Please Stand By

The Country I Live In

2011-07-03T00:32:00.009-04:00

Hi again friends. I take up where I left off my last blog on Canada Day. The country I live in is a fair one, where each person is of value. It takes a whole lot of people to make up any country. I am such a person. I have much to contribute to this society, and in Canada we can have the opportunity to make a difference. For me, that difference is made through motion picture creation. I write, I edit, I shoot, and I direct.

I was shaped as a young person in what I came to understand, was a crucible of conflicting visions of those who did not want to be a part of this great nation and those who very much saw my home province of Quebec as a legitimate part of confederation. I was raised by a very much Federalist minded Mother & Father, who were born in Toronto, Ontario. I was the only member of my family who was born in Quebec.

Quebec convulsed in spasms, it did not slowly evolve into what it is today. I lived through two great convulsions in Quebec. The first convulsion was the period ranging from 1969 to 1972. The second great convulsion came in the years from 1977 to 1995.

In the first convulsion I was just entering the English language Protestant Confessional School system. Today, Quebec has abolished the confessional school system. Now we have school systems based on language only (Like everything else you can think of !). It is entirely a tragedy that all paradigms governing Quebec culture are measured by language to the exclusion of all other practical factors. As a young child all I saw was one big change after another followed by absolutely no explanations ! When I was in grade one, we would start off the school day by singing God Save the Queen, and O' Canada, our national anthem. By the time I was at grade three, we were told we would no longer sing God Save the Queen, but we weren't told why. By 1972 - maybe as late as 1973, we also stopped singing the national anthem each school morning. Once again, no explanation was offered to us that I can remember as to why these common practices (which are still observed in elementary schools across Canada) were no longer in observance. Disgusting, perverted, and sad actually !

The second great convulsion I lived through was Camille Laurin's infamous Bill 101, which I seem to remember was introduced when I was 13 years old and in my first year of High School in Grade 8 (in Quebec at the time, Grade 7 was still considered part of the elementary school system). Along with Bill 101 came the equally offensive Office de la langue Francais, which got the nick name amongst Quebec Anglophones as The Tongue Troopers ! These people enforce Bill 101 with an iron fist ! You have these little French speaking Quebec racist xenophobes who sneak around taking pictures of local English business signs (Mostly local merchants) and make snitch phone calls to the Office de la Langue Francaise and before you know it an inspector is down measuring how high the English letters versus how high the French letters are on a sign. This usually results in a hefty fine against the English language merchant. Net result = the oppression of another English speaking person !

Remember the neverendum of 1995 ? (referendum no 2 on Quebec Separation). We called it the "neverendum," because it was a cynical attempt to continue the referendum process until the nationalists in Quebec got the answer they wanted. Even with the incredible ballot box stuffing and open fraud in that second referendum, the answer still came out "NO" by a narrow majority. It was so beautiful to see the giant rally organized at the last minute in Montreal whereby anyone who wanted to come to Quebec from the rest of Canada to personally tell Quebecers how much they were loved and appreciated could board an Air Canada jet (Free of Charge !) or a bus (Free again !) or jump in their Winabego, or van, or car, and high tail it up river to Montreal before the referendum. Remember the giant flag moving over the crowd on that fateful day of days ? I was under that flag ! I helped move it along ! I was at ground zero on that wonderful day in 1995. I remember driving downtown into the city of Montreal on Hwy 20 (The 401 in Quebec). There were licence plates from all over Canada ! There were even plates from different states in the US ! Folks were leaning out of bus windows and waving Canadian flags and blowing kisses to passers by on the sidewalks of the city ! It was a happening, as they would say in the 60's ! It was Quebec's political Woodstock and it really blew me away ! It still blows me away when I think about it ! I remember how many Quebecers in Montreal reacted with angry shouts and swear words and much cursing at folks. Many Quebecois felt scared and intimidated by this sort of invasion from Anglo Canada. Some Quebecers were very surprised to see that people from as far away as The Yukon actually had an opinion and cared about them.

It's Been A While !

2011-07-01T12:05:00.008-04:00

Hi Everyone !:

I know it's been a long time since I updated my blog. So much has happened since then. Allow me to list the major sign posts in life, which have passed by yours truly since last December 2010.

1. The last remaining member of my immediate family (My Dear Mother) passed away on Saturday November 27th, 2010.

2. My latest documentary production, "A Home is More than Four Walls and a Roof," premiered in Montreal one day before my Mother passed away.

3. I decided to leave the Province of Quebec for good !

My reasons for leaving Quebec were several. I have no family left in the province to hold me there. I couldn't secure enough work as an English language film maker in Montreal to ensure my freelance business would remain profitable. I was promised a large paying documentary by the same producers who paid me quite well for another film production I did, but it never came to pass ! I defaulted on my rent. I ran out of food ! It was a really terrible experience for

me ! Some might be tempted to say predictable, but nothing in life is so. The truth be known, I felt very cheated by living in Quebec all those years ! Living and working, or trying to work in a society, which in practice is quite Xenophobic, and openly hostile to the English language has robbed me of so many contracts for my company over the years, I probably could have been a millionaire by the time I was 30 ! So why did I stay for so long ? I stayed because Quebec was my home. I was born in LaChine, Quebec, on the western outskirts of Montreal. My father moved to Quebec in the early 1960's because Montreal in those years was "THE PLACE" to live in all of Canada !

I wonder if any of my fellow Canadians remember how people from all over the country would pack up and move to Montreal, because Montreal was known as the most affordable place to live in the entire country with a high standard of living, a thriving financial community, a thriving English language community, and a great place to raise a family. In fact, Montreal was the financial capitol of Canada for 150 years until Rene Levesque and the separatist Parti-Quebecois chased away all major investment in the Province by May of 1976 when they first came to power. It can be argued Quebec has never fully recovered from those tragic events beginning in October of 1970 and culminating in Camile Lorin's famous statement "Bill 101 or take the 401 !" Many English language Quebecers took the 401 down to Toronto, or were transferred to some other part of Canada when their company's head offices moved out of Quebec.

I saw so much change in the Quebec of my childhood. I remember as a young child, we English and French kids played together, and we did not discriminate. It was a different mentality back then. I remember my father carrying me on his shoulders through Terre des Homes (Man and his world) during EXPO 1967. I was only 4 years old at the time, but I do remember the great Geodesic Dome of the American Pavilion, and the inverted bowl of the Mexican Pavilion. I remember everyone was wearing those huge Mexican poncho hats with the little bobbles which hung down around the rims of those hats. The West Island of Montreal was overwhelmingly English in its character and population. We had our own radio station called CFOX 1440 AM. They only played the top ten hits of the day, and those hits they played over and over agin. It was Beatles ! Beatles ! Beatles ! all day long. Or the Doors, or The Mamas and the Papas. The announcer used to come on and the announcers in those days used to have catch lines like "How's your budgie ?"

