I went to a film showing on Saturday. Originally it was called “Rejections” because these were films rejected by the “Projections” film festival. Some of them were quite good. Ironically, the ones that were technically not so good were better films (IMO) than the more polished works. Or maybe it’s not ironic. Maybe I just prefer creative stuff that looks a bit raw, over technically well-produced films that are derivative.
But I never got around to filming it. In L.A. it’s hard to meet people, and many of the film people there have aspirations of working at a studio. And I just didn’t have the time. Now that I’m in Washington, I’m in a much smaller community where it’s easier to meet people of similar interests. I met several local filmmakers at the screening. Now I’m enthused about shooting my project again.
One good thing about it is that it’s short. It should come out to about ten minutes. Another thing is that is will be filmed in B&W. Short + B&W = inexpensive.
But I wrote it so that it could be shot around my flat. I could shoot the interiors anywhere, but there are a couple of exteriors in the courtyard by the pool. As written, it really needs to be filmed at an apartment building since those scenes won’t work at my house. But I don’t really need a pool; just neighbours. I might have to ask a couple of Dopers if I might film at their place.
Knowing myself as I do, I’ll probably occupy myself working on other people’s projects; but I’m getting the itch to do my own.
Hmm… drop me a line, Johnny. I’ve worked on several films the like of which you seem to describe… next-to-no budget, done around the area, focus on talent rather than technical expertise. I can definitely get people together - swell actors and crew - that’ll do some spare time work for free. The only stip is that we work primarily in DV to save cash, but if you don’t mind paying the extra premium for film, that’s not really a problem.
GMRyujin: Thanks for the offer. I might take you up on it.
SPOOFE: Might be a bit of a commute for me now! I don’t think it would work in DV. It really needs to be in a nice slow B&W film stock. Besides, I have an excellent camera. Gotta use it!
The independent film scene is pretty good up here. Being a small town, people tend to congregate. That makes it pretty handy. Since there seems to be more productions going on in the area, one guy wants to form and train a crew pool. Good idea. If it happens, a company can come up and a local crew will be ready. This guy has an Arri 2B (35mm) that he shot a promotional film with; Civil War drama. Looks excellent. I’ve never loaded a displacement type magazine, and a lot of people have never loaded a coaxial magazine. I think it would be fun to learn the use of other cameras, and also train people how to use my cameras. (Incidentally, I put a Word-format manual on my site for the Eclair NPR.)
Now if only I could afford Tobin motors for my Arri 16S and Bolex M5, and a super-16 conversion for the NPR…
GMRyujin: When I wrote it I was really into Screamin’ Jay Hawkins. I could hear I Put A Spell On You in the opening shot. But Jim Jarmusch has already done it. There are some pretty good local bands around here, and I plan to check some of them out. The music is up in the air right now. I’ll have to see how it feels after the film is edited.
My friend used Tin Can Gun by the now-defunct Georgia Pacific. Didn’t really have anything to do with his film, but a great song. The lyrics are all three letter words. (“Say tin can gun/Buy the sun…”)
jimpatro: Aye, feeding the crew is important! (It’s also expected, and just plain polite! ) I think I’ll have to pay the actors. The corpse appears nude in one scene; and if I pay her, then I’ll have to pay the other two principles. (I can offer meals and a copy of the film to the extras.)
Screamin’ Jay fan, are ya?
Gmork: It should be easier now that I’m around people who do it. Have you thought of picking up a Bolex? You won’t be able to shoot dialog, but they’re very reliable cameras. No worries about running out of battery power, since they use spring motors. And the non-reflex models are really inexpensive. (One of mine is a Reflex, but I like using my M5. It has a zoom lens with a “dog-leg” reflex viewfinder built in.) Somebody was originally intended to be “silent”. Actually, it would have ambient sounds, but no dialog. I changed that, since it makes more sense if there is dialog. But you can certainly shoot a silent film on an inexpensive Bolex, or shoot MOS and loop dialog later. (The latter is a pain, but it can be done. And depending on the kind of film you’re making, it might actually work to have the dialog out of synch.)
I don’t think it would work in DV. It really needs to be in a nice slow B&W film stock. Besides, I have an excellent camera. Gotta use it!