Pre-Production
Updates now posted on the Director's Blog
I've finally set up a Blog, much easier to update and a little more informal. All documents and important formation will still be posted to the site, but not here.
Shooting Scott Rollins
Finally, we're ready get some shots in the can. I'll post more shooting docs as I make them but this will tell those involved when and where. I'm very much looking forward to the fun part, which for me is always working with actors and crew to actually get the story told. All the countless details and organizing have done wore me out.
The Promised Land
Okay, this IS funny. Our location scout had the wrong address so James was looking in the wrong place. That scout has been fired and replaced by a blind asthmatic monkey who has already added more to the shoot than most people, if only in monkey poo. (I said "poo," I'm so edgy!) We found the actual land yesterday and it's just great. Plenty of parking, open space and as isolated as we could hope for. It's past the Virginia Beach courthouse but not as far as Pungo We'll check with the principles and have exact times and dates ready soon, that's a huge relief. We'd lost some locations due to red tape, insurance concerns and, I strongly suspect, prejudice on the part of cardboard-haters who judge too harshly this misunderstood subculture. Artistic expression through cardboard manipulation frightens far too many. Here are some aerial flyover images we took with our corporate chopper. We've had the field painted for those of you who want to fly over and preview.
Going in circles, literally
This is almost funny. Almost. James went to check out the likely location for the tournament scene. It's out in Virginia Beach, nicely secluded and rural. A little too secluded, as it turns out. Road construction and a detour kept James driving around for and hour to discover the detour didn't grant access to the land. So the only road to the best location will be closed through August.
To-do or not to-do list
Here's a recap of where we stand, culled from an email that was a call to arms. Twice as boring to write as to read.
We're always on the clock and this coming weekend is last weekend in July. We need principal armor build, Buster's house build, finished and decorated, Derek's cardboard practice dummy built, all extra armor built, all fancy armor built (Terminator, Rock-em Sock em, Godzilla,) Derek's castle built, a few other miscellaneous props and vehicles secured, locations for the fight and the alley found, location for Derek almost hitting Buster found, location for Lord of War hitting Buster found, locations for Buster making his way to the fight found, extras lined up for specific fight scenes and ambushing Buster found, camera people for all those shots found, met with and planned with, meet with all actors to do some table reading and preparation, continued fight rehearsal for principles, shooting script detailed and planned with camera people, then shooting everything once we've gotten all these things finished.
And people assigned to and committed to getting all that done with us because there's no way we can do all that without lots of help. And all that has to be juggled around multiple schedules at locations unknown with crew unknown an some extras unknown, in a month's time frame.
There are 5 weekends, excluding this one, left before September. One is taken by the 48 hour fest. A cast member has a medical proceedure and cant' film weekend of Aug 22-23 and my daughter goes to college that same weekend so I'm off the clock for a few days. Excluding those weekends, that's 3 weekends wherein I think we can get the most filming done. And we have to spend some time on the 48 fest and of course that weekend is out. So here's my internal timeline that seems realistic to me. We'll likely NOT be prepared by the weekend of August 1st, that's 12 days from today. The armor/house/castle issue alone means we probably wouldn't be ready to shoot battle scenes until after the 48 hour festival, forget the preparation I cant' get to actually plan the filming. So that means the first fight scene planned for the weekend of August 15th, skip the next weekend, shoot as necessary on the weekend of August 29th. The following weekend is Memorial Day, Sept 5-7 so we could get anything we don't already have then.
Forward Motion
Had a great time rehearsing the basic blocking for the final four combatants. Jay Ross, Scott Rollins, Henry D'Alonzo and Leslie North took no time to work out what we need. The video is posted here but keep in mind it's at a quarter speed and filmed for reference, not for camera angles and such. The sound effects are for my own personal pleasure. I'm also working on storyboards but working with the actors is way more fun. It's been a long couple of weeks with lots of grunt work so today is a reward. Yes, it's cardboard silliness. Yes, we were essentially five grown-ups rolling around in my back yard. But it's still exciting to see it go from page to life.
Conflict makes good drama
Sir James had to leave unexpectedly for Maine for a week so, like all good plans, ours won't go perfectly according to schedule. We've also insanely decided to enter the 48 hour film festival so this all will likely stretch shooting deep into August. It's worth taking the time to get it right. But I have spent the last few nights on costume design and we're doing fight choreography this weekend. This is the fun stuff, working out things with actors. Designs for the Valkyrie and the Ninja are up and we're looking for someone who might help create the costumes or come up with something better.
