Batteries Included

I really lost track of time! It's hard to believe that we're well on our way through the summer. I've been working hard the past couple of weeks and haven't had the chance to post a couple of updates.

First and foremost, I have begun assisting on a narrative web series called Shepard. The series is produced by a local indie company called Grimm Sleeper Productions. The series began shooting this past week, and from what I've been told, will continue to shoot well into October. This exciting project has a lot of local talent backing it, making it something to really keep an eye on. Although I don't have many details for you at the moment, I'll make sure to post any information that is made public. Until then, keep checking back for more!

In the middle of performing AC duties on set. Intentionally doesn't reveal much.

Next up, I was able to upload some more photos onto my Flickr account. These stills are part of a nature photography collection, most of which were taken at Mammoth Park. 

More photos are to come, including ones taken by my recent investment, the Canon EOS 6D. Those shots will be up later this week.

And since this post is covering recent updates, don’t forget to check out my website, which has now moved to www.secroner.com. The old link still works as well. This URL is just easier to remember and provides a more personal feel to the website.

There are a few updates to the website, but most of them are just refinements. I’m currently in the process of getting rid of some older content to make space for anything in the future. I’m still awaiting the green light to use several film projects in my reel and release any further information. Keep checking back for more information.

And while we’re on the subject of projects, I’d like to announce that I am currently in the process of getting my LLC up and running. I decided that it would be in my best interest and the interest of my clients to place all my personal work and contract work under an official banner. While there is still a lot of work that needs to be done, I plan on having some major updates very soon.

Yesterday, I was actually working on the first draft of the logo:

As you can see, these designs are far from perfect. The design may look familiar to some of you. Eventually, I decided to scrap the idea and choose to go a different direction with the next draft. My InDesign skills are a little rusty, but I think I’ll have a better outcome with the next design. What is it that I’m aiming for? Well, you’ll just have to stay tuned to find out.

A Call to Band Together

Summer is here and the Pittsburgh filmmaking scene is in full bloom once again. A variety of new projects are popping up and the creative juices are flowing stronger than ever. It's unfortunate that the Pennsylvania film tax credit cap and predetermined union crews cripple the aspiring local artists. Over the past year, I have seen some talent and work ethic that is truly Hollywood worthy. But while big budget films overlook the little guy, the little guy can still grab some attention with his own small budget projects.

While many others are preparing film screenings in the later months, I’d like to take this opportunity to announce that I will be preparing my own short film in the coming months. While I have yet decide on which script is best suited for production, I have a few ideas in mind. I will be working hard in June to iron out the details of the production. If anyone would be interested in helping, please email me at secroner@gmail.com. I am currently looking to fill all crew positions. Casting will also come later this month. More details will be coming in the following weeks.

Speaking of local film productions, the 48 Hour Film Project will be coming to Pittsburgh on July 12th. I am currently planning to participate and I encourage others in the area to do the same. The cost to enter is $140 until June 17th. It’s a great way to show our passion for film in the local community. Click the above link for more details.

And more from The Paradisus Transit will be released at the end of this week. I am still working on developing some of the writing, but I do have ideas for accompanying images that I will release as teasers. It won’t be too long before the story begins to take shape.

I’ll see you all again this weekend for more details on upcoming projects.

A Week, In Review

Last week, I didn't get a chance to post any new content, officially throwing off my blog schedule. That included both this blog and my multimedia story project over at paradisustransit.blogspot.com. This is my formal apology to those of you who have been checking in on my blogs. I know you've been visiting frequently (thanks to Blogger traffic reports), and I'm sorry that there wasn't anything new for your viewing pleasure.

This week, I'll be back on track, thanks to a flexible schedule and more time to work from home. I have some hardware updates and reviews, including a few Canon lenses and the Canon EOS 6D, which I have recently had a chance to test out. I will also be posting more photos onto my portfolio over at Flickr.

More creative projects are on the way, so expect some digital content to be posted on my website. The website acts as a central hub, linking together of my projects and content, so keep checking back for any updates.

Finally, there’s a new article that I wrote for GameHuddle last week. If you’re into the latest gaming news, it’s worth the read. You can find the article here.

Check back again tomorrow (June 4, 2013) for another blog update!

The Paradisus Transit: An Overview

With the public launch of a new story project, entitled The Paradisus Transit, I decided that it would be smart to give some background information on the world and a little history to whet the reader's appetite.

Here is the link for your reference: paradisustransit.blogspot.com. The content will frequently be added, so please check back on a regular basis.

