Scaled Alps · 2243 E. Live Oak Drive, Los Feliz, Los Angeles · One night only
You should have been there.
Concert film · Live album · Art installations · One evening
Scaled Alps performs Let the Alpine Play in full · Los Feliz, Los Angeles
Sunset performance · Guest musicians after · 50–75 curated guests
High in the Hills is a film that contains a concert — not a concert that happens to be filmed. That distinction governs every decision.
Scaled Alps performs Let the Alpine Play front to back at a private residence in Los Feliz — a house James Quentin Devine knows intimately, has spent considerable time in, and performs in with the ease of a familiar room. The set begins at sunset. The performance is the anchor event. The film is the asset with a multi-year life.
Five art installations drawn from the record's mythology run concurrent throughout the house. A roaming camera works the audience, the installations, the pool, and the street. Three cameras cover the performance. A dedicated recording engineer captures a clean multi-track board feed — separate from the live mix — that becomes the live album.
After the Scaled Alps set, Patrick Shiroishi, Bertie Paradise, Zac Burgenbauch, and invited others take the space for a warm, unhurried jazz hour by the pool. Not a second act — an exhale. The night continues at its own pace.
The event is private, invitation-only, and not announced conventionally. The mythology precedes it. The film is the public document.
| # | Track | # | Track |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Another Clock Song (The 7th Unveiling) | 09 | Neo Noir (Stelvio) |
| 02 | Celestial Sighs | 10 | Selling It |
| 03 | Southerly | 11 | Slow Motion |
| 04 | Space/Time | 12 | Impro (The Imp of the Perverse) |
| 05 | Muffler (Chrome Viscera) | 13 | I Think We Met in Setagaya |
| 06 | T.T.M.S. (Sunyata) | 14 | Lemon Zest |
| 07 | You Got H-O-R-S, You Want E Too? | 15 | Tentacoli |
| 08 | Pink Diamonds | 16 | Throwaway Lines (Leo II) |
| Element | Spec |
|---|---|
| Stage level | Ground level patio. No riser. Same surface as guests. 270° camera movement possible. |
| Piano position | Left of center from audience perspective. Angled so pianist's face is readable from Camera A. |
| Drums | Right of center. SCALED ALPS kick drum head faces primary camera position and audience. |
| Bass / upright | Center-rear, between piano and drums. |
| Vocalist | Center. One mic stand. No monitor wedges visible — in-ears used. |
| Piano dressing | Three candlestick holders (real candles, secured, supervised). One glass of wine. Assign one watcher throughout. |
| Backline | Hired from backline company. Delivered, set up, and tuned before soundcheck. No borrowed gear for a filmed performance. |
| Rehearsal requirement | Full album run-through minimum three times before the night: once in studio, once at house during soundcheck, once in each performer's head the morning of. |
| 01 | James Quentin Devine | Voice & Lyrics | Scaled Alps / Blue Hell |
| 02 | Anthony Percoco | Instrumentation | Scaled Alps |
| 03 | Joan Darwin | Drums | Scaled Alps |
| 04 | Steve Fishman | Electric, Upright & Synth Bass | Scaled Alps |
| 05 | Patrick Shiroishi | Saxophone | Invited |
| 06 | Bertie Paradise | Latin Percussion | Invited |
| 07 | Zac Burgenbauch | Multi-Instrumentalist | Invited |
| — | Additional guests | TBC | After set |
| Camera | Type | Position | Mission |
|---|---|---|---|
| A — Master | Locked / tripod | Front, slightly elevated | Full band, pool visible, house behind. Always rolling. The edit's spine. |
| B — Roaming | Handheld, continuous | Audience → house → garden → pool | Never stationary. Never rushing. Shoulder height or below. Discovers the installations. The film's soul. |
| C — Performance | Fluid head / gimbal | Within performance zone | Vocalist during intensity. Piano hands during quiet. Kick pedal. Candles. Wine glass. Kick drum head. |
| D — Fourth | Tripod / handheld | Roof · pool level · driveway · kitchen window | Shots no concert film gets. Rare. Pre-planned at venue scout. Worth the setup. |
| Element | Specification |
|---|---|
| Multi-track board feed | Every instrument and vocal on a separate track. 24-bit / 48kHz minimum. This is the film's audio — camera audio is reference only. |
| Recording engineer | Dedicated. Separate from live sound engineer. Own interface, laptop, two drives. Sets up at 10am, levels confirmed at soundcheck. |
| Ambient mics | Two room mics at audience perimeter. Capture crowd, pool, and night air. Blended into final mix at 15–20% under the board feed. |
| Drive protocol | Two copies backed up on-site before any vendor leaves. Engineer holds one, producer holds one. |
| Post mix brief | Live album mix — not studio. It breathes. Sounds like standing in the garden at night. |
Audio is the non-negotiable. Bad audio cannot be fixed in post. This line item is funded first, before any other production element. A single missed track is a permanent loss.
