17 West | The Athletic Nerd

17 West Productions In 2012

While 17 West Productions didn’t produce any new films in 2011, it was still a busy year. I have a several big announcements to make:

17WEST.CA Relaunch!

The last time I updated 17 West site, it was purely to upgrade the look and integrate The Athletic Nerd a little more. I’ve been blogging online for over 2 years now and I’ve learned a lot about search engines and what it takes to attract an audience. Now it’s time to put that knowledge to good use.

A whole new look has arrived but this time it’s a fully functional WordPress powered site.

A NEW SHORT FILM RELEASED!

The new site just happens to coincide with the release of The Climb. Our new short film which will be up VERY SOON!

PLAYING THROUGH FINALLY ONLINE!

Playing Through is now on YouTube.

WHAT’S NEXT

On a sad note, Strings has officially been cancelled. The film was in pre-production for over a year but after a couple hitches we’ve decided to move forward with some new ideas. 17 West Productions is now actively developing our next project which will be directed by Eric Gamache. There aren’t any timelines yet but updates will come fast both here and on the new 17west.ca.

Enjoy the new movies!

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The Completely Rebuilt 17WEST.CA

January 19th, 2012 | Posted by jasonmckinnon in 17 West | Technology | Web - (0 Comments)

A NEW ERA BEGINS

I still remember the day I decided to create 17west.ca by myself. I didn’t know anything about web design, I had zero coding skills and limited Photoshop knowledge. Jump forward a few years and I now maintain 5 websites including 3 blogs. … But I’m still learning.

After all this time, 17 West’s home page was still lacking in functionality. It wasn’t built on a content management platform so updating it was a pain. Social media sites and networking opportunities were no where to be found. Most importantly, the site lacked any ability for expansion without having to redesign graphics and layouts from scratch. It wasn’t an efficient website. But these are all lessons I learned along the way. You learn by trying.

Now, the newly rebuilt 17west.ca is a WordPress powered site with more interactivity, more content and a brand new look. The main page is a simple layout that highlights our films but the central system is the new blog which will be updated often with new content.

I’m excited to finally be able to post new items quickly and enhance our presence online. The new site is built to take us into the future. Not only that, we’ve finally uploaded more films for everyone to see.

Head over to 17west.ca and check out our new home!

XTRA | Rookie Photoshop for Movie Nerds

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17 West Productions, movie nerds, New Look, Photoshop, website redesigns

Deleting My Short Film’s Old Files… Was Tough…

December 8th, 2011 | Posted by jasonmckinnon in 17 West | Featured Posts | Playing Through - (1 Comments)

SAYING GOODBYE TO FOOTAGE YOU LOVED

I was busy putting the finishing touches on a new short film called The Climb and I realized that space was running low on my main hard drive. So I turned my attention to the original files for my last short film Playing Through.

Almost 4 years ago to the day, we decided to make the golfing drama about a cancer scare and it was one of the best experiences of my life. I had so much fun working on that movie. Everything was equal parts excitement and sheer terror. Just about every task I tackled was something I had never attempted before including working with a professional crew for the first time.

When it came time to edit the film, I went out and got myself a sweet iMac with a brand new copy of Final Cut Pro Studio 2. I’m sure any editor out there remembers the day they got their first real ‘setup’. Until that point, I always worked with an ancient version of Premiere Pro left over from my college days.

LEARNING THE ROPES

By the time I started editing Playing Through, I had begun my career as a professional television editor. It was a blast to balance cutting fast paced pieces at work with the slower style of a short narrative. Not too mention at that point, my Final Cut knowledge wasn’t all that extensive.

Every day I would wake up and edit the film for 3-4 hours and then head off to work to edit sports for 8-10 hours. Anyone in a creative medium thrives on projects they look forward to working on. I look back at that time fondly because it solidified my love of editing.

OLD ‘DUSTY’ FILES

Most editors are perfectionists. You have to be. I add my own unique blend of anxiety to my quest for perfection. So I have every file associated with Playing Through backed up on 2 separate hard drives stored in separate areas of my house.

That’s why it was finally ‘time’ to delete all traces of the film from my computer. Of course, I had to load up that finalized timeline one last time and watch the movie again. I scrolled through a lot of unused footage and laughed at the outtakes and moments I had long since forgotten. Going back and watching the raw footage again reminded me of how much I love to make movies and what Playing Through meant to me.

Then I selected the main directories and hit delete. Officially closing the bin on that chapter of my life. In a certain way, it symbolized a step forward as well. I created space for new projects and endless possibilities.

So long old footage. Hello new ideas.

Click here to head over to 17west.ca

Click the banner below for more 17 West updates.

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My Network of Movie Websites

My Network of Movie Websites | Movies, Screenwriting & Independent Film

About five years ago, when we first started 17 West Productions, I took it upon myself to learn web design and photoshop. I figured with a little bit of work and a lot of help from tutorials online, I could make something that wouldn’t suck.

Fast forward a few years and I am amazed at how far I’ve come. I’m now confident that my work isn’t horrific and even though there is always room for improvement, I’m proud of the 5 websites I’ve created.

17WEST.CA

My first site has definitely evolved more than any other. It seemed like every six months I was forced to redesign it from scratch in order to include new techniques I had learned.

Today, 17 West’s home online is full of content and information about our films. However, it’s that time again and work has begun on a redesign that will incorporate new things I’ve learned over the years.

