I've completed the first draft of my script entitled "Pathways", for next year's "21 Film Project". I know it's really early, but I'm not the kind of guy to wait until June to come up with an idea for the contest in July. Who knows what I will be dealing with at that time, could be other films for the same contest or commercials, or graphics, could be anything. So, while I have spare time, I'm going to be working on this film and I hope to have it completed by February.
I will admit, being that I am first and foremost dedicated to furthering my craft of special effects and motion graphics, that this script is written around a few special effects that I've been wanting to challenge myself with for a while now. There are only two lines of dialogue in the film, and it is all emotion conveyed through action instead of words.
The story is about a man, down on his luck recently made homeless, finding a nice camera in the trash as he is sifting through it. As the man plays with the camera he finds that the camera is showing him pathways in which he might be able to end his life.
There is a happy ending, but I don't want to spoil it. It is written for the Land of Lincoln Credit Union "21 Film Project" for next year so you can kinda imagine where this has to go, plus I wanted to incorporate it with their new "The Do Good" campaign.
This is my second script, and I've tried to make it as simple as possible. My previous film "They Hunger" was very simple, but with a few camera tricks and some nice music and sound, it came together very well. To me, I feel like I need to get the basics down before I start tackling complex projects requiring lots of hands. It's a simple shoot, but with complex emotions, so I'm challenging myself even more this time.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Monday, August 30, 2010
Celebration
This past weekend was the 3rd annual Land of Lincoln Credit Union "21 Film" contest which we entered with our film "The Missing Bank Card 3" to wrap up the trilogy.
Before the actual "Showcase" began which ran the top 20 films entered into the contest, there was a screening of other notable films not related to the contest. Within that special screening they also ran last year's contest winner by Dave Heinzel "Press Play" as well as BOTH our first two films; The Missing Bank Card 1 and 2. A couple other films also made their debut (unrelated to the contest) from local high-school's and other national Independent Film makers to wrap up the special showcase. But you could tell that this was going to be a special night for us right from the get-go.
Then the Top-20 showcase began to kick off the ceremony, in it were your standard Land of Lincoln commercial-films, and other films that just didn't make any sense, all mixed in with some well-shot but un-fleshed stories, and some well-fleshed-out stories but horribly shot. And then there were a couple that really shined, like some hand puppet acting, and a film shot on a Canon 7D with some gorgeous DOF.
In the end though, our film was a triumphant riot. While there weren't as many laugh-out-loud moments in the 3rd film as there were in the films before, you could tell that it still captivated the audience, and the climactic applause at the end was worth the trip alone.
This year the contest organizers decided to add an "Audience Choice" award in which the members of the audience were each given a voting placard with the list of the top-20 films, and after all the films were shown they voted on their favorite. We certainly didn't have the largest group in the crowd, but we still won the award! The audience voted on US!
After that unexpected but uplifting award, they also announced the winner of the coveted "Best Film" award, which we won! Paul brought us all down there to the podium with him, and I couldn't think of anything coherent to say, but I was really happy.
The afterparty was fun, I was able to make a couple contacts that were interested in my abilities and then we made the 3 hour drive home late at night.
So, what's next?
We had a long friendly talk with Dave Heinzel, the director of the previous year's winners, and challenged us next year. So we will probably go head-to-head next year with our films, whatever they will be.
I also have some ideas myself, and it might be possible that, in addition to possibly helping Paul with next year's film, that I might have my own submission as well. I was in the middle of an animated short for the contest this year, but I decided to focus on Paul's film instead, so I may finish it for next year.
I also have an idea for a "Twilight Zone" esque film that I still need to flesh out. But I enjoyed creating "They Hunger" so much that, even with a small cast (me and my wife), I feel like I could put something noteworthy together for next year's contest.
Next year's contest was once a shot in the dark a few months ago, but now I may have my hands full again come next June!
The Missing Bank Card 3: The Last Debate of Abraham Lincoln from Dave Spooner on Vimeo.