| Role | Responsibility | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| Director | The film only. Camera decisions, shot list, operators. Not the performer. Not the producer. | Critical |
| Producer | Event logistics only. Vendors, permits, timeline, guest list, power, catering. Not the director. | Critical |
| Camera Ops × 3–4 | A (locked wide), B (roaming), C (performance close), D (opportunistic). Briefed together on concept and shot list. | Critical |
| Recording Engineer | Multi-track live recording, separate from live sound. Own interface and drives. Non-negotiable role. | Critical |
| Live Sound Engineer | PA and monitors for band and audience. Separate from recording engineer at all times. | Required |
| Lighting Designer | Practical-forward. Augments existing sources only. No stage lighting aesthetics. Lighting must not look designed. | Required |
| Installation Designer | Dresses all six rooms before guest arrival. Fully briefed on record mythology. Executes independently. | Required |
| Location Coordinator | Property owner or designated rep. Knows every breaker, has the neighbor's number, manages all vendor access. | Required |
| Pre-event | ||
| 10:00am | Vendor load-in | Backline, lighting, camera equipment. Recording engineer sets up independently from live sound. |
| 12:00pm | Installations | Installation team dresses all six rooms before guests see the house. |
| 2:00pm | Lighting | Lighting setup complete. Camera positions confirmed and tested with stand-ins. |
| 4:00pm | Soundcheck | Band only. No guests. Engineer confirms all tracks hot. Full run-through if time allows. |
| 5:30pm | Lock + confirm | All systems confirmed. Director walks shot list with camera ops. Pool candle placed. |
| Event | ||
| 7:00pm | Guests arrive | Roaming camera starts rolling immediately on first arrival. |
| Sunset | Scaled Alps | No announcement. No introduction. The band plays. |
| ~9:30pm | After set begins | Shiroishi, Paradise, Burgenbauch et al. Jazz hour. Informal. Roaming camera continues. |
| 10:30pm | Jazz hour ends | Roaming stays live — pool, street, lit window, the house after. |
| 11:00pm | Hard stop | Music off. Permit compliance. |
| 11:30pm | Load-out | Vendors begin. Drives backed up before recording engineer leaves the property. |
| Deliverable | Specification |
|---|---|
| Audio mix | Live album mix. Not studio. Ambient mics blend under board feed at 15–20%. Sounds like the garden at night. Delivered as stereo master + stems. |
| Picture edit | Camera A (locked wide) is the edit spine. Roaming and performance close footage cut against music. Installation shots placed between tracks or during quiet passages. |
| Film structure | Beginning: house at night, guests arriving, candle lit. Middle: the full performance. End: pool, street, lit window, quiet. Runtime: album length + 10–15 min environmental. |
| Color grade | Warm, practical, amber-pushed. The 93.5 green of the LTAP logo is the only cool note in the film. Film grain at modest level — found, not affected. |
