Logos: Jungle Software

Final Cut Pro.  Illusion.  AfterEffects.  There are tons of software programs out there for professional filmmakers.  And most of these programs I couldn’t figure out if my life depended on it, though they sound really cool.  And I really appreciate their being around, especially when I’m watching an effects-laden fantasy or horror film.

Now there’s two new things filmmakers can play around with; Chimpanzee and Koala.

* Chimpanzee Powerfully Simple Production™ — a software program that helps keep track of production

* Koala Call Sheets™ — a program that produces documents that tells everyone where and when to be at work for any given day (or days)

Okay, so I’m predisposed to like ’em just because they have cool names.  But in all honesty?  I share ’em just in case there’s an aspiring filmmaker out there looking for what to use, and how to use it.  Plus, I saw this release and couldn’t resist sharing, as it gives a peek into the creative process that is seldom talked about in the news.

If I had a video-camera and some software I’d…oh, who am I kidding.  I’m best leaving that stuff to y’all.

Read on for the press release!

SIMI VALLEY, Calif., Jan. 24, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — Jungle Software (http://junglesoftware.com), makers of Gorilla™ Film Scheduling and Budgeting software, today announced two new software titles, Chimpanzee Powerfully Simple Production™ and Koala Call Sheets™.

Chimpanzee is an easy-to-use, intuitive piece of software that helps emerging filmmakers get a grip on their production without emptying their wallet. Introduced as “Gorilla’s little cousin”, it’s the perfect fit for those who want to be able to schedule and budget their film projects without the huge learning curve of professional techniques and expense of professional tools. Chimpanzee’s features include the ability to import a screenplay, create breakdown sheets, manage cast & crew, generate call sheets, prop lists, shot lists and storyboards and create industry-standard film budgets.

“Over the years we received tons of feedback on Gorilla, our professional-level film production software,” says Aaton Cohen-Sitt, President of Jungle Software. “We pride ourselves on improving the software based on our customers’ needs and have done that with Gorilla over the last 10 years. Especially with the arrival of version 5 last year, Gorilla has truly become software designed for professional productions. We knew an entry-level version was needed. When we released the beta version of Chimpanzee, we received amazing feedback from filmmakers working on productions from $500 to $50,000 who said that Chimpanzee was exactly what they needed.”

Koala Call Sheets creates stunning, professional call sheets quickly and easily. It can be integrated with Gorilla and Chimpanzee, or be used as a standalone product.

Most filmmakers today create call sheets with Microsoft® Word or Excel which is very labor-intensive. Information that’s already been entered into scheduling software must then be re-entered into the call sheet template and repeated for every day a call sheet is needed. With the ability to export data from the scheduling modules of Gorilla or Chimpanzee and selecting one of Koala’s built-in templates, users can create a professional looking call sheet in minutes. Koala can be used by productions of all levels and sizes, from low-budget student projects to multi-million dollar professional studio projects.

“Koala Call Sheets has been very well received in early testing, especially by those working on large studio productions,” says Cohen-Sitt. There’s nothing out there like it and people have been clamoring for such a product for years.”

For a quick video tour of Chimpanzee or Koala, or for more information please visit http://junglesoftware.com.