(For a more detailed version of this same information, written by Mike, check out this post at The Frugal Filmmaker. )

In our VO class on Wednesday night some questions were asked about recording at home. And Shannon said to herself “Hey, we can post that stuff on our blog!” And it was good.

Whether you live in a small space,  only have a small apace in the large place that you live, or travel, it’s really nice to have a compact setup that you can easily put where you want it, and store away easily in the meantime. We really love Harlan Hogan’s Porta-Booth. It’s light, easy, affordable, and you can store all the parts in a small suitcase. Harlan gives instructions to make your own here, and also lets you order a pre-made one. They are a little easier to make than they used to be, as many stores like Target now sell a variety of fabric boxes like the ones Harlan uses.

We are proud to announce the release of the new edition of the Fugal Bugle, our newsletter. Please click the link below to download a copy and enjoy our exploits.

Fugal Bugle – December 2011 Issue

During this busy holiday season we would like to wish you and yours a happy, peaceful, and fun holiday season and a wonderful new year!

We are proud to announce that the first issue of our quarterly newsletter, the Fugal Bugle is released. Please click here to read it: FP Newsletter

Here are photos from the Utah Olympic Park and a few snow covered mountains/hills in Park City.

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The photos of the bobsled track show curve 12, which is the best curve for getting a shot of the bobsled going by on a curve. There are multiple photos of the starting area (blue tarp) as well as the finish area. The actual finish line is not a permanent fixture and was not on display when these photos were taken. There are photos of that area included in this photo set, and you can also see what the finish line looks like in these videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDSzXjv2QGw (0:57)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KvwdEsrqEY (1:05)

There are some amazing resources here in Utah for filming winter sports.

While I’ve included some photos at the end of this post, I’ve also included a video clip or two from around the web that show the kind of views that I think my client is looking for.

This video contains a fair amount of introduction to the company’s tours, but within the video there are some great views of people hiking in the backcountry.

These photos are from the top of the tram at a local resort. From the tram landing you have a 360 degree view of the surrounding mountain range.

Another video with some stunning visuals of the Wasatch Mountain range.

Here are some other photos gathered from local ski resorts:

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Here are a few theaters, all located in downtown Salt Lake. There are two additional stages at the University of Utah that are used regularly for dance performances as well. The three downtown are as well, the Rose Wagner theater being the home of Reperatory Dance Theater and the Capitol Theater being the home of Ballet West.

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Here is a selection of a few furnished, rentable office spaces, all within 30 minutes of downtown Salt Lake City.

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Here are photos of 4 boutiques in the Salt Lake area.

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Photos taken between 12:00pm and 2:00pm on December 1, 2010.
Weather was overcast with occasional sunlight.

Notes from interview with tour guide at Salt Flats included below photos, as well as audio of Mike (my business partner) interviewing the tour guide.

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Notes:

Last time we went out about two miles into the salt flats. Today, the entrance to the area was not passable due to mud and soft salt so we hired a local guide to take us on an alternate route in his four wheel drive vehicle.

Much of the area was muddy and there were random ponds and large areas of standing water. We headed out into the widest area of the salt flats and found some relatively dry areas. The guide said that it has been an unusually wet year and about 30 degrees colder than normal.

The salt was more grey than white, which is typical from this time of year. Our guide said that the salt wont look very white again until spring.

We found a dry area on the speedway where the ground was firmer because of the cold. We took some pictures standing on the marker where they start the races. This area would work for driving shots but only if the conditions were similar to today.

Our guide said that the weather on the salt flats is extremely variable and hard to predict. If the weather remains dry for the next three weeks, the conditions would probably be pretty decent for driving shots. If any storms move in, the whole speedway could be under three inches of water and salty mud. When asked what the chances of finding 5 miles of nice looking, firm, and flat driving area would be during the third week of December, he answered,  “Less than 50%”.

SaltFlatGuideInterview