Thursday, June 26, 2008
48 Hour Film Fest Awards Ceremony
In about 2 minutes, the 48 hour film fest awards for Minneapolis will go live, and you can see this years winners. I just got back from the awards ceremony, and I can give you a 2-minute heads up that "Birthmarked for Death" took best Picture, and a handful of other awards.
The group team Chiaroscuro was up against had 3 films go to the finals, so it's no surprise that our effort "Fort World" didn't make it to finals, but it's nothing to be ashamed of, we had some great company and great competition.
...next time....
Art Is Resistance
-Zero
0 Comments
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The group team Chiaroscuro was up against had 3 films go to the finals, so it's no surprise that our effort "Fort World" didn't make it to finals, but it's nothing to be ashamed of, we had some great company and great competition.
...next time....
Art Is Resistance
-Zero
Labels: indie movies, Minneapolis Event, Ubercool
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
48-Hour Film Festival 2008
Tonight, Team Chiaroscuro got to view their latest work of art on the big screen. Our entry for the 48-Hour Film Festival premiered tonight, alongside a gaggle of some well-done works.
It was a crazy weekend.
Friday 7:30PM. The genre we drew was 'Film de Femme' which aside from being a blatantly sexist genre, is also pretty open to interpretation. The prop was a fish, of all things, and the line of dialog was "You look very familiar".
The group assembled over pizza and beer, and began brainstorming ideas. We tossed around a lot of great ideas, and I think it was the wide-openness of the genre that made it difficult for us to dial in on any particular one. It might have been easier to start with more limitations, but by 9:30 we had a plot roughed out. As part of the script-writing team, I helped to flush out a script by midnight, a heartbreaking work of staggering genius called 'Fort World'.
Saturday Fucking Early AM - I joined the team (late: typical) and began designing the set, which was the interior of FortWorld. I swear, when we got done, it looked like the inside of the bottle from "I Dream Of Jeannie" After shooting started, I headed back home and helped my friend Reid Rejsa put together a few foley sound effects. I actually had time for a nap before the gang came over laden with video. Things were going swimmingly. Josh and I sat down to pick through some music, and "The Sarahs" began slicing and dicing the video...
...when the power went out.
Saturday 10:00 PM - I called the power company, and was informed that power wouldn't likely be restored for 4 hours. So the Sarahs pulled the video workstation, and took it to their place. I went to bed eventually, around 3:30 AM, and still powerless.
Sunday 8:00 AM - Still no power. I pulled my entire goddamned studio apart and fit it into the trunk of a 96 Saturn, and lugged the whole thing over to Josh's place. While I put the foley FX into place, Josh and Colin came up with some quirky musical pieces to slip in. A little touchup on the audio, and we pressed a DVD around 5 on Sunday, leaving us 2.5 hours to turn it in.
Tonight, we got to see FortWorld on the big screen, and I was pretty impressed. Team Chiaroscuro certainly has made some progress since our 2006 submission; this year's entry was much more ambitious. Aside from the power outage, there were no major technical glitches.
The whole project makes me want to do more small film projects, but one thing at a time. I already have one live performance to focus on... plenty of time for video later...
Art Is Resistance
-Zero
Labels: Cool Event, indie movies, Minneapolis Event, Videos
Friday, May 16, 2008
Fearless Filmmakers - 5 June 2008
Strap In, Strap On, and Show Up at the St Anthony Main Theatre on June 5th for the next edition of Fearless Filmmakers. This one features "Mondo Bondo" by Tony Cane-Honeysett, and lets you Urban Kinksters release your inner freak (or possibly tie it down in an uncomfortable position for a while). Either way, should be an informative show.
The afterparty should be interesting as well.
Where: St. Anthony Main Theater (612) 331-4723
115 Main St NE
Minneapolis, MN 55413
When: Thursday, June 5th -- Event begins at 8:00 PM.
Who: Q and A will follow the screening with Emmy Award winning director Tony Cane-Honeysett (The Royal Academy)
What Else: Official After-Party to follow at a SECRET LOCATION revealed at the screening. After Party features free parking, free schwag bags filled with kinky goodness, live bondage exhibits, Fearless happy hour drinks all night, and the chance to experience the kinkier side of Minneapolis. Admittance with theater ticket only!
Tickets for this event are available at St Anthony Main Theater. Tickets will be available for pre purchase on May 28th. Check http://stanthonytickets.com to pre-purchase as this event will likely sell out. Ticket prices are $9 General Admission, $7 Students.
Art Is Resistance
-Zero
Labels: indie movies, Minneapolis Event
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Movie Review: Gabriel
Don't believe the mediocre rating on imdb.com, Gabriel is a pretty amazing film. Great storyline, and fantastic set design, on a budget and tight schedule no less. Ah well, what movie doesn't cry about budget restrictions when they *only* have two-hundred grand to make a feature film? Ha! In Australia, no less.
The story takes place in Purgatory, where a group of angels is sent from heaven to battle against a group of demons for dominance of this middle-ground. The angel Gabriel arrives only to find that the angels who came before him are doing Very Poorly: those who haven't succumbed to their pathetic humanity have disappeared completely, and several powerful demons are in complete control of purgatory.
Fans of gothic films like Blade Runner and The Crow should definitely see this film. And filmmakers will want to watch the "behind the scenes" on the DVD, which are Real Behind The Scenes, and not Production Crew Kissing The Director's Ass.
It was great to see the guy who wrote the music score for the film whine about getting ONLY ten grand and a year to do it! They should have talked to me, I scored a feature film in a month, on a budget one-ten-thousandth of his!
Art Is Resistance
-Zero
0 Comments
Permalink
The story takes place in Purgatory, where a group of angels is sent from heaven to battle against a group of demons for dominance of this middle-ground. The angel Gabriel arrives only to find that the angels who came before him are doing Very Poorly: those who haven't succumbed to their pathetic humanity have disappeared completely, and several powerful demons are in complete control of purgatory.
Fans of gothic films like Blade Runner and The Crow should definitely see this film. And filmmakers will want to watch the "behind the scenes" on the DVD, which are Real Behind The Scenes, and not Production Crew Kissing The Director's Ass.
It was great to see the guy who wrote the music score for the film whine about getting ONLY ten grand and a year to do it! They should have talked to me, I scored a feature film in a month, on a budget one-ten-thousandth of his!
Art Is Resistance
-Zero
Labels: indie movies, movie reviews
Saturday, March 15, 2008
NIN - Ghosts Film Festival
You might be tired of me going on and on about how visionary and cool Trent Reznor is...
...I'll stop going on about him when he stops giving me reasons. Case in point:
Art Is Resistance
-Zero
0 Comments
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...I'll stop going on about him when he stops giving me reasons. Case in point:
Art Is Resistance
-Zero
Labels: Call To Action, indie movies, NIN, Ubercool
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Movie Re-Review: Bloodrayne
Blame Xtina. After hearing the never-ending thrashing my friends and I have given to the movie Bloodrayne and its director Uwe Boll, I finally decided that she shouldn't take our word for it, and experience it for herself firsthand.
So I paid a couple bucks to rent Bloodrayne, The Directors Cut (James suggested it might be better than the original, "Maybe they put the plot back in!" he suggested, which did not make me more enthusiastic to see it...) It took some coaxing on my part (and some bad television) to make Xtina agree to watch it. I was laughing before I loaded the disk into the player.
Oh, the horror! The horrible accents, I mean. Michael Madsen sounded like he was from New York!
Oh the horrible acting! Kristanna Loken wasn't even able to act Stoic!
Oh, the Bad Bad Bad ADR!
Oh, the horrible delivery of lines that sounded like they were read off pieces of paper handed to the actor one word at a time!
Oh, MEATLOAF ADAY!
And lets not forget that somehow Uwe Boll started with this and ended up with this!
Oh the plot LEAPS of faith that were Jet-Propelled-Across-Time-And-Relative-Dimensions-In-Space!
...and yet...a strange thing happened.
I did not find it as bad as I did at the theatre. Not remotely. Somehow, watching Bloodrayne on a TV set instead of a big screen, it seemed more like a bad episode of Xena Warrior Princess. Reviewing it as a B-Movie instead of a $10 Blockbuster, put it in a more acceptable perspective.
The movie had some large-scale sweeping shots, clearly done from a helicopter. There were some large scenes of mounted cavalry, and decent sets. It had Ben Kingsly in it. (Who I had Just seen the previous day as "The Rabbi" in Lucky Number Sleven ) Hell, he wasn't even half bad. The CG was B-Movie quality, and the props were ridiculously B-Movie funny.
Don't get me wrong; there's a reason the movies initial release was cut from 2500 theatres down to 985. There is a reason it went from release to cable in less than a year, bypassing HBO entirely.
The reason is that it sucked. As a real Theatre-Release-Type movie, it sucked.
But hand to Dog, as a B-Movie, its fine. If it cost 50K to make, and went straight to DVD I never would have been so hard on it.
After the movie, we watched the bonus feature, "Dinner with Uwe Boll" where a couple ass-kissing fans got to eat dinner and speak with the man, the myth, the legend himself, Uwe Boll. After seeing it, I think I understand Uwe better. I think he knows what he is, and he isn't deluded about the kinds of movies he is making. He knows that the public views him as a hack filmmaker, cutting as many corners as possible (including hiring prostitutes as actors, because they are cheap and will do Anything, compared to people in the Actors Guild.) and no doubt pocketing as much as he can.
He also explained why all his previous movies sucked; the writers. And that plural is no mistake, because Uwe Boll seems to send scripts through several different people for re-re-rewriting, which no doubt contributes to his disjointed and convoluted plotlines.
But don't worry, for his upcoming masterpiece, "Postal" he will be writing the script himself.
And keep your eyes out for Bloodrayne II (set in the Wild West!) which went straight to DVD, and the rumored Bloodrayne III which might actually have something to do with video game it was based on.
Oh, the horror...
Art Is Resistance
-Zero
1 Comments
Permalink
So I paid a couple bucks to rent Bloodrayne, The Directors Cut (James suggested it might be better than the original, "Maybe they put the plot back in!" he suggested, which did not make me more enthusiastic to see it...) It took some coaxing on my part (and some bad television) to make Xtina agree to watch it. I was laughing before I loaded the disk into the player.
Oh, the horror! The horrible accents, I mean. Michael Madsen sounded like he was from New York!
Oh the horrible acting! Kristanna Loken wasn't even able to act Stoic!
Oh, the Bad Bad Bad ADR!
Oh, the horrible delivery of lines that sounded like they were read off pieces of paper handed to the actor one word at a time!
Oh, MEATLOAF ADAY!
And lets not forget that somehow Uwe Boll started with this and ended up with this!
Oh the plot LEAPS of faith that were Jet-Propelled-Across-Time-And-Relative-Dimensions-In-Space!
...and yet...a strange thing happened.
I did not find it as bad as I did at the theatre. Not remotely. Somehow, watching Bloodrayne on a TV set instead of a big screen, it seemed more like a bad episode of Xena Warrior Princess. Reviewing it as a B-Movie instead of a $10 Blockbuster, put it in a more acceptable perspective.
The movie had some large-scale sweeping shots, clearly done from a helicopter. There were some large scenes of mounted cavalry, and decent sets. It had Ben Kingsly in it. (Who I had Just seen the previous day as "The Rabbi" in Lucky Number Sleven ) Hell, he wasn't even half bad. The CG was B-Movie quality, and the props were ridiculously B-Movie funny.
Don't get me wrong; there's a reason the movies initial release was cut from 2500 theatres down to 985. There is a reason it went from release to cable in less than a year, bypassing HBO entirely.
The reason is that it sucked. As a real Theatre-Release-Type movie, it sucked.
But hand to Dog, as a B-Movie, its fine. If it cost 50K to make, and went straight to DVD I never would have been so hard on it.
After the movie, we watched the bonus feature, "Dinner with Uwe Boll" where a couple ass-kissing fans got to eat dinner and speak with the man, the myth, the legend himself, Uwe Boll. After seeing it, I think I understand Uwe better. I think he knows what he is, and he isn't deluded about the kinds of movies he is making. He knows that the public views him as a hack filmmaker, cutting as many corners as possible (including hiring prostitutes as actors, because they are cheap and will do Anything, compared to people in the Actors Guild.) and no doubt pocketing as much as he can.
He also explained why all his previous movies sucked; the writers. And that plural is no mistake, because Uwe Boll seems to send scripts through several different people for re-re-rewriting, which no doubt contributes to his disjointed and convoluted plotlines.
But don't worry, for his upcoming masterpiece, "Postal" he will be writing the script himself.
And keep your eyes out for Bloodrayne II (set in the Wild West!) which went straight to DVD, and the rumored Bloodrayne III which might actually have something to do with video game it was based on.
Oh, the horror...
Art Is Resistance
-Zero
Labels: indie movies, movie reviews
Monday, February 11, 2008
You Film Like A Girl - Feb 2008 Fearless Filmmakers
This month's Fearless Filmmakers is focusing on women filmmakers. The showing is at the Oak Street Cinema on Feb 28th, and the after-party will be at a secret location, disclosed at the showing, and accessible only with a ticket stub from the showing.
So come out and see some local women in film kicking ass and then schmooze with them at the secret afterparty!
