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.

Color Motifs: How to be a True Artist

A goal of mine with OotGG was to really push myself. One of the ways I wanted to achieve that goal was to actually put a lot of thought into the film. Movies are, obviously, a visual medium and my plan to give depth to the script by adding visual themes and cues. I figured that this would help me become a better filmmaker and artist.

This is how much of an artist I want to be. 

I wanted to create a "look" and a "feel" to the movie. The story of OotGG is about Caleum having a mix of sadness and rage within him that he keeps deep inside. He locks these feelings away. Suppressing them until they explode out of him during acts of violence. When he is fighting or collecting money from a poor soul who borrowed from the wrong people. A storm rages through Caleum and I need to find a way to capture it on camera. To capture the feelings and emotions of the characters, other than acting, was to create a color palette and a lighting chart.

Caleum's fall from grace is like that of a approaching storm. I found a color palette that I feel would work as a "look" for the movie. The palette is called, appropriately, Incoming Storm. 

Storms a brewin.

The colors are, what I fell, capture that feeling. Now I know that I cannot make the whole movie have this look because the budget is, effectively, nothing. Which is a post for another time. The plan is to incorporate these colors in as much scenes as we can. I wanted the movie to look like it is perpetually in a oncoming thunderstorm. We'll see if it happens.

I also designed color motifs for each of the main characters. Again, I wanted to add a little more depth to the project. I know I haven't talked much about the other characters, so I will give a brief run down of each one.

Caleum -
Caleum's colors will be dark, neutral colors. Grays, blacks, dark browns. The color of a approaching storm. In the epilogue, he will be in dark colors, but will have a slight purple. This is to show that he has accepted the life of a criminal and is in line with King James. 

Abby-
 While only in the film in the beginning, Abby is one of the most important characters. She will be dressed in light blues. Light blue is the color of honesty and speaking ones mind. She is the one who tells Caleum what she thinks and how it is. The colors will also be muted as she is on her death bed.

Toby -
Toby is Caleum's old friend from high school.
Representing friendship and Caleum's one chance at getting out of the violent path he is taking, Toby will be dressed in yellow. Yellow is the color of friendship. Not an obnoxious shade of yellow, maybe a dull pastel. In the three year epilogue, Toby's color will be gray, which is to represent him being indifferent to Caleum. He has no more emotional attachment to Caleum, as he now knows the life he leads.  

Two-Bit -
The man who inducts Caleum into his life of crime. 
Two-Bit is the poison that infects Caleum. Dressed in fake and flashing clothing such as leathers, jerseys and etc. Two-Bit has created this image of what he is because he is hollow and fake. The clothing should be obnoxious to represent his show boating type personality. In the final scene in which Caleum confronts Two-Bit and murders him, Two-Bit will be dress in simple undergarments. To show that in this moment, he is a real and truest moment. Which makes the death more atrocious. Caleum kills Two-Bit when he is at his most base and human. 

Raymond 'King' James -
The father that Caleum always wanted who is the head of a small town criminal institution.
Not only is King James dressed in dark, gothic colors, but accentuated with purple. Purple is a color of royalty and what kings would be robed in. King James fancies himself a king of his empire. Along with his royal coloring, he will have a couple of jeweled golden rings. 

All the colors still have a bit of the original storm palette, but with their own colors to make their characters unique. These are my thoughts of coloring the characters of OotGG. I really enjoyed doing this exercise. I felt that it helped me get more invested into the project and was more than just getting a group of actors together and going through the scene. Gave a little more depth to the characters I've created. Hopefully we will be able to accomplish this in the final product. Basically, I wanted to validate all my worthless film knowledge that I have accumulated over the years to make myself feel good.

There are other ways to make myself feel good...

Descent into Writing: It Never Ends

I wrote OotGG about two years ago in a few days. I felt really good about it. The story just flowed out. In some ways, it felt like magic. The only problem was that I wanted to shoot OotGG, which meant one thing:

Rewrites. Endless rewrites.

I am not a big fan of rewriting.  I have written about five full length scripts. When I finish with one, I get a feeling of pride, print it out and than never really look at it again. Probably not the best attitude to have. Lord knows I'm only human.

Even though I wanted to be a Lizardman. Thanks a lot, God.

This was a time that I couldn't just write the movie and leave it. I had to do rewrites. Even if I didn't want to, but as I said at the start of this production log; this project was pushing my limits in many different aspects. Over the last couple years, I have been rewriting OotGG on-and-off. I would pick it up, read through it, make a couple changes and then put it back. It wasn't till about August of 2013 that I really amped up my rewriting game.

That summer, I knew I had to pick an idea for my capstone as my time as a student was getting shorter and shorter. With the help of my professor, Ben Braten, and my good friend, Judea Runs Through, they convinced me that OotGG was a great project and that I should commit to it. Once I did, I started rewriting like mad. The script started to morph and to change. Which was a interesting phenomenon. Ben and Judea were always there to read my rewrites and offer great feedback. They are great to have in a writers corner because they will speak up when the writing is sub par. I am eternally grateful for the two of them. Even if they are the worst people I know.