Things like SEO, social media, video, integration and better functionality overall.

I can apply these things to the redesign because of a movie blog called:

THEATHLETICNERD.COM

Learn more about The Athletic Nerd

My blog about movies, screenwriting and independent film began as a single page on 17west.ca. Of course, this was before I discovered WordPress. I had about 10 posts finished but it wasn’t anywhere near what I had originally envisioned.

I wanted my blog to reach people like me and in turn, direct them to the projects I was working on. I wanted a place to write about my passions wherever I happen to be.

It’s been over two years since I launched The Athletic Nerd and I’ve written over 750 posts. The site received a redesign in celebration of the two year milestone and there are no plans to slow down any time soon. Posting about movies every day has become a part of who I am. I love working on this site.

JAYMCKINNON.COM & ERICGAMACHE.COM

17 West is a partnership. My partner Eric Gamache is a talented producer/director and we are both obsessed with film. But we also work on other projects and it was decided that portfolio sites would be a welcome addition to our little network. I was pumped because it gave me two more blank canvases to work with. Both sites showcase our individual work but they also connect seamlessly with our other online destinations.

PEOPLETALES.COM

Learn more about People Tales

The newest addition to the team is a blog about the wonderful uniqueness of a perfect stranger. It’s a blog dedicated to writers and the people that inspire their work.

Writing for The Athletic Nerd is a blast but posts in the form of short stories felt out of place. People Tales is essentially a collection of stories I’ve gathered by ‘people watching’ over the years. Each of these stories has a connection to screenwriting choices and so a companion blog was needed. I love finding ways to integrate my two blogs together and I’m extremely excited to explore the possibilities.

TWITTER
@17West

All of my sites are connected through one single Twitter account which is associated with my most important brand, 17 West. To date, nearly 1400 people follow me.

Beyond marketing implications, Twitter has also connected me with hundreds of talented artists. People who are passionate and inspiring. Surfing my timeline always provides me with unique and original content I would have never been able to enjoy otherwise. It’s also lead to several fantastic interviews which you read here.

THE NETWORK

When I began teaching myself web design and photoshop years ago, I always wanted to create my own little movie network online. With the launch of People Tales, I feel like I’ve taken another step towards that goal. I’m done adding websites now. This network took five years to develop but now it’s time to refine and enhance. It’s time to make these sites better.

Who knows where these websites will be in five years but I’m still just as committed as I was on day one when CSS was a foreign language to me.

I’ve learned a lot since then…

XTRA | Photoshop Cures Writer’s Block

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Short Films, After Effects & Video Copilot

I’m an editor. When it comes to making a living, I do it editing live television events for a major sports network. In my spare time, I enjoy editing short films and pretty much all of them are films produced by 17 West. Post production is expensive so it’s always nice to keep costs down and do things on your own. This approach can lead to satisfying results but it’s also frustrating at times. I’m learning this now while completing the sound design for The Climb.

I can balance audio and remove unwanted noise and such but I’m not an expert in the world of sound. Thankfully, I know enough to finish The Climb without hiring on a sound guy.

One thing I am NOT is a motion graphics artist. I have decent Photoshop skills and they translate well into the world of After Effects but I’m a beginner. However, I refused to simply put a white title card with ‘The Climb’ at the end of the new trailer. I also refused to create a static logo in Photoshop and simply fade in and out. I wanted the title to have some movement. It had to be better than just a still image.

So I turned to After Effects and the skills I learned visiting Video Copilot on a daily basis.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with Video Copilot, it’s a site full of amazing tutorials and resources created by Andrew Kramer. The popular site is home to hundreds of in depth (and free) tutorials that covers everything from motion tracking to lightsabre battles. It’s also a great place to learn Motion Graphics design as most of the effects he produces are visually stunning.

I’ve also purchased several of his products and they’ve been a massive help over the years.

[NOTE: I am not affiliated with Video Copilot. I'm just a huge fan of the site.]

Action Essentials 2:

The value you get for $100 is remarkable. Hundreds of pre-keyed elements including smoke, glass, fire, explosions and more. It’s difficult to see because I wanted it to be subtle but I included one of the dust elements in the background to give the logo some life. Combining elements with certain techniques I learned on his blog made this logo possible. For example, the background isn’t just a solid color it’s a dark texture that’s been masked and feathered to highlight the text.

Speaking of which, I created the font in Photoshop and used a similar texture to match the overall style. Once I was finished, I brought it into After Effects. Again, I made the effect subtle so it doesn’t jump out at you but the logo is also animated and moves forward very slowly.

Finally, I added some particle elements to it using free files provided by Video Copilot. What I love about VC is how he doesn’t just upload a couple files, he includes a tutorial as well so you can learn how to apply them to your work.

Check out the particle blog post on Video Copilot here.

I’m just an independent filmmaker addicted to learning new skills and techniques. I’m fully aware that I’ll never be an expert in the art of Motion Graphics but websites like Video Copilot have made it possible for me to produce better quality videos. You don’t have to settle for static logos and simple fonts. All you need is a little creativity and some great tutorials and resources. Video Copilot is one of the best because you gain access to the elements you’re looking for and the tutorials to help you achieve the look you want.

VISIT VIDEO COPILOT AND SEE FOR YOURSELF

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17 West Productions In 2012

17WEST.CA Relaunch!

A NEW SHORT FILM RELEASED!