Gear News

Ok, the HPX300's are on their way back to the store and the HPX 500's are waiting to be delivered to us. The two mic poles have still yet to be delivered but that won't hold us back. Also we are still minus one blimp wind screen fur cover and that is on the way. On the plus side the trailer is getting longer and will be posted soon. Music is pretty much nailed down and I am almost ready to start passing out press kits to get even more people interested in this film. Last night I did pick up all the Hi-Res pics from my artist Andrew and I even got to keep the actual movie poster that he designed. So far I am spending about 3-4 hours every day on this project and I am beginning to understand why big time Director\Producers have little to no time for hobbies.

More to follow
Jallen

Props to the Dirt Nappers

Just throwing out a thank you to the first two people to show their support by making a donation.

Kristi Hutson and Margaret Kaplan, thanks for believing in the Dirt Nap Project.


Jallen

Dirt Nap Music

Well good news fellow Dirt Nappers. I have gotten permission from Joe Canzano an acoustic punk guitarist. He has been kind enough to give me permission to use any of his music for free for this short film. Here is his website: www.outpost100.com where you can check out his music for yourself. A big THANK YOU Joe. Things are really starting to click on our end here at Dirt Nap Headquarters.

More to Follow

Jallen

Sneak Peek

Not to give too much away as this is a suspense thriller, here are few carefully selected story board pics to wet your appetite. Before anyone asks for a hint all I will say are two words. 'Red Herring'

Enjoy

Jallen

Ask me and I will answer.

I read an email early this Saturday morning from a person who was curious about this blog and our twitter page. The question was, "Is this a real movie that you are making and how do I make a donation if I would like to?"

The answer is "YES !!!" this is a real short film that is really being made by both me and my friend Arlo. We have planned so far about 15 minutes of actual footage. We will be adding to the final DVD the actual storyboard artwork by my artist Andrew Mangum along with the movie poster he is drawing. We will also be including other extra items on the final DVD.

To make a donation to project "Dirt Nap" there is a Pay Pal donation button on this page to use. The bigger the donation the more swag you get. What most people don't know is that I paid for the gear from my own pocket. Unfortunately there are a few things that we still need. Now the film can still be made with the two cameras, the lenses, the two mics, the P2 cards, the editing software and the dedicated PC. But let me just say I will be eating ramen noodles for a while. So I am now asking with my hands out, give us a helping hand.

Jallen

Minor Hardware Issues

Ok, we have had some minor bumps but who doesn't in this business. The HPX300's are going back and we are now getting the big brother the HPX500's. This will up our expenses by about 25% but that is why we are asking everyone to pitch in and help us out. We are still waiting for one blimp screen cover to arrive. The new mics truly do sound great after doing a few sound checks. The teaser should be available soon, it just needs some more effects tweaking. In an effort to always give you something to remember us by here is a little poem to help generate some donations.

-While sitting in my bathtub
Thinking up my greatest works
I really hope that one good film
Brings just a few good perks
Think, plan, strive, do
Sounds like a real strong start
Don't forget the financing
Or it will break your heart
Love what you do else you should quit
But always keep firm hold
We won't say no to the kind that clinks
But we love the type that folds-



Jallen

Please help make "Dirt Nap" a reality!

We now have a donation account set up with PayPal (top right of the page) and would love to have your help in making our short film "Dirt Nap" a reality. Below are the contribution levels and what you will receive in return for your donation:

- Contribution Tiers -
1000 dollar level: Associate Producer Screen Credit, DVD, Official Dirt Nap Cap, IMDB credit, Personal Interview and Photo with Directors

500 dollar level : Associate Producer Screen Credit, DVD, Official Dirt Nap Cap, IMDB credit

250 dollar level: Associate Producer Screen Credit, DVD, Official Dirt Nap Cap

100 dollar level: Screen Credit, DVD and Official Dirt Nap Cap

50 dollar level: Screen Credit plus DVD

25 dollar level: Screen Credit

Texas Frightmare Weekend

Just to share some news that the twitter site mentioned. Texas Frightmare Weekend is on April 30th through May 2nd. Both myself and Arlo will be there. But the really cool thing is that there is a Zombie Walk occuring on May 1st. We have setup a nice little filming appointment so we can document this event and share it with ya'll. Then later that night at Sheraton Hotel the official 'Dirt Nap' mixer will be thrown by us. The reason for this is to get our name out there in the film industry, show the 'Dirt Nap' teaser once it is complete and of course, beg for donations. More details will be shared as the time gets closer.

Jallen

Gear, Gear and more Gear

Yesterday the internals for the mic blimps arrived and today I got a quick peek at the story boards for Dirt Nap. But I think I should go back to the beginning and tell the story.

There I was working an IT contract, we went to eat BBQ as a team and this new guy Arlo mentions he writes screenplays, is into movies and has even created a teaser film for the internet. I tell him that I write screen plays too and perhaps we could talk later. A few days later me and Arlo go to lunch and bounce around some ideas we have come up with on our own. I mention I have short film idea 'Dirt Nap' and if I had some help I could produce it. Before you know it, we are researching camera types roughing out a budget and picking out accessories. I price everything out and email my want list off to every major equipment reseller I can find. (This was harder than I thought as I have learned that camera equipment is so flippin expensive that nobody wants to cut you a deal) Then I found my sales guy Joel at FullCompass.

Now comes the long wait as the gear arrives one box at a time. We ran into a few snags but the biggest drawback was the Panasonic AG-HPX300PJ cameras. These cameras use interlacing and thus when you actually move the camera too fast or a car drives through the frame too fast a strange effect called Rolling Shutter (limitation of 3mos) which actually skews the playback. But on the plus side we are trying to exchange the cameras for two of the Panasonic HPX500-EFP which uses a CCD technology. All the rest of the gear is here and in hand and is 100% compatible with the HPX500 so we shall see what happens.

Later
Jallen

"Dirt Nap" Synopsis

Mike’s life sucks.

He lives alone, eats junk food and works a job he hates. Returning home he finds yet another home owners association notice on his door. Having had it with people sticking their noses where they don’t belong, particularly the lady across the street with the ‘Yard of the Month’ sign boldly displayed, he begins to fume. If only he had a shovel…

Time to get my feet wet

Hello world ! (inside joke) My name is Jason or Jallen as the internet knows me. I am the other half of RAD FX. I was finally convinced by the powers that be to take the plunge into the online world of blogging. I was reluctant at first as I had held out for what seems like forever and I hate giving ground on something. I hope I actually have something worthwhile to say when the time comes for me to say it. Don't be shy to ask questions or make a comment, these are just a bunch of ones and zeros after all.

Enjoy
Jallen

Offical Film Title

"Dirt Nap" - its not what you might think!

Yep, that's the name, and here's a rough idea for a logo.

Teaser trailer coming soon...