Dinotopia Podcast Episode 12

The final episode of the Dinotopia Podcast has arrived. You can listen by clicking on the Soundcloud play button below, or by following this direct link.




The beginning of the episode finds Will and Sylvia in their crashed airship near Sauropolis.

Preparations are underway for a big springtime parade.

Will pilots a skybax to meet up with Arthur, who hints at marvelous discoveries in The World Beneath. We'll begin that podcast next week.

The Podcast Series
This acoustic adventure was produced by Tom Lopez of the ZBS Foundation, with an original music track by composer Tim Clark.
Each 10-minute episode will only be live online for one week, and then it will disappear.

If you'd like to purchase the full two-hour Dinotopia podcast right now and hear all twelve episodes back to back in a feature-length production, check out Dinotopia at ZBS Foundation website for the MP3 download.
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You can also order the original book from my web store and I'll sign it for you.  (Ships via Media Mail within 24 hours of your order. US orders only for the book, please). The Dinotopia book is also available from Amazon.
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There will be an exhibit of Dinotopia originals at the Stamford Museum and Nature Center in Connecticut from February 14 - May 25, 2015. I'll be giving an illustrated lecture there on Sunday, March 1, 2015 at 1:00.

Dinotopia Podcast, Episode 11

Episode 11 of the Dinotopia Podcast was released today, but sorry, it is no longer available online.

Levka Gambo shows Will a map of the caverns below Dinotopia, where is father is exploring.

Then a sky galley arrives and takes them on a wild ride.

The Podcast Series
This acoustic adventure was produced by Tom Lopez of the ZBS Foundation, with an original music track by composer Tim Clark.

The final episode, #12 arrives in a week. Each 10-minute episode will only be live online for one week, and then it will disappear.

If you'd like to purchase the full two-hour Dinotopia podcast right now and hear all twelve episodes back to back in a feature-length production, check out Dinotopia at ZBS Foundation website for the MP3 download.
----
You can also order the original book from my web store and I'll sign it for you.  It's a great New Year's gift for the imaginative person in your life. (Ships via Media Mail within 24 hours of your order. US orders only for the book, please). The Dinotopia book is also available from Amazon.
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There will be an exhibit of Dinotopia originals at the Stamford Museum and Nature Center in Connecticut from February 14 - May 25, 2015. I'll be giving an illustrated lecture there on Sunday, March 1, 2015 at 1:00.

How to Video Your Art: Microphones / Recorders

Four recommended microphones / recorders: MXL Tempo, Zoom H1, Zoom H2n, a Lavalier Microphone

The current issue of International Artist magazine published Part 2 of my series on How to Video Your Art. In this post, I want to discuss how to get good audio.

Audio is the most common flaw in art videos. It’s usually caused by trying to record a voice with an onboard camera microphone that’s too far away from the person who is speaking. It’s fairly easy and cheap to overcome this problem. Good audio will do more to make your videos appear professional than anything else.

When I’m making an outdoor video, I like to record a few introductory comments on location before I start the painting. Later, I record a voiceover in the studio over the final edit. In the voiceover, I speak in present tense, as if it's happening now. This makes the voiceover blend in with the field-recorded voice audio.

Hearing the voiceover is as important as seeing the paint strokes, because it allows viewers to get inside your mind as you’re making painting decisions. Doing the voiceover after the fact makes the painting process much easier for me because I don't have to talk while I'm painting, and it makes the editing much easier, too.

In the photo above are four recommended microphones / recorders.

MXL Tempo Microphone
This microphone is specialized for voice and for studio settings. It has a USB connector that plugs into the computer. It makes recording voiceover in post production much easier because you can record directly into the editing timeline and do as many retakes as you want. It's a bit bulky and fragile to take on location, and it takes a while to set up, but it gets excellent sound quality. You can also use it for music performance, podcasts, Skype, etc. 

Zoom H1 Recorder
This small portable digital recorder captures high-quality digital audio to supplement the audio captured by the cameras. It records in stereo in WAV or MP3 files, and has a lo-cut filter. You can select either manual level control or automatic gain control. It's small enough to fit in a pocket or carry on a belt. It’s also useful for recording audio clips from interview subjects. Wind noise is a persistent menace when recording audio outdoors, The best defense is a furry microphone cover called a deadcat windscreen. These windscreens are available commercially, or you can knit your own from novelty yarn.