Montreal was so darn cool back then too. John and Yoko had their Bed in for Peace at the Chateau Champlain. This really put Montreal on the world map. So did Expo '67 three years earlier.

Then, one fall Morning in 1970, some angry French Man put 27 sticks of dynamite under my father's office window at Domtar Research in Senneville, Quebec (Western tip of Montreal Island), because he was seen as an English intellectual, and an oppressor of the French people of Quebec by a group of French radicals who called themselves Le Fondation Liberation du Quebec, or FLQ.

YUP. The Canada hatred really fired itself up in Quebec during this period. As I recall those times as a young child growing up in that society, it was the first time I remember French and English language Quebecers began to look at themselves as two separate societies instead of one under the Canadian Flag. As a child, I never understood, and I still don't, why the FLQ chose to murder a French language member of the Quebec provincial parliament ? Labor minister Pierre LaPorte was strangled to death and left in an abandoned car on the outskirts of Longeuil, Qc. http://archives.cbc.ca/war_conflict/civil_unrest/topics/101-611/ more I want to say about my onetime home and birthplace, but I will leave that for another blog. I remain hopeful of the future and it's high time I went fourth and saw a whole lot more of this beautiful big country of ours.

HAPPY CANADA DAY EVERYONE !!

Mark Job

My New Film on Global Television

2010-12-27T11:54:00.004-05:00

Hi Friends:

Well, the year's not over yet, nor am I ! The short subject documentary on Montreal's homeless people I was hired to direct and shoot and edit called, A Home is More than Four Walls and a Roof is now released. The film got picked up by our local Montreal Global TV station who did a piece on the documentary's subject (The St. James Drop - in Center), plus they showed some of the documentary on air. Click on picture below to watch Global TV spot.

There's a link on Facebook in the video description which will take you over to a place where you can watch the whole movie online in HD on YouTube, or you can go straight to watching my new movie by clicking here.

Working For Other Producers To Raise More Money for PSB

2010-10-05T21:11:00.002-04:00

Hi Friends:

I've run out of hard cash again in working on PSB ! I have had to take on other jobs to raise more extra doe. I got hired to shoot a documentary on Montreal's homeless and marginalized people. It's a big documentary production and the pay is good for me. The visual effects look like they will cost me somewhere between $10,000.00 and $15,000.00 extra dollars, so I'm working as hard as I can and as fast as I can to raise it ! Visual effects geniuses (Of which I'm not) don't come cheaply. We can't release this episode without the effects, so I'm compelled to continued down this path. I also have to travel down to London, Ontario in a couple of weeks to see two different music bands, because they need music videos (Another quick way for me to pick up a few thousand dollars). So that's what's happening.

Just When You Thought I Went Quietly into The Night !

2010-08-25T18:59:00.002-04:00

Hi Friends:

Well I haven't ! In fact, I've been toiling away since July 1st moving in, cleaning out, setting up, and re-connecting - E V E R Y T H I N G ! ! ! Just when you think it's all over I'm right back at yah babe ! I've spent the month of August teaching myself how to use heavy special effect video manipulation software ! Yes, my friends (Do I still have any of those ?), I have been exploring the exciting expanses of the entertainment industry's renown Adobe After Effects. Think Photo Shop on massive doses of steroids and you'll come close to understanding the complexity and potential of such a program. You know all those flying 3D title animation sequences you are used to seeing flash by on your TV and movie screens ? Guess what ? Yes, the grand majority of them are done in After Effects. Please see the new title sequence for Episode 2: No Reflection and tell me what you think. It took me close to a month just to figure out how to make this ! Knowledge comes at a price. Next, I have to teach myself how to manipulate some of the live action sequences we shot for Ep 2 and add layers of stuff which is not in the original video and digitally composite multiple layers of moving effects to fly in perfect sync with the actors ! (Not an easy feat !) The production grinds on, and so do I with it.

Later,

I'm Not Dead & Neither is This Production !

2010-06-25T13:51:00.010-04:00

Hi Friends. As the above title states, I'm breathing, and I've been packing for our move to The West Island on July 1st. The visual effects for Ep 2 are proving to be a very serious obstacle ( a terrible nightmare in fact !), but not one which will end this production ! However, this is what's holding everything up ! The episode re-edit is almost completed, along with the music, but the effects are not ready. I had another professional editor working with me who said he could do something with the only two shots I gave him - well guess what ? The guy didn't deliver ! After one freaking year, this guy wasted my time. As far as I'm concerned, the guy should pay me for the unreasonable delays ! I think it was more of a case of this editor thinking he could do a good job, but when it turned out the effects were just too complicated, he decided to ignored me - hoping I'd go away. I think this guy was concerned about his reputation because he didn't want to admit he couldn't do something with material another client brought him ! Instead of the guy just coming out and telling me to go somewhere else, like a fool, I patiently waited for him to complete the work instead of heading out in search of someone else, and now here we are ! I'm stuck dead in the water with an episode I simply cannot complete without the visual effects shots I need ! So now I'm going to have to go off in search of someone somewhere (Who are these people ???), who can take on all of the post effects work. The effects work is almost like making another completely different movie ! I seriously miscalculated the complexity of the visual effects in this Episode, and painted myself into a tight corner. Oh yes ! - I'll get out eventually ! - But at what cost ! - Actually, I know that to the penny, but we won't go there.

Later

MJ

The great news is the re-edit made Ep 2 a much, much better movie. I'm sure this comes as small consolation to all of you who are still waiting to see the thing !

Entire Re-Edit Process

2010-03-25T08:33:00.005-04:00

Actors Allan Fine, Jennifer Baltuonis, and Please Stand
By Production Line Producer Tanya Nibbering

So far I have re-cut 14 minutes of what will be a 43 minute and thirty second episode (43:30 - One hour without the commercial advertising). Perhaps the one great advantage of losing your original movie edit, is the chance to do a better job than you did the first time around. I am pleased to report I think things look and flow even better now versus what I had before in the original edit. I have finally completed and edited the proper opening sequence with all of the required advanced time lapse clips required for this episode. I find one must not be too in love or addicted to one's own work when you are in the editing process. I have been quite ruthless in this respect, and I think it will pay off big time in the final product. Well, it's back to editing for yours truly now.

Later,

MJ

Editing Has Resumed in Earnest on Episode 2

2010-02-04T11:46:00.003-05:00

HI Friends:

Sorry for the delays in posting. These delays only mean I'm too busy at work to post. Editing from scratch has re-commenced on episode 2. I think we've got a handle on our post production misery, so things should move forward quite quickly now. After a depressing car accident on January 3rd of this year, I was finally able to get my Smart car repaired, and I can honestly say it's now better than it was before the accident !

I think we have the problem of the music soundtrack settled for now as well :-) ! The visual effects are still far from completion however :-( Standby for more pictures and video of the process soon. That's all for now. I must get back to work.

