Expecting the Unexpected.

It's good to actually be sitting down and writing again.

Since the inception of "Our Story" this February and when pre-production started in April, I have had very little time to write anything, save for the production diary. That is indeed what I am claiming to have written tonight, but even it has fallen by the wayside as my muse is crushed under the weight of this behemoth. A wave of coursework doesn't help either, nor does a sense of responsibility.

Ironically, I have not had much time to edit my baby, either. Currently I have around nine total minutes of the film cut together. One two minute-or-so sequence will need to be recut due to the reshooting of some of its scenes. However, it is a comfort to me that the current cut has gotten a stellar reception so far, and not necessarily just from Zaque and Daniel; we have had people outside the project watch several scenes, and the response has been very warm. I am always reluctant to judge my own material, but I believe in this case I can safely say that "Our Story" is going to be very good.

I think I am going to make a return to prose after "Our Story" is completed, and begin work on a novel I have been stewing over in my head for about as long as this movie. I'm considering rewriting "Too Human," but that is far in the future and will play second fiddle to the novel, I hope. Prose is my first love, and our reunion should give me a better perspective on different kinds of writing. It's also very different in tone from "Our Story," which explores most of the same themes as nearly everything I've produced over the past two years as a writer.

So I suppose now, seeing as how this ride is finally slowing down*, is a good time for reflection.

It says something about the quality of our planning that exactly one mistake was made in the filming of "Our Story," and that it will not show in the final product. The footage we have is completely faithful to the script. All the lines are in there, including a few extra. Every scene went generally as planned, with a decent amount of coverage in terms of cinematography. A couple sequences have proved a bit difficult to edit, particularly the finale, because of their dependence on music.

I know that sounds ridiculous, but you have to imagine my fear about "Our Story" after the Apocalypse Now-style shoot of "Stalin and Hitler." That film was the epitome of a grand vision that failed to be due to lack of foresight...much like my much-lamented "Too Human." Because of how near and dear "Our Story" is to my heart, it was a relief to see that it actually went well and was reasonably organized the entire time.

Know what's funny though? In some ways it didn't, and this will probably change the way I write forever.

I have discovered during the production of "Our Story" that everything changes once you're on set with a camera in your hand. When you see your words playing out before your eyes, a curious thing happens: change. This sounds odd seeing as how I said everything remained faithful to the script, which it did...but the spirit of the words changed. Footage was recorded from angles the storyboards did not dictate. And why?

The real question is, "Who cares why?"

In the future, when I write for the screen, I will learn to leave a bit more leniency in my script. No matter how much time you spend poring over your script, and your ideas, and letting them soak into your brain, you are never fully prepared and you will never be fully prepared. "Our Story" has taught me that you cannot have an exact or definitive vision, because exact and definitive visions never come out exact and definitive. The filmmaking process is a morphing, shifting animal that you attempt to tame as you go along.

The things we don't expect are usually the ones that make the biggest difference.

Making a difference,

-JD

*at least until marketing and promotion begin...

Production: Day Two.

Guys...I think we've created a monster.

Today was an even better day than Saturday for filming. I can't reveal much without spoiling the plot for you, but let's just say that, in the words of the protagonist: "Man...there's not a dry eye in the house right now."

I'm keeping this entry reasonably short. I'm going to try avoid rambling over my incredible actors, talented crew, or the script that I'm so proud I can say that I wrote. I'm going to avoid long-winded technical discussions. I'm going to avoid talking about how I might have almost teared up behind the camera while our actors teared up for real, or how Lily and Nathan are so insufferably cute that seeing them get angry at each other on screen breaks my heart.

Instead I'm going to sum it all up with a single line: we're making something truly beautiful.

I will, however, offer a few amusing anecdotes about production.

Something that separated today from Saturday was how streamlined everything was. There were almost no technical challenges, and those that were there were overcome with ease. We shot FOUR scenes with the helmet cam today, and even got one of them in a single shot! It's obvious Lily and Nathan were much more aware of the special considerations you have to make when shooting with the device, and our tech assistants (namely Greyson and Timothy) are also learning better how to "spot" the device. "Spotting" the cam is a great trick we discovered today where one person hovers behind Nathan while he's wearing the device, holding and helping Lily guide the camera.

We also got to use the Steadycam a lot today, which I was really excited about. Poor Nathan ran so much I thought he was going to die. Nearly every member of the crew got to make a cameo today too!

There aren't really any words that can express how happy I am right now. This film is coming together perfectly. In fact, if a particular tear-jerking scene today is any indication, I think it may actually be going beyond anything I had planned for.

What does the future hold for "Our Story?" I don't know, but no matter what, I think it proves something: we friggin' love making movies. And we might be pretty good at it.

New greatest day of my life,
-JD

Principal Photography: ~80%
Video Editing: ~10%
Audio Mastering: 0%

P.S.: Here, have some pictures!

Production: Day One.

