Editing: When things get REAL

I have a confession. I actually finished editing the scene with Caleum and Abby a while ago. I was going to put a post about it, but life got in the way.

This is when shit got real.

When I went to give a copy of the scene to Darcee, who plays Abby, I logged onto the computer I was using. I searched and that is when my heart sank. I could not find it. Turns out, the computer ate it. It was gone. Nothing hurts more than when you lose a scene that you have spent HOURS on. Perhaps days. I wanted to cry. Once I went through the 5-Stages of Grief, I put on my big boy pants and get back to editing. I started editing again.

And not because someone littered.

To add to the pressure, Darcee needed the scene for her senior show case project. If shit wasn't real before, it was now.

Honestly, this edit went by pretty quickly. I do have to be honest. I have a real love/hate relationship with editing. A part of me loves seeing a project slowly come together. It can be such an invigorating process. From going over each clip and finding that one piece that just works. Almost like digging for gold. Once you find the take that is perfect and drop it into the timeline. It is such an amazing feeling. Also, when finding the right sound effects and music which can really pump up the scene. It seriously feels like magic.

Magic. Brought to you by Apple.

Now, I may sound like a magical pan-sexual editing elf who prances about singing the praises of editing, you are mistaken. As great as those few examples are there are literally MILLIONS of things that can go wrong. As evidence of what happened above. Editing, like the sea, can be a harsh mistress. Sitting at a computer staring at the screen for hours at a time is not my idea of a fun afternoon. It is also very tedious. You spend hours watching the same clip. Over and over and over again. There comes a point when you actually become sick of your own project. You drown in it. Knowing every minutia. Every second is forever burned in your brain. This is what drives me nuts about the editing process.

Hail Marys are the only thing getting me through this.

After about a solid days worth of work, I got a rough cut done. I was not happy with it. No film maker ever is I'm told. I did not get to do all the things I wanted to in the short time. Color correction. Sweeten the audio. Proper credits. Blah blah blah. I may put the rough cut up to show the scene. It is definitely a work in progress and it will continued to be worked on in the next couple weeks. Who knows. I may re-shoot the whole thing as there are so many mistakes I made. Another problem of being in charge. I can see everything that I did wrong.

Every mistake.

Unlike this picture. Which is PERFECT.

After this, we have a fight scene to shoot. That will be or next shot. I am both super excited and nervous as hell. I want it done right and I want it to be something that me and, more importantly, my crew can be proud of. This is an exciting time. Embarking on this journey to make a movie. Then I can go back to editing. Like an abused dog.

Ballin.

Fight Training: Round 2

Ever since the end of August when Ben Banks and I decided to go full steam ahead on One of the Good Guys, the first thing we needed to get working on was to get Benny into fighting shape. Ever since then, every weekend has been spent training for a few hours. This training has not only turned Ben into a fighting machine, but has added depth to his character.

Like a boxing mountain man.

Lately our trainer, bad ass extraordinary, Robert Savala has had us working with another fight trainer. His name is John Goff and he has been a God send. His knowledge of martial arts is deep and expansive. Ever since we have been working with John, Ben's fighting skills have gone to a whole other level. It has been amazing.

He don't take no nonsense.

Certifiably Bad Ass.

John Goff has taught us a style of fighting called 52 Blocks. It is a style that was developed in prison and made for close quarters fighting. It is the perfect style for the fight we are aiming to film. The fight we are going to film is what is called The Irish Stand Down. Irish Stand Downs were done in the late 1800s by Irish fighters in places like New York. The stand down, as the cool kids call it, is where two men fight, but are not allowed to move their legs. It is basically an endurance test to see who can take the most punishment. The winner was the man who could last longer. It was pretty brutal and something that would make our fight scene stand out a bit.

They faster then lighting!

I finally got a camera out to record some video of our training. One thing special about the training is that John and Ben actually did some bare knuckle fighting. It was pretty great. The video makes it look like they are slapping each other, but it was a lot more painful then it looks. Ben was definitely feeling it in the morning.

