Behind the Scenes

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PRODUCTION

         

PRODUCTION wrapped on August 11th, 2002 after a brisk 11 day shooting schedule.  Locations included the downtown area of Petaluma, and The New Yorker restaurant, the Presidio in San Francisco, as well as Carmac Beach at Bodega Bay, California.

 

POST PRODUCTION - VIDEO

We have completed picture lock on the film as of April 2nd, 2003.  There are now over 90 effects shots in "Special Menu" including an extensive future sequence set in the year 2042.  Other effects include digital microphone removal, transitional elements, and Computer Graphics (CG) integration.

Along the way, several companies have made the job of creating these effects easier with their generous support of this project.  They are:

Autonomous Effects are the creators of SceneGenie, an incredible software package that match moves a camera even when there are no visible reference points.  It has been used on such films as "Minority Report", "Catch Me If You Can" and "Driven", and was one of the chief tools in creating the reality of the future sequence in "Special Menu".  Find out more about SceneGenie at http://www.scenegenie.com.

Digimation, a multi-purpose software and hardware reseller, in association with Viewpoint Digital Labs, was very kind to provide us with a digital model of a  Pontiac Sunfire to match the physical vehicle that we had used while filming "Special Menu".  With this model, we were able to seamlessly intercut the real car with the digital stand-in for several sequences where it would have been impractical to use a real car.  Digimation and Viewpoint can be found at http://www.digimation.com.

                        

Mokey is software that creates travelling mattes without the use of a green or blue screen.  It was absolutely essential to pulling David out of a preexisting scene.  Both before and after frames are pictured above.  Mokey can be found at http://www.mokey.com.

 

POST PRODUCTION - AUDIO

We are extremely close to wrapping audio corrective processing as well as sound effects and music insertion.  We are very excited to be mixing the film at Skywalker Sound, after conforming the sound through the use of Avid DV Xpress and the kind support of Avid and Snader and Associates of San Rafael.  We expect to be done the final mix sometime around mid-July 2003.

 

THE NEXT STEP

With the final mix completed, the film will be burned to DVD and VHS for eventual entry into Film Festivals and distribution.

© 2004 Nebula Films