I suppose it's been a little while since my last entry - but rest assured, the time has been spent productively.
Earlier this week, I sat down and crunched some numbers for production. It's going to cost me about $20, 000 to build the sets for Episode 1 and store them for a month. Three weeks will probably be dedicated towards construction alone, so I'll probably need the studio space for two months which brings it up to $25, 000.
I feel its a rather liberal number, but I researched market trends to give myself a fairly accurate estimate. To be honest that number also doesn't worry me. If I can pace prouction accordingly, I can budget costs based on when grants become available. The pilot has to be finished for June 2010 and I think that's absolutely doable at this point.
I was talking to a friend with a business degree, M.B., who's starting his own financial company in the next few weeks. We're going to talk later about how he can go about helping me start the production company - so I've found the only 'business consultant' I can afford. As boring as that paragraph sounds, it's actually very, very good news because I was admittedlty intimdated by this process as a whole. I realize that although I understand basic aspects of business, economics, etc., I am definitely not prepared to proceed into this alone. It pays to have good friends.
E.B. is writing Episode 4. He'll possibly be contributing a writing commentary when he's finished his work on the script. I hope it's going well for him, but there's not much more I can speak on about Episode 4, so you'll have to wait for E.B. on that one.
Meanwhile, I've also been writing Episode 5 - 'In Media Res'. This is perhaps going to be the funnest episode for me to write, because I haven't worked out a lot of the minutia of the plot so far. But I do find what I've already written has worked out very well and I'm happy with the spontaneity that I seem to be demonstrating in this particular script.
I'm by no means winging it - this has been the most important episode in the back of my head. This is the reveal of Lidless' intentions. Somewhat. I came up with my McGuffins today (a term referring to a plot piece created specifically to drive the plot forward), and I think it ties in perfectly with the world I've set up so far. I had never had a specific motivation for Lidless kidnapping Davis besides the obvious uses of his intellect - but a specific reason came into my head today that doesn't necessarily need to be revealed in the miniseries to still be satisfying.
This episode takes place almost entirely from the perspective of Eve's kidnappers and the people responsible for orhcestrating it. We see the levels of power that Lidless has influence in. We see the both the tenacity and consciences of her associates. Furthermore, the episode foreshadows a weakness in her precognitive abilities that won't be revealed until Episode 6's conclusion.
Though I try and keep the content Canadian on this blog, I'd like to talk about the latest Thrice album for a number of reasons.
Thrice is a foursome band from Irvine, California and broke onto the scene in 2001 with their debut album, Identity Crisis. They've managed to evolve their style from hard-rock to experimental and still maintain a devoted following. Their latest album, Beggars (2009) was recently leaked through a mishap over at Vagrant Records. The album leaked nearly three months early, and I'm sure was a devasting blow to not only the band, but the production team behind the album.
I'll be honest - I downloaded it and I'd like to give it a short review at the end, so if you're looking for that, scroll down.
Free downloading (I won't call it illegal because it is simply - not) has had a devasting impact on the CD industry. I say specifically the CD industry because I do believe the music industry as a whole is doing fine (recession considered). The point is, owning a CD has absolutely no physical value anymore. If I were to buy a CD, I'd only want it for the sentimental value it holds. I want 'that' CD. Adding incentives to purchase the CD that can't be provided through the internet is what will revive the recording industry - which is exactly what Thrice will be doing with their latest album.
The album will see a digital release on August 11th through iTunes, shifting from its original release date of October 13th. Their statement was somewhere along the lines of 'releasing a CD earlier than planned is easy, changing a marketing strategy isn't'. Thus the band is going to release the album with bonus extras that would not be available through the promotional leak on its intended release date.
I was going to buy the album anyway. Thrice is one of those bands that I liked to own the CD, I don't have many of those but I definitely have a sentimental attachment with actually owning those albums. Seeing it on a computer screen isn't enough for me. I probably won't even listen to the CD itself, but I just like to have it. The record industry will survive on that alone - it will just reform into a smaller market. Movies hated TV, Radio had cassettes - media changes - get over it. Go make money off your Blu-Ray concerts, Rock-Bands and Ring-Tunes - all products established well after the internet caused damage to falling record sales. Thank you for waiting until your money was at risk to get innovative.
