Well Entertained

Dynamic Kino, Day 9 - Nothing as planned

The final day and pretty much everyone (except actors) were at the kinolab for post production. It was a big pile of sleepy and nervous people, trying to get their projects done.

The one project I was reserved for had several technical difficulties. The sound was recorded on an extra camera, which resulted in one big exported audio file to extract the audio from - mostly without clap. I couldn't do much, only provide the director with a mixture of samples and extracted sequences. And in the end, it couldn't even be shown at the screening as it wasn't ready.

The third kitchen movie from the day before wasn't shown either since the hard drive of the director crashed during the night and he couldn't restore the files and cut in time.

Except for one short foley recording, I didn't do anything else during the day. I had planned to pack my stuff at about 8:30 and get it home with a taxi before the screening. But as it turned out, I had to help out one of the other sound guys as he was running out of time from several projects. "Crazy people" he said.

The screening started about one hour later than planned and since there were so many films it lasted about three hours. "You didn't obey the rules, now you have to pay for it!" as one presenter shouted out with a smile. After the last film was shown, the crowd collapsed into an disorganized bunch of sheep while the organizers tried to sort out why some copied films weren't shown and others waited for a plan where the unofficial party would start. I let them alone with their destiny and headed home.

Next I'll visit the kinolab once more to collect my stuff and then it's another year to wait.

Dynamic Kino, Day 8 - Kitchen Kino

Yesterday I was at three shootings - well, only two and a half because the first one was a late addition and I couldn't attend the whole time. What all three locations had in common was that I recorded in the kitchen all the time.

One included a cake:

...and another a ladder (though, only for the cameraman):

All three were meant to be 'finished really quick' - and still, I got home close to two in the morning...

But, there no time for much rest, today is the very last day of KinoDynamique this year. I'm booked to do sound design for an interesting movie, and I want it to be good. As it is the third day of the final session with many projects, I expect several people to swamp me in the afternoon. The main task for me as soon as I get there will be to acquire some space for my shop as my original one was taken over by others...

As always, I invite you to the screening today: 10:30pm in the Filmcasino

Dynamic Kino, Day 7 - Sight Seeing 2

It seems like everyone was partying hard after the second screening. At the production meeting, several filmmakers were missing and sent another one to present their projects. The remaining bunch looked very tired as well.

But before I got to the meeting, a small group was shooting some pictures for the quickie screening. For the shooting I had to get up at 7am (So, no partying for me) - And then the shooting was delayed until right before the meeting, since the cameraman stayed in bed for too long.

Later I was with a project following a just married couple on their honeymoon through Vienna - This time only to the Prater (entertainment park) and Schönbrunn. The second place took long to wrap and we got back to the lab (and then to the quickie screening) just in time.

I haven't got many pictures, so here's one of us all in the cinema (which is the oldest one running):

At the screening there were also some live musical performances, which I had to record (stuff packed with me).

In exchange, I present you some examples of my recordings during on day 6:

Dave "Epic McDave" Abbott, our Scotsman this year:

Subtitles

Some accordion music, of which I don't know the name of the player (a girl from Austria):

Music

Today I'm booked for at least two shootings - We'll see how this turns out...

Dynamic Kino, Day 6 - Details

Yesterday started slow again; The cameraman who wanted to do a shooting for his quickie was held up by a previous shooting, so we weren't able to do it - postponed for today.

So, instead, I spent the whole day at the lab, recording various minor things like a voice over here and a foley recording there. (Of course, all within the final four hours before the deadline.) Since I always pack my stuff before night, other people had occupied my table meanwhile and I was left with less than usual (I can barely operate the mouse):

I also took some samples with me, but I'll post them next time since they are from the today's quickie-screening and I don't want to give away spoilers. (Note: Today it's in another cinema, but since it has a small viewing room, I'm not even sure whether even the actual core group will fit in.)

The screening was fun as always; The making-of film from the day before was different, but still funny - As expected, it wasn't possible to use all the material we shot.

The third and final round starts today, but I (and some others) have to start early to do an extra shooting for another quickie before the production meeting.

Dynamic Kino, Day 5 - Still Raining

It was raining throughout the day and I was (mostly) in the lab, doing some voice over or foley recordings.

It is interesting what you can see happening in the lab during the day - for example, a girl was wrapped in (empty) garbage bags:

Also, I like it when the pictures on the screens fit into the world:

Speaking of the fourth wall, the one time I left the lab was for a quick shooting at a train station (so, still under a roof in this rain). We shot a 'making of' for a fictional film (so, the actual film to be shown will be the making of) as a comedy. It was difficult to stay neutral, because the actors were really good and funny - but as soon as we (the making of crew) started to laugh, they couldn't hold it and laughed as well. The real difficulty will be to get the material we shot there below the limit of seven minutes.

I don't have any pictures from the shooting as we were rolling continuously and I had to hold the boom. So I again invite you all to come to today's screening - again at 10:30pm at the Filmcasino!

For today I'm planned to be at a shooting for a quickie (for tomorrow evening) - hopefully we get back as soon as possible since on the third day, there's always much work for sound...

