Well That's Neat

I write like
Douglas Adams

I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing!

No Budget Moviemaking From Script To Screen

Right now Real Vampires is on hold while I catch up on Monster Cops. I'm still planning out auditions and working out casting, but my main concentration is on these Monster Cops episodes. Real Vampires auditions will have to wait for a week.

Just finished re-writes on the episode titled CHIMERA. I'm editing the episode called DREAD as well as planning insert shots for that. And next week we'll get all the office shots for CHIMERA, as well as for DREAD, and DEAD BY DAWN. So yes it's looking like 3 more complete 20 minute episodes before Oct. This hopefully means a DVD with 5 episodes to complete series 1. But things happen when you self distribute, so we shall see.

I'm not even going to talk about the Werewolf Episode, titled BLOOD MOON, which I have yet to do re-writes on. This may have to wait for Series 2 DVD, as I am only halfway through the Werewolf Costume.

Right now I'm concentrating on Chimera. Now that the script is finished, it's been emailed to some of the cast, and now I have to send specific pages to the rest of the cast and the crew. What do you do once you have a complete script? What needs to be done to get it shot.

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION
First is figure out which scenes have the most cast members in it. Let's knock that out first. The office scenes have 4 to 6 characters talking at once, with many extras in the background. Time to find out if your location is available. Our office set is free next Wed, Thu, and Fri after 5pm. I may not need all those days, but it's best to plan for that anyways. Now it's time to contact everyone to see who is free on that schedule.

CAST AVAILABILITY
This is no budget moviemaking. You aren't paying anyone. So you are at the mercy of work schedules and personal problems. They show up because they want to and if they can. So plan for something to go wrong. Everyone I've contacted is free except for one actor. This person just so happened to have a lot of lines, but he has several scheduling conflicts, so that's a no go. Note: I'm not at all angry about it. Because I fully planned for this to happen, also I fully respect my actors and their own schedules. I've planned it so his lines would be easily transferable to another actor, so no major change in plot. So I call one of the other actors to let them know they have more lines.

Another problem. I have a scene between two actors but they aren't available on the same schedule. One is only free on Thursday, where the other one is only free on Wednesday and Friday. What do I do? Cut the scene. If there is an important plot point or message in that scene that is pivotal to the story, then those lines get transferred to another scene. No problem.

PROPS AND COSTUME
Now figure out what scenes you are shooting at that location. Highlight those specific pages. Start making notes on the side next to the start of each scene. The two main lists are PROPS and COSTUMES. Make a list for each scene what props are required, what costumes. Again we are no budget, so everyone brings their own costume. It's office attire mixed with police and military gear. So contact those who are in office attire let them know what to wear. Anyone in police or tactical gear, all they have to do is wear black or camo, I've got the majority of the tactical vests (yay Ebay). Since this is a multi departmental agency mixed with all military branches, For further authenticity I ask any local cops or soldiers I may know if they want to show up on set with their gear on. Many of them are more than happy to.

I've got majority of all props, but I send out an email with a list to see if anyone can fill in the blanks. Thankfully nothing is needed specifically for the storyline, just for the look, so if we don't get it, no biggie.

SHOT LIST
When I write I keep the shots in mind so I often times write in specific camera directions. Although I've shot at this location several times, prepare for anything and everything to go wrong. Maybe a room you were hoping was available is closed off. Or they painted the walls in the hall you wanted to use, and it's going to take a week for it to dry. I keep this in mind when I write out the shot list. At the start of each scene next to your props and costumes list, I right out the shot list. This is just the basic shots and angles I need to convey the action in the script.

Script Action:
"Close up of hand as it turns the door knob. The door swings open revealing the evil monster behind it."

