How's everyone doing?

Clint Harmon · April 27th, 2009, 10:02 PM

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Originally Posted by Dylan Couper

Tell me you got them in the shot for authenticity! :)

No, because the cops where screaming at me to put the camera down! We were just getting ready to set up camera positions and my other cameramen didn't have their cameras in hand. In hind sight I wish I had turned my camera on when I saw them pull up...

And Robert, I always have that same feeling. I hate it. The pessimist in me shows up. Especially now, where I have all unpaid "actors" (unemployed friends) that are reluctant to show up on time if at all. Still need to film and reshoot some scenes.

Robert Martens · April 28th, 2009, 05:44 PM

Hell, I'd be reluctant too! No pay, people pointing guns at you in the middle of the shoot, I'd be coming up with some creative excuses to cut and run myself. I appreciate the sympathetic ear, making movies is depressing.

Incidentally, though I'm sure you're all tired of hearing from me by now, today's shoot went as well as could be expected. Messed up the white balance at one point, but it's not the end of the world, and I'm sure as hell not going through this scene again (details forthcoming when the feedback thread comes around). The mind melting apprehension I always feel right before I review the footage turned out to be no big deal this time, as it seems I've managed to grab some half decent stuff for a change.

Later tonight I'll shoot a bit of night time material, then tomorrow it's prep for a different scene. With any luck I'll be able to shoot that early Saturday and have the rest of the weekend to throw this miserable bastard together just shy of the deadline. Oh, what fun it is.

Lorinda Norton · April 28th, 2009, 08:22 PM

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Originally Posted by Robert Martens

...though I'm sure you're all tired of hearing from me by now...

Not a chance! Keep it coming. :)

I just made the call on my movie--it's complicated enough that I don't have time to do it right. Rats...

...But by golly, I haven't missed a challenge yet so I may throw a one-minute something together that won't kill anyone to watch. I hope. :)

Chris Swanberg · April 29th, 2009, 01:12 AM

Why is it that in your mind you know... keep it simple and short. .. and yet we end up trying to squeeze a 10-15 minute movie into 5? Or thinking too large? Editing those to the 5 minute limit is NOT fun....when you do that. I am cursing myself as I type this.

Dick Mays · April 29th, 2009, 07:15 AM

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Originally Posted by Lorinda Norton

...But by golly, I haven't missed a challenge yet so I may throw a one-minute something together that won't kill anyone to watch. I hope. :)

I always love watching the Lorinda shorts. Looking forward to another Joseph Tran short too. The DV Challenge is great entertainment, even if you end up hanging on the wall.

Might end up on the wall this time.

I'm coughing, tired, with no sleep, comtemplating the wisdom of doing a bar location shoot from 10 p.m. tonight till the wee hours of the morning. My leading lady can't talk, and we decided that looping the dialog this weekend is a viable option late last night.

If I die before we get post, just know that this one doesn't have gratuitous violence or nudity. No real reason to watch it anyway...

Joseph Tran · April 29th, 2009, 01:26 PM

Hey, appreciate the comment, Dick! That means a lot! I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say I want to see a Dick Mays piece as well!

I want to see a Lorinda piece, too. Hey, Lor... if you finish one, I'll finish one, I promise!

Been mostly traveling and performing this month, and the entire crew is tired and in need of a break. Still working everyday this week. Only way we can pull it off is if the players all get together and do a few midnight shoots. Not out of the game yet, but also not out of the woods, either.

Then again, that's nothing new for a DVC, right?

And Chris -- I think it's because our 'keep it simple' mentalities are always crushed by our 'think big' mentalities here at dvinfo. :)

Joseph Tran · April 29th, 2009, 01:31 PM

Does anyone else agree when I say it's always wonderful to read up on, "The Antics of Robert Martens"?

Lorinda Norton · April 29th, 2009, 01:54 PM

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Originally Posted by Joseph Tran

Hey, Lor... if you finish one, I'll finish one, I promise!

You're on, Joseph. I got an idea about 2:00 last night. Finding the people I need is a crap shoot--I'll be approaching complete strangers--but it could be fun. And a departure from what I usually throw online, if I go for it.

Hang in there, Dick. It's for the love of the movies! :)

Robert Martens · April 29th, 2009, 04:11 PM

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Originally Posted by Joseph Tran

Does anyone else agree when I say it's always wonderful to read up on, "The Antics of Robert Martens"?

