Check out some behind the scene photos. There is more where that came from so check back often.

Just less than two weeks before the in house deadline for the group, the producers sit out in the grass as the sun goes down to discuss where everyone is at. The projects have been chosen and most of the footage has been shot but the editing process has hardly begun. Finding time in each person’s schedule is difficult as time runs down on this quarter’s school schedule.

“We’re coming really close to the deadline; I really don’t want to add anything to anyone’s plate,” Zach reminds all the producers of the pending internal deadline. Just before this meeting we had a Dawn 2 Dusk meeting where Terry Eiler showed soulofathens.com, where the countdown clock for the whole project was at 18 days.

Ryan the lead animator is sitting next to me and sketching out ideas for the Second Life piece, which is nothing but drawing for right now. Tomorrow a group of us will be sitting in front of the virtual world and ‘filming’ on the ‘Ohio University island.’

The rough video cuts that I have seen so far have been superb, but still rough and the group is quick to critique the work of each of its members. Tonight’s meeting went deep into the night and the group was still looking at videos at 10:30 p.m.

Slowly you can feel the momentum building. Seeing the rough cuts really motivates the gang to go back to the editing room and get moving. After all there is less than two weeks before the project is due.

The producer meetings are mix between chaos and organization. Our fearless leader Zach Wise sets out to make sure that each individual issue is covered, but sometimes in a project this large it is impossible to plan for everything. The people that are working on the design and technical side of the Web site sit in on corner and debate over hundreds of different color combinations that might be good for the Web site, while the content producers focus on individual contacts and how specifically each piece is going to come together.
For once we are outside enjoying the spring weather that Athens nearly forgot to give us and this week we are meeting outside. While talking about projects quotes like ‘When I approach it is like I am about to give him bad results form a VD test’ are said as the air is jovial but still poignant.
During this meeting however people are all together and Zach has promised a short meeting. Things on the site are starting the come around although there is still some dispute over what the Soul of Athens really should look like. Projects are starting to be finalized in idea if not execution. It looks like everyone is going to finish the shooting in the next couple of weeks.
Editing is the step after that but we have hardly even started to talk about that. All the producers know is that the final project is supposed to be ‘tight.’ The final pieces are going to be short and entertaining blurbs about what Athens really is.
As for me I know my favorite part about Athens is the weather and finally getting the chance to have a meeting outside is a God sent.
See another 360 image of the group here. (The group especially loves the ghost dog. It was moving too fast for these photographs.)