Aside from my short film, I've also been working on other projects.
I'm working on a sci-fi project with another indie director. We're looking to try and get it sold or funded. I'm trying to write it in such a way that it won't be hard to shoot locally, but has the ability to bend to a real budget. Eric, my collaborator, also has plans for a sci-fi TV comedy which he has written a pilot for. He wants me to write an episode of that too.
Not to mention that I've got a great idea for a script with a powerful female lead. I want to shoot a trailer for that and fully flush out the script. I think I could shop it around if I was able to show potential backers what I had in mind.
My dream project is a series of films that I've dubbed "The Trilogy". They started out as one film about a man on a mission to decipher the female mind, but have painfully evolved into something much more. So much more that it requires three films to do it. Only one film has been started, the second has an outline, but the third is still in limbo.
I venture to say that I've got enough ideas in my skull to last me a long, long, long, long time.
9/11 has also been something I've been thinking about. I praise and condemn Oliver Stone for his film. On the one hand, he was brave enough to tackle an event that is still so fresh in our collective consciousness. It is important that we tell this story and that we tell this story now. On the flip side, I know that there are a lot of people who are still dealing with the tragedy of 9/11 and those of whom it has affected personally. I think we all have some stake in what happened that day in September. I might have not been there or known anyone who died in the attacks, but I considered myself a New Yorker that day. I think we all were that day.
I want to do a film, mostly for myself, for purging, about 9/11. I'm caught up in all sorts of things about 9/11. It's my Kennedy assassination, it seems. I'm fascinated, sickened, angered and saddened about Sept. 11th. I need to turn that pain and hatred into something useful. For myself. For anyone who wants to see it. I'm not sure how I will approach the subject yet. I'm still in planning.
There's so much to do and so little time, it seems. I hope I get a little time.
-30-
Almost
I've been staying up late. Real late. Little by little I've put together the entire film. No music. Sound is still rough. A few cuts have jagged edges. I have big bags under my eyes. But it's basically done.
I see movies different than I did before. I mean, I use to pay attention to the edits, but they seem to be more prominent. Like raised type on a business card.
Last night my wife and I watched the rough cut. I'm not thrilled. I'm happy, not satisfied. I think the satisfaction won't come until I do this for a living. But I'm happy. Happy to be doing what I was meant to do.
I think I got some great performances from my actors, but I didn't get their best performance. Some actors were just too inexperienced or just didn't come prepared. Still, the scenes aren't horrible and their performances aren't either. I'd work with all of them again.
By the same token, I wasn't nearly as prepared for this as I had thought I'd been. I saw so many things that I could have done better or shots that I could have worked better than what I had planned. If I had storyboarded this like I had planned, it would have looked sharper and would have seemed more deliberate.
The sound isn't clean yet. I know that will help the feel of the film by leaps and bounds. And I haven't put the music down yet either, so I know that will help too. I'm already planning my next project, at least the production aspects. I have a few ideas of what I will shoot next. Right now, I just need to get this film in the can and out to the world.
-30-
I see movies different than I did before. I mean, I use to pay attention to the edits, but they seem to be more prominent. Like raised type on a business card.
Last night my wife and I watched the rough cut. I'm not thrilled. I'm happy, not satisfied. I think the satisfaction won't come until I do this for a living. But I'm happy. Happy to be doing what I was meant to do.
I think I got some great performances from my actors, but I didn't get their best performance. Some actors were just too inexperienced or just didn't come prepared. Still, the scenes aren't horrible and their performances aren't either. I'd work with all of them again.
By the same token, I wasn't nearly as prepared for this as I had thought I'd been. I saw so many things that I could have done better or shots that I could have worked better than what I had planned. If I had storyboarded this like I had planned, it would have looked sharper and would have seemed more deliberate.
The sound isn't clean yet. I know that will help the feel of the film by leaps and bounds. And I haven't put the music down yet either, so I know that will help too. I'm already planning my next project, at least the production aspects. I have a few ideas of what I will shoot next. Right now, I just need to get this film in the can and out to the world.
-30-
Networking
Thursday, August 10, 2006
Sometimes, it doesn't matter how low on the ladder a contact can be. He just needs to be able to give you what you need.
During my time at Rumbo, I use to walk through the parking lot across from the Milam, on the Soledad side, every morning. And every morning I'd spot the lot attendant from across the lot. He'd wave and I'd wave back. I think the most we ever said to each other had to do with weather. He was always cool, always courteous and always waved.
I had to run downtown before work to get some pickup shots of the Milam building today and I saw him. We spoke for a bit.
He commented on how he hadn't seen me for a while and asked where I was working. He said he'd heard about all the layoffs and about how he'd heard there would probably be more.
I had my camera and tripod with me so he instinctively asked what I was doing. I told him I just came to get a shot of the building. With that, I went to it.
I got a so-so shot of the Milam and then went inside to get some room tone for the scene with Luis walking to the office.
When I left, I stopped by to say later to the attendant. Now, this may seem kinda fucked up, but I didn't even get his name. But we talked a bit more, shook hands and as I was leaving, he said, "Whatever you need out here, just come and see me in the morning."
Making contacts rules. Making a new friend rules harder.
-30-
During my time at Rumbo, I use to walk through the parking lot across from the Milam, on the Soledad side, every morning. And every morning I'd spot the lot attendant from across the lot. He'd wave and I'd wave back. I think the most we ever said to each other had to do with weather. He was always cool, always courteous and always waved.
I had to run downtown before work to get some pickup shots of the Milam building today and I saw him. We spoke for a bit.
He commented on how he hadn't seen me for a while and asked where I was working. He said he'd heard about all the layoffs and about how he'd heard there would probably be more.
I had my camera and tripod with me so he instinctively asked what I was doing. I told him I just came to get a shot of the building. With that, I went to it.
I got a so-so shot of the Milam and then went inside to get some room tone for the scene with Luis walking to the office.
When I left, I stopped by to say later to the attendant. Now, this may seem kinda fucked up, but I didn't even get his name. But we talked a bit more, shook hands and as I was leaving, he said, "Whatever you need out here, just come and see me in the morning."
Making contacts rules. Making a new friend rules harder.
-30-
Post Toasting
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Luis emailed me yesterday and said, "Hurry your ass up and finish the damn thing so i can see what it looks like."
I don't think he really know what's involved in editing. lol
It's been a couple of weeks since I wrapped on principal photography. Much to my dismay, there were several problems with the existing footage.
The pick up shots we took to correct the parking lot shots with the boom in frame worked out well, but they didn't have great sound. The sound was place on a separate tape that was in my camera.
I misplaced the tape.
Yes. I misplaced it.
So I went back and looked at the footage we had shot originally and was able to salvage it using a cropping technique in Final Cut. Wheew.
The internal mailbox footage that Hank shot was good, but it didn't really show the opening of the mailbox like the one I shot. And there was yet another problem with it. The mail they used was mail that they found in the mailbox, not the 'stunt mail' that we had used on the first day of shooting. What sucks most about it is that Hank went the extra mile and removed my name tag from the mailbox and place one with Rick's last name on it.
So, I went back to the original footage and looked at the second round of internal mailbox footage and found the best one. Then, using the magic of editing, I was able to apply the cuts in and out in such a way that you don't even notice my real name is on the inside of the mailbox door. Unless you slow it down to half speed. lol.
Luis went to see a film group friend, Mike, to record the narration. Mike has a home studio and allowed me to send Luis over to get it on cd. When I got back, I swung by Mike's and picked up the recording. It sounded fantastic. He and Luis did a great job. It was natural and well paced. Only one problem.
In my haste to leave for Houston, I hurriedly compiled the narration from the original script, made some additions and subtractions and sent it to Luis. I tried to make sure I changed everything that we'd either altered or dropped. Sadly, I missed one thing.