Shot List:
- CU/LA Hand to knob. (That's Close Up / Low Angle Hand to Knob)
- XCU Knob turning. (Extreme Close Up)
- WS behind actor door opens (WS= Wide Shot)
- Rev Shot Reaction (Reverse Shot meaning shot of the actor from behind the door)
- MS Monster Growling (Medium Shot)

Mind you this is just an example. Monster Cops is shot documentary style so the shot descriptions are more complex than this. Also there are some abbreviations that I use that you may not learn in any film school. It's short hand to myself, because I'm pretty much the only person that reads the shot list.

I make a list of the basic shots (meaning the bare minimum of what I need in case I can't get what I really want), with side notes to any more creative shots that I might be able to actually get. Often times I don't have enough room for my entire shot list for each scene, so I write it out on a separate sheet and attach it to the script.

I have software that pretty much does all of the above, but I hardly ever use it. I'm so use to writing it all out myself. Also I do have call sheets, schedules, and all the traditional movie forms, but again, I hardly use them. With the exception of the releases.

SCHEDULE
Over a period of 3 days, starting at 6pm til 9:30pm, I need to get the shot list done. This is how you break it down. You're no longer following the script, you're relying on the shot list. Everyone should know their lines, everyone should have the proper costume, everything else is about getting the shots. So I double check that everyone will be there at about 6pm. And of course they are not. Some of them can't be there til 7:30 or 8pm. Not a problem. Figure out which scenes you can shoot with the actors that will be there at 6pm. Can't do it? Then figure out which shots you can get with the actors you'll have. Maybe you can knock out all of their Close Ups or Medium Shots. You can probably get their dialogue out of the way. Then when the other actors show up, you get their shots, then do the master shot, or wide shot, so we can see everyone in the same scenes.

So write out the times you need to get started, what scene or shots you can get at specific times. 6pm pages 4, 5, and 8, Close Ups of Martha, Jane, and Nathan. 7pm pages 7, 10, and 13 Medium Shots of Jones, Cutter, and Weir. And so on. Honestly, it never works. Why? Because people show up late. They drop their lines (especially me) and they get to laughing, alot. So your 6pm shots end up finishing at 7:30pm. And you have to push your schedule back. But it's fine, because it's good to prepare, because if you're not prepared you may be screwed. If everyone does show up on time and gets their lines right, and you're the one who's not on the ball, chaos will ensue. Chaos with a big group of people, in a location that you do not own. So keep your shit together.

This is everything I'm working on now. Soon I'll be contacting everyone to double check their schedule, and make changes to my lists and schedules as needed.

Other things you want to keep in mind when shooting your own scenes with several cast members.
- You can't afford to feed anyone, but a few snacks, candy, and definitely bottled water should be considered.
- Make sure there is a bathroom. This should be common sense. Also people need a place to change in and out of their costumes.
- Bring your own trashcan and trash bags. We are borrowing somebodies office. It's best to leave it the way you found it, which means keep and take out your own trash. This is true especially if you have a very large group of people in your cast and crew.

Here's my on set checklist. What I need to remember for every shoot:
Alot of this is common sense, but when you're juggling so much, you'd be surprised what you forget when you're in a rush. Making lists saves my life on a daily basis.
- Camera
- Batteries
- Plug Adapter / Extension Cords
- Tripod
- Lights
- Digital Audio Recorder
- Lav Mic
- Extra Batteries for both
- Tape Stock or Memory Cards
- Script / Shot List
- Energy Bar / Water (Gotta keep your energy up / stay hyrdated, think like you're running a marathon)
- Prop Box
- Costume Box
- Releases (Photo Release/Group Release) Anyone you're shooting must sign. It must be clear that 1) They are doing this for credit only, no money. 2) They give you permission to use their likeness and voice in anyway you see fit, thereby giving you the freedom to create what you need to. Also this helps tremendously when you're typing out the end credits.

This is all about organization and communication. Whatever your method is, whether you stick to traditional forms used in studio filmmaking, or you have your own techniques, in the end it's all about organization and communication. Make whatever lists you need to help keep you in order, and be sure you're in contact with your cast and crew, let them know what they need to know. Get them times, dates, directions to the location, details on make up and costume, and of course their script pages.

