Friday, September 28, 2007

Pick ups...

Here are some images shot by Jay Carroll.


Debbie

The only time you will EVER see Danielle in a skirt.

Debbie taunts Danielle.

Me and Ted.


Danielle impaled through the thigh. (and apparently a small child has been squished between me and Ted)

Blood.

More blood.

Sam pouring even more blood onto a weapon

The fight

The make up.

Danielle chilling with Teddy jr.

Thursday, September 27, 2007

Well, crud...

It seems I am a bit sick...

The last couple of days (3) I've been coughing up nasties and having a bit of high blood pressure. The doctor has given me some meds to clear up the (sorry) mucus and some more antibiotics to keep me from having walking pneumonia...yeah, it's that bad. The Doc also asked me to eliminate all salts and caffeine from my diet. That's gonna be tough, but since high blood pressure runs in my family, I have decided to begin a work out regiment and will (gasp) stop drinking coffee. This should be interesting. The Docs ask me to tone it down a bit and stop burning the candle at both ends...I think I may have to quit one of my three jobs. Anyhoo, the meds should kick in tomorrow and I'm going to take a day off of work.

Monday, September 24, 2007

Pick ups...

This Friday we are shooting some pick ups and some missed scenes. As I am editing the film in my mind, I realized that there is a certain amount of conflict missing between Gwen and Danea. For some reason they hate each other. This was covered in an earlier version of the script but over time it got lost...we will shoot it Friday!

Since it is a flashback sequence we are going to blow out the contrast and have it black and white with just some red for blood and purple for bruises.

Friday, September 21, 2007

Found it...

I found my copy of Hot Fuzz...it was in my DVD stack of disc I needed to reshelve. Anyway, I have been working on "character sheets" for pro mos...here is one...

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Call me a goof!

I'm in entertainment heaven right now. As per my last post, I mentioned that I was watching A. Season 4 of "A Bit of Fry and Laurie" and B. Season 2 of "Bones"...and guess what...on the fourth disc, STEPHEN FRY guest stars as a British SHRINK! I'm having a great night. And on top of it all, HOUSE starts up next Tuesday. I am such a simple man.

And then of course...Alex Winter (of Bill and Ted) is in this episode as a "Girls Gone Wild -like-director-Super CREEP!"

Sunday, September 16, 2007

What I've been watching...

1. A bit of Fry and Laurie - season 4
2. Bones - season 2
3. House - Season 3

Friday, September 14, 2007

What to do...what to do...

The kids are watching a movie, my wife is out with 'the girls' playing cards...if I had the software, I'd be editing right now. sigh...

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

It has only three scenes...

The GARUM hand has only three scenes, but we have decided that an actual hand would be better than a CG hand...so I have covered Shawn's 'mechanical hand' with plastic wrap and clay and we will cast this monster next Monday... then we will shoot it with Danielle and with mud...it will make sense...trust me...


Yes...I know...the hand has only three fingers...if you look closely you can see where the ring finger was ripped off...the life of the Garum has been rough...poor fellow...

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

This is the poster that we will be posting on campus...it is not the final poster...

Lana is going to get some images of our leads and we will then compose a poster...this one should generate some interest as many of the actors are college students and will be recognized as such...

Wow, things are hoppin'...

Lana has taken charge of shooting photos of Luke, Danielle, Debbie and Matt for our poster...

Sally is cranking on the Graphic Novel...

Debbie is designing T shirts...

Ted is editing...

And word is getting out around campus that our film is HAPPENING, BABY! I have had three Profs at IPFW ask me about the film just this week and several art history students have asked if we are planning to show the film on campus. WE WILL!

Also, tomorrow I talk with Justin (we call him Justin the Amazing) about printing some Teaser posters...

Sunday, September 09, 2007

Critics...can't wait...

John brought up an interesting point two posts ago. How does one react to negative press. I think the other important question is how does one react to positive press. I have been looking at a lot of first time directors and independant directors who have recieved positive feedback from critics. They almost seem to have a harder time of it than do the ones who get slammed. If critics pan a film, the film maker must push even harder to make a better film. However, if it recieves praise, justified or not, often times the film maker seems to drop the ball, lose his/her edge, and produce a film not nearly as good as the first.