It has to do with the sudden change of locations from the gas station to the parking lot. Rick's narration specifically mentions the gas station in such a way that might be difficult to edit. I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet, but I've got some ideas. I think that I might be able to splice in a word or two from some other part of his reading or cut a word out somehow or even have Luis call me and give me some dialogue that I can dump into an audio program and clean up. I'm gonna consult with Mike to see if there's a way he can help me.
Lastly, there were little pick up shots I wanted to get with Luis, but didn't get around to it. I've got an idea of using a stand it that won't be directly seen and grabbing some shots for filled in certain sections. I'm not comfortable with the idea, but I want this to feel good if not look fantastic. The front 5 minutes are the most crucial ones for the development of the story, I think. As it stands, it's working well, but I'm going to need some additional footage. Fortunately, I think I'll be able to do it all on my own. The optical issues that my camera was experiencing seem to have cleared up long enough for me to give it a shot, so to speak.
I'm really excited about the editing portion. It's a whole different animal and I think I have a greater understanding of what it means to chop a film.
The last thing I'll have to do is score the thing. That part I'm not looking forward to. But that's another blog.
-30-
I don't think he really know what's involved in editing. lol
It's been a couple of weeks since I wrapped on principal photography. Much to my dismay, there were several problems with the existing footage.
The pick up shots we took to correct the parking lot shots with the boom in frame worked out well, but they didn't have great sound. The sound was place on a separate tape that was in my camera.
I misplaced the tape.
Yes. I misplaced it.
So I went back and looked at the footage we had shot originally and was able to salvage it using a cropping technique in Final Cut. Wheew.
The internal mailbox footage that Hank shot was good, but it didn't really show the opening of the mailbox like the one I shot. And there was yet another problem with it. The mail they used was mail that they found in the mailbox, not the 'stunt mail' that we had used on the first day of shooting. What sucks most about it is that Hank went the extra mile and removed my name tag from the mailbox and place one with Rick's last name on it.
So, I went back to the original footage and looked at the second round of internal mailbox footage and found the best one. Then, using the magic of editing, I was able to apply the cuts in and out in such a way that you don't even notice my real name is on the inside of the mailbox door. Unless you slow it down to half speed. lol.
Luis went to see a film group friend, Mike, to record the narration. Mike has a home studio and allowed me to send Luis over to get it on cd. When I got back, I swung by Mike's and picked up the recording. It sounded fantastic. He and Luis did a great job. It was natural and well paced. Only one problem.
In my haste to leave for Houston, I hurriedly compiled the narration from the original script, made some additions and subtractions and sent it to Luis. I tried to make sure I changed everything that we'd either altered or dropped. Sadly, I missed one thing.
It has to do with the sudden change of locations from the gas station to the parking lot. Rick's narration specifically mentions the gas station in such a way that might be difficult to edit. I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet, but I've got some ideas. I think that I might be able to splice in a word or two from some other part of his reading or cut a word out somehow or even have Luis call me and give me some dialogue that I can dump into an audio program and clean up. I'm gonna consult with Mike to see if there's a way he can help me.
Lastly, there were little pick up shots I wanted to get with Luis, but didn't get around to it. I've got an idea of using a stand it that won't be directly seen and grabbing some shots for filled in certain sections. I'm not comfortable with the idea, but I want this to feel good if not look fantastic. The front 5 minutes are the most crucial ones for the development of the story, I think. As it stands, it's working well, but I'm going to need some additional footage. Fortunately, I think I'll be able to do it all on my own. The optical issues that my camera was experiencing seem to have cleared up long enough for me to give it a shot, so to speak.
I'm really excited about the editing portion. It's a whole different animal and I think I have a greater understanding of what it means to chop a film.
The last thing I'll have to do is score the thing. That part I'm not looking forward to. But that's another blog.
-30-
Day 8: The End
Sunday, July 23, 2006
The last day of principal photography started with me being nearly an hour late for the first scene.
Fortunately, I made up by bringing cold water and lemon lime sodas to the location. It was a hot mother fucker. My wife, Tonya, got good and cooked. When we got home her face was dark red. My forehead, neck and even my nose were red. But I digress.
Theo, one of the people I credit with really helping me realize this film, found a piece of broken glass on the street a day before that we were going to need for a scene in which he arrives to his car to find the window broken out. What he found was actually a pane of glass with some kind of tint film on it. The glass was broke, but stuck to the tint. Hank and I broke it apart and scattered it on the hot asphalt to better simulate a window break. I think it worked out well. Theo had a blast yelling out cuss words as he walked into the scene.
In the last post I mentioned that we'd still be short one actor. It was for one of the pivotal scenes for the protagonist, Luis. Fortunately, I found a guy to play. Will came to the cattle call IFMASA had sometime back and I wondered if he might be the guy for the gig. At the time, the part was built a little different. Now I just wanted to fill the spot with the best person possible.
Everything was set. Or so I thought. I called Ariel, the guy who would play the drunk angry guy. I couldn't get a hold of him, at first, but when I did, he told me that he would be unable to make the shoot.
*sound of needle scratching the record*
Yes. I lost the actor I thought I had locked in. My back-up plan was a flimsy one. I would ask one of the Rumbo guys, Bruno, to come downstairs and fill in. Hey, it was better than no plan at all. Bruno's doesn't speak great English, but since it's an alternate take, he doesn't have to.
In the middle of my preparations for ritual siboku, I decided to continue with the shoot. I got Jared and Britney squared away for the fight sequence. We did a few takes of the punch, some close-ups and then the wide shot.
Britney is a really sweet girl. Unfortunately, she doesn't have much experience and not a lot of range. But I wanted her to cut her teeth on something simple. I think that I'll have to be very careful on her scene. The wrong cut and everything will fall apart. Her partner in the scene, Jared, is fantastic. He's got energy and he really got into the part. I hope to work with both of these people again.
Will sat off set and rehearsed his part with my wife's help. Then a crazy thing happened.
While I was setting Jared and Britney up for their alternate take, a guy walking by recognized Jared. Turns out Quinn, the passerby, was an actor friend of Jared's. He's a stout guy. Smaller than Will. But he had the look of a guy who could commit a hate crime, lol. The scene had originally called for Will's character to be the short one and the part of the drunk would be the tall one. The tables were turned, but what was about to happen worked out better than I had planned. Well, not better, but it worked out.
Quinn's an actor. I'm a director needing an actor. The decision was simple.
I offered Quinn the part on the spot. I gave him the scenes, let he and Will rehearse off set, in the parking lot and I returned to Jared and Britney. There's an alternate take where Britney is to be slapped. I blocked them so I could get the hit, but not the fall. In fact, I really wanted not to get a lot the action at all. I wanted the audience to imagine the rest. But I shot it win Britney taking the hit and falling off frame.
After we wrapped Jared and Britney, we moved onto a shot we missed with Theo and Luis. They would walk out of the Milam building and down the street. Knocked it out quick.
Then came Will and Luis. I'm not sure how many productions or films Will has been involved in, but he was a bit green too. He had the right instincts during his rehearsals, but when he got in front of the camera, it was a bit stilted. I don't feel I got his best performance, but I can't expect perfection when I'm not perfect either.
I have to say, Luis has become quite the veteran. Each time he got into his part and gave me a take, it got better and better. I can't wait to see what else he does.
Luis and Will went through their scene a few times. More than a few. We struggled with them hitting their marks and with the lighting situation not being optimal. Hank, my DP, was his usual, inventive self and gave me the most of what he and the environment had.
