The End is Just Around the Bend

It has been a long and interesting year in Film 2.  This is the last week, that we have been anticipating since the day we entered the film classroom.  I cannot believe that I am now one of the juniors who is making the next morning announcement show.  I cannot believe that I am just about to be a senior and take on all the responsibilities the seniors had.  After sitting in the production class all this semester, I got a bit of a preview of what is to come for my future.  I am nervous, but I am ready.  I have to be ready.
My main concern is making the year's last morning announcement show remarkable.  Many of the students and teachers on our campus don't even acknowledge the work we film kids do.  I want our class to make a show that will entertain our audience and catch their eye.  I think the ideas we have keep progressing into better ideas and concepts.  All we need to really figure out is our set design and light design today.  I saw Jachelle, Alexa, and Daisy working on the next Question of the Week segment and Jose went out to talk to Arc about their activities.  I think we are lucky to have a group of 14 dedicated kids, even if they aren't dedicated to film they're dedicated to the school and grade in the class which is all that we need.

Bright Lights and Many Lines Later

Finally our true adventure begins, something we've been preparing both our minds and skills for the past two years.  Television production and broadcasting is all such a new world to our class, but I think most of us have been able to maintain it better than just general film production.

My group is just awesome, we can work collaborate on ideas and we finish everything ahead of time.  I'm really happy with the progress we've made and our design for lighting and the set.  It's a matter of determination, and being capable of doing this work independently.  I think we'll be okay, and our host is amazing.  Unfortunately we have had trouble finding a definite position for our expert, but we can make ends meet.

My main focus throughout this week has been the many lines and scripts I've been reading through.  Not only have I been studying my own script and the shots with it, but I have memorized both scripts since Mark and I are hosts for both projects besides our own.  I really didn't think I was going to be able  to remember every single line, but after a couple long nights and a lot of mumbling to myself I was able to remember whole scripts.  I am really impressed with myself.  I'm nervous to shoot other peoples, I hope I don't ruin their project.  The most sketchy part of being filmed is balancing between doing the action and looking at the camera,  but hopefully I can maintain.  I don't really have a choice.

Final Crunch

I can't and don't want to say much about my project, but I can say it'll be decent.  I mean throughout production many things went wrong, and I don't expect perfection.  I really just learned after this project that this class shouldn't be taken so seriously, for being a high school class.  I know it's good to, but I really prioritized my life.  I know that now certain aspects may need to come before a passion I have.
I'm just glad we're done, and it's over.  For the most part, everyone was cooperative but we all just probably need a good break from each other, kidding for those who take me seriously, but I think it's time to move on.
Working so many hours on a computer can be laborious, and I think everyone's effort to edit is incredible.  If anyone has something to complain or say about this film, I would understand but ignore any comments.  We have our reasons for our faults and we can admit them.
I just want to move on to the next project.
I'm over talking about this one.

So Close, Yet So Far...

This has probably been our longest week filming.  We have filmed every single day of this week, except I did not come to the shoot on Tuesday.  I trust my producer and editor, though, and they can keep the shoot running perfectly fine.  Everything has been extremely stressful though.

My guy actors are flakes, simple enough, but they managed to work with our schedule so I can't really complain.  I just want to get the job done.  I really appreciate my main actor, Marlin, or showing up to every shoot and for being very dedicated and good with her lines.  I feel bad for taking up so much of her time, but by the end of this week it'll all be over.  Today we'll be finishing up our last scenes and our actors can take a breather.

My sound guy, Roy, is also very dedicated.  He gets what he needs to done, and he is an asset to my crew.  I appreciate his long hours of work, and soon he'll be done too.  However he did have some trouble with the microphone in the middle of the week, but he found a solution for us to shoot with, and he fixed the mistake.

My post sound crew is just starting to work, this week they've been focusing on foley sounds.  Most of them are okay, but some are not totally necessary.  I think Jeanette and Laura need to look for a better score, though.  I'm worried that they aren't looking for a non-copyright song that we can use.  Jeanette has yet to show up, and  I let her know for her benefit even though she's busy.  But we'll have to see.  Laura's boyfriend was also a major help in our film.  I'm glad Laura had him as our "bully" since he really fits the part.  Although he did smile a lot, he got it done and that's all that matters to me.

