthens her.

Emma D'Arcy portrays these scenes most powerfully. I could feel and experience Rhaenyra's suffering via their acting. True talent at the fore! Childbirth is an excruciating experience; HBO bravely shows this; I applaud them.

In this reel, I've captured the scenes that resonate with me visually. Visuals are more impactful than inferences.

"House of the Dragon," episode 10 is a combination of talents: a talented director (Greg Yaitanes) and a very gifted and talented actor: Emma D'Arcy. (Not undermining others' contributions here)

The Poetry of Birth

Motherhood,

The joys of the universe

The continuation of life

In any sphere

Childbirth,

Excruciating pain

Yet brings forth so much

Glee at the end

Will my heart rejoice

At th e end, my daughter?

My body can't withstand

Another blow

1/29/23 @J

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

CREDIT: Audio by Austin Farwell (original audio)

Hbomax/HBO, a Division of Warner Bros Discovery. All Rights Reserved.

Edited by me via varying media.

Please follow for more Emma D'Arcy's goodness 💛. Also do follow Emma D'Arcy on their Instagram if you haven't already: @/Emmaziadarcy (without the slash). Thank you! 😊💛

[mikolajflorczakibblogcas]

CAS Project

CAS - Preparation

Creating a promotional video for my school required careful planning, especially in my role as a cameraman. From the start, I made sure I was fully prepared to not only handle the technical aspects but also contribute to the creative planning. I worked closely with the rest of the team to align on our goals and the message we wanted to convey about our school.

Our team held several discussions to decide what the video should include and how to structure it. I helped brainstorm ideas for visually engaging scenes, suggesting ways to use different camera angles, lighting, and movements to make the video dynamic and interesting. I also contributed ideas about timing, making sure we planned recordings when the lighting or conditions would be most favorable.

Before filming began, I prepared all the necessary equipment. I checked that the cameras were functioning properly, the tripods were stable, and the batteries were fully charged. I also practiced using the equipment to avoid technical problems during the recordings.

This stage taught me how important it is to think ahead and plan thoroughly. Collaborating with the team helped me understand different perspectives and how to incorporate everyone’s ideas into the project. It was a great example of how preparation is key to the success of any project, especially one with multiple moving parts.

CAS Project - Investigation

The goal of this project was to show the best aspects of our school, from its vibrant community to the opportunities it offers. My role as a cameraman meant I was responsible for bringing these ideas to life visually.

To get inspiration, I researched videos made by other schools. I looked at how they used different shots and transitions to make their stories engaging. I especially admired how some videos combined wide shots of campuses with more personal, close-up moments of students and teachers. I wanted our video to feel just as professional but also authentic and relatable.

During this stage, I worked with the team to decide what we should focus on in our recordings. We wanted to highlight areas of the school that represent its strengths, like the lively football field, the creativity in art classes, and the energy in the science labs. I also thought about how to make the footage visually interesting, such as using natural light and filming from different angles.

This stage helped me understand how much thought goes into visual storytelling. Every detail, from the choice of locations to the style of filming, plays a role in creating something that truly represents the subject. This investigation phase was essential for shaping the direction of the project and ensuring our ideas were clear.

CAS Project - Action

The action phase was where all the planning came together. My role as the cameraman meant I was responsible for capturing every moment on film, and I approached each session with focus and energy.

We started by filming outdoor scenes to take advantage of the good weather and natural light. I used wide shots to show the campus’s open spaces and close-up shots to capture students interacting and participating in activities. Adjusting to the lighting and framing each shot to look professional required some trial and error, but it was rewarding to see the footage come together.

Indoor filming brought its own challenges. I had to make sure the lighting was good enough to highlight the subjects while avoiding shadows or glare. Whether it was a teacher explaining a concept or students working together in a classroom, I focused on capturing moments that felt genuine and engaging. I also made sure the audio was clear by adjusting the settings on the microphone and choosing quieter locations for interviews.