Yes, as a matter of fact, I agree completely. Reading my reports is always a treat for me since their existence means those antics are over and done with. All the clumsy bumbling is forgotten, and I can look back on it all and laugh.

It does just so happen that I lied. I didn't get to shoot what I wanted to last night (it's been eighty degrees around here for the past three days, I was just too exhausted), but I'm all set to grab them tonight once it gets dark. The most embarrassing thing I have to admit is that I just finished reshooting three of the four shots I got yesterday. I thought I was done with making a disaster of my footage and having to redo it, but no such luck. It was too dark, as usual, but I was able to rework the lighting and get everything done. I have an excuse for all this, though, that I'll go into once the movie's up and the discussion starts. Hang tight, it's a good one.

And Joseph, I'm extremely pleased to hear your promise to Lorinda. I think I can speak for everyone: you make good movies. Make more.

Jeremy Doyle · April 29th, 2009, 09:23 PM

If I had to be done today, I would be happy. I'm even happier that I have some time left to fiddle. Hopefully I don't start second guessing myself!

I took a totally different approach this time around. We'll see how it all pans out. Here's a couple photos from the shoot's set up.

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/attachmen...1&d=1241062196
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/attachmen...1&d=1241062196

Dick Mays · April 30th, 2009, 08:41 AM

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Originally Posted by Joseph Tran

Does anyone else agree when I say it's always wonderful to read up on, "The Antics of Robert Martens"?

Robert gives us all hope, teaching us lessons in overcoming obstacles. If Robert can get one in there is no reason I can't either. Same goes for Joseph, Lorinda, and everybody contemplating how much easier it would be just to let this one pass by. I kept trying to talk myself into dropping out on this one.

I've been so tired lately, not sure if it is just stress or something physical. So I went to my doctor yesterday and she thought I should go in for a "sleep study." So I agree, and then I stay up until 6:00 a.m. shooting a DV challenge with me in front of the camera, worn out and stressed. The only person I could talk into helping on the crew was my brother Tom, because not many sane folks agree to stay up all night. Tom is not sane, but the problem in using the insane, is they may get lost and get to the set hours late.

I should qualify that by saying my dear brother has never technically been ruled insane, but it does explain a lot to just call my whole family crazy and leave it at that. Someday I will have to do a short film based on my grandmother, "mama Tut."

So Tom eventually shows up, which is good, because we are all so bleary eyed that none of us can tell if the monitor is in focus. F*** it, I think. We will blame it on the youtube compression. Tom explains his late arrival on being stopped by three different cops, for suspicious driving while he was lost. There was some big drug concert in the neighborhood and cops were crawling all over the place. Seems like at least three major roads were closed for construction and we had to call for instruction to get there, even though I had been to this place four times before for another movie shoot. Never seen so many cops, but we managed to get there without being stopped.

So we thank Tom for his diligence and begin shooting. I discover my leading lady is a reformed smoker and hasn't taken a toke in twenty years. She starts lighting up the cigarettes and puffing them in between takes, Rox, our director on this one tells her to only smoke during the scene, but you can't cut off an addict off in the middle of a bender. I plead with Rox to ingore the fact that we have may have caused a major personal set back for our dear friend Terrie, but the show must go on.

We wrap sometime after 5:00 a.m. on this one. We think we got what we need, but none of us really know for sure because we half assed things so bad that we never even put together a shot list. Six a.m., I'm getting to bed, and take a half an ambien, because even though I am exhausted, I can't stop the mind from running. I need to get at least six hours sleep before I wake up and start editing.

But I neglect to turn my phone off, and at 8:45 I get a call. I don't remember picking the phone up, but vaguely make out that some one is asking me questions. "Do I fall asleep in cars, or watching movies?" What is the question? My answeres have to be 1, 2, 3 or 4. "Oh, so it's a math thing?" So I provide numeric answers to the question and try to get back to sleep. But even ambien can't dull the irony of being waken by a "sleep study" preliminary questionaire.

The Gods of the DV Challenge, must not want me to rest. I boot my computer, and begin downloading the footage.

Robert Martens would approve.

Robert Martens · April 30th, 2009, 09:26 AM

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