Art Is Resistance
-Zero
Labels: indie movies, Minneapolis Event, Movie News
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Fearless Filmmakers Jan 2008
Fearless Filmmakers is on Jan 30th this month at the Oak Street Cinema. This month's Fearless will feature content from local bands; documentaries, music videos and such, including my personal favorite - Revolver Modele.
And don't miss the after-party at the Kitty Kat Club, with live music by Bella Koshka and To Kill a Pretty Bourgeoisie. (As if you needed a reason to hang out at the Kitty Kat?!)
Hope to see you there!
Art Is Resistance
-Zero
Labels: indie movies, Minneapolis Event
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Fearless Filmmakers - 13 Dec, 2007
The December Fearless Filmmakers is approaching.
For those of you who haven't been yet; if you are remotely interested in Independent Filmmaking, the Fearless Filmmakers gatherings are a great opportunity to see what others are doing, and the Q & A after the showing lets you ask them how they did it. The after-party gives you the chance to do some networking in a safe, secure, and alcohol-lubricated environment.
For those of you who are interested in a cheap date, the $9 ($7 for students and $5 for MFA members) gets you into the movie, the Q&A, and the afterparty complete with entertainment, free buffet, and one free drink per ticket.
Here is the 411 on the next Fearless Filmmakers:
Fearless Filmmakers Presents www.fearlessfilmmakers.com
Midwest Premiere !!
"THE LISTENING PROJECT" thelisteningprojectfilm.com
When:
Thursday December 13th
Box Office opens at 6:30PM
Screening begins at 7:30 PM
Q and A with Filmmakers to follow
Where:
The Oak Street Cinema
309 Oak Street SE
Minneapolis MN 55414
What Else:
Official After Party to follow at STUB AND HERBS complete with FREE FOOD AND FREE DRINKS
Tickets for this event are $9 General Admission, $7 students and $5 MFA members
Box Office opens at 6:30 PM. Come early as this event will likely sell out!
Art Is Resistance
-Zero
0 Comments
Permalink
For those of you who haven't been yet; if you are remotely interested in Independent Filmmaking, the Fearless Filmmakers gatherings are a great opportunity to see what others are doing, and the Q & A after the showing lets you ask them how they did it. The after-party gives you the chance to do some networking in a safe, secure, and alcohol-lubricated environment.
For those of you who are interested in a cheap date, the $9 ($7 for students and $5 for MFA members) gets you into the movie, the Q&A, and the afterparty complete with entertainment, free buffet, and one free drink per ticket.
Here is the 411 on the next Fearless Filmmakers:
Fearless Filmmakers Presents www.fearlessfilmmakers.com
Midwest Premiere !!
"THE LISTENING PROJECT" thelisteningprojectfilm.com
When:
Thursday December 13th
Box Office opens at 6:30PM
Screening begins at 7:30 PM
Q and A with Filmmakers to follow
Where:
The Oak Street Cinema
309 Oak Street SE
Minneapolis MN 55414
What Else:
Official After Party to follow at STUB AND HERBS complete with FREE FOOD AND FREE DRINKS
Tickets for this event are $9 General Admission, $7 students and $5 MFA members
Box Office opens at 6:30 PM. Come early as this event will likely sell out!
Art Is Resistance
-Zero
Labels: Cool Event, indie movies, Minneapolis Event
Friday, October 19, 2007
October Fearless Filmmakers
The next Fearless Filmmakers Fast Approacheth: Monday, October 29th at the Parkway Theatre in Minneapolis.
Who cares if it's a weeknight! Come on out and hang at the after-party for free food and drinks! Be Fearless! Besides, you don't get anything done on Tuesdays!
Art Is Resistance
-Zero
Labels: Cool Event, indie movies, Minneapolis Event
Monday, September 10, 2007
Crypticon 2007
Looks like this Friday is the night to go if you were thinking of heading over to Crypticon, the Circus of Terror. Friday they will be showing some independant horror films. I don't think I can swing the $25 to get in, nor the $20 if you buy tix online. I don't know anyone who went last year, so I can't tell you if it's worth it or not. If you went to Crypticon, or know someone who did, drop a comment here.
KTHXBYE,
-CZ
1 Comments
Permalink
KTHXBYE,
-CZ
Labels: indie movies, Minneapolis Event
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Movie Review: Dead Clowns
Dear Mr Sessions, thank you for sending me the copy of your movie "Dead Clowns" to review here on conradzero.com. You have heard correctly, I really enjoy reviewing quality low-budget horror films, and upon review of your feature film, I can say without a doubt that it was certainly, um, low-budget.
Where should I start...how about the sound? I thought it was interesting the way you added a heavy reverb to all ambient sound effects in the movie, as though they were recorded in a subway tunnel, but left the vocals dry. Can't say I've heard this done before, but it certainly made the sound, um, unique.
Another interesting aspect of the sound was your choice to make sounds that were far away from the camera louder than those that were close to the camera. For instance, the sound of rain outside the hotel room was louder than the dialog of the people talking to each other an arm's length apart, and in some cases, their dialog was nearly inaudible. A wise choice, as most of the dialog was unimportant and pretty bad. Did you actually make the actors read the script for the first time right there on camera? It explains why most of the dialog sounded so unnatural and contrived, and definitely added to the 'indie' feel of your movie.
The multiple plot threads were a nice touch. It was refreshing to see that for the most part, they never really meshed together into any form of a coherent 'whole'; a process I agree is overused in Hollywood, and you will no doubt be hailed as a visionary for abandoning it. Leaving the audience to contemplate just why those other people were in the movie at all is sheer genius. Making the audience think? Who does that anymore?
I liked your twist on the classic revenge formula. Usually people seeking revenge were wronged in some way, but in Dead Clowns, they come back from the dead and attack the town that loved them, and had nothing to do with the accident that killed them! Ha! Not to mention they waited for fifty years before coming back, so I doubt there was anyone left in the town who was around back when they bit it. That will certainly teach them for being the offspring of people who liked clowns!
BTW: Why fifty years? Why not forty-nine-and-two-fifths of a year due to rounding errors?The movie never explains why, and it's *that* kind of unresolved tension that makes independent film what it is today, that is to say, ah... independent.
Without a doubt, Brinke Stevens was the highlight of the movie. She did a fantastic job. Her character also looks remarkably young for someone who is an expert on the clown/train accident that happened fifty years ago, and the town completely forgot. Her description of the incident made it sound like she was actually there when it happened, which would make her...well, at least fifty. Using a young actress to play an older character, but still make her look young sounds like a makeup department's nightmare, but your crew handled the task swimmingly, because she doesn't look a day over thirty.
I couldn't help but notice many long, introspective shots of non-dialog/non-action/non-story, usually with the camera locked on someones face, (a trick you no doubt learned from Peter Jackson's version of 'King Kong') while many might find this annoying and unprofessional, it really shows you how overrated pacing is in the movie media. It was also nice not to have to pause the movie when going to the bathroom, or going to the kitchen to get another Tequila-Whisky-Coke, or going to the garage to replace the serpentine-belt tensioner in my 96 Saturn.
Regarding the songs in your movie, well...Switchblade Symphony was an excellent choice, but the rest of the songs sucked...oh wait a minute! I see you did the score yourself? Well, that explains it then! For future reference, I know of a band called Jagged Spiral who write some fantastic songs for horror movie soundtracks, and they don't involve the use of Every Single Cliche Known To Man. You should check them out if you are allowed...I mean, if you ever make another movie.
The effects were pretty good. The effect of clowns that had been buried underwater for fifty years and came out wearing brand-spanking-new costumes must have been difficult to manage. I'd have also thought them to be wet, after being in the water for fifty years and all, but no doubt your SFX crew must have had one hell of a time making them look clean and dry. Not to mention that for all their running around town and dismembering/skewering/eating people, none of the clowns get a drop of blood on their outfits. Kudos to the clowns for their fine table manners, and to your wardrobe department for keeping their outfits in pristine condition throughout the bloodbath.
Thanks again for the opportunity to review your film. Enclosed please find my invoice payable immediately on receipt. I generally charge by the hour, but in the case of your 95 min movie, you may notice that I've charged for six hours of labor. This may be especially confusing after I explain that I only spent about half an hour actually watching the movie. In your case, I made an exception and charged the amount of time IT SEEMED TO TAKE to watch your movie, even though I mashed the FF button so often during Dead Clowns that the batteries in the remote control died, (hence the extra charge for replacement batteries.)
You may also notice the an additional expense for a replacement DVD player. No, your DVD did not actually break my player, it simply seemed more prudent to burn my DVD player with your disk in it, and bury the ashes in my backyard, than to take the chance that the disk might fall into the hands of others. (The time spent burning/burying is NOT included in the six hours previously mentioned, but there is no charge for that ; I consider it a public service.)
And of course, as you requested, I will keep this review strictly confidential.
Sincerely,
Conrad Zero
0 Comments
Permalink
Where should I start...how about the sound? I thought it was interesting the way you added a heavy reverb to all ambient sound effects in the movie, as though they were recorded in a subway tunnel, but left the vocals dry. Can't say I've heard this done before, but it certainly made the sound, um, unique.
Another interesting aspect of the sound was your choice to make sounds that were far away from the camera louder than those that were close to the camera. For instance, the sound of rain outside the hotel room was louder than the dialog of the people talking to each other an arm's length apart, and in some cases, their dialog was nearly inaudible. A wise choice, as most of the dialog was unimportant and pretty bad. Did you actually make the actors read the script for the first time right there on camera? It explains why most of the dialog sounded so unnatural and contrived, and definitely added to the 'indie' feel of your movie.
The multiple plot threads were a nice touch. It was refreshing to see that for the most part, they never really meshed together into any form of a coherent 'whole'; a process I agree is overused in Hollywood, and you will no doubt be hailed as a visionary for abandoning it. Leaving the audience to contemplate just why those other people were in the movie at all is sheer genius. Making the audience think? Who does that anymore?
I liked your twist on the classic revenge formula. Usually people seeking revenge were wronged in some way, but in Dead Clowns, they come back from the dead and attack the town that loved them, and had nothing to do with the accident that killed them! Ha! Not to mention they waited for fifty years before coming back, so I doubt there was anyone left in the town who was around back when they bit it. That will certainly teach them for being the offspring of people who liked clowns!
BTW: Why fifty years? Why not forty-nine-and-two-fifths of a year due to rounding errors?The movie never explains why, and it's *that* kind of unresolved tension that makes independent film what it is today, that is to say, ah... independent.
Without a doubt, Brinke Stevens was the highlight of the movie. She did a fantastic job. Her character also looks remarkably young for someone who is an expert on the clown/train accident that happened fifty years ago, and the town completely forgot. Her description of the incident made it sound like she was actually there when it happened, which would make her...well, at least fifty. Using a young actress to play an older character, but still make her look young sounds like a makeup department's nightmare, but your crew handled the task swimmingly, because she doesn't look a day over thirty.
I couldn't help but notice many long, introspective shots of non-dialog/non-action/non-story, usually with the camera locked on someones face, (a trick you no doubt learned from Peter Jackson's version of 'King Kong') while many might find this annoying and unprofessional, it really shows you how overrated pacing is in the movie media. It was also nice not to have to pause the movie when going to the bathroom, or going to the kitchen to get another Tequila-Whisky-Coke, or going to the garage to replace the serpentine-belt tensioner in my 96 Saturn.
Regarding the songs in your movie, well...Switchblade Symphony was an excellent choice, but the rest of the songs sucked...oh wait a minute! I see you did the score yourself? Well, that explains it then! For future reference, I know of a band called Jagged Spiral who write some fantastic songs for horror movie soundtracks, and they don't involve the use of Every Single Cliche Known To Man. You should check them out if you are allowed...I mean, if you ever make another movie.
The effects were pretty good. The effect of clowns that had been buried underwater for fifty years and came out wearing brand-spanking-new costumes must have been difficult to manage. I'd have also thought them to be wet, after being in the water for fifty years and all, but no doubt your SFX crew must have had one hell of a time making them look clean and dry. Not to mention that for all their running around town and dismembering/skewering/eating people, none of the clowns get a drop of blood on their outfits. Kudos to the clowns for their fine table manners, and to your wardrobe department for keeping their outfits in pristine condition throughout the bloodbath.
Thanks again for the opportunity to review your film. Enclosed please find my invoice payable immediately on receipt. I generally charge by the hour, but in the case of your 95 min movie, you may notice that I've charged for six hours of labor. This may be especially confusing after I explain that I only spent about half an hour actually watching the movie. In your case, I made an exception and charged the amount of time IT SEEMED TO TAKE to watch your movie, even though I mashed the FF button so often during Dead Clowns that the batteries in the remote control died, (hence the extra charge for replacement batteries.)
You may also notice the an additional expense for a replacement DVD player. No, your DVD did not actually break my player, it simply seemed more prudent to burn my DVD player with your disk in it, and bury the ashes in my backyard, than to take the chance that the disk might fall into the hands of others. (The time spent burning/burying is NOT included in the six hours previously mentioned, but there is no charge for that ; I consider it a public service.)
And of course, as you requested, I will keep this review strictly confidential.
Sincerely,
Conrad Zero
Labels: indie movies, movie reviews, Open Letter, Ubersuck
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Fearless Filmmakers - July 2007
This month's Fearless Filmmakers is showing a documentary that delves into the sketchy waters of 'snuff' films.