The fact is, and I could expand on this for far too long, so I'll keep it short; the increasing availability of affordable recording equipment is ending the record industry - not the internet. Thrice recorded this album in the basement recording studio of guitarist, Teppei Teranishi, largely on instruments that they constructed by hand. There is no problem with the music industry, there is only a solution - it's called artist independence and its happening more every day.
But alas, the album - reviewed.
Though its hard to say where Thrice peaked so far, I think the last album I was genuinely enthusiastic about was Artist in the Ambulance (2003). Vhessiu (2004), and The Alchemy Indexes I-IV (2008) were excellent demonstrations of their talent for creating refined music - but it had lost that hard rock feel. They didn't have many 'rocking out' opportunities.
Thrice returns to their hard-rock roots with three albums' worth of melodic experimental music behind them - combining the two for one of the most innovative, yet solid rock albums of the 21st century. The shear talent this band represents is just ridiculous compared to other bands that are gaining exposure these days. This album brings some of the most elegant, industrial notes a guitar can produce and finds them in a home in a rock album that is as bar-setting as it is purely enjoyable.
Of note, the tracks, All the World is Mad, The Weight, Circles, At the Last, In Exile, Talking Through Glass and Beggars are worth checking out even if you're not familiar with the band. So check out Beggars (2009) and hopefully introduce yourself to a band that's continued to impress for nearly a decade.
Hope everyone had a good weekend, and that you enjoyed this monster of a post!
P.S. I met someone this weekend who thought Thrice would be a more appropriate boys name than Thrace. I've been put in a quandry.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Sunday, July 19, 2009
The Ailing Music Industry
There are forces within the music industry that often complain that internet downloading is hurting sales of records. Though this may be true, there are also many more opportunities for musicians and their producers alike to make money in the era of new-media.
One such obvservation I've made is the release of several artist exclusive editions of Rock-Band and Guitar Hero. For instance, AC/DC, Aerosmith and The Beatles have all, or are in the process of releasing editions of the game that exclusively feature a track-listing by that artist. They must produce significant revenue, because they keep coming out.
If regular albums aren't selling anymore because of the internet - than the problem needs to be reassessed. The internet is here and it isn't going away. Thus, neither are free downloads. The solution is to offer an incentive to get the consumer to buy the product.
Bear with me here. Instead of Artist 'X' releasing their album with fifteen tracks onto a CD, or Vinyl - why not release it directly and exclusively into a Rock-Band or Guitar-Hero format?
The traditional business model for the music industry is broken - but the solutions are everywhere. A band releasing their new material exclusively to videogames would be at the very least, an unprecedented attempt to generate revenue, but also an interesting experiment in the increasing saturation of video-games into Western culture.
One such obvservation I've made is the release of several artist exclusive editions of Rock-Band and Guitar Hero. For instance, AC/DC, Aerosmith and The Beatles have all, or are in the process of releasing editions of the game that exclusively feature a track-listing by that artist. They must produce significant revenue, because they keep coming out.
If regular albums aren't selling anymore because of the internet - than the problem needs to be reassessed. The internet is here and it isn't going away. Thus, neither are free downloads. The solution is to offer an incentive to get the consumer to buy the product.
Bear with me here. Instead of Artist 'X' releasing their album with fifteen tracks onto a CD, or Vinyl - why not release it directly and exclusively into a Rock-Band or Guitar-Hero format?
The traditional business model for the music industry is broken - but the solutions are everywhere. A band releasing their new material exclusively to videogames would be at the very least, an unprecedented attempt to generate revenue, but also an interesting experiment in the increasing saturation of video-games into Western culture.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
small tidbits
tidbit the first; f--- the emmys. f--- mad men. f--- everyone who thinks its a better-than-average show. f--- people who grew up in the 50s and think anything based on the 50s is the best thing ever. f--- them.
