Coffee and Celluloid

You Still Want to Do This?

Posted December 6th, 2008 at 6:54 am by C47

I was thinking back to when I was on the Burn Notice set. I was already working most of the day, and they were running late and shooting until midnight. When we finally wrapped, one of the Assistant Director’s, thinking the late shoot must have been a shock, asked, “You still want to do this?”

I just got home and it’s 2 AM. I have to get up at 7:30. Yep, I’ll still do this.

BTW - Today went a lot smoother than the past two days. But again, it’s 2 AM. More TK.

This post is part of the Moviccino, taking you through the production of a movie from start to finish.

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In Production: Day 1 - Off to a Good Start

Posted December 4th, 2008 at 2:59 am by C47

This will be short. Day 1 went off smoothly. The main issue for the day was to get a police car to film in, and that ended up working out through some word of mouth.

It was rediculously cold this morning in the middle of a pig farm. Pigs are also quite funny, as well as quite noisy. And dirty.

I woke up at 4 AM, and it’s now coming on 2 AM, which brings this to a 22 hour day. Yet I haven’t felt this energized in weeks, and I’m not very tired, which explains this late night blogging.

Per my previous post, I realized the Venti days of Monday and Tuesday weren’t entirely my doing. There was a large amount of information I needed but didn’t have, such as a schedule of when we would be where.

The stress addicting day of Monday was more out of necessity than procrastination, yet still fun and addicting.

Time to go to sleep (fully clothed) so I can get up in four hours. Film production life - I wouldn’t have it any other way.

This post is part of the Moviccino, taking you through the production of a movie from start to finish.

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Crew Call - The Cast Behind the Camera

Posted November 29th, 2008 at 10:21 pm by C47

One big problem Undercover has presented that I haven’t had to deal with before is finding a crew. Normally set is considered a class, so having people to show up and work isn’t a concern.

However, since this is an extra film not part of the curriculum, we’ve had to scrape together a crew. It’ll come together, but it’s just one extra thing to add to a long to-do list.

People are usually surprised at how many people it takes to make a film, especially at how specific some jobs are (”All they do is move the camera? They just turn a knob to adjust focus?”).

A lot of jobs on a film set come down to time and quality. Yes, you can do most of these jobs with a few people - you hear of a few friends making a movie all the time. But when one person covers many areas, the quality suffers. And in order to get that high production value that you see in Hollywood films, you need highly trained people in highly specialized jobs.

When it’s one person’s job to focus on just one thing, that thing will be done perfectly. And it will save time, and time is money.

Compared to a large production, our crew is extremely small, with just the basics for each department.

To break it down, here’s what our crew looks like: More »

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Coffee Break - Blue is the New Red Huge Roast of Links

Posted November 5th, 2008 at 2:16 pm by C47

So a while back I used to post cool links each Wednesday for a Coffee Break series. For many reasons (mainly time and laziness), I haven’t posted cool links in a while. But I still have a bunch saved up.

So in the spirit of new beginnings, I’m just going to offload everything I’ve had stored up and start fresh.

And just to recap why yesterday was one of the greatest days of my life: Voted in my first presidential election, free Starbucks, free Krispy Kreme, got an iPhone(!), ScottDobie thought my tweet “I feel like today is the day Frodo tosses the ring into Mount Doom” was wittier than both Leo Laporte and John Hodgman, watched the election results at the Democrat results party with all my friends, and the good guy finally won!

The best part - Obama robot at Disney’s Hall of Presidents!

Now enjoy the links.

The company now offers celebrity wannabe packages, including the A-List—Ariel’s choice—which gives clients four personal paparazzi for 30 minutes and a mock-up of a high-gloss tabloid magazine cover with their picture, for $730. The Superstar package ($990) lasts for an hour and the Megastar ($3,000) provides clients with six paparazzi for two hours, limo service, a publicist and a bodyguard. And for customers who hope to get into places like the Waverly Inn or La Esquina just because of the scene they’re setting, it’s priceless, says Drew Tinnin, Celeb 4 A Day’s New York manager. “We’ve gotten people past the velvet rope. Restaurants and clubs usually like the attention we get them when we show up with our clients.”

15 Minutes of Fame, On Sale Now | Page Six Magazine | The New York Post.

Objectified: A Documentary Film by Gary Hustwit - On seven years in the indie film business

From the director of my fav Helvetica on how he’s made a living doing small documentaries.

The Gentleman’s Guide to the Calling Card | The Art of Manliness (via Chic and Charming)

Documentary Club - If you like documentaries

Hi-Res Star Trek Comic-Con Posters - Movie News

Day 1, Chip Heath on Flickr - Very cool illustration explaining the must-read book ‘Made to Stick‘

Full List of Stuff White People Like « Stuff White People Like - Very funny. One of the fastest Blog-to-Book examples

indieWIRE: FIRST PERSON | Film Department’s Mark Gill: “Yes, The Sky Really Is Falling.” - I plan to write more about this, but if you haven’t read it - do so

Channel 4 recreates The Shining to promote its Kubrick season | Media | guardian.co.uk

2008 Design Trends - Very cool designs for inspiration

Metropolis « Finding Some Direction - The missing reels from Metropolis have been found. This is so amazing.

The Steady Approach Part 2 | B&H Photo Video Pro Audio (via Coudal) - Interview with Garrett Brown, inventor of the Steadicam

The Media Equation - Little Movies, Big Problems - NYTimes.com - Indie films not doing so hot

Filmmaker Magazine | Spring 2008: NO VACANCY - The Visitor, the only indie film that did pretty good this year

Typeface - Documentary on Typeface. I have a feeling I’ll like this film. Helvetica and Typeface box set coming soon? Wingdings as a special feature?

The Simple Dollar » How To Write an Effective Thank You Note for Any Occasion

The Ira Glass Guide to Link Bait | Copyblogger

Cat got your tongue, follow these tips — Young Go Getter

What Does A Stylish Man Look Like?

Grocery List: Never Forget an Item at the Supermarket - These two links good for craft service shopping

grocerylists.org | FREE DOWNLOADABLE GROCERY LIST

Mastering the Informational Interview - Shifting Careers - Small Business - New York Times Blog

russell davies: how to be interesting

the media artist: Are You Interesting?

Prepping for Warren Buffett: The Art of the Elevator Pitch (Videos) | The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss

johnaugust.com » Scripting a short film

johnaugust.com » Rethinking motivation

From the Heart Productions :: The Roy W. Dean Film and Writing Grants

Ultimate Video Relay | How it Works

south by southwest festivals + conferences

The Best Places to Watch Documentary Movies Online | MakeUseOf.com

2008 Animated Shorts Nominees — OZOUX.COM

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