Andrea - Showing At The Best Dam Short Film Festival

Studio FiveSix was selected to show our first short film, Andrea, at the Best Dam Short Film Festival in Boulder City.  Andrea shows on Feb. 15th in the 8:15pm block of films.  We're very excited to be included and are happy that our premiere showing is going to be in neighboring Boulder City.  There was a good deal of work and planning that went into creating Andrea, mainly because it was our first narrative piece and we were finding our way through the process.  Since then we have shot a second short film called Maybe Tomorrow that is still in post production but will be out shortly.  We'll be at the festival this weekend so if you are there, stop by and say hi.


Render This - New Mac Pro Arrives at FiveSix

Sometimes you just need a little extra power to spice things up in the office.  Here at FiveSix Productions, we've been running a few different workstations for some time now, a couple mac trashcans from awhile back and a couple newer imac pro machines.  But with the new Mac Pro out, we decided our Edit 1 Bay could use an extra boost.  So far so good.  We run the Adobe Creative Cloud suite working primarily with Premiere Pro and After Effects but also DaVinci Resolve for some color correction.  This machine takes on video editing, real time 2D and 3D graphics creation and powers through the renders at a much better click than its predecessor, but I should hope so for the price tag.  We didn't load it up with all the extras and purchased most of the additions from outside of Apple, though we did opt for the afterburner card to help with quick encoding.  We're only a few weeks in but our editors can surely tell the difference.

There isn't much else to say.  We've cut a commercial, half a dozen corporate videos and a short film so far and haven't had any issues.  We'll update soon once we've really put it to the test and have some hard data of our own to report.  Until then, happy cutting!

 


Wu-Tang

Audio Recording. Don't let the noise monster get you...

Let's talk about Audio Recording.

No, let's talk about money. I believe RZA and his Wu-Tang Clan said it best in 1994, when they taught us about C.R.E.A.M. Cash rules everything around me- that's a lesson that applies far beyond the confines of the 36 Chambers of Staten Island. What does this mean here in the world of video production? It means the same thing it does in the music industry, and the same thing as it does in the world of professional sand sculpting. Money moves, and money rules. Nothing is cheap in this world- especially producing beautiful sounding and looking motion pictures. That being said, what's worse than your expensive video being ruined by unexpected and uncontrollable noise? The answer is having a rabid grizzly bear loose on set- but, after that, it's the noise. Now how to have a good audio recording session.

When you film on the Las Vegas strip, you're thinking "Oh, gee, this will be so dope! We're going to have so much fun and make so many nice pictures, and everything will be perfect, and nothing will distract us!" That's 99.9% correct- with a large margin of error. While much can be done to control the environment in the local hotel rooms and conference rooms, there are some things that just come with the territory. There is an airport of international proportion nearby- in which, airplanes fly. Airplanes make noise, so- if you are anywhere on the strip, chances are, at some point throughout the day, those metal birds will make their presence known. There are also a lot of folks in loud sports cars and motorcycles cruising up and down L.V. Boulevard- you'll hear those too. There's an Air Force base here in town- those brave men and women who defend our liberties practice swooping, rolling, and diving in their jets from time to time... believe, you, me, you'll hear those too. Let's say you go and hide down in the very back corner of the back corner of the convention hall... SERVICE HALLWAY!!!! Hahahahaha!

Now, before you give up and call it quits- remember: with a little patience, and a little trust- we can work around those noises, and your audio recording will sound amazing! You may have to wait thirty seconds or so, every hour, on the hour, for some bells, but, then it's all good. Also, remember the fine folks, the good hearted folks, folks like our good friends at Dog & Pony Show here in Vegas can do miracles in their studio for production and post-production. Oh, sound blankets work too... also- silent films.

Good luck!


Stoked For The New Year!

