National Film Challenge

So, I figured I better write about the National Film Challenge, even thoug it is one of those contests that seems to be both over and never over at the same time. Currently, 17 films (at least I think it's 17) are on their website and are currently being voted on until Jan. 12th, 2009. VOTE.

My film, Comfort Zone, did not make the top 17, but I am still holding out hope for some kind of recognition, say "best use of prop," but at this stage it is pretty unlikely. Though I was quite please with our end product, the process of making the film was one of my toughest experinces. For the contest, I worked with a Richmond based group, a group I had worked with two times earlier, and we called ourselves Persistent Cough Productions. I had good feelings going into the competition because the group had clicked together very well the year before for NFC 2008, where our submission Cheeks had actually been selected as a top 15 film. See below.



And for NFC 2009, we had an even bigger crew of individuals committed to working in the competition. We even had members of the Plaid Connection commit to helping out. (another Richmond based group who actuall won the Richmond 48 Hour Film Project) They're film for the 48 Hour Project, entitled God Given Talent was amazing and certainly deserved to win.

Anyway, I felt experienced, felt I had a good group, and felt like we had a decent chance to make something special. Unfortunately, things did not go as planned, and they never do in these types of competitions. In fact, I think each time I do them they continue to get harder and harder. The main problem we had was that two members decided to assume power roles (ie. director and producer) and then proceeded to treat the project as if it was a hollywood production. Instead of being a group of like minded individuals unified by a shared passion, it was you need to do what I say. It was bad news, and what was worse was they were not present at the home location and were trying to micromanage from a distance. Needless to say, we spent the whole night being awake and disagreeing.

There was mutiny, there was quiting, there was yelling, there was alot of crap, but out of it all we were able to regroup. The plus and curse of a 72 hour competition. had it been any other competition I am sure we would have quit. I ended up writing up a rough script of an idea that I thought could work, and we went with that. The script continued to evolve throughout the process of production, but the film still did not make much sense until around 3pm the day the film was required to be mailed. My buddy Chris put together the music and the self help tape, which I think, really just brought togeher the story, the mood, and the characters.

His music really helped me to set the pacing in the editing. With the editing complete at about 7:30pm, we brought the laptop into the car so that we could burn the dvd while on our way to the Fed Ex place. And yes, you better believed we shipped that dvd off at 7:55, just before the 8:00pm close time of the store. It really feels good to deliver something at the very last second...

After it was all argued and done, I really liked the movie that we made. I think it is even better than a couple of the movies selected in the top 17 (of course not nearly as good as a lot of the others selected). But of course, the judges always have their personal preference, which always seems to have an air of mystery to it. But here is the film in all its Youtube greatness:



Some Trivia!

NFC 2009 was actually my 8th timed competition ( (4) 24 hour, 2 (48 hour), 2 (72 hour)).

The Photo Show Vid

Well, I did succeed in creating a video for my buddy Gordon. I think it turned out rather well for not really having any knowledge of what the event would be like. I discovered pretty quickly that filming pictures hanging on a wall is a lot more difficult than originally thought. The glare of the lights being the most difficult of concerns. I rather enjoy the mixture of video and photography, as well as the movement vs. the all too often still frame. My favorite shot being the close up pan across the horse painting, which really caught the texture of the piece. But here I go trying to throw some deepness into my thrown together video. Anyway, the show was a success for my friend Gordon , and he did indeed sell one picture. So good for him!

First Demo Reel

So, I finally made my first demo reel, as part of an attempt to make myself more marketable. By this summer, I am hoping to relocate and start a videography company in Richmond...but you know, covering Va in general. Granted, the demo reel is a bit long, and only showcases my experimental/creative film making talents; I felt for the first reel I would just have fun with it. I didn't want to get caught up with worrying too much about the professional end, plus I am guessing that I am still a bit light in that respect. Anyways, enjoy this music video (set to the tune of MGMT - Kids) and look for a more professional reel in 2009.



Another first, is for my friend Gordon Stillman who will be having his very first photo show at the Crittenden Studio in Richmond. I am hoping to go check it out, as well as bring my Sony HVR to record this grand event. Just a short little vid to test out my professional credibility, as well as make something for my friend to enjoy...we'll see how it goes. It is good to practice at events like these, with no pressure to make a product for a customer.

