We’re doing a lighting/sound skillshare this Sunday, and I’m looking at our lighting options. Ideally I’d like a kit so we can try 3-point lighting but if you have anything — or know folks who do — let me know via a comment or an email in the next day or two. I will rent from Trinity Square Video if nothing turns up, so the skillshare will happen regardless — let me know if you’d like to attend.
Author:
The Boys From Brazil (1978)
Posted by – December 15, 2008
Bob suggested this one when I mentioned the Play’n concept. A nazi hunter stumbles across a plot in South America where the remnants of the Reich are implementing a socio-genetic plan using “the world as [Joseph Mengele’s] laboratory”. This might give you a hint as to what they’re up to:
A definite lo-fi sci-fi movie. This kind of plot could easily have slid into B-movie schlock, but it’s a good deal smarter and subtler. It’s not good enough to be great, but not bad enough to be funny — which is why I expect I hadn’t heard of it.
Money For Nothing
Posted by – December 12, 2008
So, odds are good we will have the same budget that we had on Infest Wisely — $0 — and personally, I think this makes things simpler than having to decide who gets a tiny bit of money, and who gets none. What I want to talk about is the small, but present, possibility we are able to sell this after it’s made. How will we divide any profit fairly on a project where some people will be contributing an hour, and others hundreds of hours?
This is largely a hypothetical exercise in alternative economics, but also a practical consideration of fairness. My gut says that an hour my time is worth no more than someone who’s holding the boom pole (especially since I did both with the last movie). If people consider me more integral to the project as the writer, well, I also get a “bonus” of attention and having my vision realized. I propose that we log our hours, and divide up any money at the end accordingly.
Please let me know what you think in the comments, and if you’ve heard of other projects with alternative profit-sharing schemes please point us at them. Obviously we will need to further flesh this out but I wanted to float it first.
Film Fort
Posted by – December 12, 2008
Winston Hacking, who got in touch to offer help on the movie, organizes a movie night that looks great called Film Fort. I’m gonna go to their next one on Tues the 16th (263 Adelaide West, Apt 404), maybe see some of you there!
Play’n
Posted by – December 10, 2008
In 2014, the hottest toys for babies are Play’n Advantage brand. Backed by studies and reports, the odd but undeniably engaging products are sold out two weeks before Christmas… and then never go into production again. A year after that, the sought-after toys themselves break and disintegrate, dissolving in a similar fashion to the corporate entity that produced them.
It would all chalked up to eccentric inventors, but the Play’n babies are testing off the charts. Twenty years later, their emotional, intellectual and creative capacities (depending on which toy they played with the most) make them valued but somewhat ostracised members of society.
They form a weird subculture that’s parts toy nostalgia, hyperdevelopment, and mystery: what was behind the Play’n company? What were they given Advantages for?
Crossing our Is and dotting our Ts
Posted by – December 3, 2008
Update: You can see what we’ve decided to do in No to ACTRA, Yes to Releases, Maybe to Cyberhats but I’ll leave this here for archival purposes.
I’m thinking about doing stuff legally with this movie, where it doesn’t cramp our style. It’d keep our options open for a broadcast sales, and doing paperwork at the beginning of the process is easier than at the end when I’ll be wanting to promote the movie and get it out there and move on to the next project. Some issues I have to look into are:
- If we use ACTRA union actors, we have to clear it with the union before hand — I have heard differing reports on how difficult this is;
- Locations permission forms, rather than just a blind eye turned — I’m thinking alleys might be public space, or at least quasi public space, and may not require locations permissions;
- We need to get actors and extras to sign release forms — I’d like to have them read it before the shoot rather than just thrusting it into their hands.
I’m planning to meet with a couple of experienced movie makers and I expect to have many more bullets to add after consulting with them, but any input is appreciated.
Lighting and Sound Skillshare
Posted by – December 3, 2008
I’m going to this Trinity Square Video workshop this weekend on Lighting and Sound. It had a max of 4 and is full, unfortunately, but I’m thinking I could probably take notes and (along with one of the other more experienced directors) run a free workshop for this project’s participants. If you’d like to participate let me know in the comments (Dec. 21 aft is good for me). Any other skillshares that would be good?
Alleyologist
Posted by – November 27, 2008
I was talking about the alley theme with Sean last night and he brought up this guy who gives alley tours, which made me say “Alleyologist”. It rolled really nicely off the tongue, and I’ve been picturing a trailer:
A tall, good looking young man with a doctor’s bag walks through an alley.
He’s peering at small things in the alley very closely, an earnest look on his face.
A close up on his mouth as he speaks into a small dictaphone: “The city… is sick.”
A hipster girl, arms crossed, gently mocks him. “So what — a bit of garbage in an alley makes you panic?”
He responds intensely: “Of course not. Alleys are the lower organs of the urban organism. Garbage, grafitti, all these things are like flora in the lower intestines. They’re natural. It’s something else.”
I’m seeing alleyology as being this slightly arcane practise passed down from his father — they’ve been monitoring, and in some cases treating, the cities they live in for generations (I’m imagining a great great father who was an ex-flâneur in France). He’s slightly out of step with modern life due to his passion and focus, but the girl has a serious crush on him…
Positions Available
Posted by – November 27, 2008
If we can find good people for these roles I’d like to assign them early in the process.
The Phantom of Liberty (1974)
Posted by – November 27, 2008
Flick suggested this to me after seeing Infest Wisely as having a disjointed (though disjointed in a different way) story structure. This scene made me think of the minorly alternate universes idea.
I found the movie engaging on a “how will he shock us next” kind of way, but it feels more like a comedy sketch or music video, lacking any emotive power.