< rant >
sorry, but nominating one show for four out of a possible five writing nominations is just f---ing stupid. but you managed to do it in the same category for both drama and comedy! i hate the emmy's and am boycotting you for the rest of my life. I f---ing HATE THE EMMYS
< /rant >
tidbit the second; my first act of delegation as soundtrack's showrunner; EVAN BAWKS IS WRITING EPISODE IV! i thought it'd be fun to mix it up and see what someone else brings to the table so wish him luck.
tidbit the third; your absolutely 100% free moment-of-zen;
its not enough to live to survive - you have to survive to live.
busy weekend coming up but i'll see if i can't squeeze in a post at one point. hope you're all having a great week and got fun weekends ahead of yourselves :)
< rant >
sorry, but nominating one show for four out of a possible five writing nominations is just f---ing stupid. but you managed to do it in the same category for both drama and comedy! i hate the emmy's and am boycotting you for the rest of my life. I f---ing HATE THE EMMYS
< /rant >
tidbit the second; my first act of delegation as soundtrack's showrunner; EVAN BAWKS IS WRITING EPISODE IV! i thought it'd be fun to mix it up and see what someone else brings to the table so wish him luck.
tidbit the third; your absolutely 100% free moment-of-zen;
its not enough to live to survive - you have to survive to live.
busy weekend coming up but i'll see if i can't squeeze in a post at one point. hope you're all having a great week and got fun weekends ahead of yourselves :)
Monday, July 13, 2009
Dustin Takes You On a Tour of the Broken Social Scene
another music-themed post! i stumbled upon an awesome opportunity this past weekend to go see a free show put on by toronto's own broken social scene!
i don't know if you've ever heard of broken social scene, but if not, here's a quick rundown. broken social scene was formed in toronto in 1999 by kevin drew and brendan canning and rose to prominence in canada's independent music scene.
there's a word that gets thrown around a lot in the music biz, 'superband' or 'supergroup' which is, a musical group that was formed from members of previously successful music ventures. while broken social scene certainly includes talented members from previously successful bands including but not limited to; feist, metric, jason collett, amy milan, the new pornographers and stars, they have all found varying degress of success parallel with the scene itself. was broken social scene famous because of its talented musicians, or were the talented musicians famous because of broken social scene? a difficult relationship to analyze, but without a doubt the members of broken social scene are some of the greatest musical minds this country has to offer.
we arrived at the harbourfront centre in toronto's downtown 2 hours before showtime. we were also some of the last people to find seats! the stage had near-perfect placement near toronto's waterfront and had a perfect breeze blowing through it to cool down the otherwise hot day. after patiently waiting (by that i mean drinking 7$ heinekein tallboys) we were greeted by this:
i saw this song once performed on the tonight show with jay leno and i thought it was impressive then. what a GREAT song to demonstrate the musical abilities of this group. one of my favorite things about broken social scene is the fact its a near indie-rock orchestra. fire-eye'd-boy was a great way to remind us all of that.
this - is musical - bliss
7/4 shoreline is one of those few... a handful, maybe less than five, perfect songs. to see broken social scene in its entirety, including the wonderful leslie feist, perform this song was one of those few great earthly pleasures i'll ever get to enjoy.
as i said previously, broken social scene is home to acts such as feist and metric and you better believe they were both representing their non-bss success!
kevin drew also showed off some of his own solo stuff! like this absolute beauty that's been thrown around in circles under the title 'untitled 2' or 'MTV'. when it came on i was immediately entranced by the tune and wondered why i wasn't familiar with it (as a devoted broken social scener) - but as it turns out i was introduced to a new tune by an old favorite.
kevin drew himself called this their themesong! i have only this for commentary: "oh-oh-o-oh-o-o-o-ohhh-oh-oh-o-oh-o-o-o-ohhh-oh-oh-o-oh-o-o-o-ohhh-oh-oh-o-oh-o-o-o-ohhh"
the real reason i love broken social scene comes down to a few select words.
it was a wonderful concert. the greatest thing about seeing a band like broken social scene is i think they genuinely want to be there as much as their audience. never before have i seen such comradery on the band's behalf. it looked more like a reunion between close friends than a band's first time on stage in its entirely in more than five years.
thank you broken social scene, if this ever reaches you, thank you. it takes a lot of brass to put on a free concert these days and you definitely know how to bring the goods.
i'd also like to thank the following youtube users for allowing me to link to their videos.
fcharlesuck, harbourfrontcentre and phantium
i don't know if you've ever heard of broken social scene, but if not, here's a quick rundown. broken social scene was formed in toronto in 1999 by kevin drew and brendan canning and rose to prominence in canada's independent music scene.
