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.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Friday, July 24, 2009
Ebbing and Flowing.
A few days ago I mentioned building a camera dolly for this project.
For the uninitiated, a camera dolly is essentially a platform with wheels that you can sit a tripod on and roll the camera. However, I am going to take this a step further with a dolly track for this project. The track has several advantages over a standard dolly, the most obvious being that it...well, being a track, it will probably move in one direction. This also means that, because of the track, it can be setup on grass and other rough surfaces. It allows for very smooth, very fluid pullouts, pullins, and pans.
The typical low budget homemade dolly track is constructed of PVC pipe and skateboard wheels, and looks something like this:
Why is the Steadycam not applicable to this purpose? The Steadycam, for one, does not provide the smoothness or ease of use of a dolly track. It is more meant for tracking shots, where the camera follows someone around for an extended period of time and requires greater freedom of movement. The particular one we're using for this project, as I have mentioned, has the inverter bracket that is required for a key shot in the film.
So now I have explained what the dolly is for. But, if I may indulge, what is it...for?
There is a problem with stillness in film, especially low budget projects like ours. The nature of film as a medium is that it is not simply a set where things happen and we see it; it is about the way that we see these things happen. The best script in the world with scenes that bring you to tears with laughter or knock you to your knees in awe means absolutely nothing if you don't present it in a way that complements those words. Beauty requires beauty, and skill requires skill. The best films know how to balance this.
"Our Story" is a quiet, but fast-moving narrative. Therefore, many of the shots will have a gradual, subtle motion to them, frequently on the dolly. I call this "gentle kinetics," though I'm sure there's a term coined by directors who know far more than me and have master's degrees from UCLA.
I'm actually known at No Budget for my love of fast-moving handheld shots. You can see this in "Clocks" and in the fight scene at the end of "Stalin and Hitler: The Motion Picture," both of which were entirely shot by me. The rest of the group does typically prefer tripod shots, and this is not necessarily a bad thing. The problem with using frequent still shots, even with cuts, is that your film is static. The motion of the film needs to ebb and curve and balance and pool and overflow over mountaintops.
Granted, a lot of the work we've had thus far has lacked the emotional complexity of "Our Story." This is not a boastful statement; we made a comedy about dictators peeing on people and singing. Dramatic material has simply not been a part of our repertoire thus far. Therefore, exposition is perhaps less important in the comedy format, which is why the need for special devices like the dolly and steadycam hasn't really existed thus far in our 1.5-year existence.
"Our Story," however, will also have a great deal of still shots. They are good for providing exactly what stillness does: tension. Stasis, waiting, anticipation. Dolly shots keep the action from getting stale, and the full-blown high-speed shots are when the script is exploding with power and emotional intensity, when it is at its absolute rawest.
Of course, there's still no formula for this, much like for the writing process. In the end, you have to do what feels good. Stephen King said the problem with a lot of writers is that they write bullshit. Quite simply, they don't truly know what they write. Perhaps I should approach the camera in the same way?
Hmmm,
-JD
There are no updates for the Pre-Productive Organs today.
For the uninitiated, a camera dolly is essentially a platform with wheels that you can sit a tripod on and roll the camera. However, I am going to take this a step further with a dolly track for this project. The track has several advantages over a standard dolly, the most obvious being that it...well, being a track, it will probably move in one direction. This also means that, because of the track, it can be setup on grass and other rough surfaces. It allows for very smooth, very fluid pullouts, pullins, and pans.
The typical low budget homemade dolly track is constructed of PVC pipe and skateboard wheels, and looks something like this:
Why is the Steadycam not applicable to this purpose? The Steadycam, for one, does not provide the smoothness or ease of use of a dolly track. It is more meant for tracking shots, where the camera follows someone around for an extended period of time and requires greater freedom of movement. The particular one we're using for this project, as I have mentioned, has the inverter bracket that is required for a key shot in the film.
So now I have explained what the dolly is for. But, if I may indulge, what is it...for?
There is a problem with stillness in film, especially low budget projects like ours. The nature of film as a medium is that it is not simply a set where things happen and we see it; it is about the way that we see these things happen. The best script in the world with scenes that bring you to tears with laughter or knock you to your knees in awe means absolutely nothing if you don't present it in a way that complements those words. Beauty requires beauty, and skill requires skill. The best films know how to balance this.
"Our Story" is a quiet, but fast-moving narrative. Therefore, many of the shots will have a gradual, subtle motion to them, frequently on the dolly. I call this "gentle kinetics," though I'm sure there's a term coined by directors who know far more than me and have master's degrees from UCLA.
I'm actually known at No Budget for my love of fast-moving handheld shots. You can see this in "Clocks" and in the fight scene at the end of "Stalin and Hitler: The Motion Picture," both of which were entirely shot by me. The rest of the group does typically prefer tripod shots, and this is not necessarily a bad thing. The problem with using frequent still shots, even with cuts, is that your film is static. The motion of the film needs to ebb and curve and balance and pool and overflow over mountaintops.