The rewrites get more frequent to more I work with the actors. When Ben Banks agreed to be the star and to proceed full steam, we would talk about his character and throw ideas back and forth. The character of Caleum begin to evolve after every discussion we had. When Darcee was cast as Abby, her scene was rewritten to fit how Ben Banks and Darcee interacted with each other.

When we started to train with Robert Savala little elements of the fights were rewritten. Robert had a great idea to have the character's fights progress through out the film. It changed from Caleum showing up to a fight, beating the guy and getting paid. The fights now have their own arc. It starts with Caleum's first fight being wild and chaotic. He is unsure and rusty in his fighting abilities. The 2nd fight is in a very tight and claustrophobic space which means Caleum has to adapt and learn. The 3rd fight is on uneven ground and against a fighter who is superior. Caleum must use everything he has learned from his previous bouts and really dig deep to win.

This is but a small taste of the rewriting that has been going on and it won't certainly be the last. This story is a living, breathing animal that is growing and learning. I figure the rewrites will stop when the movie is finished. This idea is both exciting and a bit disheartening. Exciting to make a story grow and change from what I originally envisioned. Disheartening because I will always be looking back and wondering if I made the right choices.

It's especially difficult because I write with ye olde pen and ink.

Location Scouting Blues: When Things Go Wrong

One of the main aspects of OotGG is the bare knuckle fighting. I needed a location for an underground bare-knuckle boxing match which needed a setting to match how bad ass it was. Luckily, Ben Bank's pop owns a gravel pit. The idea of shooting in a gravel pit had me watering at the mouth. Benny told me to meet him at the Costco that Saturday and he would drive us out there.

Saturday rolls around and about 11 in the AM, I meet up with him. We hop in his jeep and away we drive towards the gravel pit. The whole time, we are talking about the movie, as Ben Banks is my main actor, and we are both thoroughly pumped. We arrive at the barred off gravel pit entrance. The two of us get out of the jeep, jump the bar, and start exploring. Needless to say, the pit is fantastic. There were so many places that would be great to stage a knock-down-drag-out-fisticuffs session that every Irishman from here to Dublin would be dancing a merry ol' jig.

Actual screen shot from our movie.

After about a half hour of exploring and imaginations fitting to burst, we decide to head out. While walking back, we see a truck racing down the hill towards our general direction. The two of us think nothing of it and keep walking. Soon the giant Ford screeches to a halt in front of us as to cut off our path and, with a thud, steps a man that is basically a dime store knock off Stone Cold Steve Austin.

Get off my lawn.

Ben and I say hello, but are quickly interrupted.

“What the hell are you two doing here?”

Clay Freeze Sven Ashton barks. Ben attempts to talk, but Clay Freeze Sven Ashton keeps barking the same question and promptly informs us that we are trespassing on private property. Benny tells Clay Freeze that we are film students just location scouting and that Ben's step dad owns this here gravel pit and all Clay Freeze needs to do is call him. To bad logic and reasoning only anger Clay Freeze Sven Ashton who than tells us that he can legally shoot us if he wanted.

The joke was on him. We can't read.

Benny again says that his step father owns the gravel pit. Clay Freeze, frenzied by the thought that he may be able to legally kill us, asks Ben which pit is own by Daddy Dearest. Mr. Banks answers that where we have been walking is owned by his pops. A wry smile peeks out from Clay Freeze's mustache as he waves to us and utters a low:

“Goodbye.”

Ben and I look at each other and start walking away. Behind us we can here Clay Freeze Sven Ashton calls Step Dad, gets a voice mail and demands that he call him back to tell him what the hell is going on. I ask Benny if his step father usually employs psychopaths and wannabe wrestlers in which Ben responds with a shrug. 

That is when the gun goes off.

Kind of like this only way less awesome.

We both turn around and see Clay Freeze pointing his .44 magnum at us and fires another round in our general direction. What this raged filled mongoloid does not know is that Ben and I have been shot at before by people scarier than he. The two of us shrug our shoulders and keep walking slowly at our normal pace and let out a chuckle at the idea that Clay Freeze probably has a below average sized wiener. Looking back, insulting a man with a large hand canon was probably not the smartest idea, but who said that Benny and I were ever that smart? Well, our mommas say we're smart, but that is about it. 

The two of us strut back up the hill to the jeep as Clay Freeze Sven Ashton fires the remaining five shots at us. A couple of the bullets even whizzed by us. We finally arrived at the jeep and got in. Up from the pit barrels Clay Freeze's truck who than stops at the gate. While backing out, Clay Freeze points the gun at us the entire time we are leaving. We drove away and went to get lunch. The two of us laughed about the whole ordeal over burritos after wards. Film making sure is fun.

A great cure for PTSD