Updates – Page 6 – World of Depleted

May 29, 2011June 9, 2011

zero-project Becomes First Contributor to Use new “Derivative Waiver” feature…

Contributors who want to be featured in more projects have a powerful new option that Viking is unveiling: “the Derivative Waiver.”

In a recent interview with Jeremy Hanke he went on to say:

“when we first started the Creative Community [of World of Depleted], we wanted to make the most fair possible default agreement that everyone would agree to as a Contributor. However, we knew that the most fair option did not actually mean the one that is most logical in ALL situations. While there are no hierarchies at World of Depleted, there are some types of art that take a lot more time and man-hours than others. As it stands now, under the default agreement, if Contributor A is making a film and he’d like to use Contributor B’s photo in his film, he may automatically do so, so long as he’s willing to equally split the profits he makes with Contributor B. Now, if it took Contributor B a few hours to take the photo and customize it before sending it in, but it took Contributor A a few months to make his film, is Contributor A probably going to want to equally split the profits? Probably not.

(Of course, for those creators that honestly don’t really care how much profit they might see, who just want to get their work out there, obviously this is a moot point. However, for many folks, this doesn’t seem like a reasonable expectation.)

As such, the ‘Derivative’ Waiver essentially states that contributors may choose to allow their work to be used with no revenue share in Derivative works, but they will retain revenue share in any situation in which their work is featured outside of that Derivative work. For an example, let’s go back to Contributor A’s film and Contributor B’s photo. If Contributor B has signed a Derivative waiver, then Contributor A can use his image in his film without revenue share, so long as he clearly credits him in the film’s credits.

However, now Contributor A decides to make a T-Shirt for the film that directly features Contributor B’s photo. They would now split the profits, since the essential part of this product is the non-Derivative image of Contributor B. Another example would be musicians and score composers, where they sign the waiver so that filmmakers can use the work in their Depleted projects without revenue share, but, if they wish to sell a soundtrack album for that project, then they would equally share in the revenue from that album.

I think this will make a lot more people actively interested in using other Contributors content, which will in turn get greater publicity for those Contributors who’ve chosen this route.”

Score Composer zero-project will be the first Contributor to not only sign the Waiver, but have it posted directly on his upcoming Contributor page. (zero-project has two songs that will be featured in the upcoming film, Day 419.) Director Jeremy Hanke had this to say, “I’m extremely excited that an artist of zero-project’s calibre is leading the way on this. I think this is going to encourage a lot of other Contributors to hop on board, which will be great for the entire community!”

zero-project is slated to join the official roster of Contributors next month when the Music section rolls out. A prolific composer, zero-project has over 91 songs that other Contributors will be able to use. He is also one of the top drawing artists at the largest creative commons community for CC music, jamendo.com .

May 27, 2011June 2, 2014

Update on Day 419 progress…

Hey folks,

I wanted to touch base with you all personally on the Day 419 progress. As you know, we’ve been trying our utmost to get a first master of Depleted: Day 419 finished by June 1st. The team at Oakwood Sound Design spent all day on Thursday working on it. While I was only able to be there for part of it, we’re really close to the end. While it doesn’t look like we’ll quite make June 1st for the 1st master, we believe it’ll be done around a week from that date. Once the first master is completed, we’re almost ready to release it. What will occur at that point is that we, as the creative team, will make any final tweaks that need to occur after the first master is done and then allow a few weeks of space to occur, so we can watch the film with fresh eyes and, more importantly, fresh ears, to make sure everything works together sonically. Doubtlessly a few more corrections will occur and then we will be ready to release it at that point!

