After a line of award winning shorts, the team at Visionary Age have decided to embark on a feature project,
looking to bring the same kind of accolades and attention brought to the company from prior shorts.
Utilizing the technology of high-definition digital video, "The Seven Swords" is being shot using Panasonic's HVX200.
Filmmakers Eric Ekman and Vino Salame, co-directors of the project, decided on the camera in part because it offers a medium that
is affordable, yet gives a final product more accessible for theatrical exhibition whether in video or film formats.
This also allows the team to bring their company, Visionary Age into the post-production process and be completely
involved in the project. Prior to pre-production, the duo went out and shot a test short using the camera and were
surprised at how much the camera had to offer - even beyond their expectations.
Visionary Age, established in 2002, is responsible for "Anguish (2003)", "Forgotten Heroes (2003)", and "Redemption (2004)" all of which won numerous
awards at the Palm Beach International Film Festival. The company and filmmakers are also known for incorporating
various special effects and low budget tactics giving their projects the same production values as movies that are much
larger in both crew and budget. Like their shorts made before "The Seven Swords", the team plans to use their trusty
Apple Computers for all their post-productions needs. "Editing on Final Cut Pro allows us to use the same kind of post
production tools as the Hollywood players for just a fraction of what they are spending," says Ekman. Shooting over the
span of twenty days the guys have encountered their share of naysayers. "We've already been given flack for approaching
the project on such a low budget, but thanks to the affordability and versatility of both the HVX200 and Apple's software
it is more than possible," according to Salame, "I'm wondering why anyone hasn't done this before." "Thanks to the
technology we can shoot in June, edit in July, and have it cut and ready by August," says Ekman. The team then plans to
send the film off to film festival circuit in the fall and start working on their next project by the winter.
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