Do whatever it takes to help keep your shit together.

LINKS
Monster Cops The Series http://monstercops.com
Patrick's Blog http://patrickprejusa.com

My Soccer Partner

Such a great video. Yes it's an ad. Great idea.



My Soccer Partner
Uploaded by jeannasr. - Watch more comedy videos and sitcoms.

Tron Legacy

Very excited about this. Love trailer 2. Trailer 3 is not as powerful, unless of course you've been a fan for 20 years.

Tron Legacy Trailer 2


Tron Legacy Trailer 3


For some reason this all made me think of Dark City.

Dark City

Never underestimate your ability to travel. Never take your time for granted. And don't forget to make sure your optics are clear.

You can make alot happen in 24 hours.

RV First Test

Simple and quick titles test.

Burgess Jenkins Acting Reel

3 Weeks of work. Pulling video from several projects. Burgess wanted something a little different from a normal scene by scene reel. I kind of went movie trailer style with it. Thankfully Burgess had some really great footage from several different projects to work with. Here's pretty much the final cut, kinda.

Use What You've Got

Finished up an Ad for Hoodie Buddies. It's a fairly neat little product. A Hoodie that you can plug your mp3 player into, and use the drawstrings as head phones. Got a few of them to use for the ad. I've been so busy I just haven't had time to give it my attention, but I at least wanted to submit a straightforward ad explaining how the product works.



Special thanks to Julie Keels for letting me use her as a model. She did a great job. Shot a few minutes worth of footage. As I was done with the ad, I decided to use the footage to test out some color correction, white balancing, and also some simulated depth of field, using cookie cutter as well as the masking tools. I actually found a few tools I didn't know Vegas had, it was like Christmas I was so happy.

Changed the aspect ratio, added defocus, softness, and rendered to 24p. Also played with rendering to different file formats, trying out quality. The following is the test, rendered to WMV, HD24p, uploaded to YouTube. I may try an alternate upload on Vimeo. Music is by Maktub featuring the amazing Reggie Watts. Feel free to watch it in HD over at YOUTUBE.



SCENE TESTS with the Leftover Footage

"Girl In The Hoodie"

The Crazies 2010

Directed by Breck Eisner

Written by Scott Kosar
and Ray Wright

Original 1973 Script by George A. Romero

Original Music by Mark Isham

Cinematography by Maxime Alexandre

Film Editing by Billy Fox

Starring: Timothy Olyphant
and Radha Mitchell




I really, really, really, enjoyed this movie. There was only one thing that I didn't like, and in the end that didn't really matter. Well paced. Beautifully shot. Good tension. Great scares. And some well thought out scenes.

As a movie lover I like to sit back and really take in a good movie. As a movie maker I always end up thinking of ways I might have written or directed a scene differently. I have to say both sides of me were very pleased with this movie. Not much I would've changed and a whole lot I really enjoyed. I'm pretty sure I would watch this over again.

I sincerely had fun watching this.

It's Everything I Stand For

It's a bold statement, for sure, but it's what I thought of when I saw this poster for an upcoming event at The Dryden Theatre. Fred Dekker (Director of Monster Squad and Night Of The Creeps) and Tom Atkins (Star of Night Of The Creeps, Halloween III, as well as several other movies) will be at this double feature. Wish I could be there.

Saw this poster designed by Jason Edminston and I was just blown away. Ok so maybe it doesn't stand for everything that I stand for, but it does fully encompass and pay tribute to two movies that heavily influenced me. I can't even begin to describe how much I absolutely love these two movies, and how much they inspired so much of what I want to create.

We're not just talking about low budget horror flicks here. What set these movies apart from most within the B-Movie Genre is the charming and lovable characters to go along with the action, and the heart to go along with the horror. To top it off, these movies were the epitome of fun. And in the end, that's all I ever wanted. To have fun.

Here's the other awesome poster that pays tribute to Tom Atkins.