Hella-Sweet Equipment

The Spider Flex

The SPIDER DOLLY with flex trak. This piece of equipment has got to be the ultimate dolly system. You can curve the track, which is very awesome, and the whole system is also incredibly portable. The drawback is the price tag of 400$ for the track, and about 1,000 for the dolly. But of course, who really buys anything in this business? Here is a link to a video how to on building your own dolly: DJ TV Billy's Blueprints: The Wheel Deal

HMI Light + Cherry Picker



The HMI is just one wicked light. It uses an arc lamp instead of an incandescent bulb to be more powerful and more efficient. For the short Lullaby, the crew stuck an HMI at the top of a cherry picker and basically lit up the our whole location at night. And yes, a good moonlight effect was seen through the second floor window. Again though, this is equipment typically unavailable to small scale filmmakers. Will definitely need some contacts or a bit of a budget to get a hold of these, and before you, you will have to stick to day shots, and first floor night shots.

Lastly, THE RED...



There is a bit of a wait on these babies, but please do yourself a favor and check out the FUTURE of the RED. When you first go there, just scroll down all the way and take it all in. The red camera is going to allow an individual to build there own camera with removable parts. You can go from a digital photography camera, to the bottom of the line video camera, to the highest quality video camera that Red offers by just upgrading and adding specific pieces. No longer do you have to buy a whole new camera, you can simply switch "brains." This is genius and is going to start a revolution in the independent filmmaking world. Granted, the revolution will most likely be stifled by availability, but eventually one's investment in a cheaper camera will in the same token become an investment in a more expensive camera. The people at RED are geniuses, and it looks like exciting things will happen in the coming year. Also, if you scrolled to the bottom, you can check out a sweet 3D camera...oh hell yeah.



I never even wanted to make a 3D movie...at least not until I saw this sexy beast!

Shootin' the Red

I am not familiar with what the general consensus is on the Red camera, but it is a magnificent beast in person. Just the sheer bulk of it aided by the attachment of a sizable lens inspires a lot of awe. Fortunately for me, I was lucky enough to crew on an independent short entitled, "Lullaby," that just so happened to utilize this beautiful piece of equipment. I only got a limited view of the footage, so I will post again later on the quality of the film, once the editing has gotten underway.

It was quite an interesting experience, as well as a testament of dedication and hardwork. The main part of the shoot was scheduled for 5 days, broken down into 2 days of filming and 3 nights of filming. The first day went from 7:00am to about 6:00pm, nothing like a good 11 hours to start off the shoot. The first day was cold, but not to be undone, the second day answered with the cold, and then one upped with a decent chunk of pouring rain. Luckily for me, my position was in audio (shot logging and lav monitoring). I will tell you there are benefits to being in charge of sensitive equipment.

However, the other members of the crew, such as those working in the camera department, had to prove their mettle. In the pouring rain, they moved a huge jib (yes, one quite bigger then the one pictured in the link) onto the roof of the cabin we were shooting at. Which was pretty ridiculous, but quite amazing. After two days of battling the elements, we then battled our own body systems to complete three night shoots. The first night shoot went from 1:30pm to 6:00am, the 2nd from 4:00pm to 7:00am, and for me, the third night went from 4:00pm to 3:30am because I twisted my ankle pretty badly earlier on in the night. I left early, and sadly missed the celebratory end to a very long production.

The film was written and directed by Eric Hurt who runs his own production company Pillage and Plunder Pictures, and was produced by Pat Cassidy of Who Do you Know Here, and shot by Johnny St Hours who also has his own picture company called Piraeus, also you can check out his blog Johnny St. Hours. I believe those three represent the bulk of film production out of Charlottesville, Va.

We also had the good fortune of working with a seasoned veteran in Jack Steinberg who was the assistant director, and has worked in Hollywood for over a decade (he was also an assistant director on a small film called Terminator 3). There was a wonderful cast that put in some brilliant performances. I mean putting up with the intense shooting schedule itself, is a performance in itself. The film has a short cameo by Mark Joy, but the intense performance by Jamee Vance is what will really give the bite to this supernatural thriller. The rest of the cast also put in great performances, particularly a strong one by the films heroine, Janey, a newcomer to acting on camera.

All in all, this was quite a thrilling experience, even though it definitely made me appreciate my passion for post production more. It is tough putting that much energy and sacrifice into a project like that, particularly when your job is not part of the creative process. But the ability to work with this crew and this cast certainly made this experience a valuable one, and I was very fortunate to be a part of it. For all I know, it may be the largest scale production that I will ever be a part of...but let's hope not.