Zoom H2n Handy Recorder
For around $159.00, less than the price of the two previous items, you can get one device that works as both a USB-microphone and a recorder. Through a USB cable, you can attach it to the computer and use it as a voiceover mic. As a recorder, it has far more features, and an easier set of controls than the Zoom H1. The five microphone elements can be selected in four different field patterns to get a surround effect, a mid-side field or a conventional stereo effect. The manual gain setting uses an old fashioned wheel, rather than a push-button interface, which makes it much easier to use. It runs on two AA batteries (I use rechargeable NimH) and records onto an SD card for many hours of audio.

Audio-Technica Lavalier Microphone
If your video camera has an input for an external microphone, you can use a lavalier microphone. The small mic clips to your shirt beneath your chin. It captures very good audio, especially with the Canon VIXIA camcorders that I use (more in the post Camera Guide). At less than $30.00, wired lav mics cost far less than the wireless models, and they’re less prone to electronic interference. When you don’t need the lav mic for voice, you can clip it to the canvas or sketchbook to capture the contact noise of the pencil or the brush.

Editing tips

• WORKFLOW: 1. Visual edit, 2. Color correction, 3. Background audio, 4. Foley if necessary, 5. Voiceover, 6. Titles and Transitions

• Whenever possible, conceive of the piece as a 3-act story: Articulate goals, grapple with challenges, and figure out solutions.

• Use authentic sounds instead of music under time lapse. Use music only at the beginning and end if necessary for mood. Don't use music as an acoustic floor throughout.
• Edit to match the speed of viewer's mind, not real time.
• If you change speed in a shot, tell the viewer that you're doing it in VO.

Online resources
• Check out my painting tutorials on Sellfy
• You can also get my videos on Gumroad
• Link for all my videos on DVD at Kunaki.
• You can also get my DVDs at Amazon
• Longer post on GJ: How to Video Your Art (goes into more detail about gear)
• Helpful filmmaking tutorials on the older uploads from Indy Mogul (YouTube channel)
• Also some good tutorials on Film Riot and Frugal Filmmaker

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Previously on GurneyJourney:
Shot List for Art Videos
How to Video Your Art: Camera Guide
DIY Knitted Deadcat Windscreen

Dinotopia Podcast Episode 10

Episode 10 of the Dinotopia Podcast was webcast today, but the file was only up for a week. Check out a more recent post to hear the latest episode.

After his father Arthur left to explore the system of caverns underground, Will Denison picks up the journal to describe his ascent into the mountains.

He and Sylvia meet Levka Gambo in the Tentpole of the Sky. 

I built this whole segment of the story around this painting, "Tentpole of the Sky," which I painted in 1989, before I came up with the idea of a dinosaur utopia.

The Podcast Series
This acoustic adventure was produced by Tom Lopez of the ZBS Foundation, with an original music track by composer Tim Clark.

Episode 11 arrives in a week. Each 10-minute episode will only be live online for one week, and then it will disappear.

If you'd like to purchase the full two-hour Dinotopia podcast right now and hear all twelve episodes back to back in a feature-length production, check out Dinotopia at ZBS Foundation website for the MP3 download.
----
You can also order the original book from my web store and I'll sign it for you.  It's a great New Year's gift for the imaginative person in your life. (Ships via Media Mail within 24 hours of your order. US orders only for the book, please). The Dinotopia book is also available from Amazon.
----
There will be an exhibit of Dinotopia originals at the Stamford Museum and Nature Center in Connecticut from February 14 - May 25, 2015. I'll be giving an illustrated lecture there on Sunday, March 1, 2015 at 1:00 (Note that the date is different from what we first announced.)

Dinotopia Podcast Episode 7

Today we released Episode Seven of the serialized podcast of Dinotopia: A Land Apart from Time, but the audio is no longer available, sorry! It was only online for a week. However, if you check the blog, the latest episode should be available.

Will and Arthur Denison attend the gathering of humans and dinosaurs at the Habitat Conference.

...and then they make their way to the village of Treetown.

The Podcast Series
This acoustic adventure was produced by Tom Lopez, mastermind of the ZBS Foundation, with an original music track by composer Tim Clark.

Episode 8 arrives in a week. Each short episode will only be live online for one week, and then it will disappear.

