This is my first video blog. I am officially a wanker.
Thursday, 6 September 2007
Monday, 27 August 2007
The Art of the Blog
I really need to get out and blog more. I really haven't been doing a good job of it. I'm quite suprissed to realise that it's been four months since my last entry.
Well anyway, the film is going well, we've started shooting.
End transmission.
Well anyway, the film is going well, we've started shooting.
End transmission.
Friday, 13 April 2007
The Sound of Science
It’s been a week since I blogged but that’s probably because I haven’t had much to blog about. Things appear to be progressing. We have now officially completed the screenplay. We’ve got scene numbers and everything. It’s all planning from here on out. That’s if Zane can muster the courage to tell his boss that he’s taking four weeks holiday.
I’ve been thinking about the film score as of late and I’ve been scratching my head for what sort of music I’m going to have to write for this film. My model for this movie is going to be The Dust Brothers soundtrack for Fight Club simply because it’s possibly the greatest soundtrack ever put to a film. Most soundtracks usually fall into two categories; orchestral scores or a mix of songs from well know artists. The Dust Brothers broke the mould by creating a weird sort of electro-funk acid-jazz hybrid that works so much better then an orchestral score or a “songs inspired by the movie” soundtrack. So while I don’t want to rip off the same sound I definitely want to follow the same concept.
Thinking about writing music for a movie is weird because unlike writing a regular song, I can’t just write anything I like because the music needs to be very specific and serve a purpose. On top of that I’m trying to write the sound track before we’ve shot a single frame of footage, but I figure I really need to start early. In eight years I still haven’t been able to complete my elusive debut album so I think finishing an entire movie soundtrack in a month might be asking a lot.
I’ve been thinking about the film score as of late and I’ve been scratching my head for what sort of music I’m going to have to write for this film. My model for this movie is going to be The Dust Brothers soundtrack for Fight Club simply because it’s possibly the greatest soundtrack ever put to a film. Most soundtracks usually fall into two categories; orchestral scores or a mix of songs from well know artists. The Dust Brothers broke the mould by creating a weird sort of electro-funk acid-jazz hybrid that works so much better then an orchestral score or a “songs inspired by the movie” soundtrack. So while I don’t want to rip off the same sound I definitely want to follow the same concept.
Thinking about writing music for a movie is weird because unlike writing a regular song, I can’t just write anything I like because the music needs to be very specific and serve a purpose. On top of that I’m trying to write the sound track before we’ve shot a single frame of footage, but I figure I really need to start early. In eight years I still haven’t been able to complete my elusive debut album so I think finishing an entire movie soundtrack in a month might be asking a lot.
Monday, 2 April 2007
Blog Titles Are A Stupid Idea
Saturday and Sunday resulted in two surprisingly successful production meetings in a row. On Saturday, Zane and I nutted out the production schedule. This included timelines for casting, script lock down, location scouting, rehearsals and what not. We also worked out a very tentative post-production schedule. The international premiere should be some time about mid-September.
On Sunday, we re-worked the ending of the screenplay. When I say “we” I really mean Zane re-worked the ending of the screenplay. I just told him wether I liked it or not while I read through passages of Robert Rodriguez’s “Rebel Without A Crew”. I’m clearly the Ben Affleck of this partnership.
The action in the last few pages is still pretty much the same but I think we’ve almost got it in the bag. I’m pretty happy with the ending now and that means a lot because I’ve never been happy with it.
There are only a couple of minor things that need to be done. We need to insert a couple of character building moments. After Jonah shuts down the comic, Tracey and Danni have a conversation that currently plays as comedy. I’m thinking that Tracey should bring out an analogy about sacrifice that she borrows from the Barton Bear comics. It would underscore the emotional weight of the scene and it would work on at least two levels.
The other change should be after Danni’s apartment burns down and she goes back to Jonah’s apartments. Jonah and Danni should have a conversation about masks and costume. We originally had this in the party scene at the beginning but it was cut for pacing.
I also want to insert a Barton Bear comic strip sequence somewhere in the first act because I think we need to establish the comic strip sequence early on as a narrative structure so that it makes sense when it comes back later on, and it would also be a good intro to Barton Bear.
Otherwise I think it’s close to perfect, but I think we’ll probably be tweaking it until the day we shoot. This week we’ve got a four day weekend, so we plan on doing the first pass of the script breakdown then.
JamesX
On Sunday, we re-worked the ending of the screenplay. When I say “we” I really mean Zane re-worked the ending of the screenplay. I just told him wether I liked it or not while I read through passages of Robert Rodriguez’s “Rebel Without A Crew”. I’m clearly the Ben Affleck of this partnership.
The action in the last few pages is still pretty much the same but I think we’ve almost got it in the bag. I’m pretty happy with the ending now and that means a lot because I’ve never been happy with it.
