James Manning
James Manning's short film Queen of Spades tells the story of two savvy "Hearts" players with a passion for cards and an endless appetite to win at any cost. Manning wrote and directed the film, which stars his wife, professional actress and dancer Shely Pack-Manning. Queen of Spades was captured and edited using Vegas software, and the musical score was created using ACID Pro software.
Manning said that using Sony Creative Software allowed him not only to write, direct, and act in the film, but edit and score it as well. In Manning's words, "Sony Creative Software technology allowed us to achieve our goal which was to hold the attention of the audience for 21 minutes while telling the story of a simple game of hearts." Queen of Spades was shown at the 2004 California Independent Film Festival.
With ACID Pro software Manning can compose royalty-free, original music for his projects. Since many of his projects have very small budgets, being able to produce his own music helps him keep costs down. And Vegas software allows him to do his own editing and video scoring. "I use ACID and Vegas software because of their ease-of-use and reliability. I know I can count on them to produce the best film, music, and video possible on time and on (or under) budget." Manning adds, "My clients and associates are amazed at the results we can achieve with the Sony Creative Software products."
Manning is currently producing a documentary about the dance world entitled Why Dance?, which includes interviews with ballerinas, artistic directors, parents, dance teachers, contest judges, and dancers from all over the U.S. Manning's other film credits include Ashes to Ashes, Harold, Darling, and Knesting Instinct. He has also appeared in numerous plays, television commercials, and public service announcements. In addition to acting and directing, Manning operates a small lighting and sound business in Northern California, and works as an audio consultant with various organizations including SOTA (The San Francisco Performing Arts High School).