One interesting thing with this entire process is that we’re going to have two versions of Day 419 available almost from the outset. One will be the “Internet Mix”, which will feature maximized audio, so people can hear the film properly on everything from an iPhone’s speaker to a battered pair of computer speakers. This will be hosted on YouTube (likely as two parts, as the film is clocking in at just over 21 minutes). However, because maximizing audio so it could be heard on all possible systems gets rid of a lot of detail, this version will minimize a lot of the amazing work that was done by the professional audio team at Oakwood Sound Design for this film. As such, we will have a higher quality version with a much more dynamic audio track available for people to watch in one setting which will be hosted by Sorenson360. We highly recommend that you watch this version on a system with either a good speaker system or with a good pair of headphones. (Interestingly enough, while really good headphones can be amazingly expensive, I recently discovered a pair of headphones that’s less than $5 that allows you to hear a lot of the amazing lows and range in Day 419. It was a happy accident, as I was looking for some inexpensive headphones that could be essentially “disposable” and I managed to find ones that had amazingly good quality for their price point. As we will soon have a World of Depleted store for elements that you might find useful, these headphones will definitely be on that list! )

Now that all the content has been finalized for Day 419, I can confirm that there will be codes hidden inside of Day 419. Where they are or how many there are, I will not tell. However, I can tell you that every one of them will impact your viewing experience of Day 419 and give you a greater clue as to where some of the story archs are headed. (Now, with that said, while some clues are obvious once you decode them, most of them must be first decoded and then thought about more fully to be truly understood.)

At the end of the day, we hope that this film will have been worth the patience of our Contributors and fans, and that it makes even more people interested in this Creative Community as a whole.

We thank you all from the bottom of our hearts for your support and enthusiasm,

Jeremy

Writer/Director, Day 419
Co-Founder, World of Depleted

May 20, 2011May 20, 2011

Super Sneak Peak: The Depleted Feature teaser (2012)…

While principle photography is not slated for the Depleted feature until 2012, we have gotten our hands on the secret teaser trailer for the Depleted feature that came out of last week’s shooting. According to director Jeremy Hanke, unlike a normal speculative trailer that has lots of elements that will change between the trailer and the final film, they specifically shot the trailer with video DSLRs that could replicate the look of the final production cameras that the feature will be shot on. In addition, careful thought was put into the different portions of the feature script that the segments were shot in, so that things would dovetail properly.

When asked if he feared that there might be some consternation amongst fans about a teaser trailer for the feature when the Day 419 prologue was not yet released, director Jeremy Hanke responded with:
“Not at all. I think our fans understand that this is a very early rough cut of the eventual spec trailer and the subsequent trailer for the final Depleted feature. Our lead actress is relocating to Los Angeles and will be returning for principle photography, so this was the ideal time for us to get some of the scenes we’ll need for the spec trailer, including one of the more difficult effects sequences. Of course, as our readers know, we were hard at work finishing the Day 419 film during shooting this and are very close to its actual release. In fact, as we were concluding the final sound design on Depleted, it became evident that there were a few clues we could give in this film that will dovetail into the Day 419 film, as well as into the upcoming feature.” He would give no more information, but I know I’m going to be looking for clues!

With that said, we present the Super Sneak Peak Teaser for the Depleted feature.

3rd Unit Photography by Lee Clements. Featuring Kat Carney as Jenna Whitmore. (Directed and edited by Jeremy Hanke.)

May 14, 2011May 15, 2011

Day 5: Sound Design Close To Wrapping

After a lot of hard work, it looks like the sound design is pretty much wrapped up. In today’s session, much work was done to tweak the final scene in which protagonist Jenna Whitmore must face her greatest fears. As part of the efficacy of the scene must come from a variety of audio cues, the scene required a lot of hard work from audio designer John Howard and director Jeremy Hanke to come up with the right blend to allow the audience to follow the different lines which converge in the scenes.

Lee Clements Recording Narration — Lee Clements recorded narration for the secret intro to Day 419 on Friday.

