Weekend Update with Amy Poehler and Phil Atlas?...

So it's been an extremely productive weekend. (As it sort of had to be since everything is due Wednesday!) :) The minor color correction was completed, the score was completed and finalized (and will be added to the mix tomorrow), and the sound effects were at last materialized (by Mr. Briz).

Working with Nick this past week has been great. We seem to be pretty in-sync when it comes to the sounds that should be used (and how to go about using them). It's been quite a challenge to create a sound scape representing Zachary's "wheel-turning thought process" which segues into the fantasy sequence(s). The danger is not making it sound cartoon-ish, but the problem is, when dealing with scientific sounds like Bunsen burners, bubbles, electricity and fire, most of the sounds simply have that cartoon-ish "womp-womp-womp" quality about them . So it has proven to be quite a challenge indeed for Nick and myself. Nick did a template version and we found that it came off as rather frightening and isolated and possibly too dark for the film, so Nick is re-working some things to make it sound more innocent, child-like and whimsical. Nick has expertly ventured into more consistent sounds that aren't necessarily scientific per-se, but can be (subconsciously) associated with science, like turning bicycle wheels, and other unexpected sounds that create a cacophonous soundtrack. It's actually been an huge learning experience and a major challenge to complete.

The sound mix is close to complete and there are some things that unfortunately cannot be rectified. Mostly, there are certain steadicam shots that are rather noisy because of the camera movement. The sounds of the camera creaking are audible in both the boom version and the field recorder version of the captured production sound, but it's nothing too distracting. C'est la vie!

We're getting close to the end, so we got's 'ta step it up!

For weekend update, I'm Phil Atlas. <-- No? Too soon?