When we got Luis and Will done, we had to set up our walk on, Quinn, and Will. This one took a little more doing since we didn't have any real rehearsal time and Quinn didn't know he was going to be picked off the street for this. Hank and I set them up and reset them and reset them until we both felt we had something worth shooting. Still, we got some interesting takes.
Quinn is a good actor, but he turns it up too much. Once he found his groove, it was good. He and Will found a happy medium to their scene and I think we got some usable footage. I want to be happier about their scene, but considering all the trouble I had to get it shot, I'll take what I can get. The magic of editing will be on my side.
The last thing we did was a pick up from the Jared/Britney scene. It's the interaction between Luis and Britney.
Britney took a lot of coaxing. I don't think she fully realizes how she has to become another person. I think she just hoped that delivering the lines would be enough. We all had to basically give her some motivations. At one point, Tonya took her and made her jog around the parking lot to help her fake a sense of panic and distress. The breathlessness helped a little, but when she got her wind back, we had to give her more cues.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not from the Actor's Studio. I just wanted the girl to succeed first time outta the gate. Both Tonya and I felt that we should give her a chance to break in.
The martini was a gag take. It actually worked out pretty good. And on Hank's prompting, I found a perfect spot for it.
If felt good to get it all in the can. Well, not all of it. The real shooting is through. I need to fix that internal mailbox take that I've been screwing up. That and Luis' narration.
But other than that, principal photography is done!
-30-
Fortunately, I made up by bringing cold water and lemon lime sodas to the location. It was a hot mother fucker. My wife, Tonya, got good and cooked. When we got home her face was dark red. My forehead, neck and even my nose were red. But I digress.
Theo, one of the people I credit with really helping me realize this film, found a piece of broken glass on the street a day before that we were going to need for a scene in which he arrives to his car to find the window broken out. What he found was actually a pane of glass with some kind of tint film on it. The glass was broke, but stuck to the tint. Hank and I broke it apart and scattered it on the hot asphalt to better simulate a window break. I think it worked out well. Theo had a blast yelling out cuss words as he walked into the scene.
In the last post I mentioned that we'd still be short one actor. It was for one of the pivotal scenes for the protagonist, Luis. Fortunately, I found a guy to play. Will came to the cattle call IFMASA had sometime back and I wondered if he might be the guy for the gig. At the time, the part was built a little different. Now I just wanted to fill the spot with the best person possible.
Everything was set. Or so I thought. I called Ariel, the guy who would play the drunk angry guy. I couldn't get a hold of him, at first, but when I did, he told me that he would be unable to make the shoot.
*sound of needle scratching the record*
Yes. I lost the actor I thought I had locked in. My back-up plan was a flimsy one. I would ask one of the Rumbo guys, Bruno, to come downstairs and fill in. Hey, it was better than no plan at all. Bruno's doesn't speak great English, but since it's an alternate take, he doesn't have to.
In the middle of my preparations for ritual siboku, I decided to continue with the shoot. I got Jared and Britney squared away for the fight sequence. We did a few takes of the punch, some close-ups and then the wide shot.
Britney is a really sweet girl. Unfortunately, she doesn't have much experience and not a lot of range. But I wanted her to cut her teeth on something simple. I think that I'll have to be very careful on her scene. The wrong cut and everything will fall apart. Her partner in the scene, Jared, is fantastic. He's got energy and he really got into the part. I hope to work with both of these people again.
Will sat off set and rehearsed his part with my wife's help. Then a crazy thing happened.
While I was setting Jared and Britney up for their alternate take, a guy walking by recognized Jared. Turns out Quinn, the passerby, was an actor friend of Jared's. He's a stout guy. Smaller than Will. But he had the look of a guy who could commit a hate crime, lol. The scene had originally called for Will's character to be the short one and the part of the drunk would be the tall one. The tables were turned, but what was about to happen worked out better than I had planned. Well, not better, but it worked out.
Quinn's an actor. I'm a director needing an actor. The decision was simple.
I offered Quinn the part on the spot. I gave him the scenes, let he and Will rehearse off set, in the parking lot and I returned to Jared and Britney. There's an alternate take where Britney is to be slapped. I blocked them so I could get the hit, but not the fall. In fact, I really wanted not to get a lot the action at all. I wanted the audience to imagine the rest. But I shot it win Britney taking the hit and falling off frame.
After we wrapped Jared and Britney, we moved onto a shot we missed with Theo and Luis. They would walk out of the Milam building and down the street. Knocked it out quick.
Then came Will and Luis. I'm not sure how many productions or films Will has been involved in, but he was a bit green too. He had the right instincts during his rehearsals, but when he got in front of the camera, it was a bit stilted. I don't feel I got his best performance, but I can't expect perfection when I'm not perfect either.
I have to say, Luis has become quite the veteran. Each time he got into his part and gave me a take, it got better and better. I can't wait to see what else he does.
Luis and Will went through their scene a few times. More than a few. We struggled with them hitting their marks and with the lighting situation not being optimal. Hank, my DP, was his usual, inventive self and gave me the most of what he and the environment had.
When we got Luis and Will done, we had to set up our walk on, Quinn, and Will. This one took a little more doing since we didn't have any real rehearsal time and Quinn didn't know he was going to be picked off the street for this. Hank and I set them up and reset them and reset them until we both felt we had something worth shooting. Still, we got some interesting takes.
Quinn is a good actor, but he turns it up too much. Once he found his groove, it was good. He and Will found a happy medium to their scene and I think we got some usable footage. I want to be happier about their scene, but considering all the trouble I had to get it shot, I'll take what I can get. The magic of editing will be on my side.
The last thing we did was a pick up from the Jared/Britney scene. It's the interaction between Luis and Britney.
Britney took a lot of coaxing. I don't think she fully realizes how she has to become another person. I think she just hoped that delivering the lines would be enough. We all had to basically give her some motivations. At one point, Tonya took her and made her jog around the parking lot to help her fake a sense of panic and distress. The breathlessness helped a little, but when she got her wind back, we had to give her more cues.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not from the Actor's Studio. I just wanted the girl to succeed first time outta the gate. Both Tonya and I felt that we should give her a chance to break in.
The martini was a gag take. It actually worked out pretty good. And on Hank's prompting, I found a perfect spot for it.
If felt good to get it all in the can. Well, not all of it. The real shooting is through. I need to fix that internal mailbox take that I've been screwing up. That and Luis' narration.
But other than that, principal photography is done!
-30-
Day 7: Still Jenny From The Block
Saturday, July 22, 2006
What? You have no idea what the title to this blog means? It means that J-Lo, otherwise known as Jennifer Lopez, was in my film today.
Nah, not really. But she was at the hotel next to the coffee shop we shot at. Let me start from the beginning.
Sip is a little coffee shop at the corner of Houston and St. Mary's that I was introduced to while I was working at Rumbo. Whenever we had to do a photoshoot for the fashion page and we needed to find somewhere hip and available to shoot, we'd try there. I stopped in there a few shoots ago and they graciously agreed to give us run of the place.
Just before we started, Juan had told me that Jennifer Lopez and her husband Marc Anthony were staying next door and that her security entourage had been in the day before for lunch. He said that J-Lo swears by the hotel, The Valencia, and that the hotel even special ordered her some super expensive pillows because J-Lo just loves them. Anyhow, I didn't give it much thought and we began our day.
Well, the shoot went great. We set up Naomi (aka Samantha) and Luis (aka Rick) on a bar next to the windows facing St. Mary's and shot from outside the cafe. Juan, the cafe manager, even came outside to clean the windows for us. Talk about class. We shot inside and even got to use the wheel chain in this back-track, spin dolly move for the alternate ending of the movie. We did have some minor issues with lighting, but Hank, as resourceful as any great DP is, got it figured out.
I'm getting to the blog title, don't worry.