Road Bumps: They Happen on EVERY Movie

I haven't really updated lately because there has not really been a lot happening. Well, that is not true. A lot has happened just not when it concerns this project. I'll give a couple reasons.

First, Ben Banks had a beautiful little girl. I knew this was happening and we scheduled accordingly. What we didn't schedule for was that his baby came a lot earlier then expected. This completely threw off our schedule as we were to have two more scenes shot by the end of February. We also couldn't shoot because Benny's character, Caleum Crow, is in EVERY scene. There was no other characters to focus on as he is the protagonist. My bad. Although I am happy to be an uncle.

This guy is now a dad.

Second, school. Even though OotGG is my capstone and I wish I could give all my time to it, I simply can't. I have other classes I have to attend to and it really sucks. Don't get me wrong, I love my classes. They are super enjoyable and I am learning a lot to help me in my career. They are just getting in the way of finishing this movie. Midterms just ended though, so I should have some time freed up.

Third, everyone is super busy. I am not the only one with an over loaded schedule. The actors in the movie have their own lives that are just chocked full of wonderful projects that they need to get done. This is one of the major flaws of working on a no-budget movie. You have to rely on the good graces of others. Now, I am not mad. No no no. The people working on this flick are amazing and super talented. I am BLESSED to have them on my side, but because they are not getting paid they can only work on it when they have time. It is a cold hard truth that one has to just accept. 

Finally, I also have to shoot a 40 minute documentary. I took the documentary class which the class pitches an idea and the winner turns that idea into a full movie. It is a great class and probably one of the best in our entire department. However, my professor decided to have me be the Director of Photography, which is average Joe speak means I have to run camera. I also have to create a look and feel for the movie. Something that I cannot do in just one sitting. Sadly.

Plus, they run so FAST!

Although there may be some silver linings to this dark cloud. I won't go to in detail, as I don't want to jinx it, but we may have found a few parties interested in our movie. This is both exciting and nerve wracking on many fronts, but is a bridge I will cross when I get to it. As I said, I am playing this one a little close to the chest. Another great possibility is we may have an actual movie star in this project. Again, I don't want to put all my eggs in this basket, but it is really exciting. The I may be able to work with an actor who I worship is so mind blowing I sometimes can't believe it is even within reach.

Those are the main reasons why things are a bit slow with a dash of hope. Hopefully in the next two weeks, we can start filming the scenes we had planned on and play catch up. I am still stoked to do this project and cannot wait to resume work.

I even bought a new bullhorn and beret just for this project!

Adventures in Casting: Don't Kill Yourself Yet. Hope is Around the Corner

I spend a lot of time in pre-production and for that I am sorry. The reason being is I really want this project to turn out well. Another thing I must apologize for is casting. Casting is one subject I spend A LOT of posts blabbing about. It probably is not the funnest thing to read about. Again, I'm sorry.

Any who, this post is again, about casting.

Stop smiling. Ass.

One of the major characters in OotGG is a man named Two-Bit. This is a character that our protagonist spends a large amount of the film with. Two-Bit is the man who tempts Caleum into the world of underground fighting and into a life of crime. Their relationship is tumultuous. Two-Bit is poison. Caleum trusts him in the beginning, but as the story progresses. Two-Bit is a complicated man. He lures these vulnerable people into this life and uses their weaknesses against them. Although he is not a mustache twirling bad guy. He whole heartily believes in what he does. Two-Bit does not view himself as a bad person. He is helping these people. Two-Bit is akin to Lucifer. He tempts these people, gets them to commit the acts, but never himself gets his hands dirty.

To sum up, Two-Bit is really important. I have no idea who could pull off this performance.

I looked around. Trying to find an actor who could play this role and as the time rolled by and I didn't find my Two-Bit, I was getting really worried. None of the actors I have found could really capture the character that I had envisioned in my mind. In my opinion, Two-Bit is JUST as important as Caleum. This was one moment when I actually thought about giving up. Then, I was recommended an actor who might work. He was a good friend of my buddy Guy's and when I asked Guy about him, I got glowing praise. His name is Frank Bryant.