Granted, a lot of the work we've had thus far has lacked the emotional complexity of "Our Story." This is not a boastful statement; we made a comedy about dictators peeing on people and singing. Dramatic material has simply not been a part of our repertoire thus far. Therefore, exposition is perhaps less important in the comedy format, which is why the need for special devices like the dolly and steadycam hasn't really existed thus far in our 1.5-year existence.
"Our Story," however, will also have a great deal of still shots. They are good for providing exactly what stillness does: tension. Stasis, waiting, anticipation. Dolly shots keep the action from getting stale, and the full-blown high-speed shots are when the script is exploding with power and emotional intensity, when it is at its absolute rawest.
Of course, there's still no formula for this, much like for the writing process. In the end, you have to do what feels good. Stephen King said the problem with a lot of writers is that they write bullshit. Quite simply, they don't truly know what they write. Perhaps I should approach the camera in the same way?
Hmmm,
-JD
There are no updates for the Pre-Productive Organs today.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
It's All In Your Head.
Today, I found the greatest thing that I've ever seen in my life.
This is a helmet-cam, used for first-person sequences in "Our Story." These sequences serve a particular spoileriffic purpose in the film that I will not reveal, and I've been trying to figure out a way to do them for months. The Steadycam is not practical for this purpose because, since it requires hands to hold it, the shot looks more like a still camera and less like someone's view from their eyes. It is being used for other shots, but it simply does not accomplish the job of first-person shots.
You cannot possibly imagine how relieved I am to have found this video. I've thought of all kinds of designs for this thing, with velcro straps, counterweights, and all kinds of crap...and now, it is remedied. I will be constructing this by the end of the week. Since I'm hopefully setting aside Saturday to construct the camera dolly, this will also fit nicely into my schedule. I plan on using styrofoam for the final product, but for testing purposes I'll probably use a towel or newspaper like in the video. Weight may be added as well for extra stability.
Sweet, sweet victory.
Veni, vidi, something,
-JD
There are no updates for the Pre-Productive Organs today.
EDIT: To make this an even better day, I found a tripod in my basement that my mom has had since the 80s. Even cooler? It is still like new and has the smoothest pan of any tripod I've ever used, even with the No Budget crew.
This is a helmet-cam, used for first-person sequences in "Our Story." These sequences serve a particular spoileriffic purpose in the film that I will not reveal, and I've been trying to figure out a way to do them for months. The Steadycam is not practical for this purpose because, since it requires hands to hold it, the shot looks more like a still camera and less like someone's view from their eyes. It is being used for other shots, but it simply does not accomplish the job of first-person shots.
You cannot possibly imagine how relieved I am to have found this video. I've thought of all kinds of designs for this thing, with velcro straps, counterweights, and all kinds of crap...and now, it is remedied. I will be constructing this by the end of the week. Since I'm hopefully setting aside Saturday to construct the camera dolly, this will also fit nicely into my schedule. I plan on using styrofoam for the final product, but for testing purposes I'll probably use a towel or newspaper like in the video. Weight may be added as well for extra stability.
Sweet, sweet victory.
Veni, vidi, something,
-JD
There are no updates for the Pre-Productive Organs today.
EDIT: To make this an even better day, I found a tripod in my basement that my mom has had since the 80s. Even cooler? It is still like new and has the smoothest pan of any tripod I've ever used, even with the No Budget crew.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Rock Steady, Part Deux.
Had some more fun with the Steadycam today in a nearby graveyard. However, until I am able to test with a REAL camera, I can't see what this thing is truly capable of. I tried using my friend's ancient MiniDV camera, but it seems that the thing decided to not work anymore after only a few runs, and we can't figure out why.
You see, a problem with my current configuration is that the camera I'm using probably doesn't even weigh half a pound. The counterweight on the steadycam weighs around 5 pounds. Therefore, it creates a severe imbalance when I'm holding the device aloft with the camera on top, causing shakiness. Thankfully, the HDR-SR11 weighs around a pound and a half, so the weight will be balanced a little more. Since I plan on purchasing the NP-FH100 battery for the camera, that's going to make it even heavier.
Before his camera decided to poop out, Brandon (the aforementioned friend) suggest I purchase a nice stack of washers to place on top of the camera mount, which gives the camera some additional support. It seems to work a little bit, but again, I won't be able to tell for sure until I have our REAL camera to test it on.
Anyway, some more footage I collected today.
Animals hate me,
-JD
There are no updates for the Pre-Productive Organs today.
You see, a problem with my current configuration is that the camera I'm using probably doesn't even weigh half a pound. The counterweight on the steadycam weighs around 5 pounds. Therefore, it creates a severe imbalance when I'm holding the device aloft with the camera on top, causing shakiness. Thankfully, the HDR-SR11 weighs around a pound and a half, so the weight will be balanced a little more. Since I plan on purchasing the NP-FH100 battery for the camera, that's going to make it even heavier.
