What are your hang-ups?

[Marco Wagner]

I am an insomniac, one of the reasons I am into am-production, you need an abundance of time in this field. Most of the time I have about 3 projects at various stages. I often to start to edit before I have all the footage for a project. I tend to want to have more than one project going because sometimes shoots are scheduled weeks apart from the last scenes shot. So I find myself with lag time between shoots, thus, craving more stuff to edit and produce.

The downside to this: A. Loads of space taken up on my drives.
B. Time taken away from other pre/post tasks.
C. If a project gets killed, I have wasted time.

The upside to this: A. Less boredom.
B. Projects get released quicker.
C. Some footage can be used in the other projects.
D. More projects can be taken on.

I actually have a day job, so all of my stuff is done in the evenings, weekends, vacations, or strategically placed "sick days". The longest project I had going was 1.5 years before it was finally dumped! I hated that day.

At any rate, what is your "style" or "routine" as far as working on projects? What "hang-ups" do you come across during that time? How many projects do you work on at a time?

[K. Forman]

Hang ups? With all of my issues, I don't have room for hang ups! I also have loads of ideosynchricies.

When it comes to editing, that is a different story altogether. I tend to do my best stuff between 11PM and 6:30 AM. If I had a project as you described, not completely there, I would also start early. As I work on something, I might suddenly shift 180 degrees from the plan, as a new idea strikes me. It doesn't take much to influence me, or to inspire.

[Marco Wagner]

I know what you mean. I just RECENTLY started storyboarding, never did before, because I always had what I wanted the scenes to look like in my head. NOW...I try a little harder to storyboard, but usually end up with something totally dif. to the board.

Shoot, if I had a dollar for every time I started cutting a project and completely wiped it to create a better introduction, I'd have about $37.50.

[K. Forman]

I had some major arguements with my Graphics instructor over storyboards. I hate them. I'm not a planner, I'm a doer. It was easier for me to do my project- whatever it was- without trying to plan it out. She would have a hissy. So, I started doing my project, and storyboard it afterwards. Thhhhhhpt! :)~

[Marco Wagner]

LOL that is some funny stuff right there. At least the storyboards would be totally accurate, lol... My problem is that I totally suck at freehand drawing. I can draw architecture and abstract stuff. Just nothing that would make a storyboard of mine legible. I am a doer too, "we don't need no stinking plans" always seems to come to mind before a project.

[Jack Smith]

As I am bad at drawing as well, I had to come up with something.I find I need storyboards if I have to sell a concept,or relay the plan to the crew and talent. So I came up with an Electronic Storyboard.I cut and paste photos of props and people and drop em in the timeline.Play them out on my laptop.Now if I was any kind of artist I wouldnt need to do this.

[Michael Wisniewski]

My hang up is editing.

I always have energy to write scripts, storyboard, block scenes, rehearse with actors, etc.

But when it's time to edit, I always get hung up.

[Marco Wagner]

Thats a great idea Jack, the electronic story boarding. I'll have to try that. Sound like some work too though. I'd probably just do them in photoshop as stills.


I always seemed to enjoy the editing most of all. I don't need a crew to do it, it can be done at any time, and I love having the power of making an otherwise dull scene come to life with a good soundtrack and some catchy cuts.

[Rick Bravo]

Nothing gets to me more than an UNLABELED tape!!!

RB

[Marco Wagner]

OM Friggin G I know what you mean. I have a large quantity of tapes from past shoots (stock footage) and I want to shoot myself every time for not lableling properly. Nothing like having to put a tape in to find out what is actually on it.

[Jesse Bekas]

I don't much care for most aspects of production besides shotlisting/storyboarding and then on-set camera work.

Casting, direction, art design, etc...not for me.

[Hugh DiMauro]

Why would Bravo give up video production and not even sell Kosher style franks on his new hot dog vending cart?

[Owen Hughes]

I agree story-boarding is annoying...I like to pre-plan projects but often end up shooting how i feel rather than how i plan.

A little tip for what I like to do as regards story boarding. I also suck at free-hand drawing so I take digital stills of the locations and stills of my subjects from all angles (and sitting down if so needed) then with a bit of fancy photoshoping you can storyboard in photoshop.

I've only ever practiced this and have never actually storyboarded a whole film like this, but I'm sure I will, when time and occasion calls. It also gives you a rough idea about setting up camera positions within a room and so on and any strange light phenomonen (<spelling) that you'll encounter.

[Marco Wagner]

I think i am going to use that method for our up and coming horror project, that should make it really interesting.

[Owen Hughes]

I just re-read my post and didnt understand what I said.

What I mean is take stills of the objects in a different location and cut them out using photoshop and drop them on the location shots...but i guess you'd all worked that out.

Owen