So I haven't updated this in a while. I am a lazy person I guess. Being lazy and being a filmmaker don't mesh very well, but I do it anyway.
I've been getting increasingly frustrated over the past couple weeks because we've been unable to get a location. We need one location. That's it. A motel room. And you can rent those, obviously. So all you need is permission. That's the tricky part apparently. You'd be shocked by how many people just flat say "no." You would think they'd be thankful for my $1000+ and the fact that they don't have to do ANYTHING to the rooms during that time. But, oh well. Fuck em.
So I called a few places yesterday. A lot of places are owned/operated by Indians. I don't have a problem with this, but let's be honest, it is hard to understand them. So here's how one call went down:
Me: "Hi, is there a manger available that I could possibly speak with?"
Person: "No"
Me: "Is there a better time to call back?"
Person: (something I couldn't understand)
Me: "You say you are the manager?"
Person: (very slowly and condescendingly) "Sir. I am asking you who you are and why you need to speak with a manager."
Me: "I need to speak with a manager about getting some rooms for a few weeks."
Person: "Why can't you talk to me?"
Me: (at this point I've given up basically) "Because I want to talk to a manager."
Person: "Who are you?"
And then I hang up. First, why is this person interrogating me as to why I need to talk to a manager. I just do. Secondly, if I tell them who I am, are they actually going to know me? "Yes I am Matt Williams." "Who?" So what the hell.
I don't know why a motel, whose purpose is to make money, acts like little bitches when someone wants to GIVE them money.
So I called another place. And they were the opposite of that last jackass. Nicest people you could imagine. They said it would be fine. $200/week per room. Great rate.
So I went down there today and sealed the deal. Thus, I am very happy to announce that we do, in fact, have a location now. Given that we start in exactly one week, that's probably good. It's perfect too. Short drive from my house, two rooms side-by-side, second floor, on the corner to reduce our noise. Going to work out beautifully I do hope.
I'll be going back tomorrow with my DP to check the place out for specific lighting and stuff. But, we are good to go. And I am quite happy. This is a good day.
I will conclude by having you watch this awesome YouTube clip. If you've seen the film MIRACLE this clip is 300x better. If you HAVE NOT seen Miracle, watch the second link FIRST, and then the first link.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CdJTfGiRCI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwpTj_Z9v-c&feature=related
Amazing.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Nothing
Absolutely nothing. Nothing accomplished.
Spent most of my day at my aunt's new place of living trying to get the internet to work properly. After arguing with the AT&T people for a long time, who insisted the problem was within the house, I finally convinced them to check outside the house. And indeed, this is where the problem lay. Boring story though.
I guess I did chat with the DP over the phone about the visual style of the film. Which, by the way, will be a style similar to Ramin Bahrani's films, where the camera is tripoded, but loosely, so you get that handheld feel without it being too out of control. I want that life on the edge. I don't want a constricted frame. I want life on the edge of the frame. I think this particular story begs for it.
The only exception here are the flashbacks, which will be solid tripod, 35mm depth of field adapter. Also black and white, but that's a post-issue.
Don't want to give away too much on it.
Boring day overall basically.
H1N1 shot tomorrow.... yay....
Spent most of my day at my aunt's new place of living trying to get the internet to work properly. After arguing with the AT&T people for a long time, who insisted the problem was within the house, I finally convinced them to check outside the house. And indeed, this is where the problem lay. Boring story though.
I guess I did chat with the DP over the phone about the visual style of the film. Which, by the way, will be a style similar to Ramin Bahrani's films, where the camera is tripoded, but loosely, so you get that handheld feel without it being too out of control. I want that life on the edge. I don't want a constricted frame. I want life on the edge of the frame. I think this particular story begs for it.
The only exception here are the flashbacks, which will be solid tripod, 35mm depth of field adapter. Also black and white, but that's a post-issue.
Don't want to give away too much on it.
Boring day overall basically.
H1N1 shot tomorrow.... yay....
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Storyboards and the Script
So, today I met with the DP. We went over some of the storyboards today. The whole film will be storyboarded, and that process is almost complete. Hopefully I can put some of those frames up once I get a scanner working.
That was the only actual thing I did today in which I interacted with another person. Everything else involved me sitting at home breaking the script down into beats and preparing for our upcoming rehearsals.
In case you are interested, as I'm sure you are, I like to subscribe to the Stanislavski method of acting, aka "method acting." Stanislavski, for those of you who don't know, was a Russian actor and theatre director. Many of the American acting teachers -- Adler, Meisner, Strasberg, etc -- have roots in Stanislavski. Josh, the AD, is fantastic at working with this method. The man is a genius really.
And let's put this on the table -- I don't write the greatest plots in the world. I don't think anyone will ever be shaken to their knees from my plots. They aren't super complex. They aren't high concept. I'm one of those people that loves character. I love it. I'll watch a film with zero plot but great characterization. If somebody said -- here's an indie film, here's a big-budget Hollywood film, that's all the info you get, which do you want to watch? -- I would say, "the indie film." I love independent cinema. I love what it can do and the creative control they have. Some people are capable of doing what they want but still working within the studio system (Tarantino, Coens, etc.).
