How's everyone doing?
 

It's been over a week--are any of you shooting yet? :)

I'm not. :(

I with a lot of friends am currently neck deep in preparing to shoot a tragicomical post-apocalypse short film. It has more than 20 actors and extras and my head is going crazy. We'll be shooting in the 18th and 19th of April.

I will try to shoot something for DVC after that, or possibly we'll shoot something in the night between 18th and 19th. The core team will be camping out at the location, so we may use it for DVC too.

Haven't started shooting, but it's going extremely well. I've been up all night trying to stage this damn script--my sleep schedule has been destroyed every single time I've participated in a DVC, without exception--only to have a revelation about half an hour ago that drastically simplified everything; that being my remembering something I learned from Dave Trottier's Screenwriter's Bible, to start every scene as close to the end of the scene as possible. Made the blocking a snap, the dialog more varied and interesting, shortened the runtime to a nice, manageable number, cured all sorts of problems at the same time (a sign you're on the right track, according to said book, which I've found to be reliable). I'm thinking of posting a zip of the various versions of the script once the competition is said and done. I'm not the only one curious to see how these ideas develop through revisions, am I?

This is my most ambitious plan to date, and it's all coming together with suspicious providence. I even managed to avoid jury duty; did my phone message standby thing for a week, never got called, and I'm off the hook 'til 2015, so April is still on track to become a month of Martens movie making miracles. Or mayhem. These things are a little of both, as we all well know.

Ambitious is right--for both of you! Wow.

Robert, thanks for the early morning entertainment and education. I am wanting to know more about starting every scene as close to the end of the scene as possible. For me that's a little much for pre-coffee analysis but it's interesting.

Ha ha! Let's hope the providence continues...

well i've decided to stop doing this due to the lack of actors/actresses and the ones i do have aren't very committed at all. Pffff

Tax time,,, After 15th....

I'd have to dig through the book to be sure, but I don't think there's much more to it than that. There was some sort of explanation, given far better than I ever could, but I can't recall it at the moment. The example I'd give is the scene I was working on; without giving anything away, the character in question enters a room, looks around, and goes to work doing something. Prior drafts had him going through the whole process, dragging things out longer than they needed to be. Once I remembered that writing tip I lopped off everything at the start. The scene now opens with the character doing what he's there to do, avoiding the (comparatively) slow, plodding exploration at the start. The editing convention of using a cut to go from the end of one shot at one point in time to the beginning of another some time later is as old as editing itself, so it's no problem to lose as much of the scene as I need to.

The whole thing has tightened up, it's much snappier now. Simpler production in the form of fewer setups, and the benefit of faster storytelling. Faster isn't what everyone wants all of the time, no, but in my case I wanted to get to the point and be done with it. I get antsy watching other peoples' rambling stories on Youtube too, I don't want to put my viewers through the same thing.

If I may be a cheap shill for a moment, I'd highly recommend the book, it's available on Amazon. Got it unexpected as a birthday gift a couple years ago, and it's improved my writing tremendously. Clears up the whole process, it all makes much more sense now.

That book looks pretty good, Robert. Thanks for the link. :)

Been there, Andrew! It can be discouraging, all right, but sometimes the story doesn't hit people right, they just aren't motivated in general--there are all kinds of reasons that can turn around with the right (oh brother, I hate to say the word) stimulus.

If it's not going to turn around you could do like lots of folks here have done and make it a one-man show--write yourself into a story. We've seen some darn good films done that way so you may want to think it over.

Hate to see you throw in the towel too quickly; on the other hand, if you want to shoot a story with scenery and/or wildlife you may want to sign up for the UWOL Challenge--no humans necessary for that! At least it'll get you shooting.

Well I almost killed myself doing a stunt in my film. lol

Other then that, I am tired of my food prop. Once this film is over, if I see another (insert food prop) again I'll puke.

Oh and I NEVER exaggerate...

Well...nothing yet.

I've been working on a short promotional video for a guy running for an elected office of a not for profit group...

Plus, I just happen to find a deal on a motor I needed for a car that's been down and out for a bit...so my free time is taken up with an engine swap...
Poor timing, but it needs to be done while I have the borrowed hoist...

So this may be a 48 hour challenge after all...

Bob T.

scouting problems
 

Got a food based script, but it is set in a bar, and it turns out to be a little difficult getting a bar location as they stay open for business long, long hours. So we went on a bar scouting mission, and you can't just ask to use someone's bar without being a patron, and so... a bottle of Tylenol later I have delegated the bar scouting mission to someone with a stronger constitution. Shooting will begin as soon as we get a really cool location.

I can't decide
 

I still have a couple of ideas but I think the more simple one may win.....

I'm glad to hear that given the longer time allotment people are getting more ambitious this time out - I know I've raised my own bar a bit and it's making things a lot more complicated, but in a fairly good way.

My biggest goal was to get myself out from in front of the camera so I can get some practice actually directing actors as well as making sure I get what I want out of a shot. So far I've only got one of my parts cast but it's just the person I wanted so I'm pretty happy about that.

Nothing's in the can yet but I'm feeling good that this week I can start checking shots off my list. It doesn't leave as much time in post as I was hoping for (I'm really gunning to have some music this time around) but I'm still confident I can pull it off in time.