Before the actual "Showcase" began which ran the top 20 films entered into the contest, there was a screening of other notable films not related to the contest. Within that special screening they also ran last year's contest winner by Dave Heinzel "Press Play" as well as BOTH our first two films; The Missing Bank Card 1 and 2. A couple other films also made their debut (unrelated to the contest) from local high-school's and other national Independent Film makers to wrap up the special showcase. But you could tell that this was going to be a special night for us right from the get-go.
Then the Top-20 showcase began to kick off the ceremony, in it were your standard Land of Lincoln commercial-films, and other films that just didn't make any sense, all mixed in with some well-shot but un-fleshed stories, and some well-fleshed-out stories but horribly shot. And then there were a couple that really shined, like some hand puppet acting, and a film shot on a Canon 7D with some gorgeous DOF.
In the end though, our film was a triumphant riot. While there weren't as many laugh-out-loud moments in the 3rd film as there were in the films before, you could tell that it still captivated the audience, and the climactic applause at the end was worth the trip alone.
This year the contest organizers decided to add an "Audience Choice" award in which the members of the audience were each given a voting placard with the list of the top-20 films, and after all the films were shown they voted on their favorite. We certainly didn't have the largest group in the crowd, but we still won the award! The audience voted on US!
After that unexpected but uplifting award, they also announced the winner of the coveted "Best Film" award, which we won! Paul brought us all down there to the podium with him, and I couldn't think of anything coherent to say, but I was really happy.
The afterparty was fun, I was able to make a couple contacts that were interested in my abilities and then we made the 3 hour drive home late at night.
So, what's next?
We had a long friendly talk with Dave Heinzel, the director of the previous year's winners, and challenged us next year. So we will probably go head-to-head next year with our films, whatever they will be.
I also have some ideas myself, and it might be possible that, in addition to possibly helping Paul with next year's film, that I might have my own submission as well. I was in the middle of an animated short for the contest this year, but I decided to focus on Paul's film instead, so I may finish it for next year.
I also have an idea for a "Twilight Zone" esque film that I still need to flesh out. But I enjoyed creating "They Hunger" so much that, even with a small cast (me and my wife), I feel like I could put something noteworthy together for next year's contest.
Next year's contest was once a shot in the dark a few months ago, but now I may have my hands full again come next June!
Friday, August 13, 2010
finished again
So, I am finished AGAIN with The Missing Bank Card 3. I'm slugging on 2 hours of sleep right now at work, I just want this monkey off my back. Yes, I'm glad to redo a lot of what made the first "finished" cut of the film less polished than last year's film. Yes, I'm especially glad I got to build a jungle scene with dinosaurs and birds and a classic tie-in with Star Trek 2. Yes, I'm glad to redo the color scheme to a more "flat" level.
But there's a point in which you just have to wash your hands with it, and that was almost two weeks ago for me. Since we finished the first cut of the film, I had since archived it and moved on to another film and a wedding. Already waist-deep into those and already losing a little sleep over them, I find myself working on MBC3 again, taking it out of archive, and spending half the time trying to catalogue all the project files again to rerender with new effects. It's a love-hate relationship because I was glad to be done, but at the same time I'm glad to be polishing it some more.
I feel more like Chewbacca in this scenario, getting the wrong end of a deal:
"If you would rescue her... the reward would be...",
"be what?",
"Well, more reward than you can imagine!",
"I dont know, I can imagine quite a bit",
"you'll get it!",
"I better!",
"You will!"
But there's a point in which you just have to wash your hands with it, and that was almost two weeks ago for me. Since we finished the first cut of the film, I had since archived it and moved on to another film and a wedding. Already waist-deep into those and already losing a little sleep over them, I find myself working on MBC3 again, taking it out of archive, and spending half the time trying to catalogue all the project files again to rerender with new effects. It's a love-hate relationship because I was glad to be done, but at the same time I'm glad to be polishing it some more.
I feel more like Chewbacca in this scenario, getting the wrong end of a deal:
"If you would rescue her... the reward would be...",
"be what?",
"Well, more reward than you can imagine!",
"I dont know, I can imagine quite a bit",
"you'll get it!",
"I better!",
"You will!"