| Titles | Opening: black ground, white text, SCALED ALPS: HIGH IN THE HILLS. Five seconds. End card: Recorded live at 2243 East Live Oak Drive, Los Angeles. One night only. Credits over ambient audio of the house after performance. |
| Track clips × 16 | Individual track extractions. Released weekly between event and streaming launch. Each self-contained. |
| Short-form | 60–90 second clips from roaming footage — installations, pool candle, guest musicians — for social distribution. |
| Live album delivery | All 16 tracks → stereo mix → DistroKid → Musicbed and premium sync libraries. Full metadata: all moods, BPMs, instrumentation tagged. |
| Primary distribution | YouTube: full film unlisted first (press access), public on announced date. Content ID enabled on all audio from date of DistroKid registration. |
| Line item | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Permits & Insurance | ||
| City of LA Special Event Permit (via permit service) | $200 | $400 |
| One-day event liability insurance | $150 | $300 |
| Production Crew | ||
| Director (flat fee) | $500 | $1,500 |
| Camera Operators × 3 | $900 | $2,100 |
| Camera Operator — 4th (opportunistic) | $0 | $700 |
| Recording Engineer (live multi-track) | $400 | $800 |
| Live Sound Engineer | $300 | $600 |
| Lighting Designer | $300 | $700 |
| Equipment Rental | ||
| Camera package × 3 (bodies + lenses) | $600 | $1,800 |
| Gimbals / fluid heads | $150 | $400 |
| Recording interface + drives | $0 | $300 |
| Ambient microphone pair | $0 | $200 |
| Lighting package (practical augmentation only) | $300 | $800 |
| Backline (full PA + instruments) | $600 | $1,200 |
| Generator (if house power insufficient) | $0 | $400 |
| Installations | ||
| Lyric room (large-format printing) | $200 | $400 |
| Candy heart room (fabrication + light) | $50 | $200 |
| Desertion Sessions room (materials) | $0 | $50 |
| Pool candle + float | $20 | $40 |
| LTAP window (vinyl or transparency + backlight) | $20 | $80 |
| Reptilian humanoids press image (large-format + frame) | $50 | $150 |
| In-character guest makeup / prosthetics | $100 | $500 |
| Event | ||
| Catering / bar (50–75 guests) | $500 | $1,500 |
| Miscellaneous / contingency | $300 | $700 |
| Post-Production | ||
| Audio mix (live album) | $400 | $1,200 |
| Picture edit | $500 | $1,500 |
| Color grade | $200 | $600 |
| Total — correct version | $6,740 | $17,620 |
Budget priority order: (1) audio recording — cannot be fixed in post · (2) lighting — cannot be fixed in post · (3) director · (4) camera operators · (5) everything else. | Minimum viable version (1 camera, board feed only, DIY installations): $2,000–$3,500. Produces documentation, not a film.
One weekend of production generates a feature film, 16 individual performance clips, a live album, photography assets, press materials, and sync-licensable recordings of all 16 tracks. Estimates below are conservative and assume no exceptional sync outcomes.