Good luck, folks!

[tough love=on]

Stop making excuses and act in it yourself! That's what I did for my first two DVC films just to make a point that excuses are only for yourself to feel better about not getting off your butt to do it.

Get a tripod to do the camera work for you and shoot something about how much you love pizza, or about an orange that escaped your grasp and made a dash for the door. Seriously. Do it. Or don't. But don't blame anyone but yourself.

[/tough love]

not on schedule but rolling along!

Here's what I've been up to.
Scotch - A man's drink on Vimeo
Ok, so I got distracted from the theme.... It isn't my real DVC entry, don't worry. :)

Please tell me you lined those up at a bar and they're not all yours... ;)

That's just gorgeous work, Dylan. Almost makes me wish I was a man so I could drink the man's drink.

Not really.

Oh, and Dick...we've found your scout.

*******************************

This sounds exactly like what my dad would say....and he's one of the wisest men I know. :)

i think i'm in love!

heh.

Finally got a story approved by the only other person who's going to be a part of this film so now I can start writing. But the hard part is going to be pulling it off. I'm trying something I've never done before and may chicken out yet! Wish I had more time!!! ;)

chicken out?
 

Now that's funny.. "chicken out" ha ha ha ... just thinking

There. Now no one will be able to say I haven't moved three couches in a day.

A friend of my grandmother's, who lives in the apartment building next to hers, is moving out, and offered two couches free of charge. My dad and I were called in to move them, as is SOP here, and we spent the day accomplishing that. The buildings are connected, so we stayed out of the rain, but the hallways in the basement are narrower than the ones upstairs, so figuring out how to get the things in and out of the elevators--one couch was exactly as tall as the cars, and barely fit--was quite the delicate ballet. And after the two new ones were moved over, the couch my grandmother already had needed to go down to the basement to be stored with the other bulk garbage items.

I mention this only because this neighbor also happened to be getting rid of an artificial tree, the likes of which I desperately need to dress my set, so I got a nice little gift for the day's work. Piece by piece, I'm gathering my things. So much excitement I can hardly stand it.

Today I had planned an hour's talk at a park about the challenge film with an actor friend, but we ended up discussing for 6 hours the other film we are currently making in which he is one of the main actors.

I'm now sitting at home at night and am updating the script, and see no end in sight. So the future for my DVC entry right now looks very bleak.
If I don't make it, we agreed to make at least a small funny tribute video on the food theme for the DV challenge (a non competing entry) during the shooting of our other film.

I also do kids birthday parties... but the rant is the same. :)

I think I may have my script worked out, and what's better there are barely any actors in it! Wahoo! I think I've been on the wall of shame for close to two years and that's just too darn long.

Even though I haven't gotten the full script written out, I feel like I'm ahead of schedule because I wasn't planning on doing any work until my taxes were done, but it's so much easier to be creative when you know you only other option is that much more difficult.

Well, I got my taxes done so I am focusing on finishing my script. This will be a first for me to actually go by a script. I plan on starting shooting this weekend. By the way Dylan I have a real thirst for some Scotch now... ;)

I had a story idea that I really really liked. Then reality set in that it would to hard to fit into my schedule at this point. So now it's on to plan B (in actuality its more like plan F, thank goodness for having a month) which means using what's immediately available to me.

It won't be as polished and I won't spend as much time as some I've done in the past, but I should be able to keep myself off the wall of shame.

Actually, they were all off my shelf and I shot it in my livingroom. :)

I dunno, don't think I could afford to pick up Dylan's bar tab...

Ah, by the 6th drink you can substitute 25 year old Glenlivet for 94 octane gasoline and I'd slam it without blinkin. :D

So far...






... I got nothing.

The tough part about time travel is that you have to know SOMETHING about the times in which you travellers exist.

That means research... and then searching for approrpriate sites to film in to match the period and place.

The good news is all that is done. All that remains is everything else. (!)

For those who have awaited the sequel to Lightrider 1..... your wait is about over.

Finaly
 

I got it.... now I have to do it and also check out the rules again....latter

Script about written. I will meet with writer tomorrow night. One of us will need to get realistic about locations, as scriptwriter wants me to go to a berry patch somewhere....

This is kind of an interesting situation. Chris Swanberg above is doing a sequel to the Lite Rider we shot together last year. I am doing a sequel to Dead of Winter, that we entered in the holiday competition. And we will both using Dave Lawlor as a lead actor in the films.

Anyone else doing sequels or sharing actors ?

I've got a pretty good idea for what I want to do, just really hoping that I can find the time to shoot it!

Teasers?
 

anyone willing to show a teaser?

I don't know if I will have time to assemble a teaser but I can provide a 6 second behind the scenes clip of one of the stunts gone wrong...lol

YouTube - Stunt Outtake1

Wow
 

could have been worse... but it was funny and something I would have done 45 lbs ago...

That was enough of a tease to get me excited to see some of these films!

I'll feel bad for the guy when I finally stop laughing. :)

Here's My Opening
 

and yes I'm actually trying to do a good video this time...
DVC Teaser on Vimeo