5 Five V

Here it is, folks, the thing you’ve been waiting for…our movie from this year’s 72 Film Fest, “5 Five V.”

As always, feedback is appreciated.

Additionally, we have a side-by-side comparison of the camera raw and colorized versions of the movie for film geeks who wanted to know what the before and after looked like:  http://vimeo.com/30375906

Thy name is Susan Lucci

There comes a time in any young auteur’s life, when he stands underneath the spotlight, where audiences rain down praise.  In that moment, he is given awards and accolades for his creation.  This man (or woman) has a sense of accomplishment; a high note in his heart.

That guy is not us.

Another 72 Film Fest season is over, and just like last year, we seem to be the bridesmaid, but not the bride.  Will that handsome lad come our way one day and sweep us off our feet?  Maybe.  Yet, this scene is still fresh in our minds, so it is hard not to feel slighted and a bit down on ourselves.  If you, faithful audience, are an artist, I am sure you can empathize with us.  It’s not to say that we didn’t get a lot of praise from friends, family, and peers, we just wished that judges agreed.

However, with that being said, it is definitely an honor to get nominated as many times as we did.  Not quite a record, but extremely close.  We can’t be too mad when our friends over at Connectivity Group won the top prize for the third year running.  Congrats to them.

If only we could beat them so they could be the ones congratulating us.

Maybe next year, right?

72 Film Fest 2011

Wow…it sure has been a while.  Last we checked in, we had released the second episode of our Jay-Jay and Moonpie iPhone games.  Since then, we have been laying low, waiting like a cobra with all the intent to strike when the iron was hot.  Wait…that’s a blacksmith joke.  That analogy is away off.

Either way, I’m sure you (meaning one person) missed the fun-loving bunch at Missing Link Cinema.  Well, you’re in luck.  We have awesome news to impart.

One of the times of year that we will look forward to the most is when the 72 Film Fest rolls around.  For those of you not familiar, it is a contest where filmmakers are given 3 days, or 72 hours, to make a movie.  To even the playing field, so to speak, specific criteria is given during the start of the competition that must be included in your movie.  The theme this year was the “first frame, last frame” variety.  Very similar to what was done for the Canon Beyond the Still contest.  It’s definitely a unique, if not, novel idea.  It does give a lot of room for doing pretty much whatever you want.  With that much leeway, how can you not go wild, right?

The movie we made definitely pushed us in a new direction, yet, it still remains a Missing Link Cinema production.  You can see our style of pacing and editing in every single frame.  As always, we are proud of the work we created.  We hope that the audience and judges for the 72 Film Fest feel the same.  While we were very happy with the work we created last year, “Le Detective“, we failed to bring home any awards.  The competition was stiff.  There were a lot of great movies from the other teams.  We just hope that our effort this time around will bring us some accolades.  Cross your fingers for us.

We know we will.

So, before I run off again to my Batcave, I leave you with this still image from our movie.  Just a little something to whet your appetite.

 

Peril, Intrigue, and Ellipses…

Wow, it’s been too long since a worthy update. A little over six months to be exact. It’s not to say that we’ve abandoned the blogging format for some new fancy social media-type arena, we’re just the kind of people who wait for something big to happen before we update our loving fans.

We’re excited to announce that this coming Tuesday, June 21, 2011, the sequel to our first Jay-Jay and Moonpie game will be released on the iPhone app store. It’s titled: The Adventures of Jay-Jay and Moonpie: Episode 2 – Peril, Intrigue, and Ellipses. It’s a complete different game from our last one. While the first episode was a “thinking man’s game”, the second episode contains more action and adventure. It features four different “mini” games. Each features either Jay-Jay or Moonpie.

Just like the last game, everything is hand-drawn, giving it an unique style that is very much in line with Missing Link Cinema. It’s light, it’s fun, but it is also fast-paced. Hopefully you’ll love it as much as we do.

Be sure to check it out on our our app store: here

Until next time, MP out.

Check us out on Twitter: @mlcinema

2010 – A Year in Review

As it gets close to the end of the year, it seems like a good time to recap on all the happenings that have gone on for the folks at MLC since the last time I updated with a proper entry. Looking back, it’s been six months since we have made a peep about everything that has gone down for us. Not to say that we haven’t stayed busy, because we have been extremely productive.

Let’s see:

- 2 short movies for the Canon Beyond the Still contest ~ Details and Kick

- A short movie for the 72 Film Fest ~ Le Detective (which was nominated for 9 awards…no wins)

- One iPhone/iPod Touch app ~ The Adventures of Jay-Jay and Moonpie: Episode 1 – Completely Hardboiled

- And one happy wedding on the beach

As you can see, we were not short on activities. Needless to say, we don’t really plan on stopping any time soon.

When we look back at all that we have accomplished, it has been a good year. Ultimately, we learned to stretch our creative boundaries. Whether it was the pressure from having to write, produce, and edit short movies in small windows of time, or create applications that we feel might fun for others to play, all of it has pushed us to be better than we have on the previous project(s).

Not to mention that we have a slew of projects lined up for 2011. More apps, more movies, more everything. Just more stuff to help us push past the creative boundaries we think we might have now.

In other words, look for more great stuff from us in the coming year.

Until next time,

MP out.

Beyond the summer heat

It’s been far too long since we’ve had a proper update. Is it because we’re grown stagnant over here in the land of iPhone/iPod Touch apps and making movies.

Bah! Of course not.

Instead, we have been extremely busy to the point that we have hardly had much breathing room to really think. The Beyond the Still contest has been the main thought occupation. We can’t complain though because making movies is sort our thing, if you didn’t notice. Needless to say, since we spoke last, the great folks over here at MLC have put together two little movies worth checking out:

Mercury

Desperation

The latest movie, Desperation, is something we are particularly proud of, considering how much we pushed ourselves creatively, especially with the camera we are using. Please check them out.