There are only a couple of minor things that need to be done. We need to insert a couple of character building moments. After Jonah shuts down the comic, Tracey and Danni have a conversation that currently plays as comedy. I’m thinking that Tracey should bring out an analogy about sacrifice that she borrows from the Barton Bear comics. It would underscore the emotional weight of the scene and it would work on at least two levels.
The other change should be after Danni’s apartment burns down and she goes back to Jonah’s apartments. Jonah and Danni should have a conversation about masks and costume. We originally had this in the party scene at the beginning but it was cut for pacing.
I also want to insert a Barton Bear comic strip sequence somewhere in the first act because I think we need to establish the comic strip sequence early on as a narrative structure so that it makes sense when it comes back later on, and it would also be a good intro to Barton Bear.
Otherwise I think it’s close to perfect, but I think we’ll probably be tweaking it until the day we shoot. This week we’ve got a four day weekend, so we plan on doing the first pass of the script breakdown then.
JamesX
Friday, 23 March 2007
Production Blog - Day Zero
It started on New Year's Day 2006, give or take a day, my memory isn't really that accurate, but that's not really relevant. After a night that we shall never forget, for reasons best not stated here, Zane and I had conversation that would reignite a partnership that had for a long time been dormant. We realised that we both still had a passion for cinema and a strong creative drive. Zane had just spent the previous 2 years of his life pursuing a course in Flim and Television, but now found himself with few options. On the other hand, I had taken a long and winding road where I was working a computer programming job that I didn’t care for while I tried to write songs that I hoped would be profound. Between us, we realised we probably had the skills to put together a film. We both loved debating the nuances of story and film and had a number of creative ideas that were ready to be developed. Zane had the ability to shoot and direct a film, and I had the ability to write and record a soundtrack for it. So we decided that after the weekend was over, when we got back home we would begin brainstorming.
So it started, for two months we brainstormed possible screenplays. The idea was to develop three stories by the end of the year and to shoot the best one. Somewhere along the line, that idea was lost. The first idea we decided upon was the story of Danni Desmona, a comic book writer with a split personality that was causing havoc for her while she slept.
We spent several weeks fleshing out the story. I wanted to get everything mapped out before we started writing, every nuance, every turning point. Zane wanted to jump into the writing. By April, Zane had fleshed out a first draft. Then I spent the next 3 months trying to fix what I thought was wrong with it. We didn’t really get far. By August we began re-working it into a second draft but our meetings were unfocused. By October I had given up and I had started planning to backpack through Peru (I’m not joking). Sometime over the next few months Zane somehow got it to work. In February 2007, he presented me with something that resembled a finished script. There is still work to be done but we’re on the right track, now begins the production.
This is the insane part and I’m not really sure that I know what I’m getting myself into. The plan is simple; Zane directs, I produce. We hire drama students from JCU to act and with a budget of $5000 we shoot it in 3-4 weeks. We’re planning to shoot it in late June/early July, so we don’t have much time. The clock is ticking and we’ve got a lot of work to do. We’ve got a hard deadline. Post production ends on the 1st of September, and then I’m going to Canada to ski for six months.
We’re going to plan this thing properly so this doesn’t turn into the type of fiasco that we created when we were teenagers. If you’ve ever heard of Scary Film, Dogberry or Looking For Vincent, then you’ll know what I’m talking about.
We’ve got lights, we’ve got action. Welcome to my blog.
So it started, for two months we brainstormed possible screenplays. The idea was to develop three stories by the end of the year and to shoot the best one. Somewhere along the line, that idea was lost. The first idea we decided upon was the story of Danni Desmona, a comic book writer with a split personality that was causing havoc for her while she slept.
We spent several weeks fleshing out the story. I wanted to get everything mapped out before we started writing, every nuance, every turning point. Zane wanted to jump into the writing. By April, Zane had fleshed out a first draft. Then I spent the next 3 months trying to fix what I thought was wrong with it. We didn’t really get far. By August we began re-working it into a second draft but our meetings were unfocused. By October I had given up and I had started planning to backpack through Peru (I’m not joking). Sometime over the next few months Zane somehow got it to work. In February 2007, he presented me with something that resembled a finished script. There is still work to be done but we’re on the right track, now begins the production.
This is the insane part and I’m not really sure that I know what I’m getting myself into. The plan is simple; Zane directs, I produce. We hire drama students from JCU to act and with a budget of $5000 we shoot it in 3-4 weeks. We’re planning to shoot it in late June/early July, so we don’t have much time. The clock is ticking and we’ve got a lot of work to do. We’ve got a hard deadline. Post production ends on the 1st of September, and then I’m going to Canada to ski for six months.
We’re going to plan this thing properly so this doesn’t turn into the type of fiasco that we created when we were teenagers. If you’ve ever heard of Scary Film, Dogberry or Looking For Vincent, then you’ll know what I’m talking about.
We’ve got lights, we’ve got action. Welcome to my blog.
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