Production Videos

By Tony Vallone story, screenplay, associate producer

I finally got around to sifting through all the random video that were taken during production. I put them all up on a YouTube play list and added the link to the links menu. Go to the YouTube Playlist

Locking Down the Music

By Dan Engelhardt producer

Brad and I headed over to meet with our sound team last night at 11pm. They have just about finished mixing all the reels (our movie is divided into 5 reels), and are waiting on some music cues to throw in. This sounds simple, but mixing in the music is a huge part so we are delivering any missing pieces tomorrow. This will give them a litte over a week to finalize the sound mix before it has to be delivered to our post house on March 28.

So far I am beyond impressed with the quality of our sound design. It is being mixed in Dolby Surround, and greatly enhances the experience of watching this film. We left hollywood at 2am or so (Thank you so much to Laura and Christian for putting up with our crazy hours!!!), and headed over to USC to meet with Geoffrey Pope who is composing some original music. He played us previews of what we recorded today.

THE RECORDING SESSION

Our composer Geoffrey Pope is a really talented composer from USC, who Brad and I have worked with many times on our shorts and corporate projects. He grew up in Palo Alto so that works out nicely for the film.

This afternoon he recorded an original score for the abandoned house scenes. As usual his work is top notch. Because we are on a limited budget instead of renting a recording studio we utilized a practice room at USC, and a sound engineer Pope knows came with a portable pro tools set. The sound quality is great, and we avoided a massive hourly fee.



The main challenge presented to us in doing this style of recording was controling outside noise. The room we were working in was not sound proof so I had to "secure the perimeter" to make sure that no once raised there voice, played other insturments or used a lawn mower. I ended up succeeding in this effort so we are moving forward with a very clean and professional recording... despite a very giurilla setup.

Thanks Mr. Pope! You're the man!

New York, New York

By Dan Engelhardt producer

We are so proud and excited to announce our premiere at the 6th Annual Tribeca Film Festival. This is absolutely the perfect venue for us. The festival attracts major distributors as well as other industry professionals, and also represents an amazing chance for us to pack our screenings with the many college and high school age students living in the area.

Locking down a festival premiere is huge milestone for all those involved with PALO ALTO, and I can’t even begin to express the huge sense of gratitude we feel for those who have made this film possible. This production not only had an amazing talented cast and crew, but was also surrounded with a huge amount of enthusiasm from community members in and around Palo Alto, equipment vendors and industry professionals - we are starting to put together our credits, and it is no surprise that the specials thanks section is pages long.

We have to deliver the final cut to Tribeca on April 6th so crunch time has begun. Brad Leong (director), Kevin Gasca (editor, post-supervisor), Eric Robinson (music supervisor), Laura Schmadel (sound supervisor), and Christian Buenaventura (dialogue editor) and I have been pulling all nighters for the last couple weeks to make this deadline. Picture editing and color correction is complete, but we need to lock our soundtrack, and complete our final sound mix. In fact, thanks to the dedication of Laura and Christian, who are truly taking this film to a new level with their sound design, we will be at a sound spotting session most of tonight.

Also, there are some Visual FX to be done. In order to have logos in the movie they have to be cleared, and some of the companies have not approved the use so we are removing them from the picture. There are a total of 53 VFX shots to complete by April 1. On a large production with a team that is working full time this would be an easy accomplishment, but on project of this size it can be quite daunting. We are lucky to have Kevin on the mission, who has brought on two amazingly talented VFX artists.

On the subject of post-production, I wanted to mention that Kevin (Gascanation as we like to refer to him) has truly carried this project through post. He has been our guiding light. Not only has he spent countless hours editing the film, but he single handedly pulled together the entire post-production team as well as the resources needed to get the job done. This also includes locking down locations, crew, and gear for our Los Angeles based pickups. We would be dead in the water without him…

So the count down to Tribeca begins. We have a film to finish, and a massive PR and sales effort to execute on. Like we did during production, we will try to keep you updated on al the major happenings over the next 6 weeks.