So, whereas no one wants negative reviews (and there will be negative reviews) no one should totally buy into all of the positive ones. It's all about balance. At some point the film maker and his/her crew must separate from the audience and from the critics and ask themselves the really tough questions...

1) did we make the film we set out to make?

and

2) how could we improve our next project?

We had fun shooting this project and the preproduction was a wave a creativity that I have not ejoyed for a long time. It was great. Now as we begin post, I am hoping that people who watch this film will ejoy seeing it as much as did making it.

...and I also hope to never see it on MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000...yikes!

PARTY TIME!

Last night Ted hosted a Graduation/cast and crew party...I had to leave early, the 10:00 pm phone calls I recieved on my cell's answering machine (is that the right term?) assures me that they had fun well after I left. We will have a super huge bash when the film is done and we (ALL of the cast and crew) will watch the film and then party. Michael and Andrew are invited too...or, maybe we can conference call them...

What a fantastic buch of people!

Saturday, September 08, 2007

Uhmmm...okay...

Had an interesting thing happen...someone, whose identity will not be revealed due to the fact that I respect this person's relatives, really insulted me and the film...

Him: So why did you make this movie?

Me: (long explaination)

Him: I'll do a "Mystery Science Theater 3000" on your film for free.

Me: Uh...(something to the affect of) do you realize how deeply you just insulted me?!?!?

Sorta glad I was wearing good clothes because otherwise there would have been spilt blood...

If you don't know what Mystery Science Theater 3000 is, let me 'splain. It is a really funny show where the main characters, two robots and a human, watch god-awful movies and slam on them...see where I might be a little offended? See where maybe I was REALLY offended...and he was willing to do this, SLAM ON MY (make that OUR) TWO YEARS OF PASSIONATE FILM MAKING, for free. Thanks, but no thanks!

Friday, September 07, 2007

What now?

With the shooting done and Ted and Danielle working on editing...I am at a bit of a loss as to how I can fill my empty days...HA! HA! HAAAAAAA! But seriously...there is that novel (four actually) that I am trying to get published so now I turn my attention that way...here is the first revamped image for my web page...

Thursday, September 06, 2007

I miss shooting...

Can't believe we're done...I'm bummed...I found two new spots to shoot...two gorgeous locations...grrrr...

Wednesday, September 05, 2007

COOLNESS!

Seems we have generated controversy before the film is even edited. IPFW wants to show our trailer, but the original one is too violent. YES! We (that means TED) have cut a shorter less violent trailer for their broadcast. They have agreed to show the 'blood and guts' version late at night when parents are asleep...

Monday, September 03, 2007

Logo number 2 and 3...


John has been working on the drifter...

The Drifter's shell is almost done...


Attn. Cast and Crew...

Ted has informed me that many of you have not received replies from your emails. I have found that AOL has been putting many emails in my spam folder. Contact Ted if you do not have my cell phone number and then contact me that way instead of through email...I'd rather not post my cell number here.

Title design number one...


Comments please...

Saturday, September 01, 2007

Highlights and Disappointments...

First off, the disappointments...and there are not too many...
1. The Canon XL1...if you've read past posts, there is no reason for me to elaborate.
2. People who vanish. I could name, but I won't, at least ten people who promised to help with certain aspects of the film (weapons, opening logo design, costumes, set construction) who vanished and no longer called or emailed. Others picked up the slack.
3. Not having the time to shoot the Librarian, the water funeral and the 'march of death' as the warriors were to go into the forest. This was also due in part to the issue covered in #2.
4. The lack of rain.
5. Divas...they were not part of the production.

Now the good stuff.

1. The crew and actors. No fights, no problems and everyone got along well.
2. Ted stepping up and taking over 49% of the film. Go TED!
3. Shawn's rain rack. He is the rain wrangler.
4. Last minute additions or one day actors (Susie, Debbie, John, Stephanie, Brittany, Sally (tho she ended up doing more than she bargained).
5. Kevin and Denise Hunter for letting us shoot in their forest.
6. The footage!
7. The posts that Ted put on the web site to keep us all encouraged.
8. The guys (Andrew and Michael) from across the pond over in England and Scotland.

And this, number 8, sort of leads into the thank you list.

Thanks to...