Sincerely,

Mark

So What happened ?

2009-12-28T14:30:00.006-05:00

Hi friends. I would think you would want to know exactly what's been happening since my last communication on this blog. Here's the skinny on what's up. On approximately November 25th, 2009, my external FireWire 800 Raid 0 1 TB media drive died ! So what ? Well, I had an entire year and a half's Episode 2 edit on this drive, so when it went, then so did all of my precious post production work with it ! I tried desperately to get the information back but was unable to do so. :-( You might ask why I didn't have a protected backup of my media drive ? The answer is simple - The amount of data I had was too large to backup properly, unless i spent a considerable amount of spare cash on such a solution. (In retrospect I wish I had !) Since the end of November I have been re-configuring my entire system. With the assistance of our web site developer, Jon Warmington, I have been building a whole new video editing system matrix. I have had to cobble together a series of old computer parts I had sitting around my home office, together with parts my friend Jon had lying around. I have spent untold hours building, re-building, and testing the new system out. I have also added a rather advanced Enterprise backup solution to this new multi-media setup, which will allow me to backup literally Terabytes of audio and video data.

The sad part of all of this is I must start all over again from scratch to re-edit the entire episode 2 ! Fortunately for all concerned, I lost the edit, but *NOT* the original camera footage ! Thank God ! :-) Half of Ep 2 was recorded on HDV cassette, while the other half was shot on a clip based external Hard Drive Recording Technology called, " a FireStore drive."

So everything has stopped. Everything ! Until I get my new system up and running with suitable capture, storage, and enterprise backup of all editing work and video files, there is no possibility to continue. This PC system catastrophe cost me untold hours, days, weeks, and last, but not least - *Months* of very hard editing and visual effects work. Also, there has been the usual financial implications injected into the equation of this setback.

Words can never impart the degree of difficulty which has hit this production. Everything which could have gone wrong, has in fact gone wrong with episode two's production. I am greatly disillusioned with just about everything connected with this endeavour to this point, but I'm too stubborn to give up ! So this misery stumbles forward into yet another New Year, with no end in sight. I can't give you any ETA as to when Episode Two will be ready for its debut night. Ep 2 will be ready when its ready. Stay tuned for more news, as there will be more news, and you have my personal commitment that Episode Two will be completed.

Time Lapse Shooting Continues Again This Sunday

2009-11-01T22:39:00.002-05:00

Hi friends:

Today I shot another 5 time lapse scenes in lower Mount Royal Park along Mount Royal Avenue. The location was quite noisy, since this location is almost exclusively occupied by the local Montreal Tam Tam musicians who gather every Sunday to engage in a wild orgy of ferocious tam tam rhythms. I was carried away by clouds of pot smoke and hash smoke. My main center of interest was the Angel Statue up the very top of a large monument structure (See video). I was able to get some *very* good shots and I even shot some time lapse of the tam tam musicians giving their free concert-jam session to an adoring public (see video).

Unfortunately, the day's exercise came at a personal cost to yours truly. I received an $85.00 parking ticket courtesy the City of Montreal, because I was a few feet the wrong side of a pole. My car was part of a long line of parked cars who each received their punishment. On top of the parking ticket, I also lost my cell phone with all of my contact phone numbers in it. I had just put $50.00 on my pay and talk phone only Yesterday Afternoon, so that money is also gone ! As you might well imagine, my ancillary experiences while making Episode 2 have cast a long shadow across my personal enjoyment of shooting my series ! For now Ep 1 stands out as a much more enjoyable experience versus the utter misery of Ep 2's never ending financial and logistical pain and suffering. I do feel as though I am literally giving birth to something and that something is ripping at my seams !

Well, I must go back to editing the sit down interview with Bryan Clarke, so check out the video below.

later,

The Time Lapse Shooting Continues to Move Along

2009-10-23T23:05:00.002-04:00

Hi friends. I am happy to report we now have about 50 % of the missing time lapse photography completed for Episode 2 ! Yay ! Things are moving along, albeit very slowly, but we haven't stopped shooting. As the last days of the Fall Season pass by, the shooting conditions are now slowly deteriorating. I have some more behind the scenes video to share with our viewers. I thank you all for you wonderful emails and kind and enthusiastic words of encouragement.

Shooting Time Lapse Sequences On Location in Downtown Montreal

2009-10-19T12:17:00.009-04:00

Hi friends. Shooting continues in downtown Montreal at Philips Square. I have setup my camera and special Solid State Digital Video Recording Device to capture ultra high resolution HD video time lapse sequences on Compact Flash Memory Cards. These shots are for the opening sequence of Episode 2. This type of shooting is a sort of live action visual effect which takes tremendous amounts of time to produce. I have been at this location all weekend and I will have to go back for several more days. Please check out the behind the scenes video posted below.

Day 1 Saturday Shoot

I hope the Sunny weather will hold out long enough for me to get everything i need before the snow flies ! Yes, I'm dressed the same on both days, only, my whiskers are lengthening :-) I'm getting even more eccentric as time rolls on ;-)

Day 2 Sunday Shoot

Day 2 Sunday Shoot Part 2

Here are the results of the Sunday shoot. These clips, although they are of excellent quality, are unusable in the movie because the movement velocity is too fast.

Sit Down Interview With Actress Maggie Owen

2009-10-15T21:35:00.006-04:00

Hi friends. Check out this sit down interview with actress Maggie Owen by clicking the link below. A new page should open up and the Windows Media Video should begin to load. If you double click the screen during playback, then it will go full screen at the full HD 1920 x 1080 resoution. Next week I will put up Actor Bryan Clarke, who plays David in Please Stand By Ep 2. We are still shooting, and I will continue to do so until the snow flies.
http://demo.pleasestandby.ca/mediaTest.php?p=testWMV&v=Maggie.wmv&w=1280&h=720

Principal Photography Begins Again

2009-09-01T10:50:00.002-04:00

Hi friends. The wait is nearly over for Episode Two ! Principal photography now begins again in earnest to complete all missing shots. All missing shots should be completed by the end of this month ! Stay tuned for more pictures and movies of the making of to follow. Some big announcements are up ahead as well.

Later,

Mark Job

So what's happening ?

2009-08-13T10:08:00.003-04:00

The answer to that question is a great deal is happening. Our move is almost completed, and will be finished on August 25th of this month. I'm very, very tired of moving and I have to say I strongly dislike almost all aspects of what is envolved in a move - except winding up in the new place of course ! :-) Principal photography to complete episode 2 of Please Stand By will continue after this date.

Later Friends,

Mark

Happy 4th of July to our American Viewers

2009-07-06T12:41:00.003-04:00

Thanks for all of your email inquiries lately about WHEN will Episode 2 will debut. I solute our US viewers with this spectacular fireworks display shot 2 years hence at our annual Fireman's Weekend Celebration here in Pincourt Quebec.

