This morning I put in an order for a mixer and microphones, following the guidance of Andrew (no, not Andrew the YFIAS character; Andrew Camenzuli, our new Vice Plankhead of Technology). Not only will these improve the audio quality in future episodes, but also the actors’ performances.
When we recorded the pilot, we had each actor take turns sitting down in front of my laptop and reading their lines into its somewhat-passable microphone. This was far from ideal, as they weren’t able to play off one another. It was even worse for Vin, who wasn’t able to record his lines on the same day as everyone else, so he didn’t even have the ability to watch everyone else’s performances.
With these new mics, we’ll be able to set them up to cover the room, allowing the actors to stand up, move around, and get into their characters simultaneously. We’ll be micing almost as if we were shooting a movie, except without using any of the visual component. I’ll probably set up a camera as well to take footage for animation reference (and as a DVD/member extra), but we won’t have to worry about keeping the mics out of the shot.
These purchases were made possible by the generous contributions of our donors. Exorbitant amounts of thanks to each and every one of them.
Speaking of donors, I’d like to highlight one of them in particular. After putting in the first order today, I sent a mailing to all of our Plankhead members (you can get a lifetime membership by donating just $5 or more until June 15th — from our YFIAS donation page or the Plankhead.com one). In it, I mentioned that we’d been able to get two great microphones, but a third cardioid mic we’d wanted to use as a fill couldn’t fit into our budget, and that if we could only have $100 more, we’d be able to get it and improve our sound quality even more.
Lo and behold, within less than an hour, Matthew Sheahan added $150 to his donation. That was enough to buy our microphone, stand, and cable, and still have some left over to buy the cast pizza for our recording session. Mr. Sheahan, you are an epic individual.
Mr. Sheahan, by the way, operates this Discordian Quotes site, as well as the Lost Souls MUD. Check them out.
How the Wolf Got His Assault Rifle — A Children’s Fable About Gun Control
Once upon a time, in a Magical Forest, there lived a friendly Wolf. Wolf was a model citizen of the Magical Forest, and was always nice, kind, and neighborly to his fellow animals. Wolf was also very enthusiastic about firearms, and owned lots and lots of them. He liked to take his guns out to a big clearing in the middle of the forest and try to shoot apples off of the big tree stump from very, very far away.
But Wolf was always very careful with his guns; he made sure never to turn the safety off or put any ammunition in them unless they were pointed downrange, and that no other animals were standing near the big tree stump. He always locked up his guns in a great big secure closet in his den, and never, ever shared the key with any other animal. He also made sure to never, ever, ever unlock his gun closet if he were feeling angry or upset, or if he’d eaten any magical mushrooms less than four hours prior.
One day, Wolf decided he wanted to buy the most awesome new gun he’d ever seen. It was a high-powered rifle which could fire 800 rounds per minute in fully-automatic mode, and could take magazines with 60 whole rounds inside them. This gun was epically badass, and Wolf knew he’d enjoy having it very much. But because it was so ridiculously badass and awesome, Wolf realized that he would need to get permission from Owl, the leader of the Magical Forest.
Continue reading ‘How the Wolf Got His Assault Rifle — A Children’s Fable About Gun Control’