Game Audio

I haven't posted anything in awhile so I thought I'd mention I've been enjoying my first dive into game audio. And man, it has been great! While I can't talk about the current project here's what 17-Bit has to say for themselves:

17-BIT is a boutique independent developer with a gift for revitalizing classic genres with a next-gen twist. 17-BIT games are the descendants of classic 2D games, with the luxury of modern horsepower, cutting-edge AI, and juicy scoops of RAM.

They recently shipped their first title, Skulls of the Shogun and I highly recommend you check it out if you're intrigued by a fast paced, super-fun, turn-based strategy game. It's a blast.

Not only am I lucky enough to be working with a seriously cool game studio, I'm under the direction of the magnificent scntfc. He did a tune for one of my favorite games and is a designer in the purist sense.

The Portrait Now "Throw the Color Off"

A couple years ago I started a recording project with my good friend, Jon French. We were really interested in writing a record around redemption. Somehow we decided a sci fi concept album would be the way to do it and it spun out of control from there.

I'm still quite proud of this album and excited because we decided to give it away free. Visit theportraitnow.bandcamp.com for the audiobook based on the album.

Here's the writeup from our bandcamp page:

Years later I'm still very proud of this record and I'm excited to say that we're giving it away free! Visit theportraitnow.bandcamp.com for the instrumentals and audiobook based on the album.
A science fiction concept album that explores redemption in the midst of post-apocalyptic ruin. The album is accompanied by a short story by Scott Phillips based on the album.
The story explores themes of hope in the midst of despair, redemption for those who’ve sold out, and love that rescues from isolation. It draws inspiration from sources like Akira, The Road, and Mad Max. In terms of genre, it would best be described as BioShock meets 1984.
The story is told from the first person point-of-view and follows the struggles of the narrator against the Corporation, the bandits, and the brokenness of the world around him. He finds community in a group of nomads who, like him, refuse to accept the world the way that it is. Stories of this sort often find a strong protagonist who fights (and wins) against the powers of the world, but the narrator’s fight is internal; his victory is against the apathy and despair inside himself. It begins with hopelessness in the midst of ruin, but it ends with hope, in the midst of ruin.

Project London: Sound and Music

Last night I had the joy of celebrating the completion of "Project London" at the cast and crew screening. It was great to see friends who I got to know through making the film.

If you haven't come across it through the Wired UK article or some of the geekier corners of the web, "Project London" is an epic experiment in independent film making. It's a crazy, campy science fiction film that the creators of Mystery Science Theater 3000 could have only dreamed of one day commentating. It's really fun.

While on screen this is a low budget popcorn film, I'm damn proud of it. Behind the scenes is where this shines as a triumph for independent film making. While I don't think any of us would suggest doing a project on this scale (it took 6 years!!!) it's a testament to bringing people together, giving them a shot, and developing their skill sets. Watching the film last night I was blown away by the amount of work and passion that went into creating it.

Prior to working on this film I had ambitions but very little experience with sound design and film scoring. Now I'm paying the bills as a full time sound designer and music producer and I owe a large part of that to "Project London". I learned a ton from the other volunteers and it was an opportunity to spend hundreds of hours practicing my craft. I'm seriously grateful for this opportunity and I'm extremely proud of all the people who came together to make this happen.

If you're interested in picking up a copy you can see the disc duplication kickstarter video below. At the end there's a cool music video featuring a lot of great shots from the movie so if you get bored fast forward and rock out to Half Acre Day.

To learn more about the film visit projectlondonmovie.com which includes the production blog, free 3d models, and a bunch of other PL related stuff. Did I mention there's a graphic novel!?

Prospect: A Handmade Sci-Fi Short

I'm excited to be partnering with Shep Films on their next short film endeavor, "Prospect".  It's been a privilege getting to know Zeek, Chris, and Daniel through the fund raising and pre production process. You can visit the kickstarter to get involved (as well as some super cool rewards!) Here's an excerpt:

PROSPECT is an unusual coming-of-age story following a teenage girl and her father on a foreign planet as they hunt for resin, the valuable byproduct of rare insects. Inspired in part by the California Gold Rush, the film features a planet of desperate individuals seeking their fortunes, governed only by natural law. When the father is attacked by a roving bandit, the daughter must take vengeance.
Our goal is to capture a piece of what makes 2001, Blade Runner, and the original Star Wars so awesome: texture. PROSPECT will be real and tactile, building a robust world with custom props and costumes, rather than digital effects.
Western films, particularly Sergio Leone’s Spaghetti Westerns, have also been a strong influence in developing the film’s narrative structure and pacing. Ultimately, we see this film as the blending of genres in a way we haven’t quite seen done before.

Domo Arigato Mr. Roboto

I really appreciate the opportunity to make highly stylized sounds and music. I think it's one of the things that attracts me to working with motion designers since the style of work is often more distinct than working with live action. When Oliver Sin invited me to create sound and music for his robot animation I jumped on the chance and quickly got to destroying it with a rush of "Japanese Chiptune Mayhem"!

For those interested, here are a couple of influences for the music:

x|k - This is the guy responsible for midi-nes, a cartridge that will interface MIDI sequencers and a Nintendo. It's rad. After originally trying a slower beat I remembered x|k's pulsing, driving, blippy beats and thought that sound would be great for keeping the robot animation moving.

Chibi-Tech - This tune is particularly impressive in the way of sound design using the 2A03 chip (aka a classic Nintendo). I tried to incorporate some of that aggressive, noisy, 8bit sound.

Interview with Motional

I was given the opportunity to answer some questions over at the blog Motional. I really enjoy getting to talk about sound and other geeky stuff so I feel quite privileged. If you'd like to learn more about Sono Sanctus you can read the interview here.

Dynamo Reviewed by io9

I really enjoy io9.com so you can be assured I was thrilled to see they posted a glowing review of "Dynamo"!

I hope to post more about Dynamo soon but in short it's a bizarre sci-fi webseries that I work on with some extremely talented friends. I worked on Episodes 2-4. You can watch the show at karmapirates.com or play the first episode below. 

Star Wars Uncut

I had the chance to collaborate with Oliver Sin on 15 seconds of pure Star Wars fandom. If you're not familiar with Star Wars Uncut you should really check it out. "A New Hope" was completely remade by fans in 15 second parts so every 15 seconds you get another interpretation. It's hilarious and really fun.

Discontent with only remaking one film, Star Wars uncut is striking back with "Empire Strikes Back"! (Word play!) Although many submissions are ghetto-tastic Oliver didn't cut any corners. He came up with the really slick little animation and I got to do my best Chewie impression. It also features my lovely wife snoring as Darth Vader.