Stake Land Teaser Trailer
August 30th, 2010 | 
Author: Check out the new Stake Land teaser trailer.
Following a political-economic meltdown of unexplained origins, the world has been overrun by humanoid creatures who feed off human blood. A disparate group of survivors band together to weave their way through the communities of both vampires and equally dangerous religious cultists in search of an alleged sanctuary in the north. The cast includes Nick Damici, Connor Paolo, Kelly McGillis, Danielle Harris and Michael Cerveris. The new Glass Eye Pix movie features special makeup effects by Gerner & Spears Effects.
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Adapting to Adobe CS5 in a 64-bit World: A Review of Digieffects, Red Giant Software and NewBlueFX’s 64-Bit Plug-ins
Most professionals have probably been using 64-bit operating systems for some time but for those of us still living in a 32-bit world, you may suddenly find yourself hitting a brick wall when you go to upgrade to Adobe CS5. Adobe After Effects and Premiere Pro CS5 have both been given a 64-bit overhaul that allows for some much needed functionality. Early adopters of Windows 7 and CS5 may find that 64-bit support is a bit lacking among hardware manufacturers and third party software vendors.
With the popularity of high definition video, 32-bit systems have become cumbersome and dated. 32-bit Windows platforms are limited to 4 GB of RAM. Anyone who has tried to render high definition video in After Effects or Premiere Pro can tell you just how long it takes. More RAM, a faster processor and a better video card are the three key ingredients to a successful 64-bit experience when working with HD video.
New to Premiere Pro CS5 is the Mercury Playback Engine which takes full advantage of GPU acceleration by using NVIDIA’s CUDA technology. This engine allows you to play back footage with effects in real-time without having to first render the footage. The feature is only supported by a select few video cards at the moment unless you hack the software with a simple change to a configuration file. The hack allows most NVIDIA cards to be recognized by the Mercury Playback feature. The test computer that I used had a ZOTAC GTX 295. The GTX 285 is supported but oddly enough this model is not. The hack allowed me to enable this card and it worked flawlessly with the Mercury Playback Engine. Keep in mind that Adobe does not recommend using non-supported cards for stability issues so changing the configuration file is at your own risk.
Another issue that I encountered in moving to a 64-bit platform was sound card support. My test system used a Creative Labs XiFi Platinum card rather than the ASUS P6T Deluxe onboard audio. Creative Labs doesn’t seem to fully support their cards with 64-bit ASIO drivers. Without 64-bit ASIO support you will not be able to edit in 5.1 surround sound. Luckily, I was able to find a workaround by hunting down some driver files that came with a different Creative sound card and installed them with no side effects.
With a working video and sound card the next hurdle to tackle was making sure that I had a system fast enough to do HD editing justice. I upgraded my test system to INTEL’s new 6-core processor, the 980x, and rounded the system out with 12 GB of Kingston RAM.
Now that I had a fully upgraded 64-bit Windows 7 Ultimate system I installed CS5 and imported my test footage. My test project consisted primarily of AVCHD video at full 1080i resolution. I also included a few Mini-DV clips and upconverted them to HD.
At this point, it wasn’t much of a surprise to discover that virtually all of our existing CS4 compatible plug-ins for After Effects and Premiere Pro did not work in CS5 because of the new 64-bit architecture. What follows is a review of the latest 64-bit supported plug-ins for Adobe CS from Digieffects, Red Giant Software and NewBlueFX.
Digieffects Aged Film
The latest release of Aged Film adds a whole new dimension to the plug-in. The plug-in now installs presets to Premiere Pro that can easily be added to your footage allowing you give your footage various aged looks saving you hours of time.
Manual manipulation of the settings is just as easy. The primary settings present you with controls for the opacity of the effect, options for how aged the footage should look, control over the effect’s color, dust control, vertical and line scratch control and frame jitter. In short, this plug-in has everything you need to recreate a film with the vintage grindhouse experience that has become so popular these days.
Digieffects Aged Film is priced at $49.00
Digieffects Damage V.2
Damage gives you six effects to distort and damage your footage with:
Blockade gives you the look of corrupted video footage.
Artifact gives you the effect of a bad video signal or digital transmission.
Interference makes your footage look like a VHS or 8mm playback.