We finished shooting the Samantha/Rick scene and moved outside to shoot the scene with Theo (aka James).
So, we're fixing to shoot the James/Rick scene. Hank loaded the camera into it's protective bag to keep it cool while he and Theo went back to the vehicles to fetch Theo's wardrobe. Naomi, Luis and I stayed behind to watch all the stuff. The entire time we were there, a tall, lean black guy with dreads had been watching us as he stood next to this black four door SUV. This was J-Lo's security guy. They were fixing to take her someplace. I think they thought we were either news media or paparatzi because the security guy kept eye-ballin' us the entire time we were sitting there.
Hank and Theo came back and we set up to shoot. I went inside and told Laura, the on site manager, that we'd be outside and almost out of their hair. When I came out, they had just loaded J-Lo into the vehicle and were pulling away.
We were sitting at the corner of Houston and St. Mary's on the Houston side. As J-Lo-Mobile started forward, Luis says, "Can we wave at her?" I said, "Knock yourself out."
The GMC stopped at the light and was right next to us. Luis starts to wave. She had the window rolled down, turns to Luis and says, "Hey, how's it going?" The light turns green and the car makes a turn and is gone.
All of us giggled at the prospect that J-Lo might have thought we were going to take her picture so she decided to be "Jenny From The Block" long enough to give us some face time. HA!
Anyhow, enough about J-Lo.
The rest of the shoot went just as good, but with sound issues. The day we'd showed up to scout the location, traffic was low, sound was low and it seemed to be a little more empty. Well, not today. We had buses every 15 minutes, lots of people driving cars with really loud engines and just about every other piece of ambient noise you could dream of. The boom was catching everything.
We tried taping it to the wall, under the table and between Rick and James, but we were still catching all kinds of pollution. Eventually, we settled on getting the master shot with them talking, despite the noise and doing two pick up shots on both of them to catch the dialogue.
The martini was Theo and Luis walking down this path above the Riverwalk on their way to the coffee shop.
Oh, I almost forgot, I semi-auditioned a guy that I'd seen at the IFMASA cattle call a month ago. Will Carter Jr is the actor's name. I had to scrap my original Frantic Man idea: a small, squirrelly guy and go for a tall, black guy. I think he can pull it off. I hope he can pull it off. What I'm looking for is the energy, not so much what the actor looks like. It's been so hard to cast that part that I'm not sure what other direction to go in.
With all luck, everything left will get done tomorrow. And what is that, you ask?:
1. Theo's broken window scene
2. Frantic Man meets Rick
3. Frantic Man meets Drunk Guy
4. Rick saves the day
5. Rick & James leave the Milam
I'm nervous and excited at the proposition of tomorrow being the last day of principal photography.
I still have high hopes that Naomi will be able to come out one last time so we can get her and Luis in their alternate take at the HEB parking lot. But if she can't, I've already found a way around that.
-30-
Nah, not really. But she was at the hotel next to the coffee shop we shot at. Let me start from the beginning.
Sip is a little coffee shop at the corner of Houston and St. Mary's that I was introduced to while I was working at Rumbo. Whenever we had to do a photoshoot for the fashion page and we needed to find somewhere hip and available to shoot, we'd try there. I stopped in there a few shoots ago and they graciously agreed to give us run of the place.
Just before we started, Juan had told me that Jennifer Lopez and her husband Marc Anthony were staying next door and that her security entourage had been in the day before for lunch. He said that J-Lo swears by the hotel, The Valencia, and that the hotel even special ordered her some super expensive pillows because J-Lo just loves them. Anyhow, I didn't give it much thought and we began our day.
Well, the shoot went great. We set up Naomi (aka Samantha) and Luis (aka Rick) on a bar next to the windows facing St. Mary's and shot from outside the cafe. Juan, the cafe manager, even came outside to clean the windows for us. Talk about class. We shot inside and even got to use the wheel chain in this back-track, spin dolly move for the alternate ending of the movie. We did have some minor issues with lighting, but Hank, as resourceful as any great DP is, got it figured out.
I'm getting to the blog title, don't worry.
We finished shooting the Samantha/Rick scene and moved outside to shoot the scene with Theo (aka James).
So, we're fixing to shoot the James/Rick scene. Hank loaded the camera into it's protective bag to keep it cool while he and Theo went back to the vehicles to fetch Theo's wardrobe. Naomi, Luis and I stayed behind to watch all the stuff. The entire time we were there, a tall, lean black guy with dreads had been watching us as he stood next to this black four door SUV. This was J-Lo's security guy. They were fixing to take her someplace. I think they thought we were either news media or paparatzi because the security guy kept eye-ballin' us the entire time we were sitting there.
Hank and Theo came back and we set up to shoot. I went inside and told Laura, the on site manager, that we'd be outside and almost out of their hair. When I came out, they had just loaded J-Lo into the vehicle and were pulling away.
We were sitting at the corner of Houston and St. Mary's on the Houston side. As J-Lo-Mobile started forward, Luis says, "Can we wave at her?" I said, "Knock yourself out."
The GMC stopped at the light and was right next to us. Luis starts to wave. She had the window rolled down, turns to Luis and says, "Hey, how's it going?" The light turns green and the car makes a turn and is gone.
All of us giggled at the prospect that J-Lo might have thought we were going to take her picture so she decided to be "Jenny From The Block" long enough to give us some face time. HA!
Anyhow, enough about J-Lo.
The rest of the shoot went just as good, but with sound issues. The day we'd showed up to scout the location, traffic was low, sound was low and it seemed to be a little more empty. Well, not today. We had buses every 15 minutes, lots of people driving cars with really loud engines and just about every other piece of ambient noise you could dream of. The boom was catching everything.
We tried taping it to the wall, under the table and between Rick and James, but we were still catching all kinds of pollution. Eventually, we settled on getting the master shot with them talking, despite the noise and doing two pick up shots on both of them to catch the dialogue.
The martini was Theo and Luis walking down this path above the Riverwalk on their way to the coffee shop.
Oh, I almost forgot, I semi-auditioned a guy that I'd seen at the IFMASA cattle call a month ago. Will Carter Jr is the actor's name. I had to scrap my original Frantic Man idea: a small, squirrelly guy and go for a tall, black guy. I think he can pull it off. I hope he can pull it off. What I'm looking for is the energy, not so much what the actor looks like. It's been so hard to cast that part that I'm not sure what other direction to go in.
With all luck, everything left will get done tomorrow. And what is that, you ask?:
1. Theo's broken window scene
2. Frantic Man meets Rick
3. Frantic Man meets Drunk Guy
4. Rick saves the day
5. Rick & James leave the Milam
I'm nervous and excited at the proposition of tomorrow being the last day of principal photography.
I still have high hopes that Naomi will be able to come out one last time so we can get her and Luis in their alternate take at the HEB parking lot. But if she can't, I've already found a way around that.
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Day 6: Back To The Future
Friday, July 21, 2006
Today's shoot was totally improvised. I had nothing planned, no storyboards, no clues. It's background stuff for a voice over by Luis where he explains...well, you'll just have to see the film.
Luis, the male lead, is at home with his new wife, played by the lead actress, Naomi. They're doing bills, watching TV and reading mysterious emails.
My particular favorite was the stuff we did with them watching TV. The living room can get very dark when you close the shutters in both the dining room and the living room and turn off the lights. It could almost be night. So, we closed every one of them, turned off the lights and put the TV on. I wanted to give the sensation of them watching TV without the sound. You know how the light reflects back onto you when you're in the dark. Depending on what's on the screen, the room can be dark or kind of lit. It's a real mood setter.
