News from the editing boards

My apologies for the fair gap since my last formal communique here. I have been actively working on the latest chapter of ASCENSION, as well as a couple of other side projects which needed attention.

I have also been actively seeking employment to help support this and other efforts of life, though so far the returns on that time investment have not panned out.

So with all of this, it has come time once again to address a compilation of issues from this end which brings me to the need for continued support from all of you, my wonderful friends and those who can participate with us.

Though several have contributed to this project and for which have been duly noted (and will continue to be), several compounding expenses are now presenting themselves, to which I have absolutely no recourse to resolve in my current status.

Certain of the story elements for the next chapter cannot be acquired through the usual methods to date. Unless certain film elements magically drop out of the sky, I may be forced to actually shoot my own footage (go figure)! Having a lack of the necessary photography gear at the moment, that may prove somewhat difficult.

One side project away from The Book of Man is to initiate VideoOnDemand (VoD) on Vimeo for a series of video shorts, starting with a scifi short story I have written and can be produced without the same licensing issues of The Book of Man project, which will remain free to the public. This will help jumpstart some minor financing and promote further works to generate some funds. In order to do this though, an account upgrade to Vimeo PRO is required. I suppose the jump was inevitable and over the years I have developed the necessary production, editing, and direction skills to carefully make this jump.

The Vimeo account issue will be coming back up May 7. So since this is on the horizon, I have spent the last few weeks attempting to summarize and sort out needs and wants for all of and only the projects related to the brian O films label on Vimeo.

I have initially setup two seperate breakdowns of “needs” and “wants”. This is based on immediacy and seriousness of those two subjects. The preparations for these are listed below:

The Need List

Vimeo PRO

Vimeo PRO is the best video solution for creative professionals.  Create rich portfolios of your work, customize your player with your branding, and play your videos in full HD on every device.
At $199/year, it’s the most affordable way to professionally showcase your work. It is, without exaggeration, the best service in the Universe. Seriously, check around the Universe.

Vimeo PRO
http://vimeo.com/professionals

The software I currently use is dated 4-5 years old and advanced upgrades require purchase (I know these packages down to the code):

NCH VideoPad Editor Master’s Edition update & upgrade
Normal Price $99 US; Discount Price $49.99 US
http://www.nchsoftware.com/videopad/index.html

WavePad Sound Editor Master’s Edition update & upgrade
Normal Price $99 US; Discount Price $49.99 US
http://www.nch.com.au/wavepad/index.html

The Want List

For further stock image/footage acquisition

ONE Canon XC10 4K Pro Camcorder B&H # CAXC10 MFR # 0565C013

1″ CMOS Sensor and DIGIC DV 5 Processor
UltraHD 4K at 29.97/23.98p
H.264 Recording in MXF Wrapper
Up to 305 Mbps 4K / 50 Mbps HD Recording
SDHC/SDXC and CFast Card Slots
64 GB CFast 2.0 Card and Reader Included
HDMI Output – Supports 4K Monitoring
10x Zoom / 8.9 to 89mm Focal Length
100 to 20,000 ISO Range
Ergonomic Tilting Hand Grip

Price: $2,499.00
Instant Savings: $500.00
$0.00 Tax Collected Outside NY and NJ
You Pay: $1,999.00

Additional equipment

SanDisk 64GB Extreme PRO CFast 2.0 Memory Card (ARRI and Canon Cameras) (field backup)
Canon LP-E6N Lithium-Ion Battery Pack (7.2V, 1865mAh)
Senal CS-88 DSLR-Video Shotgun Microphone
Elvid FieldVision 7″ 4K On-Camera HDMI IPS Monitor
Magnus VT-4000 Tripod System with Fluid Head

Lenses and further equipment

Equipment rental services located with easy drop ship
Lenses & additional cameras, Lighting, dolly, jibs/cranes, drone
& other operator rentals

This is the breakdown on per-item charges:

The Need List

Vimeo PRO $199
VideoPad Editor Master’s Edition $49.99
WavePad Sound Editor Master’s Edition $49.99
Additional computer upgrades and other charges & fees $250

Total $550

The Want List

Canon XC10 4K Pro Camera $1,999.00
SanDisk 64GB Extreme PRO Card $199.95
Canon LP-E6N Battery Pack $64.00 ea
Senal CS-88 DSLR-Video Shotgun Microphone $79.00
Elvid FV 7″ On-Camera HDMI IPS Monitor $449.00
Magnus VT4000 Tripod Fluid Head $149.95
Additional parts, charges & fees $750

Total $3700 ($3691)

If there are any souls out there with the capability to aid in the support of this and other important projects completely under the Vimeo account, here is the full cost requirement for the coming year:

Complete $4250.00 US

Again, I myself do not currently have the resources for even the Needs list and obviously the wants list is far from my reach at this moment.

If we can acquire the Needs list for now, the work can obviously continue for another year, post May 7th. The only reason I have added the requests for additional equipment is the need to begin moving the entire project into completely original pre- and post-production imaging – and this is a basic starter set for the gear. Any further more complicated shoots will additionally require a DP, an AD, sound recordist and other crew & operators, as well as potential equipment rentals and actual financing.

If it comes to that I have already been in touch with both KickStarter and GoFundMe, and individual projects requiring additional personnel and equipment will be moved into that realm, and further notifications here and elsewhere will be made.

If we receive duplication of contributions for specific assests, secondary contributions will be rolled over to the next primary request.

As always, I humbly thank all of the timely fine support, advice and direction I have been given by all of you, and you have been most welcome on this ride with us all. Until the Book of Man is completed by the end of ASCENSION, we will all have a stake in this story.

The applicable Donation buttons and links can be found on this page, as well as the Vimeo and YouTube pages.

Brian O on Vimeo
http://vimeo.com/user1443655

Brian O on YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCw7UrSHXM5cu06Jx2SVrnJA

 

And from there, more will follow.

Thanks for your fantastic time and attention – Brian O, Denver CO

UPDATE (04.03.17):

I would like to personally thank a couple of friends who have come forward this last week and contributed to the project and your contribution is so humbly appreciated. There is still more to do yet and I am hoping more folks will come on board with this current fundraising effort as we are still short of the minimum goal. 

As we move forward, I think you may notice a sincere change in the layout, texture and tone of ASCENSION. Elements of the story are taking some interesting directions, and the reflection of this should be obvious. Cheers my friends.