Hello ladies.

I sent him the script and he told me he really dug it. We then decided to get together for a read. It took a while to get our schedules lined up for us to meet. He worked and had school the times when Ben and I didn't. After about a month of playing tag we finally got together in Studio C to do a read through of the scene.

In the scene, Two-Bit takes Caleum on a Training Day-esque ride along in which Two-Bit explains King James' operation and what he does. Two-Bit has Caleum collect some money from a junkie. Caleum has never done this and is thrown into the deep end. They find the junkie and Caleum confronts him. The junkie runs and Caleum chases him down an alley. Caleum than puts the boots to him and asks about the money. The junkie does not have it. Two-Bit shows up and tells Caleum to break the junkie's finger. This is an important scene because it puts Caleum on the point of no return. Caleum makes a decision and than breaks his finger. The scene ends there.

It is a pretty intense scene and I was nervous and excited about doing the read. Frank and Ben were ready and we ran through the scene.

Frank was brilliant.

Here is Frank acting the SHIT outta Hamlet.

He portrayed Two-Bit EXACTLY how I pictured him. It was amazing. This was one of the instances where it felt like the page was coming to life. I am so happy with Frank and cannot wait to get this scene in the can. More and more I feel this movie will be something special. 

Adventures in Casting: When Taking an Acting Class Pays Off

In the last episode, I talked about the new scene I wrote and ended with searching for the lucky lady who would play the Ice Queen, Aunt Pam. Well, after a relatively short search and a lot of luck, I found her. The actress who will play Aunt Pam and she is perfect!

 I know Ami from an acting class I took (which I recommend all aspiring directors take). She was always really great in all the scenes she was in and is heavily involved in the theater productions. Needless to say, she knows a thing or two about acting. I loved working with her and even have a bit of experience directing her. She was great. Always brought a lot of energy and class to every scene she was in.

Pictured: My acting class. I'm the one with no shirt.

I got a hold of her from the acting teacher Varlo Davenport and told her about the project. She was in and we quickly got together for a read. Ben Banks and I were blown away. Ami was AMAZING! She channeled a over privileged rich bitch so well it was scary. I joked with her because I felt bad about thinking of her for this part because she does play a horrible person. She told me not to worry because she lives for these kind of roles.

A directing choice I made was to only have Ben work with her once because I want to keep that vibe of the two of them not knowing each other very well. I am so happy about her role in the movie because she will knock it out of the park.

Ami Porter. Girl be sizzling.

Like Herpes, Rewrites Keep Coming Back

After the high of filming our first scene, I realized that there is still a lot of work to do. My two writing confidants, my professor Ben Braten and local Native American Judea Runs Through, and I talked about the story for OotGG. One aspect they commented on was they felt that Ben Banks' character, Caleum, while in deeply in debt seemed to fall into a life of crime rather easily. I reread the script and realized they were, like always, both right. This meant one thing:

Rewrites.

Spoilers

After thinking on it for a bit, I figured out what to do. In the story the audience does not really know of Abby and Caleum's family. It is basically the two of them. There is a mention of a mother who passed and an absentee father. Nothing more. I knew that they were right and to add to the story I added a scene where Caleum asks for help with the debt from his estranged aunt. I than wrote the scene and was pretty pleased. It clears up the concerns that Ben and Judea about giving him other options so Caleum does not just instantly turn to this underground world and gives the character a little more depth.

In the scene, Caleum visits his aunt Pam to ask for help with the medical bills. Aunt Pam turns out to be a giant ice queen. She revels in the fact that Caleum has come to her for help and she refuses to help, even though she is affluent. Caleum swallows his pride and begs. Aunt Pam does not budge and than insults his family. Before he does something brash, Caleum leaves. Once in his car, he lets out a scream of frustration.