Feedback is always appreciated.

Until next time, MP out.

Seal of Approval

Isn’t technology wonderful? It makes our lives easier. Whether it is something simple like a light switch or a TV remote, to something that enriches our lives outside of the home, like cell phones that allow us to stay connected to not only our friends and family, but to the entire world. Smart phones, like the iPhone, have made it so that you can check e-mail, send texts, place calls, and surf the web. What could possibly be any better than that?

With that being said, one of the members of MLC has gotten his hands on the Apple iPad. While most of our initial thoughts were that it was going to be nothing more than a giant iPod Touch, or an iPhone–just without the phone. Yet, it turns out that this little device is more than just an “iPhone on steroids.” Turns out that the device is more than that. Although it runs the same operating system as its smaller counterparts, a few minutes using it for functions other than entertainment, I have come to find out that it works wonder in the realm of productivity. Whether it is typing a paper for class or work on a group presentation, the iPad has easily grown from “interesting” to “here is my credit card number, I’ll take two” in a heartbeat.

I used to be a bit skeptical to how digital technology was pushing the idea of obsolescence when it comes to analog technology, i.e. books, magazines, etc., but the way that the iPad make everything seem “cooler”, I have a better understanding of how certain “traditional” aspects of our lives will be re-formatted to fit this wave of “digital-ness.” I have always been on the fence when it came to books. There are certain kinds that I will want to be in digital format, but there are some that will make me miss the feel of turning actual pages and not graphically-enhance versions of them.

But I digress, the iPad is, without a doubt, a very awesome piece of machinery. Not that anyone needs our seal of approval, but it definitely has gotten the “must buy” stamp from Missing Link Cinema.

And so I, MP, wait for mine to come in. In the meantime, I’ll just ogle JJ’s with jealous eyes.

Until next time, MP out.

Spring is in the air

Hello once again.

Time for our latest movies news and random going-ons. All in a convenient blog post. Kind of like a semi-weekly/monthly newsletter.

First off, we just have to say that we are so loving this weather right. After the constant blizzards and 50-feet of snow, we welcome the sun and warmth with open arms.

Anyway, things have been busy for us over in MLC land. As we mentioned before, we have been shooting movies left and right. For a time, all we were thinking about were iPhone apps, but since we are primarily a film/video production company, we have to stay true to our roots, right?

One of things we were able to finish was our movie for the Can-Do Film Festival. The result was our four minute movie, Perception, which you can watch over at Vimeo here:

http://vimeo.com/10221355

We still hard at work with the Canon “Beyond the Still” contest as well. In fact, we are currently hard at work on our submission for Chapter 3. Hopefully it lives up to our high expectations and standards. I’ll be sure to post a link to the final movie once it is up on the internets.

April looks to be as equally as busy as March. Chapter 4 of the contest will be due, as well as another possible entry for the Can-Do Film Festival. Wish us luck!

As always, feel free to leave us feedback and comments. We love to hear how we’re doing.

Also, check out our Twitter feed: twitter.com/mlcinema

Until next time, MP out!

The key that opens doors…

Sometimes life passes by in increments of days, and sometimes it passes by in increments of a month or so. At least that is what it seems like over here at MLC. If it wasn’t being trapped indoors with a few feet of snow, it has been a few other things that have been keeping us busy. That is not to say that we don’t think of creative ways to be creative. I mean, that would be going against the grain, right?

Of course not.

Contests have been coming at us like a tidal wave. We have been working feverishly to try and complete short movies to submit to them. The first being a contest sponsored by Canon and Vimeo called Beyond the Still. The concept is to make a movie based on the final frame of the movie before. The entire contest is in 7 chapters. Chapter 1 was created by a filmmaker by the name of Vincent Laforet. While we did not do so well with Chapter 2, you can see our glorious effort called “The Key.” Check it out and let us know what you think.

Unfortunately, it was not a first concept. Because of the snow, we were relegated to doing something other than our first choice. That’s Mother Nature for you.

There is always Chapter 3, right?

But that’s not the only contest that is keeping us busy. There is also the Can-Do Film Festival, which is also sponsored by Canon and Vimeo.

We already have a script, location, and actors in place. All we need to do is go out and shoot it. Easier said than done, right?

As you can see, we have our creative hands full.

While I hate to bring the mood, I want to take this time to bring some somber news.

On February 19, 2010, a very close family member lost the fight against cancer. While there is nothing sadder than the passing of a loved one, it is the wonderful memories we hold tightly to that keep us going, and her memory will always remain in our hearts and minds.

Thank you.

Until next time, MP out.

“Roll picture…”

One of things about being a filmmaker/movie-making person, is that you try and find the coolest gadgets and tech-related things to help with the process. Whether it is a video camera like a Sony EX-1 or a Canon 5D Mark II, or writing software, i.e. Final Draft, all of these things not only help make your movie better, but are also really cool at the same time.

But there are also the little things that help on set. Things like light meters and view finders. All of these things are essential. Another thing that is important is a clapper board. For the non-filmy gents and ladies out there, a clapper board is one of those things they use to signify the start of a shot. It’s used primarily for audio-syncing in post production. Since we’re filmmakers, and iPhone and iPod enthusiasts (as well as developers), we wanted to find something that could combine the two.

And so we did.

From the makers, PureBlend Software, there is this app called MovieSlate. You can check out their site here: PureBlend Software

What a great little app it is. We’ve been playing around with it since we downloaded it from the app store, and we got to say that it is going to come in handy.

I know it is weird to hear a product plug from something that is not made by us, but we are absolutely amazed by this thing…and we wanted to share it with others in the filmmaking community.

So check it out!

Until next time, MP out!