My D.P. has been doing his job, but it's hard to keep him focused and on task.  He makes minor mistakes, and I really think he should listen to what we're saying.  I had to really start enforcing things on him.  I made sure he was paying attention to focus and his shaky hands.  I am sick of having to keep him on track though, he gets very distracted, and isn't thinking about the fact that everybody else wants to go home.  I'm glad that he's showed up to majority of the shoots though, and he knows exactly what I want.  I also want to thank his mom, Ms. Sylvia, for acting as an administrator in our fight scene.

My editor has been very good too.  Laura Macias has provided us with a lot of help, with actors, locations, and her work as an editor.  On set, Laura showed up and kept track of any inconsistencies and had even helped with minor things, such as holding the boom.  I really appreciate her hard work, especially staying after school on the night of open house to edit.  I think she is doing a good job of editing, and we are pretty much on track.  We just need to finish shooting tonight, get the footage edited, tweak the look of the film, and then boom sound editing and we're done.

Honestly and all-in-all, I am done with this project.  It has been long, strenuous, and stressful.  I'm ready to finish this project.  I personally don't believe I'm fit to be a director, I can't really maintain the control I need to.  I know what I want, and if I lose my patience I will start maintaining total control, but nobody listens really.  I'm just not in the right state of mind to be doing all this right now.  It's too much for me to handle, and I apologize to my group for not being the best director and just hopefully they can look past it.

Production At Last

So we've been about a week into production and, in fact, I am very happy about the progress my crew has made.  Although we may have our flaws, we have gotten so much done.  It wasn't until this week when we began having trouble.

As of our first week, our crew showed, our actors showed, and our shoots were longer than expected but still went as plan.  My main guy actors have been causing a bit of trouble.  My "Ramos" is a good actor and can fit the part, but he's just terrible at memorizing lines.  I've been going over the lines with him though and progress has been made.  My "Andrew" flaked on us for a day, but he's better with his lines.  I think I could of found a better guy to fit the part, but if he was capable of our schedule then all is good.  Our girl actors are dedicated, they have their lines and show up to every shoot so I couldn't be happier.  We need to do some reshoots and we had to reschedule quite a bit, but we'll be able to finish by next week still.  Just later than we expected.

As for my crew, I'm happy with them for the majority.  My producer is very responsible and is capable of organizing everybody.  My D.P. is good at what he does, but we've made sure he pays more attention to the focus of the shots and the steadiness of his hands.  He gets a little distracted here and there, but a firm voice can get him working again.  My on-set sound guy is also dedicated.  He shows up to every shoot even when he wasn't initially needed due to technical difficulties. I am a little worried about my post-production sound crew, but I think since things have become a bit more tight, with attendance sheet and all, they'll be a bit more dedicated to this project.

I think our project has the capability of being one of the best, and I want to make it the best.  All I can hope is the shoots for the next coming week goes as planned.

Week Two: Back to the Drawing Board

This week was good towards the development of my partner and I's treatment.  We fixed some more bugs in the story, adding more or less to help develop the story.  In the matter of a day, we had our beat sheet finished.  Although we had to tweak it at school, my partner and I have the same mutual thinking and decisions for this production.  As of today, we began working on our script which proves ease and also difficulty.  A script is easy to write, but when you have to create dialogue based off of the cynical and low key language that makes up the characteristics of film noir.
I'm satisfied with the work we have done, and I am satisfied with out results.  We have plenty of time to work with our scripts, so I have a feeling eventually we can get it down perfect.
It's been hard for me to work though, and I do feel guilty for not being able to process as much information and ideas as usual.  I can only hope a wave of creativity strikes me.  I do apologize to my partner, for having to work with someone who does not have a clear head.

- Note to self: Next week can only get better right?