We sat Naomi and Luis on the couch and then I proceeded to find something in my movie library that might have lots of lights and darks. I came up with "Backdraft". I figured that with all the explosions and fire sequences, it would be great. It sure was. We filmed one take with just the light from the TV. Then Hank, my DP, suggested we try one with a bit more light from a clip lamp we had with a low watt bulb. Hank had constructed these reflectors from cardboard and aluminum foil. We bounced some light from the lamp onto the actors and some from the TV screen. That worked well. Then we tried doing some just from the clip lamp, hitting them directly from the front. We had tried other options and the homemade reflector was casting a shadow from a different angle than the TV. Bouncing the light from the carpet to the reflector, to the actors worked great. I watched the monitor and Hank did the effect. Fantastic. I'm gonna be especially careful with that scene. The mood it sets is just awesome.
We also reshot the internal mailbox scene that I fucked up before. I used my Sony, opened up the view screen and flipped it around so that the actors could see what they were doing and how they looked. Before, it was kind of hit and miss as to where they were on frame. This way, I could look at the camera placement and they could see that they were where I wanted them. I haven't looked at the footage, but it think it will be great.
We have a really heavy day tomorrow. I've got to find some glass and break it for a scene with Theo. Rumbo didn't ever email me back about coming up to the office, so I'm guessing that they don't want me back. We'll just have to find a way around that. We have footage of them leaving the building. I'll just have to find some creative way to add something where we don't have to even set foot in the Milam building. I think I have an idea. *Insert evil laugh here*
Tomorrow is also the coffee shop scene. I think it's so cool that we got Sip, a popular downtown coffee shop, to let us shoot there. It's gonna be fantastic. It's a real trendy place that's gonna look so good on camera. Nevermind that it's in a really great. We've got two scenes there tomorrow. Naomi with Luis and then Luis with Theo.
Then on Sunday, we have the ambitious, yet action packed Frantic Man scene and the "Fight" scene. I'm still chasing down the actor to play Frantic Man. I'm not sure what I'm gonna do. Then I have to rig something for the fight scene. A roll of quarters that will explode as Luis hits Jared, the drunk guy.
It's down to the wire. If I can pull this off, I'll have Luis come by the house and record the voice over stuff Monday and Tuesday. He leaves for El Paso on Saturday. I still haven't told him that I'm not sure we're gonna have a wrap party.
This is kind of nerve-racking and exciting all at once. Man oh, man.
-30-
Luis, the male lead, is at home with his new wife, played by the lead actress, Naomi. They're doing bills, watching TV and reading mysterious emails.
My particular favorite was the stuff we did with them watching TV. The living room can get very dark when you close the shutters in both the dining room and the living room and turn off the lights. It could almost be night. So, we closed every one of them, turned off the lights and put the TV on. I wanted to give the sensation of them watching TV without the sound. You know how the light reflects back onto you when you're in the dark. Depending on what's on the screen, the room can be dark or kind of lit. It's a real mood setter.
We sat Naomi and Luis on the couch and then I proceeded to find something in my movie library that might have lots of lights and darks. I came up with "Backdraft". I figured that with all the explosions and fire sequences, it would be great. It sure was. We filmed one take with just the light from the TV. Then Hank, my DP, suggested we try one with a bit more light from a clip lamp we had with a low watt bulb. Hank had constructed these reflectors from cardboard and aluminum foil. We bounced some light from the lamp onto the actors and some from the TV screen. That worked well. Then we tried doing some just from the clip lamp, hitting them directly from the front. We had tried other options and the homemade reflector was casting a shadow from a different angle than the TV. Bouncing the light from the carpet to the reflector, to the actors worked great. I watched the monitor and Hank did the effect. Fantastic. I'm gonna be especially careful with that scene. The mood it sets is just awesome.
We also reshot the internal mailbox scene that I fucked up before. I used my Sony, opened up the view screen and flipped it around so that the actors could see what they were doing and how they looked. Before, it was kind of hit and miss as to where they were on frame. This way, I could look at the camera placement and they could see that they were where I wanted them. I haven't looked at the footage, but it think it will be great.
We have a really heavy day tomorrow. I've got to find some glass and break it for a scene with Theo. Rumbo didn't ever email me back about coming up to the office, so I'm guessing that they don't want me back. We'll just have to find a way around that. We have footage of them leaving the building. I'll just have to find some creative way to add something where we don't have to even set foot in the Milam building. I think I have an idea. *Insert evil laugh here*
Tomorrow is also the coffee shop scene. I think it's so cool that we got Sip, a popular downtown coffee shop, to let us shoot there. It's gonna be fantastic. It's a real trendy place that's gonna look so good on camera. Nevermind that it's in a really great. We've got two scenes there tomorrow. Naomi with Luis and then Luis with Theo.
Then on Sunday, we have the ambitious, yet action packed Frantic Man scene and the "Fight" scene. I'm still chasing down the actor to play Frantic Man. I'm not sure what I'm gonna do. Then I have to rig something for the fight scene. A roll of quarters that will explode as Luis hits Jared, the drunk guy.
It's down to the wire. If I can pull this off, I'll have Luis come by the house and record the voice over stuff Monday and Tuesday. He leaves for El Paso on Saturday. I still haven't told him that I'm not sure we're gonna have a wrap party.
This is kind of nerve-racking and exciting all at once. Man oh, man.
-30-
Day 5: A Kiss Is Just A Kiss
Sunday, July 16, 2006
The big scene between Luis & Naomi went very well. With the video storyboard I did days ago, Hank and I didn't have to guess at where we'd put the cameras. I wish I'd done more of those. There's still time, especially with the fight scene, the frantic man scene and the two coffee shop scenes coming in the final weekend of shooting.
Both Naomi & Luis really benefited from the rehearsals, but they starting delivering their lines a bit flat on two takes. We managed to get plenty of coverage. I think it's going to look fantastic.
We had to shut off the AC to cut down on the ambient sounds while we had them boomed. And, FUCK, was it hot. Speaking of hot...
...We went back to the parking lot and grabbed a few of the shots that where we had the boom coming out and the alternate take we missed. It was freaking hot. I think we managed to keep the continuity (as far as natural lighting), but it was scorching. Thankfully, we weren't there long.
Next weekend is going to be a mother fucker. We've got another shoot at my place on Friday. Then on Saturday, we have two shoots at Sip, the coffee shop downtown. Not to mention Frantic Man's scene, the scene we missed at the Rumbo office and the fight scene in the parking lot across the street from the Milam. Whew. It's gonna be freaking heavy!!!!
I'm not even sure what we're gonna do about a wrap party yet. I know Luis has to leave at the end of the month and I will be in Houston about that same time too. I don't know. I might have to take him out for drinks and dinner separate from the group.
Either way, I'm excited at the prospect of having it all in the can and looking forward to pulling my hair out in post. Written, produced, edited, scored and directed... by me. Wow.
-30-
Both Naomi & Luis really benefited from the rehearsals, but they starting delivering their lines a bit flat on two takes. We managed to get plenty of coverage. I think it's going to look fantastic.
We had to shut off the AC to cut down on the ambient sounds while we had them boomed. And, FUCK, was it hot. Speaking of hot...
...We went back to the parking lot and grabbed a few of the shots that where we had the boom coming out and the alternate take we missed. It was freaking hot. I think we managed to keep the continuity (as far as natural lighting), but it was scorching. Thankfully, we weren't there long.
Next weekend is going to be a mother fucker. We've got another shoot at my place on Friday. Then on Saturday, we have two shoots at Sip, the coffee shop downtown. Not to mention Frantic Man's scene, the scene we missed at the Rumbo office and the fight scene in the parking lot across the street from the Milam. Whew. It's gonna be freaking heavy!!!!
I'm not even sure what we're gonna do about a wrap party yet. I know Luis has to leave at the end of the month and I will be in Houston about that same time too. I don't know. I might have to take him out for drinks and dinner separate from the group.