Come support local film making!
KTHXBYE,
-CZ
0 Comments
Permalink
Come support local film making!
KTHXBYE,
-CZ
Labels: indie movies, Minneapolis Event
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Movie Review: Die You Zombie Bastards!
Die You Zombie Bastards! is...um...
strange.
But I liked it.
But I'm strange, so that makes a strange sort of sense.
But you might not be strange, so you might not like it.
I can tell you that the movie is preposterous, and the hero is a serial killer / cannibalist who wears a cape made of human flesh.
But that's not really selling it, is it?
I can tell you that it contains naked hottie scientist cheerleaders with green breasts.
It's a tough call. I guess I won't recommend it to you, but I won't NOT recommend it to you either (neither?).
Blog on,
-CZ
0 Comments
Permalink
strange.
But I liked it.
But I'm strange, so that makes a strange sort of sense.
But you might not be strange, so you might not like it.
I can tell you that the movie is preposterous, and the hero is a serial killer / cannibalist who wears a cape made of human flesh.
But that's not really selling it, is it?
I can tell you that it contains naked hottie scientist cheerleaders with green breasts.
It's a tough call. I guess I won't recommend it to you, but I won't NOT recommend it to you either (neither?).
Blog on,
-CZ
Labels: indie movies, movie reviews
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Fearless Filmmakers: 28 March 2007
The Fearless Filmmakers event this month was another mixed bag of great independent films, and...um....not so great independent films.
Joe Johnson: "Girl Next Door" - A cross between "Silent Hill" and "Scream", and somehow a parody of them at the same time. Would make a great Rob Zombie video (and I mean that in a good way), half-naked (actually 90% naked) smokin-hot babe gets covered in blood while battling creepy-looking creeps in her home, which has mysteriously inadequate lighting. Unfortunately, the ending was a complete Cheap Shot, one of those "Oh my Dog, look at the time! Damn, and we're almost out of tape too! Anyone know how we can end this in less than thirty seconds?"
355 Productions: "Love" - Hysterical mockumentary about a white-collar office guy who decides to encourage "Love" in his coworker's lives. Hints of "The 40 Year Old Virgin" crossed with "Office Space" and Poor quality sound. This worked great as a short, but I have a hard time imagining how it could be extended into a full-length feature film. I guess we will find out, because the full-length version, "Love: A Documentary" is in Post Production, and slated for release in Summer 2007.
Aaron Gelperin and Steve Blehert: "The Man Who Couldn't Stop Eating Cake" - Far and away the best short of the evening. Well done, funny, and although I didn't understand the ending AT ALL, I didn't even care. I laughed my ass off.
Orange Apple Productions: "It's Killing Me" - This film is based mostly on a poorly-written nursery rhyme, narrated by a child with cancer, who is killed by his own parents to put him out of his misery. This film is positively atrocious, and directly opposed to their 'Mission Statement'
to bring a positive message to its audience through the projects it produces. To show its viewers that the right choice made in even a bad situation can affect everyone involved in a positive way.
From: http://www.orangeappleproductions.com/aboutus.html
Not. Even. The writer/director/producer seemed to think it was "Pretty good". He was wrong.
Matt Osterman: "Turtle" - Square White Guy is commissioned by the Lord (in the shape of a turtle, hence the name) to build an ark. I was expecting hilarity to ensue, but instead the story moved from silly comedy to sad tragedy to disturbing thriller.
Ryan Schaddelee: "Manfant" - Billed as a 'Horror/Comedy with a Twist' This film was the exact opposite to "Turtle" in that "Turtle" went from comedy > tragedy > disturbing, "Manfant" moved from thriller > comedy > lighthearted fluff. During the Q&A after the showing, Ryan admitted that the entire movie was based off one of his friend's abilities to make accurate baby noises, and they got drunk and decided it would be an interesting plot for a short about a full-grown man who acted as an infant. He also apologized. This was one of the best produced movies shown tonight, but not nearly as good as his "Scream Like A Girl"
Justin Pierre of Motion City Soundtrack: "Karen" - This is what happens when a musician decides to make a movie. Writing was thin and abstract. Way more attention was paid to the soundtrack, which was very good, and included the band 'Sweet J.A.P.' The end credits were WAY too long. If that many people were really involved, it should have been better.
Benjamin Martin of Chow Projects: "$$$ (In:love)" - Animation over audio conversations with a telemarketer. Very funny, and got the most laughs of the evening. This is part of a larger series of audio called "Wrong Answers" all of which are available on the web for free at this site.
Ryan Taylor from Prime Productions "MVP" - This entry in Grain Belt's 2006 "Make Your Own Commercial Contest" won Prime Productions first place, and a year's supply of beer. (I don't know how much a year's supply of beer is, and I forgot to ask at the afterparty, but they said it arrived in a truck.) "MVP" is Very pro, it looked like a real commercial.
Blog on,
-CZ
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Joe Johnson: "Girl Next Door" - A cross between "Silent Hill" and "Scream", and somehow a parody of them at the same time. Would make a great Rob Zombie video (and I mean that in a good way), half-naked (actually 90% naked) smokin-hot babe gets covered in blood while battling creepy-looking creeps in her home, which has mysteriously inadequate lighting. Unfortunately, the ending was a complete Cheap Shot, one of those "Oh my Dog, look at the time! Damn, and we're almost out of tape too! Anyone know how we can end this in less than thirty seconds?"
355 Productions: "Love" - Hysterical mockumentary about a white-collar office guy who decides to encourage "Love" in his coworker's lives. Hints of "The 40 Year Old Virgin" crossed with "Office Space" and Poor quality sound. This worked great as a short, but I have a hard time imagining how it could be extended into a full-length feature film. I guess we will find out, because the full-length version, "Love: A Documentary" is in Post Production, and slated for release in Summer 2007.
Aaron Gelperin and Steve Blehert: "The Man Who Couldn't Stop Eating Cake" - Far and away the best short of the evening. Well done, funny, and although I didn't understand the ending AT ALL, I didn't even care. I laughed my ass off.
Orange Apple Productions: "It's Killing Me" - This film is based mostly on a poorly-written nursery rhyme, narrated by a child with cancer, who is killed by his own parents to put him out of his misery. This film is positively atrocious, and directly opposed to their 'Mission Statement'
to bring a positive message to its audience through the projects it produces. To show its viewers that the right choice made in even a bad situation can affect everyone involved in a positive way.
From: http://www.orangeappleproductions.com/aboutus.html
Not. Even. The writer/director/producer seemed to think it was "Pretty good". He was wrong.
Matt Osterman: "Turtle" - Square White Guy is commissioned by the Lord (in the shape of a turtle, hence the name) to build an ark. I was expecting hilarity to ensue, but instead the story moved from silly comedy to sad tragedy to disturbing thriller.
Ryan Schaddelee: "Manfant" - Billed as a 'Horror/Comedy with a Twist' This film was the exact opposite to "Turtle" in that "Turtle" went from comedy > tragedy > disturbing, "Manfant" moved from thriller > comedy > lighthearted fluff. During the Q&A after the showing, Ryan admitted that the entire movie was based off one of his friend's abilities to make accurate baby noises, and they got drunk and decided it would be an interesting plot for a short about a full-grown man who acted as an infant. He also apologized. This was one of the best produced movies shown tonight, but not nearly as good as his "Scream Like A Girl"
Justin Pierre of Motion City Soundtrack: "Karen" - This is what happens when a musician decides to make a movie. Writing was thin and abstract. Way more attention was paid to the soundtrack, which was very good, and included the band 'Sweet J.A.P.' The end credits were WAY too long. If that many people were really involved, it should have been better.
Benjamin Martin of Chow Projects: "$$$ (In:love)" - Animation over audio conversations with a telemarketer. Very funny, and got the most laughs of the evening. This is part of a larger series of audio called "Wrong Answers" all of which are available on the web for free at this site.
Ryan Taylor from Prime Productions "MVP" - This entry in Grain Belt's 2006 "Make Your Own Commercial Contest" won Prime Productions first place, and a year's supply of beer. (I don't know how much a year's supply of beer is, and I forgot to ask at the afterparty, but they said it arrived in a truck.) "MVP" is Very pro, it looked like a real commercial.
Blog on,
-CZ
Labels: indie movies, Minneapolis Event, movie reviews
Friday, March 23, 2007
Movie Review: The Horrible Flowers
Last night I attended the premier of the dramedy (that's Drama/Comedy) "The Horrible Flowers at the Riverview Theatre.
Overall the movie was really good. Emily Cline was positively delicious as the lead character, Bettina, leader of a Just-About-To-Make-The-Big-Time band, passing through her hometown of Minneapolis when... things go wrong. Plenty of conflict, drama, and Ms. Cline played it all very well. Great acting. Very expressive. Maybe Eric Tretbar (Writer/Producer/Director) could give Peter Jackson some tips on how to edit the leading lady's close-ups..
The character Billy plays a slacker drummer from Seattle, and love interest to Bettina. Billy seemed to suffer from some kind of multiple personality syndrome. In one scene, he is quiet/shy. The next scene he is loving/caring. The next he is a wise philosopher. Awkward lines were given to him that even the best actor would have a hard time with, (the dressing room scene with Linda comes to mind.) I couldn't tell if the problem was the writing or the performance, although treating each scene individually, Scott Foster did a fine job, but overall the character came off as disjointed.
Lines of dialog throughout the movie were contrived, and several of the conversations would have made more sense if you cut the last sentance off. You'll have to see the movie to understand, but several times when characters were walking away from each other and one would say something, I was left there wondering what the fuck the person was talking about. "You diddn't even try!" was one I recall. "Try what?" I replied to myself.
The plot was unique and interesting, involving Rock and Roll, and the sacrifices people are willing to make for it. Unfortunately, there were some serious twists in the plot which threw my suspension of disbelief straight off the tour bus. For instance, there was an occurance of something I have coined 'The English Patient Effect'. This is when two people argue/fight/scream at each other, this typically culminates in one person hitting the other or pushing them down...
...and then they have sex.
Um. Yeah. Right.
This doesn't work. Don't ask me why it doesn't work. Don't go down to Martini Blu and try it to find out for yourself. It didn't work in The Horrible Flowers either. Instead, I wondered if the projectionist got the reels mixed up.
The musical score was good. The songs the bands were performing on stage sounded like uninspired standards, but that was OK. They were not in the big leagues yet, they were not superstars, so that made sense. The background music was much better: simple, emotional guitar/drum/tambourine. Someone compared the guitarwork to Neil Young's score for "Dead Man" and I completely agree.
More than anything, the movie has a high 'coolness' factor. Lots of local Minneapolis places that musicians and music lovers will recognize. The characters are believable, they have the right 'attitude'. All in all, a great local indie film, in which the plot, acting and Minneapolisism outweighed the drawbacks.
Blog on,
-CZ
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Overall the movie was really good. Emily Cline was positively delicious as the lead character, Bettina, leader of a Just-About-To-Make-The-Big-Time band, passing through her hometown of Minneapolis when... things go wrong. Plenty of conflict, drama, and Ms. Cline played it all very well. Great acting. Very expressive. Maybe Eric Tretbar (Writer/Producer/Director) could give Peter Jackson some tips on how to edit the leading lady's close-ups..
The character Billy plays a slacker drummer from Seattle, and love interest to Bettina. Billy seemed to suffer from some kind of multiple personality syndrome. In one scene, he is quiet/shy. The next scene he is loving/caring. The next he is a wise philosopher. Awkward lines were given to him that even the best actor would have a hard time with, (the dressing room scene with Linda comes to mind.) I couldn't tell if the problem was the writing or the performance, although treating each scene individually, Scott Foster did a fine job, but overall the character came off as disjointed.
Lines of dialog throughout the movie were contrived, and several of the conversations would have made more sense if you cut the last sentance off. You'll have to see the movie to understand, but several times when characters were walking away from each other and one would say something, I was left there wondering what the fuck the person was talking about. "You diddn't even try!" was one I recall. "Try what?" I replied to myself.
The plot was unique and interesting, involving Rock and Roll, and the sacrifices people are willing to make for it. Unfortunately, there were some serious twists in the plot which threw my suspension of disbelief straight off the tour bus. For instance, there was an occurance of something I have coined 'The English Patient Effect'. This is when two people argue/fight/scream at each other, this typically culminates in one person hitting the other or pushing them down...
...and then they have sex.
Um. Yeah. Right.
This doesn't work. Don't ask me why it doesn't work. Don't go down to Martini Blu and try it to find out for yourself. It didn't work in The Horrible Flowers either. Instead, I wondered if the projectionist got the reels mixed up.
The musical score was good. The songs the bands were performing on stage sounded like uninspired standards, but that was OK. They were not in the big leagues yet, they were not superstars, so that made sense. The background music was much better: simple, emotional guitar/drum/tambourine. Someone compared the guitarwork to Neil Young's score for "Dead Man" and I completely agree.
More than anything, the movie has a high 'coolness' factor. Lots of local Minneapolis places that musicians and music lovers will recognize. The characters are believable, they have the right 'attitude'. All in all, a great local indie film, in which the plot, acting and Minneapolisism outweighed the drawbacks.