Week One of Film Noir

As of right now, I am very satisfied with the progress my partner and I have made on our treatment.  After first writing both of our treatments, my partner and I decided to work with my treatment but add twists and ideas that also combine elements of her treatment.  On our first night of work, we had to switch the entire plot into a realistic high school scenario, it was difficult to make the plot move in a sensible way, but we got a lot done.
For the next days we developed our story, as we had more ideas we added.  Our ultimate goal was to make the plot as twisted as possible, but also PG enough for a school project.  We had to really analyze and go into depths of why each character behaved the way they did, the reasoning for this and that, and so on.  We had a basic story line, we just needed to add the details to the plot so that the noir theme could be present.

My partner had then told me that we had to work on a pitch for our film, and my first idea was to do a teaser.  Unfortunately, we only had so much time so we decided not to do that.  My partner and I both agreed that we wanted to have some kind of visual to make our pitch more appealing, so I made a quick and simple character map along with a short character analysis.  When it came to actually pitching, we made a couple lines to share up, but either way we had to give away our story.
For the next few days we'll be working on putting together a noir scene, which I am excited for.  We can practice making the noir feeling in this scene, and if I get any ideas along the way I plan to use it in my current film.
Everything has been easy-going, so far, but I don't want to make any assumptions for the future.  Working with my partner has been a breeze, we both can agree easily with one another, and can openly develop ideas without having to worry about anything personal.  So far so good, but let's see how next week unrolls.

Decline or Incline?

A brief article, with so much information.  Deadline Hollywood gives us the latest opinion, by NATO, of movie prices.  Although NATO says the prices are still very low compared to what they would have been back in the day, does it still feel like we're paying the right price? According to NATO, the prices have dropped 4.2% compared to Quarter 2.

This mainly caught my attention because any person who is active in movie going would be affected by pricing in movie theaters.  I used to go to the movies a lot, but now I don't go as much for one simple fact. I can't afford it.  Seeing that price reduction is there is actually a relief, but it still just doesn't feel right.

This has an impact on other consumers, and myself, as a consumer.  The last time I went to the Arc Light Theaters, and spent almost $30 on tickets alone.  I mean I know the place is nice, but it's the only theater close to my house and I think movie goers should have a bit of leeway.  This can also impact me as a filmmaker in the future. 

The only question I can ask if what would happen if these prices continue to decline?  Or would some realization like this cause prices to higher even further?  I think people within the industry need to really consider the customer as well.

To read more....

Silent Hill: Revelation 3D

In the Los Angeles Times, reports are being spread about the four new films being released this weekend, one of them includes Silent Hill: Revelation 3D.  Amy Kaufman writes about the expected outcome of how Silent Hill is going to probably make the biggest bucks within this weekend of the four.  Although by guessing how much each movie will make, and how much it cost to make it, is the judge of what the outcome will be.

I love the Silent Hill movie that came out in 2006, and I love all of the games that were made too.  The story is just really twisted and entertaining.  The brutality and creep factor of this film is just amazing.  I didn't figure, however, it'd be first to come up out of all the films, but I want to see if Kaufman's guess is correct.

This entire article impacts me as a consumer, and provides me with the knowledge I need to know about what movie I might and might not want to go see this weekend.  A movie I might have wanted to see could have came in last ranking to be enjoyed, and that would easily change my mind on whether or not I want to see the film or not.

The only thing I wonder, is does the industry believe Silent Hill could still make as much money as it is now, without Halloween slowly approaching? Or is it just there method of pulling people in to watch the film.

for more click here

"Waiting Room": Another Documentary of Our Nation's Healthcare System

 Waiting Room is a documentary, made by Peter Nicks, being released this Friday in the San Francisco/Bay Area.  All of this documentary was based off of Nicks's wife's career at Oakland Hospital.  With the stories she always told him, and the crippling health care system of our nation, Nicks was motivated to put this on the screen.  He started off on his own, and would speak to patients in the Emergency Room waiting rooms, for endless hours on end, while also trying to fund his documentary.  The article is almost like a thorough interview as well, Nicks discusses the issues with uninsured patients, and all the perspectives he wanted and needed. Nicks believes the system has been lost, and that the purpose of it has been destroyed.  He really appreciates the patients and the staff for what they do.  

