DVC3--I'm finished and Posting Today!
 

Okay, I haven't even started but thought I'd start a thread where each of us can share our ongoing experiences during the DVC3 process. When the deadline hits next Friday at midnight PST, no more posting to this thread.

My Experience to Date

* I called my team from the last DVC2 and told them game on. I hadn't even told them I signed up for DVC3 until today.
* Fortunately, they were all excited. If they were not, it would be a very, very long week indeed!
* Ideas are coming out my ears. And yes, that does hurt

Threw the theme open to the guys at work (not in the filming team, just people and work) and got some good, bad and down right weird ideas. Funny enough, the weird ones where the best ones. I think I have the approach I`m gonna take, but then again maybe not, ahhhhhhh.

This is my first DVC, and I haven't shot a live action short in about 8 years. Luckily my brother is teaming up with me and taking care of finding equipment and bodies, warm and cold.

So far I got the script done, got some of the props together, and I think we have our cast and crew. The script calls for an animated character in about 3 or 4 shots, so I'm modeling and rigging away until we shoot on Saturday.

I shouldn't be posting here, I should be working. That's what I tell myself, anyway. Got the first draft of the script done, nothing fancy, but doable. Now I just need to make the ending funnier. I know the contest isn't limited to comedy, but the script I've got is supposed to be funny, and it's only halfway there. Dammit.

So far I called my usual good partners from my last shorts, we met together in a restaurant, I had a rough idea before the meeting. After the meeting, the idea was rock solid, the casting was done, one people will be scouting for the locatings tomorrow, and I will write the final script during the night.

I am really happy that the thing goes so well tonight, because I have a shooting saturday not related with the contest. So I only have sunday to shoot...

...so far, i have given some consideration to digging a few things out of my basement.

Well its nows 8:23pm Friday... bout 15hours since the Theme was posted and i have still have a blank screen :(

I'm starting to dislike this theme heh

Good news is that i have actors confirmed for shooting tomorrow :)

Heh well the idea my team have come up with involves violence, injokes and attempting to offend or confuse the majority who watch it. Argh!

Only concept I've thought about would be 1min or shorter.. i'd like to do something longer than this if possible, but maybe they can expand on it with me...

My dark minds eye
 

Well,
I had one of those lightening bolt things happen and by lunch yesterday I had a pretty gelled idea of where this was going. As you may have been able to tell from my first short, "Secrets", I have a dark way of looking at things. Not quite Steven King like but sort of a Rod Serling meets David Lynch thing going on in my head all the time. I think it comes from playing so much Quake all those years ago.

I would gladly post the script but I don't want to give it away, or help the competition, at least not until it's posted on my site.

I will give you the working title: "Chemical Development of Silver Halide Cyrstals". Totally 180 degress off the technical sounding nature of the title however.

So, the genesis of the project so far. I was sitting at work in the Engineering department of the post house where I work as an Engineer and the theme was announced, "Cameras". I sat and looked at the screen and thought to myself, interesting, this is a plural noun, now what? I was thinking it would be a verb or adjuctive or something with feeling or action. Oh well.

I ignored it and went back to work after scratching a few messages on the DVInfo.net boards.

By lunch I had a spark and an hour later, from my seat at Panera, in Hilliard, Ohio, I had a nearly finished dark idea on my laptop and even have the credits music picked out. Acting will be another of my daughters and probably me or her boyfriend. Most of my ideas involve one primary character and plot line with little else.

By this afternoon, around 3pm I will have the timeline setup in my laptop on Avid HD and have the opening and closing credits in place with music bed.

Sunday we shoot the primary scenes. Must buy DVCam tapes.

Sean McHenry
9:23am, 9/9/2005

Sean, watch out for long titles! I think that my title for the last challenge almost cost me the laser print. Dylan only mentioned it once, but I think he has something against long titles. "CDSHC" sounds a lot more sinister anyway ;').

I have an idea, but like last time, I don't have a lot of time because of as job. So the shoot on Sunday and ultimatly my entry will be seriously effected by the mood my daughter is in.

This is kind of what I figure stage diving is like - only there are a lot less bruises and broken bones when the crowed parts.

I think long titles are cool outside this competition, but when I have to type a short sentence of a title a dozen or more times, I get cranky. :)
I won't tell you how to name your film but anything you guys do to make my job easier is much appreciated!

No matter what though, please do not submit an untitled film, or a film with the title "Camera", "Cameras", "A Camera", "The Cameras" or any short variation thereof.

Alright, I'm still at the "think about it and get it down on paper" stage. Fortunately, my cast and crew are getting together tonight to bring clarity and focus to the process. We'll be shooting on Sunday--which is good, since it gives me time to wash and iron my green screen.

For those of you who did not read my thread about rules clarification, I'm shooting part two of the story I started in DVC2. Part II will explore Thomas Brin's (the main character) past--he worked at a video production company maintaining their cameras...Sorry, Dylan. I couldn't resist.

There'll be more animation, surreal background mattes, and a continuation of the 50's scifi meets Silent Running aesthetic.

Road Trip!
 

Well, I'm driving from Omaha, Nebraska back to Florida. Sitting in a motel room now racking my brain for a good story. Only thing I'm finding is that I am tired and sick of the gas prices!!! Great timing for a 3,500 mile road trip huh!?!?

Stopping in Atlanta on the way, and will try to put something together there. Will be no winner, but no wall for me! Writing, shooting, editing and posting on the road---good challenge!

Best of luck to all.


Mike

I have a few ideas I wrote down that I'll shoot today. But I am unsure how it will look on video. Looks great in my mind.

What dialogue is that Plato quote from?

Well we shot ummm something today.... just about to capture ready for editing tomorrow morning.

And as usual the weather decided to be cold windy and rainny :( and complaining actors

Hopefully i can pull off something worth watching when i edit it :)