Blog on,
-CZ
Labels: indie movies, movie reviews
Thursday, February 08, 2007
Movie Review: The Zodiac Killer
Last night I saw Ulli Lommel's Zodiac Killer (2003) on DVD. Note that this is NOT the same as the upcoming movie (simply called Zodiac) which had a budget of 85 Million. No, no, no, this budget was um, somewhat less...
Its fun to do reviews of movies this bad, because it gives you a lot of material to work with. Where to start...where to start...
The voiceovers are Painful. They sound like a high-school student on Thorazine reading from a script they are handed one word at a time.
The acting is worse.
The concept is poorly based on the real-life Zodiac killer. Any fool with a library card or internet connection could have done better research.
The editing is bad. If you take your movie project shot on DV, and splice in stock footage and clips from a film camera, it DOES NOT MAKE IT BETTER. Instead, it makes the rest of your movie look worse. It's like you doing a drunken finger painting of a street scene, and then having Rembrandt paint the flowers, or you hack together a Key Lime and Spinach Desert Medley, and then have Wolfgang Puck design a lovely chocolate-carmel creme sauce for it. Then, we can't even say the movie is Consistantly bad, which means, even at sucking you suck.
The writing and directing are so bad that they fight to see which of them can wreck the movie hardest. Completely contrived conversations and lines that come out of nowhere. (I dont mean out of Somewhere, I mean Out Of Nowhere.) For instance, a book author meets a fan of his at a coffee shop, and after some chit-chat and after a sterile, stoic conversation of about three lines, he says, "Would you like to come over? And watch some Vid-e-ohs?" The answer? "Uh, Sure."
'Uh, Sure,' Of Course.
Also, Everyone in your movie does Not need a full-on-lingering-close-up-shot. Christ, are you making a movie or a High-School-Video-Yearbook?
And when your killing scenes are boring, you got a problem. At least watch other movies to see how it is done before you try to make your own.
By the way, DSM-IV is not an illness. Anyone who took basic Psyc knows that DSM-IV is a book. To say that you are treating your DSM-IV disorder with pills is funny, and it was the only funny thing about Zodiac Killer movie. Oh wait, there was the scene with the guys around the table wearing black hoods and applauding, that was funny too. I mean, who applauds at a table of six people?
There is a review on IMDB which beat me to the punch, 'the only good thing about this movie is that the opening/credits song by Pink is pretty good.'
Hey Ulli, what was the name of the pole you smoked at Lion's Gate to get distribution?
Blog on,
-CZ
0 Comments
Permalink
Its fun to do reviews of movies this bad, because it gives you a lot of material to work with. Where to start...where to start...
The voiceovers are Painful. They sound like a high-school student on Thorazine reading from a script they are handed one word at a time.
The acting is worse.
The concept is poorly based on the real-life Zodiac killer. Any fool with a library card or internet connection could have done better research.
The editing is bad. If you take your movie project shot on DV, and splice in stock footage and clips from a film camera, it DOES NOT MAKE IT BETTER. Instead, it makes the rest of your movie look worse. It's like you doing a drunken finger painting of a street scene, and then having Rembrandt paint the flowers, or you hack together a Key Lime and Spinach Desert Medley, and then have Wolfgang Puck design a lovely chocolate-carmel creme sauce for it. Then, we can't even say the movie is Consistantly bad, which means, even at sucking you suck.
The writing and directing are so bad that they fight to see which of them can wreck the movie hardest. Completely contrived conversations and lines that come out of nowhere. (I dont mean out of Somewhere, I mean Out Of Nowhere.) For instance, a book author meets a fan of his at a coffee shop, and after some chit-chat and after a sterile, stoic conversation of about three lines, he says, "Would you like to come over? And watch some Vid-e-ohs?" The answer? "Uh, Sure."
'Uh, Sure,' Of Course.
Also, Everyone in your movie does Not need a full-on-lingering-close-up-shot. Christ, are you making a movie or a High-School-Video-Yearbook?
And when your killing scenes are boring, you got a problem. At least watch other movies to see how it is done before you try to make your own.
By the way, DSM-IV is not an illness. Anyone who took basic Psyc knows that DSM-IV is a book. To say that you are treating your DSM-IV disorder with pills is funny, and it was the only funny thing about Zodiac Killer movie. Oh wait, there was the scene with the guys around the table wearing black hoods and applauding, that was funny too. I mean, who applauds at a table of six people?
There is a review on IMDB which beat me to the punch, 'the only good thing about this movie is that the opening/credits song by Pink is pretty good.'
Hey Ulli, what was the name of the pole you smoked at Lion's Gate to get distribution?
Blog on,
-CZ
Labels: indie movies, movie reviews
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
OMFG
Um, OK, Mom? If you someday, somehow stumble across the archives of my blog
FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, DO NOT CLICK ON THIS LINK!
Please,
please,
just
don't.
Everyone else, please help yourself. This is not really work safe. I think.
Blog on,
-CZ
1 Comments
Permalink
FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, DO NOT CLICK ON THIS LINK!
Please,
please,
just
don't.
Everyone else, please help yourself. This is not really work safe. I think.
Blog on,
-CZ
Labels: indie movies, Videos
Thursday, February 01, 2007
Fearless Filmmakers - Jan 07
I attended the Fearless Filmmakers last night. If you didn't go, here is a summary of what you missed:
The preview for Darkon got some MAJOR laughs. I can't wait for this to come out.
The Sleepy Eye crew were there with their latest work called 'Buzzkill'. The production was good, but it could easily have been cut in half (literally turn it off right in the middle), and made better. The movie hits the punchline, but drags that dead dog of a joke for another 4-5 min. Too long of a short? I guess you could say my attention span is that of an A.D.D. teen after a 6-pack of Red Bull.
Smokin Yogi Films showed the trailers for the pilot episode of 'Abnormally Normal'. I hated it about fifteen seconds in, and it went on for another ten minutes, the longest damn trailer I've ever seen. Makes me wonder how long the movie is. Maybe it just felt like ten minutes. I wanted to say that people with emotional problems shouldn't make movies, but then we wouldn't have movies. I also don't want to say that people shouldn't work out their emotional bullshit on film and pan it off as art, because we have got great films that were motivated by suffering and loss. I think Spoon nailed the problem; 'Abnormally Normal' is a drama. I don't think dramas work well as internet shorts, and at the very least, they can't compete with comedy in this market.
Uncle Forehead Filmworks showed "Suspension" which I thought was awesome and artsy, but a little laggy. Tension was built up pretty well, but the length could have been cut back on this one too. Good effects and mood music.
Kevin Meyers showed "Intermural Glory" a really funny thirty second spot...that went on for ten minutes. I guess this one has done really well on the net. If you like mockumentaries then you will most likely like this. What tends to make or break these is the character personalities, and whether the actors can pull them off. If they can, then you have a hit, and that seems to be the case with Intramural Glory. I am amazed at the level of work that goes into this production, they are an actual intramural basketball team, that tours and is looking for a sponsor. Clever marketing.
SER International Corp was the sleeper hit of the night, Jesus Christ Action Figure (With Water Walking Action). It actually got him death threats. It also got him the biggest laughs with the audience. SER also showed a series of commercials for Butterfinger candy bars Excellent, although you cannot credit SER with these, they simply picked the best from those who sent in homemade commercials. Cheating, if you ask me, but they were really funny.
Melody Gilbert showed some spots for Best Buy which were made for the companies internal website. Strange I thought, and she agreed during the panel discussion, as she isn't an Independent Filmmaker by any means. The spots were auditions of Best Buy Employees trying out to be in Best Buy commercials. (Sorry, they weren't Employees, we call them Blue Shirts...) It is pretty easy to make fun of people put on the spot in front of a camera, but she is getting paid to do it...
Of course, the real reason to go to this Fearless was to see the premier of Ryan Wood's Fear of Girls 2. The first installment was a work of genius and a web cult phenomenon, which attracted the attention of networks and landed Wood the funding for Fear of Girls 2 as well as the launch of a comedy website later this year. Finally, a real success story about a great moviemaker who makes entertaining movies. From the Midwest. Wow.
After the films, the moviemakers held a panel discussion about the 'viral market'.
The discussion was disappointing for me. The pitch was that these people had a grasp on the viral market, and were manipulating it to make money off internet short films. When asked about how they did it, they said, "...Um, we just put it on the interweb, and uh...got lots of hits...then Hollywood called, and we partied with Kevin Spacey. It was cool..."
Thanks. I suppose that was helpful if you don't know what viral marketing is. It occurred to me later that they never did define or explain how viral marketing works. Since I already knew, it didn't bother me.
Not one mention of SEO, Technorati, or Digg. If you're trying to schlepp your .mov on the internet, then you better be a master of all three. As far as online distribution, they mentioned Revver, YouTube, and Google Video. That's it. But that is not all that there is.
All in all a good time, a few pits to spit out, but the fruit was worth it. I think what really set apart the good from the bad here was pacing, and Ryan Wood even mentioned it. Someone asked what the 'standard' length of a 'short' was, he said it doesn't matter so much if the pacing is correct. Amen. Online video shorts are new territory, and you can tell the moviemakers are having a hard time trimming their projects down. I think they need to have the mentality of advertisement commercial makers, but make sure they are boiling down a good plot into a short with good pacing, and leaves the viewer wanting more, instead of fluffing up a funny idea into a short that is way too long.
Blog on,
-CZ
0 Comments
Permalink
The preview for Darkon got some MAJOR laughs. I can't wait for this to come out.
The Sleepy Eye crew were there with their latest work called 'Buzzkill'. The production was good, but it could easily have been cut in half (literally turn it off right in the middle), and made better. The movie hits the punchline, but drags that dead dog of a joke for another 4-5 min. Too long of a short? I guess you could say my attention span is that of an A.D.D. teen after a 6-pack of Red Bull.
Smokin Yogi Films showed the trailers for the pilot episode of 'Abnormally Normal'. I hated it about fifteen seconds in, and it went on for another ten minutes, the longest damn trailer I've ever seen. Makes me wonder how long the movie is. Maybe it just felt like ten minutes. I wanted to say that people with emotional problems shouldn't make movies, but then we wouldn't have movies. I also don't want to say that people shouldn't work out their emotional bullshit on film and pan it off as art, because we have got great films that were motivated by suffering and loss. I think Spoon nailed the problem; 'Abnormally Normal' is a drama. I don't think dramas work well as internet shorts, and at the very least, they can't compete with comedy in this market.
Uncle Forehead Filmworks showed "Suspension" which I thought was awesome and artsy, but a little laggy. Tension was built up pretty well, but the length could have been cut back on this one too. Good effects and mood music.
Kevin Meyers showed "Intermural Glory" a really funny thirty second spot...that went on for ten minutes. I guess this one has done really well on the net. If you like mockumentaries then you will most likely like this. What tends to make or break these is the character personalities, and whether the actors can pull them off. If they can, then you have a hit, and that seems to be the case with Intramural Glory. I am amazed at the level of work that goes into this production, they are an actual intramural basketball team, that tours and is looking for a sponsor. Clever marketing.
SER International Corp was the sleeper hit of the night, Jesus Christ Action Figure (With Water Walking Action). It actually got him death threats. It also got him the biggest laughs with the audience. SER also showed a series of commercials for Butterfinger candy bars Excellent, although you cannot credit SER with these, they simply picked the best from those who sent in homemade commercials. Cheating, if you ask me, but they were really funny.
Melody Gilbert showed some spots for Best Buy which were made for the companies internal website. Strange I thought, and she agreed during the panel discussion, as she isn't an Independent Filmmaker by any means. The spots were auditions of Best Buy Employees trying out to be in Best Buy commercials. (Sorry, they weren't Employees, we call them Blue Shirts...) It is pretty easy to make fun of people put on the spot in front of a camera, but she is getting paid to do it...
Of course, the real reason to go to this Fearless was to see the premier of Ryan Wood's Fear of Girls 2. The first installment was a work of genius and a web cult phenomenon, which attracted the attention of networks and landed Wood the funding for Fear of Girls 2 as well as the launch of a comedy website later this year. Finally, a real success story about a great moviemaker who makes entertaining movies. From the Midwest. Wow.
After the films, the moviemakers held a panel discussion about the 'viral market'.
The discussion was disappointing for me. The pitch was that these people had a grasp on the viral market, and were manipulating it to make money off internet short films. When asked about how they did it, they said, "...Um, we just put it on the interweb, and uh...got lots of hits...then Hollywood called, and we partied with Kevin Spacey. It was cool..."
Thanks. I suppose that was helpful if you don't know what viral marketing is. It occurred to me later that they never did define or explain how viral marketing works. Since I already knew, it didn't bother me.
Not one mention of SEO, Technorati, or Digg. If you're trying to schlepp your .mov on the internet, then you better be a master of all three. As far as online distribution, they mentioned Revver, YouTube, and Google Video. That's it. But that is not all that there is.
All in all a good time, a few pits to spit out, but the fruit was worth it. I think what really set apart the good from the bad here was pacing, and Ryan Wood even mentioned it. Someone asked what the 'standard' length of a 'short' was, he said it doesn't matter so much if the pacing is correct. Amen. Online video shorts are new territory, and you can tell the moviemakers are having a hard time trimming their projects down. I think they need to have the mentality of advertisement commercial makers, but make sure they are boiling down a good plot into a short with good pacing, and leaves the viewer wanting more, instead of fluffing up a funny idea into a short that is way too long.