Congrats and thanks again to our dedicated cast and crew for helping us land a premiere at the prestigious Tribeca Film Festival.

Editorial Update

By Kevin Gasca editor

Hello all! Just giving you all an update on how post-production is going for Palo Alto. At the moment the film is in the hands of our sound and music departments, as well as we are currently doing our HD conform. All this probably sounds a lot like confusing “film speak” but I assure you we are actually working for real!

The sound department, lead by our supervising sound editor Laura Schmadel, is currently cutting and mixing the foley, hard effects and ADR (automated dialogue replacement). This is a painstaking process where they literally have to recreate every sound that we either purposefully left out during production, or that would be too expensive for us to use practically. Once Brad has approved all of the sound edit, it is then mixed to finesse the sound to how it will ultimately play in the final.

The music department, consisting of our composer Geoffrey Pope and music supervisor Eric Robinson, is working simultaneously on the film bringing together the music into one cohesive piece that will bring the films emotion to a much higher level. The power of music is incredible; music for film is no different!

Lastly, during these final stages of the post-production process, the film is converted from the standard resolution (SD DVCAM) to the high resolution (HD D5). This is where the film’s images and beauty get to finally come to fruition. This process is highly technical and involves re-digitizing the footage in the uncompressed (1:1) format and reconnecting this new footage with the original avid output of the film. This process is done per reel (in our case 5 times) and then brought together into one final high definition long-play. This long-play is then laid down onto a D5 tape which then is dubbed (“copied”) and then with this new copy, we go through the final color correction process (also known as the “final tape-to-tape”). At this stage, we also create the final titles for the opening credits and the final end crawl.

Once every department is done with the respective tasks all of the pieces are brought together for the final version of the film, which is called the final play master.

Hope this has been interesting and informative! Best wishes!

Color Correction

By Brad Leong story, director

I’m sitting in the final color correction session as I write this. Everything is looking super great. George (Porgy) dropped by for a surprise visit, which was nice because I haven’t been able to see him much since production. I’ve gotten to know our colorist Steve Peer really well, we’ve spent a few lonely nights together locked in the telecine bay working away till 1 in the morning.



We got the cut D5 online of the film a few weeks ago and have been going through it and working on perfecting the color of every shot. The basic process starts with Rachel, our DP, coming in and scanning through the whole film with Steve color-correcting the wide of every scene under her direction. This sets the tone / color mood of the film as a whole and the specific color feel of the individual scenes. It took about 5 hours to do this.



Using these corrected wide shots as a reference Steve can then go in and correct all the other shots in the scenes around the wides. He makes all the shots conform and cut seamlessly between each other. This took another three nights of work to get through the whole film. While it’s fairly frustrating that it takes so long and you are literally moving though shot by shot our post house gives free meals to clients sitting in on color sessions so I’ve been loving it.

After Steven finishes working through the whole film there is a final session where the entire film is “laid down” meaning it’s actually printed to tape in real time. We are all sitting right now watching the final tape to tape “lay down” making sure everything looks excellentness. If there is a problem Steve can stop recording and we can go back and make changes and then pick up where we left off.



After tonight there are only a few more pictures processes. We still have to overlay opening credits as well as the ending roll. And we also need to do some computer magic to get rid of a few logos that we weren’t able to clear. But after those two things we are pretty much completely done with picture. Love it!

We're Still Going Strong

By Tony Vallone story, screenplay, associate producer

It is Christmas Eve and a couple days ago I was at the Engelhardt's home for a private screening of a rough cut of Palo Alto with our families. We didn't have a big 80-foot screen theater so it went down much like all the past screenings of projects we've had with our families since middle school. Although I am sure it was only a matter of minutes before they realized this is nothing like they've seen before.

When the film was finished, Dan, Brad, and I were all buried in praise from our families and friends. We were skeptical at first because positive support is always found in family and friends but it didn't take long for us to recognize it as genuine. I was also reminded that the website hadn't been updated in the longest time so I decided it is probably a good idea for me to bring everyone up to date.