So, because of this fact, most of this film rests on the actors. I needed great actors. I auditioned probably 20 people for each role. I needed to find the best that I could find because this will be made or broken by their performances. So I put a lot of emphasis on the rehearsal and the acting of this.
A few people have asked what I'm shooting on. The answer is the Sony EX1. The EX1 is a $6,000 camera that shoots native 24p full 1080p HD. We are shooting with a 35mm depth of field adapter, at least for the flashbacks at any rate.
A few people have also asked if they could read the script. While I have sent it to one person, I don't really want to give it out anymore. This is one that I'd prefer to keep locked up until the film is done. However, I will post the first two pages, for your reading pleasure....
INT. HOTEL ROOM - NIGHT
BATHROOM
A young woman, approximately age 20 or 21, sits on the lid of
the toilet. She wears nothing but a bra and panties. Tears
stream down her face, although it appears as though she's
getting herself together.
Most oddly, blood spots her upper body and her bra. Blood is
smeared across her face. In her hair.
HOLD;
She looks around the bathroom. It's brightly lit, yet
something is still strangely eerie about it. We cannot see
anymore than the body of this young girl.
Her name is JESSICA WILSON. She's attractive, slim, but
obviously not in a great emotional state at the moment.
She looks down at the bathroom floor.
A pool of crimson red blood collects. Drops fall from the
bathtub rim. She stares as drops of blood clunk from above.
She makes her best effort to stand. Obviously the emotional
stress of the situation is holding her back, but she manages
to get on her feet. She moves over to the sink.
She turns the faucet on. Hot water pours out, steam rising
from the porcelain counter. She grabs a bar of soap and
scrubs her hands the best she can. It's hard to get the
blood off. But she does her best.
She tries to get the blood off her face as well. She scrubs
as good as possible and finally gives up.
She hits the faucet and shuts it off.
She moves out into the
MAIN AREA
And dries her hands on a towel. Some of the residual blood
gets on the towel as well.
She looks at her hands. The grooves of her fingerprints are
still filled with blood.
She turns and walks over to one of the beds. There is a
shirt and a pair of pants lying on the top of the bed.
She grabs the shirt and sees it is sodden with gore. She
tosses it against the wall. The pants are, too, stained
heavily with blood.
She sits down on the edge of the bed and looks around the
room.
Drab carpet. Bland drapes. The typical staples of a cheap,
semi-rural motel room.
She notices a phone sitting on the night stand. She also
notices a cell phone beside it.
She grabs the cell phone. Cradles it. Examines it over.
She flips it open.
Runs down through the list of contacts. Finds ADAM.
She hesitates and then closes the phone. Glances over at the
bathroom again.
A tear runs down her cheek. She flips the phone open and
calls Adam.
The phone rings.
JESSICA
(sad; desperate)
Adam... Adam... I need ...
She cries a little.
JESSICA (CONT'D)
.... I need your help, Adam.
She wipes her eyes.
JESSICA (CONT'D)
I don't know... how it happened...
I need some help.
More tears.
JESSICA (CONT'D)
I'm at the Longwood Motel. Yeah,
same one. Room...
She glances at the telephone on the night stand. It has a
room number on it.
JESSICA (CONT'D)
...Room 214. Bring some clothes.
(beat)
Bye.
That was the only actual thing I did today in which I interacted with another person. Everything else involved me sitting at home breaking the script down into beats and preparing for our upcoming rehearsals.
In case you are interested, as I'm sure you are, I like to subscribe to the Stanislavski method of acting, aka "method acting." Stanislavski, for those of you who don't know, was a Russian actor and theatre director. Many of the American acting teachers -- Adler, Meisner, Strasberg, etc -- have roots in Stanislavski. Josh, the AD, is fantastic at working with this method. The man is a genius really.
And let's put this on the table -- I don't write the greatest plots in the world. I don't think anyone will ever be shaken to their knees from my plots. They aren't super complex. They aren't high concept. I'm one of those people that loves character. I love it. I'll watch a film with zero plot but great characterization. If somebody said -- here's an indie film, here's a big-budget Hollywood film, that's all the info you get, which do you want to watch? -- I would say, "the indie film." I love independent cinema. I love what it can do and the creative control they have. Some people are capable of doing what they want but still working within the studio system (Tarantino, Coens, etc.).
So, because of this fact, most of this film rests on the actors. I needed great actors. I auditioned probably 20 people for each role. I needed to find the best that I could find because this will be made or broken by their performances. So I put a lot of emphasis on the rehearsal and the acting of this.
A few people have asked what I'm shooting on. The answer is the Sony EX1. The EX1 is a $6,000 camera that shoots native 24p full 1080p HD. We are shooting with a 35mm depth of field adapter, at least for the flashbacks at any rate.