SEASON OF THE FOG by James Rheem Davis. Great tribute to Atkins and the two movies Halloween III: Season Of The Witch and John Carpenter's THE FOG.

Season Of The Witch was dogged alot when I was growing up, mainly because die hard Halloween fans were disappointed in a storyline that didn't have much to do with Michael Myers, but in all honesty it's a fairly creepy movie. And as for The Fog, I model alot of my kind of scariness in my movies after those eerie Pirates in that movie, especially in my next couple of features.

Wish I could be there. But if you can make it out to Rochester, NY this Friday July 16th, then by all means, have a blast on my behalf.

Thank God for FRIGHT RAGS.

Halloween is now

111 Days 1 Hour and 11 minutes away. I have so much to do and yet I had time to try to post at 7/11 11:11. Ok back to work.

It's 7/11. Which means 111 days til Halloween. Much work to do.

Early Bday celebration. Hibachi, buffet, sushi, and World Cup is on the flat screen. This place is awesome.

Rebel

Sample vids made with the Canon Rebel T2i (550D)














Short Film: The Encounter

by Marlon Torres

While I wait

for my computer to finish backing up to the hard drive. For some reason I am reminded of a Bible verse.

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
–Matthew 6:25-27

 I read it just a while ago. Seems I needed to read it. Felt like a message from God.  Which like most messages I get, are almost always from God. And I needed it.  Let me also include another quote from the Prophet Cube, Ice Cube.

Life ain't nothin but bitches and money.
-NWA

So true.

I'm patiently awaiting this back up to be done with so I can edit these files. Got an acting reel to finish up, started a timeline for a new episode and the next feature. This new project is almost writing itself. I have an outline instead of a script, and alot of this movie will be molded around a single plot line, and filled in by a bit of improv, and what kind of personalities the cast has.  Casting has already begun. And I need to get on the ball with some script pages for RV as well as MC and get them sent out to a few folks.

And now I must make an FX scene outline. But on a final note:

"And When Alexander saw the breadth of his domain, he wept, for there were no more worlds to conquer." Hans Gruber, DIE HARD.
- Jack Donaghy, 30 Rock

That's what a ship is, what it really is

Elizabeth and Jack : [singing and dancing around a fire] We're devils and black sheep and really bad eggs. Drink up me 'hearties yo ho! Yo ho, yo ho a pirate's life for me.

Jack : I love this song! Really bad eggs! Ooh. [falls] When I get the Pearl back, I'm gonna teach it to the whole crew, and we'll sing it all the time!

Elizabeth : And you?ll be positively the most fearsome pirate in the Spanish Main .

Jack : Not just the Spanish Main , love. The entire ocean. The entire world. Wherever we want to go, we'll go. That's what a ship is, you know. It's not just a keel and a hull and a deck and sails that's what a ship needs, but what a ship is, what the Black Pearl really is, is freedom.

- Pirates Of The Caribbean: Curse Of The Black Pearl

I've got my computer back. They only had to replace the motherboard, so the hard drive remained intact, everything is right where I left it. I was without my computer for a little over 2 weeks, and although I was able to use my wife's laptop, it was very hard. She needed it for her own projects, sharing it with her, meant I had less time to work on things that needed to be worked on, and my computer is a little more powerful, where I felt like alot of the video editing I was doing on hers was going to break the damn thing.

Also I missed my set up. My monitor is bigger, the way I have my desk positioned, and my entire workflow was missing. To finally get it back meant an overwhelming sigh of relief as I feel I am back in full form, able to do things I couldn't for a while. All because, for some reason, my video out put was burned out.

But I believe such mishaps may be necessary. Helps put things in perspective.

When my wife and I first got married, we didn't have much of anything. I had my old Gateway desktop, but it was dying, and we eventually sold it. So now we had nothing, and I dreamed of eventually getting one, and being able to edit video.  Thanks to a friend I was able borrow their mac and use Final Cut Pro to do the last and final cut to my feature Vampire Killer so I could finally put it out on DVD.

