Hope that everyone is enjoying the summer. I must admit, I have been at this “Project Misty”, around the clock, but it is really coming together very well. I am going to do my best to give you all an update on all fronts and I will try my best to cover all the bases. If I don’t cover something you are curious about, just send me an email. So here it goes:

1. Project Misty is a success, as far as the initial pledging and support, it is wonderful. The majority of the backers have paid and payments are still coming in, but there are still about 40 backers, who have not sent in payment, and that is fine, but please let us know if you still want to participate in the project, if not we will take you off the list. We have so far gotten over 11 thousand dollars in payments, THANK YOU! If you have paid, but not gotten a PAID invoice, you can always send me an email. If you still want to pledge, you can also send me an email.

2. PREPARING FOR BLU-The project is going forward and this new direction of making it “Blu”, has added many new obstacles and challenges, all which are being worked on around the clock. Like completing the Blu Ray menus, the Hd video encoding of all of the video elements, as well as sound sourcing for the HD-DTS audio, Configuring Subtitle tracks for HD screens, and much more. So the project is going blu and we have already begun to send files to have the Blu-Ray 50, professional authored. After authoring, the files are being replicated by a foreign company.

Originally the release was going to be a COMBO PACK- with 2 DVD’s and 1 Blu Ray 50. Many fans wanted to have the Blu Ray as a standalone, so we decided to give them that option. It is a bit more expensive, and we were counting on the extra funds to make a blu ray sized booklet, so there are still some minor details that are up in the air, but they will fall into place. Maybe the Blu Ray, won’t have the booklet inside it, or maybe I will print a blu ray sized book, for both versions?? Not sure yet. Printing these thick liner books, is very expensive, so we want to make a wise choice, before signing off.

As far as technical details, the basics for the Blu video encoding is that the video content is being encoded as H264 AVCHD for Blu Ray. The majority of the audio tracks, will be sourced using the AC3 audio file, with the exception of the 5.1 mix for the main feature, which will be encoded as DTS-HD Master Audio. We are keeping the bit rate as high as possible for the main feature, while still giving enough to keep the HD extras looking crisp. We have to keep all of the HD material to about 350 minutes, and we have about 13 language tracks, and at least 6 major HD video extras, and much more, so it will be a blu ray 50, dual layer, with a 50gb capacity, for the most part.

3.NEW MATERIAL: This is a last minute addition, but possible one of the more unique video features on the upcoming Blu Ray, a contribution made by a friend and colleague of Distribpix. The last interview with Jamie Gillis on video, before he died, in HD. It is amazing footage, and never before seen, ever!! It is edited to about 20 minutes, and he talks about his early days, the porn biz and his anger at the Hollywood blockbuster,”Boggie Nights”. This is being edited with B-roll footage this week, and is the final video element for the release, and it is a sizzler! Awesome and rare.

4. Post-Production is almost complete, with only minor Q/A being done on the features and film subtitles, for the standard DVD release. An interesting aspect to this film project in general, which is rare, is that Metzger shot “The Opening of Misty Beethoven”, in multiple film formats- 16mm, super 16mm, and 35mm stock were all utilized, not too mention much of the dialog in this epic film, is dubbed. This is discussed by Metzger himself in the commentary. But even with the restoration work at the lab, we still have to make timing tweeks, and some other adjustments.

5.PROJECT MISTY REWARDS, SHIPPING, AND TIMEFRAME- Most of the rewards are beginning to show up, The 2 posters are absolutely gorgeous and are being picked up from the printer on Wed. The T shirt designs are classic and awesome keepsakes of this project, they go to print by Friday of this week- july 9th, and take about 10 days to produce. The tickets for the screenings have arrived and anyone who pledged at that level, will get your tickets, with the rewards. The standard 2 DVD special edition, and the Blu Ray are still being completed, Standard DVD is scheduled to be at the replicators by the week of the 24, and the Blu soon after. The 2 disc set will be done and in house before the Blu ray, as the blu is being done in a foreign country , and we have time and shipping delays. The hand blown and etched ‘Henry Paris” martini glasses are being made and we expect them no later than july 24. Last week, I signed off on the CD cover art and the liner notes book, and it is in production, by a wonderful print/CD factory in the Pacific Northwest, we are rushing them to see if we can have delivery of the final album elements to us by July’s end. The album has been a year in the making and it is really special, if your a fan of the music in this film, WOW!! You are in LUCK.We are also working on some theatrical screenings, we will keep you posted.

SHIPPING-As always planned the only economical way of making this happen, is to send all of the pledges their rewards at the same time, and in many cases, all in the same boxes, especially for larger packaged pledges.This is a very time consuming and expensive process, of having to package all of the rewards, and address and get them to the post office, for delivery and many are overseas! Once the rewards begin to come in, we will assemble them and take some pics and we will post them.We have already purchased the proper boxes and padding necessary to get things like posters and martini glasses all over the globe, without breaking.

TIMEFRAMES-So, with all of that said, if this was just going to come out as a 2 disc standard DVD release, it would be ready by the end of July, but since we have decided to go Blu- we must wait until everything is done and will release all at the same time. It is only fair, and much of this we are feeling out, as this is the first time we have done anything like this. But we are going for ASAP, and it is coming to an end, production is near. Also, all project misty backers, will have their rewards shipped before the film is released. We can’t control the US Postal Service, but we will get them out, before the film is released to the public.

Final Words and back to work I go:

If anyone can understand pressure, I can assure you that right now in my life, I am feeling it pretty hard. Not only am I responsible to all of you wonderful backers, who are making this project possible, but I am also constantly at war with myself, as a perfectionist, who will never have perfection, it is a tough battle. But my entire life, besides sleep, is getting this entire project complete. We are chugging away, it is hard work for me, as I am also running this archive, selling merchandise and staying on top of stuff, as best I can. I have adapted to a regular routine of double shifts, working early in the day til around 7 pm, I take a 2 or 3 hour break, and head back to get get in another shift, before crashing out of desperation for sleep. Sometimes I sleep in my bed, sometimes a cot, but no matter where I am, I got the A/C cranking!!

To all of you who have backed this project, you are absolutely getting the best value that I have ever seen offered. Literally, you can’t lose, it is such a special project, and I am thankful to all of you, and I am asking for your patience, while I pull through to a miraculous conclusion on this amazing project and experience. And I can say, that I have put my all, my heart and soul, into every aspect of this project, and I can guarantee that a possible delay of a few weeks, will be worth it, in every sense of the word. I have reached as far as I could on this one, and then you guys stepped up as well, it feels good, and thousands of hours have been put into this epic trio, which will all become available on the same day, in the very, very, near future- The Original Misty Beethoven Soundtrack on CD, The Opening of Misty Beethoven 2 Disc-Special Edition DVD and the Opening of Misty Beethoven on BLU RAY! And all of them done, in style, high end all the way!!

Thanks for being on board!