there's a word that gets thrown around a lot in the music biz, 'superband' or 'supergroup' which is, a musical group that was formed from members of previously successful music ventures. while broken social scene certainly includes talented members from previously successful bands including but not limited to; feist, metric, jason collett, amy milan, the new pornographers and stars, they have all found varying degress of success parallel with the scene itself. was broken social scene famous because of its talented musicians, or were the talented musicians famous because of broken social scene? a difficult relationship to analyze, but without a doubt the members of broken social scene are some of the greatest musical minds this country has to offer.
we arrived at the harbourfront centre in toronto's downtown 2 hours before showtime. we were also some of the last people to find seats! the stage had near-perfect placement near toronto's waterfront and had a perfect breeze blowing through it to cool down the otherwise hot day. after patiently waiting (by that i mean drinking 7$ heinekein tallboys) we were greeted by this:
i saw this song once performed on the tonight show with jay leno and i thought it was impressive then. what a GREAT song to demonstrate the musical abilities of this group. one of my favorite things about broken social scene is the fact its a near indie-rock orchestra. fire-eye'd-boy was a great way to remind us all of that.
this - is musical - bliss
7/4 shoreline is one of those few... a handful, maybe less than five, perfect songs. to see broken social scene in its entirety, including the wonderful leslie feist, perform this song was one of those few great earthly pleasures i'll ever get to enjoy.
as i said previously, broken social scene is home to acts such as feist and metric and you better believe they were both representing their non-bss success!
kevin drew also showed off some of his own solo stuff! like this absolute beauty that's been thrown around in circles under the title 'untitled 2' or 'MTV'. when it came on i was immediately entranced by the tune and wondered why i wasn't familiar with it (as a devoted broken social scener) - but as it turns out i was introduced to a new tune by an old favorite.
kevin drew himself called this their themesong! i have only this for commentary: "oh-oh-o-oh-o-o-o-ohhh-oh-oh-o-oh-o-o-o-ohhh-oh-oh-o-oh-o-o-o-ohhh-oh-oh-o-oh-o-o-o-ohhh"
the real reason i love broken social scene comes down to a few select words.
park that car.
drop that phone.
sleep on the floor.
dream about me.
it was a wonderful concert. the greatest thing about seeing a band like broken social scene is i think they genuinely want to be there as much as their audience. never before have i seen such comradery on the band's behalf. it looked more like a reunion between close friends than a band's first time on stage in its entirely in more than five years.
thank you broken social scene, if this ever reaches you, thank you. it takes a lot of brass to put on a free concert these days and you definitely know how to bring the goods.
i'd also like to thank the following youtube users for allowing me to link to their videos.
fcharlesuck, harbourfrontcentre and phantium
Friday, July 10, 2009
Proof That I Should Be Writing and Not Video Editing;
Alright, I worked on a little project the last few days and used what I had on this computer to produce what I could. Needless to say, Windows Movie Maker is frustrating. It runs very fast, but it has to stay in sync with the music. Until I find a way to put more text on each shot, this will have to do.
Without further delay, I present, a preview for Episode III - 401.
'The Rescue of Detective Davis'
Without further delay, I present, a preview for Episode III - 401.
'The Rescue of Detective Davis'
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Dustinpedia Canadiana
i've been shy on posts lately. i've just been busy here and there. Nothing terrifically exiting to report on; progress on episode IV is slowly advancing. i'm slowly piecing together scenes to get an overall feeling of what the episode is going to address and accomplish. Lidless' plans are slowing coming to light and a chance for her to explain her motivations will explore one of the themes i'd always wanted to address with the show. it also warrants a little bit of research into some of her political influences.
i recently made a mix CD of the main songs i'd like to use for the show. i'm not going to go into how i'm tragically stuck in the 20th century, but the experience reminded me of how little i address the show's music here.
that being said, here are some of the featured artists on soundtrack;
Japandroids:
i heard about this amazing garage-sounding rock band through the Polaris Music Award, of which they recently made the [short] long-list of nominations. this group definitely delivers some solid rock on-demand. its fun-energetic rythm is what makes it perfect for the show.