I'm really excited for this project and plan to spend some time on refining the details and finding ways to really connect with readers/viewers. For those of you out there, let me help you become acquainted with the world so that you can more easily follow along.

The backstory is something that I've been slowly working on for the past year. It originally started as a self-reference guide for a short story that I was planning on writing as a Creative Writing assignment back in college. Without giving any important details away too soon, the story was about a court case set more than a century into the future. That's all I can really say about it right now. The idea was good, but not strong enough to make a standalone short story, mostly because it was only a small piece of the entire story, which consisted of multiple characters, settings, and events. Instead, I ended up writing a completely different story that takes place in a different setting. More will be revealed about the original idea in the future, but for now let me give you some background on the world of The Paradisus Transit.

The setting takes place mostly in the late 21st and early 22nd centuries, with the series of important events spanning anywhere from 2098 CE to 2134 CE. In that time span, humans have learned to adapt more to technology.

In the Year 2098 CE...

The mid-21st century saw the slow collapse of the world’s economy. Combined with overwhelming world population growth due to improved health and medical resources, scientists needed to find new ways of situating every person, decreasing poverty levels, improving the economy, and preventing the over-consumption of dwindling resources. To remedy these problems, scientists created a new artificial world for humans to live. The world was developed through advances in computer networking and virtual reality technology.  Virtual living spaces and resources were created for the humans who chose to escape the collapsing real world. This new virtual world was called Paradisus. It was developed by the recently founded company, ParaPacific, Inc. The company, located on the west coast of the United States, housed all the servers that contained the virtual world.

Humans were able to "download" themselves into Paradisus, leaving their real-world bodies behind. From there, they could choose to live in this new virtual world, which was modeled to look and feel almost exactly like reality...with a few improvements. Scientists made sure to include all the same attributes as reality, such as the physics and gravity of Earth and the limitations of the human body. Even the virtual human bodies age and die, so that the population could still be maintained in Paradisus. Even cyberspace has space limitations (or memory, if you want to get technical).

2106 CE: New World, New Rules

When humans downloaded their bodies into Paradisus, their real-world bodies would become lifeless vessels. They would react in the same way as a deceased body and begin to decay. Initially, humans had to choose to remain in Paradisus for the rest of their lives. This was because their original bodies could not be preserved. ParaPacific began to research ways to preserve bodies, dabbling in the reversible preservation technology known as cryostasis. Eventually, ParaPacific found success and founded a new branch in 2106 called Vessel Services and Disposal, Inc. The company, centered in the United Kingdom, provided new options for those who wished to be transported to Paradisus. This would include cryostasis preservation of their real-world body or complete disposal, if they wish to remain in Paradisus. However, instead of completely preserving the body, the stasis would aid in a normal aging, while the body's owner was in Paradisus. This prevented any chance for the individual to extend their life beyond the normal age. Of course, Paradisus and the process of removing oneself from their original body caused much controversy, especially among religious groups.

2110 CE: The Artificial Takeover

With the success of Paradisus and a stabilizing economy, more government funding went towards ParaPacific. This meant a faster growth in technology, and the expedited installation of new technologies. One major breakthrough came in 2110, when, through the advances of robotics, ParaPacific revealed that they could place the humans of Paradisus into artificial bodies when they return to the real world. This acted as a remedy to those who had lost their original bodies or needed a quicker way to travel between the virtual reality and the real world. The artificial bodies, also known as vessels, acted much like a living body, they were programmed to age and stay healthy through nutrient consumption, eventually becoming inactive when the human controller passed away.

2120 CE: ParaPacific's Dirty Little Secrets

ParaPacific was having success in finding ways to accommodate the human living conditions for both worlds, but what was next for this corporation? What kind of experiments were happening behind the scenes? Were they all ethical? This is where it all begins. The Carrier of Secrets tells the story of one such secret that ParaPacific has kept underground...literally. Check out paradisustransit.blogspot.com for the latest entries in the ParaPacific saga.

Coming Full Circle

Over the past few months, I’ve been making minor changes to my blog, Flickr account, social networking accounts, and freelance resources, such as my Elance profile.

Well, I’ve been holding off on that elephant in the room for far too long. It was the one I have been avoiding for quite some time: my website design. After some careful consideration and a few frustrations (web design was never my strong suit), I developed a new design that I was content with. Here is the link to my website:

https://sites.google.com/site/stevenearlcroner/

Add it to your favorites. I’ll be (hopefully) updating it on  a regular basis.