Blog on,
-CZ
Labels: Hollywood, indie movies, movie reviews
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Fear of Girls 2
Hopefully, you have all seen Fear of Girls I
Fear of Girls 2 should be kicking about soon, and I just got to see it last weekend. Way, way funny. The talent behind this project is amazing, the writing, the acting, the direction, sound and lighting... but the best part is the timing. No, I take that back. The best part is that it is an indie film made here in Minnesota. Sadly, if you don't know what 'Hit Points' or 'Alignment' are, you might miss out on some of the humor.
Alright, so making fun of people who play D&D is easy (like cow-tipping), but after hearing multiple reviews of what a horseshit movie Eragonwas, I wish more indie films like Fear Of Girls 1 and 2 would rise up and tip the cow that is Hollywood right into the ocean of obscurity.
[Potential reality, years from now]
"Daddy, what is a Hollywood?"
"Well, you know how when we go to the zoo, and see all the wierd and interesting animals?"
"Sure, so Hollywood was like going to the zoo?"
"Kind of, except it was really expensive, and not as interesting; just wierd."
"Did they throw their own poo? (giggle)"
"They certainly did! They threw it all over the world, and they even named it; Star Wars - The Phantom Menace, Bloodrayne, King Kong, Eragon..."
Blog on,
-CZ
0 Comments
Permalink
Fear of Girls 2 should be kicking about soon, and I just got to see it last weekend. Way, way funny. The talent behind this project is amazing, the writing, the acting, the direction, sound and lighting... but the best part is the timing. No, I take that back. The best part is that it is an indie film made here in Minnesota. Sadly, if you don't know what 'Hit Points' or 'Alignment' are, you might miss out on some of the humor.
Alright, so making fun of people who play D&D is easy (like cow-tipping), but after hearing multiple reviews of what a horseshit movie Eragonwas, I wish more indie films like Fear Of Girls 1 and 2 would rise up and tip the cow that is Hollywood right into the ocean of obscurity.
[Potential reality, years from now]
"Daddy, what is a Hollywood?"
"Well, you know how when we go to the zoo, and see all the wierd and interesting animals?"
"Sure, so Hollywood was like going to the zoo?"
"Kind of, except it was really expensive, and not as interesting; just wierd."
"Did they throw their own poo? (giggle)"
"They certainly did! They threw it all over the world, and they even named it; Star Wars - The Phantom Menace, Bloodrayne, King Kong, Eragon..."
Blog on,
-CZ
Labels: Hollywood, indie movies, Movie News, movie reviews
Friday, August 11, 2006
Movie Review: Guardian of the Realm
[Ed Note: This movie review is dedicated to pattonjr5. See? I don't just watch blockbuster movies...]
Xtina and I were walking through our local Hollywood Video, and the cover of this DVD caught her eye.
"Oh my Gawd," she said, "Would you *Look* at this!"
"Ewww," I said, and made the face I usually reserve for people who put vinegar on their French Fries.
It was pretty bad. Scratch that - it was Mega-Bad. In a bad way. The cover was something I would never have even picked up off the shelf, a screaming blue face with poorly CG-ed hooks pulling on the skin. Whatever picture you have in your head right now, this was worse.
Not wanting to judge a DVD only by its cover, I immediately read the back. Turning the DVD over revealed a much Much MUCH better graphic, Tanya Dempsey (whom we All remember from The Coven, right? Um, Right?) holding a wicked looking shiv, in a total hero pose. I read the blurb on the back - a group of cultists unwittingly release a demon into LA, and two demon-hunters have to track it down.
Hmm, sounds familiar, since that's the basic premise of the book I'm currently writing, with the exception that my story is set in Minneapolis. I'm certain that there are plenty of demons walking around LA right now, but that town is so fucked up that no one notices. If a demon popped up here in flyoverland, we would be rolling out that giant semi truck with the big lightning-beam-gun-thing, and those trucks with the fifty or so rockets on it, that you see in the Godzilla movies (Yes, we have those.)
But I digress.
The plot outline alone was worth the three dollar rental; call it 'research' if you like, but honestly I'm always game for quality indie horror, although I know that sounds as much of a oxymoron as Jumbo Shrimp or Reality TV. But, I assure you it is out there, you just need to be brave, and take chances, and not be afraid to slog through a lot of shit to find the good ones. (They aren't even Crap, they are Shit, plain and simple).
So J-manand Spooncame over, and bravely volunteered to give 'Guardian of the Realm' a right proper MST3K viewing with the obligatory 2-drink minimum.
Wow. I was more than just pleasantly surprised. The movie refused to accept indie-mediocrity, and strove for a standard movie formula. They refused to let their own shortcomings hold them back, as so many B-grade horror films do. (By adding in Laughably Bad Effects or dialog, preposterous plot jumps, breaking the fourth wall, etc...) This is the movie I think a lot of indie horror filmsters wish they could make, and I wish more of them would try. Not that all indie filmers should take themselves seriously, but rather, the specific genre of B-Horror films could do better with their budgets, and remember that fake blood and bad jokes are no substitute for good writing.
This isn't to say that the movie was not funny. I mean, come on; when the demon-slayer is yelled at by his boss for wearing too much black leather? When the slain demons dissolve into Styrofoam packing peanuts? Spoon had a good point, "why didn't they use kitty litter?" Good question.
The acting varied, but the main characters were solid, likeable and even more-or-less believable. I was able to hold the dialog in check with a small suspension of disbelief.
The plot was really good, and well thought out. Maybe a touch contrived, but then again, if the plot involves supernatural beings, you gotta contrive a bit.
The music throughout the movie was bad. Not really bad, but just plain, lower-case-b bad. The music over the end credits was phenomenal, and made me want to bust out all my Enigma and Delirium CDs... Sound as a whole was OK, a little quiet overall, and when the demons talked it sounded like someone used every single audio effect plug-in at once.
The makeup job for the demons is better than I expected. I have always preferred monster-type monsters (Aliens, The Thing, etc...) to humans wearing masks, but I realize how difficult this is to pull off without blowing the HokeyMeter off the charts, and I have come to accept the contacts/mask/fangs/makeup as a reasonable 'monster' facsimile in lower budget films. I am not as forgiving for bigger budgets (you heard me, Star Trek...)
The CG deserves special mention, because the movie has plenty of After Effects in it. Mostly the FX were OK, but the elevator scene was unnecessary and overdone, and the ending turns a little 'ghostbuster-ish' with the sky and all.
The fight scenes were top notch. Tasteful wire-work, and short, solid bursts of fighting, which accentuated the story without becoming the story, like in many martial arts flicks. (...which is what makes them "martial arts" flicks, I suppose.)
...And what of the cover? The screaming blue face with the hooks through it? It had NOTHING to do with the movie whatsoever. (Although it looks the way I imagine Hollywood would look if I told it that 'Guardian of the Realm' was a better movie than 'King Kong'...) So the lesson of this sermon is not to judge movies solely based on the cover art.
Blog on,
-CZ
1 Comments
Permalink
Xtina and I were walking through our local Hollywood Video, and the cover of this DVD caught her eye.
"Oh my Gawd," she said, "Would you *Look* at this!"
"Ewww," I said, and made the face I usually reserve for people who put vinegar on their French Fries.
It was pretty bad. Scratch that - it was Mega-Bad. In a bad way. The cover was something I would never have even picked up off the shelf, a screaming blue face with poorly CG-ed hooks pulling on the skin. Whatever picture you have in your head right now, this was worse.
Not wanting to judge a DVD only by its cover, I immediately read the back. Turning the DVD over revealed a much Much MUCH better graphic, Tanya Dempsey (whom we All remember from The Coven, right? Um, Right?) holding a wicked looking shiv, in a total hero pose. I read the blurb on the back - a group of cultists unwittingly release a demon into LA, and two demon-hunters have to track it down.
Hmm, sounds familiar, since that's the basic premise of the book I'm currently writing, with the exception that my story is set in Minneapolis. I'm certain that there are plenty of demons walking around LA right now, but that town is so fucked up that no one notices. If a demon popped up here in flyoverland, we would be rolling out that giant semi truck with the big lightning-beam-gun-thing, and those trucks with the fifty or so rockets on it, that you see in the Godzilla movies (Yes, we have those.)
But I digress.
The plot outline alone was worth the three dollar rental; call it 'research' if you like, but honestly I'm always game for quality indie horror, although I know that sounds as much of a oxymoron as Jumbo Shrimp or Reality TV. But, I assure you it is out there, you just need to be brave, and take chances, and not be afraid to slog through a lot of shit to find the good ones. (They aren't even Crap, they are Shit, plain and simple).
So J-manand Spooncame over, and bravely volunteered to give 'Guardian of the Realm' a right proper MST3K viewing with the obligatory 2-drink minimum.
Wow. I was more than just pleasantly surprised. The movie refused to accept indie-mediocrity, and strove for a standard movie formula. They refused to let their own shortcomings hold them back, as so many B-grade horror films do. (By adding in Laughably Bad Effects or dialog, preposterous plot jumps, breaking the fourth wall, etc...) This is the movie I think a lot of indie horror filmsters wish they could make, and I wish more of them would try. Not that all indie filmers should take themselves seriously, but rather, the specific genre of B-Horror films could do better with their budgets, and remember that fake blood and bad jokes are no substitute for good writing.
This isn't to say that the movie was not funny. I mean, come on; when the demon-slayer is yelled at by his boss for wearing too much black leather? When the slain demons dissolve into Styrofoam packing peanuts? Spoon had a good point, "why didn't they use kitty litter?" Good question.
The acting varied, but the main characters were solid, likeable and even more-or-less believable. I was able to hold the dialog in check with a small suspension of disbelief.
The plot was really good, and well thought out. Maybe a touch contrived, but then again, if the plot involves supernatural beings, you gotta contrive a bit.
The music throughout the movie was bad. Not really bad, but just plain, lower-case-b bad. The music over the end credits was phenomenal, and made me want to bust out all my Enigma and Delirium CDs... Sound as a whole was OK, a little quiet overall, and when the demons talked it sounded like someone used every single audio effect plug-in at once.
The makeup job for the demons is better than I expected. I have always preferred monster-type monsters (Aliens, The Thing, etc...) to humans wearing masks, but I realize how difficult this is to pull off without blowing the HokeyMeter off the charts, and I have come to accept the contacts/mask/fangs/makeup as a reasonable 'monster' facsimile in lower budget films. I am not as forgiving for bigger budgets (you heard me, Star Trek...)
The CG deserves special mention, because the movie has plenty of After Effects in it. Mostly the FX were OK, but the elevator scene was unnecessary and overdone, and the ending turns a little 'ghostbuster-ish' with the sky and all.
The fight scenes were top notch. Tasteful wire-work, and short, solid bursts of fighting, which accentuated the story without becoming the story, like in many martial arts flicks. (...which is what makes them "martial arts" flicks, I suppose.)
...And what of the cover? The screaming blue face with the hooks through it? It had NOTHING to do with the movie whatsoever. (Although it looks the way I imagine Hollywood would look if I told it that 'Guardian of the Realm' was a better movie than 'King Kong'...) So the lesson of this sermon is not to judge movies solely based on the cover art.
Blog on,
-CZ
Labels: Hollywood, indie movies, movie reviews
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Conspiracy Hour
0 Comments PermalinkWednesday, July 12, 2006
Conspiracy Hour
As forewarned, here is our entry in the 48-Hour Film Festival. Click on the picture to watch.
I blogged previously about the "Making Of Conspiracy Hour" Experience. It was quite a learning experience; making a video in 48 hours is no small feat.
The video weighs in at 7min 16sec, please give it a 'charitable interpretation', and make sure to rate it on a scale from one to five (using the five stars in the upper right corner) Also, let me know what you think: conradzero@gmail.com
Blog on,
-CZ
0 Comments
Permalink
I blogged previously about the "Making Of Conspiracy Hour" Experience. It was quite a learning experience; making a video in 48 hours is no small feat.
The video weighs in at 7min 16sec, please give it a 'charitable interpretation', and make sure to rate it on a scale from one to five (using the five stars in the upper right corner) Also, let me know what you think: conradzero@gmail.com
Blog on,
-CZ
Labels: Conspiracy Hour, indie movies, Videos
Friday, June 30, 2006
Pray for Gold
Word on the street is that as of 10:29PM last night (CST) the final render of Pray For Daylight was started, which means by now the gold production master should be finished. If I recall, this movie was only a discussion in the backyard, between hefting boxes up and down the steps of Josh and Sarah's place in South St Paul back in Sept? Aug? of last year. Wow, time flies.
Meanwhile, I have a newly-rendered version of "Conspiracy Hour" all set to post to the interweb. James and I fixed the rough stuttering of the end credits and added in the title slate, but there were no changes to the movie contents. There is still a small problem with the video however.
It's 10GB.
And that is a little big for Google Video Uploader to handle. I know because I tried. Twice. So the web version of Conspiracy Hour might have to wait until after vacation.
Blog on,
-CZ
0 Comments
Permalink
Meanwhile, I have a newly-rendered version of "Conspiracy Hour" all set to post to the interweb. James and I fixed the rough stuttering of the end credits and added in the title slate, but there were no changes to the movie contents. There is still a small problem with the video however.