I gave the scene to Ben Banks and he agreed with Ben Braten and Judea. It was a great addition that would add more to not only the story, but the character of Caleum. I am glad to have collaborators such as Ben and Judea because they push me creatively while also being honest in what my works need. They are great to have on my side.

Professor Ben Braten, caught in the act of voyeurism. Again.

Judea pictured here disappointed by something.

Production: One in the Can

We were finally able to shoot our first scene on OotGG. The scene we rolled on was between Abby and Caleum in her hospital room. We originally were going to shoot the entire scene which consisted of Caleum entering the hospital and meeting with a man, Paul, who is a resident that Caleum has befriended after spending so much time there. Caleum then enters Abby's room and they have their final scene together. Then Caleum would leave to later come back when he is called by the doctor to reveal that Abby has passed away. That was our original goal for our fist shoot.

That was plan, but, like all shoots it was changed.

Everything changes.

We decided on not shooting Caleum's entrance and his scene with the doctor after Abby has died. I determined to only focus on the Caleum and Abby's dialog. The reason being was because their scene together is heavy. I did not want to feel rushed by trying to get all the other footage. This is probably one of the most crucial scenes in the story. Besides, I have never shot a scene that was this dramatically substantial. Messing up was something I did not want to do.

The night started by making a prop list of everything we needed. A lot of it was Abby's room decoration. A bamboo plant, picture of her and Benny Banks, birthday cards, a candle of the Virgin De Guadalupe, stuffed animal, etc. It was pretty solid list.

Honestly, I needed all the help I could get.

We then got all our gear loaded up. Dolly track, lighting, sandbags, and of course the camera. Once we arrived at the location, we moved around the room to accommodate filming. I then had Darcee arrange the room how her character would set her belongings out. After which, we got to work on setting up the lighting and the track.

A slight problem, although it was not major, was the room was terribly cramped. It was a tiny and we needed to get in a little bit of track, a dolly and a light on a C-stand. What we accomplished was pretty great, considering the room.

Our side. Plus Judea hiding on the floor.

The other side.

Now I have to say that this is where working with the actors all those hours really paid off. Ben and Darcee were on their game. The beginning was a bit rough, which is understandable as they were just warming up and this was Darcee's first real film gig. After we warmed up, we were off. These two could pick it up from any point in the scene and gave me the performances I needed. It was amazing. One of the smoothest shoots I've ever had. It really made my job, as a director, easy. Beautiful.

I also feel that I accomplished the look I was going for. The lighting was warm and cozy. After a while, the room, while warm, felt like home. We the lighting we used was a Diva which has an adjustable warm color that was perfect for the room. Also, I brought in a table lamp that gave the scene some practical lighting. All in all, I felt great about the lighting.

Warm and cozy.

Along with props, we really lucked out by the nurse on duty was a great help. She not only set up the bed and the monitors for us to use, but she hooked Darcee up to their instruments. Darcee had the finger monitor, oxygen up her nose and an IV hooked to an IV stand. It wasn't actually inserted into her. Darcee is a great actress, but I think even she has her limits.

Ben was working the camera, the Sony F3 with the Gemini attached to kick out the great video. We used a few lenses, 50, 85 and 35. This was to create a close look to make the scene seem more confined. This worked well as the room was small and created the intimate look that I was looking for.

Great coloring.

As with the lighting, I think I got the color palate of my characters down. Abby had the colors I envisioned. The white/light blue. Even though she looked sickly, she had this very angelic look. Caleum's color palate is that of a thunderstorm and in this first scene, the storm has not yet hit. His colors are more in line with Abby. Light. Caleum still has a home with Abby that he will soon lose. I was very pleased with the coloring.

Overall, I was pleased with this shoot. Everything went so smooth. The actors were great. The crew were fantastic. Everything was just so great. I have to admit, even though I felt that I may have done overkill on the pre-production, it paid off in spades. This was a great start to the production and I pray the rest of the shoot will go half this smooth.

