Stuck In A Box Studios started out as the brand name for film-maker Colin Warhurst back in 2002. Colin considers hmself a film-maker primarily, but his creative skills and roles have encompassed far too many areas tofit into this tiny text box. Refusing to be pidgeon-holed as "technical" or "creative" Colin quite happily has the best of both worlds. He enjoys Robots, Tea and getting up for work in the morning, happy in the knowledge that he is lucky enough to love his job.
We also have a Facebook page here, so please support the film, cast and crew by becoming fans, watching the trailer and crucially, PLEASE LEAVE COMMENTS AND RATINGS on Youtube. This is the single biggest thing you can do to help out or film in the run up to a public premiere. Website, news and content coming soon...
- WWW.REFORMTHEVRA.CO.UK North West New Wave's campaign gets a mention on BBC 6music! http://bit.ly/b9KF0b Press play at 2:16.28! - MANCATTAN Two screenings announced, but one has already gone by. Beatnik TV snuck Mancattan into one of their late night/early morning film sessions at the Nexus Art Cafe in Manchester last Saturday. The film was shown to about 80 peoplein the wee hours, and as a totally un-biaed audience, we're pleased to say it went down a storm. Which is great news as we have a fourth pubic screening lined up at the Pennine Film Festival in March. The morning of Weds 17th (St Patrick's Day) will see Colin Warhurst (me) and leading lady Hazel Earle (who played "Rach") will present the film and be having a Q&A afterwards. More info on this screening as it comes!
- SIAB STUDIOS I'm reading a cracking book recently called "Fans, Friends & Followers" and its all about sharing and involving your supporters. So, please message me back, sign up to the Facebook group (if you haven't already)pass it on and TALK TO US! Let us know what you do and don't like about what we're making, what you think we should do next or about films, music videos or anything at all. The internet is a two way thing, and we'd love to hear from you and keep you involved every step of the way. "That's it" for now from Feb. As I say, please stay in touch, and keep the creative faith. This update was brought to you by the letter W and the number 82. Col x
Whew! Film is finished. I'll prob do the odd tweak here and there between now and our planned surge of screenings, but just to announce that the film is done. A little late, but Christmas and buying a house are both valid reasons for the delay. Stay tuned for eventual Premiere details folks and for plenty of behind the scenes and bonus material for your viewing pleasure. Whew!
At incredibly short notice, our friends over at BEATNIK TV rang Col up for a DVD to squeeze Mancattan into tonight's BEatnik TV session at the Nexus Art Cafe. For anyone who doesn't already know about the Nexus or BEatnik TV, they have combined forces to offer late night screenings (2am - 5am!) of the best in music, shorts, animation and now, feature film, from around the North West. Not only this, but the Nexus offers you al armchairs, cracking food and drink and they even call you a cab home. Our mate Gaz from Beatnik has been a long time fan of Mancattan and we owe him a massive thanks for allowing us to take up a whole 90 minute block of his programme! So, public screening number two, a late night last minute almost ever so secret shindig... A little bit weird, kooky, spontaneous and out of the blue; a bit like our whole film! So thanks again to Gaz, I hope it goes down well.
Whew! It should have been done donkeys ago, but with lots of back and forth between FCP/Macs and Sony Vegas/PC it has taken a bit longer than expected. Still, taught myself even more tricks and tips for sound mixing, and I hope the smooth mix goes really well when you all see the final film.
And yes, all the poo sfx were really recorded in ADR by yours truly.
Onto the grade and hopefully a Premiere sometime in Feb if Chris and I stay on target...
Just discovered a website this week called www.timeglider.com and thought it would be fun to create, update and backdate all manner of SiabS dates and events so as to build a fuller picture of just how busy I get! Let's see how it goes!
Leo Worne has completed the first non-Colin-Warhurst directed SiabS film (a dubious honour!) with his superb video for our amigos The Words. We were offered the filming gig last Nov, but I had loads on, and so offered it out to Leo, who is a remarkably talented young chap who is going far in telly-film world. It was a pleasure and huge relief knowing I could hand directing responsibilities over someone not only capable of the job, but who could run with the challenge and create something of their own. Hopefully this is just the start of many more SiabS films directed by numerous people, as was the original vision way back in 2003.
The song is called "FAG" and is written by Manchester-based band The Words. THe single is out to download, buy and generally get a hold of as of Jan 11th, so head to their website for all the info. This video will exist all over the web and be hosted in all sorts of places, but I have linked to Leo's page directly for now. On the band's website, we had well over 250 hits within twelve hours of it goinglive, not bad work at all!
Thanks to Leo, Thanks to Errol Murray on camera duty, Thanks to The Words. Enjoy.
Tech tip, very early in the new year I might add! Righto, I use Sony Vegas for all my audio needs as I find FCP and Soundtrack Pro to be lacking compared to Vega's audio plug-ins, ease of use and power (yeah I said it, what you gonna do about it?) When editing Karma, I tired my damn hardest to keep it all on a Mac and within FCP Studio, but after 2 days of trying to do things in Vegas that I KNEW would only take a second or so, I eventually gave up, exported my 6 tracks of audio as individual WAVs, bunged them in Vegas, and did the sound mix in a couple of hours. Easy.