It's 10GB.
And that is a little big for Google Video Uploader to handle. I know because I tried. Twice. So the web version of Conspiracy Hour might have to wait until after vacation.
Blog on,
-CZ
Labels: Conspiracy Hour, indie movies, Pray For Daylight, Videos
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
The Vote Is: In
Several members of Team Chiaroscuro and I attended the "Best of the 48 hour film festival" last night. Like most awards ceremonies, most of the winners deserved what they got, and some did not. I was sad to hear that one of the best films was disqualified for using footage that was shot prior to the start of the contest. That is cheating, but I know of other teams who used ideas and plots that were developed prior to the start of the contest. The same kind of cheating, but more difficult to get caught at.
There will be those, let's call them 'Americans' for the lack of a better term, whose goal is to 'win' the contest - to get the vote or award, to get on the DVD no matter what, and cheating is OK as long as you don't get caught. Too bad really, because there are other festivals those people could go to, and they can take ten years to make their movie if they like, but the 48-Hour contest is really about accessing that spark of creativitiy and spontenaiety that gets washed out when processed too much - like the difference between raw strawberries and strawberry jelly.
I was glad to see that Central Services "Dangerous Proximity" won the Best Cinematography and Best Picture awards at the 48. They deserved it. Their movie was simply based around one funny and interesting idea, and that idea made the movie entertaining. Anyone else could have had the same idea, and with some reasonable lighting and editing skills come out with a similar movie. I certainly don't mean to say that Central Services are a bunch of hacks, they did a very pro job. I'm saying that same movie with average lighting, sound and acting still would have had my vote.
When you limit the resources of time and format and movie length, it makes it easier for a hobbyist to compete with professionals in this contest. You don't need to be a wizard at Premiere or Final Cut to make a respectable movie in 48 hours. I should know, because Team Chiaroscuro did it. The video will be posted to the web soon, check back here for the link.
It also makes me feel better that our movie was beat out by "Dangerous Proximity", the same way I wouldn't feel bad losing in Snooker to Graeme Dott.
Blog on,
-CZ
0 Comments
Permalink
There will be those, let's call them 'Americans' for the lack of a better term, whose goal is to 'win' the contest - to get the vote or award, to get on the DVD no matter what, and cheating is OK as long as you don't get caught. Too bad really, because there are other festivals those people could go to, and they can take ten years to make their movie if they like, but the 48-Hour contest is really about accessing that spark of creativitiy and spontenaiety that gets washed out when processed too much - like the difference between raw strawberries and strawberry jelly.
I was glad to see that Central Services "Dangerous Proximity" won the Best Cinematography and Best Picture awards at the 48. They deserved it. Their movie was simply based around one funny and interesting idea, and that idea made the movie entertaining. Anyone else could have had the same idea, and with some reasonable lighting and editing skills come out with a similar movie. I certainly don't mean to say that Central Services are a bunch of hacks, they did a very pro job. I'm saying that same movie with average lighting, sound and acting still would have had my vote.
When you limit the resources of time and format and movie length, it makes it easier for a hobbyist to compete with professionals in this contest. You don't need to be a wizard at Premiere or Final Cut to make a respectable movie in 48 hours. I should know, because Team Chiaroscuro did it. The video will be posted to the web soon, check back here for the link.
It also makes me feel better that our movie was beat out by "Dangerous Proximity", the same way I wouldn't feel bad losing in Snooker to Graeme Dott.
Blog on,
-CZ
Labels: indie movies, Minneapolis Event, movie reviews, Videos
Open Letter to Lame Assholes (L.A.)
I'm hard on Californians, but they deserve it, especially l.a.
For example: When faced with the fact that the 48-hour film project drew more teams in Minneapolis than in l.a. making Minneapolis the third largest draw in the nation, what did they do?
They did what any narrow-minded pack of self-important shitheads would do, they cheated. They reopened registration until they had more teams than Minneapolis. After all, you wouldn't want people thinking there were more creative and talented people in Minisoda of all fucking places...
Open Letter to l.a. - FUCK YOU you bunch of worthless hack cheaters! Your city falling into the ocean would be a refreshing herbal enema for the United States.
See you down in Arizona Bay,
-CZ
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For example: When faced with the fact that the 48-hour film project drew more teams in Minneapolis than in l.a. making Minneapolis the third largest draw in the nation, what did they do?
They did what any narrow-minded pack of self-important shitheads would do, they cheated. They reopened registration until they had more teams than Minneapolis. After all, you wouldn't want people thinking there were more creative and talented people in Minisoda of all fucking places...
Open Letter to l.a. - FUCK YOU you bunch of worthless hack cheaters! Your city falling into the ocean would be a refreshing herbal enema for the United States.
See you down in Arizona Bay,
-CZ
Labels: anti, indie movies, Minneapolis Event, rant, Videos
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Pray For Locked Down Video
It is finished. As Treebeard told Perigrin Took, "...your part in this tale is over. Go back to your home."
The Pray For Daylight score has been leveled, mixed, shaken, stirred, gargled, swallowed whole, regurgitated, and run through a lovely Ozone mastering plugin to pretty it up for public consumption.
Last night, for about 4 hours, and the night before for another 4 hours, Tony and I slogged through the mix with the New-And-Improved video which had been color-corrected and special-effected by Rob.
I will reserve my review of the movie until the completed version is...well...completed. But I can tell about the scoring/mixing process we went through.
Temp Tracks - Before this project, I Hated temp tracks. Captiol H Hated. Because the director knows the temp track will be replaced, they are free to use anything to convey their musical idea of the score, even copyrighted music. So, let's say the director tosses G-N-R's 'Welcome to the Jungle' on there, because he/she wants something totally kicking all ass. Great. Then, they listen to that track as they edit and preview the movie...over...and over...and over...and over....
...and then they take out the G-N-R, and hand the video to you, and your job is to put something in there. Something where that G-N-R song was, but certainly not G-N-R, because after all, that would be copyright infringement, but you know, it was really cool, how the drums and bass worked together on that...no, no, synth just isn't sounding right there...um, can you yell? You know, that screachy, banshee yell, kind of like Axl, but not really Axl, because that would be copyright infringement, and we don't want that...but still, something I don't know...more G-N-R-ish...without being G-N-R?
Right. So I Hate temp tracks. Mostly. But we were fortunate that Tony used very bland, generic temp music. If this music was food, it would be at Rainbow Foods in the Generic Section, labeled 'Dramatic Music' in that generic black-text-on-white-label, and it would taste like overcooked oatmeal. This kind of temp track makes you sound like a pro, because pretty much anything you do will be better. So it worked out well, I did end up referencing the temp tracks in a couple places where I was unsure what kind of mood the director was shooting for.
Levels: Although Tony does not know it, (until he reads this) we disagreed about the levels of the very few sound effects Colin and I added. Tony and I have the same mantra, "We're all about the subtle." Difference is, that his is sarcastic and mine is not. That difference works out to about 20db. (ie: A LOT) Since this is a subjective thing, I didn't even bring it up.
Setting the levels should have been a breeze, but the original audio (recorded through the camera) had a lot of noise in it. I mixed the score to play over that noise. Rob had used SoundSoap on some noisy pieces of audio, and some were ADR-ed (audio was replaced in the studio). Once that background noise was reduced, it made the score sound Really Loud and so we had to remix on a scene-by scene basis. this was expected, and therefore a non-problem.
Locked Video: [Warning Rant Ahead] The standard procedure (as I know it) is once the Editing is finished, the locked video file is sent out to the other departments (score, audio mix, FX, color correction...) After that point, the video edits are Locked In Time, as in, They Don't Fucking Change. Never. Ever. Never Ever. This ensures the special effects and audio and such line up where they are supposed to on the final master.
Somehow, there was a difference between the Locked Video Track Colin and I were given (and mixed to), and the Color Corrected Locked Video Track for the final mix. As though somehow, David Copperfield had made thirty or so frames of video disappear. (I saw him make the Statue Of Liberty disappear on TV once...)
Like Magic, the score was off by one second, in the entire second half of the movie. Now, all music start and stop points had to be tweaked and checked. Fortunately, it was not as bad as I thought it would be, but I will make sure that for future projects, the expected completion date for scoring is moved accordingly if there are any time changes to the video.
Contracts: Contracts should be signed before work starts, not after. The contracts should not only have all the useless legal bullshit, but the timeline, what resources will be provided, and what is expected (file types and other requirements) Maybe this does not need to be in a legal signed document, but there should be an understanding of "what do you expect from me, in what period of time?" In this project, Colin and I simply agreed to drop songs from our album into the movie, and to score the spaces between the songs. (Official contracts were picked out later, from VersusMedia.com and will be signed before the final production master DVD is authored.) This worked out OK, because we are all friends and we all know each other. If working with/for people I don't know, I am getting it in writing beforehand.
All in all, I had fun. While it was work, it was fun-work. It is a nice hobby to have, and I look forward to scoring more movies. But first, I will stare into the jaws of Oblivion....
Sound off,
-CZ
0 Comments
Permalink
The Pray For Daylight score has been leveled, mixed, shaken, stirred, gargled, swallowed whole, regurgitated, and run through a lovely Ozone mastering plugin to pretty it up for public consumption.
Last night, for about 4 hours, and the night before for another 4 hours, Tony and I slogged through the mix with the New-And-Improved video which had been color-corrected and special-effected by Rob.
I will reserve my review of the movie until the completed version is...well...completed. But I can tell about the scoring/mixing process we went through.
Temp Tracks - Before this project, I Hated temp tracks. Captiol H Hated. Because the director knows the temp track will be replaced, they are free to use anything to convey their musical idea of the score, even copyrighted music. So, let's say the director tosses G-N-R's 'Welcome to the Jungle' on there, because he/she wants something totally kicking all ass. Great. Then, they listen to that track as they edit and preview the movie...over...and over...and over...and over....
...and then they take out the G-N-R, and hand the video to you, and your job is to put something in there. Something where that G-N-R song was, but certainly not G-N-R, because after all, that would be copyright infringement, but you know, it was really cool, how the drums and bass worked together on that...no, no, synth just isn't sounding right there...um, can you yell? You know, that screachy, banshee yell, kind of like Axl, but not really Axl, because that would be copyright infringement, and we don't want that...but still, something I don't know...more G-N-R-ish...without being G-N-R?
Right. So I Hate temp tracks. Mostly. But we were fortunate that Tony used very bland, generic temp music. If this music was food, it would be at Rainbow Foods in the Generic Section, labeled 'Dramatic Music' in that generic black-text-on-white-label, and it would taste like overcooked oatmeal. This kind of temp track makes you sound like a pro, because pretty much anything you do will be better. So it worked out well, I did end up referencing the temp tracks in a couple places where I was unsure what kind of mood the director was shooting for.
Levels: Although Tony does not know it, (until he reads this) we disagreed about the levels of the very few sound effects Colin and I added. Tony and I have the same mantra, "We're all about the subtle." Difference is, that his is sarcastic and mine is not. That difference works out to about 20db. (ie: A LOT) Since this is a subjective thing, I didn't even bring it up.
Setting the levels should have been a breeze, but the original audio (recorded through the camera) had a lot of noise in it. I mixed the score to play over that noise. Rob had used SoundSoap on some noisy pieces of audio, and some were ADR-ed (audio was replaced in the studio). Once that background noise was reduced, it made the score sound Really Loud and so we had to remix on a scene-by scene basis. this was expected, and therefore a non-problem.
Locked Video: [Warning Rant Ahead] The standard procedure (as I know it) is once the Editing is finished, the locked video file is sent out to the other departments (score, audio mix, FX, color correction...) After that point, the video edits are Locked In Time, as in, They Don't Fucking Change. Never. Ever. Never Ever. This ensures the special effects and audio and such line up where they are supposed to on the final master.
Somehow, there was a difference between the Locked Video Track Colin and I were given (and mixed to), and the Color Corrected Locked Video Track for the final mix. As though somehow, David Copperfield had made thirty or so frames of video disappear. (I saw him make the Statue Of Liberty disappear on TV once...)
Like Magic, the score was off by one second, in the entire second half of the movie. Now, all music start and stop points had to be tweaked and checked. Fortunately, it was not as bad as I thought it would be, but I will make sure that for future projects, the expected completion date for scoring is moved accordingly if there are any time changes to the video.
Contracts: Contracts should be signed before work starts, not after. The contracts should not only have all the useless legal bullshit, but the timeline, what resources will be provided, and what is expected (file types and other requirements) Maybe this does not need to be in a legal signed document, but there should be an understanding of "what do you expect from me, in what period of time?" In this project, Colin and I simply agreed to drop songs from our album into the movie, and to score the spaces between the songs. (Official contracts were picked out later, from VersusMedia.com and will be signed before the final production master DVD is authored.) This worked out OK, because we are all friends and we all know each other. If working with/for people I don't know, I am getting it in writing beforehand.
All in all, I had fun. While it was work, it was fun-work. It is a nice hobby to have, and I look forward to scoring more movies. But first, I will stare into the jaws of Oblivion....
Sound off,
-CZ
Labels: indie movies, Pray For Daylight
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
Solstice Film Festival
The Solstice Film Festival begins today, and continues through the 25th. I think it is way overdue that Minnesota has it's own celebration of film, for the following reasons
1-There are many talented local people here in 'flyoverland'. Actors, filmmakers, musicians, audio producers... And there are even a few without issues and egos who can put together a decent film.