The Stills:
if you haven't heard of the stills yet - its not too late. i saw these guys open for metric in 2005 and they haven't lost an ounce of the energy they had then. one of the problems i've had in selecting the soundtrack is not picking too many songs from one band, and the stills were definitely one of those bands i had a difficult time picking only one.
Protest the Hero:
one of the hardest rocking, riffing and energetic bands i've ever heard. the talent that goes into some of their riffs are comparable with those that made iron maiden famous. adding fresh flame to old metal, these guys are single-handidly restoring credibility to Canadian metal.
Matthew Good Band:
who doesn't rememeber a half-dozen awesome tracks off the top of their head from this amazing band? though he ventured into a solo-career that i didn't follow as much, the original band put out some classic modern-rock songs that mesh perfectly with what i'm trying to accomplish with the show.
Metric:
a great band whose past is overshadowed only by their bright future. fantasies (2009) was metric's strike back, demonstrating they are far from being done producing hot, original music with melodic ferocity. one of the most difficult selections for the soundtrack was the first season's big fight between Derek and Danielle. i had spent weeks and months searching for the perfect song; and it didn't exist until this album came out. a must-must listen.
Joel Plaskett:
a great, great addition to Canada's reputation as a producer of top-notch folk music. Plaskett manages to be Canada's answer to Wilco, except without all the depressing band in-fighting (i hope). Plaskett's got a range of musical talents which he displays in a mixed, but otherwise impressive discography.
Wintersleep:
meshing modern emo with some 90s grunge these guys manage to pull off a sound not many can. where some bands would try fill their bridges with uninspired power-chords, Wintersleep never misses an opportunity to insert a well-timed riff behind their vocalist's talented wails.
The Constantines:
an underground Canadian legend for years, these guys provided phomenonal live-performances that would have fooled you into thinking these were platinum-selling professionals. glad to see they're getting some radio attention these days. MUCH DESERVED.
.Moneen.:
while Alexisonfire and Billy Talent [deservedly] got a lot of attention in the resurgence of Canadian punk-rock in the early 2000s, it was .Moneen. that i felt was the greatest contributing artist to the genre. pushing the limits of their instruments, the band put out at least two albums that were contenders for album of the year. amazing presence live.
Controller.Controller:
some call it disco-revival; i call it electric-rock. either way, controller.controller was one producing some of the raddest tunes at the time of their breakout album, History (2004). C.C. manages to project that club atmosphere without sacrificing the beat and replayability.
Tegan and Sara:
i'll be honest - some of Tegan and Sara's songs were the inspiration for the whole show. with great energy, beat and melody, this duo puts out super-charged guitar-riffs accompanied by two of the prettiest voices in the industry today.
Arkells:
the Arkells are one of those new great everyman bands that is just so easy to put-on and enjoy. they are putting out some great tunes that reflect traditional song-writing but don't feel old in any way. along with Japandroids, these guys manage to have a polished sound yet have that garage feel. definitely a great up-and-coming group.
Death From Above 1979:
how much can you really say about this great band? though they've tragically parted ways, this duo put out some of the best industrial rock this millenium. mixing rugged bass riffs with epic drum-beats earned these guys much-deserved international recognition.
Holy Fuck:
controversial name aside, every bit of attention these guys get is worth it. though there are many great songs on this off-beat electronica album, Lovely Allen is one of the very few tunes that have appealed to me as a theme song for the show and thus i thought i would mention this talented band.
i think that's all i have to say about music for now. this is by no means the entire artist-listing for the unofficial soundtrack of the show - just a few bands that if you weren't already enjoying, i thought you might.
one of things i realized going through my itunes to create a soundtrack for the show is that there is a tremendous amount of GREAT Canadian music out there waiting to be discovered. word-of-mouth is one of the best ways to advertise a product and so i hope that both this blog, and in the future, soundtrack provide coverage and accessibility for the great music this country's going to be producing.
as i said earlier, work is progressing on episode IV, so expect some updates on that later next week. hope you're all having a great week and are looking forward to the weekend as much as i am!
i recently made a mix CD of the main songs i'd like to use for the show. i'm not going to go into how i'm tragically stuck in the 20th century, but the experience reminded me of how little i address the show's music here.
that being said, here are some of the featured artists on soundtrack;
Japandroids:i heard about this amazing garage-sounding rock band through the Polaris Music Award, of which they recently made the [short] long-list of nominations. this group definitely delivers some solid rock on-demand. its fun-energetic rythm is what makes it perfect for the show.
