My name is Brian, and I’m in the process of making a short film.
You can only go so far through research and I am a bit anxious to get to experience portion of my project. Part of my research is to define what I would call the "Magic Filter" that would give a real movie feel to even the most horrid of films and from defining its properties I would hopefully be able to utilize it to my advantage. I am also learning the qualities of being a director and displaying to people that I am leader material, that they can trust my ideas, and that I won’t falter in the face of evil or trouble. One thing directors have told me is that Murphy's Law heavily applies to the film making field and that you can only prepare for so much. Part of the long process of making a movie is making mistakes that will not only help improve your future projects but your skills in making your current project as well. I have been working as a production assistant (grunt) for a group of seniors at the U of A since November and the screenwriting process has been 99% completed since the end of Thanksgiving break. I am really thankful for all of the people I’ve been able to meet from this project ranging from screenwriters for HBO to editors for Steven Spielberg and to magicians for children’s hospitals.
Recently I have finished the story boarding process which includes about 128 frames for anyone to look at in order to gain the ideas that may have been difficult to picture while reading the script. The story board displays not only my artistic skills but it also provides a more detailed outline of the movie when paired with the script and people working on set can help to achieve and strengthen the shots planned for. Some of the only steps left before the production process begins are finalizing the equipment, scheduling dates, and the ongoing researching process from an increasing number of books, websites, and behind the scenes looks. There is a lot of work to be done, but sometimes this is the amount that can keep you working hard enough to put out something great.
Wow, sometimes I forget how much work is going into your project man, but then I remember and I get totally blown away again. PS We should see if we can do a big get together on Friday!
ReplyDeleteBrian, I am blown away by all of the work you have undertaken and all of the organizational effort you have put in to it.
ReplyDeleteWhat has been the biggest surprise about this process thus far? Or has everything pretty much gone according to plan?
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ReplyDeleteThe biggest surprise is when you actually look at footage you take with a camcorder and then compare it to what you see on TV. Things will get shaky when I get started recording but my main goal is to get the right shots and then editing hopefully won't be as frustrating.I will have to learn to work with the good and bad shots because a lot of the magic of movies is done in the editing room.
ReplyDeleteAn independent movie like this can only go so far but I believe it is possible to trick the audience into believing that they are viewing a high quality motion picture, no one just likes to directly state how. I've had quite the bit of time to plan but that doesn't mean that things won't keep surprising me.