24/09/06 - GREEN SCREEN VOODOO

Heh readers.....a quick update on some shooting I just did only hours ago. My good friend and fine actress Karolyn came round to my place to shoot a green screen (ok ok...Chromakey for you budding filmmakers!) section for the film.

This was where Gaylon's mother, a voodoo priestess, appears in the clouds (in footage already shot) and will instruct him.

I knew this was always going to be a green screen job.
The kit (if interested) is a poratble kit bag packup of two spring released stands and 4 poles that all fit into a handy sized carryable kit bag. Combined with the cloth itself it can reach heights of about 12 feet and length of about 18 feet...ideal for most situations.
However....todays post is more to do with improv.
I was not expecting to do this shoot tonight as did not have correct lighting to hand (to sufficiently light the green screen effectively). However, the actress was fired up to do it and who am I not to reward enthusiasm!

So, dont have lighting...what's wrong with an Ikea spotlight and normal room Halogen lights?
Don't have white face paint for bone style lip paint....I am sure toothpatse mixed with water and applied with a chop stick will do the job?!

Dont have "crew" to hold reflectors...come on guys...your sofa will surely do it!

So...basically....a lesson in on the fly, quick set up, imroved Green Screen filming. So before you go rent that studio, those lights, and those crew.....have another think.....!

And a HUGE thanks to Karolyn for some killer work and getting into the Gaylon spirit! Brilliant work!

14/09/06 - CHOP CHOP

A decision has been made to chop a scene altogether, but as this is a harsh decision I would like to explain some things to anyone who may have this issue: RUNNING TIME!!!!
We were quite sure up front on this project that this needed to run at 30 minutes or under, in order to fit the mould of a TV Sitcom. Even though this is actually a hybrid between film and TV. That is part of the uniqueness of it.
So I had scripted 5 scenes of 5 minutes or so each, allowing time for titles etc. But on rough, but tight edit of the 4 completed scenes, the running time was looking to rise to maybe 35 minutes if we included the scene still to shoot as written.
We looked at chopping the scene down, or making it a different kind of scene, but all options would still push the running time.
So after much consideration, we felt it would jepordise the whole show to simply shoe something in that would a mere shadow of the original intention.
So.....away it went. The gags involved were not story specific anyhow so always had options with this area.
I should point out that the scenes shot so far could not be cut down further without affecting them drastically. I could maybe shave 5 or 10 seconds here and there with some ultra tight, clever edits. But why bother! James Cameron had the best idea. Before Titanic, when studios were fearful of 3 hours or more running time, whenever he had to cut down his epics to smaller size, the advice he gave was not to try and cut little things here and there....go for a complete sub plot or element that can go entirely.
This is what we have done here.
However, we needed SOMETHING as there needs to be a time difference (pointed out by the ever keen Ruth!) so we need something to merely break the two scenes open a little.
A montage style segment with Gaylon in various different amusing locations will be in place, showing Gaylon's daily life (thus adding to the character) AND also some local newspaper spinning headlines and papers to build some time between scenes.
The first will follow on from the scene just watched...some grander linking ones in between...and finish on a headline that sets up the next scene.
So this will form a very visually exciting, very short, but VERY useful 2 minute or so segment that will serve far better in this form than the original intened scene.

06/09/06 - HOW RUDE!

Ladies and Gentleman....film fans....Gaylon fans......Jester fans......anyone out there who finds this should know......

I am humbly apologising for the worst case of "taking for granted" I have ever commited.

I would like to sincerely and publicly apologise to Troika+ member, RUTH CIVICO-CAMBELL for failing to mention her fine work in my last post (Day Four Shoot).

I wish to inform everyone here that this was a drastic oversight on my part. I was so involved in the work and the write up and those IN FRONT of the camera, I commited the crime of not mentioning the most iimportant member of crew that night. Ruth Civico-Cambell.

I am truly sorry for this and an apology after the fact in no way can make up for taking her work for granted in my mind and not giving her the big up and shout out she so VERY VERY VERY much deserves for her work on Saturday.
Keen readers will know I have spoken highly of Ruth in past entries and I should have made much of her exceptiona work on Saturday's shoot.
This was even AFTER reviewing footage which on several occassions (and I have video proof of this) it was RUTH and not I that is heard saying "hang on, we have something in the way of the light" or "wait a second, there's a reflection in the mirror" etc etc.
So what did, atfer getting pizza in, creating a hospital environment in her own home (which we covered in blood and apple juice), and some exceptional boom mic work...AFTER all of that, she has saved several shots for me, and saved potentially hours of work in removing objects that I did not see on the night.

So, in a very humble apology to her, I would ask....ladies and gentleman....would you please give a massive round of applause to mask my shame and embarrassment....for The Rude Girl herself, tamer of The Jester, owner and keeper of The Ginger Zoo......

.....Ruth Civico-Cambell.

I bow down and fall on my sword in humble apology.

03/09/06 - DAY FOUR SHOOT!