Skew mimics the effect that you might see with bad analog TV reception.
Overexpose gives your footage a real-world “bloom” look.
Destabilize adds a random, shaky look to your footage.
Like Aged Film, Damage now supports presets in Premiere Pro and has an intuitive user interface too.
I have been a longtime fan of Digieffects not only because of their affordable price but because of the quality of their product and the company’s excellent customer service.
Digieffects Damage V.2 is priced at $99.00.
Digieffects Atmosphere
Atmosphere does what you might expect, which is to simulate atmospheric conditions such as smog, fog, and haze. It provides a true 3D, as well as a simulated, 3D effect. In other words, layers or even parts of layers closer to the camera will have a denser effect than those farther away from the camera, seeming to be more or less thoroughly involved in the fog or haze.
The plug-in gave me enough control over the fall-off factor that it really made my test scene look natural and believable. I was really surprised at how high quality the rendered results were for HD video. The effect even looked good on my upconverted DV video.
Digieffects Atmosphere is priced at $49.00.
Digieffects Falloff Lighting
When you apply a light to a scene in After Effects, all objects in the scene will be evenly lit. This is where Falloff Lighting comes into play. The plug-in works in a similar way to Atmosphere to simulate the manner in which lighting effects diminish over distance.
Falloff Lighting is easy to use. You drag it to an object in the scene and you control the effect with just a few parameters which can be set by dragging a slider or entering a number. The Distance Scale slider controls the distance between the light and the object. The second setting controls the method in which the light fades out.
I created a few text objects in After Effects and applied the Falloff Lighting effect to them. I was amazed how quick and easy it was to create the effect. The end result looked great.
Digieffects Falloff Lighting is priced at $49.00.
DigiEffects Camera Mapper
Camera Mapper allows you to make subtle camera moves, such as pans, tilts, dolly ins and outs. This is accomplished by projecting your footage onto solids in your scene that you position and rotate in 3D space to act as the planes that you are going to move past, toward, or away from. This simulates a 3D scene from 2D still images or video footage.
With the effect applied correctly, it can give you some very impressive results. I found it a bit confusing to use at first until I watched Digieffect’s online tutorial.
Digieffects Camera Mapper is priced at $79.00.
Magic Bullet Colorista II (Red Giant Software)
Red Giant Software surpasses expectations with Magic Bullet Colorista II. Whereas Colorista, while a great color correction tool, was just one instance of the grader with the option to apply a mask via the Power Mask controls, Colorista II is basically three copies of the tool in one.
In addition to the refinement of existing controls, Colorista II adds new ones to allow for finer color correction. For example, Numeric RGB controls allow for tweaking of specific color channels. HSL wheels allow for easy adjustment of saturation, lightness and hue.
One of the best additions to Colorista II is Secondaries. This feature allows you to pull mattes based on hues and luminance information within the frame. You simply select your frame, open the keyer interface, grab the marquee selection tool to click and drag the color that you want to change.
Colorista II is a powerful tool that will work in After Effects, Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro. I was able to get full frame, real-time playback of my corrected footage using Premiere Pro’s Mercury Playback Engine.
Magic Bullet Colorista II is priced at $299. An upgrade from Colorista to Colorista II is only $99 and definitely worth it.
Magic Bullet Looks 1.4
Magic Bullet Looks just gets better with each release. In addition to choosing from more than a hundred unique looks, users can, for the first time, design and refine a look with the power of 36 distinct Look Tools.
The plug-in is so easy to use and works fantastically under Premiere Pro’s Mercury Playback Engine. It’s the perfect tool to really set the mood for your project.
Of note is that Magic Bullet Looks 1.4 now adds host support for Sony Vegas 8.
Magic Bullet Looks 1.4 is priced at $399 with qualifying upgrades as low as $29.
Magic Bullet Mojo 1.2
It’s too easy to get lost in the exhaustive number of adjustments that many color correction tools offer. For the less experienced or low budget filmmaker, Magic Bullet Mojo is a great alternative.
Each tool adjusts globally, or focuses on skin tone. Shadow Tint defines the complementary shadow color that makes your talent stand out, from an emerald green to a royal blue. The Warm-Cool slider lets you control overall color temperature, and Bleach allows you to desaturate or super-saturate every color in the scene.