| Stream | Pathway | Year 1 Est. |
|---|---|---|
| Brand sponsorship | Lead spirits partner (Madre Mezcal preferred) + 2–3 secondary categories. Negotiated as production offset against credit and usage rights in film and all release materials. Outreach 8 weeks pre-production.Madre is first call — JQD drinks from a Kahiki glass on camera throughout the evening. | $5,000–$17,000 |
| Sync licensing — live recordings | 16 tracks recorded live in multi-track, delivered to Musicbed and premium sync libraries as a companion live album. One mid-tier TV or film placement covers the full production cost.Masters delivered with full metadata within 30 days of post-production completion. | $2,000–$15,000 per placement |
| Arts grants | California Arts Council · NEA Grants for Arts Projects · California Humanities · music industry equity funds. Applications drafted and submitted 6 weeks prior to production.High in the Hills is a documented case study in accessible performance production and is a strong candidate across multiple grant categories. | $2,000–$10,000 |
| Live album — vinyl | 300-unit pressing at $18–22 production cost, retail $30–35. Pre-orders open concurrent with film release and fund the pressing before it goes to plant.Sold through Fourthwall + shows + one record shop. | $2,400–$5,100 |
| YouTube | Full film + 16 weekly track clip releases. Conservative: 50k cumulative views year one at $3–5 RPM. Content ID enabled on all audio from date of registration — every third-party use generates revenue automatically.Long-tail compounds across subsequent years. | $150–$250 + long-tail |
| Photography | Editorial stills licensed to music press, lifestyle publications, and sponsoring brands. $150 (editorial) to $1,500+ (commercial) per image.Images delivered to press contacts and sponsors within 2 weeks of event. | $500–$3,000 |
| Festival screening | Film submitted to SXSW, LA Film Festival, Music Film Network Festival, and curatorial platforms. Licensing fees per screening context.Submissions open immediately following picture lock. | $500–$5,000 |
| Premiere / public screening | Ticketed theatrical premiere or listening event. Door revenue against a separate production cost well below $1,000.Staged 30–60 days after YouTube public release. | $500–$2,000 per event |
| Projected total — conservative, year one | $13,050–$57,350+ |
The production cost of the correct version is $6,740–$17,620. The conservative revenue floor exceeds the midpoint of that range by end of year one with no exceptional sync outcome. A single mid-tier sync placement covers the full production cost.
Brand presence at High in the Hills is presence in the record of a night — not an ad, but part of the document. The aesthetic is warm, dark, romantic, specific. Pool light. Candles. Mezcal in hand. The right brand does not feel sponsored. It feels like it belongs.
JQD drinks from a Kahiki glass throughout the evening and the film. Madre bottles at the bar and in all environmental shots. Credited in film titles and all release materials. Warm, nocturnal, craft-forward visual language — identical to the event's. Est. production offset: $3,000–$8,000.
Present in the after-set environment. Subtle product placement in roaming camera footage and photography. Social content rights. Credited in film titles. Est. production offset: $1,000–$3,000.
Styling credit for the evening's wardrobe. Presence in photography and film. The audience is curated — every person in frame is someone worth dressing. Editorial photography usage rights. Est. offset: $500–$2,000 or equivalent in product.
Technical production credit. Equipment visible in use throughout. The film is proof of what the gear does in a real environment. Behind-the-scenes content available. Est. offset: $500–$2,000 or equivalent in equipment loan.
The creative vision, the setlist, the art direction, and the mythology are complete. What accelerates execution is a technical co-founder who owns the production and post-production pipeline — and who understands that a film produced correctly here is an asset generating revenue and cultural capital for years.
| Responsibility | Detail |
|---|---|
| Production management | Vendor sourcing, scheduling, contracts, permits, day-of logistics from load-in to strike. |
| Technical infrastructure | Camera package selection, recording setup spec, post-production pipeline from raw footage to all deliverables. |
| Budget management | Tracking spend against approved budget. Managing contingency. Final reconciliation. |
| Distribution | YouTube upload, Content ID configuration, sync library delivery, DistroKid setup for live album. |
| Optional: investment | Partial or full production financing ($6,740–$17,620) in exchange for defined equity in the High in the Hills asset and / or Blue Hell / W.A.V. |
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Co-producer credit | On the film, on the live album, and on all associated release materials. Permanent record of participation. |
| Equity in Blue Hell / W.A.V. | Negotiated. Reflects technical contribution and any financial investment. Can sit at the W.A.V. parent level (broadest exposure) or at the HITH-specific asset level. |
| First-mover position | Entry into a media vertical with a complete first record, a fully developed creative universe, an active release strategy, and a production pipeline of 10+ additional projects. |
| Infrastructure access | The WAVpool, The Altar Studios relationship, existing press contacts (50-target list compiled), and sync library infrastructure. |