Before his camera decided to poop out, Brandon (the aforementioned friend) suggest I purchase a nice stack of washers to place on top of the camera mount, which gives the camera some additional support. It seems to work a little bit, but again, I won't be able to tell for sure until I have our REAL camera to test it on.
Anyway, some more footage I collected today.
Animals hate me,
-JD
There are no updates for the Pre-Productive Organs today.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Rock Steady.
A little something special came in the post yesterday.
This is the Poor Man's Steadycam, designed by Mr. Johnny Chung Lee. It's a device that allows for image stabilization, reducing the "shakey" look that handheld shots usually have.
Steadycams have been around for quite some time, but they are VERY complex devices and typically cost tens of thousands of dollars. They're used quite frequently in major motion pictures; a very good example is the tracking shot in "Children of Men" where the camera follows Theo through the refugee camp for nearly 10 minutes as a huge battle is going on.
This one, however, is MUCH smaller, MUCH less complex, and achieves somewhat decent results for only costing $55. It fits just about any consumer or pro-sumer camera, including our very own Sony HDR-SR11. Larger cameras such as the Canon XL series will work with it provided you install a sled on the top to fit it. You can make it yourself for around $14, or you can buy it preassembled with an inverter bracket for around $50. I opted to just go ahead and purchase it, as I lack some of the tools required and wanted to keep "labor rage" to a minimum.
This one works very simply: the counterweight on the end of the device keeps the camera from shaking as much. Additional stability is provided by the handle, which you grasp during use.
This particular steadycam has a distinctively cool feature - and one that convinced me to purchase it - that sets it apart: the device can be easily disassembled for many configurations, including one that lets you hold the camera inches above the ground for an extremely smooth, kinetic running shot. It looks great.
So how DOES it work? Pretty well, but it doesn't perform miracles. Using the steadycam requires a special sort of walk that is difficult to perfect, especially on uneven surfaces. However, when you keep yourself steady too, the extra stabilization the device offers is truly remarkable for only fifty bucks! See for yourself below:
Some things to know about this video:
- These runs were all completely unrehearsed.
- During the running sequences, there was no extra support used; the camera swung freely on the device.
- This is very, VERY poor quality video, recorded on a CyberShot still camera, a model released around 2002. Obviously, "Our Story" is being filmed on a much nicer high-definition camera.
I may have some better quality video coming later in the week from a friend's MiniDV camera.
Cheers!
-JD
Script: 100% since 2/09
Cast: 100%
Crew: 100%
Camera Supplies: 50% (updated)
Storyboards: 66%
Definitive Shooting Schedule: ~7%
Movement Rehearsals: 0%
Locations/Permissions: ~75%
Green Screen Construction: 0%
This is the Poor Man's Steadycam, designed by Mr. Johnny Chung Lee. It's a device that allows for image stabilization, reducing the "shakey" look that handheld shots usually have.
Steadycams have been around for quite some time, but they are VERY complex devices and typically cost tens of thousands of dollars. They're used quite frequently in major motion pictures; a very good example is the tracking shot in "Children of Men" where the camera follows Theo through the refugee camp for nearly 10 minutes as a huge battle is going on.
This one, however, is MUCH smaller, MUCH less complex, and achieves somewhat decent results for only costing $55. It fits just about any consumer or pro-sumer camera, including our very own Sony HDR-SR11. Larger cameras such as the Canon XL series will work with it provided you install a sled on the top to fit it. You can make it yourself for around $14, or you can buy it preassembled with an inverter bracket for around $50. I opted to just go ahead and purchase it, as I lack some of the tools required and wanted to keep "labor rage" to a minimum.
This one works very simply: the counterweight on the end of the device keeps the camera from shaking as much. Additional stability is provided by the handle, which you grasp during use.
This particular steadycam has a distinctively cool feature - and one that convinced me to purchase it - that sets it apart: the device can be easily disassembled for many configurations, including one that lets you hold the camera inches above the ground for an extremely smooth, kinetic running shot. It looks great.
So how DOES it work? Pretty well, but it doesn't perform miracles. Using the steadycam requires a special sort of walk that is difficult to perfect, especially on uneven surfaces. However, when you keep yourself steady too, the extra stabilization the device offers is truly remarkable for only fifty bucks! See for yourself below:
Some things to know about this video:
- These runs were all completely unrehearsed.
- During the running sequences, there was no extra support used; the camera swung freely on the device.
- This is very, VERY poor quality video, recorded on a CyberShot still camera, a model released around 2002. Obviously, "Our Story" is being filmed on a much nicer high-definition camera.
I may have some better quality video coming later in the week from a friend's MiniDV camera.
Cheers!
-JD
Script: 100% since 2/09
Cast: 100%
Crew: 100%
Camera Supplies: 50% (updated)
Storyboards: 66%
Definitive Shooting Schedule: ~7%
Movement Rehearsals: 0%
Locations/Permissions: ~75%
Green Screen Construction: 0%
Monday, July 13, 2009
A Bit Of Inspiration.
I use the term blood, sweat, and tears a lot.