The fall was a very stressful time for our editors who were trying to lock picture as soon as possible while maintaining a full course load at school. We had test screenings once every few weeks that really helped us improve the film and experience audience reactions. The big items still ahead are mostly all in sound. Our sound department has been doing ADR and smoothing out all the scene's audio tracks so they don't sound like a Frankenstein combination of sound bites, we're still working on song selection and obtaining rights, and our composer is trying give some of our scenes more auditory umph.

Completion will hopefully arrive by the end of February. By that time we'll be working on a way for all of you to see it!

Editorial Update

By Kevin Gasca editor

Hello All. We are currently in the final stages of the picture editing for Palo Alto. This is the point-of-no-return for Danny, my co-editor, and myself to make final changes to the film before we deliver it to our sound, music and visual effects departments. This is pivotal because we are constantly making changes to the cut based on reactions from you, the audience, after the first test screening that we had a couple weeks ago. Once the picture cut is “locked”—within the next two weeks--it cannot change anymore, so we are editing with Brad numerous times a week to get it where we ultimately want it and where it does the story the most justice.

The road to locking picture is long and arduous. We are currently on our 7th or 8th cut of the film and each cut is significantly different from its predecessor. At this point we are fine-tuning and molding the scenes together so that it plays the best it possibly can. This is a big task because there are so many possibilities to explore. This is where my whole crew has been huge in coming through and stepping up to the challenges that the production has confronted us with. My want to express my deepest gratitude to the greatest apprentice editors an editor could ask for: Leigh Cousins, Chelsea Fiske and Katie Kirk. Thank you again for all your hard work. Pretty soon you will all be taking my job!

Once we are done with the picture editorial, the film goes to the sound, music and visual effects department. With this genre of film, the real task for all of these departments is to make the film look and sound the best that it possibly can, while at the same time having the sound and visual effects not call attention to themselves. This is the challenge that we have ahead of us.

Hope this has been informative for those who are interested. See you all when it’s done!!!

Post-Production: The Journey Continues

By Kevin Gasca editor

I signed on to be the editor of Palo Alto in April, and have had quite a while to gear up for working on this film. You think you know what you’re getting into, but you really have no idea. Over the course of these last few months, everyone associated with the production has been through many trials and tribulations – and that was just on set, in another completely different city! There is another vast realm that now is being ventured into on Palo Alto, and that is post production.

Since the production is shot on location in the Bay area and editorial (as well as our film processing and post production house) is based out of Los Angeles, our first real problem was how to create an adequate workflow to get dailies back up to the production. The ultimate solution came from our esteemed executive producer, Phillip Engelhardt, who set up an “.ftp” (file transfer protocol). This gave myself and my co-editor Daniel Walker a way to cut together dailies in the Avid Media Composer© and then upload the dailies selects to the FTP. Seconds later Brad and the rest of the crew can see their hard work come to fruition some 350 miles away!



Simultaneously, as the film was being shipped into Los Angeles and being processed at Fotokem, I supervised the telecine sessions (the process of transferring film negative into digital video – in our case DVCAM for “SD” and D5 for our “HD” ) at IVC with our colorist, Steve Peer. I just want to give my sincere thanks to Steve for all his hard work and many hours spent doing a first color pass for our film; his work is greatly appreciated! Also, all of us with Palo Alto owe many thanks to Peter Dana—who is our sales representative over at IVC. Without him, none of this would be happening on the post production end!

We are currently in the middle of our first assembly cut of the film where we basically lay out each scene as it was shot. Then we sit down with Brad and decide what elements of each scene are the most crucial and what other elements are expendable. As scenes are pieced together and more of the film is completed we will keep everyone updated. But now we have to concentrate on a fast approaching deadline. So to Brad, Dan, Steve, Tony and the rest of the Palo Alto post production crew, we’ve got some work ahead of us, but it’s coming together and it looks great!