This is a very controversial and politically sensitive debate in America for the past couple years.  Being in the waiting room is the most realistic point of the entire situation.  Mainly this caught my attention because I myself am in the waiting room for the emergency a lot, since I don't have a regular doctor.  I've spent my fair share of many hours just waiting.  At some point in my life, I was also uninsured, so not only was the wait impossible, but the expenses as well.  It's good to see that somebody wants to really show the world what's going on in the places where it matter's most.  Not government official buildings or meetings, but down to the core of a hospital itself.

This can impact me as a filmmaker and a consumer.  As a consumer, I love watching documentaries like these, I like to know what's going on in our country and how people would reveal the truth of our nation.  It's something I'm really interested in, and wish I was lucky enough to be in the Bay Area to see it myself.  As a filmmaker, this makes me want to make something that people want to know and see.  If this doesn't concern you, then you aren't really concerned about the troubles of our nation right now.  It's important to know what your viewers want to see, when it comes to documentaries such as this one.

Sometimes when I watch these documentaries, they can be so controversial.  They're so emotionally and politically arousing, the only question I could possibly ask is that if it's really safe to put out something sensitive like a topic like this?


read more here

Protecting Child Actor's Rights Too You Know

Only a mere few days ago Governor Jerry Brown finally decided to pass bill AB 1660, a law that protects young actors in the film industry.  After shocking stories about people sexually harassing children, it was decided that more precautions had to be taken towards protecting these kids.  Before, background checks were only performed on agents, studio teachers, publicists, managers, and photographers, but now it will be required for almost everyone to be checked for any past criminal records.  
This is important for the safety of our children, just because they are in this industry doesn't mean they're offered protection by everyone. When I saw this, I was immediately interested because I didn't figure there wasn't a law already protecting children actors' rights.  It is important to know who can be potential harm when you're working with them, and it's nice to see Governor Brown really try to make an effort to change this.
This article really impacts me as a filmmaker and a student.  I wasn't oblivious to it, but I didn't really figure that children actors were sexually harassed.  It only makes me want to be more careful with who I work with in the future, and who has a good reputation compared to those who don't.  As a student, it honestly frightens me to start working in something that might be threatening to me.  I can't guarantee that it would, but just the thought of it can change anyone's mind really.
I really want to know how people thought this would be okay.  Did it never cross anybody's mind that everyone should be conducted with a background search when working with children? Anyone can seem trustworthy, and the nicest person, but you can't trust everything people say.  I want to know how people didn't notice what was going on, how could you not be aware of this at first?  I want to be sure that children's safety is locked in the future industry, now.

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-gov-brown-signs-law-to-protect-child-actors-20120927,0,6739576.story

Gozilla Returns?!

According to reporters of deadline.com, news has spread of the new Godzilla 3D franchise that is to begin in May of 2014.  The franchise will be made with Toho, who has the original rights to the film, and released worldwide by Warner Bros., except in Japan where Toho will release it.  An amazing production and crew has already been established, including people who've worked on great films such as The Dark Knight and The Expendables.  Fans of this franchise, can only be anticipating what the new century has to bring to Godzilla.

  The main reason that this caught my eye was for the pure reason that I loved Godzilla as a child.  I've seen all the movies there is to see, I had all the toys there was to buy.  The fact that there is a new franchise coming out can either be a huge success or it can be disappointing to die-hard fans.  

As a consumer, of course I'm going to want to go see this movie.  I want to see what they may change, and if it will succeeded it's older movies or not.  As a filmmaker, it gives me hope that any film can come back, whether it's a classic or foreign film, or anything.  It makes me really consider that if I really wanted to I could bring something like Godzilla back too, but I'm not saying I will.

Will the new makers of the Godzilla 3D franchise improve from the past legacies of Godzilla?  I hope they can really stick to the story, and hopefully include characters that were well known and loved. 

