So, where is it?

Exactly a year ago I posted the finished version of "Wanderers" on Google Video, and I must say, the response has been very satisfying, if suitably muted. Thanks to everyone who took the time to watch the whole thing, as well as to comment, mail, or in some way let me know that you thought the video wasn't too shabby. I'm glad so many found it enjoyable.

As I may have said before, episode two is indeed in development. But as that was said late last year, with no update since, it's fair to wonder where things are at the moment, and maybe even to expect a word or two from me explaining the delay. I'm sorry I am not a more disciplined blogger, but that's reality at the moment.

At this point, it's only fair to admit that episode two is some months off -- mostly because I have completely ditched the PC as a video editing platform and have switched to Final Cut Studio on the Mac. I'm learning it quickly, but need a bit more practice with a few features to really get a better handle on it. This was a hard and painful decision to make for an old ex-PC partisan such as myself (my last apple was an Apple IIgs), and it required a lot of time and energy to have so successfully prevented myself from making this decision some years earlier. Switching to the Mac and recouping this needless loss of energy has taken some time.

Let it be said that while I still find the Mac incredibly annoying occasionally, Final Cut Studio 6.2 is so superior to what I was using before on the PC, it somewhat compensates. The straw that broke the camel's back, however, were the unproductive months I spent in "hard drive failure purgatory" that segued tragically and inevitably into "Microsoft Vista hell." After all that, even a Mac seemed downright inviting, and I'm happy to report that it was. I still use the PC, but the Mac has moved front and center a lot more quickly that I had thought it would...

Now, this is not to say that I haven't been doing anything video-wise in the meantime. In order to learn the new system, I started a series of prototypical "concept videos" using some powerful contemporary psytrance tracks and a few others a bit harder to classify. I've done two videos so far on the new system, and based on early reaction I don't expect they're going to be everyone's cup of tea. But they were fun to make and I learned a lot making them. They've been on YouTube for a little while, I'll post them here, shortly.

As the year went on and as the weather got nicer, I began focusing a bit more on my photography and videography, which will be of use in future projects. I picked up a few terabytes of RAID storage, implemented a solid backup system, and for the most part have completely retooled during the downtime. It's nice to be back.


As far as actual project work, I'm still sifting through what the internet has to offer in terms of images and videos, and am collecting a lot of candidate content (and a very few sound effects) although actual editing probably won't begin until August at the earliest. That should ensure a release of the finished episode within the year.

Lastly, a few have asked if there is another high-resolution version of Wanderers available. The demise of Stage6 left us high and dry. If someone has an especially good suggestion about where "Wanderers" might best be posted, I'd love to hear it. Mail it on to lang.kasranov@gmail.com, especially if you can view it from anywhere on earth.