Editing the footage was a long process but also a creative one. I reviewed hours of recordings, selecting the best clips and putting them in the right order to tell the story of our school. I adjusted the colors to make everything look polished and made sure the transitions between scenes were smooth. This stage involved close collaboration with the team, as we reviewed the draft versions together and made improvements.

Throughout this phase, I learned a lot about teamwork and adaptability. We faced challenges, like rescheduling shoots due to interruptions or rethinking certain scenes, but we worked together to find solutions. Seeing the final version of the video was incredibly satisfying, knowing that all our hard work had paid off.

[familiaritas]

Post Production

as I said editing does drive me insane, it tends to made me feel like I'm losing all passion for the thing I'm creating and that I'm incredibly out of my depth, especially when I am motivating myself I forget not what I'm doing but what I'm doing it for, the inspiration that I feel always dampens , however the moment I got into my groove with editing my film I remember the passion that I have for what I'm making and that at the end of the day I do love making films and I also love making people understand how certain things feel to me. the motif of smoke and eyes were very important for me. I think the allure of smoke its spindling and fluid movement capture in both the still images and the short video featured in my film paired against the militant and beat driven audio created a slight contradiction which I felt was slightly jarring to overcome however I think the contradiction leads to more inner reflection for the audience to create for themselves, while you can try and make people feel things I don't think that its something you can achieve if you force it down peoples throats. eyes are also a motif that I have driven through my film, not to be stereotypical but I feel like when you know a person their eyes become not only the best way to tell how they are feeling but I feel like they show peoples souls (that is so so cringy from me, I am incredibly sorry). overall I think that what I've created is something I'm incredibly proud of I feel like the elements of avant-garde and experimental film such as the use of non linear narrative, immersing the audience into emotion through both visual and audio, the use of still image are all this that I feel like I have achieved, if I had played a bit more to my strengths in with my severe lack of time management skills then I would have booked out a room and projected my film onto the walls, then throughout the room I would have set up plinths with items that I consider meaningful to me, thing people have given me , things that bring me comfort, reminders of the familiarity and intimacy that I do hold with the people close to me.

[musicindustry123]

Top 5 Tips for Musicians Entering the Sync Licensing World

Music sync licensing has become one of the most promising avenues for musicians looking to diversify their income and expand their audience. With the rise of streaming platforms, online content, and an ever-increasing demand for engaging multimedia, sync licensing has opened up significant opportunities for musicians to reach listeners in new and impactful ways. When done right, music sync licensing can lead to high earnings, increased visibility, and long-term career sustainability.

In the competitive world of music sync licensing, however, navigating the landscape requires strategic planning and an understanding of industry best practices. It’s essential for artists to position themselves to capture the interest of media producers who are looking for the perfect soundtrack for their projects. In this article, we’ll cover five actionable tips for musicians interested in music sync licensing, guiding you through the essential steps to kick-start your journey in this lucrative field. Services like Deliver My Tune can assist musicians in making the right industry connections, but these tips will help ensure your music is prepared for licensing success from the start.

1. Make Your Music Sync-Ready with Quality Production

When it comes to sync licensing, high production quality is non-negotiable. Producers, advertisers, and filmmakers want music that complements their visuals seamlessly, and this means the audio quality must be impeccable. To make your music sync-ready:

Invest in Professional Mixing and Mastering: A professionally mixed and mastered track will sound polished and will meet the industry standards expected in film, TV, and advertising. This investment can set you apart in a competitive market.

Create Multiple Versions of Your Tracks: Producers often require alternative versions of songs. Instrumental versions, shorter edits, and even stripped-down variations allow more flexibility for potential use in different types of media.

Ensure Clear Ownership and Licensing Rights: Before submitting your music for sync licensing, ensure that all rights, permissions, and credits are in order. Make sure your music is original or cleared for use, as any legal complications can make your track less appealing to potential clients.

Starting with high-quality, versatile music can make a strong first impression with music supervisors and licensing agents.