We're Moving

2009-07-02T21:10:00.004-04:00

My life has been put on hold until the end of August. We're moving to a new location. Will the missing sections to Episode 2 be filmed this Summer ? Yes they will ! Are we shooting them right now ? No, we're not. I've had to push back my shooting schedual until the move can be completed. Episode number 3 is already half written. I will have Episode 3 in production by the time Episode 2 is released on this web site. There will still be a much publicized Montreal Cinema Premiere for Ep 2 as previously planned, but we're not there yet. Sorry for all the delays.

OK. Leaves are out and we're ready to shoot !

2009-05-27T12:11:00.003-04:00

Hi friends. Finally ! The leaves are now out in full and it's the end of May ! Now, if it would only stop bloody raining ! I need a sunrise timelapse sequence over Montreal to start off the Episode. - That is - A sunrise without bloody raining !

Later,

Mark

When April Showers Bring May Flowers

2009-05-06T09:48:00.006-04:00

Hi friends. It is getting close to that time of the year again, when photography on Episode 2 can finally resume so we can complete what began over a year and a half ago ! The good news is we are now closer to the finish line than last year, but we still have a great deal to do. Several rather terrible things transpired in the life of yours truly in rapid succession - Not the least of which concerned my Mother getting very seriously ill over the Winter and nearly passing away twice !

I am thankful to have my Mother still alive and I remain hopeful of her full recovery from a life threatening Pneumonia. I can't believe I also made it through the Winter without dieing of a heart attack or some other physical rupture ! Between my dear Mother's suffering and this production's challenges, I have experienced whole new adventures in stress !

For this reason, and many others, Episode 2 will always remain a watershed event in my life ! Hey ! Look at the pretty Tulips !

New Poster for Ep. 2 and Shooting Recommences in Two Weeks !

2009-04-16T15:13:00.008-04:00

Hi friends. Graphic artist and actress Alexi Nassoupolos created a poster based on my concept for Episode 2: No Reflection. What a great job Alexi has done here ! Double click on the image to get a full size image !

Continued Timelapse Pre-Shoot Tests for Episode 2

2009-04-01T01:21:00.004-04:00

Hi friends. Here is another timelapse functionality pre-shoot test with the Mumford Time Machine and our production Canon XL H1 HDV camcorder. The video has my narration over it. Each exposre was recorded at a 60 second Interval instead of 4 minutes this time. Although the clouds are moving a little slower. I can tell from the results that even a 60 second interval between exposures is to long. I think we're probably looking at 30 seconds, or perhaps 20 seconds between exposures to get everything to smoothly flow at the right speed. Once again, these are only crude tests, so don't panic. These shots are not meant to represent the final sequences which will be in the finished film. :-)

Later,

MJ

First Successful Timelapse Test at HD Resolution !

2009-03-31T00:02:00.004-04:00

Hi friends. I finally got one timelapse sequence which actually worked ! :-) In a long series of tests over three days, I have begun to slowly work out the parameters of what minimum length of exposure is required to register a short burst onto HDV video tape with our production camcorder (Canon XL H1). I'm finally getting a handle on the correct settings to use with the Mumford Time Machine. These tests must be carried out in advance of this Spring's shoot of all missing timelapse sequences in order to complete Episode 2: No Reflection. Please see the video below and judge the results for yourself. Be careful not to get a false impression of how the final timelapse sequences will look. These test are made only to judge functionality of the Intervelometer settings. These shots are by no means art ! ;-) There will be more tests this week and I'll post more examples as they turn out.

Later,

MJ

Results of First Timelapse Tests Inconclusive

2009-03-29T22:49:00.005-04:00

Hi friends. I carried out a series of short timelapse test shoots over this weekend to familiarise myself with the new equipment and check how it performs with my camera. Unfortunately, after two days of shooting, the results were both less than impressive and inconclusive. There are several variables to deal with in regards to this type of special effect time comptression shooting. Please see the video which shows the basic setup and function of this process in action below. I will continue to carry out tests all this week and hopefully I will have some good results to post.

Episode 2 - Full Speed Ahead ! :-) :-)

2009-03-27T16:44:00.010-04:00

Hi friends. It has been awhile since I last posted an update as to where we're at with the post production of Episode 2: No Reflection. Please know that I have not been idle as the Winter months ticked by. There is just so much to do to get this film finished that it is taking a way long time to finish everything. We have received our special timing device from Santa Barbara, California, which will allow us to complete all of the timelapse special effect shots missing from the movie ! Testing will begin over this weekend, and I will post all of the HD video test results right here in the blog section, so check back to see what we're doing. Right now, we are focusing on getting the new theme song music written and recorded in the studio with local singer Nancy McIntyre, who we will also shoot performing the song in front of the cameras for our new (Never before shot) opening show creadits sequence.

All TV shows have their opening theme songs and credit sequences, but our show has been missing some of the finer details worthy of any TV show - The opening credits ! We will shoot those as soon as we have the music recorded for that scene. It looks like I have to pour out more cash (That I don't have yet !) to purchase an expensive software designed to accomplish the special effects we're doing in the movie as well. Technology, technology, technology ! - At some point technology must be transcended to allow for the creation of art ! Well I'm off to go read another instruction book in preparation for more test shooting.

Later,

Production Update: Time Lapse Photography Issue Solved !

2009-03-09T14:55:00.009-04:00

The Mumford Time Machine

The Canon XL H1 LANC Control Interface

Hi friends. It's been a busy time around here at Please Stand By Productions. I've run into some really challenging technical problems, which I'm slowly getting a handle on. We think the issue of how best to photograph the timelapse sequences for Episode 2 in High Definition video have been solved. I have a technician who is an expert in timelapse and motion control cinematography in Southern California literally building what he calls The Mumford Time Machine. We will use this high tech device for our production timelapse shooting. (See Picture Above) I'm not referring to the fictional device in the H.G. Wells classic The Time Machine, rather, a small electronic device the size of a pocket calculator which interfaces with our main production HDV camcorder via the LANC socket. LANC stands for Local Accessable Nominal Control Bus. The LANC control system was developped by SONY and is found on many high end camcorders. This interface opens the door to computer control of our camera in such a way that very short bursts of video (0.5 secs or less) are recorded between a certain time interval which we can pre-set in the time machine computer device. Not only can this sytem control our camera, but it also can send control signals to other devices, such as flashes, and stepper motors, which in turn can incrementally pan and tilt the camera for very dynamic 2 1/2 D time compression shots. There are so many technical details involved in the production of digital movies these days. The film maker must become a master technician and then at some point transcend technology and create art ! Art and technology is not an easy mix. We will be shooting a whole series of new timelapse tests which we will post on this blog as we shoot them. I hope to have all necessary timelapse, and connector shots photographed by the end of May at the latest, then we should have picture lock shortly after.