Box Buddies
We spend the day creating more cardboard armor and are making quite a good headway. Well, I didn't actually do anything, I spent the day schmoozing and eating peanuts but I was really, really good at it so it's okay, everyone contributes something. We've got all the talent on board, Michael Joyner, Jonathan Manning, Leslie North and Ricky D'Alonzo have all come one board. Thanks to the Dewings and the Warrens, both of whom pitched in without knowing a soul. The rest of the usual suspects are as reliable, the Blaines of Norfolk, we call them. The bad news is that Scott Rollins was horribly injured over the weekend, it's his back. The doctor's aren't sure he'll ever walk again and of course any hope of an erection is right out. We may have to attach strings and work him like a puppet. Thankfully, we have a lot of experience with puppets as that's what we did with TJ in Forgotten Stars. Seriously, Scott pulled something over the weekend so we hope he's okay, and not just for the shooting. I'm about to go Michael Bay, jab some cortisone in there and keep rolling.
See the sausage being made
Getting a script in shooting shape is a matter of breaking it down into parts. Everything is shot out of order, multiple changes are made and sometimes Louis B. Mayer will order a woman thrown into a volcano at the last minute. The only way to keep track of all that chaos is to have a good structure to reference. If you've read the script, you'll find nothing about scenes and and such. They get numbered after the script is finalized (and of course ignored during the shoot.) Here's an index card breakdown and a scene breakdown. Much, much more work to be done but getting the scenes lined up is step one.
Producing productions
The fascinating process of behind-the-scenes production are truly impressive. First, I organize all contact information on cast, crew, and groupies. Then, I categorized personnel by skill and level of interest using a sophisticated color-coding system modeled on the Homeland Security Threat Assessment Plan. Then I realized I've actually been pressing random buttons on the microwave and I have to start over, plus the popcorn is burned. However, I finally have the communications piece in place. Now I just need things to communicate! Like the cardboard fixin' party this Sunday. I'm also getting the shooting script in order, a tedious task. I normally let my AD handle that but when I looked over in her direction, I realized I didn't have one and there was also a spot on the wall that I can't explain. So now I have to clean the wall AND assign scene numbers. Thank god this pays well. Wait, argh.
Chatter, chatter
I'm heartened by the response and interest from our e-mail blast. The elements, as Dr. Watson would say, are coming together in the trunk of a car, like Hitchcock. I may also be quoting Corky St. Claire. Regardless, things are lining up. Unfortunately, I spent too much time replying to emails and not enough time on storyboards. I really need a vassal. Or a serf. I'd settle for a flunky.
Forward Motion
The script has been sent out to all principles. Top dollar offers are being made to top dollar talent. A call has been sent forth across the land, or at least the VPA. Buster's A-Frame homes is coming along nicely, curtains and wallpaper decisions to be made. I like mauve, James says taupe which means we'll probably settle on cardboard brown. We have a self-imposed deadline of Wednesday to decide a location for the battle scenes. We can schedule times and dates once we know where we're shooting. Storyboards, time-consuming but important to get my head organized, are being drawn.
To-Do list
Now that the writing is over, we can focus on the details. The list looks like this:
- Line up a tournament battlefield. Must be an open field, centrally located, lots of parking and available for two full days of shooting.
- Finalize casting. With a short, roles are small but crucial. Scott Rollins, Jay Ross and Scott Hasty are committed (or should be committed for committing.).
- Organize the shoot. What is shot when, where, in what order and how.
- Storyboard.
- Line up extras for fight scenes.
- Line up crew, experienced camera people welcomed.
Scriptification
After a final pass back and forth, the script is finished. Major disagreements were solved using the usual tools:
- a melee with cardboard armor and swords
- passive-aggressive avoidance
- and racial slurs.
James calls me a white boy and I call him a whiter boy until one of us breaks down in tears and a change is made in the script. Actually, as head writer, James has final say on all script changes. As I director, I can ignore the script and shoot what I want. As producer, James can then shoot me.
It's a time-honored process that works well. The final product is 16 pages long. Filming is very consistently about a minute a page, making our short a bit long at 16 minutes. The idea is if you hate it, you'll hate 10 minutes less than 16 minutes. If you love it, you'll want more, so at 10 minutes you'll want even more than at 16 minutes. But we're pleased with the story and it feels tight.
Armory
The cardboard is flying. Work continues on building armor and Buster's cardboard house. I hear it's a striking A-Frame with a lovely view of the dumpster.