Great Work. Keep Your Focus

By Tony Vallone story, screenplay, associate producer

My first thought is directed at the cast and crew of this energetic endeavor. They have truly come together over the least few weeks to turn out amazingly artistic shots, that will add up to highly creative scenes, that will be edited together into an excellent and entertaining motion picture. My hat is off to each and every one of them.

For the novices, this film was their own coming of age experience. For the veterans, it was a great way to remember how personal and passionate a film performance is. We shot this movie in the heart of Silicon Valley, and even though so much technology will be used to ultimately bring it to the screen, there are some valuable principles to remember: Film making has its own "circle of life". The audience is human. The story needs to touch their hearts. The performances need to stir emotion. The reactions create buzz. The word of mouth drives more humans to the box office. The revenue will help create the next great film. True artists and filmmakers are in it for the continuity of this experience.

Daniel and Brad, as founders of Anchange, set forth to appeal to audiences in a very sincere way. Each of their projects leading up to Palo Alto has been about the story and the art of telling it. Joined on Palo Alto by Steve and Tony, the team has matured to become a bona fide independent film production company. As they recruited students and professionals to share in the experience of making this film, Anchange has never strayed from its roots. Those who needed mentoring readily found it on set, and those in a position to mentor readily gave of their knowledge and experience. As the cast began to take shape, it became clear that all who signed on shared the thrill of the mission. One by one, as their roles in the film wrapped, they expressed honest appreciation for having been a part of this earnest adventure.

My heartfelt appreciation goes out to all who have contributed of their time, ability, talent, craft and funding. To our investors, a very special thanks for making it all possible. To the crew, we hope that the long nights, and weeks away from home will translate into successful careers ahead of you. To the cast, what can we say? You have absolutely put your faith in us to carry your outstanding performance to the awaiting audience. We will continue to work tirelessly to deliver the rewards you have earned and deserve. To our friends at Lionsgate Entertainment, thanks for your ever present helping hand. To Daniel, Brad, Steve and Tony - I am very proud of you. Your combination of business acumen and creativity will serve you and all your films well.

Early in the production process, I gave Daniel a metaphor for the focus we would need to make this picture. "It is like walking a tightrope", I told him. "You must never lose sight of the rope. Never allow yourself to be thrown off balance. I promise you, Daniel, there is a platform at the end of this rope. Your job is to get us there." He and Steve have done an amazing job of managing the business aspects of this production. Whenever we had a moment of euphoria over incremental success, we would quickly remind ourselves - "back to the rope". As we enter post production, this will continue to be the mantra.

I wish continued good luck to our golden team of cast and crew. Aaron, Johnny, Justin, Autumn, Ben and Tom. Thanks. And thanks again. To the growing audience that has found us here, and to those who still await discovering Anchange's work - we truly appreciate your support.

The producer of filmdom's greatest franchise once took me to sit in the back of a small theatre in a small town to gauge the response to his work. The pleasure he had from hearing the reaction of a random audience far surpassed the roar of a crowd along the red carpet on opening night. That exemplifies honest passion for this business. The producer is Rick McCallum. His trilogy of work at Lucasfilm includes Episodes I, II and III of Star Wars. A few weeks ago, I carried several rough cuts of Palo Alto to Rick at his summer hideaway in Europe. As we watched them together, I could see the swell of pride combine with awe at the work of this talented young team. Rick's entry follows mine. I can tell you that he meant every word of his praise - expletives included ;) PLE

KUDOS from Rick McCallum

By Rick McCallum producer of Star Wars: Episodes I, II, III

I've known Daniel since the day he was born. Within a few years, it was obvious he had set his sights on film making. His early works with Brad showed extraordinary promise. When he came to see me at the Skywalker Ranch earlier this year, I was amazed that they were ready to undertake their first feature length motion picture. A few weeks ago, his dad showed me some rough cuts from Palo Alto, and I was overwhelmed by the obvious quality and attention to detail that had gone into production. It is amazing that a student based production company could be so advanced in their thinking and execution.