Most of the content remains the same, but I have completely redesigned the Writing page to focus more on my online publications, rather than my personal unpublished work. I have also included some information on my new blog project, ParaPacific Stations, Inc. A new post in the Carrier of Secrets saga will go live on the blog tomorrow, Wednesday, May 22, 2013. The backstory reveal will be posted here on Thursday, May 23, 2013. Stay tuned for these exciting updates.

All of the other content on my website has largely remained unchanged. The website header has been slightly redesigned to more closely match my business cards, which have been in circulation recently. Mostly, I just wanted to make it look a little prettier. If you have any suggestions, feel free to voice them to me via my various channels of communication. Stay tuned for more updates! See you back here on Thursday!

Breathe In/ Breathe Out

Hey everyone. I know it's been a while since I posted any new material on my blog, so here's little update on some recent happenings. The past couple of months have been hectic. I've been slammed with all kinds of work, and it doesn't seem like it will be letting up until early June. Thankfully, I think I'm at the end of my seven-day-a-week stretch of work days. It's been fun but it's also been very exhausting.

From this point on, I'm going to be focusing a little more on my independent contracting. Now that I have a little money saved up, I'm ready to make my first few business investments. If I want to be serious about some of the ideas that I have, then I have to have the serious equipment to match. I'll post up product reviews on any new toys that I purchase. Most of them are photo and video related, but there are a few other investments, such as computer hardware, that I might give my two cents about.

In the meantime, I'm also working on my writing. I've had the pleasure of working for the video game news source, GameHuddle, which is based in Pittsburgh. They have recently remodeled their website, and are looking to expand their audience, so give them your support, if you are a gamer! I've written several articles so far and have had a lot of fun doing it. Here are some of the highlights, in case you would like to glance at some of my recent ventures in journalism:

This is one of my first articles/blogs, in response to some of Roger Ebert's final words on video games as an art form, and a brief history of the debate that took the mainstream spotlight. Fans of the film genre should also find this article very interesting.

This is my most recent article/blog, which dives into the importance of story in video games. Even if you are into writing for other genres, it is a very good read.

In other news, I am planning to launch an all-new story project based in a science fiction universe that I created about a year ago. It will all be posted, blog-style, and will include accompanying photos and even videos, when I get to that point. I am in the final stages of preparation. Look for an update on that, coming very soon!

I will be posting several other updates very soon, so stay tuned!

Overview: Canon EF Lens - 24-105mm 1:4L IS USM

Well, it's been about a month since I purchased the Canon 24-105mm 1:4L lens, and I thought I'd take a moment to give a brief overview of experiences I've had with it.

Although I am still work with a crop-sensor body camera (I see a full-sensor investment in the near future), I am very impressed with the quality and range of the lens. As always, I recommend prime lenses over zoom lenses, but it you are working in any kind of photography requiring quick adjustments or are on a tight budget but want a top-of-the-line lens, then I would highly recommend this model.

The first thing you will notice with this lens is the weight. Though it is a hefty lens, it greatly makes up for that in other departments. Strictly focusing on the build, the lens includes very smooth adjustment rings for both the focus and the zoom. Stopping is also a breeze, and doesn't involve any kind of jerky motions (for those concerned with using it for film/video).

Picture quality is spectacular. Even on cheaper crop-sensor bodies, the lens performance is astounding. The photos are crisp and clear. The range in depth of field is something to drool over. Overall, it is very professional-grade. As Canon suggests, this line of lenses is built from the highest quality of materials and geared towards more advanced users. This model of lens includes both image stabilizer technology and an ultra sonic motor, meaning quick (and quieter) reactions with the auto-focus and more controlled image quality. It's really the perfect lens for outdoor/sports photography. Not only does it have a very versatile range of focal lengths (the most common ones for any introductory to intermediate photographer), lens settings can be adjusted quickly, when shooting on the fly.

The only downside that I have noticed so far is the limited aperture/iris size. Completely open, the aperture can only go as far as f/4. While this hasn't been proven to be too problematic, the lens could potentially fail to perform in low light situation. Images begin to show obvious signs of grain, as the ISO strains to compensate for the aperture.

Though I don't have any field tests ready to go (this was more of a quick overview than an actual review), I have used the lens in a few recent projects. Personally, I've been really impressed with the results.

If I do any tests with the lens in the near future, I'll make sure to post them on here. Until next time!