We've been over the blood: what the story is about. We're going through the sweat right now: this is going to be a huge undertaking for me. However, where are the tears? I mention all the time how incredibly personal "Our Story" is as a film, and I think until it is made, it will be difficult for many people to understand what I'm saying.
I write things inspired by my life all the time, as I think just about any writer does. Even the weird fantasy stuff that I do has people I've met, or ideas about the world that I've came upon through living in the land of the real. However, "Our Story" is possibly the first thing I've ever written that isn't afraid to go verbatim.
I've wanted to do several blogs about music I listened to during the writing of "Our Story." Purposefully choosing music is a practice I frequently employ to help me nail the mood of a scene. However, because "Our Story" and this album are so similar, and I've also wanted to write about why this film is so personal to me, I figured I should combine them.
I am not comparable to the genius of Rivers Cuomo. However, I feel that "Our Story" is my "Pinkerton."
Weezer's "Pinkerton" is the black sheep of their discography. It is also one of the single best albums ever, and an enormously intimate, almost frighteningly close portrait of an awkward and afraid young man. Weezer's music took a turn for the darker for this album to match Cuomo's entry-in-my-diary-in-hell lyrics. I feel like the album also shares a major theme with "Our Story" in that many of the songs involve obsession and desperation leading to Cuomo creating stories for himself, versions of things he wishes could happen, but that inside his aching heart, he knows won't.
Here's an excerpt from "Across the Sea:"
I wonder what clothes you wear to school
I wonder how you decorate your room
I wonder how you touch yourself
And curse myself for being across the sea
Why are you so far away from me?
I need help and you're way across the sea
I could never touch you
I think it would be wrong
I've got your letter
You've got my song.
A lot of people would call those lyrics "emo." Some would call them the ramblings of an incredible wuss. The thing about these lyrics is that, unlike many similar longing love songs, they are incredibly candid. There is nothing hidden, nothing obscured behind unnecessary poetry or metaphor. It is a confessional booth where you are the priest, sworn to secrecy to take these fears from a man who is ashamed of the pathetic creature he is and wants so badly to let people know he has changed, that he's sane, that everything he's feeling was just a phase and an illusion.
For this reason, "Pinkerton" got heavy play during the writing of "Our Story." The album showed me what kind of beauty you could create when you aren't afraid to get down to the nitty gritty, and the things you're most ashamed of.
So...whoa. Hold on. Does "Our Story" really get that intimate?
Not quite; there are no scenes of imagined masturbation in this film. However, as "El Scorcho" and "Tired of Sex" are on Pinkerton, "Our Story" is, in many ways, a true story. It draws bits and pieces from countless real people of both genders for the characters and some of the events in the film. However, the big pieces are inspired by one girl in particular, whose name shall remain anonymous, as it is not necessary.
The year 2004. I'm a sophomore in high school, and I'm still a kid. My world is half reality and half story. I still do nothing but play video games in my spare time, huge ones, vast ones, ones with worlds I can lose myself in because, quite frankly, a lot of the real world bores me. I'm unconfident, unsure of myself, and trying to establish an identity when, in reality, I already have one that I'm too immature to embrace.
A beautiful girl, the most beautiful girl I've ever seen, comes up to me at a football game where I'm bored. She flirts with me. I don't know what to do. I'm in love. She's not like the other girls; as I relate in "Our Story," she was beautiful because of "her own light, her own aura, her own radiance of ubiquity." She is totally into me. I'm clueless and nervous as hell, but I think, for some reason, that I might have just proven the rule of first sight to be true.
The next day, I play video games to distract myself because I'm afraid to call her. Eventually, I do. We talk for three hours. This happens repeatedly.
Two weeks later, she gets a boyfriend. I wonder why.
Five years later, I know exactly why: I tried too hard. I made up my mind about how things were going to go, and when they didn't, I found myself crying quietly and muttering "Why can't she see how beautiful we are?" We wouldn't be that extraordinary. She is still special to me, but she isn't special. I failed to see that there were the proverbial other fish, and began to live inside this story off and on, mostly on, for two and a half years.
Eventually, I changed. I came out of my shell and learned a critical life lesson: stop worrying so much. Stop thinking so much, stop caring so much, and don't just play the hand you're dealt, enjoy the hand you're dealt. It was then that I was ready to face the person I used to be and, maybe, call myself a man for once. I had grown up finally, and learned to live in the real world while enjoying the ones I explored as a child. The roots were tired and old, but now the tree had begun to sprout and was basking in sunlight, ready to grow all the way to the clouds...or at least as far as the other trees in the forest would let it go.
"Our Story" was written for many reasons. For one, I feel like there aren't enough films about unrequited love, at least that try to truly explore it as their primary goal. I hear "Chasing Amy" is really good but, despite my love of Kevin Smith, I still haven't seen it. But, like Cuomo says "Pinkerton" was for him, it was cathartic.