A few people have also asked if they could read the script. While I have sent it to one person, I don't really want to give it out anymore. This is one that I'd prefer to keep locked up until the film is done. However, I will post the first two pages, for your reading pleasure....
INT. HOTEL ROOM - NIGHT
BATHROOM
A young woman, approximately age 20 or 21, sits on the lid of
the toilet. She wears nothing but a bra and panties. Tears
stream down her face, although it appears as though she's
getting herself together.
Most oddly, blood spots her upper body and her bra. Blood is
smeared across her face. In her hair.
HOLD;
She looks around the bathroom. It's brightly lit, yet
something is still strangely eerie about it. We cannot see
anymore than the body of this young girl.
Her name is JESSICA WILSON. She's attractive, slim, but
obviously not in a great emotional state at the moment.
She looks down at the bathroom floor.
A pool of crimson red blood collects. Drops fall from the
bathtub rim. She stares as drops of blood clunk from above.
She makes her best effort to stand. Obviously the emotional
stress of the situation is holding her back, but she manages
to get on her feet. She moves over to the sink.
She turns the faucet on. Hot water pours out, steam rising
from the porcelain counter. She grabs a bar of soap and
scrubs her hands the best she can. It's hard to get the
blood off. But she does her best.
She tries to get the blood off her face as well. She scrubs
as good as possible and finally gives up.
She hits the faucet and shuts it off.
She moves out into the
MAIN AREA
And dries her hands on a towel. Some of the residual blood
gets on the towel as well.
She looks at her hands. The grooves of her fingerprints are
still filled with blood.
She turns and walks over to one of the beds. There is a
shirt and a pair of pants lying on the top of the bed.
She grabs the shirt and sees it is sodden with gore. She
tosses it against the wall. The pants are, too, stained
heavily with blood.
She sits down on the edge of the bed and looks around the
room.
Drab carpet. Bland drapes. The typical staples of a cheap,
semi-rural motel room.
She notices a phone sitting on the night stand. She also
notices a cell phone beside it.
She grabs the cell phone. Cradles it. Examines it over.
She flips it open.
Runs down through the list of contacts. Finds ADAM.
She hesitates and then closes the phone. Glances over at the
bathroom again.
A tear runs down her cheek. She flips the phone open and
calls Adam.
The phone rings.
JESSICA
(sad; desperate)
Adam... Adam... I need ...
She cries a little.
JESSICA (CONT'D)
.... I need your help, Adam.
She wipes her eyes.
JESSICA (CONT'D)
I don't know... how it happened...
I need some help.
More tears.
JESSICA (CONT'D)
I'm at the Longwood Motel. Yeah,
same one. Room...
She glances at the telephone on the night stand. It has a
room number on it.
JESSICA (CONT'D)
...Room 214. Bring some clothes.
(beat)
Bye.
Friday, December 4, 2009
Friday 12/4
So, it's been a while since I updated here. I'm lazy, that's the way life is. A lot has happened in nearly one month.
I have cast everyone (though the film only has two characters). A lovely girl named Ashley is playing the part of Jessica, and a striking young fellow named Nick is playing the part of Adam.
So, this past Monday, we had our first meeting with cast and crew. We went over a lot of things, and ultimately decided to push production back to start January 3rd. Originally we were slated to start around the 16th of December. And I am surely glad we pushed it back.
Today marked our first day of rehearsals. We only got through 10 pages in a 4 hour rehearsal session, but it was awesome. My AD, a fellow named Josh Brewer, is absolutely phenomenal when it comes to working with actors. He is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon, with sort of a dual focus in theatre and film. I couldn't ask for a better AD. The dude is amazing and finding locations and talking to people, and he's brilliant working with actors.
Tomorrow I meeting with our DP to go over the storyboards we have thus far. That's pretty much everything that has been accomplished thus far.
I can really feel this is going to be a great production.
Still searching for a scrip supervisor, though I do have some people that can fill that position.
Until next time....
I have cast everyone (though the film only has two characters). A lovely girl named Ashley is playing the part of Jessica, and a striking young fellow named Nick is playing the part of Adam.
So, this past Monday, we had our first meeting with cast and crew. We went over a lot of things, and ultimately decided to push production back to start January 3rd. Originally we were slated to start around the 16th of December. And I am surely glad we pushed it back.
Today marked our first day of rehearsals. We only got through 10 pages in a 4 hour rehearsal session, but it was awesome. My AD, a fellow named Josh Brewer, is absolutely phenomenal when it comes to working with actors. He is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon, with sort of a dual focus in theatre and film. I couldn't ask for a better AD. The dude is amazing and finding locations and talking to people, and he's brilliant working with actors.
Tomorrow I meeting with our DP to go over the storyboards we have thus far. That's pretty much everything that has been accomplished thus far.
I can really feel this is going to be a great production.
Still searching for a scrip supervisor, though I do have some people that can fill that position.
Until next time....
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