Later in the day, voice over artist (and 3rd Unit Camera from Monday’s shoot) Lee Clements came in to record a critical announcement that will be part of the intro to the film. In an interesting twist, that’s somewhat reminiscent of shows like LOST, Fringe, and Jericho, there will be clues and information hidden in a variety of locations in Day 419, including the introduction and even the studio logos. As to the specific information or clues, neither Hanke nor Howard would elaborate, although the director did say that QR codes would no longer be the only codes for fans to watch out for, remarking: “The interesting thing about post-apocalyptic worlds is not just who can manage to hold on to technological secrets, but who can re-master the secrets of the past.”

As for Day 419, once a final day of audio polishing and the semi-final score is completed next week, all that will be left is final approval of the score and final mixing and mastering. The release draws near!

May 13, 2011May 16, 2011

Day 4: Score Work and More Sound Design…

Jeremy Hanke was again in the studio with John Howard working on the final sound design for Day 419. Meanwhile, score composer David Todd Singleton is working on a semi-final pass of the score, after a late night meeting with John Howard the night before. While it doesn’t look at this point like the team will quite finish the film by the end of the week, they will be very, very close indeed!

May 13, 2011May 17, 2011

Day 3 of Depleted Week: Shooting in Gas Stations and Abandoned Roads…

In perhaps the most laid back shoot day of the week, a skeleton crew from the Depleted feature made their way around Kentucky, from small forested trails (in which director Jeremy Hanke participated in a small cameo scene) to abandoned gas stations. Hanke had this to say, “Many of the shots we’re acquiring today will help tell some of the things that Jenna Whitmore survived after the Fall, before she reached Maysbridge [the main location in Day 419].” The images I was able to see looked very cool and we’re excited to see how it all looks when the film comes out, currently slated for either Q4 2012 or Q1 2013. (Clearly if it’s the latter they hold no truck with the Mayans predicting the Fall!)

A Test Still For 3rd Unit Camera Operator, Eric Henninger, of Depleted Star, Kat Carney.

An Abandoned Service Station Set the Stage for a Dynamic Scene in the Upcoming Depleted Feature and Spec Trailer.

In an Abandoned, Overgrown Road, Jenna Will Come Face to Face with the Despair of a Post-Fall Man.

Eric Henninger Tests New Rig.

May 12, 2011May 12, 2011

Day 2: In The Audio Studio…

Jeremy Hanke spent the day in Oakwood Sound Design working on the final sound design for Day 419 with Sound Designer John Howard. One of the more interesting elements of the day was one of the effects heavy gun shots in the film that featured more than 14 unique sound effects, including a composed time warp effect on the piano. (As seen in this low-rez video screen cap.) Videos will be coming shortly.

May 11, 2011May 20, 2011

Early Images from Day 1 of Depleted Week shoot…

With the craziness of this week for Jeremy Hanke and the Viking Team, we are just now getting images from day 1 of of the shoot. The following images are from the early shooting for the Depleted feature, which will have principle photography begin in 2012. A very early teaser is slated to be released shortly! And a full Spec Trailer will be expected later this year.

Kat Carney Helps Scout Locations for Day 3's shoot — Kat Carney rode through a horse and cow pasture to help director Jeremy Hanke scout new locations.

May 9, 2011May 11, 2011

Day 1 Concluded of Depleted Feature Spec Trailer filming…

After a rough day in the wilds of the Bluegrass of Kentucky, the team finished their last shots near sundown. While there were some questionable times in the day where timing and insects made things difficult, the fact that they were prepared with light equipment (the 5D Mark II and Rebel t2i) meant that things finally started flowing smoothly in the latter part of the day. Director Jeremy Hanke is very excited about the footage that was acquired and looks forward to concluding shooting on Wednesday.

May 8, 2011May 6, 2011

Day 419 power through week…

Filmmaker Jeremy Hanke will be in studio all this week at Oakwood Sound Design, working with Sound Designer John Howard and Score Composer David Singleton to finish Depleted: Day 419. Along the way, he’ll be video taping and audio taping different parts of the process for a behind-the-scenes retrospective on the DVD. Additionally, new podcasts of the process will be going up at different stages throughout the week!