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June 2010:
DCS is gearing
up for a busy summer and things have really been shaking around the
studio lately.
Our former
intern, Jon Borland, who ceremonially left us in April has landed a
job at Skywalker Sound. That's right, the very same Skywalker Sound
that makes all of those cool Lucas movies sound awesome! We are very
proud of the work Jon did at DCS and are doubly proud that he has the
chops to play with George Lucas' toys now. Good luck, Jon!
Ric Viers
recently was a presenter at Full Sail's Hall Of Fame induction in
Orlando, Florida for his long time friend Troy DeVolld. He and Ric
attended Full Sail back when digital was the new and exciting thing in
audio. Troy has gone on to produce any successful reality shows for
such networks at MTV, ABC, A&E, and many more.
Finally, Ric
has been working on his latest super-duper top secret project and
teaching classes at Macomb Community College on audio basics and
location sound production.
Check back next
month to read more about what's happening at the Chop Shop and have a
great summer!
March 2010:
First, our apologies for neglecting our What's
Choppin' section of the site, but you'll soon realize that we've been
super busy and that's a good thing.
DCS recently
wrapped up the Rode University video series that features their entire
line of broadcast microphones and is hosted Ric Viers. Go to www.rodeuniversity.com
to check out the vids and get the scoop on Rode's awesome mics.
Our intern, Jon
Borland, did a down and dirty sound design and mix for the feature
film "Lakeland Love Comedy" directed by Dave DeBorde. Jon had just 72
hours to do it in order to meet a film festival deadline. He slept for
24 hours after.
Ric has signed
on with Creative Film Studies in Madison Heights to teach a location
sound course that will cover everything from mic selection to which
snacks to horde at the craft services table. The Creative Film Studies is
paving the way in Michigan for training individuals in, you guessed
it, the film industry.
Blastwave FX
and Avid have partnered for a brand new sound design competition. Ric
Viers is one of the judges! Those interested in signing up for the
contest can learn more about it at
Avid Blastwave Contest.
DCS produced a
new sound effects collection for Blastwave FX called Bugs! The
production included several sessions with real insects being let
loose in the Foley studio - including a cricket who was never found or
ever heard from again... You can check out Bugs! at
www.blastwavefx.com under the
animals category.
As always, DCS
was busy producing radio spots for several radio stations, including
Cincinnati's Real Talk 1160 AM. These promo spots are always a great
time for the DCS designers to cut loose and have some fun.
Ric Viers
finished sound design for a short film called "Musings" directed by
Bernie Tague. This was a SAG short film used to promote The Detroit
Institute of Arts. Post sound involved ADR for 100% of the dialogue
thanks to some noisy fountains and a busy location. The location scout
was ceremonially executed afterwards.
So, as you can
see, we've been really busy at the Chop Shop and expect 2010 to be even
busier! Check back with us to see if there is anything going on in
your neck of the woods with DCS as our work continues to go national
and beyond!
November 2009:
Here's some
news for you before the holidays carry us away until 2010. DCS
recently designed the audio intro for a website for a company called
Incentex. They wanted something that would catch visitor's attention
and said class. So, they came to the Detroit Chop Shop.
This month, Ric
Viers was a guest speaker at Macomb Community College's Lights Camera
Career event. It was a great turnout and MCC is gearing up to offer
sound classes taught by Ric. We're excited for him. The keynote
speaker for the Lights Camera Career event was none other than
celebrity hairstylist Billy Lowe.
As always, DCS
has been providing location sound support in the area. Our most recent
client was ESPN. Film production in the area is at an all time high
and we've had our share of post work, location work, and consulting,
too.
One final note:
if you haven't caught wind of it yet, the Sound Effects Bible and Ric
Viers now have Facebook pages. Feel free to join the fun and get the
latest news from that side of the business.
That's it from
the world's largest producer of sound effects, The Detroit Chop Shop.
Have a great holiday season and we'll see you in 2010!
September 2009:
Summer is over
and we're moving into fall. Thanks, Captain Obvious! You're welcome.
DCS had a busy
season. Ric Viers, our fearless leader, traveled the country promoting
his book the Sound Effects Bible, getting great feedback from
readers, professors, and industry professionals. The book is starting
to find its way into film schools around the country and is quickly
becoming the "Bible" for sound effects recording techniques. It's a
good thing he called it the Sound Effects Bible!
The Chop Shop
is proud of the work done on Chuck Grady's short film "The Point."
It's making the festival rounds and had a couple of showings around
town. Word on the street is that it's Chuck's masterpiece. We're
excited for Mr. Grady and are looking forward to working on his future
projects.
We recently
wrapped up a call to action commercial for a product called Yoga Toes.
That's right, Yoga Toes. We banged out the VO and sound design for the
:30 second piece. Also, DCS designed the audio intro for a company
called Incentex and their new website catering to aviation
professionals.
The infamous
feature film "Stick It In Detroit" has landed a theatrical
distribution deal! No longer stuck in Detroit, this meaningful, yet
slap stick comedy is going to the big screen. Of course, all post
sound design was produced at the Detroit Chop Shop. We're very happy
for Robert Phelps and we'll keep you posted on where you can see this
gut buster.
DCS would also
like to welcome Jon Borland, our new slave, er... we mean intern. Jon
is a new guy big wig. He won a scholarship to Vancouver Film School
with a youtube.com video entry called "Imagination." Check it out
here. You can
see more of Jon's work on his website
www.jonborland.com. Mr. Intern
will also be contributing to a new blog on soundeffectsbible.com,
documenting his experiences at the Chop Shop.