Somehow we managed to scrape together about $400 and we bought a desktop from Walmart. 256mb Ram, 8gb HD, and a very average AMD Processor. I called this computer The Black Pearl. In the first Pirates Of The Caribbean, the title The Curse Of The Black Pearl referred to the curse of the Pirates on that ship, how they would remain undead and zombified as long as they had kept the gold coins away from the cursed treasure. In reality their curse was related to the treasure itself.  In truth I always felt that The Curse Of The Black Pearl referred to Jack Sparrow's curse. How his destiny was to always be the captain of the Black Pearl, and how fate would always keep him away from it.

Captain Jack yearned for his freedom to sail the ocean. Freedom was signified by The Black Pearl. For me I yearned to make movies, and for a while it was signified by a decent computer to edit on. The computer would be my Black Pearl.

This would be the computer I would learn to use Sony Vegas on (back then it was Sonic Foundry's Vegas). I edited the first and last of the Living Dead Girl's episodes, and build the first WTW DVD featuring Vampire Killer. This would be the same computer I would edit an entire feature film on. Monster Cops: The Midnight Special. I took this computer with me to NC. Along with the ginormously heavy monitor. I learned Final Draft on it, would get a taste of After Effects and 3D Studio Max, and build the first of many websites and blogs on it. I pushed it too it's limits, and sailed it til it just couldn't sail anymore.

One of the last projects I ever made with that computer would be my contest entry into Harold And Kumar 2's Video Contest. I won that contest, and the money I got from that, I would use to buy the next incarnation of my Black Pearl. My current computer. HP, 4gb Ram, 500gb HD, Intel Pen Dual Core Processor. I rarely had a problem with it. It was a monster, is a monster. No stalling, no crashing, and super fast.

I've only had it for a year and a half, when it finally experienced it's first real problem two weeks ago. That's when I sent it in to be repaired. And in those two weeks I learned to really appreciate what I had, or rather didn't have. Made me remember a time when I swore I would make great things if I had a machine like this. Well, now I have it back. And I will make great things with it, I feel I've already begun. I really love that last Monster Cops episode, and now I work to create more great things, even better things, and help me get to the next level in my evolution in moviemaking.

What a ship is, is freedom, and I have that freedom. I've had that freedom for a while now. I think I just needed to remember I had it.

Tabula rasa

  I don't like being put in a position where I am basically begging.  Part of the reason why I haven't really been blogging in a while.  I've found myself looking for opportunity instead of creating my own.

I was teased with the prospect of what crowd-funding might bring, and although I knew it was a possibility nothing would happen, I was pushed to hoping something would due to my current situation.

Money's been tight, work has been slow, and for a while there things weren't looking good. Mainly because I chose to look through helpless eyes.

I chose to.  My choice. My situation, my responsibility and no one else's.

My situation is of my own creation. Yes, maybe some things may have happened that I have no control over, but in the end you do have full control of how you react to those situations.  I chose to react with despair. Why? Because that's what human's need to do every once in a while. When you get knocked down, you have to pause for a second while you're on the ground, really look at your situation, feel it out, so when you rise, you have a better understanding of what you're rising for.

Things are better. Although much of my situation is not resolved, there is hope, but there's always hope.  I can't rely on hope.  I can only rely on me, and what I'M capable of doing, if I get help along the way, or if certain opportunities make themselves available, then great, but I still have to rely on what I can do, and with what I've got.

I've often blogged about doing the best with what you can. But in all honesty, I have to aim hire than that. I have to do something amazing with what I have. That way if I miss the target slightly I'll at least have something at a higher level.

One pledge today (Thank You Marcellus).  I'm working on one editing job that may lead to more, but again, I can't hold my breath on it. And I'm working towards putting together Monster Cops on DVD, getting it out to screenings, as well as working on a new project which I can hopefully get out to audiences later this year.

Re-focused on what I need to do. Want to help? There are a number of things you can do.