Either way, I'm excited at the prospect of having it all in the can and looking forward to pulling my hair out in post. Written, produced, edited, scored and directed... by me. Wow.
-30-
Day 4: Taking It To The Streets
Saturday, July 15, 2006
You'd think that with soaring gas prices gasoline stations might want to get a little positive press by letting a small indie film crew shoot a two minute sequence at their pumps. No show. Every single one of the gas stations I approached said no. A couple of them didn't even let me finish my sentence. There was one, which shall remain nameless, who said this to me:
Me: Hi, is your manager in?
Gas station person: (suspicious) Uh, yes, I'm the manager. Is there a problem?
Me: No, no. My name is Julian and I'm currently directing a 30 minute film. I was wondering if it might be possible to film...
Gas station manager: No, no! Thank you.
So, the scene changed radically. We went from gas station (which had the potential to be covered and provide some shade) to open parking lot (which was hot and caused some grief).
Thankfully, I had some help from two other IFMASA members, Ellen & Modrea. They lent their minds to respin the scene and then pitched in to help film it. I found a good lot that wasn't too busy for a Saturday. The magic hour loomed and then came and then went. We managed to capture some of it, but lighting issues played havoc with each take. Not to mention the fact that after I screened the dailies, we had the boom in two different shots. In one of them, it was a reflection. In the other, the boom pole and mic cord were on bottom right hand of the screen. Then we had a mini light peek it into another shot. We were so worried about the light that we just ran through a couple of scenes without checking the frame. A separate monitor would have helped us a bunch. I'll have to invest in one after this gets completed.
Then we had the grocery store parking lot shoot. We got there just as dusk was running out and night was fading in. Hank was worried that we'd have to shoot the scene with our smaller, single CCD chip cameras in order to grab as much ambient light as possible. He ended up shooting with the XL1 and the shots were great.
To make matters more complicated, the scenes we shot at both parking lots require alternate takes, which we failed to shoot. So now, we have to do more pickup shots at both locations. One we'll do tomorrow after the Luis & Naomi's big scenes and the grocery store one we'll have to grab next weekend.
Still, despite the small setbacks, it was a productive shoot and we got lots of usable footage.
-30-
Me: Hi, is your manager in?
Gas station person: (suspicious) Uh, yes, I'm the manager. Is there a problem?
Me: No, no. My name is Julian and I'm currently directing a 30 minute film. I was wondering if it might be possible to film...
Gas station manager: No, no! Thank you.
So, the scene changed radically. We went from gas station (which had the potential to be covered and provide some shade) to open parking lot (which was hot and caused some grief).
Thankfully, I had some help from two other IFMASA members, Ellen & Modrea. They lent their minds to respin the scene and then pitched in to help film it. I found a good lot that wasn't too busy for a Saturday. The magic hour loomed and then came and then went. We managed to capture some of it, but lighting issues played havoc with each take. Not to mention the fact that after I screened the dailies, we had the boom in two different shots. In one of them, it was a reflection. In the other, the boom pole and mic cord were on bottom right hand of the screen. Then we had a mini light peek it into another shot. We were so worried about the light that we just ran through a couple of scenes without checking the frame. A separate monitor would have helped us a bunch. I'll have to invest in one after this gets completed.
Then we had the grocery store parking lot shoot. We got there just as dusk was running out and night was fading in. Hank was worried that we'd have to shoot the scene with our smaller, single CCD chip cameras in order to grab as much ambient light as possible. He ended up shooting with the XL1 and the shots were great.
To make matters more complicated, the scenes we shot at both parking lots require alternate takes, which we failed to shoot. So now, we have to do more pickup shots at both locations. One we'll do tomorrow after the Luis & Naomi's big scenes and the grocery store one we'll have to grab next weekend.
Still, despite the small setbacks, it was a productive shoot and we got lots of usable footage.
-30-
Day 3: Cyber Punked
Friday, July 14, 2006
We had a great shoot today. I've tried not to shoot in sequence so it will make me be more conscious about what's going on in the frames.
My video storyboarding plan has fallen short. But today I did manage to get Naomi & Luis to do some rehearsing for their big scene together.
Anyhow, Hank, as usuall, came through with some great stuff. The shoot today was pretty short. We just needed to get "Rick" reading the crazy email he assumes is his friends' idea of a good joke. Hence the title of today's blog.
Again, Luis' lush character got to have a beer. Compared to the other beer bottles we've had in this shoot, this one might be a bit more obvious.
I'm having a great time. I feel much more confident about my abilities now than I had when we fired off the first frame. Much more than in "Caught In The Rain". Working with the actors has been very interesting. It was much easier to explain the character's motivations to the actors than I thought. And since this is the first indie film both my leads have done, it's been a learning experience for all of us.
We have Luis & Naomi's two big outdoor scenes tomorrow after 5pm. I'm not sure what to expect. Hopefully, we'll be able to catch that magic hour that directors hate to try to chase. Dusk is really hard to grab.
-30-
Day 2: Office Space
Saturday, July 08, 2006
Let me just say that working without a net is exciting and frustrating. I didn't storyboard or video storyboard the office sequence like I wanted to. And it bugged me all day.
We got into the office fine, but after we got there, we were short two actors. One of which had a bunch of lines. I stepped in front of the camera for my director's cameo. A little more than Hitchcock; a little less that M. Night Shyamalan. My big line is:
"This town is full of freaks."
I'd like to thank the Academy...
We moved all kinds of stuff around to dress the desks a little better. The phone on my old desk still had my name on it when you picked up the handset. It's only been a few months. LOL. There was no one there at all, so you'll see me walk around a bit during the office scenes. If I'd have had a wig and another shirt and pants, I would have gone that route.
We got some great footage. Theo, who plays a secondary role, really came through with his part. He really explored his character. Luis gets better every day. I noticed a few times that he dug in and pulled out little gold nuggets in every scene. My DP, Hank, was full of ideas and suggestions. That makes my job a thousand time easier.
I'm not gonna say that I didn't get upset with any of them. There were a couple of times that I didn't feel I was getting what I wanted. I mean, this is my material. But I don't say anything or dwell on it because I know that I have my faults too. I took the lazy approach a couple of times and we had to take some pick-up shots to compensate. No one is perfect. But we worked great together.
We did get to walk down to the coffee shop I had in the script, "Sip," and managed to get the green light from the owner to shoot there. That was really good news. The bad news was that we had to cancel Day 3. Lacking the skinny, nervous guy for the first part of the day just killed that. Not to mention the fact that I have yet to get clearance to film across the street at the parking lot between Travis & Houston streets.
By now you've noticed that I've never really said what the film is about or dropped any hints as to the genre. I won't. In fact, if you don't know anything, you'll have to keep coming back here to get more info.
I'm going to have to get to work on some storyboards for the shoot between Luis and Naomi, the lead actress. I want this to be intimate and sincere. They're both good actors. Now I just gotta get them good, together.
I'll post screenshots of the shoot as we didn't have anyone there to shoot behind the scenes stuff.
Day 3 is cancelled. Day 3, Take 2 will be this Friday.
-30-
We got into the office fine, but after we got there, we were short two actors. One of which had a bunch of lines. I stepped in front of the camera for my director's cameo. A little more than Hitchcock; a little less that M. Night Shyamalan. My big line is:
"This town is full of freaks."
I'd like to thank the Academy...
We moved all kinds of stuff around to dress the desks a little better. The phone on my old desk still had my name on it when you picked up the handset. It's only been a few months. LOL. There was no one there at all, so you'll see me walk around a bit during the office scenes. If I'd have had a wig and another shirt and pants, I would have gone that route.