Looking back as an adult, or at least something like it, on the life I lived trying to grow up, I knew I had a story to tell that I'm sure many other people were way too comfortable with. I heard once that the greatest stories are the ones we already know, and I sincerely hope "Our Story" is one of those.
However, I can't help but worry a little bit. Cuomo has said before that he hates "Pinkerton." He compares it to getting drunk and telling all your friends your deepest secrets, then waking up the next morning and feeling as if life is going to be awkward forever. Will it be the same for me? I don't think so. There are still moments in "Our Story" that I've held back. Will it be uncomfortable?
Yes. But that's expected.
-JD
There are no updates for the Pre-Productive Organs today.
We've been over the blood: what the story is about. We're going through the sweat right now: this is going to be a huge undertaking for me. However, where are the tears? I mention all the time how incredibly personal "Our Story" is as a film, and I think until it is made, it will be difficult for many people to understand what I'm saying.
I write things inspired by my life all the time, as I think just about any writer does. Even the weird fantasy stuff that I do has people I've met, or ideas about the world that I've came upon through living in the land of the real. However, "Our Story" is possibly the first thing I've ever written that isn't afraid to go verbatim.
I've wanted to do several blogs about music I listened to during the writing of "Our Story." Purposefully choosing music is a practice I frequently employ to help me nail the mood of a scene. However, because "Our Story" and this album are so similar, and I've also wanted to write about why this film is so personal to me, I figured I should combine them.
I am not comparable to the genius of Rivers Cuomo. However, I feel that "Our Story" is my "Pinkerton."
Weezer's "Pinkerton" is the black sheep of their discography. It is also one of the single best albums ever, and an enormously intimate, almost frighteningly close portrait of an awkward and afraid young man. Weezer's music took a turn for the darker for this album to match Cuomo's entry-in-my-diary-in-hell lyrics. I feel like the album also shares a major theme with "Our Story" in that many of the songs involve obsession and desperation leading to Cuomo creating stories for himself, versions of things he wishes could happen, but that inside his aching heart, he knows won't.
Here's an excerpt from "Across the Sea:"
I wonder what clothes you wear to school
I wonder how you decorate your room
I wonder how you touch yourself
And curse myself for being across the sea
Why are you so far away from me?
I need help and you're way across the sea
I could never touch you
I think it would be wrong
I've got your letter
You've got my song.
A lot of people would call those lyrics "emo." Some would call them the ramblings of an incredible wuss. The thing about these lyrics is that, unlike many similar longing love songs, they are incredibly candid. There is nothing hidden, nothing obscured behind unnecessary poetry or metaphor. It is a confessional booth where you are the priest, sworn to secrecy to take these fears from a man who is ashamed of the pathetic creature he is and wants so badly to let people know he has changed, that he's sane, that everything he's feeling was just a phase and an illusion.
For this reason, "Pinkerton" got heavy play during the writing of "Our Story." The album showed me what kind of beauty you could create when you aren't afraid to get down to the nitty gritty, and the things you're most ashamed of.
So...whoa. Hold on. Does "Our Story" really get that intimate?
Not quite; there are no scenes of imagined masturbation in this film. However, as "El Scorcho" and "Tired of Sex" are on Pinkerton, "Our Story" is, in many ways, a true story. It draws bits and pieces from countless real people of both genders for the characters and some of the events in the film. However, the big pieces are inspired by one girl in particular, whose name shall remain anonymous, as it is not necessary.
The year 2004. I'm a sophomore in high school, and I'm still a kid. My world is half reality and half story. I still do nothing but play video games in my spare time, huge ones, vast ones, ones with worlds I can lose myself in because, quite frankly, a lot of the real world bores me. I'm unconfident, unsure of myself, and trying to establish an identity when, in reality, I already have one that I'm too immature to embrace.
A beautiful girl, the most beautiful girl I've ever seen, comes up to me at a football game where I'm bored. She flirts with me. I don't know what to do. I'm in love. She's not like the other girls; as I relate in "Our Story," she was beautiful because of "her own light, her own aura, her own radiance of ubiquity." She is totally into me. I'm clueless and nervous as hell, but I think, for some reason, that I might have just proven the rule of first sight to be true.
The next day, I play video games to distract myself because I'm afraid to call her. Eventually, I do. We talk for three hours. This happens repeatedly.
Two weeks later, she gets a boyfriend. I wonder why.
Five years later, I know exactly why: I tried too hard. I made up my mind about how things were going to go, and when they didn't, I found myself crying quietly and muttering "Why can't she see how beautiful we are?" We wouldn't be that extraordinary. She is still special to me, but she isn't special. I failed to see that there were the proverbial other fish, and began to live inside this story off and on, mostly on, for two and a half years.
Eventually, I changed. I came out of my shell and learned a critical life lesson: stop worrying so much. Stop thinking so much, stop caring so much, and don't just play the hand you're dealt, enjoy the hand you're dealt. It was then that I was ready to face the person I used to be and, maybe, call myself a man for once. I had grown up finally, and learned to live in the real world while enjoying the ones I explored as a child. The roots were tired and old, but now the tree had begun to sprout and was basking in sunlight, ready to grow all the way to the clouds...or at least as far as the other trees in the forest would let it go.
