Soundbar: What a word. I like it. It implies that audio-for-video can be simplified into an unprepossessing horizontal object. The Boston Acoustics TVee Model Two assumes that you'd rather have one speaker (and sub) than five (and sub). It also assumes you have a certain impatience with cables, and therefore sweetens the deal with a wireless link between soundbar and sub--though it still requires two power cords and two analog channels worth of cable between the soundbar and your signal sources. And it assumes you'll accept not 5.1 but 2.1 honest channels in its 1.1 sleek objects. No virtual-surround pretensions here.
A majority of viewers who watch video outside traditional TV distribution prefer professionally generated content to amateur fodder, according to a recent survey. That, in a nutshell, is why the Writers Guild of America went on strike. They want compensation for the use of their work in new-media applications.
With the SilverPC up and running, (check the August and September issues for that), it comes time to talk about software. After all, you can't run a PC without software.
The modern horror maestro loves DVD, hates "torture porn."
Spend some time with the extensive bonus materials on any Eli Roth DVD, and you get his number pretty quickly. An aspiring filmmaker since the age of eight, he's now thoroughly enjoying his professional success. Off a total investment of less than $16 million, he's produced and directed a trio of gruesome, surprisingly funny horror hits, namely Cabin Fever, Hostel, and, most recently, Hostel Part II. Perhaps more DVD-savvy than any filmmaker I've talked to, he's now going Blu-ray with a new Director's Cut of the original Hostel, plus the home video debut of his killer sequel.
Pulling off a killer demo is definitely fun, but it's also a lot of work. You now have to wear the hats of producer, director, and, of course, editor. Before selecting a demo for a show, we, in the industry, review countless movies and scenes to find something that fits all of the criteria for a great demo listed below.
