Better Late Than Never
Okay, so I look like a moron now. Giving a big speech about regular weekly updates and then not doing one the first week. I can just feel your confidence in me slipping back into the lightless abyss whence it came. I could explain to you why it slipped my mind, and tell you about the ten page paper I had to write, school project I had to write, unexpected medical emergencies, Christmas shopping, letter writing, etc., but you'd still call me a slacker anyway. And yeah, I deserve it.
The good news is, I've got scenes two and three done. Well, "done" is a bit of a misstatement, since while I was working on them I realized that I need to redo a couple of shots. Nothing with the actors in them, just establishing shots mostly. Oh, and one shot in scene 2 that's just all wrong. It's a POV shot of Vince's empty bedroom. Problem is, when we filmed the empty room, we didn't light it the same way we lit Leland's reaction shot, so it looks totally wrong. I've tried to make do by fiddling with color settings and stuff, but it's just not happening. Of course, someone lives in that room now, and emptying it out again is out of the question. So, if anybody you know has a totally empty room with white walls, please let me know.
The filming of scene 2 was not at all pleasant, as anyone who was there can testify. We had to do it in about two hours on a friday night, on short notice, after I'd already moved out of the house and Sean and Wes had moved in. Our cameraman was in Boston for the weekend, and crew volunteers were a scant few. Despite it all, though, the scene came out okay. Not good, barely passable, but okay. With a little creative editing I think it can work.
Scene 3, the first computer pod scene, came out fairly well also. That was another legendary debacle, and perhaps a portent of the terrors to come. The computer pod scenes were the first thing we filmed, during a long, tough night. Even though we learned a lot after that, the scene cut together all right.
The main thing I'm worried about is that it won't really be funny. Maybe I just lack perspective on it, but so far a few ad-libbed remarks by the actors have been funnier to me than the lines that were supposed to be humorous. I've had people criticize my dialogue, and I can't really disagree with them. If I ever direct again, I may give the actors even more freedom to improvise and take things in new directions. It might even be fun to do a Christopher Guest style movie, where every scene is improv, if we could get a group of actors together who wanted to try it.
I'm about to watch the newly-released Return of the King extended edition DVDs. The extended version clocks in at something over 4 hours. I mention this because, in a weird way, it's related to my decision to make a film of my own. It was when I was watching the special features on the extended edition DVDs for The Two Towers that I realized I wanted to try it. I was watching one of those behind-the-scenes documentaries and for some reason I just started thinking that it's really not that hard to make a movie, because doing it is so fun.
I suppose that, in a way, this means that I've been working on this movie for over a year now. At this point last year, however, all I was really doing was just thinking about it. I didn't start writing the script with any seriousness until February, so that's probably a better anniversary. I'll have a rough cut done by then for sure, and probably come back to Albuquerque in early February to do some of these little pick-up shots. I may end up with quite a few; I've only gotten through three scenes and I've already got four shots I need to do (or re-do).
More soon, I promise, and this Sunday I'll start posting weekly (really for reals this time). By then I hope to have another few scenes put together.
The good news is, I've got scenes two and three done. Well, "done" is a bit of a misstatement, since while I was working on them I realized that I need to redo a couple of shots. Nothing with the actors in them, just establishing shots mostly. Oh, and one shot in scene 2 that's just all wrong. It's a POV shot of Vince's empty bedroom. Problem is, when we filmed the empty room, we didn't light it the same way we lit Leland's reaction shot, so it looks totally wrong. I've tried to make do by fiddling with color settings and stuff, but it's just not happening. Of course, someone lives in that room now, and emptying it out again is out of the question. So, if anybody you know has a totally empty room with white walls, please let me know.
The filming of scene 2 was not at all pleasant, as anyone who was there can testify. We had to do it in about two hours on a friday night, on short notice, after I'd already moved out of the house and Sean and Wes had moved in. Our cameraman was in Boston for the weekend, and crew volunteers were a scant few. Despite it all, though, the scene came out okay. Not good, barely passable, but okay. With a little creative editing I think it can work.
Scene 3, the first computer pod scene, came out fairly well also. That was another legendary debacle, and perhaps a portent of the terrors to come. The computer pod scenes were the first thing we filmed, during a long, tough night. Even though we learned a lot after that, the scene cut together all right.
The main thing I'm worried about is that it won't really be funny. Maybe I just lack perspective on it, but so far a few ad-libbed remarks by the actors have been funnier to me than the lines that were supposed to be humorous. I've had people criticize my dialogue, and I can't really disagree with them. If I ever direct again, I may give the actors even more freedom to improvise and take things in new directions. It might even be fun to do a Christopher Guest style movie, where every scene is improv, if we could get a group of actors together who wanted to try it.
I'm about to watch the newly-released Return of the King extended edition DVDs. The extended version clocks in at something over 4 hours. I mention this because, in a weird way, it's related to my decision to make a film of my own. It was when I was watching the special features on the extended edition DVDs for The Two Towers that I realized I wanted to try it. I was watching one of those behind-the-scenes documentaries and for some reason I just started thinking that it's really not that hard to make a movie, because doing it is so fun.
I suppose that, in a way, this means that I've been working on this movie for over a year now. At this point last year, however, all I was really doing was just thinking about it. I didn't start writing the script with any seriousness until February, so that's probably a better anniversary. I'll have a rough cut done by then for sure, and probably come back to Albuquerque in early February to do some of these little pick-up shots. I may end up with quite a few; I've only gotten through three scenes and I've already got four shots I need to do (or re-do).
More soon, I promise, and this Sunday I'll start posting weekly (really for reals this time). By then I hope to have another few scenes put together.
posted by 505 Films at
1:02 AM
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