If you'd like to purchase the full two-hour Dinotopia podcast right now and hear all twelve episodes back to back in a feature-length production, check out Dinotopia at ZBS Foundation website for the MP3 download.
----
You can also order the original book from my web store and I'll sign it for you. It's the ultimate holiday gift for the imaginative person in your life. (Ships via Media Mail within 24 hours of your order. US orders only for the book, please). The Dinotopia book is also available from Amazon.
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There will be an exhibit of Dinotopia originals at the Stamford Museum and Nature Center in Connecticut from February 14 - May 25, 2015. I'll be giving an illustrated lecture there on Sunday, February 22.   EDIT: The lecture date has been moved to Sunday, March 1, 2015 at 1:00

Dinotopia Episode 6

Today we continued with Episode Six of the serialized podcast of Dinotopia: A Land Apart from Time, but the episode only stayed live for a week.

Are there meateaters in Dinotopia? You bet! And in this episode we see what happens when you encounter them.

Arthur learns about the sabertooth cats that once lived in Waterfall City.

They outfit a convoy for a journey across the Rainy Basin, where tyrannosaurs present a constant threat.

And we witness Bix bravely face off against a T. rex.

The Podcast Series
This acoustic adventure was produced by Tom Lopez, mastermind of the ZBS Foundation, with an original music track by composer Tim Clark.

Episode 7 arrives in a week. Each short episode will only be live online for one week, and then it will disappear.

If you'd like to purchase the full two-hour Dinotopia podcast right now and hear all twelve episodes back to back in a feature-length production, check out Dinotopia at ZBS Foundation website for the MP3 download.
----
You can also order the original book from my web store and I'll sign it for you. It's the ultimate holiday gift for the imaginative person in your life. (Ships via Media Mail within 24 hours of your order, so it may or may not arrive in time for Christmas. US orders only for the book, please). The Dinotopia book is also available from Amazon.
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There will be an exhibit of Dinotopia originals at the Stamford Museum and Nature Center in Connecticut from February 14 - May 25, 2015. I'll be giving an illustrated lecture there on Sunday, February 22.

Dinotopia Podcast, Episode 5

Today we continued with Episode 5 of the serialized podcast of Dinotopia: A Land Apart from Time. 

The episode opens in the helicoid geochronograph, a water-powered machine that keeps track of time.

We meet Nallab and Enit, librarians of Dinotopia, who show Arthur their scroll-reading machine.

In Dinotopia, dinosaurs write messages in a sandbox using a unique footprint alphabet.

The Podcast Series
This acoustic adventure was produced by Tom Lopez, mastermind of the ZBS Foundation, with an original music track by composer Tim Clark.

Episode 6 arrives next week and only stays online for a week.

If you'd like to purchase the full two-hour Dinotopia podcast right now and hear all twelve episodes back to back in a feature-length production, check out Dinotopia at ZBS Foundation website for the MP3 download.

You can also order the original book from my web store and I'll sign it for you. It's the ultimate holiday gift for the imaginative person in your life. (US orders only for the book, please).

Dinotopia Podcast, Episode 4

It's Tuesday, time for the new episode of the Dinotopia audio podcast adventure. Just click below or follow this link.

Descending the flanks of Volcaneum, Arthur and Will Denison hear Bix's vocal talents, and witness the hadrosaur swamp symphony. For this sequence, producer Tom Lopez drew on his stereo recordings of jungles in India and Bali, and composer Tim Clark created deep rumbling sounds.

As they approach Waterfall City, they hear the roar of the falls.

They fly across the gorge on a glider and make their first entrance to Waterfall City.

Malik, the timekeeper, explains to Arthur how Dinotopians visualize the passage of time, using a combination of circular and linear geometry, resulting in the spiral and the helix. I love the immersive quality of the audio in this whole episode, and it's not surprising that AudioFile Magazine called it “A masterpiece of audio production.”

The Podcast Series
This acoustic adventure was produced by Tom Lopez, mastermind of the ZBS Foundation, with an original music track by composer Tim Clark.

Episode 5 arrives in one week— Tuesday, December 9. Each 10-minute episode will only be live online for one week, and then it will disappear. So tell your friends, and be sure to check in to this blog each week. That way you'll be able to hear the whole production for free.

If you'd like to purchase the full two-hour Dinotopia podcast right now and hear all twelve episodes back to back in a feature-length production, check out Dinotopia at ZBS Foundation website for the MP3 download.

You can also order the original book from my web store and I'll sign it for you. It's the ultimate holiday gift for the imaginative person in your life. (US orders only for the book, please).

