Hey look a bunch of LEDs on a computer chip. Let's call that Open Source!

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about the concept of Open Source Entertainment and just what that mash-up of different worlds could be.  …if anything.

Open Source, of course, comes from the open source software movement where a bunch of people from all over the world to work together in a sort of human cloud computer of developing new software.  Linux is the granddaddy of open source software but there are now numerous applications.  OpenOffice is an open-source Microsoft Office clone.  Blender is an impressive open-source 3D modeling application.

What’s interesting to me is the thought of applying open-source principals to creating filmed entertainment.  Part of the reason I’m considering this is my upcoming action/sci-fi series Divergence.  The first season of Divergence is being produced in a manner that has a lot of similarities to open source—that is, a lot of people working together  with the goal of creating something great, rather than immediately profiting.  In that way, low-budget filmmaking and open source software development have always shared a core key idea. (continue reading…)

I’ve been pretty busy lately but I wanted to add a couple of new videos from the past few months.

TwinStar Credit Union spot and
Microsoft – Strong Union Online Banking in China video

I have some more articles coming shortly as well as news about one of the projects that I’m very excited about: Divergence.

Here’s a commercial I directed recently. It can be hard to get permission to put these on the web so I feel lucky to have been allowed to put this one up, as it’s especially fun.

Agency: Daniels-Brown Communications / Victory Studios
Producer: George Riddell
Director: Douglas Horn
DP: Geoff Dunlap
Cast: Rick Turner, Jessica Von, Annette Tutonghi, Don Brady

Here’s something I directed in Beijing.  It was initially planned to be a simple shoot in the office of Strong Union Technology, but we got that done quickly and decided to tell a little more of a story.  The crew and I headed out and did a little guerilla filmmaking in Tiananmen Square.  Then I wrote a script to help pull it all together.

This was produced by Von Piglet Productions, Susan LaSalle, producer; Sue Corcoran, creative director. Edited by Michael Cross; DP Andrew Clark; and directed and written by Douglas Horn.

You hear the phrase on film sets all the time, “Fix it in post.”  Maybe a C-stand or the mic boom crept into a shot.  With the current level of post-production technology, it’s possible to solve almost any problem in the edit bay—if you have enough time and money.

“Fix it in post,” is the unofficial motto of independent film production.  But look around and ask yourself–how many of the people saying, “Fix it in post,” are actually going to be there in post-production with you?  Probably none of them. (continue reading…)