"Our Story" was written for many reasons. For one, I feel like there aren't enough films about unrequited love, at least that try to truly explore it as their primary goal. I hear "Chasing Amy" is really good but, despite my love of Kevin Smith, I still haven't seen it. But, like Cuomo says "Pinkerton" was for him, it was cathartic.
Looking back as an adult, or at least something like it, on the life I lived trying to grow up, I knew I had a story to tell that I'm sure many other people were way too comfortable with. I heard once that the greatest stories are the ones we already know, and I sincerely hope "Our Story" is one of those.
However, I can't help but worry a little bit. Cuomo has said before that he hates "Pinkerton." He compares it to getting drunk and telling all your friends your deepest secrets, then waking up the next morning and feeling as if life is going to be awkward forever. Will it be the same for me? I don't think so. There are still moments in "Our Story" that I've held back. Will it be uncomfortable?
Yes. But that's expected.
-JD
There are no updates for the Pre-Productive Organs today.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Extra, Extra.
Small update for today.
Nathan Gould has begun his own production blog for the making of documentary he's heading up about "Our Story." This documentary has absolutely zero involvement from me in terms of how they wish to portray me, the film, or the production process, and should be able to succeed on its own as a portrait of young people making a film. You can read the first entry here.
Also, I found the time to do some storyboards today! Here is the requisite Pre-Productive Organs update.
Script: 100% since 2/09
Cast: 100%
Crew: 100%
Camera Supplies: 25%
Storyboards: 66%
Definitive Shooting Schedule: ~7%
Movement Rehearsals: 0%
Locations/Permissions: ~75%
Green Screen Construction: 0%
My life for Aiur,
-JD
Nathan Gould has begun his own production blog for the making of documentary he's heading up about "Our Story." This documentary has absolutely zero involvement from me in terms of how they wish to portray me, the film, or the production process, and should be able to succeed on its own as a portrait of young people making a film. You can read the first entry here.
Also, I found the time to do some storyboards today! Here is the requisite Pre-Productive Organs update.
Script: 100% since 2/09
Cast: 100%
Crew: 100%
Camera Supplies: 25%
Storyboards: 66%
Definitive Shooting Schedule: ~7%
Movement Rehearsals: 0%
Locations/Permissions: ~75%
Green Screen Construction: 0%
My life for Aiur,
-JD
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Meet Our Second Producer: Zaque Smith.
Bad news first: no storyboards today. They will happen tomorrow, over coffee, as planned. Three pretty cool things though:
1. Up above you is the new title card for The Broumvirate, a "subdivision" of No Budget Productions, given credit because it is the sector of No Budget that is the primary driving force behind "Our Story." Unlike most subdivisions, this one is not called "Windy Acres" or "Falling Creek" or something similar.
2. Daniel Dockery, a producer for "Our Story," has started a production diary for his own film "Eyes on Me" that I had the privilege of helping him write. I will be producing it as well as playing a small role. I highly recommend you view the blog and subscribe to/bookmark it, as we're all very excited about the project.
3. Payday is tomorrow, so I will be putting in an order for a Poor Man's Steadycam (I would build it myself, but I don't have a table vise). When it arrives, I want to try and borrow a buddy's camera and give it a test run on the thing to see how it performs.
Anyway, on with the show.
In many ways, me and Zaque (pronounce it Zach or Za-kay, he won't care) are the same person, both personally and in terms of how we write.
Thankfully, there's enough difference there to create both an interesting friendship and an interesting creative partnership.
I first hooked up with Zaque, no homo bro, through the Appalachian State Filmmaker's Association. Our first big project together was, as you can see above, the "Stalin and Hitler" series. However, we soon realized that we both don't just dig comedy; we love writing. We love the creative process, and the complications behind it, and the heart and the hard work and the blood sweat and tears that goes into truly creating something. This, not dick jokes, is how me and Zaque clicked. To this day we'll still have conversations about films and books and not just say "Dude, that was awesome," but rather, try to go deeper.
At least as deep as we can as amateurs.
This came in particular handy when we filmed "Too Human," the first script of mine ever filmed that, due to my overambition, ended up being very embarrassing. The movie still exists on my hard drive, but it has been technically disowned by me. Zaque did a great job, considering he usually plays really outlandish roles: he was somber, poignant, and truly morose, as most people are when facing the zombie apocalypse. However, the film collapsed under that very same premise...difficult to portray in the way I attempted to for around $0.
Zaque writes very weird stuff. Extremely dark gallows humor, extensive allegories, and characters with mysterious motivations. Essentially, he's a vulgar Samuel Beckett. However, despite all this, he still has a great knowledge of what goes into a traditional story, and was able to put this knowledge to great use after the horrendous premiere of "Too Human" and to help quell my shame.