Now that the holiday decorations are put away, the confetti has been swept away, and the last of the sparkling cider has been sipped, it's time to get back to the fun and adventure that is Las Vegas video production! One of our favorite times of year is the winter and spring, as it brings great trade shows like CES 2017 to town. The fun doesn't stop at trade shows though, now that the kiddo's are back to the class room, mom and dad are back to getting some work done, and that means we have work too! We're excited to see what the new year will bring us, and we sure can't wait to reconnect with all our great clients and production contemporaries, as well as meet some new faces. So, don't hesitate to reach out for any project you need help with, and we will see you on set, real soon!


The Vegas Golden Knights: Our New BFF!

I think we can all agree, our favorite aspect of the film "Slap Shot" is the Hanson Brothers (caution: some strong language).

Those three provide limitless laughter and entertainment as they decimated their opponents in ruthless fashion. Hockey is a fantastic sport! It's full of speed, danger, excitement, and occasional fisticuffs. The best part: Las Vegas now has their very own, shiny, fresh-out-of-the-box NHL team! The Vegas Golden Knights.

Recently, FiveSix Productions got to create a super-dope video chronicling the genesis of the team's name and logo. Now, if you're curious, the answer is yes, it was the video that was supposed to play during the name-announcement ceremony at T-Mobile Arena. Unfortunately, there seemed to be a technical glitch with the ceremony, and the A/V guys over there, couldn't get it on screen. We're not sure if it was just chop-full of too much awesome for their equipment to handle, or maybe they had a little Smeagol turned Gollum moment and wanted to keep Precious all for themselves. Either way, we were proud to be a part of the beginning of Las Vegas' first professional team: the Vegas Golden Knights, and you can check out the video we made here on their official website.

Oh, and, if you're curious about the "Golden" instead of "Silver" since Nevada is the "Silver State", it's because Nevada produces more gold than any other state in our beautiful Union (looking at you California).


Awesome New Recording Tool

The Blackmagic Video Assist by BlackmagicDesign is a versatile and compact solution for video monitoring and recording. Perfect for DSLRs, and video cameras that shoot on SxS, XDCAM, and P2 media, the Blackmagic Video Assist records on inexpensive and high quality SD memory cards. Capable of recording 10-bit 4:2:2 quality ProRes and DNxHD files, the footage works seamlessly with Premier Pro, AVID, Final Cut, and DaVinci Resolve editing software. Along with the invaluable recording capabilities, the Blackmagic Video Assist provides a beautiful 5-inch, 1920x1080 HD monitor with an incredible 135° viewing angle so multiple crew can view every shot. There is a 6G-SDI connection so you can view Ultra HD when using with say, a Canon C300 Mark ii, or a RED Epic Dragon. All in all, the Blackmagic Video Assist is an amazing tool that will no doubt enhance your production; we have a couple on hand, and a couple more coming to join the team.


LVB Time Lapses Available

Getting awesome time lapse footage of Las Vegas Boulevard isn't easy, that's why we went and got some for you! If you need a little something-something to make your good video great, let us help you find it.

Here are some samples of some of the footage we have filmed here on Las Vegas Boulevard.


Uncle Oscar

We here at FiveSix Productions, in little ol' Las Vegas, Nevada, have lofty dreams. Whether it's corporate interviews, the trade show floor, commercials, feature documentaries or more, we love and embrace our craft; we also love the passion and dreams of those pursuing Hollywood dreams! We support, encourage, embrace, and share the dreams of all those inspiring to always do and accomplish more in this awesome industry of film, television, and all else dreamers dare to dream. Enjoy the night fellow artists and dreamers. See you on set.


Spice It Up

Video seeming a little bland? Missing a little something something? Well, maybe it's time to spice it up with some awesome time-lapse footage straight from Las Vegas Boulevard! We sent one of our cinematographers out for a few nights to get the best of the Strip that he could, and boy did he get some righteous stuff. Check it out and the rest of our time lapse videos today!

Here are some samples of some of the footage we have filmed here on Las Vegas Boulevard.


Awesome Music Video!

Our senior editor turned us on to a really cool music video by the masters of really cool music videos OK Go.

They shot the video on a Zero-G "vomit comet" over in Russia (Hi Putin, how's the invading and such?), and it turned out sweet.

Here's a really cool article about the whole experience: READ ME

There you go, have fun, and hooray for creativity.