What an incredible beginning to the year!  Life has moved so quickly.  In the past few months, my wife Kim and I welcomed our third baby, Zeke Iron Masternak, to the family.  We bought our first minivan, something I never pictured doing.  Aurora Forge is officially an LLC as of March 2018.  We acquired our first new addition to our equipment: a high-resolution scanner.

This scanner is a beast!  It can do an entire 8.5 x 11 page in 2400 dpi, a level of detail so fine it clearly shows the fibers that make up the paper.  This will be useful for blowing up images and for zooming and panning when incorporating images into video storytelling.

The new scanner also handles film and slides in fantastic detail.  With a few collections to start from for digital conversion, the stories are already starting to pour forth.  It’s amazing to see this part of the ultimate vision materializing.

Aurora Forge is all about great storytelling, and I am so excited that we can begin to help families tell their stories.  This is step one.  Can’t wait to show the rest!

– Marcus

It’s 2:25a.m. on January 30, 2018.  About 10 years ago, I reserved a domain name for a website I know could still change the world.  Over the years, bits and pieces of design come into my head, so I sketch them on napkins, invitations, business cards or whatever else is near.  While the current vision of the site is not nearly the ambitious behemoth I envision, this is a manageable start.  Humble beginnings.

After 10 years, TONIGHT I finally feel proud of this site and its layout.  Finally, I can see the way forward, and guess what, my friends…the path is bright.

Time to turn in.  May you sleep well and dream of utopias.

– Marcus
FB: @mmasternak
IG: @marc.rock

P.S. TikiMon watches over us all, benevolently I’m sure.

People ask how the holidays were.  For my family, they had some pretty unreal twists and turns.  The lows were shockingly low, but the highs were strong, and balance is what it’s all about in my book.

Today is 1/25/18.  We have almost completed 1/12 months in the year, 3/52 weeks if you’re in retail, and almost 2/26 bi-weeks if you’re in payroll.  Time flies.  How long ago were you in college?  High school?  Middle school?  Kindergarten?  How far back do you remember?  Where are you right now?  Savor it, friend.  It all goes so quickly.

That being said, my ambitions for 2017 were grand.  This was going to be “our year” and I was going to launch my creative business and start down the path of-oh-no-it’s-February-and-I-just-broke-my-neck-and-totaled-my-truck!!   Well…2017 was not quite all we hoped.

I think it’s safe to say that 2018 will be a great year!  For serious.  I am wrapping up a business plan for Aurora Forge, finalizing an equipment list for start-up, and planning an exciting way to kick off the business and make everything possible.  Hopes are high, and I am happy.

I write this as my wife and children sleep.  The kids have no idea how close things come to not being okay, but that’s part of the magic of parenting, isn’t it?  As long as they sleep soundly, smiling as they drift off to sleep, I am a happy father.

If all goes to the grand design, soon I will have video production equipment to capture their stories in beautiful detail.

In closing up shop for the night, I wish you well.  I wish you pleasant dreams, sound sleep, and a night free of worry.  Tomorrow is a new day…another opportunity to make great things happen.

Cheers.

-Marcus
@marc.rock

Check it out!  Filmsupply.com ran a contest called Filmsupply Challenge.  Contestants use access to professional stock video, music and audio effects to create a video 60 seconds or less.  There are 8 prizes packages to win, one of them being a $15K editing station.  Naturally, I gave it a shot.

This video ended up becoming a glimpse of what we’re going for here at Aurora Forge.  Please take a minute to watch it and leave some feedback!

Winners are announced Nov 14th.  The process of making the video and having the entry accepted is a prize in itself.

What do you think?  Looking forward to the next project!

Respectfully,

Marcus Masternak