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
A true production
We just finished filming "Nick of Time", and it was such an incredible experience to work on a professional set. Actors seriously memorized their lines, only one fib in 3 days of shooting and these were long continuous lines! There were a minimum of 7 people behind the scenes checking lighting, sound, grips and gaffers, recording details about each take (script supervisor, which was me), the Director was glued to a monitor while the cinematographer set up frames and operated the camera.
It was great working with a really professional group of people, everyone knew their jobs and did them very well. Even though it was a professional atmosphere, we still had a lot of fun.
Editing process will begin tonight, and I still have the wedding video that is just about complete. And The Missing Bank Card 3 found it's way back onto my plate, so we will be polishing that tomorrow.
Busy busy!!!
It was great working with a really professional group of people, everyone knew their jobs and did them very well. Even though it was a professional atmosphere, we still had a lot of fun.
Editing process will begin tonight, and I still have the wedding video that is just about complete. And The Missing Bank Card 3 found it's way back onto my plate, so we will be polishing that tomorrow.
Busy busy!!!
Friday, August 6, 2010
A little breather
Last weekend we burned through about 36 hours straight to get The Missing Bank Card 3 finished and submitted. This movie turned out to be quite a beast, with 60% green screen and %70 other visual effects it was difficult to keep things in order. It turned out really well, and is a nice ending to the trilogy. But I got to work on my green screen, it was really difficult to get satisfied results. It also might have something to do that our green screen was terrible (cloth thumb-tacked to the wall) and had a lot of shadows and uncovered areas.
This week has been a nice little breather before another pair of productions get started; I have a wedding I am filming on Saturday, just the ceremony and small parts of the reception. And day 1 of filming the short film "Nick of Time" begins Sunday evening. Luckily this new film doesn't have any big special effects, but I will be doing the editing and on-set supervision. It's a big production with lots of people involved, and we are filming on a Canon 7D so that will be fun to work with as well.
It's going to be weird working on a film where my involvement will not be comprehensive, so it will be a nice relaxing production and a taste of what a "normal" production is like. When I say relaxing, it's relative to what I am used to! :)
The director wants the film done in two weeks after filming, shouldn't be a problem so long as I have all the assets I need to put it together. And with no big special effects, it's a one-stop shop in Adobe Premiere with my awesome new CUDA compatible video card to edit in real time!
This week has been a nice little breather before another pair of productions get started; I have a wedding I am filming on Saturday, just the ceremony and small parts of the reception. And day 1 of filming the short film "Nick of Time" begins Sunday evening. Luckily this new film doesn't have any big special effects, but I will be doing the editing and on-set supervision. It's a big production with lots of people involved, and we are filming on a Canon 7D so that will be fun to work with as well.
It's going to be weird working on a film where my involvement will not be comprehensive, so it will be a nice relaxing production and a taste of what a "normal" production is like. When I say relaxing, it's relative to what I am used to! :)
The director wants the film done in two weeks after filming, shouldn't be a problem so long as I have all the assets I need to put it together. And with no big special effects, it's a one-stop shop in Adobe Premiere with my awesome new CUDA compatible video card to edit in real time!
Friday, July 9, 2010
The busy time of year
In the past few years, July has signified the production of our most famous short film series, The Missing Bank Card. These films are specifically shot for the Land of Lincoln Credit Untion's 21 Film Project. This contest is specifically catered to showcase and award short films produced with the Land of Lincoln tagline "bank on learning more".
The best 20 films that meet the specific criteria are shown at an extravigant awards show in August. In 2008 and 2009 we have shown and achieved awards for The Missing Bank Card 1 and 2: (The revenge of Steven Douglas), but we did not get "Best in Show" which also awards money. This year, we hope to change that.
The Missing Bank Card 3: The Demise of Abraham Lincoln has been in production for a couple days now, and so far it's even more ambitious than the last two films combined. Probably 75% of the film will be shot on a green screen with multiple cameras, lots more special effects, and more characters introduced. Of course, when you finish a trilogy, you have to outdo your other films by a given margin.
I also have a feeling that this will be our last year at this contest, whether we win or not. It's tiresome to continue producing short films that can only be used at for the LLCU film project, and the fatigue that shows during these productions is very evident.