Our TV Series Theme Singer Performs in Front of Hundreds Saturday Night

2009-02-22T02:39:00.004-05:00

Hi friends. Our talent contest winner who will sing & perform the new series opening theme song, Nancy McIntyre, performed Saturday Night in front of hundreds to sing our National Anthem at Le Festival International de Hockey held at The Vaudreuil Civic Hockey Arena. Check out the video below of her performance. We are proud to have Nancy's participation in our production. Well it's back to visual effects editing. Later.

MJ

Ep2 Post Production Update for Week Beginning Sunday February 15th, 2009

2009-02-15T21:47:00.010-05:00

Hi friends. Yes we've been pretty quiet and busy this past two weeks. So now we move on to the next stage of post production (See list below) called the visual effects digital compositing and matte effects creation stage. There is an interesting mix of two sets of scenes which employ the opposite effects to each other. One set of effect shots requires the removal of image information to accomplish the desired illusion, while the other two shots require us to add visual information to arrive at the desired result. Two of the effects can be created and edited into the story right away, while the other two shots must wait until Spring, when I can shoot background live action plates which will correctly match the season in which the original scenes were shot. When it comes to effects photography, continuity is critical to making a shot look absolutely real.

One important point worth mentioning about visual effects -In my opinion, the addition of digitally composited visual effects into any live action dramatic movie exponentially increases the time and complexity of production. In many ways visual effects are best employed as sparingly as possible.

1. Perform rough assembly of entire movie (Rough Cut) : Task completed on 01/03/09.
2. Send RC out to series composer David S. Bart for preliminary scoring: Task completed on 01/04/09.
3. Perform Semi-Fine Cut of Picture elements. (Finess unsmoothe cuts and audio glitches): Task completed on 01/10/09
4. Audition versions of musical score on the timeline: Task completed with viable Pre-Mix on February 15th, 2009(Final Version Deliverable upon Picture lock)
5. Visual effects creation and compositing (LONG PROCESS !):Task begun on February 15th, 2009
6. Organize & Shoot Series Theme Opening with Nancy McIntyre and singers and dancers.
7. Shoot all the missing timelapse connector scenes. (Several)
8. Picture Lock (No more scenes will be added or deleted at this stage):
9. Picture Image & Density Correction & Color Correction:
10. Sound Editing Process (Sound Effects, Filters, Noise Reduction):
11. Master Audio Final Mix.
12. Export & Author Master SD & HD Blu-Ray DVD Versions.
13. Theatrical Premiere Night:

A Word About Timelapse: Several sequences in Episode 2 are timelapse sequences. I have been researching and testing different possible solutions to the the challenge of capturing these key shots which are essential to the telling of the story. Below is an example of my most recent test.

Welcome to 2009 !

2009-01-02T13:51:00.018-05:00

Hi friends. I have been working to complete the first rough cut of Episode 2 all through the Hollidays. I am now 95 % through this process with only the closing sequence (Scene # 20) left to complete. Once this rough cut is done, we are by no means finished all of the post work required. In fact, we are at the early stages of this lengthy process. From now on, I will be posting a weekly check list of the entire post process with an indication of where we are at in this process each week. In this way, I hope to provide a much clearer understanding where we are at and why there are so many delays. I thank you all for your emails. Our fans are the most loyal of fans I have ever experienced who are following any Internet Tv program. Well, it's back to editing for me. Stay tuned for more weekly blog videos, and desktop animated movies explaining the fine art of professional film editing. Double click image to get full size.

Mark Job

1. Perform rough assembly of entire movie (Rough Cut) : Task completed on 01/03/09.
2. Send RC out to series composer David S. Bart for preliminary scoring: Task completed on 01/04/09.
3. Perform Semi-Fine Cut of Picture elements. (Finess unsmoothe cuts and audio glitches): In progress 01/11/09.
4. Audition versions of David Bart's musical score on the timeline:
5. Visual effects creation and compositing (LONG PROCESS !):
6. Organize & Shoot Series Theme Opening with Nancy McIntyre and singers and dancers.
7. Shoot all the missing timelapse connector scenes. (Several)
8. Picture Lock (No more scenes will be added or deleted at this stage):
9. Picture Image & Density Correction & Color Correction:
10. Sound Editing Process (Sound Effects, Filters, Noise Reduction):
11. Master Audio Final Mix.
12. Export & Author Master SD & HD Blu-Ray DVD Versions.
13. Theatrical Premiere Night:

Hey everyone ! Check out our series music composer, David S. Bart's new music website at http://www.dbaudioarts.page.tl/

Editing Progress for Week Ending December 19th, 2008

2008-12-21T03:44:00.009-05:00

Hi friends. I'm happy to say I have now rough cut 15:59:00 minutes of Episode 2: No Reflection ! I'm quite tired, as I'm working most Nights until circa 4:00 AM. Tonight is no exception :-) I've made a little video blurb to explain the editing of the Tv series in a little more detail. Please check it out. The production grinds slowly on and we're definitely moving forward.

Later,

MJ

Editing Progress For Week Ending Sunday December 15th, 2008

2008-12-15T03:18:00.002-05:00

Hi friends. Editing progresses nicely with scenes 3 & 4 completed. A total of 8 minutes and 3 seconds of Ep 2 is now cut. I am pleased with the results although not the speed at which it's coming along. Quality does take time to accomplish, however. I will continue to edit this week every day. I hope to reach a complete rough cut of the entire episode by Christmas Day !

Episode 2 Post Production Progress for Week ending on December 5th, 2008

2008-12-05T16:25:00.006-05:00

Hi Friends. Editing goes well but slow for this first week ending December 5th, 2008. Check out the picture I exported straight from the editing time line. Double click on it so it goes to the full size in your browser. Those window dubs with the numbers are very important. The numbers at the top of the screen represent the total duration of the sequence edited so far. The bottom left numbers are referring to the name of the clip and the big number to the bottom right is referencing the actual time code from each shot edited into the timeline. SMPTE Time Code is broken down into hours, minutes, seconds and frames. SMPTE Time Code information assists our music composer, David S. Bart, considerably. With time code numerical address, David can lay down a string, or cybol crash, or drum hit, right to a specific frame in a shot anywhere in the entire movie ! This is also true for sound effects and visual effects. Well, it's Friday Afternoon and I've got many weeks of post production ahead of me, so I'll catch you later. :-)

Mark Job

A Strange Picture ?

2008-12-01T19:02:00.013-05:00

Hi friends. Have you ever seen those strange pictures on the Internet, or in magazines, of people posing for group or family photographs, only to notice there being one extra person, or shadow, which is somehow out of step with the recorded reality ? Take a look at this picture. I can't quite put my finger on it, but there is something strange about it. I know I was there at the time this picture was taken, but it looks like I am somehow - not - quite - there ! If you look long enough, you will notice the faint reflection of Lorraine Abellard in the glass beside the big green guy. Lorraine is mostly obscured by Bryan Clarke's position next to Maggie Owen in the foreground. BTW, if you double click on this picture you should get the full size layout. I know many of you may not have the same impression as I when you look at this picture, but I'm one of those folks who's in the habit of seeing unusual things, or seeing things in an unsual way.