Sony F3 with the Gemini. It makes EVERYTHING look good.

Ben. Professional as HELL!

Can you spot Judea?

Lighting: It's More Than Just Being Able To See

As with color, another aspect of this production I would like to try is a lighting scheme. Lighting is an important angle to film and one that I have not really gone into detail with. Most of the shorts I have done were lit in a utilitarian purpose. It got the job done and that was about it. I never really played with lighting, save for one short I did a long time ago that was noir-ish. On OotGG, I wanted to change that.

I came up with a lighting scheme that matches the color motifs I created for the characters and correspond with the feelings of loss of home and family. Same with the rage that Caleum feels in fighting and collecting. Here are the schemes I came up with for the scenes we plan on shooting.

Abby's Hospital Room - 

The scenes in which Caleum is with his sister Abby in the hospital will be lit warmly like a cozy home. It is because that Abby is Caleum's last connection with his family and home. Even though she is in a sterile hospital room, the lighting will be very homely like a cozy cabin. Abby will be dressed in a white gown that is clean. Almost angelic in a way. The room will be white which is a color of purity, which in Caleum's mind, Abby is the one pure thing in his life. 

Lighting like this. Even though this isn't a hospital room, I really like the color. This golden hue gives the room a comfortable and cozy look. 

Caleum's Home - 

The home of Abby and Caleum will be very minimally lit. Single lamps or back rooms to give the house a dark and cold look. This is because, to Caleum, this is not his home anymore. Since Abby, the last of his family, is gone he has no reason to be in this place.

This lighting scheme is how Caleum's house should look. It has a very cold and distant look. Signifying that it is just a place Caleum sleeps, eats and bandages himself up. Not a home.  

Fight Scenes - 

The Fight scenes, while taking place in different locations, will be have flashes of red and intense emotional colors. Whether it be in the spectators or the opponents and of course the blood. This is to show that the only tie Caleum is really feeling any strong emotion is when he is fighting.

It was a little harder to find some pictures that would show the intensity that the fights bring. They are still a bit dark and moody, like Caleum's new world, but puncuated with bright and intense colors that represent his emotion. His rage. His suffering. Caleum reveals his emotions during these fights or scenes of violence. 

Restaurant Scene -
When Caleum first meets King James it is in his restaurant. It should be lit warmly, but with a sense of menace. King James acts as a surrogate father and wants to appear inviting. Almost like a dining hall of a great castle.

 

 Both these lighting schemes work really well for the scene I had in mind. They are a mix of warm and dark. Creating that foreboding look. Places where you would be glad to get out of a storm from, but maybe not a place you would want to stay for long periods of time.

Those are the lighting schemes I have chosen for the scenes we are shooting. I hope we are able to replicate them. Even a bit. As stated, OotGG is becoming a in depth process. I have put in a lot of hours into Pre-Production that I hope pays off.

Family Matters: Adding to the Characters

As stated many times before, Caleum and Abby are brother and sister. One thing we wanted to accomplish was to create a bond between them. We did a number of reads together. Even though it was just one scene, we ran through it a number of times. There are shots that take place in the home that Abby and Caleum live in and we wanted the house to maybe feel like they lived there. I than thought of an exercise that would kill two birds with one stone.

Family pictures.

Something like this.

I decided to do this for two reasons. One, to create a chemistry and bond between Ben Banks and Darcee Warner. Give them a brother and sister feel. Second, we needed prop pictures for their house and one in Abby's hospital room.

Once I got Ben and Darcee on board, I called my friend Judea Runs Through to act as photographer. Ben and Darcee brought multiple sets of clothing and we ran around taking pictures in different settings. While taking these pictures, I would give them directions. Basically, directing them to be a brother and sister. It was a bit weird. Then something happened. It started to click. They started to fall into this brotherly-sister relationship.