Today at 8:15am, the movie I have wanted to make for five years officially started filming. And for once, nearly everything went exactly the way it should have.

Well, almost. We didn't get everything done we wanted to today, but damn, did we get some beautiful work done.

It was pretty obvious as soon as we left campus for filming that we were probably going to run late. And we did; we were roughly an hour behind schedule the entire day. Thankfully our first scene was not that difficult; it is footage for a montage later in the film, intercutting between two locations during a monologue. We whipped out the Steadycam for it and the footage looks absolutely amazing; too bad I can't show you guys...

In case you missed the Facebook updates, our camera did not come back on time as Sony had promised. However, Nathan knew a guy named Grayson Murphy who just happened to own exactly the same camera we normally use. I met with him yesterday and he's an awesome guy: funny, creative, laid-back, and enthusiastic. He was glad to let us use his camera for the shooting this weekend while Sony takes their sweet time, despite having never read the script before or even knowing anything about the project. He and his girlfriend were on set all day, holding out through long rehearsals, acting exercises, and technical setups. Grayson really helped out with our equipment and technical issues too...I can see him being a great working partner in the future.

Speaking of rough times on set, there was a particularly difficult shot today that we NAILED. It is a first-person sequence done entirely with the helmet cam that runs for around a minute. It took us fourteen takes and three hours just to get this one shot. We were all frustrated, hungry, and dehydrated, but then that last take came...and it was money. Pure money.

I must also speak of Daniel and Zaque. These guys communicate to actors in a way I cannot understand. I don't want to spoil too many details, but let's just say they work as translators for what I can't express in words. There were some incredibly intense moments on set, to say the least.

Our grip roles today were primarily filled by associate producer Melissa Raver and film clubber Timothy Snyder, who was happy to lend his hands and his pickup truck for transportation. Grayson's girlfriend Sophia was also pretty boss.

I unfortunately don't have any access to the production photos we took today, but I can instead offer some snapshots of the most beautiful footage we got today. Note that these are all spoiler free.






















































The second day of production is this Monday, September 6th. The schedule says we're going to start at 9:15am, but we'll see how it goes once we actually get on set.

Greatest day of my life,
-JD.

Principal Photography: ~15%
Video Editing: ~2%
Audio Mastering: 0%

And From the Darkness, Light.

It's been too long. There is so much to say, and words are so weak.

My life is generally free from crisis. However yesterday, I experienced one: our camera, a Sony HDR-SR11, decided to break. It displayed an error code E:62:02 and all footage it records looks something like this:













We immediately contacted Sony Customer Support, and our baby is currently en route to Texas for emergency surgery.

I feel like I need to talk about how wonderful Sony is.

I called them today distressed, frustrated, and trying very hard to keep myself calm. The only thing on my mind since yesterday morning when those dastardly green and pink bands decided to enter my life has been this: Our Story is going to be delayed. There will not be enough time. The repairs will take weeks. Did I eat at Wendy's TWICE yesterday?

My concerns were eased. In less than 30 minutes, I was told that their Laredo Repair Center would, at no additional cost to us, give us priority repair and shipping. Even better, it'll be back next week. YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH












This, ladies and gentlemen, is customer service at its finest.

Now that we can move onto happier things, I can say that production is still going swimmingly. Yesterday Zaque, Daniel, leading girl Lily, and doc crew leader Nathan came with me to the Blue Ridge Parkway to get the scoop on some of our locations. The first pieces of documentary footage were filmed (also on a Sony camera!), and I took some extra time to get Lily familiar with some of our more complex tracking shots.

The first day of shooting is still September 5th. Our day begins at 8AM and will run until 5PM. Storyboards are nearing completion, and the shooting schedule is also becoming solid. The only obstacles I can foresee now are the rain storms that like to come in for short periods of time and dump their crap all over Watauga County and the surrounding areas.

Honestly, this may be the last blog entry until production day. "Our Story" is entering crunch mode now, where doing is more important than talking about doing.

If there is relevant information, however, I will definitely share it with you all.

See you on the other side,
-JD

Script: 100% since 2/09
Cast: 100%
Crew: 100%
Camera Supplies: 75%
Storyboards: 83% (updated)
Definitive Shooting Schedule: 50%
Movement Rehearsals: ~10%
Locations/Permissions: ~90%

Testing Testing.

Final verdict? I rule.

Obviously,
-JD











There are no updates for the Pre-Productive Organs today.

Why Hello, Dolly.

Ladies and gentlemen.

















This is the finished camera dolly and track that will be used in "Our Story." It was constructed of materials bought entirely at Lowe's Hardware for $44.88. This will allow for smooth panning shots and to keep the movie from feeling too static.

Now before I move onto the construction process, how exactly does this thing work? Basically, mounted on the bottom are four casters. These are like those wheels on office chairs. They grip the sides of the PVC pipe track, which is loosely mounted on wood planks like a railroad, and travel VERY smoothly along it. The results are pretty impressive, it seems...it was unfortunately too dark to record with my camera when construction was finished, so no true test footage is available yet.