Episode 2 Post Production Update for week ending November 30th, 2008

2008-12-01T00:59:00.008-05:00

<<The good, the bad, and the ugly !

Hi friends. Editing continues to progress slowly but very well. I'm taking our production camera in for its yearly servicing this week. I purchased a hugely expensive 5 year service plan for the Canon XL H1 camera for the shocking sum of $699.00 ! No, this isn't another one of my regular typo's or mis-spellings. I meant to, in fact, write $699.00 wonderful Canuk bucks ! When you pay $12, 191.00 for a camera, then what's another $700.00 dollars to insure it gets the full authorized Canon servicing each year for the next five years ? Check out the pictures from the set of Episode 2: No Reflection. Maggie Owen, who plays Mary in Ep2 sent me along some snaps she took. Well, it's time to go straight back to editing. Try to guess who's who in the first shot.

Later,

Principal Photography on Please Stand By Episode 2: No Reflection has Been Completed !

2008-11-24T16:36:00.012-05:00

Hi friends. At long last shooting has been completed on Episode 2: No Reflection. Principal photography was completed at 4:15 PM on Sunday November 23rd, 2008. We are about to go into the post production-editing stage. Editing will be a long process on Ep 2. There are a number of visual effects to be composited into the edited episode. The effects to which I refer will take some time, since you don't always get things to look right first time around. Also, there is something known to graphic artists and computer non linear editors as render times, which can be considerable in high resolution digital video. I'm including some actual in camera stills from our Sunday shoot. Don't forget to also check out our behind the scenes production video as well if you scroll all the way down the page. If you scroll down further, there is a little link where you can post comments or questions.

Episode 2 Closing Sequence Shoot Postponed due to Bad Weather !!

2008-11-16T14:37:00.006-05:00

Hi friends. We finally found the rooftop location we have been searching for. Unfortunately, our shoot today was cancelled due to wind gusts of 45 to 55 miles per hour on the roof, accompanied by intermittent rain bands passing through. We have reschedualed the shoot to next Sunday November 23rd, 2008. Please see the behind the scenes video below. I am very proud of the professionalism and level of committment of our cast and crew and I thank them humbly for their unwavering dedication to this production.

Later,

MJ

Principal Photography Continues on Episode 2: Now 92.5% Complete !

2008-11-07T10:44:00.005-05:00

Hi friends. I know you haven't had anymore communiques from yours truly since October 17th, 2008. We have been busy. We shot the second to last scene in the movie Yesterday, Thursday November 6th, at 12:00 noon in the Dorval Industrial Park. Our production continues to be plagued by extreme difficulties in finding and securing adequate shooting locations. This challenge continues to delay the completion of Episode 2: No Reflection. I'd like to thank our lead actor in Ep 2, Bryan Clarke, who has greatly assisted the production in finding several shooting locations. Please see the behind the scenes video below.

MJ

Principal Photography Continues 91.5 % Complete.

2008-10-17T23:26:00.005-04:00

Hi friends. Principal photography continued this Friday Morning from 10:30 AM until 12:45 PM. I shot some natural season transition shots. The fall colors were erupting brightly and we captured them in HD 1080i with our spectacular high end Canon XL H1 production camera. The image above is an in - camera still from some of the scenes we shot today. We are in-rehearsal with our current cast for the new ending we hope to shoot in the next two weekends. We are busy, things are progressing, albeit very slowly. I remain optimistic we will finish this episode soon. :-)

Later,

Production grinds slowly on

2008-10-07T01:39:00.004-04:00

Montreal Skyline viewed from the Wellington Street Bridge

Hi friends. I went location scouting today with our line producer Tanja Nibbering looking for the best location to shoot the time lapse opening sequence of the skyline of Montreal. The shot begins at 2:00 AM and runs until just past sunrise. We looked at two locations. One was South of the St. Lawrence River beside Hwy 132 West and the other was this angle. I consider this angle to be the best for our rather convelouted shooting pattern. I am re-writting the ending of this episode and we are re-organizing this production so we can finish well and soon. Well, I must go back on the script.

Later,

Being late to your own party !

2008-09-27T23:47:00.011-04:00

(I think I'm the one loosing his reflection in the mirror)

Hi friends. We are still searching for the freakin location to shoot the final sequence at ! I would describe the situation at this point as abnormally difficult but far from impossible. While wandering through the twilight of the ending of episode 2, my mind is filled with the rapid shift of the season from a long hot and humid summer to a more dry and colorful autumn. I have begun to notice the shadows in the late afternoon are much longer now. I've been running some visual effect time lapse tests with some of my existing equipment, and I have found the results to be less than satisfactory. I have now sourced a device which will properly record the essential sequences in the correct time lapse manner. However, the device is painfully expensive, but, as usual, non negotiable to the production needs of the work at hand. A humble film maker never seems to catch a break in this regard ! If you want to play, then you have to pay ! Many of the scene transitions in episode two are short time lapse sequences which must be shot all over Montreal. Time lapse sequences take tremendous amounts of time to shoot. Our line producer Tanja Nibbering is working very hard on locating and securing the final location required, and I must commend all of her efforts in this regard as Heroic. I have said from the very beginning we are on the 5 year plan with this production. I am beginning to see strong evidence of all 13 episodes in the first season taking this long to complete ! - But I hope not :-( Be that as it may, we press on !

MJ

Introducing our Singer Talent Search Winner !

2008-09-17T20:18:00.006-04:00

Nancy McIntyre

Congratulations to Ms. Nancy McIntyre of Ile Perrot who has won our music contest to perform our series new theme song for the opening title sequence to be filmed this Fall. We would like to thank all of the contest participants who answered our call to contact us and audition for the part. You should always take the time to read our home page news ticker window to see what's up. You never know what opportunities you'll connect to in reading the news ticker window.

Production Update: What are we doing this week ?

2008-09-16T21:22:00.003-04:00

Hi friends. We are hard and fast at editing the teaser trailer this week and we have had a wonderful meeting today with Rina Blencoe of RB Lettrage Enseignes. Rina is designing our Please Stand By publicity posters. This is something which we discussed doing for episode one, but due to budgetary limitations at the time, we were unable to do so. We are still looking for the final location to shoot the closing sequence of episode two (Scene # 19 in the script) and we still have not found anything ! This is really frustrating for Tanja & I, as well as the cast, since we had settled into a steady stream of production weekend after weekend all Summer since Sunday July 6th until Sunday August 31st only to have that steady and progressive flow suddenly stop dead in its tracts because we can't find the location ! The two most persistent difficulties in the production of please stand by are casting and location scouting. Both of these difficulties can become show stoppers for us.