2-The world should be made aware that Minnesota is NOT LIKE ICELAND. In Iceland, all there is to do is drink, fish, and write progressive rock music. In Minnesota, we drink, fish, write progressive rock music AND make independent films. If you ever get confused, just remember Iceland has Bjork, Minnesota has Anna Lee (and that purple symbol guy, but we don't really talk about him anymore...)
3-Network television is a pitiful abomination. Watching it should make you either angry or depressed. Except maybe Public Television Channel 2.
I know Devin Halden and Bobby Marsden (ringleader of the local Fearless Filmmakers showings) have worked their tails off to help bring the Solstice Film Fest together.
I highly recommend that anyone with an interest in independent film check it out, and pretty soon the rest of the world will be calling Minneapolis "MinneWood" (wait a minute, that isn't such a great name after all.) OK, maybe Minnesota can be known as "New Hollywood" or "WinterWood" or something. Fine, maybe it should just stay Minnesota, but at least we can be known for having some talent other than tolerating temperatures of -1 degree Kelvin.
Blog on,
-C
0 Comments
Permalink
1-There are many talented local people here in 'flyoverland'. Actors, filmmakers, musicians, audio producers... And there are even a few without issues and egos who can put together a decent film.
2-The world should be made aware that Minnesota is NOT LIKE ICELAND. In Iceland, all there is to do is drink, fish, and write progressive rock music. In Minnesota, we drink, fish, write progressive rock music AND make independent films. If you ever get confused, just remember Iceland has Bjork, Minnesota has Anna Lee (and that purple symbol guy, but we don't really talk about him anymore...)
3-Network television is a pitiful abomination. Watching it should make you either angry or depressed. Except maybe Public Television Channel 2.
I know Devin Halden and Bobby Marsden (ringleader of the local Fearless Filmmakers showings) have worked their tails off to help bring the Solstice Film Fest together.
I highly recommend that anyone with an interest in independent film check it out, and pretty soon the rest of the world will be calling Minneapolis "MinneWood" (wait a minute, that isn't such a great name after all.) OK, maybe Minnesota can be known as "New Hollywood" or "WinterWood" or something. Fine, maybe it should just stay Minnesota, but at least we can be known for having some talent other than tolerating temperatures of -1 degree Kelvin.
Blog on,
-C
Labels: Hollywood, indie movies, Minneapolis Event
Saturday, June 17, 2006
Book Review: $30 Film School
I just finished Michael W Dean's $30 Film School. The subtitle is "Write, Finance, Direct, Produce, Shoot, Edit, Distribute, Tour With, and Sell Your Own No-Budget DIGITAL Movie." The target market is absolute newbies, (like myself) who don't know the difference between a producer and a director.
The Bad:
If you cut out every "I" in this book and taped them together they would circle the Earth. Twice. I wish authors would get their damn credentials, near-death-drug-rehab-and-how-it-changed-their-life-forever experience, and the worthless name-dropping out of the way in Chapter One so I can skip it and get to the 'how to' stuff I picked up the book to read about.
I didn't like the way Michael would beg people to work for him for free, and then piss and moan when they didn't come thru for him. Publishing the pissed off letter to someone who let you down is Childish, especially when the person was working for free (or not working for free, which makes as much sense).
Later in the book, he says "Film is built on relationships..." and "...it's all about people". Right. I have a feeling this man is good at making movies by himself, because no one will work with him.
The Good:
If you can sift thru the self-important bullshit, the rest is surprisingly good and chock-full of useful information. It has lots of useful tips on creating a movie yourself, everything from camera angles to format conversions, to duplication and distribution, clever methods for getting your film 'out there' and a good intro to contracts, copyrights and such.
I thought the best part of this book was the motivation. Michael W. Dean is clearly about the art, and wants you to be as well. Not quite Anti-Hollywood, but more Un-Hollywood. He doesn't mind living meagerly as long as he can make his art and get it out to people. He is one of the few people whose marketing practices I agree with: start by making talented art, and with a little legwork and some flyers, the world will bring an audience to you. Film it, and they will come...
The very very very best advice of all: Don't do art for the money. While Michael might be an arrogant flake, I must admit he is an arrogant flake with artistic integrity.
The last chapter of his book made me want to make an independant movie. (Wait a minute, I just did. Almost forgot) OK, it made me want to make another.
I give the book an 8 of 10. It could have been a 9 if he had taken out all references to himself (then it could have been shorter and named "$25 Film School"). It could have been a 9.5 if he didn't live in California, thriving in the center of the very industry and people he makes fun of.
Blog on,
-CZ
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The Bad:
If you cut out every "I" in this book and taped them together they would circle the Earth. Twice. I wish authors would get their damn credentials, near-death-drug-rehab-and-how-it-changed-their-life-forever experience, and the worthless name-dropping out of the way in Chapter One so I can skip it and get to the 'how to' stuff I picked up the book to read about.
I didn't like the way Michael would beg people to work for him for free, and then piss and moan when they didn't come thru for him. Publishing the pissed off letter to someone who let you down is Childish, especially when the person was working for free (or not working for free, which makes as much sense).
Later in the book, he says "Film is built on relationships..." and "...it's all about people". Right. I have a feeling this man is good at making movies by himself, because no one will work with him.
The Good:
If you can sift thru the self-important bullshit, the rest is surprisingly good and chock-full of useful information. It has lots of useful tips on creating a movie yourself, everything from camera angles to format conversions, to duplication and distribution, clever methods for getting your film 'out there' and a good intro to contracts, copyrights and such.
I thought the best part of this book was the motivation. Michael W. Dean is clearly about the art, and wants you to be as well. Not quite Anti-Hollywood, but more Un-Hollywood. He doesn't mind living meagerly as long as he can make his art and get it out to people. He is one of the few people whose marketing practices I agree with: start by making talented art, and with a little legwork and some flyers, the world will bring an audience to you. Film it, and they will come...
The very very very best advice of all: Don't do art for the money. While Michael might be an arrogant flake, I must admit he is an arrogant flake with artistic integrity.
The last chapter of his book made me want to make an independant movie. (Wait a minute, I just did. Almost forgot) OK, it made me want to make another.
I give the book an 8 of 10. It could have been a 9 if he had taken out all references to himself (then it could have been shorter and named "$25 Film School"). It could have been a 9.5 if he didn't live in California, thriving in the center of the very industry and people he makes fun of.
Blog on,
-CZ
Labels: Book Review, Hollywood, indie movies
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Movie Review: Conspiracy Hour
It is tough to objectively review your own movie, but after watching twenty or so entrants in the 48-hour film festival last night, it is not difficult to compare our movie with the others.
Thankfully, the title slate was shown before each movie, so the problem that our film did not have a name/title was minimized. Lesson Learned: Drop in simple crappy titles using the built-in title generator, and replace them with the fancy shit later. If you run out of time, or the files don't work, or are misspelled, you will be glad to have the simple crappy titles, it's better than nothing.
Acting: Robin Marie Whitt (Whom I always think of as Lucretia, and almost called her that on the set) was perfect as the role of Miss Sterling, and she carried 99% of the movie all by herself. Very expressive and the camera loves her. Jeff Schaffran's role as the janitor was unfortunately reduced to a blurry distant shot, and while Jeff excels at 'distant blurriness' I would have liked to see more of him. Edward's momentary appearance was perfectly creepy. I won't rate my own performance, since it was straight out of the Chris Carter School Of Stoic Acting, but the event coordinator, Ira Livingstone, did tell me he thought my voice work for the DJ character was good.
Sound Quality: Our sound was certainly in the top ten percent of the 20 movies I saw last night. The only ones that came close were majorly Pro Studios, or majorly ADR'ed, (meaning the sound was replaced in a studio) We were one of the very few teams that took the time to catch good sound on the set. Unfortunately, we did end up with a line of ADR which makes me cringe to see it, but this was another valuable lesson learned: Make sure to film each actor/location as though they were speaking but with their mouth not visible to the camera. That way, if something changes, or something was missed on the shoot, that footage can be used with any dialog ADR'ed instead.
Josh's mix was pro, and so were his sound FX. At the theatre, I thought the music/dialog ratio was a bit high, but I think it was the house system's EQ settings being different than our own, because it sounded fine on my home system. I thought the overall volume in the theatre could have been turned up, but that might just be me being spoiled by watching too many action films in Dubly Surround Sound.
Score: "Conspiracy Hour" had the one of the best music scores hands-down, and I can say that because I was not involved with the music. Colin Mallon did it all, and it kicks. Intentionally melodramatic, which really added to the odd/creepy factor. Many entries opted for canned, or preexisting music, which I think is cheating, same to me as if you used preexisting video, but it was allowed if you had rights to the music.
Story: I think story/plot made the biggest difference for me in my judgement of the 48-hour movies, because it is a place that is on more equal ground for all the teams. The resources for a good plot don't cost anything at all, and I edged my vote towards those movies with interesting ideas.
While our idea was not particularly new or clever, I think it was interesting, kind of a Twilight Zone comedy episode, SciFi/Horror/Comedy/Drama. We intentionally converted our film to Black and White in post production, to give it a older, Twilight Zoneish feel or like a bad horror movie (with Fresh Step Kitty Litter instead of Blood...) Because I know this is our genre, it makes me laugh. If you thought the movie was serious, you might think it was lame, and I imagine some people did. But the tinfoil joke got a much bigger laugh than I thought it would, and the line "Now take out your mirror, and approach the Beast", which I thought was a highlight of the movie hardly had any response at all. The two jokes might have been too close together, and the one overshadowed the other. It could also be that after a slew of beers and clove cigarettes at 4AM, saying "approach the Beast" is just damn funny, and had we shown the movie in context (at 4AM after beers and smokes) people would have laughed as hard as I did.
Overall Quality: There were far better movies than ours, but then again, there were movies made by teams of more than 20 people, (some were really industry professionals) who had been doing the festival for the last three years. One goal of the 48-hour film fest is to encourage independent film making. In that light, there should be more restrictions on the entries regarding team size and budget. Perhaps the team size should be shown on the voting ballots. A movie made by a team of 2 people is more impressive than the same movie made by 20 people. I think all cameras used in the movie should cost less than $1000.
Regardless, "Conspiracy Hour" stood out among the contestants, probably in the 'Upper Middle Class' maybe a 6-7 out of 10. With some very small tweaks it could have been in the 7-8 range. What this tells me is that Next Year, the other teams better watch out...
Blog on,
-CZ
0 Comments
Permalink
Thankfully, the title slate was shown before each movie, so the problem that our film did not have a name/title was minimized. Lesson Learned: Drop in simple crappy titles using the built-in title generator, and replace them with the fancy shit later. If you run out of time, or the files don't work, or are misspelled, you will be glad to have the simple crappy titles, it's better than nothing.
Acting: Robin Marie Whitt (Whom I always think of as Lucretia, and almost called her that on the set) was perfect as the role of Miss Sterling, and she carried 99% of the movie all by herself. Very expressive and the camera loves her. Jeff Schaffran's role as the janitor was unfortunately reduced to a blurry distant shot, and while Jeff excels at 'distant blurriness' I would have liked to see more of him. Edward's momentary appearance was perfectly creepy. I won't rate my own performance, since it was straight out of the Chris Carter School Of Stoic Acting, but the event coordinator, Ira Livingstone, did tell me he thought my voice work for the DJ character was good.
Sound Quality: Our sound was certainly in the top ten percent of the 20 movies I saw last night. The only ones that came close were majorly Pro Studios, or majorly ADR'ed, (meaning the sound was replaced in a studio) We were one of the very few teams that took the time to catch good sound on the set. Unfortunately, we did end up with a line of ADR which makes me cringe to see it, but this was another valuable lesson learned: Make sure to film each actor/location as though they were speaking but with their mouth not visible to the camera. That way, if something changes, or something was missed on the shoot, that footage can be used with any dialog ADR'ed instead.
Josh's mix was pro, and so were his sound FX. At the theatre, I thought the music/dialog ratio was a bit high, but I think it was the house system's EQ settings being different than our own, because it sounded fine on my home system. I thought the overall volume in the theatre could have been turned up, but that might just be me being spoiled by watching too many action films in Dubly Surround Sound.
Score: "Conspiracy Hour" had the one of the best music scores hands-down, and I can say that because I was not involved with the music. Colin Mallon did it all, and it kicks. Intentionally melodramatic, which really added to the odd/creepy factor. Many entries opted for canned, or preexisting music, which I think is cheating, same to me as if you used preexisting video, but it was allowed if you had rights to the music.
Story: I think story/plot made the biggest difference for me in my judgement of the 48-hour movies, because it is a place that is on more equal ground for all the teams. The resources for a good plot don't cost anything at all, and I edged my vote towards those movies with interesting ideas.
While our idea was not particularly new or clever, I think it was interesting, kind of a Twilight Zone comedy episode, SciFi/Horror/Comedy/Drama. We intentionally converted our film to Black and White in post production, to give it a older, Twilight Zoneish feel or like a bad horror movie (with Fresh Step Kitty Litter instead of Blood...) Because I know this is our genre, it makes me laugh. If you thought the movie was serious, you might think it was lame, and I imagine some people did. But the tinfoil joke got a much bigger laugh than I thought it would, and the line "Now take out your mirror, and approach the Beast", which I thought was a highlight of the movie hardly had any response at all. The two jokes might have been too close together, and the one overshadowed the other. It could also be that after a slew of beers and clove cigarettes at 4AM, saying "approach the Beast" is just damn funny, and had we shown the movie in context (at 4AM after beers and smokes) people would have laughed as hard as I did.