The Stills:if you haven't heard of the stills yet - its not too late. i saw these guys open for metric in 2005 and they haven't lost an ounce of the energy they had then. one of the problems i've had in selecting the soundtrack is not picking too many songs from one band, and the stills were definitely one of those bands i had a difficult time picking only one.
Protest the Hero:one of the hardest rocking, riffing and energetic bands i've ever heard. the talent that goes into some of their riffs are comparable with those that made iron maiden famous. adding fresh flame to old metal, these guys are single-handidly restoring credibility to Canadian metal.
Matthew Good Band:who doesn't rememeber a half-dozen awesome tracks off the top of their head from this amazing band? though he ventured into a solo-career that i didn't follow as much, the original band put out some classic modern-rock songs that mesh perfectly with what i'm trying to accomplish with the show.
Metric:a great band whose past is overshadowed only by their bright future. fantasies (2009) was metric's strike back, demonstrating they are far from being done producing hot, original music with melodic ferocity. one of the most difficult selections for the soundtrack was the first season's big fight between Derek and Danielle. i had spent weeks and months searching for the perfect song; and it didn't exist until this album came out. a must-must listen.
Joel Plaskett:a great, great addition to Canada's reputation as a producer of top-notch folk music. Plaskett manages to be Canada's answer to Wilco, except without all the depressing band in-fighting (i hope). Plaskett's got a range of musical talents which he displays in a mixed, but otherwise impressive discography.
Wintersleep:
meshing modern emo with some 90s grunge these guys manage to pull off a sound not many can. where some bands would try fill their bridges with uninspired power-chords, Wintersleep never misses an opportunity to insert a well-timed riff behind their vocalist's talented wails.
The Constantines:an underground Canadian legend for years, these guys provided phomenonal live-performances that would have fooled you into thinking these were platinum-selling professionals. glad to see they're getting some radio attention these days. MUCH DESERVED.
.Moneen.:while Alexisonfire and Billy Talent [deservedly] got a lot of attention in the resurgence of Canadian punk-rock in the early 2000s, it was .Moneen. that i felt was the greatest contributing artist to the genre. pushing the limits of their instruments, the band put out at least two albums that were contenders for album of the year. amazing presence live.
Controller.Controller:some call it disco-revival; i call it electric-rock. either way, controller.controller was one producing some of the raddest tunes at the time of their breakout album, History (2004). C.C. manages to project that club atmosphere without sacrificing the beat and replayability.
Tegan and Sara:i'll be honest - some of Tegan and Sara's songs were the inspiration for the whole show. with great energy, beat and melody, this duo puts out super-charged guitar-riffs accompanied by two of the prettiest voices in the industry today.
Arkells:the Arkells are one of those new great everyman bands that is just so easy to put-on and enjoy. they are putting out some great tunes that reflect traditional song-writing but don't feel old in any way. along with Japandroids, these guys manage to have a polished sound yet have that garage feel. definitely a great up-and-coming group.
Death From Above 1979:how much can you really say about this great band? though they've tragically parted ways, this duo put out some of the best industrial rock this millenium. mixing rugged bass riffs with epic drum-beats earned these guys much-deserved international recognition.
Holy Fuck:controversial name aside, every bit of attention these guys get is worth it. though there are many great songs on this off-beat electronica album, Lovely Allen is one of the very few tunes that have appealed to me as a theme song for the show and thus i thought i would mention this talented band.
i think that's all i have to say about music for now. this is by no means the entire artist-listing for the unofficial soundtrack of the show - just a few bands that if you weren't already enjoying, i thought you might.
one of things i realized going through my itunes to create a soundtrack for the show is that there is a tremendous amount of GREAT Canadian music out there waiting to be discovered. word-of-mouth is one of the best ways to advertise a product and so i hope that both this blog, and in the future, soundtrack provide coverage and accessibility for the great music this country's going to be producing.
as i said earlier, work is progressing on episode IV, so expect some updates on that later next week. hope you're all having a great week and are looking forward to the weekend as much as i am!
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