We got some great footage. Theo, who plays a secondary role, really came through with his part. He really explored his character. Luis gets better every day. I noticed a few times that he dug in and pulled out little gold nuggets in every scene. My DP, Hank, was full of ideas and suggestions. That makes my job a thousand time easier.
I'm not gonna say that I didn't get upset with any of them. There were a couple of times that I didn't feel I was getting what I wanted. I mean, this is my material. But I don't say anything or dwell on it because I know that I have my faults too. I took the lazy approach a couple of times and we had to take some pick-up shots to compensate. No one is perfect. But we worked great together.
We did get to walk down to the coffee shop I had in the script, "Sip," and managed to get the green light from the owner to shoot there. That was really good news. The bad news was that we had to cancel Day 3. Lacking the skinny, nervous guy for the first part of the day just killed that. Not to mention the fact that I have yet to get clearance to film across the street at the parking lot between Travis & Houston streets.
By now you've noticed that I've never really said what the film is about or dropped any hints as to the genre. I won't. In fact, if you don't know anything, you'll have to keep coming back here to get more info.
I'm going to have to get to work on some storyboards for the shoot between Luis and Naomi, the lead actress. I want this to be intimate and sincere. They're both good actors. Now I just gotta get them good, together.
I'll post screenshots of the shoot as we didn't have anyone there to shoot behind the scenes stuff.
Day 3 is cancelled. Day 3, Take 2 will be this Friday.
-30-
Day 1: A Beer A Day...
Friday, July 07, 2006
Hank, left, Luis and Julian talk about the mailbox scene. Tonya Cordero/Big Bang PE
Julian signs off on shot. Tonya Cordero/Big Bang PE
Luis sits at the computer with his morning beer. Julian Cordero/Big Bang PEThings went well on the first day. While it didn't seem like we got a lot done, it felt good to be behind the camera again.
Luis, the male lead, got a kick out of drinking a beer at 10 am. He worked quite well. I still see room for improvement, but he's doing a fantastic job.
Hank, my DP, has been fantastic. He's insightful and always has a good idea under his belt. Not to mention the fact that he's very knowledgeable as far as photography goes. He's got a good feel for it all.
We got some of the first scenes in the script in. The main set up. I think we shot a great deal. I'm wondering, having looked at the dailies, if we're gonna need so much for the intro.
Tomorrow is our shoot at the Rumbo offices. It might seem crazy, but there's still an actor missing. Two actually. I'm going to readjust the script to make the scenes a bit tighter and not require those two missing parts. I think I can make it work.
Here's some shots that Tonya and I took during the shoot.
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Is This Thing On?
Thursday, July 06, 2006
Lost an actress, gained an actress. I went with the runner up after a mess of scheduling conflicts with the original selection. I'm just glad both are talented otherwise I'd be up shit creek.
Tomorrow is my first official day. I'm nervous. Well, jittery. I think I have so much more knowledge about directing and about the business than I did when I tried doing my first feature length film, "Caught In The Rain."
I got a myspace message from a guy who I use to talk film with from time to time. He's doing some film editing. He asked about that old flick.
Anyway, I hope that the film looks and sounds as it's suppose to. I really care about the script and with me being behind the camera exclusively, it gives me the chance to really coax the right kind of performance from the actors.
More emails to send. More things to plan. Later.
-30-
Tomorrow is my first official day. I'm nervous. Well, jittery. I think I have so much more knowledge about directing and about the business than I did when I tried doing my first feature length film, "Caught In The Rain."
I got a myspace message from a guy who I use to talk film with from time to time. He's doing some film editing. He asked about that old flick.
Anyway, I hope that the film looks and sounds as it's suppose to. I really care about the script and with me being behind the camera exclusively, it gives me the chance to really coax the right kind of performance from the actors.
More emails to send. More things to plan. Later.
-30-
Here We Go....
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Well, the makeup artist might not be available for all the dates we're shooting. She's bringing home the bacon and since I'm not a paying gig, she's got to worry about those that do. I totally understand that. But she said she might be able to work on a couple of days. I hope those are the days we bring in the lead actress.
Oh, then there's that. The woman I selected had conflicts with the dates I scheduled her shoot for. She sent me an email telling me that she couldn't move the dates and thanked me for the opportunity. I quickly emailed her back and told her that I'd push her scenes to the weekend before her commitments in hopes that she'll be able to do it.
My DP is ready for this weekend and I've got to send the email out to make sure everyone is on board for the heavy shooting day on Saturday.
We start with basic scenes on Friday, all the stuff at the front end of the script.
Is this getting heavy? No, probably not. But I think it will.
-30-
Oh, then there's that. The woman I selected had conflicts with the dates I scheduled her shoot for. She sent me an email telling me that she couldn't move the dates and thanked me for the opportunity. I quickly emailed her back and told her that I'd push her scenes to the weekend before her commitments in hopes that she'll be able to do it.
My DP is ready for this weekend and I've got to send the email out to make sure everyone is on board for the heavy shooting day on Saturday.
We start with basic scenes on Friday, all the stuff at the front end of the script.
Is this getting heavy? No, probably not. But I think it will.
-30-
Major Location Locked Down
Thursday, June 29, 2006
One of the more important locations, a location that I had always thought about using as I was writing the script, is officially locked in.
My old work place, Rumbo, agreed to let me come in on July 8th and knock out the scenes for my film.
I have to admit that I'm a bit surprised that they said yes. I think they still feel sorry for having let me go. Regardless, I plan to shoot quick and get out. Especially since you can really see the progression of the day from the 8th floor view. If it's suppose to be noon and the sun is starting to set behind the actors, it's gonna look like I didn't do my homework.
I've got two other major locations that I still have to approach: the parking lot across the street from the Milam building and the convenience store where Rick and Samantha, the lead characters, will meet.
I'll drop off the release next week for them to sign. I'm not taking any chances on that. They're asking for a list of people who will be at the shoot. It's gonna be a big group. I'll probably get that to them at the same time.
Preproduction hasn't gotten too hectic yet, but I imagine that once we start to shoot, there will be lots to post. I'll try to keep the blog a little more up to date. I'll even post pictures of the cast. I like this place I'm at.
"Other writers, producers, and directors of low-budget films would often put down the film they were making, saying it was just something to make money with. I never felt that. If I took the assignment, I'd give it my best shot."
-- Roger Corman
-30-
My old work place, Rumbo, agreed to let me come in on July 8th and knock out the scenes for my film.
I have to admit that I'm a bit surprised that they said yes. I think they still feel sorry for having let me go. Regardless, I plan to shoot quick and get out. Especially since you can really see the progression of the day from the 8th floor view. If it's suppose to be noon and the sun is starting to set behind the actors, it's gonna look like I didn't do my homework.
I've got two other major locations that I still have to approach: the parking lot across the street from the Milam building and the convenience store where Rick and Samantha, the lead characters, will meet.
I'll drop off the release next week for them to sign. I'm not taking any chances on that. They're asking for a list of people who will be at the shoot. It's gonna be a big group. I'll probably get that to them at the same time.
Preproduction hasn't gotten too hectic yet, but I imagine that once we start to shoot, there will be lots to post. I'll try to keep the blog a little more up to date. I'll even post pictures of the cast. I like this place I'm at.
"Other writers, producers, and directors of low-budget films would often put down the film they were making, saying it was just something to make money with. I never felt that. If I took the assignment, I'd give it my best shot."
-- Roger Corman
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Charging Ahead
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
In the last couple of weeks, I've made great progress on my film. I'll start shooting July 7th. Really. There's nothing "Al Gore is President" about this.
