It’s coming, finally. Couch Cases is damn near done. This week’s been crazy and hectic, coming off a couple of corporate gigs and putting the final touches on the show.

We had Sabrina Bolin in to do her ADR this week, and Kathi has finished hers. I broke out the Red ONE and did a punk rock show open package, where I brought a couch into the garage and did some jerky jumpcut things, and I got to play some guitar on the opening, too.

That was a blast.

I’m doing final color correct right now, and Kathi’s working up her mix of the dialog for the pilot. Tommorrow, I’m putting picture and soundmix together. Then, it’s a matter of tweaking things until our files look right.

It’s been an incredibly long, frustrating road at times. And I could really use a lot more sleep and a lot less stress. But it’s really great to have this show on the edge of being ready for the world to see. I’m really proud of this little comedy series.

We’ve been working so incredibly hard these past two weeks on the show. I’d be lying if I tried to tell you it’s easy. It is not. It’s hard work. So much hard work. I miss being sociable. I miss having time to do things, like cook or eat something that isn’t microwaved in 3 minutes or less from Trader Joe’s (by the way, their chicken microwave dishes are actually quite good).

In the middle of all this, I’ve also shot a new corporate spot on Red One and I’m prepping a new tradeshow/industrial for a client rollout on Tuesday.

But back to Couch Cases: it’s hard work. And it’s becoming really good. It’s coming together, although there’s so much left to do before the launch on Friday that I’m terrified and adrenalized beyond belief.

I am incredibly thankful for the support from all sorts of good people who see the battle we’re fighting and want to help.

For example, Episode One had some horrific sound problems, and we did not have the money to reshoot. But a great company called VoiceQ Systems (www.voiceq.com) in New Zealand is helping us out with their amazing ADR software and expertise. These guys are great and their product is awesome. We’ll be posting a case study of our situation soon, for their website.

A few weeks ago, I brought in a second production Mac which is now set up as our audio workstation. And Kathi and I are playing tag team- each of us spending time on one workstation or the other, then switching off for a fresh pair of eyes, ears, and hands.

I think part of the reason this shoestring budget show is turning out so well is the back and forth style of work we’re doing, and the fact that we’re both musicians.

Unfortunately, there’s a lot of things I still have to do on my own. And it’s wearing me down. But there’s no way this show could possibly make it out there without our cooperative efforts and the efforts of our small dedicated crew and amazing actors.

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We’re pushing hard to get Couch Cases ready for its Halloween launch. I’ve been shooting a bunch of pickups and exteriors on my new RED ONE, Kathi and I have been writing and recording music for the show, and we’re finishing up all the vital little things needed to get this show done.

Right now we have two edit stations set up- I’m doing sound mixing and audio cleanup on one workstation, and she’s doing the final picture lock edits on the other. It’s like a factory.

Today I, along with all the other film guys who work with Red cameras, got a message from a fellow entrepreneur and guy I respect greatly- Jim Jannard of Red:

<<
I am not your father. Nor is it my intention to be. But I have some advice that is worth exactly what you are paying for it.

Be very careful with your spending. The world is in financial turmoil right now. I strongly recommend that you take care of your personal finances and tighten your belts.

If you can make a purchase that can make you some money, buy it. If you are considering making a purchase "just because"... please think twice.

Our customers are important to us. But not at the expense of their financial safety. We view RED as a long term partnership with our customers. Not a quick buck.

So be careful. We are all in this together. For the long haul.

Jim
>>

It was a bit sobering to realize that even the billionaires among us are concerned about the economy.

On a much smaller level, I’m seeing some things happen in my own business and social circles that points to some serious problems. I found out two guys I know have been out of work for weeks, and I had a pretty big client fall through this week myself.

The client is simply freezing everything right now and not doing any marketing for the year. That means their website will not change for the remainder of 2008 and until further notice, and it means that they are not going to do any video or television spots, either.

This is a mistake.

I know times are really tough for many of us. I know the stock market is down scary amounts. I know homes are being foreclosed all across the country. And yes, money needs to be doled out carefully and intelligently so that every dollar you spend does the work of several.

But to just freeze? That’s an emotional, panic response. It’s the kind of response to threat that often gets one killed in the wild. It’s the same thing for businesses.

As for me, yes I am being careful about spending. I’m a financial conservative/social liberal guy. But I am not stopping myself from investing in my companies and my own future. That would be stupid. It would be giving up.

Meanwhile, I’m hoping that this panic mentality that we’re experiencing around the globe subsides soon so we can all get back to work and make the economy strong again.

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