Finally, we're
happy to report that DCS is producing a series of video tutorials for
Rode Microphones' website
www.rodeuniversity.com. Ric is hosting this semester's classes
that feature Rode's line of broadcast microphones and will be sharing
practical and creative solutions for your sound needs using the mics.
That's it from
the DCS news room. Stay tuned for more curious updates from the guys
that rock - The Detroit Chop Shop.
July 2009:
Here's the mid-year break down. The Chop Shop is
currently wrapping up post sound production for the short film "The
Point", directed by Chuck Grady. Chuck is an amazing director who not
only knows how to tell a story, but makes some beautifully shot films.
"The Point" is his cherry on the sundae and we're proud to make it
sound as good as good can get.
Recently the
Chop Shop crew worked on their fourth project with A&W Movies. The
short film "Presumption" was made as part of the 48 Hour Film
Challenge (www.48hourfilm.com)
for the Detroit Windsor International Film Festival (DWIFF). The film
won four awards that include "Best Movie", "Best Director", "Best
Cinematography", and "Audience Choice". You'll notice that there isn't
a "Best Sound" award. That's because most festivals don't have a best
sound category! But, as we've said before, none of these other awards
would be possible if the judges and the audience couldn't hear the
film. So, sound makes movies win awards - again.
We've been
banging out radio spots for stations across the Midwest. We did a
silly little commercial for one of the stations that you can listen to
here - "Therapy Session"
Our video
services have been put to good use recently. The Chop Shop just
finished shooting a series of training videos for Smart USA the makers
of the Smart Car.
Finally, and as
always, our ENG and location sound support services have been working
hard. Recent clients include State Farm, Mark Burnett, and SAG.
January 2009:
Happy New Year and what a great new year it's
going to be! That's saying a lot with today's economic times. If
you're paying attention, dooms day is just around the corner, but The
Detroit Chop Shop is going to work right up to that final minute when
the world implodes. Why? Because we rock!
We started out working on some pick up
scenes for the infamous STICK IT IN DETROIT, affectionately known as
Stuck In Detroit at the Chop Shop. Director Robert Phelps has a winner
on his hands and with the new added scenes hopefully he'll get the
distribution he's been hunting down.
The Chop Shop has also been keeping
busy with our usual suspects in the world of ENG. We've been sending
sound crews out all month. Also, DCS added a new company to the roster
of Chop Shop love in the Big 'D' - Mark Burnett Productions. They
called on the Choppers to give them the quality location sound support
only DCS can give.
Finally, if you're listening to the
radio then you are listening to the Chop Shop's work. Yeah, we've been
banging out radio promos, tags, and commercials like mad. Our work is
never done.
October 2008:
It's been a crazy summer and it's sure to be a
crazy fall. Our fearless leader and audio guru, Ric Viers, has
officially released his book,
The Sound Effects Bible,
on October 1st, through
Michael Wiese Productions.
It's available all over and whether you're a
seasoned professional or a newbie, this book has some great tid bits
and sound, no pun intended, advice. Check it out!
Blastwave FX
announced a sound designing contest with
Post Magazine.
Contenders design a piece using sounds published
by Blastwave FX and produced by The Detroit Chop Shop. Entries are
judged by Oscar award winning sound designers and the winner receives
$4000 worth of sound effects! Click
here
for more information.
June 2008:
The Detroit Chop
Shop does post sound work on two award winning films. STICK IT IN
DETROIT, a film by Robert Phelps, had it's debut at the Detroit
Windsor International Film Festival and took home the award for best
feature comedy. All post audio work was done at The Detroit Chop Shop.
There is no doubt in our minds that the movie wouldn't have been that
funny if the audience couldn't hear it. So, there you have it. Sound
makes people laugh and movies win awards!
The second film was a rush. It was a
short film produced for the 48 hour film contest at the DWIFF. All
post audio work was done up to the very last second that the contest
allowed. It was nuts! The editor literally turned in a laptop that was
rendering the final version! THE SILENCER, directed and produced by
Wes Heath, took home the grand prize for best film in the 48 hour film
contest category. Again, we say with absolute humbleness, that we
believe with all of our hearts at The Detroit Chop Shop that if the
audience couldn't hear the film, well then they just wouldn't have
found it that entertaining. Hence, sound makes movies entertaining and
win awards, again! Yeah, we rock.
May 2008:
Just
off of a very successful NAB, DCS is in development on various new
niche sound effects libraries for Blastwave FX. "This year's
collections will push the envelope. Quintessential is the buzz word
for this year." - Ric Viers
April 2008:
Blastwave FX releases the only HD sound
effects collection in the world at NAB this year. Sonopedia consists
of over 20,000 high definition general sound effects, all produced at
The Detroit Chop Shop! To learn more visit:
www.blastwavefx.com.
January 2008:
Ric Viers
finishes the final draft on his new book, The Sound Effects Bible.
"It's the book we all wish we had when we were starting out," says new
author Ric Viers. The boys at the Chop Shop are really proud of Ric,
but don't worry, they don't let it get to his head. Published through
Michael Wiese Productions, The Sound Effects Bible is slated for a
Fall '08 release. To learn more visit:
www.soundeffectsbible.com.
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