The one thing that keeps us going, to finish the trilogy, is the fact that our films have historically been the crowd favorite. If you go to the 21 Film Project web site, you see our film featured on that page even though ours did not win Best in Show. The film that won 1st place last year is all the way at the bottom of the list of last years winners. That's telling you something.
Both films, especially last years film, garnered a lot of crowd appreciation and applause. This year, the producers of the film contest were excited when they learned that we were going to finish up the trilogy, and they even gave us a little lee-way on the timing of the film so that we could use some time to put in an epilogue explaining the previous film without counting against our overall time. So, this is it. Sink or swim. Win or go home. Boxers or briefs. It's now or never.
Here's a few teaser screenshots of the production so far:
The best 20 films that meet the specific criteria are shown at an extravigant awards show in August. In 2008 and 2009 we have shown and achieved awards for The Missing Bank Card 1 and 2: (The revenge of Steven Douglas), but we did not get "Best in Show" which also awards money. This year, we hope to change that.
The Missing Bank Card 3: The Demise of Abraham Lincoln has been in production for a couple days now, and so far it's even more ambitious than the last two films combined. Probably 75% of the film will be shot on a green screen with multiple cameras, lots more special effects, and more characters introduced. Of course, when you finish a trilogy, you have to outdo your other films by a given margin.
I also have a feeling that this will be our last year at this contest, whether we win or not. It's tiresome to continue producing short films that can only be used at for the LLCU film project, and the fatigue that shows during these productions is very evident.
The one thing that keeps us going, to finish the trilogy, is the fact that our films have historically been the crowd favorite. If you go to the 21 Film Project web site, you see our film featured on that page even though ours did not win Best in Show. The film that won 1st place last year is all the way at the bottom of the list of last years winners. That's telling you something.
Both films, especially last years film, garnered a lot of crowd appreciation and applause. This year, the producers of the film contest were excited when they learned that we were going to finish up the trilogy, and they even gave us a little lee-way on the timing of the film so that we could use some time to put in an epilogue explaining the previous film without counting against our overall time. So, this is it. Sink or swim. Win or go home. Boxers or briefs. It's now or never.
Here's a few teaser screenshots of the production so far:
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Departmentalized
The crew that makes up the Fusion Dance TV production met together last night for a long meeting. We discussed primarily appointing responsibilities and assigning everyone's respective "department" and making sure everyone know what they are responsible for.
A new guy, an intern, was given the responsibility of putting together the stand-alone music videos. He will use the graphic templates that I have given him to put everything together.
I was assigned the News and Events department, which will involve taking video that was shot and editing them together along with any graphics of which I have creative freedom. This will also involve putting together the Top-10 countdown video utilizing my Cube concept in the near future.
Now that we finally have a system, reliability is still in question. Still, to this date, there have been VERY few things that the Fusion producers have actually given to me that I have requested. After the meeting last night they have finally put a lot of the items that I requested onto their FTP for me to get, which is great. Hopefully this will continue and I won't be left to hang, and someone else is rushing to put together a mediocre product at the last second.
I recorded about 2 hours worth of video at the Fusion Pride Parade, and I did get video of Brent Sopel and the Stanley Cup, as well as the Fusion float. It was my first time at the Chicago Pride Parade, and I had more fun than I thought I would considering I am partially homophobic.
A new guy, an intern, was given the responsibility of putting together the stand-alone music videos. He will use the graphic templates that I have given him to put everything together.
I was assigned the News and Events department, which will involve taking video that was shot and editing them together along with any graphics of which I have creative freedom. This will also involve putting together the Top-10 countdown video utilizing my Cube concept in the near future.
Now that we finally have a system, reliability is still in question. Still, to this date, there have been VERY few things that the Fusion producers have actually given to me that I have requested. After the meeting last night they have finally put a lot of the items that I requested onto their FTP for me to get, which is great. Hopefully this will continue and I won't be left to hang, and someone else is rushing to put together a mediocre product at the last second.
I recorded about 2 hours worth of video at the Fusion Pride Parade, and I did get video of Brent Sopel and the Stanley Cup, as well as the Fusion float. It was my first time at the Chicago Pride Parade, and I had more fun than I thought I would considering I am partially homophobic.
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