If you are living in the Greater Montreal Area, and you own either a really nice and large home, or you have a really nice Condominium deluxe apartment with an upper Messinine area overlooking a large living room area and a balcony, and would like to have your cool place in a movie, then please do not hesitate to contact our line producer Tanja Nibbering @ (514) 967-2957. Please see the video of our production adventure today below. You are invited to leave comments.

So what's happenning ?

2008-09-14T22:43:00.007-04:00

Hi friends.We are facing two challenges right at the end of our production. Scene # 19's location is not yet secured, so yours truly, and our line producer Tanja Nibbering, are searching far and wide for an appropriate shooting location. Also, there are two very complicated physical on camera stunts which we are preparing for right now. On is a balcony jump and the other is a controlled mirror smash with a baseball bat. We have located a stunt man and pyrotechnics expert who we will meet with to design and work out the mirror smash. We think we've got a handle on this one. As for the balcony jump, well this is a little more logistically complicated, as you would expect it to be. Until we have a shooting location secured we don't know how high the balcony is either. These are the little details which seperate the amature hour from the professional independent film & Tv production. I really like a good challenge. I am cutting the teaser trailler for episode 2 this week and will send it off to our series composer, David Bart for scoring this week. We will post the teaser trailer on both our website and Youtube as soon as it is ready.

Later,

MJ

Episode 2 Now 90 % Complete !

2008-09-02T10:23:00.006-04:00

Hi friends. Scene 4 and the street walking scenes from Scene 6 were shot over the Labor Day weekend. Those scenes turned out wonderfully and now only two scenes remain in the production roster ! After nearly two months of shooting on every weekend, while planning the weekend shoots all week long each week, our production's line producer Tanja Nibbering and I are getting pretty tired ! There are two grueling all night shoots left in order to get Episode 2 completed. One scene is a timelapse sequence of the cross on Mount Royal. The camera starts rolling (One frame at a time every 60 seconds) at 2:00 AM through to 8:00 AM. Scene 19 is the closing climactic scene in this episode, and it is an all night shoot with 75 extras, two on camera stunts, and a whole rack of time consuming camera moves and setups. Just moving and setting up the camera and sound take rather surprising amounts of time ! I find it extremely frustrating when I'm working with actors, and we shoot two shots and they are warmed up, only to have to stop again and spend up to 20 minutes screwing around with the camera, while my actors cool off again ! It is a testimony to the talent and patience of my actors that they can give such consistently high levels of performance from shot to shot and take to take, while waiting for the camera to become ready each time. Check out two stills from Episode 2: No Reflection below.

Episode 2 Now 85 % Complete !

2008-08-24T20:20:00.008-04:00

Hi friends. I am very pleased to report we have shot scenes 7, 8, 15, and 18 this weekend. We are now close to the end with 85 % of all principal photography completed. There remains only 3 dialogue scenes and one timelapse effect sequence to be shot. What was supposed to be a Saturday & Sunday shoot was condensed into one overnight shooting day on Saturday. I wish to commend the most excellent work I have ever had on this series to date by actors Maggie Owen & Allan Fine, who despite being very tired, brought fourth and delivered exceptional on screen performances. It cannot be overstated how much of a pleasure it is to work with talented artists who are so diciplined, so dedicated, so committed to their art, that they will stand and deliver no matter what the working situation is. - Such dedication comands respect !

Episode 2's production could not be facilitated without the absolute brilliant diligence and hard work of our line producer Tanja Nibbering. Tanja is a true soldieur and team player ! I thank actor Natalie Darbisson (Spelling ?) and Bryan Clarke for turning out excellent performances in scene 7 in the Afternoon on Saturday. MJ

Shooting Progress for Weekend Ending Aug 17th, 08: Ep 2 Now 70 % Complete

2008-08-18T04:54:00.007-04:00

Hi friends. We spent this weekend shooting visual effect shots with Actor Bryan Clarke. The effect shots were a night shoot and the camera rigging and various setups took quite a long time. We also managed to get the police to show up due to accidentally setting off the home security system at the location we were at in Laval. Check out the resulting behind the scenes video. The stuff you have to go through just to make a movie ;-)

Later,

MJ

Hey ! Check out the Fireworks !

2008-08-10T18:05:00.003-04:00

Hi friends. We took this weekend off. Please Stand By Episode 2: No Reflection, will continue shooting next weekend. Check out the local Pincourt, Quebec Fireman's Fair Fireworks display below. Each year, the Town of Pincourt's Volunteer Fire Department throws a public parade, fair, dance concert and fireworks display.

67% of Episode 2: No Reflection now complete !

2008-08-06T10:29:00.006-04:00

Hi Friends. We had another great weekend of shooting ! We were able to complete scenes 13, 17, and 5, thus making principal photography 2/3rds complete ! Unfortunately, I have now lost the use of my car as I managed to burn out the engine completely ! We had torrential winds and rain at our shooting location in Anjou, Quebec on Saturday Afternoon, but we were eventually able to complete what turned out as a perfect scene :-) . You can check out the behind the scenes action video below from Saturday. I'm editing the behind the scenes video from Sunday and will post it as soon as it's ready.

Later,

Mark J.

An all time record in website attendance !

2008-07-31T06:11:00.004-04:00

Hi friends. I am pleased to announce we have arrived at an all time record of hits on the Please Stand By website. As of this Morning, over 11, 042 hits have been recorded within a 31 day period ! This constitutes an increase of over 5,000 since the beginning of this Summer alone ! Our growth in viewership is very steady now. We have had a record number of visits this month at over 408 with a number of unique visits at 291 ! This means over half of all visits to the website are new folks who have never checked us out before !! The snowball has truly begun to roll down the mountainside and there is no telling how big it will become once it has reached the end of its journey ! We thank our viewers who have been following along with the making of Episode 2: No Reflection in the blog section and also those who have been watching our debut episode on the Episodes page.

Later,

Mark J.

Shooting Continues as of the Week Ending July 27th 2008

2008-07-27T23:15:00.004-04:00

Hi Friends. Shooting continues and we have completed another two scenes in Episode 2: No Reflection. Scenes 9 & 11 are now "in the can," as they say. 25 % of the episode is now completed. Check out the video below. Feel free to comment.

Mark J.

Shooting Continues !

2008-07-21T17:45:00.008-04:00

Hi Friends. Well, we got in two scenes over this past weekend with the schedualed reshoot of the homeless man sequence number 6 in the Ep 2 script. We were rained out last week but we got it doneYesterday Morning and it looks really good ! Special thanks goes out to Montreal Area actor Phil Fortin who played the homeless man. Phil's performance was rather incredible and it was well worth the full facial sunburn I received in directing the scene.

