Dedicated Few (Cinema Part 10)

Boy - pulled this one out from far up the ass end of the archives. Was recently searchin' an old file cabinet for somethin' else entirely and came across four master VHS tapes. Was an old project we put together when needing some media for a course in "Digital Imaging and Non-Linear Editing" at the old 'Pittsburgh Filmmakers' back in the mid '90's. That's as far as it went. Hadn't viewed this in probably twenty-five years. Immediately had a copy transferred to digital MP4/MOV format (thanks Dino at Imagine Audio and Media located on Pittsburgh's South Side - the only guy we'll let touch our stuff).

Couldn't remember much of what we shot or the content. "Good-man" Rob and Strongman Matt, with Wonder Dog Ben, on some moderate slab/crack climb on the large "Sharks Fin" boulder located high on the ridge not far from the sanctum. Again, shootin' on premium 16mm film so we didn't want the expense of multiple re-takes while thrashin' up somethin' far more desperate. Think our shooting ratio was probably darn near 1:1 on this one.

As said, shot on 16mm film. Processed at 'ColorLab' located in Rockville, Md. Later had the negative transferred to Beta tape format at WRS Film Laboratories located in Pittsburgh for editing on an 'Avid Media Composer' digital non-linear editing system which we were learning at aforesaid Pittsburgh Filmmakers. No longer messing with grease pencils, film and tape splicers, synchronizers, conforming 16mm film negative (real A/B rolling) and such (although we do miss the occasional tedious craftsmanship of it all). Just mentioning all of this as it wasn't just whipping a Smart Phone out of the pack and hitting the record button for endless recording. Coincidentally, we just received an email today introducing Final Cut Pro for IPad - amazing - but still think that someone is going to pull the plug on all this IT/AI stuff one day after all the "ancient arts" are long forgotten by the masses and the spirits had long said "f*k these people".

Surely not brilliant, features our corny dialog, but the short does have a bit of 'Bruce Brown' and old '60's and '70's vibe, sort of like somethin' ya'd see for a buck at the Santa Barbara HS auditorium back in the day - somethin' we always tried to impart. Even has some 'Dick Dale' and 'Gary Hoey' on the soundtrack (thanks for the use - no commercial application intended - private YouTube viewing only).

Dedicated Few (1995)

Run Time: 12min (Approx.)

We always used to spend Memorial Day week out west roaming the Mojave with Strongman Matt. That's all ended so we'll dedicate this post to him - the only reason we're posting this anyway. Both those guys could be a bit difficult, but when things got tough and had to be done neither would quit and (albeit bitchingly) toil on 'till the job was through and happiness would again reign. When things got really difficult and desperate it was just "F*k it - give the rope to Rob"