So this time round on Bog Standard, I have some quite complicated audio across multiple tracks in FCP, and I want to get them into Vegas 7.0 Now I know Vegas has the option of importing AAF (but not OMF or AIFF... confusing unless you are an editor in the know!) which for anyone not entirely convinced on what any of the above are, there seem to be files that essentially act like an EDL (edit decision list) keeping all your files (minus transitions and cross fades or anything fancy so do this BEFORE you add any special filters or fades to your final mix) in the right order on your timeline across multiple editing platforms. Which is handy for those of us who want to use FCP for one thing, Vegas for another, Avid for another, Soundforge, Pro tools etc etc...
So to crack the FCP into VEgas problem, you actually have to go FCP (mac), SOUNDTRACK PRO (Mac) then finally Vegas (PC).
So, select (and mute) any tracks you do not want to include in your AAF folder. For me, I only selected audio to export. Then click your sequence in your bin, ctrl click and select "Export for Soundtrack Pro Multi-track Project." STPro then opens with your audio files in the various correct places on it's version of the timeline. Then, select all, and go to "export AAF." Make a whole NEW FOLDER for your files and then save here. STPro then spits out loads of AIF files (don't panic!) and ONE AAF file.
Go to Vegas, go to "Import --> AAF" and find that one file, it will be the only one that Vegas sees actually. Obviously, you have to have all of your lovely AIF's somewhere handy too, preferably the same new folder. Vegas will now mull it over for a few seconds before opening it's timeline with everything in place (though it may think the media has moved, so just point the Vegas prompt to wherever your AIF's do live). Hoorah!
Needless to say, you need some sort of FAT32 or pen drives that will fit your project files on it that can be read by both Mac and PC.
I am trying it now. Fingers crossed. To get back into FCP, Vegas should export AAF too, but if not, I will downmix and export a smaller amount of MASTER WAVs to just bung into FCP. Phew!
UPDATE #01! - Unfortunately, thee does not seem to be a way to do your mix and send the entire project back via AAF, EDL or any other way, with changes made specifically in your programme (Vegas for me) for INDIVIDUAL FILES. Only way to do it is to render out each track individually or just downmix from within Vegas and send the mix as one/two/individual entire tracks back to FCP. If I try to send back the individual files, the changes made do not carry back as obviously (now, it wasn't at the start!) the changes do not affect the original media sources/files. So if they opened back up in FCP, they sound the same as they did originally! It was a bold experiment, and I still get to mix in Vegas, I'll just to make sure I get it right in Vegas first time as going in and out the whole time will be a right pain!
Colin Warhurst (that's me) with an impromptu performance of D'Yer Wanna Be A Spaceman by Noel Gallagher of Oasis. It's an acoustic spur of the moment thing on the set of a totally different music video. You never know, I may make a habit of it. Filmed at Beehive Mill in Manchester. Thanks to Leo Worne and Sarah Hodgetts for the kick up the bum. This is the first time I've had the cahones to go on camera (or in front of anyone that isn't in the mirror) and actually sing, so please be gentle! Filmed in Nov 2009.
And so the "noughties" passes us by and one should be driven to write something deep, meaningful and poetic about the past decade. I leave that task to better people, and instead muse on where personally the 21st Century has taken me thus far. I have loved and I have lost, I have been inspired and I have seen despair, I have achieved the highest of highs and ultimate victories, and I have been beset by challenges on all sides. And so has everybody else, I think it is called Life.
However, faced with the conundrums and paradoxes of modern day existence, it isn't the obstacles we face but how we face them that truly matters. All in all, I'd say that ten years is a long time , and the past ten years have seen me ultimately be the Man I wanted to be way back in the year 2000. I have a home, a wonderful partner who makes me better every day, an awesome family, a brilliant day job and most importantly the freedom, ability, desire and (luckily) still unlimited enthusiasm for "messing about with cameras and films."
Let's see where the next ten years take us and I hope that anyone reading this acknowledges that although life is short, it is jam packed full of potential. Don't be a spectator, get involved, take part. Ultimate satisfaction, creativity and general force of good (politics basically) doesn't just happen by sitting on the sidelines. So DO whatever it is you want to do. In the past ten year's I have become a film-maker, a home-owner, travelled the world, made a feature film, started on my dream career path, graduated University, jumped out of a plane, went bungee jumping, played on stage, and appeared on the same DVD as Optimus Prime. Those are a few of the many weird and wonderful events of the last ten years that spring to mind, but we all have too many to count. I can't wait to see what craziness lies ahead. Bring it on.
Stuck In A Box Studios started out as the brand name for film-maker Colin Warhurst back in 2002. Colin considers hmself a film-maker primarily, but his creative skills and roles have encompassed far too many areas to fit into this tiny text box.
SiabS operates as an independent "miniature" studio and now features works made or directed by other Directors and Producers besides Col and made using SiabS resources, and is in constant contact and collaboration with many like minded film organisations and individuals across the North West and beyond.
Refusing to be pidgeon-holed as "technical" or "creative" Colin runs Siab Studios from a small boxroom at home and quite happily has the best of both worlds. He enjoys Robots, Tea and getting up for work in the morning, happy in the knowledge that he is lucky enough to love his job.