Dynamic Kino, Day 4 - A little disorganized

The second session started and we got some fresh new faces as well:

After the production meeting I wasn't sure which project to approach. Those who talked with me initially had only projects during the night, which left me available during the days. (One of those late night projects I had to turn down - both because it was overlapping with another and I still need some sleep for regeneration against my cold, which is now affecting my throat...)

Wandering around the lab, I saw other teams already preparing their props - I wonder what this is going to be:

A little later, while sitting around, I was approached by a director who asked "Are you available in about one hour?". After confirming, he quickly went away again - and I had a project booked for the day. I didn't get his name, but we sorted that out later.

It's a modern story about Little Red Hood. With some changes - such as dead people in the bathtub:

This shoot took a little longer and my next one (during the night) changed its plans, so I was finished for the day.

Getting back to the kinolab was a little difficult, as it was raining again and I was without an umbrella. (Because, when leaving the lab I thought, "Naah, it will be all right, no need to take one with me"...)

Today I'll start work at the lab (which is good, it's still raining) - I have to prepare yesterdays files and I have to create some sounds for a small monster - sounds fun!

Dynamic Kino, Day 3 - Slow Start, Fine End

The last day of a 60-hour session is always fun to go through - at least to me.

As planned, I stayed only at the kinolab (center of operations) which was nearly empty in the morning. Only slowly during the day the main room filled up with film makers, doing cutting and editing. For most of the time, I had nothing to do.

Only two hours before the deadline for finished movies, people started to approach me "Can you do a voice over recording for us?", "Do you have a sound sample for...?", "How does this sound like...?". And I was back in business. One time even I was in the middle of a mix-down, when a musician I worked with last year came to me and said "Quick, we need you to record our new song before we forget it!". His jam-sessions are good to listen to, mind you.

As always, the deadline passed and people were still exporting their movies (or hadn't even started doing so!). This is how it looks:

Two of them even exported the movie on their laptop while driving to the cinema to be able to show their movies.

The trip to the cinema felt like a school trip:

Note that this is less than half of the whole bunch; The cinema was full.

Many films were shown, a mixture of interesting, funny and weird - And all were met with much applause. Ilja (from Finland) also brought his famous quote "I have to apologize!".

The second session starts today!

Dynamic Kino, Day 2b - Foto

Because of limited posting capabilities yesterday evening, I deliver the following picture of the sight-seeing crew a little late:

An international crew (France, Scotland, Austria, Bulgaria (I think) and one more - I don't know from where our second camera man is..) found in a reflection in Museums Quarter.

As for today: I feel better, though I still wont be able to climb a church tower. I'm planning a day at the kinolab and less walking around; I had offered one director to record the voice over for his film.

Remember: Today evening is the first screening, 10:30pm at the Filmcasino.

Dynamic Kino, Day 2 - Sight Seeing

In the morning I thought that I'd skip the day as the cold truly hit me. But as always, after getting up and another tea I was eager enough to continue. At least, so my idea, get to the meeting spot and see whether I could make it. It turned out, since there was enough sunshine, it was warm enough and I could work.

We continued the sight seeing tour of the protagonist to various sights like the museums quarter up to the Opera until lunch time. I've insisted on taking lunch at the kinolab, since I had paid the food for the whole week - and I already had to skip on that yesterday. I'm already missing the cook they had last year with his Ayurveda-based kitchen - This time, they got standard catering.

On the way back to St.Stephens church I realized I couldn't continue - After meeting the group again I told the director that I had to go to the bed, which she accepted. She asked me whether I could do only one take following the protagonist up the chairs of the spire. "Those stairs? No, sorry!" I said. Although it was long ago I was up on that spire, I'd want to go up there when I'm well...

It turned out to be a good idea to return home as half an hour after I got home, a heavy thunderstorm started. With its own quirks

Dynamic Kino, Day 1 - Good and Bad

Well, it has started and it is as amazing as expected. Officials said there were over 150 registrations this year, about 50 more than last year - and that's not counting those that come additionally during the festival.

There are many old faces and many new faces, all in a big business center, which offers roughly four times the space than last year. But, as they said during the introduction: "Take care of those yellow chairs - they cost more than the rent of the site for the ten days!"

The introduction was again very entertaining, including unwanted expressions coming from bad English and/or nerves - such as a woman, who wanted to express her help with the words "Whenever you feel for it, you can use me"...

After the introduction, the mob is a swarm of bees with everyone trying to find help for their project or finding the director that one wanted to work for - Like I did. But since I couldn't find the director of the project I was interested in, I was a free-running sound guy (of which there are only three this year), which is an easy prey. So I ended up in a different project, which I hadn't planned to work for.

Anyway, I then spent the remaining day traveling through Vienna and visit various sight seeings, such as Castle Belvedere or the Big Wheel (Riesenrad) - only to record the ambience, since the dialogue and 'active' scenes are planned for tomorrow.

And then for the really Bad: During the day, the cold that had introduced itself yesterday evening came to full effect and I had to turn down a second project I registered for. I'd have recorded with them during the night outside, which I couldn't handle anymore. Apart from the classic hurt-zones from my equipment, I'm dragged down by the sickness. After the tea that got ready while I wrote this I'll go to bed and see what tomorrow brings. Starting at 8am. Note to self: Don't append KinoDynamique after a 5 month long crunch-time at work.