2. Optimize Your Metadata for Discoverability

Metadata is the information embedded in your track that makes it easier to find, categorize, and license. Well-optimized metadata can improve your chances of being discovered by licensing professionals searching for specific sounds or moods. Essential metadata fields include:

Song Title and Artist Name: Accurate and consistent naming is vital to avoid confusion and to make your work easily identifiable.

Genre, Mood, and Keywords: Use relevant genres, moods (like "uplifting" or "dramatic"), and keywords to make your track more searchable.

Contact Information: If a media professional finds your song but cannot contact you easily, they may move on to another option. Ensure all relevant contact information is included.

Metadata is especially crucial on platforms like Deliver My Tune, which help musicians connect with sync licensing professionals and increase discoverability by industry insiders.

3. Register with a Performing Rights Organization (PRO)

Performing Rights Organizations (PROs) ensure that you’re compensated for public performances of your music, including through TV broadcasts, commercials, and online streaming. For sync licensing, PRO registration is essential because it enables you to collect royalties when your music is used in various forms of media.

Choose a Reliable PRO: In the United States, major PROs include ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC. Each organization offers different benefits, so consider which aligns best with your needs.

Ensure Accurate Registration of Each Track: When registering a song, fill out the details accurately to ensure seamless royalty collection.

Monitor Royalty Payments: While PROs collect royalties on your behalf, it's wise to review statements and monitor payments to ensure you’re compensated for each usage of your music.

Many sync licensing deals involve both an upfront payment and ongoing royalties, so being registered with a PRO is essential for maximizing your earnings.

4. Build Relationships with Industry Professionals

Networking is a crucial part of music sync licensing. Building relationships with directors, editors, music supervisors, and advertising agencies increases the likelihood of securing sync placements. Consider the following strategies:

Attend Industry Events and Conferences: Events such as music festivals, sync licensing workshops, and media expos allow artists to meet professionals who may need music for their projects.

Utilize Social Media: LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter are excellent platforms for connecting with industry professionals and keeping up with trends. Follow and engage with accounts related to music licensing, and post about your work and availability.

Use Music Licensing Platforms: Platforms like Deliver My Tune can help musicians network with media professionals and access potential licensing opportunities without needing to pitch directly to each potential client.

Consistent networking helps build trust and allows you to be top-of-mind when industry professionals are searching for new music for their media projects.

5. Develop a Diverse and Sync-Friendly Music Portfolio

A well-rounded music portfolio demonstrates your versatility and appeal to a broad range of media projects. Different media formats require different styles, so a diverse portfolio increases your chances of landing sync deals. Tips for creating a sync-friendly portfolio include:

Produce Tracks in Multiple Styles and Genres: While you should focus on what you do best, having songs in various genres (like pop, electronic, folk) can appeal to a broader range of media projects.

Create Instrumental and Lyric-Only Versions: Instrumental versions are particularly useful for background use in commercials, while lyrical tracks might appeal to dramatic TV scenes.

Showcase Songs with Strong Emotions or Themes: Music supervisors often look for songs that evoke specific feelings or complement a story's theme, so be mindful of emotional impact.

A well-crafted portfolio gives media creators options and helps you stand out as a flexible, adaptable musician.

Conclusion

Entering the music sync licensing world may seem daunting, but by following these five tips, you’ll be well on your way to creating an appealing music catalog for media projects. High production quality, optimized metadata, PRO registration, a strong professional network, and a diverse music portfolio are essential components of a successful sync licensing strategy. These steps make your music accessible, appealing, and ready for the competitive world of sync licensing.

Music sync licensing offers musicians a dynamic platform to expand their reach and build a sustainable income stream. As the demand for music across media formats continues to grow, artists have a unique opportunity to make their mark through sync licensing. Leveraging platforms like Deliver My Tune can simplify the process and connect musicians with valuable industry contacts, helping artists take those critical first steps into licensing.

Ultimately, sync licensing can unlock powerful career opportunities for artists ready to share their work with a wider audience. Whether you’re just starting out or are a seasoned musician, these best practices can help maximize your success and make your music shine in film, television, advertising, and beyond.