Several people have asked if they can have an iPhone/iPad version of the Arcade Gaming Shrine video, so they can take it with them and relive the magic in, say, a bus station.
The answer is yes, yes you may. Kat converted it to an M4V — 640×360, 1500ish bitrate, about a 45MB file — and it’s downloadable right here.
We’ve got a few different projects in the works, and we hope they will be out to you this year. Maybe not — since this is a hobby and not a day job, the schedule tends to be rather…elastic. But here’s a few updates on where our heads are at:
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Just wanted to say thanks to everyone for their support this past year, and we hope you’re enjoying your holidays. 2010 was an awesome year for us, even if we didn’t get a lot of content out. We finished up “Arcade Gaming Shrine” and finally got it out, then we spent the summer months planning, shooting, and releasing our first live-action video. We also worked out our merch issues and got a new provider for t-shirts. All in all, we’re happy, and we hope you liked what we were able to offer too — especially what with Dan relocating to LA and all.
In 2011, we hope to release more songs, of course. We have two in the works and ideas for a few more, plus we’ve pitched a panel for PAX East this March in Boston. We’ll both be at the show (and we’d like to see you, even if the panel doesn’t get approved) and we’ll have more info on that later.
Have a happy and safe and game-filled holiday, and we’ll see you in a few. And thanks again for all the grass-roots support you’ve given us this year — it really does mean a lot to us both.
At long last, it is ready.
If you are just joining us: Jude lives near Boston. I live in LA. The annual California Extreme arcade show takes place near San Jose. We all got together a few months ago with several friends and made a video for our most recent song, which you can download here.
The road was more arduous than we expected. There are a few scenes shot where Jude lives, a few where I live, but most was shot at and around California Extreme 2010 — in our hotel rooms, at the strip mall down the street, and at the show itself. Most of it between 2AM and 5AM. And once we shot it, we found the lighting was weird, the colors were off, the files were huge…many technical hurdles delayed things. But with help, we overcame them and…well, hopefully you at least find it funny!
We are very, very grateful to the California Extreme team for trusting us to shoot overnight in a room with well over 400 irreplaceable arcade machines in it. Obviously, the song itself is proof that we are respect the subject matter, but still. We are forever in their debt for letting us shoot this with the real deals.
Two other credits that didn’t get credited: We bought ninja outfits online, then Kat sewed the colored tunics/accessories. Jude’s sister Sheridan tag-teamed with Kat to create that awesome PSwap animated logo at the beginning. And beyond that, the full credits are after the jump.
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Just a quick note to share some progress. Jude headed back to the east coast, got a few pick-up shots for the video, and we worked out some technical issues just in time for a fresh batch of technical issues. But that’s fine, that’s the nature of things. The good news is that we have a full video together now, and both Jude and I like the content.
There are basically two steps left: polish and approval. The video needs polish because we’re mixing footage from several locations with varied (and sometimes poor) lighting. Jude’s sister Sheridan happens to be an ace at this stuff so she’s going to take a crack at evening out the color balance and whatnot; she has already created an awesome animated logo for all future video projects going forward.
Then there’s approval. We are not expecting any issues here, but since we shot most of it on location at California Extreme, the folks who run that show would like a look-see to make sure, like, nobody who is shy is accidentally caught on video. I don’t think there will be any problems, as we brought our own cast of volunteers for the shoot and you barely see anybody who isn’t in the band or a friend of the band. But for all the trust and access the CAX team gave us, this is the least we can do. So once we have their sign-off on the final cut, we will be ready to post. Fingers crossed, hopefully first week of September.
I have posted a few more of Kat’s shots from our CAX photo session at Facebook (we have a new group, did you know?), none of which are from the video…but after the video comes out, there will be a few more.