In the Afternoon we moved to shooting the lawyer's office scene (Scene # 16) in the Ep 2 script. Montreal actor Taurean Walton gave an excellent performance as the main Character's lawyer who is convinced his client is suffering from a serious nervous breakdown. Check out the behind the scenes footage filmed by our set designer Sylvia Latour below. Sylvia dressed the set which was provided courtesy of Ms Tracey Hunziker (Spelling ?). The set was truly amazing ! Tanja Nibbering and I are scouting and organizing shooting locations this week as we prepare for another upcoming weekend of shooting.

Later,

Mark J.

Shooting Update

2008-07-14T02:55:00.003-04:00

Hi friends. Our weekend shoot did not go as planned this past Sunday July 13th. Unfortunately, we were rained out. We are always at risk with external location scenes. This time we got bit by the weather badly, so we will now reschedual scene # 6 for the next weekend. At this point, we simply must pick up the pace of production. For each weekend we do not shoot - I (The producer as well as director) take a financial hit. I'm not exactly sure how much it's costing me tonight as I post this, but I can confirm it takes more gas and more tape and pulls on other resources and outlays necessary for production. We're building a business as well as a dream. Feel free to check out the video below.

Later,

Mark J.

Sunday July 6th: First Day of Principal Photography

2008-07-11T12:52:00.004-04:00

Hi friends. The first day of principal photography on Episode 2: No Reflection has come and gone. We had a great day of shooting and we were able to obtain perfect performances, lighting, image, and sound. We began with the longest dialogue scene we had in the episode (Scene # 14), which was a complicated walking and talking scene with short sections were the two principals are seated, then move to another bench in Mount Royal Park. The waether cooperated with our shooting schedual quite nicely. The edited scene will appear for only 90 seconds or so on screen, but it took well over 6 and a half hours to shoot ! The hand held camera shots were very trying on my lower back muscles in particular, as I had to walk backwards with a camera on my shoulder and keep the two principals in frame steady and perfect focus throughout the duration of the scene without flinching. (Try it ! ;-) )

Special thanks are in order to Robin Williamson, who helped steady me by putting her hand on my belt and walking backwards with me. Robin is a gifted and professional makeup artist, who runs 514 cosmetics and is our principal makeup artist on the production. Robin also contributed to the behind the scenes footage posted below. Check out the video and feel free to comment. We also thank our line producer, Tanja Nibbering, for doubling as clap board operator during the shoot. Sometimes folks from one department have to double up and assist in another.

An actor prepares to go before the camera

2008-07-11T11:35:00.003-04:00

Hi friends. Much has happened since I last wrote to you all. We've begun principal photography and what we're getting on tape & hard drive is truly outstanding footage ! I couldn't be happier with the results so far. Most people have no idea what an actor goes through to prepare for a part. Believe me, an actor requires more than just a few rehearsals. Check out the video below and feel free to comment.

Later,

Mark J.

Progress, Progress, Progress !

2008-06-28T02:49:00.006-04:00

Hi friends. We had our second successful rehearsal with the full cast this past Wednesday at the Dumoulin Electronics store in Vaudreuil. I am very pleased with how the development of the characters are coming along. I have also been able to test and workout various camera angles I intend to use during the shooting. There only remains a little tweaking of the characters with minor adjustments to the dialogue. I included a little snippet of one scene we rehearsed with Bryan Clarke, Maggie Owen & Allan Fine. Check it out and feel free to comment.

New Shooting Location Secured

2008-06-21T13:41:00.004-04:00

Hi friends. This past Friday was indeed a busy day for our line producer Tanja Nibberring and yours truly. We have now visited the offices of The Montreal Film & TV Commission, and obtained clerances to shoot one of Episode Two's main scenes on Mount Royal at the foot of the cross. Please see the video of our pre-production escapades below. Our rehearsals and pre-production preparations continue. Check back often because things are really starting to move.

Later,

Mark J.

A first great rehearsal & preparing to roll soon !

2008-06-17T22:43:00.009-04:00

Hi friends. Thanks for checking in and following along with our series development :-) Our journey continues as we strive for creative entertainment excellence outside of the box. Today our production's line producer/production coordinator, Tanja Nibbering and I went to check out a location in Montreal for shooting. Check out the video below. Be advised, we are very busy on several fronts at this time. Those fronts are marketing, publicity, pre-production, location scouting, stunts, visual effects, rehearsals, website development, set design and casting.

Unfortunately, all these activities are extremely labor intensive and time consuming. However, these activities are essential to the further development of our series. We have had three highly skilled people join key departments of our production in the past two weeks alone. We will make a formal announcement on our website blog next week. Principal photography will begin in July !

I promise we will be providing constant behind the scenes pictures as well as video updated weekly right here on this page during principal photography of Epsiode 2: No Reflection. We had a great rehearsal at the Dumoulin Electronics Store in Vaudreuil, Quebec last Wednesday June 11th and we will have our next one on Wednesday June 25th. Stay tuned for so much more !

Later,

Mark J.

Episode 2:Rehearsals Begin on Wednesday June 11

2008-06-05T19:30:00.004-04:00

Hi friends. I thank you for your patience and understanding as you wait for us to slowly plough our way through the various stages required to complete Episode 2: No Reflection. We know you're checking in often to see where we're at. We are building a great team of production personnel ! I'm quite happy about the new people because it is the team who makes the movie. Film making is a collaborative art my friends. We start our first rehearsal this Wednesday. There's so much more to come so Please Stand By.

Mark J.

Our First Meeting of 2008 at Our New Location !

2008-01-15T12:27:00.014-05:00

Hi friends. Here are a few scenes from our audition location in the deluxe audio-visual room at the Dumoulin Electronics store in Vaudreuil.
As customers walk into the store, they see our pilot episode playing on every tv screen ! There are more than 50 flat screen LCD high end Sony, LG, Panasonic and other brands and they are all tuned to our show ! This has created a tremendous interest on the part of many folks, who otherwise would not know about Please Stand By Web Tv. Here's another scene playing on more TV's in another part of the store.

More scenes playing on more screens. This is what it's all about folks - EXPOSURE to an audience ! It is a really big thrill to see your work playing to the general public as they walk in and immediately freeze in front of the TV sets and start watching ! Initial word of mouth is very positive from casual viewers. Our auditions are currently being held on Monday nights at the Dumoulin Store in Vaudreuil Monday Nights from 6:30 to 9:00PM

Directions for actors to Dumoulin from Google Maps:http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=q&hl=fr&geocode=&q=3218+F%C3%A9lix-Leclerc,+Vaudreuil-Dorion,+qc+canada&sll=49.891235,-97.15369&sspn=28.182858,59.765625&ie=UTF8&om=1&ll=45.402036,-74.029784&spn=0.014915,0.029697&z=15&iwloc=addr

Please be advised the name of the street listed as the location for Dumoulin has been changed to "DE LA GARE," from "Rue Felix-Leclerc."
If you still get lost, then you can contact the store and ask for directions at (514) 906-6914 or Toll Free at 1-866-386-6854.

Mark J.