1. My wife for putting up with this for two years.
2. The cast...
1. Danielle for bringing Gwen to life and for running, jumping, falling, crashing, getting soaked, getting tackled, getting punched, learning lines, getting covered in blood...you rocked it!
2. Luke for his ability to suppress his smile when needed. Thanks for all the time you put in...I know that first kiss was rough, but you pulled it off.
3. Tarina for stepping in and making Lilly real and for having to wear the thickest, hottest costume. Now go get a tan.
4. Matt for being buff AND being able to act. Thanks for being tough and strong when Ted had to smear fake blood on your back...that had to be hard.
5. Debbie for taking control of her character and bringing some fresh new life to the shoot. Great to have you if even for only two days.
6. John Gruse. Freakin' Obi Wan, man, Obi Wan. You added a sense of class to the shoot! Way to die, man!
7. Norfleet. The buff James Earle Jones. Danielle said it best when she said 'no one has ever been so polite when beating me up!' Thanks for getting barefoot and wet!
8. Brittany (Bree the warrior). Thanks for being there when the other actor didn't show. The fight with Danielle looked great and you perked up a lot of exhausted people with your energy.
9. Sally for taking a one scene character and making her a major part of the film emotionally. There will be tears!
10. Li for running, jumping and carrying on like a crazy.
11. Katie...for running, jumping and carrying on like a crazy...but in your own unique (not a twin but really is a twin) sort a way.
12. Loren...wish you could have been there more, but the way you ran barefoot and blindfolded through the forest really impressed and inspired everyone.
13. Susie for pushing past her illness to bring a matronaly (is that a word) spirit to the shoot.
14. Stephanie for being thin and pale AND being able to act. (it's an inside joke, people...relax).
15. Tiffany. It was a small roll, but you looked good in the two scenes. We would have loved to have used you more, but scheduling was a monster.
16. Adam for being a spaz as Core and for all the time he spent in make up the day it rained so hard we had to stop shooting.
17 and 18. Zack and Max for going ahead with the shoot even tho the mosquitoes were killer.
19. Megan. Evil, pure evil. THANKS!
...I feel like I am forgetting someone...

3. The crew...thanks to...
1. Ted for all of the technical stuff and for the directing and the editing and the support and the stuff I mentioned above...
2. Shawn for the rain rack improvement and his ability to control the weather. Also for his Garum arm design.
3. Matt for the camera and acting.
4. Stephanie for her costume supervision and her organizational skills.
5. Sally and Stephanie for the catering.
6. Brittany and Elizabeth for running around and doing whatever we asked them to do.
7. Ron, John, Micheal, Ted and Andrew for the CG work.
8. Jim for letting us use the camera.
9. IPFW for also letting us use the cameras and for showing our trailer.
10. Lana for her AWESOME photos!
11. Anyone who I may have forgotten to mention.

Special thanks to God for keeping everyone safe and for His great sense of humor with the weather. See, it rained in Scotland where Mark and Michael needed sunshine and it was sunny here where we needed rain. It keeps me smiling and thinkin'.

DONE!

It feels weird. Two years ago, July fourth, I scribbled out a few storyboards for a movie I never thought would be made. Now, today, we finished shooting. Last week when we were 'done', I had an odd feeling that we were not actually finished. Well we are now. The twelve hours of shooting that we lost last week we got done yesterday and today...and we added a few more short scenes for Gwen's 'patrolling montage'. One scene I really enjoyed had my two boys, Zack (9) and Max (7) as young hunters in the forest and Danielle comes across them. At first they are startled and defensive as they raise small weapons to protect themselves, but then Danielle announces that she is the Caretaker and they warm up to her.

Today we reshot all of the stuff that we lost due to last week's bad camera. Plus we got Danielle doing some cool stunts. The major problem, however, was the MOSQUITOES! They were EVERYWHERE! We went through several cans of OFF and Debbie was eaten to the bone by the nasty little buggers. Matt, of course, screamed like a baby. Actually he engaged several mosquitoes in conversation and demanded that they leave. I believe that his Mc Donald's breakfast egg tortilla was left in the sun too long and he was slowly going insane.

But we finished. We are REALLY, ACTUALLY and TOTALLY done shooting. There might be a shot or two a month down the road of some non specific thing (this is called a pick up) that might need to be done and of course when the Garum arm is finished we need to have it digging for 'brubs' in the dirt.

But that's it, baby. We are done. It hardly seems real.