The Deadly Penguins: Stage 1.5

Well, closing night came and went... although we're set to do a late-night encore on the 12th and 13th of June. The late night crowd is always a blast to work in front of... they're generally tipsy, looking for some fun before they hit the bars. If you've got a funny show for them, they definitely show their approval.

But this time around, we'll be cuttin' loose with the blood gags. Just gotta make sure the actors wear the proper foot gear... that stage blood is some slippery stuff. Which is kinda odd, considering how sticky Karo® and red food dye is.

It also give us time to get back up to speed on the lines, after near a two week break. I put off the start of shooting until the 14th, by which time I hope to have the last of the gear I need. I scored an Audio-Technica 897 shotgun mike on the cheap to replace the stock XL2 mic... but right on the heels of taking care of that I had the head of my tripod go south on me. Damn thing now pans as smoothly as a skateboard on a gravel road.

Good filmmaking Rule-of-thumb: Never evah lend out your tripod. The first rule-of-thumb I learned is to always have a working flashlight with you while shooting.

I could muddle through with just locking down the camera and working around it, which I suppose could work considering that I'm planning on shooting it in the style of the old B-movies. But... I pretty much know that I'm gonna need to pan at some point. I'm being told that if I'm gonna buy another head, I need to buy the one I'll want to stay with in the long run... so, I'm shopping for a Bogen 501.

Money, money, money.