Click here for more

ParaNorman: Zombies Are People Too

The San Francisco Chronicles gave ParaNorman an outstanding review.  ParaNorman is about a boy, Norman, who can see and communicate with ghosts and zombies.  He is warned that a zombiepocalypse is to come.  It's up to him to save the town, with the help of his friends he runs back and forth to the graveyard.  Although, The San Francisco Chronicles did compare Coraline to ParaNorman, stating that it won't be as great as Coraline. 

 ParaNorman is an eerie kind of movie, something that I could imagine Tim burton making.  I really like this style of movies, and I also do like to watch stop-motion animations. Although, I haven't seen this film yet, I've been wanting to since it came out.  This article caught my eye for the sole reason of me wanting to see the film.  I might as well read a review about it, so I'm not disappointed.

This article impacts me as a consumer, so that I can read what is said about the film.  This is a generally good review towards ParaNorman, which only can make me want to see the film even more.

I can only wonder, what are they going to think of next? Generally, if a kid was able to see and speak with the dead, people would be a little freaked out, but add in animations, a good moral, and a tad bit of humor and it can be the perfect family film.  What does the business have to behold? Will they ever run out of ideas?

Wes Ball's Adaptation of "The Maze Runner" to be Made

After getting a hold of Wes Ball's short film, Ruin, Fox Studios felt it was appropriate to let Ball direct The Maze Runner.  Originally a novel from James Dashner, The Maze Runner just may be the next great post-apocalyptic film to come out.  Scripting and production is already set to begin.  Ruin began as a successful short film from Ball, but he paired with Fox and sold it, now forming a partnership with Fox. 

The first thing that brought my attention to this article was seeing something included with Fox Studios.  I always like to know what's going on within the company mainly because my family has been working there for almost 30 years now.  I always want to see what's new, and for all I know it could be a production my family members may be working on.

The impact of this news of The Maze Runner being made on me, as a consumer, would be pure entertainment.  Generally I enjoy watching movies based off of dystopian societies, and having cruel new ideas.  I just find it entertaining to see what someone could think of.  I have read the novel by Dashner before, so I want to see if Ball's screen version will be accurate.  Most movies that are based off of books, in my opinion, are either really good or just terrible, so  I want to see if my expectations will be succeeded or not.

The fact that Fox mainly made a deal with Ball was originally from his short film that was made famous via Internet, the only questions I could possibly have is what if it is possible for any other small time directors to get an opportunity like Wes Ball's? Although there is a difference between being a YouTube sensation, and having only 100 views on your film, is there the possibility that someone from a major company would actually come across a simple short film, and become a huge success? 

To read more about The Maze Runner and to see a trailer from Ruin, click here.

Will The Dark Knight Return?

As of July of 2012, the last part of Christopher Nolan's trilogy, "The Dark Knight Rises", finished with $160.9 million in the first weekend it was out in theaters.  The film takes a turn by introducing Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the beloved side kick, Robin. Questioning arose whether the Dark Knight was actually finished, or if the story would be carried out with a new superhero. The Hollywood Reporter was there to ask Gordon-Levitt whether this was true or not, but didn't reveal much.

This is a more recent film that came out, so I find it interesting that rumors and questions of yet another sequel are already coming out. Plus, I just saw the movie in early August, not too long after it was released to theaters, and I thought the entire film was fantastic. It was nice to see a lot of characters introduced, including Gordon-Levitt as Robin, he is one of my favorite actors. I was interested in seeing if anything was being said about a sequel, but everything is still unsure.

The impact on me, as a consumer, would just being able to see a new superhero franchise coming out. If a sequel were to come out, I would definitely go watch that film.  I've always been a fan of the superhero type movies, so it would benefit my experience. 

The only thing I could possibly wonder is what they are planning to create for the future, because everyone knows Batman movies will never cease to be made, just new franchises need to arise.  I want to see how the industry is going to make a newer, and possibly more interesting version of the most recent trilogy, because there are a lot of Dark Knight fans.

To view more on the article, click here.