Of course, we would love your pledge. New perks, including a DVD's, T-Shirts, as well as ways to actually participate in episodes.  Click here and check it out:
http://www.indiegogo.com/Monster-Cops-The-Series

You can also help spread the link around. Tell everyone you know about Monster Cops. Get folks to check out the site http://monstercops.com

Also, the entire episode MONSTERS Vs. COPS, is up at Big Star's Short Film Contest. Please visit the link, give us a high rating (you'll be directed to register, but it doesn't take long) then please forward it to everyone.
http://www.bigstar.tv/film-contest/mockumentary-2009/3132

working title

Here We Go Again

New fundraising page. New cycle. NEW PERKS! Make a pledge, help us out, and get great perks like DVD's, Credits in the episodes and on IMDB, personalized short films, T-shirts, and now you can be a part of the series. You have the opportunity to become an Officer, a Monster, or a Victim, and have your picture used in an episode.

So what are you doing? Help out an independent web series and make a pledge now!

And The Hits Just Keep On Comin

From my experience I've come to learn that the following is so very true.

When you become clear about what you want to accomplish, when you decide for sure what goal you want to reach. As you begin your journey towards that goal, everything that is the exact opposite of that goal will come into your existence.

I had a moment of clarity about Monster Cops. What was going to be accomplished and what needed to be done. Not only that, but I understood exactly what needed to follow after those certain goals for Monster Cops were reached. It was time for me to make another feature film, but only after I was able to put out Monster Cops Series 1 DVD this Fall.

And of course there is the fundraising, which is going slow, but it is going. See the widget and if you can please click on it and make a pledge.



Right now as far as income, I take what ever commercial work, ad work, video editing work I can. So it's already a roller coaster, not really sure where the next check will come from, but it's something.

I picked up a job today. Editing a reel for an actor. It looks to pay pretty good, and the material I would work with seems fun. It's always good to get a job that pays and you can get excited about.

Of course, after the meeting, I get home to turn on my desktop, and it will not boot up. Nothing, it sits there and hums. It was working perfectly fine just a few hours before, but here there was no functionality, no process beeps, just the quiet hum of the fans cooling a processor that wasn't doing anything.

So a dilemma. Not just because I can't do my job, but also I can't work on Monster Cops, the project I'm trying to turn into my job. I do have my wife's laptop and I have all my files backed up to a hard drive. The down side, my normal software is all on the desktop, and none of it will install properly on my wife's laptop.

It's disconcerting, yes, but on some level I saw it coming. After my moment of clarity, I knew something was bound to happen. That something that tries to deter you. That tests you. That makes things fall apart. The opposite of your goal has to happen so you can better experience what it the goal itself. Up cannot exist without down, nor right without left, nor having without the feeling of not having.

Very Zen, I know. And it does put me in somewhat of a positive mood. But it still sucks ass.

But it's ok. I'll figure it all out like I always do. I'll get the job done, I'll get my desktop fixed, and hopefully we can get some support for our little indie web series. So if you please, and if you can, make a pledge, tell a friend about monstercops.com. And please watch the episodes. I think they are quite good and I am very proud of them.

Other things have transpired today. Other things that are the opposite of my goal. Other things that are better left unblogged about, except to say, this is getting harder. And all indications say that things aren't going well, that things will fail, that things are not going in a positive direction.

But I don't care. Because I've been here before. Because if you can hold out past all that is the opposite of your goal, eventually you will reach your goal. You just have to believe, you have to hold on, you have to not give up.

Is this me giving myself a pep talk? You bet your ass.

It's opposite day, and I'm holding out til its over.

Gotta go solve some software problems, log some footage, and figure out how I can Macgyver my way through one editing job, two commercials, and eventually get back to working on Monster Cops. We only have a few pledgers, but we have pledgers nonetheless, which means we owe them a decent product in this Monster Cops DVD, which I fully intend to deliver and then some.

You want a Monster Cops DVD, then please, click the widget above, and make a pledge.