Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Bacon-Crazed AlphaDogs Spotted At Blue-Ribbon Bacon Festival

Burbank, CA- Just mentioning the word bacon leaves most people’s mouth watering and conjures up endless images of how to best enjoy this highly versatile and tasty snack.  In the feature-length reality-style mockumentary State Of Bacon, filmmaker Jason Cook takes audiences inside the fun and wacky Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival that brings out some of the most bacon-crazed Americans you will ever meet.  Held annually in Des Moines, IA the festival has doubled in size every year with tickets selling out in just minutes. 

Having worked with AlphaDogs colorist, Sean Stack on previous projects, Cook once again called upon Stack’s skill and expertise in the realm of color correction. State Of Bacon was shot entirely on location using seven different camera models. While multi-camera shoots are a great way to capture footage from different angles, color imbalances within the picture can be a problem. Uncontrolled lighting environments and distinctive color filter differences between cameras give the film an inconsistent look that is noticeable to audiences.  Accustomed to working with mixed formats, Stack began the color grading process by carefully matching the color and contrast from the variety of source footage before setting the look desired by the filmmaker. “For a project like State Of Bacon, color plays such a huge role in smoothing out the textures, and helps to tell the story,” said Cook.  Stack created a unique style for specific segments within the story including one scene that required a dreamy and youthful romantic feel, while another demanded a gritty look with high contrast and color saturation.  Stack comments, “It makes for a fun collage of colors and flavors.  I felt like it really blended with the humor and silliness that goes along with an event such as a bacon festival.”

Stack has worked on over ten feature-film documentaries in the past year alone using color to enhance the feel and tone of the stories being told.  Treating each project as though it was his very own, his creative approach and attention to technical details keep him in high demand with AlphaDogs clients.  “I was very happy with the final delivery,” said Cook.  “I've worked with Sean before and have always been very happy with what he is able to accomplish.”

State Of Bacon is written, produced, and directed by Founder of Digital Cuvee, Jason Cook, and will be released in dinner theaters across the US later this year.  Visit http://www.stateofbaconmovie.com for more information.
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About AlphaDogs:  Founded in 2002, AlphaDogs is an independently owned full service post-production facility located in the center of Burbank’s media district.  AlphaDogs gifted team brings a combination of both creative talent and technical expertise paying extra attention to detail in delivering projects with a personal touch. State of the art editing bays, color correction, audio mixing, visual effects, production offices and equipment rentals are available. To learn more visit http://www.alphadogs.tv

Thursday, April 3, 2014

AlphaDogs Takes A Thrill Ride Through Dark Places

Burbank, CA—While making an independent film is mostly a very rewarding experience, things can also become very stressful and overwhelming along the way, particularly when it comes time for final delivery.  With festival deadlines looming, tight budgets, and the daunting task of navigating through what the post-process entails, filmmakers often times are not sure where to begin. The first step is to find a reputable post-production facility that specializes in the needs of the indie filmmaker. It’s important to find a facility that will take the time to listen and work with you every step of the way to ensure delivery of a high quality film.

When Director Jody Wheeler began shopping for a post-house to complete the finish on the feature film titled The Dark Place, he looked no further than AlphaDogs after hearing of their excellent reputation in working with the independent filmmaker.  Wheeler comments, "The staff was incredibly knowledgeable about their subject areas.  They were willing to answer questions about our needs, allowing us to figure out the best way to mesh our workflows and achieve the best possible final results."

Editor and Colorist, Sean Stack completed color correction for the film in DaVinci Resolve.  A round-trip workflow was required to conform files from FCP X into Resolve which the AlphaDogs team is skilled in handling.  Stack took extra care in scrutinizing the clips for any potential problem areas before meeting with the client to set the tone and style for the film. "This was the first time we’ve delivered a project at this level with this many requirements, across both visual and sound,” said Wheeler.  “AlphaDogs experience served as a wonderful touchstone. They identified some areas we hadn't seen and, even better, already had fixes in place that were easy to implement, keeping us on track and within our budget."

Audio for the film included balancing the sound effects and dialog, along with sound design on key scenes.  AlphaDogs Audio Mixer, Curtis Fritsch made certain that the deliverables not only met the client’s expectations, but also made sure they would be easy to change if the need should arise.  Fritsch explains, “With a 5.1 surround mix alone that’s six different audio files just for the full mix.  This doesn’t include other deliverables, such as separate music, special effects, and dialog, which gives you quite a few tracks by the end, especially if you are delivering in stereo as well.”


AlphaDogs has been providing quality post for the budget conscious filmmaker since 2002, offering both creative and innovative solutions that save time and cut costs in the finish and delivery of feature films.  Wheeler comments, "We were incredibly happy with the final delivery of the film, and most importantly our distributor was happy. We were one of the fasted projects to meet their quality control standards. They were impressed and so were we. Alpha Dogs will be a great resource for finishing our next film project.”

The Dark Place is quick-paced and suspenseful, with a dash of humor that keeps audiences on the edge of their seats when a series of ominous and mysterious events unfold in life of Keegan Dark, who has the uncanny ability to remember his life in videographic detail. Both a blessing and a curse, Dark uncovers a conspiracy that frames him for murder, threatens his inheritance, and endangers his family’s lives and livelihood. 

The Dark Place is written, directed and produced by Jody Wheeler at Blue Seraph Productions with producers J.T. Tepnapa and Carlos Pedraza and distributed by Shoreline Entertainment. For more information visit http://www.thedarkplacemovie.com
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About AlphaDogs:  Founded in 2002, AlphaDogs is an independently owned full service post-production facility located in the center of Burbank’s media district.  AlphaDogs gifted team brings a combination of both creative talent and technical expertise paying extra attention to detail in delivering projects with a personal touch. State of the art editing bays, color correction, audio mixing, visual effects, production offices and equipment rentals are available. To learn more visit http://www.alphadogs.tv