Dinotopia Podcast, Episode 3

On this post we introduced the third episode of the Dinotopia audio podcast adventure.

Arthur and Will Denison continue their adventures in Dinotopia. Lee Crabb tells them about his sneaky plot, and they follow him to Volcaneum.


Arthur meets Tok Timbu and learns about the ways of the island where people live alongside dinosaurs.


...and they meet again someone they saw when they first arrived.

The Podcast Series
This acoustic adventure was produced by Tom Lopez, mastermind of the ZBS Foundation, with an original music track by composer Tim Clark. AudioFile Magazine calls it “A masterpiece of audio production.”

Episode 4 arrives in one week— Tuesday, December 2. Each 10-minute episode will only be live online for one week, and then it will disappear. So tell your friends, and be sure to check in to this blog each week. That way you'll be able to hear the whole production for free.

If you'd like to purchase the full two-hour Dinotopia podcast right now and hear all twelve episodes back to back in a feature-length production, check out Dinotopia at ZBS Foundation website for the MP3 download.

You can also order the original book from my web store and I'll sign it for you. It's the ultimate holiday gift for the imaginative person in your life. (US orders only for the book, please).

To listen to the full audio podcast, you can get a download at ZBS Production.

Dinotopia Podcast, Episode 2

Episode of the Dinotopia: A Land Apart from Time audio podcast introduces Arthur and Will to the hatchery and the city of Pooktook. Sorry, the file is no longer available because this is a series!

But here are some of the pictures:

The adventure continues as Arthur and Will adjust to a world where humans and dinosaurs live as equals.

In the hatchery, kids help the hatchlings connect with their parent dinosaur.

Copro carters are a part of a proud profession, connoisseurs of the finest fertilizer.

When ZBS adapted Dinotopia to audio, they added to what was in the books by creating a fun banter between these characters.

...and then they meet up a disgruntled Dinotopian named Lee Crabb.

The Podcast Series
This acoustic adventure was produced by Tom Lopez, mastermind of the ZBS Foundation, with an original music track by composer Tim Clark.

Episode 3 arrives one week from today— Tuesday, November 25. Each 10-minute episode will only be live online for one week, and then it will disappear. So tell your friends, and be sure to check in to this blog each week. That way you'll be able to hear the whole production for free.

If you'd like to purchase the full two-hour Dinotopia podcast right now and hear all twelve episodes back to back in a feature-length production, check out Dinotopia at ZBS Foundation website for the MP3 download.

You can also order the original book from my web store and I'll sign it for you. It's the ultimate holiday gift for the imaginative person in your life. (US orders only for the book, please).

Dinotopia Podcast, Episode 1

Every Tuesday for the next three months here on GurneyJourney I'll be sharing a new episode of an audio presentation of Dinotopia: A Land Apart from Time. To listen, click the orange play button below, or follow the link to the SoundCloud file. 



This acoustic adventure by the ZBS Foundation uses a full cast of actors, sound effects, and an original music track by composer Tim Clark to bring the world of humans and dinosaurs to life before your ears.

I was always a fan of Tom Lopez, the guy behind ZBS. He created Ruby the Galactic Gumshoe, which I loved when I first discovered it on late night radio. Eastman-trained Tim Clark has played everything from the Moog synthesizer to the washtub bass.

When I wrote and illustrated the book, it seemed like a silent movie on the book page. But this production opens the gates of the imagination, complete with tambourines, trumpets, rumbles, hoots, roars and laughter.

The adventure begins with the shipwreck of Arthur and Will Denison on the shores of a mysterious island in 1862...

...and their arrival at a strange egg hatchery, where they meet humans who seem entirely comfortable with living among the saurian giants.

The Podcast Series
Episode 2 arrives one week from today— Tuesday, November 18. Tell your friends, and be sure to come back each week. That way you'll be able to hear the whole production for free.

But each 10-minute episode will only remain available online for one week, after which it will disappear like a mirage.

If you'd like to purchase the full two-hour Dinotopia podcast right now and hear all 12 episodes back to back in a feature-length production, check out Dinotopia at ZBS Foundation website for the MP3 download.

Here's the link to the SoundCloud file (which vaporizes November 18).

You can also order the original book from my web store and I'll sign it for you. It's the ultimate holiday gift for the imaginative person in your life. (US orders only for the book, please).