The three Skin controls let you fine-tune skin tones within the overall Mojo effect. Skin Color nudges the skin tones of actors of any race, eliminating unwanted color casts. Skin Squeeze flattens the range of skin tones, making subjects stand out against the background and minimizing ruddiness. Skin Solo desaturates all colors in the scene except skin tones, bringing talent front and center.
Magic Bullet Mojo is flexible enough to let you be creative with your visuals despite its basic controls. You can achieve a Hollywood look in seconds all for the affordable price of $99.
Red Giant Software’s web site promises that more 64-bit supported updates are due out by the summer’s end.
NewBlue AudioFX
For just shy of the price of Sony’s Sound Forge Pro 10 production suite or half the price of Bias’s Sound Soap Pro 2 you can get NewBlue’s AudioFX suite of software that works within Premiere Pro CS5 and, in many cases, is just as powerful as the aforementioned software packages. Each plug-in is priced at $59.95.
I can’t say enough good things about the NewBlue FX. From the ease of installation to the ease of operation, their plug-ins were top notch. All of the plug-ins have free trials available but you can get a good idea of what each has to offer right on their site. Kudos to NewBlue FX for their web site too. Their demos speak louder than words and really showcase the interface simplicity and power of their tools.
NewBlue Audio Equalizers allows you to control the highs, lows and everything-in-betweens of your audio tracks. This collection of 9 specialized audio plugin filters can boost or cut ranges of tone in a variety of ways. Whether you need to manipulate the highs, lows, or everything-in-betweens of the audio spectrum, this collection of VST-compatible plugins delivers pro-quality results using a simple, clean interface.
This collection includes: Adjust Highs, Adjust Lows, Filter Sweep, Graphic EQ, Parametric EQ, Remove Highs, Remove Lows, Swirl, Tone Eliminator.
NewBlue Audio Essentials includes 8 standard audio processing tools, such as chorus, delay and echo, to process soundtracks with professional results. This collection of VST-compatible plugins offers the perfect starting point for any serious digital video editor.
This collection includes: Chorus, Delay, Distortion, Echo, Flange, Phaser, Reverb, Slap Back.
NewBlue Audio Scrubbers repairs audio problems with ease. Offering 6 powerful, easy-to-use audio repair techniques, this collection of audio plugins attacks noise and hum problems from every direction. Using NewBlue Audio Scrubbers, you can repair scenes in one easy process: Just choose your tool, then process your clips with little to no fine-tuning from clip to clip. NewBlue Audio Scrubbers are VST-compatible, too.
This plug-in put Bias Sound Soap to shame and unlike Sound Soap, Audio Scrubbers is fully compatible with Premiere Pro CS5.
This collection includes: Audio Polish, Auto Mute, Cleaner, Hum Remover, Noise Fader, Noise Reducer.
NewBlue Audio Tools instantly boosts soundtrack quality. This all-inclusive audio plugin collection features 11 must-have audio effects to boost clarity and performance sound. NewBlue Audio Tools plugins are VST-compatible and offer a wide range of easy-to-use solutions for improving and enhancing the sound of your video production.
This collection includes: Bass Boost, Compactor, Crisper, Dual Compressor, Dual Expander, Expander, Monofier, Sharpener, Stereoizer, Tone Compressor, Tone Expander
NewBlue Sound Benders add intrigue and entertainment to your soundtrack. These 9 creative audio effects manipulate, morph and even mutilate your audio tracks in every way imaginable. NewBlue Sound Benders provides environmental, vocal and atmospheric effects that add interest, intrigue and entertainment and harness powerful audio techniques to make sound transformation effortless.
This collection includes: Buzzurgle, Insectoid, Phone, Radio, Resonator, Robot Fog, Under Water, Wah, Wind
New Footage from Fairview Falls
It’s hard to believe that in just a few weeks it will be a year since Joe Lauria passed away. It’s been a long and winding road for me to bring Fairview Falls to fruition.
