Hallo alle,

Welcome to the third installment of der Flieger. I've been busy for the last couple of months. My former employer decided it was time to let me work on the movie full time. So now that I'm retired I've been able to devote more time to finishing this project.

Orchestra Recording

The big news is that on Saturday, April 20th, I recorded the Oakland Civic Orchestra for the music throughout the movie. It was a big step toward completion and I couldn't have done it with out the talented help of all involved. I'd love to list everyone, but I'll save that for the credits. I do need to acknowledge a few who have donated their time and energy. Joe Melloy for writing a kick-ass theme, Dwayne Milburn for a marvelous arrangement, Marty Stoddard for conducting the very talented Oakland Civic Orchestra, Jeff Raby for help in the booth, Jill Qualls and Ramon Silvestre for feeding all of us, and Mike Bemesderfer and Tony Mills at Spark Studios for recording it right.

I've posted a bunch of pictures from that day. Go to the main page and click on die Production to view the gallery. The new pictures are on pages 5 and 6.

For two mp3 samples of what was recorded, click on..._Orchestra 1 _Orchestra 2

With the orchestra recorded, the final piece of the audio puzzle is complete and audio mixing can begin and I can't wait. I've been watching this for two years with just the production dialog. Now I'll be able to get music, sound effects, AND dialog and it should all be very exciting.

After the orchestra recording session Mike and Tony threw the rough recordings onto the video for a feel of how the music sounded with the visuals, and it really added a new dimension to the movie. Everyone was laughing at the movie, which is always a relief. I'm really pleased with how it's all coming together.

Visual Effects

Live footage of the main characters	Computer versions

I've been working for a couple of weeks creating about 60 little computer figures to add to a crowd scene. I've even created several of the main characters as little computer people. The shot is a 20-second establishing shot that goes from the top of Hindenburg down to the tarmac where the main characters are gathering to board. This is one of the biggest shots I've had to compose but I should be done with it in a few weeks if everything goes smoothly.

I actually mapped the main character's real faces onto the CG figures. There's still lighting and color to adjust, but for now I'm busy getting all the little guys into the main scene.

Herr Direktor

Mark Wrabel
5/4/2002