The original cinematographer got replaced. Sadly, he's not aware yet. With my camera broken, I had to make a concession to find a guy who could not only shoot the film, but who also had a camera. I've seen a film he shot for a friend of mine and it wasn't bad. I liked it. He's got a Canon XL1 and from the sounds of it, he knows his stuff. I spoke with him today. He's locked in.
I'm also going to meet with a makeup artist that one of actors in the film suggested. Turns out she got some info on the film and it really interested her.
Did I mention that I'm nervous?
For all my starts and stops, I can't stop this now. I'm very glad about that.
-30-
The original cinematographer got replaced. Sadly, he's not aware yet. With my camera broken, I had to make a concession to find a guy who could not only shoot the film, but who also had a camera. I've seen a film he shot for a friend of mine and it wasn't bad. I liked it. He's got a Canon XL1 and from the sounds of it, he knows his stuff. I spoke with him today. He's locked in.
I'm also going to meet with a makeup artist that one of actors in the film suggested. Turns out she got some info on the film and it really interested her.
Did I mention that I'm nervous?
For all my starts and stops, I can't stop this now. I'm very glad about that.
-30-
The Actress
After a long and fruitless search, I finally found some candidates for the lead female role in my short film. You'd think I was casting "Cleopatra" or something.
I thin all three women are sufficiently different...yes, I said three...that they will bring something different to the audition. I'll be having them read with Luis, the lead actor.
I'm anxious to see who will come across better. I stripped the character of ethnicity having originally created her as Anglo. Of the three that are reading for her, one is Hispanic and one is African-American.
This has been a hard part to cast. I hope other female parts won't be this difficult.
-30-
I thin all three women are sufficiently different...yes, I said three...that they will bring something different to the audition. I'll be having them read with Luis, the lead actor.
I'm anxious to see who will come across better. I stripped the character of ethnicity having originally created her as Anglo. Of the three that are reading for her, one is Hispanic and one is African-American.
This has been a hard part to cast. I hope other female parts won't be this difficult.
-30-
When it rains...
Thursday, June 15, 2006
As if by some crazy spark of inspiration that struck my like a Louisville Slugger to the cranium, I'm suddenly on fire with ideas for work.
Well, first on my most current project. "Time", as we'll call it, has been re-green-lit again. The indie film leader, Mary, is going to let me use her Cannon DV to shoot my film. With my mic and mixer that's gonna rock. Secondly, she lined up a great casting call and she said we're gonna have a ton of people. Some are coming in from as far as Dallas. One might even come from Florida.
What does that mean? That means I gotta get off my duff and get my film shot.
I had submitted two ideas to the group for our showcase in August at our last meeting. My son watches a lot of wrestling, which incidentally I've started to do too. So I wrote a story sort of about that. The second submission was a comedic take on the spy film, but in short form. Mary said that the people coming to the casting call have expressed a lot of interest in that one.
The wrestling thing was snatched up by a kid in the group who loves wrestling and really wants to direct something. The treatment I wrote for it was kinda vague, so during this moment of inspiration, I gave the whole thing a different twist and opened up the possibilities.
It felt really good for the words to explode like that. Felt like I had cork in my brain and it was just pulled.
The creative batteries just needed a recharge maybe or more fuel.
Snakes on a plane, man. Its all just snakes on a plane.
-30-
Well, first on my most current project. "Time", as we'll call it, has been re-green-lit again. The indie film leader, Mary, is going to let me use her Cannon DV to shoot my film. With my mic and mixer that's gonna rock. Secondly, she lined up a great casting call and she said we're gonna have a ton of people. Some are coming in from as far as Dallas. One might even come from Florida.
What does that mean? That means I gotta get off my duff and get my film shot.
I had submitted two ideas to the group for our showcase in August at our last meeting. My son watches a lot of wrestling, which incidentally I've started to do too. So I wrote a story sort of about that. The second submission was a comedic take on the spy film, but in short form. Mary said that the people coming to the casting call have expressed a lot of interest in that one.
The wrestling thing was snatched up by a kid in the group who loves wrestling and really wants to direct something. The treatment I wrote for it was kinda vague, so during this moment of inspiration, I gave the whole thing a different twist and opened up the possibilities.
It felt really good for the words to explode like that. Felt like I had cork in my brain and it was just pulled.
The creative batteries just needed a recharge maybe or more fuel.
Snakes on a plane, man. Its all just snakes on a plane.
-30-
If at first you don't succeed, quit fucking around.
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
I've been writing again. For a project that a producer from the indie film group is trying to sell. For myself.
I've been on these screenwriters' blogs recently and have found some great ones. I'll be posting them on my links. With all my false starts, this is the closest I feel I've come to making something happen with my "work".
Despite what I've said to friends and family, I've always feared not being good enough. I shrug it off and tell people, "I'm afraid of succeeding." Bullshit.
There's a lot to be hopeful for these days. My involvement with this indie film group has given me a place to find additional support. Not that my wife's wasn't enough. Her kicks in the ass have served me well. But now it's time for me to do what people have been expecting of me for 20 years. Enough talk.
-30-
I've been on these screenwriters' blogs recently and have found some great ones. I'll be posting them on my links. With all my false starts, this is the closest I feel I've come to making something happen with my "work".
Despite what I've said to friends and family, I've always feared not being good enough. I shrug it off and tell people, "I'm afraid of succeeding." Bullshit.
There's a lot to be hopeful for these days. My involvement with this indie film group has given me a place to find additional support. Not that my wife's wasn't enough. Her kicks in the ass have served me well. But now it's time for me to do what people have been expecting of me for 20 years. Enough talk.
-30-
Loss of Cabin Pressure
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
Well, it's been a while since my last post. A long while.
My camera is still broken, but I have a job now. One up one down. The casting never really went like I wanted. The guy I had lined up to do the film just moved to California to star in a Disney stage show. I've got the script finalized though.
There are a lot of upsides however.
I joined a local film group here in San Antonio.
Indie Filmmakers Association of San Antonio
It's group of local screenwriters, directors, producers and actors who join together and produce work that is later showcased by the group at a local venue.
The group's leader and founder has a love for the craft and wants everyone to succeed. I think this is something that's beneficial for all. Especially me. She's plugged into the scene and has all sorts of resources to tap from. We're gonna set up a casting call to fill spots for another project she's involved in. Afterwards, once I get the project set up and shot, we'll be able to showcase my film and many others.
The group has also allowed me to link up with people I can collaborate with. Currently, there's a guy who I'm linking up with to write a sci-fi spec script. He wants to sell it, but he'd love to shoot it. I'd just love to have my first project sold and grab my first writing credit.
I feel good about this all. But I have to get my camera fixed soon. I have that mic and the mixer and no camera. Grr.
Things are looking up again.
-30-
My camera is still broken, but I have a job now. One up one down. The casting never really went like I wanted. The guy I had lined up to do the film just moved to California to star in a Disney stage show. I've got the script finalized though.
There are a lot of upsides however.
I joined a local film group here in San Antonio.
Indie Filmmakers Association of San Antonio
It's group of local screenwriters, directors, producers and actors who join together and produce work that is later showcased by the group at a local venue.
The group's leader and founder has a love for the craft and wants everyone to succeed. I think this is something that's beneficial for all. Especially me. She's plugged into the scene and has all sorts of resources to tap from. We're gonna set up a casting call to fill spots for another project she's involved in. Afterwards, once I get the project set up and shot, we'll be able to showcase my film and many others.
The group has also allowed me to link up with people I can collaborate with. Currently, there's a guy who I'm linking up with to write a sci-fi spec script. He wants to sell it, but he'd love to shoot it. I'd just love to have my first project sold and grab my first writing credit.
I feel good about this all. But I have to get my camera fixed soon. I have that mic and the mixer and no camera. Grr.
Things are looking up again.
-30-
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