Last night was a late late late night shoot, and the longest shooting period (of constant work) that I have ever done. It was also, by far, the most rewarding in terms of the footage we bagged! So many things to mention of note.
Firstly, and without doubt the star of tonights work was Theo Garvey, the upcoming special make-up effects GENIUS!! Everyone out there, watch that name, Theo....Garvey.....as this young guy is sure to go FAR in his field. To be at the level of skill he is at his age and experience is stunning and I get excited thinking where this Make-Up Wizard is gonna go in the future.
He spent much time hanging on set as we had to shoot earlier footage first and out of sequence footage before applying the Possessed Girl make up effects only when we needed to. The make up he laid down (using his own developed techniques and style) were awesome to see in first person, looked even better on camcorder during "making of" footage, and by the time we went with final shot lighting on HD camera....WOW! Blew....me....away. Check out the visuals on here for a mere glimspe of how awesome this guys work is.
Secondary to that has to be the other star of the show, Amanda. She had stepped up to this role with some doubt and reservation (it's not everyones dream role!) and she absolutely nailed the performance and overstepped any reluctance....of course...a little alcohol surely helped the situation along. Biggest accomplishment I saw her pull off was the amount of time in full makeup, strapped to a bed with belts, arms outstreched....for what must have been about 4-5 hours! Water thrown on her, blood put in her mouth, spitting, moaning, growling...all of it. FUCK Linda Blair...there's a new girl in town (albeit a possessed one!). She really nailed all aspects of this role and the results speak for themselves on film.
Chris Boydell stepped up to his role as Gaylon's assistant and once again brought some comic genius and magic to the show! Even though he was not feeling well, and even slept on set (!!) when needed he stepped up, performed the hell out of it, and was so willing to offer up ideas and contributions on set. Another BRILLIANT performance from him and I look forward to working with him again.
Emma Greaves returned to her role on what has been the third day of shooting for her. She knocked me for six tonight. Really really pulled something very special out of the bag! I was watching from behind the viewfinder and was so excited with the level of realism she was delivering, her response to direction was immpecable, and again the on-screen results are amazing! (I'm sure she wont mind me saying this, but again, a little alcohol to loosen up those nerves I am sure was a good thing!). Brilliant and EXACTLY what I was looking for!
Dave Oxley was new to set for last nights shoot. He had been on set for the last shoot and had contributed to that, and we are in discussions with him on a much grander project than the small role for this piece. What can I say about this guy.....amazing talent. Really raw, honest, captivating to watch talent at work. So natural and so so so funny. Last night was one of those moments where I was watching from behind camera and being stunned at a performance coming out that I will watch on screen time and time and time again with passion, humour and fond memories of a great nights work. You'll see when the film is out! I itch to work on the next project with Dave. MANY thanks also to his lovely wife Kath, who was on hand all nigth performing Making Of footage duties. She really got some good shots and material for that purpose and enjoyed being on set and watching the action.
Lee Civico-Cambell will by now be bored reading the compliments I pay him (or probably not!) but he really capped off an amazing cast last night. Too easy to take for granted his work and even when I knew shots were spot on the money, he still insisted to perfect his craft and do another take where needed. This will pay off in editing I am sure. Interestingly, last nights scene was probably the least humourous of the show, with an odd mix of horror styling, serious tone and all out vulgarity. It was written this way to top off the show with something unique and different....and it was awesome to see Lee take to this. For example, a shot where he enters the room of the Possessed Girl to perform the Exorcism showed some real weight. It is not an easy task to be in a comedy outfit, with comedy contorted face and yet turn in a performance that has real seriousness and weight. I really do not think this scene, no matter how well shot, could have happened or worked without this man developing a performance that will have them jumping on the seats by the end of this scene. Stunning work.
A note on lighting for tonight. And some tips for you would be filmmakers like myself.
The biggest challenge tonight, and one that HAD to work, was to capture a low level light environment but effectively light the subjects. Now two things worked here. Firstly, once a level of atmospheric background lighting had been established, with lighting under the bed, and lighting through metal grills to bounce a pattern on the walls (has to bee seen to be believed!), what I did was to UP THE SHUTTER SPEED OF THE CAMERA, as far as I could without losing character definition. So make sure you have no Auto settings on your camera and crank the shutter speed up to really soak up the minial lighting. I have never seen something that is so atmospheric on set come across just as atmospheric on the film. You normally lose something in the transition. So with the camera really soaking up every ounce of ligth, a full "professional" lighting rig would have been useless as even a standard house spot lamp was too much! Torches galore!
And speaking of torches, point number 2 that really worked tonight was improvised on set. A standard...pocket...torch. Due the high shutter speed, some light was inevitably lost on the actors themselves, but I really did not want to compromise the atmosphere by throwing more lights in there. A pocket torch was suggested to see how it would light just the characters faces. And it really really really worked. Now it would not work on all films as what it did here was to add suspense and horror to the effect. We even went, thanks to Theo's sense of style, with the light actually moving on the face during shots. It may seem unusual, but it really really worked. It looks like a cross between a stylised lighting effect on film, and the viewer actually holding a torch to watch proceedings. Really draws you in. Again, see some of the stills for just a glimpse of the final effect.
I was planning to heavily after-effect the footage to get atmosphere, but 80% of my work has now been done on set with these unique ideas.
Timing was long tonight. I had storyboarded ALL shots up front, to be better prepared and shooting overan due to the dillgence of everyone involved in making sure we were getting the best we could possibly get. no rush jobs.
The shoot wrapped at 3.45 in the morning, after having started around 8. And even at that time, on the very last shots, some cast were quite literally being woken up to do the final scenes...and yet all did so with style, and vigor, and enthusiasm....and the results on screen....if you will pardon my french.....are UN....FUCKING....BELIEVEABLE.
This is by far, on all points, the best looking footage I have ever put to film so far and bodes well for us on our constant learning curve. It's amazing when I think that this is only our second feature and we have all learnt so much and have so much raw talent in and around us. The future...unlike the lighting in this scene....is very very bright!