Dan - I am so f***ing proud of you. The film looks fantastic. It is beautifully lit, and the acting is superb. My congratulations to all the cast and crew. Awesome !!! I didn't produce my first film until I was 25! You're years ahead of me!!!! I am so proud of you. All the best - Rick.

A Huge Thank You to Veronica Mars

By Dan Engelhardt producer

One of our actors, Ryan Hansen, has recurring role on the critically acclaimed Veronica Mars. Needless to say this created a fair amount of scheduling conflicts for me because for the most part T.V. Shows do not have the luxury of shifting their production plans – a new episode has to be ready for each week. Consequently, I spent a lot of time moving things around to make sure that when Ryan was available, we were ready to go.

These last few days got really crazy since one of our other actors, Aaron Ashmore, is on Smallville and had one week to spare for us before heading back to Vancouver. We had no choice but to squeeze our schedule and hope that Ryan was available at similar times. On Friday (8/18) I got a call from Ryan’s manager saying that he needed to shoot with Veronica on Tuesday and Thursday of the following week. We had been hoping to shoot with Ryan Monday – Wednesday so this was a huge problem. Normally I would have moved some dates around, but this was the end of our shoot so there was nothing we could add to those days.

I quickly called the producer of Veronica, who is an amazingly nice guy. He informed me that Ryan was shooting Tuesday morning – this we could make work! Ryan would shoot in Palo Alto on Monday night, he would fly down to San Diego in the morning, shoot with Veronica, and fly back to us for a Tuesday night shoot. A huge thank you to Ryan for working with a crazy 48 hours. Problem solved (so we thought)…

On Tuesday afternoon I called down to Howard, the producer of Veronica, to check on Ryan’s wrap time, and received some unfortunate news. He had to shift the days schedule a bit, and Ryan was not going to be wrapped until 8pm. This meant with travel time, he would not be on set in Palo Alto until 10-11pm putting us in a situation where had to rush the day. Still, after talking with Brad and Tony, I felt like we could get it done.

Around 7pm I get a call from Ryan. He was on set in San Diego and concerned that they were not going to wrap by 8pm (fyi: the last flight out of San Diego is at 855 so if he didn’t wrap by then we would lose him for the day). I quickly called Howard who re-confirmed this unfortunate fact. I explained our situation to him, which was if Ryan didn’t shoot with us we were going to have to cut scenes out of the movie. He politely said he would look into the situation, and call me back.

Cut to a few minutes later: Howard calls with his production manager on the line. They have redone the schedule, and pushed Ryan’s scene to another day!!! We were saved… Ryan left set at 8pm, made is 855 flight and arrived on our set at 1045. I owe Howard a huge favor…. moving his tight TV schedule around could not have been easy, and we here at PALO ALTO truly appreciate it. We had a lot to shoot in very little time, but the crew worked fast, and we made it happen. What a way to wrap production.

A Special Thank You to our Vendors

By Dan Engelhardt producer

One of the most important elements in pulling together this project has been the support we have received from vendors in Hollywood and the San Francisco Bay Area. Our vendors have been flexible with the ever-changing schedule and beyond generous in the amount of equipment and services they have provided us with.

All of us involved with the project extend our deepest gratitude to Ric at Panavision, Lorette at Kodak, Eryn at Westside, Frieder at Kino Flo, John and Carmelo at Ari, Jani at Bigshot, Alan at Cole Ave. Studios, Brian at DTC, Ed at Barger-Bag Light, Max at Frankel and Associates, Larry at Mole-Richardson and Stephanie at Entertainment Partners.

Throughout the making of this movie I was thrown into to quite a few sticking scenarios (some of which were documented on this blog) and all of the individuals above went out of there way to help. We still have pickups to do, and I am sure we will continue to find a helping hand in these companies.