Shot in 2004, Joe made his third onscreen appearance in a Light & Dark movie when he co-starred in Fairview Falls reprising his role as Alec Fernier from Sins of the Father. He was just beginning to get his feet wet in his acting career but sadly, didn’t do much after that. Joe was very ambivalent about what his next move should be in his acting career and never seemed to take a leap after his journey down the road with me. Six years later, as I near the end of the road and close a major chapter in the Light & Dark universe, it’s hard to look back at it all knowing Joe is not there to watch it all come to an end.
I wanted to share some footage with you from Fairview Falls. Joe was the perfect actor to write for and work with. We were totally in sync with each other. He knew exactly what I expected of the characters. The raw footage below is a perfect example where Joe nailed it on the first take. In the scene, Joe plays opposite actress/model Kerri Taylor. A very neurotic Alec has just observed a conversation between Tina and the son of a local mobster.
Cheers Joe!
Gut Munchers Podcast Interview
The guys over at Gut Munchers just posted a new podcast interview (Episode 37) that I did with them. I had a great time doing the interview and hopefully we’ll get together again and do a future show.
You can download the podcast file from their web site or listen to it here (60 MB).
Indulge Your Inner Sinner
If you haven’t picked up Sins of the Father yet now’s your chance to grab it with some added value. Ghastly Grabs Vol. 4 will be available on October 6th. The movie, complete with all the extras from it’s original release, will be part of a 3 DVD box set which will include Deader Country and The Stragglers. You can pre-order a copy of the new box set on Amazon.com.
Sins of the Father plot synopsis:
“Peter Jacobs returns to Fairview Falls to uncover the truth behind his family’s murder. Every step he takes brings him closer to the Black Rose Killer, Ethan Fernier. Peter gets more than he bargained for when he discovers that Ethan is dying and his chance to bring him to justice is slipping away.”
Deader Country plot synopsis:
“From the director and star of Dead Country comes the next tale of terror! Whilst wagging school, two teenagers stumble across a strange hybrid creature, a beast that is half man, half alien and ALL zombie, which has managed to make its way unseen across desolate countryside to the town of Pleasance. Upon nursing the mutated zombie back to health, the teens unwittingly unleash a deadly new plague of the undead on the town s populace. Now with a conscience and accompanied by a small group of eccentric locals, Orion is back to help battle the second legion of zombies. However, he is soon to discover a startling revelation that will alter the very fabric of his existence…”
The Stragglers plot synopsis:
“Dr. Elaine Krauss leads a group of research scientists deep into the mountains to investigate a series of supernatural phenomena. But while exploring, they stumble across the aftermath of a brutal, bloody massacre. The lone survivor, a man named Mark Locke, is mentally traumatized and claims to have no memory of what happened. Hoping to uncover the truth, Dr. Krauss puts Mark under hypnosis and forces him to relive the previous few days. While Mark suffers through the memories, it becomes obvious that whatever attacked him before is still out there…and Dr. Krauss s team has attracted its attention. Soon, a strange, other-worldly battle is underway, where the past and present collide and nothing is what it seems.”
Gigi Marie performing LIVE in Astoria, NY on Saturday, June 26th
I just got word that Gigi Marie will be performing live at 7:30 PM on Saturday, June 26th at The Giving Tree Yoga Studio in Astoria, NY. She will be accompanied on piano by Marcos Sueiro Bal. I had the pleasure of seeing them perform together this past Fall and they were sensational. But don't just take my word for it. Check out Gigi's music on her MySpace page and listen for yourself! Gigi graced the Sins of the Father soundtrack with a haunting alternate version of her pop title "Blue Cowboys". I was lucky enough to have her perform it live at Blood Fest 6. Gigi Marie performs live at Blood Fest 6 from Glen Baisley on Vimeo.
Sea of Dust DVD Debuts August 10th
Sea of Dust featuring SINS OF THE FATHER star Pete Barker and Suzi Lorraine from THE TENEMENT streets on August 10th. Writer/Director Scott Bunt talks about the movie in a recent Fangoria.com article.
Listen to or Download the GIRLKILLER Music for FREE
Scooter McCrae’s music for the 70′s faux trailer GIRLKILLER is now online to listen to or download for free. GIRLKILLER was directed by Fangoria Managing Editor, Michael Gingold and edited by yours truly. The trailer is featured on Stephen Romano’s Shock Festival DVD.