Ben acted like an older brother. Teasing Darcee and joking around. Darcee would then snap at Ben and the two of them would joke around. I wanted to get a serious family portrait of the two, but I pulled Ben aside and told him to bother Darcee and ruin the photo. Ben agreed and did just that. Darcee was getting a bit perturbed. I think the best moment came when she told Benny Banks:

"Imma cut you!"

I died. It was great. They were really acting like siblings. This was a fantastic exercise and I believe, helped in filming their scene together. Here are the best photos we got from this excursion.

Darcee don't give a SHIT!

Although we didn't really film anything, I feel that doing this really helped my actors and myself as a director. We really got to explore who they were and what they are like. I highly recommend this exercise. Besides, we now have props when we shoot interiors of Caleum's home and a prop for Abby's hospital room.

Location Scouting: It Doesn't Have to End with Bullets

The first scene that is looking to be shot is the opening with Caleum seeing Abby for the last time in her hospital room. Since OotGG's budget is roughly $1, renting a hospital is out of the question.

"How are we going to get the look we need?" You ask.

Well, this is where the magic of being polite and asking come in. I recently got to meet with the head of the Coral Desert Rehabilitation center, Tony Wrigley. He was nice enough to give me a tour of his facility and let our crew film there when need be.

This is where all my dreams will come true. Or die.

In the scene, Caleum enters the hospital and walks down a hallway. He is stopped by a man, Paul, who he has a small chat with. After he is finished he enters Abby's room. After they have their scene, Caleum returns home. Later that night, Caleum gets a call from the hospital informing him of Abby's passing. Caleum returns to have a doctor tell him the news. Caleum is in Abby's room, her possessions in a bag and her bed stripped. He is clutching her rosary and is left alone with no family.

Tony opened up the building to us. He started by asking what the scene was going to play out like. I gave him a quick rundown and after he got over his depression of the sadness of the scene, he had some ideas of where we could shoot. 

*NOTE* ALWAYS bring a camera with you. This is so you can show your crew about the space you will be shooting in and to help you visualize your scene. Also, if you are story boarding these pictures can help your artist create custom story boards that fit exactly your scene.

Here are the areas that I believe would fit perfectly for our scene:

This is one hallway that Tony showed us. It is carpeted with artwork hanging on the walls. The coloring is very warm and almost comforting. The lighting is a very soothing color. Almost looks like a home. Looks great. Only problem being that patients are housed here and we couldn't use the entire hallway. Tony was courteous enough to block off a section of the hall for us to film in.

Here is the 2nd hallway Tony's facility had:

The complete opposite of the other hallway. Sterile. Clinical. Almost dead. This is a service hallway that the employees use for things as maintenance, dining and laundry. The walls are blank and one color. The lighting is a fluorescent and flat. The bonus to this hallway, after 4PM, it is cleared out. There are no patients to disturb and it is clear of people.

Both hallways have their pros and cons. Shooting in each can change the scene dramatically. In the warm hallway, the scene could have a look of home. This is Caleum's home because Abby is here. The cold hallway has the uncaring, clinical aspect. Someplace our characters don't want to be. I think either will be great to use. I lucked out by having these options.

There is also the rooms we need to shoot. The rooms at Coral Desert come in two sizes; big and small. Tony made no promises on which will we could shoot in as patients are coming and going. Hopefully a big room will be open, but that may not happen. Either way, I'm stoked that we can even get into a place like this.

Small room.

Big room. 

I personally like the smaller room because it has that cozier feel, but I need to remember that getting gear in there would be a pain. Both rooms are great though and I would not hate either one.

Here is a desk in which Caleum can greet a nurse. Nothing fancy, but it adds that little bit more.

So that was our magical trip into scouting this location. I learned a lot and got a better feel for the space and the scene. A huge shout out to Tony and Coral Desert Rehabilitation center for allowing us to film in their location. All it takes is asking. The worse they will say is no. Most people are interesting in film making and would love to help out. We will probably knock the scene out within the next two weeks as I am going to give Tony a weeks notice so he can prepare everything.