Overall Quality: There were far better movies than ours, but then again, there were movies made by teams of more than 20 people, (some were really industry professionals) who had been doing the festival for the last three years. One goal of the 48-hour film fest is to encourage independent film making. In that light, there should be more restrictions on the entries regarding team size and budget. Perhaps the team size should be shown on the voting ballots. A movie made by a team of 2 people is more impressive than the same movie made by 20 people. I think all cameras used in the movie should cost less than $1000.
Regardless, "Conspiracy Hour" stood out among the contestants, probably in the 'Upper Middle Class' maybe a 6-7 out of 10. With some very small tweaks it could have been in the 7-8 range. What this tells me is that Next Year, the other teams better watch out...
Blog on,
-CZ
Labels: Conspiracy Hour, indie movies, movie reviews
Monday, June 12, 2006
48-Hour Film Festival
I wish I could have blogged the experience of the 48-hour film festival while it unfolded, its very nature precluded me from luxuries like blogging, sleeping, and playing Oblivion. Anyway, I will recount as best I can the craziness which took place last weekend.
For those who don't know, the 48-hour film festival is a contest in which teams of local independent filmmakers are tasked to make a movie in 48 hours. Plot, script, cast, set, practice, dress, makeup, shoot, score, edit, effect, and burn a movie 4-7 minutes in length. In 48 hours. Each team draws a random genre, and are given a character, prop, and line of dialog to include in their movie. This helps to insure that the movies were actually made during the 48 hours. The prize? Nothing. Well, if you turn your movie in on time, you are guaranteed to get it shown the following week. And the best films in the nation do get pressed on a DVD and get nationwide distribution. The best movie out of all the movies might get something, but I don't really know or care what that might be. My meager goal was to make a movie that doesn't suck, to learn a bit, and stretch outside my comfort zone a bit, and push the real limits of my sleeping schedule.
PRELUDE - "The Nine" were assembled. We all discussed what jobs we would like to do for the movie. Since it was my bright idea, I was decreed the Producer. (I later learned that Producer means Person Who Takes Credit For the Work Of Others) Cool. I also expressed my interest in voiceover or acting if necessary, and for editing. While I am more comfortable in the music/recording/scoring department, I wanted to do something different. To be honest, I have Adobe Premiere and I want to know how it works.
Sarah was unanimously voted in as Director. Jeff and I were to work with her in script writing. James would handle graphics, some camerawork and lighting assistance, and assist with final rendering. Jess would handle catering, and help with camerawork, editing and art direction. Nancy would assist the director on set and help Christina with art direction / set decoration. Josh would record audio separately on set and handle all audio mixing in post. Colin would write the original score.
FRIDAY - At 6PM Jeff, Colin and I arrived at Cuzzy's on Washington Ave. The group of festers was standing around the parking lot. Energy and enthusiasm so thick you could swim in it. You could tell that most people were thrilled just to be a part of the event, and that everyone who finished the project would be a winner. It was a group of peers about to undergo the same ordeal, not a group of enemies to conquer. There were a handful who thought they were pretty important, but they were obvious and completely harmless unless you pretended not to know who they were.
I stood in line for the genre draw. The second person ahead of me drew "Road Trip" Hmm. Not too keen on that one. I was hoping for "Horror" or "Spy" myself. The person right ahead of me drew "Silent Film" Ick. That is the only genre we would have thrown back. I fished around in the hat, trying to read the tickets with my fingers the way I've seen blind people read the newspaper. It didn't work. I drew "Sci Fi" Wow, I thought. I didn't even know that was one of the genres! Cool!
The prop was a wallet, the character was a DJ named Frank Mooney, and the line was "Thanks for your help, Thanks alot."
I make the call back to base and they put me on speakerphone:
"So? What did we get?"
me: "Are you guys sitting down?"
"Why? What Did We Get?"
me: "Um, Transgender Coming Of Age Film"
Silence. I guess they believed me.
me: "Just kidding, we got Sci Fi."
Silence.
Me: "Hello?"
Cheers all around.
We headed back to home base and all nine of us started hashing ideas for the plot. There were a lot of really good ideas, but what made the plot really come together was the location. Jess got permission to use her school to shoot the movie. The whole school. I got two words for you "Boiler Room". The difficulty with Sci Fi genre is props. Do you really need teleporters? Ray guns? No, but you do need a fog generator, which we have. We hacked together a quick plot about an alien running around a school that you never actually see on camera, who turns bodies into....um....something. We would figure that out later. And it's in Black And White. Cool. The writers were turned loose, and a script was finished around midnight.
SATURDAY - Some shooting went on in my basement for the radio DJ, Frank Mooney. Turns out he has a paranormal call in talk show. I played the DJ, and ran through the following lines at 4AM after 2 beers, and 3 clove cigarettes.
"I believe Ann is in the room with a Basiliqoid. Ann are you still with me?"
"As we all know the best way to destroy the Gorgonese is to show them their own reflection. Ann, do you have a mirror?"
"Good, now take out your mirror, and approach the beast."
I'm telling you, it's hard to say lines like that with a straight face.
While I attended the shoot at the school, I felt fairly useless. I was getting in the way more than not, so I wandered, and got some drinks for everyone when we ran low. Basically, I waited for the first tape to fill up with video, so I could start import/edit. That happened around 4ish. Totally on schedule.
I imported and labeled all clips from both tapes, and deleted some obvious flubs. Then we adjourned to Casa De Mallon for Homemade Lasagna. Damn. I'm telling you, our movie should win an award for Best Catering. Then back to work, I started editing, and Sarah took a nap. I imagine we were behind schedule at this point, but since I was the producer, I gave myself a stern talking-to, then ignored myself, and hopped to it. At around midnight, Sarah came down and took over editing. At around 4:30AM the video was locked down, and I went to bed.
SUNDAY - I awoke at 9AM to find most people gone, but some still sleeping in various rooms of the house. We gathered troops and headed to Casa De Mallon for breakfast. I watched Josh and Colin sweat out the audio and music, they were both in the zone, and didn't need much help from me.
I won't know the rest of the crunch that day, since I had some family functions to attend, but I called back and yelled at Sarah, (which I think producers are supposed to do) and told her the movie was taking too long, and was way over budget. I think the $1.25 I spent on the props (gum with foil wrappers) was an infinite increase over the $0,00 we had budgeted. Someone had also bought cat litter. I guess that's what our alien turns people into.
I met Colin and Sarah at Cuzzy's at 7PM. Turn in time. Deadline. We made it, with a half hour to spare. Back to the Mallon Residence for a final viewing of the movie.
My mantra for this movie (like many other things in my life) was "do the best you can with the resources you have" And there is no question we did just that. We made a movie, and while it is rough, it certainly does not suck. I can say it looks pretty damn good for a group of newbies making a movie in 48 hours on a budget of $1.25 and one bag of cat litter. I can't wait to see how it plays to an audience against the other entries.
Check back here later this week for a link, I will certainly put the film on Google Video or something...
Blog on,
-CZ
0 Comments
Permalink
For those who don't know, the 48-hour film festival is a contest in which teams of local independent filmmakers are tasked to make a movie in 48 hours. Plot, script, cast, set, practice, dress, makeup, shoot, score, edit, effect, and burn a movie 4-7 minutes in length. In 48 hours. Each team draws a random genre, and are given a character, prop, and line of dialog to include in their movie. This helps to insure that the movies were actually made during the 48 hours. The prize? Nothing. Well, if you turn your movie in on time, you are guaranteed to get it shown the following week. And the best films in the nation do get pressed on a DVD and get nationwide distribution. The best movie out of all the movies might get something, but I don't really know or care what that might be. My meager goal was to make a movie that doesn't suck, to learn a bit, and stretch outside my comfort zone a bit, and push the real limits of my sleeping schedule.
PRELUDE - "The Nine" were assembled. We all discussed what jobs we would like to do for the movie. Since it was my bright idea, I was decreed the Producer. (I later learned that Producer means Person Who Takes Credit For the Work Of Others) Cool. I also expressed my interest in voiceover or acting if necessary, and for editing. While I am more comfortable in the music/recording/scoring department, I wanted to do something different. To be honest, I have Adobe Premiere and I want to know how it works.
Sarah was unanimously voted in as Director. Jeff and I were to work with her in script writing. James would handle graphics, some camerawork and lighting assistance, and assist with final rendering. Jess would handle catering, and help with camerawork, editing and art direction. Nancy would assist the director on set and help Christina with art direction / set decoration. Josh would record audio separately on set and handle all audio mixing in post. Colin would write the original score.
FRIDAY - At 6PM Jeff, Colin and I arrived at Cuzzy's on Washington Ave. The group of festers was standing around the parking lot. Energy and enthusiasm so thick you could swim in it. You could tell that most people were thrilled just to be a part of the event, and that everyone who finished the project would be a winner. It was a group of peers about to undergo the same ordeal, not a group of enemies to conquer. There were a handful who thought they were pretty important, but they were obvious and completely harmless unless you pretended not to know who they were.
I stood in line for the genre draw. The second person ahead of me drew "Road Trip" Hmm. Not too keen on that one. I was hoping for "Horror" or "Spy" myself. The person right ahead of me drew "Silent Film" Ick. That is the only genre we would have thrown back. I fished around in the hat, trying to read the tickets with my fingers the way I've seen blind people read the newspaper. It didn't work. I drew "Sci Fi" Wow, I thought. I didn't even know that was one of the genres! Cool!
The prop was a wallet, the character was a DJ named Frank Mooney, and the line was "Thanks for your help, Thanks alot."
I make the call back to base and they put me on speakerphone:
"So? What did we get?"
me: "Are you guys sitting down?"
"Why? What Did We Get?"
me: "Um, Transgender Coming Of Age Film"
Silence. I guess they believed me.
me: "Just kidding, we got Sci Fi."
Silence.
Me: "Hello?"
Cheers all around.
We headed back to home base and all nine of us started hashing ideas for the plot. There were a lot of really good ideas, but what made the plot really come together was the location. Jess got permission to use her school to shoot the movie. The whole school. I got two words for you "Boiler Room". The difficulty with Sci Fi genre is props. Do you really need teleporters? Ray guns? No, but you do need a fog generator, which we have. We hacked together a quick plot about an alien running around a school that you never actually see on camera, who turns bodies into....um....something. We would figure that out later. And it's in Black And White. Cool. The writers were turned loose, and a script was finished around midnight.
SATURDAY - Some shooting went on in my basement for the radio DJ, Frank Mooney. Turns out he has a paranormal call in talk show. I played the DJ, and ran through the following lines at 4AM after 2 beers, and 3 clove cigarettes.
"I believe Ann is in the room with a Basiliqoid. Ann are you still with me?"
"As we all know the best way to destroy the Gorgonese is to show them their own reflection. Ann, do you have a mirror?"
"Good, now take out your mirror, and approach the beast."
I'm telling you, it's hard to say lines like that with a straight face.
While I attended the shoot at the school, I felt fairly useless. I was getting in the way more than not, so I wandered, and got some drinks for everyone when we ran low. Basically, I waited for the first tape to fill up with video, so I could start import/edit. That happened around 4ish. Totally on schedule.
I imported and labeled all clips from both tapes, and deleted some obvious flubs. Then we adjourned to Casa De Mallon for Homemade Lasagna. Damn. I'm telling you, our movie should win an award for Best Catering. Then back to work, I started editing, and Sarah took a nap. I imagine we were behind schedule at this point, but since I was the producer, I gave myself a stern talking-to, then ignored myself, and hopped to it. At around midnight, Sarah came down and took over editing. At around 4:30AM the video was locked down, and I went to bed.
SUNDAY - I awoke at 9AM to find most people gone, but some still sleeping in various rooms of the house. We gathered troops and headed to Casa De Mallon for breakfast. I watched Josh and Colin sweat out the audio and music, they were both in the zone, and didn't need much help from me.
I won't know the rest of the crunch that day, since I had some family functions to attend, but I called back and yelled at Sarah, (which I think producers are supposed to do) and told her the movie was taking too long, and was way over budget. I think the $1.25 I spent on the props (gum with foil wrappers) was an infinite increase over the $0,00 we had budgeted. Someone had also bought cat litter. I guess that's what our alien turns people into.
I met Colin and Sarah at Cuzzy's at 7PM. Turn in time. Deadline. We made it, with a half hour to spare. Back to the Mallon Residence for a final viewing of the movie.
My mantra for this movie (like many other things in my life) was "do the best you can with the resources you have" And there is no question we did just that. We made a movie, and while it is rough, it certainly does not suck. I can say it looks pretty damn good for a group of newbies making a movie in 48 hours on a budget of $1.25 and one bag of cat litter. I can't wait to see how it plays to an audience against the other entries.
Check back here later this week for a link, I will certainly put the film on Google Video or something...
Blog on,
-CZ
Labels: Conspiracy Hour, indie movies, Videos
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