See, "Too Human" was filmed in a sort of flashback context, in which a survivor of the zombie apocalypse narrates his meditations on history, humanity, and loneliness. At the end of the film, he decides to let the zombies take him in what is supposed to be a sort of existential metaphor for falling into the forgotten depths of human history. It was hard to watch for several reasons, namely the awful special effects whenever we actually see the zombies. In the original script, they were not supposed to be seen; however, I ended up trying it because I was overambitious and way too confident.
Zaque, after the disastrous showing, suggested to me that if he were to reshoot it, he would expand upon the "flashback" aspect by showing the survivor speaking into a camcorder during some of his monologues instead of simply wandering around like I showed him. Zaque, unlike me, seemed to realize that shots of campus as a deserted place, on our budget, do not resonate well with people who live there. He also reassured me by saying that, yes, the idea was good, and that I wasn't stupid, and that the movie simply failed because I thought I could do too much with the idea...and I knew he was right. This kind of grounded, level-headed thinking is coming from a guy who wrote a play where people sit on a couch and spout dick jokes and end up getting killed by someone's mom...and it's all supposed to be a symbol.
Yet, he possesses that much common sense.
Zaque also really recognizes heart in stories too, and if there's one thing I can brag about with "Our Story," it's that it definitely comes from there. This, I think is why Zaque said he loved the script so much: he appreciates that facet of the film, that I tried to make it real, and that I tried to be sure it contained as few cliches as possible. Considering the things that come out of this guy's head, I'm guessing he somewhat values originality.
Zaque's enthusiasm is also a valuable asset for us. Daniel once compared him to Jay-Z: the guy is just friggin' everywhere. Writing, producing, collaborating, and generally lending a helping hand wherever he can, Zaque is always onboard for everything we do at full force.
In addition to this, Zaque also brings forth a large amout of technical knowledge to the project. He is one of around three people in the ever-expanding No Budget fold that actually knows how to edit and is really good at it (seriously, you should have seen what he had to work with in "Stalin and Hitler," the guy's a beast!) I will be editing "Our Story" on my computer in Premiere CS4, but I know if I run into trouble or need help making a tough call on a cut, I can just call up Zaque and he'll be willing to try and help. Thankfully, he also knows a LOT more about lighting than I do.
So there is Zaque, the man behind the moustache. I would love for him to adapt "Our Story" as a symbolic story of fishes eating palm trees in the Antarctic.
Just kidding, that's a horrible idea. And he knows it.
No idea what I'm talking about,
-JD
There are no updates for the Pre-Productive Organs today.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Sound / Miscellaneous Technical Jibberish.
You know what I did tonight? I got good sushi. My favorite sushi restaurant in High Point closed down a few months ago, much to my dismay. However, I found out their chef opened a NEW place, that is even nicer with even fresher fish. Ahhhhhh.
I went with my friend Brandon, who helped me work on "Bloom" way back in high school. We discussed "Our Story" over mackerel sashimi and it eventually turned into technical talk, discussing his new Blu-ray player, surround system, and other miscellaneous nerdspeak.
However, it got me thinking. Therefore, tonight I will discuss some of the more technical aspects of "Our Story" as a film as well as discuss the possibility of shooting in 5.1 surround sound.
Meet our camera: the Sony HDR-SR11.
Melissa, one of the producers for "Our Story," acquired it through a scholarship this past fall. It is worth around $1,200. We've used it to film several of our major projects, including "Stalin and Hitler: The Motion Picture," "Clocks," and "Pay Your Dues." The camera is perfect for filmmakers of our budget and skill level. It is extremely lightweight and easy to use thanks to its hard drive-based recording, yet has features powerful enough to create better-than-amateur shots such as simulated depth of field, highly adjustable white balance, and - most importantly of all - the ability to record true high-definition video.
For those of you unfamiliar with the technical stuff behind HD, it is essentially the ability to record a bigger and clearer picture. Standard widescreen cameras, such as the tape recorders you find at Wal-Mart, record at 720x480. This one, however, records at a MUCH higher resolution of 1920x1080. Perhaps the sole weakness of the HDR-SR11 is that it records in what is called interlaced mode.
Think of how film works. It displays a lot of pictures really, really fast. This camera, however, displays a bunch of lines really fast. The result of this is a picture that sometimes shows what looks like "tearing" when there is fast moving action. It's not all bad news though: the editing software I use has a feature called "deinterlacing." This process removes these lines by blending them together. The result is not perfect, but it generally makes the picture look far better. Another trick we use to get this camera to look more like one of those Hollywood film cameras is by slowing the framerate down from 30 frames per second to 23.976 frames per second. For a great example of this process, check out the fight scene at the end of "Stalin and Hitler: The Motion Picture." Considering it was shot on this camera, it looks remarkably like film. This process is going to be used for "Our Story" as well.
The camera has a distinctive feature that we rarely use: a 5.1 microphone. Typically, we use the included shotgun microphone because its range is stronger towards the front of the camera where, naturally, the action usually occurs. The shotgun mic records in stereo.