Many homemade dollies use skateboard wheels mounted on a similar plywood sheet. Some use a thicker sheet that allows you to stand on it; however, this is rather unnecessary for my purposes. The cost of skateboard wheels tends to get a little high, and they are also hard to find...so after viewing this video on YouTube, I decided to go with casters, as they are much cheaper and easier to find.

On to the construction!

Materials List
- 1 4x4 sheet of plywood
- 4 2x4x6 wooden planks
- 4 dual-wheel casters
- 2 10' PVC Pipes, 3/4 inch in diameter
- 4 3/4 inch PVC endcaps
- 24 8x1 flat Phillips screws
- 8 10x3 flat Phillips screws
- A tape measure, yardstick, or something similar
- A powered drill
- A hammer
- A marker.


















Note that this is not the exact set of materials I used; I had to improvise later in the design. However in order to replicate it well, these are the materials you SHOULD use. Also, Lowes will cut the wood for free!

I started off by marking the spots for the casters. Each caster is attached to a plate with holes for screws; the centers of these holes are exactly 1 inch apart from each other.

















In order to give the platform stability yet also secure the casters, I opted to place them six inches in. I measured 6 inches from both sides, then six inches up, and drew a marker where they intersected. From this marker I measured half an inch out on either side to form a window-like shape as a guide for attaching the caster. It looks something like this:

















I did this for all four corners of the plywood where the wheels are attached, then I just flipped the board over and screwed them on with the drill. I found it was much easier after knocking them in a bit with a hammer. The beauty here is that it's possible to undo them with a screwdriver, allowing for easy maintenance when the casters become worn.

One minor problem with this: screws are pointy, so you have to be careful when picking it up. Ouch!


































I did a test mount on the track and surprise, it works! It actually runs great on just the pipes, but they do tend to slip a bit. This would also cause problems in grass that may get caught in the caster wheels, so I elevated them on wooden planks, like a railroad track. Screws on the sides hold the pipes when they begin shifting from side to side as you move the dolly down the track. There are four per plank, two on each side for each pipe.

















This did not work as well as I had originally intended. While I lined up the tracks exactly with marker (you can still see this on the finished product), getting the screws to be the same everywhere was quite difficult. I also did not give them enough leeway, so the pipe would often get bent snaking in between them instead of being able to comfortably move back and forth. This would cause the casters to derail. I spent around an hour shifting screws around, trying to find a design that would keep this from happening yet still lock the track down pretty tight. Eventually I had to compromise, and the planks are laid out in a such a way that they are not even all the way down the track.

In order to secure the pipe, I used long screws at the end that catch the sides of the PVC endcap. In the middle, smaller screws block the pipe track when it shifts from side to side, stabilizing the shot. Occasionally, there is a slight jerk in the middle of the track; however, this does not happen often, and usually only at higher speeds.

















Here is a better look at how those screws secure the pipe. You'll also notice in this picture that the track is bent; usually, as the dolly moves, the track naturally flattens out because of the weight of the plywood being concentrated on the wheels.

















Something cool I managed: a handle of sorts, totally screwless! I found an old busted garden hose we had laying around, and detached the swiveling head from it. It has a hook-like structure at the top that works perfectly for tugging the dolly with minimal backbreaking. Turn it around to the other side, and it can also push the platform very well.

I also installed a new wiper motor in my car today. Manliest day ever? Possibly.


















Grrr,
-JD

Script: 100% since 2/09
Cast: 100%
Crew: 100%
Camera Supplies: 75% (updated)
Storyboards: 66%
Definitive Shooting Schedule: ~7% (will be completed in one night upon returning to school)
Movement Rehearsals: 0%
Locations/Permissions: ~75%

In Which I Emerge From Oblivion.

Here is a rundown of the last week:

1. Work.
2. Fix car to prepare for inspection deadline.
3. Work.
4. Fix car to prepare for inspection deadline.
5. Actually get out for once.

Here is my rundown for the next week and a half:

1. Breathe.
2. Work.
3. Work.
4. Get car inspected.
5. Build camera dolly.
6. School.

Unfortunately, Our Diary hasn't factored into my time much lately. What with pressing responsibilities and that ever-present need for money, I haven't had proper time to dedicate to the blog in nearly a week, and even longer for dedicating time to the storyboards, which are still at 66%. There is, however, light in the darkness:

- The camera dolly is going to be built in stages over the next few days, during my free moments. Possibly even Saturday, for real this time. However, I do need to fix the wipers on my car in order to pass inspection, so that's first priority.

- The helmet cam shall undergo the same treatment. However, I may wait until school since the camera is not in my possession at this time.

- Upon returning to school, I vow to complete at least one scene in the storyboards every two nights.

- "Our Story" is still scheduled to commence shooting on September 5th, 2009.

Still pumped,
-JD

Much to my dismay, there are no updates for the Pre-Productive Organs today.