However, for "Our Story," that range is not necessarily as useful. The film is shot in a more experimental manner than our previous stuff, with a lot of ambient sounds and voiceovers. That being said, I have decided to attempt shooting the film in 5.1 surround sound. This is the same technique used to make theatrical films, where there are 5 speakers and 1 subwoofer, each delivering a different sound to make it feel like the film is going on around you.
"Our Story" has the potential to use this to great effect. For example, the film's main soundtrack may play in the foreground while the voiceover plays in the back. Some of the more fast-moving shots (of which, it may surprise you, there are several) will have prominent sound effects that you will be able to hear fly by the camera. This will be particularly cool in our film because some of the shots are shot in first-person, directly from the eyes of the main character.
I am also considering investing in a Blu-ray burner for this project. Blu-ray is basically the next version of DVD in that it displays HD video, whereas DVD simply displays very high quality standard definition video. Deinterlaced, "Our Story" will be viewable on the proper television or monitor in TRUE high-definition, and you'll be able to hear it in surround sound with the proper setup.
"Our Story" will be compiled in several formats:
1. A 1080p copy with surround sound, available on Blu-ray disc.
2. A 720p copy with stereo sound for internet distribution on YouTube and Vimeo.
3. A standard definition, 480p copy with surround sound for DVD.
What will the film not have? 3D. Leave it to James Cameron.
Titanic sucked,
-JD
I went with my friend Brandon, who helped me work on "Bloom" way back in high school. We discussed "Our Story" over mackerel sashimi and it eventually turned into technical talk, discussing his new Blu-ray player, surround system, and other miscellaneous nerdspeak.
However, it got me thinking. Therefore, tonight I will discuss some of the more technical aspects of "Our Story" as a film as well as discuss the possibility of shooting in 5.1 surround sound.
Meet our camera: the Sony HDR-SR11.
Melissa, one of the producers for "Our Story," acquired it through a scholarship this past fall. It is worth around $1,200. We've used it to film several of our major projects, including "Stalin and Hitler: The Motion Picture," "Clocks," and "Pay Your Dues." The camera is perfect for filmmakers of our budget and skill level. It is extremely lightweight and easy to use thanks to its hard drive-based recording, yet has features powerful enough to create better-than-amateur shots such as simulated depth of field, highly adjustable white balance, and - most importantly of all - the ability to record true high-definition video.
For those of you unfamiliar with the technical stuff behind HD, it is essentially the ability to record a bigger and clearer picture. Standard widescreen cameras, such as the tape recorders you find at Wal-Mart, record at 720x480. This one, however, records at a MUCH higher resolution of 1920x1080. Perhaps the sole weakness of the HDR-SR11 is that it records in what is called interlaced mode.
Think of how film works. It displays a lot of pictures really, really fast. This camera, however, displays a bunch of lines really fast. The result of this is a picture that sometimes shows what looks like "tearing" when there is fast moving action. It's not all bad news though: the editing software I use has a feature called "deinterlacing." This process removes these lines by blending them together. The result is not perfect, but it generally makes the picture look far better. Another trick we use to get this camera to look more like one of those Hollywood film cameras is by slowing the framerate down from 30 frames per second to 23.976 frames per second. For a great example of this process, check out the fight scene at the end of "Stalin and Hitler: The Motion Picture." Considering it was shot on this camera, it looks remarkably like film. This process is going to be used for "Our Story" as well.
The camera has a distinctive feature that we rarely use: a 5.1 microphone. Typically, we use the included shotgun microphone because its range is stronger towards the front of the camera where, naturally, the action usually occurs. The shotgun mic records in stereo.
However, for "Our Story," that range is not necessarily as useful. The film is shot in a more experimental manner than our previous stuff, with a lot of ambient sounds and voiceovers. That being said, I have decided to attempt shooting the film in 5.1 surround sound. This is the same technique used to make theatrical films, where there are 5 speakers and 1 subwoofer, each delivering a different sound to make it feel like the film is going on around you.
"Our Story" has the potential to use this to great effect. For example, the film's main soundtrack may play in the foreground while the voiceover plays in the back. Some of the more fast-moving shots (of which, it may surprise you, there are several) will have prominent sound effects that you will be able to hear fly by the camera. This will be particularly cool in our film because some of the shots are shot in first-person, directly from the eyes of the main character.
I am also considering investing in a Blu-ray burner for this project. Blu-ray is basically the next version of DVD in that it displays HD video, whereas DVD simply displays very high quality standard definition video. Deinterlaced, "Our Story" will be viewable on the proper television or monitor in TRUE high-definition, and you'll be able to hear it in surround sound with the proper setup.
"Our Story" will be compiled in several formats:
1. A 1080p copy with surround sound, available on Blu-ray disc.
2. A 720p copy with stereo sound for internet distribution on YouTube and Vimeo.
3. A standard definition, 480p copy with surround sound for DVD.
What will the film not have? 3D. Leave it to James Cameron.
Titanic sucked,
-JD
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
