This weekend was spent blocking shots, rehearsing, taking still photos and finalizing the set design.
The script is going through a revision tonight as a result of the reads and rehearsals.
We still need to finalize wardrobe and make-up.
It’s going to be a hectic week.
Day one of principal photography wrapped at around one in the morning.
We packed the equipment and left for Lake Worth at around 6:00pm. Traffic was insane, so it took us a good hour and a half to arrive on location. Our crew consisted of Lalo and myself, with Vanessa already on the scene with “home base” prepped. Chase met us there after the set had been designed and the action choreographed.
Our shoot in Lake Worth was merely to get close-ups and inserts for a scene that takes place in an alley. We don’t have full access to the alley we’re using to shoot the far away shots, so we had to mock up something that would look like the end of the alley.
We had to take this:
and make it pass for the very end of this:
It wasn’t easy. About thirty to forty minutes later, we had this:
which, once it was lit and framed properly, could produce these results:
I think we did a fabulous job. And yes, we had to move that dumpster across the parking lot, and then move it back when we were finished. All the garbage scattered around it was found inside the dumpster, and the graffiti was done by our very own Chase Millar.
The shoot was not without its’ problems. The AD was several hours late, which threw off the schedule for the night, and pushed us straight into a rain storm. We had to shut down production for a bit while the first storm passed, then resume, only to shut down for the night when the bigger storm rolled in.
Anything we didn’t get on location in Lake Worth can easily be picked up in Fort Lauderdale on our scheduled pick-up and reshoot day, though, so I’m not worried in the least. We remain on schedule for photography to resume in Fort Lauderdale on Monday.
A (hopefully) complete cast and crew listing is now available here. Big props to everybody on this list for all their help and dedication.
Except for me. I’m a slacker.
We start principal photography today.
A momentous occasion!
I have to say: the Samsung ML-2010 Mono Laser Printer is amazing for a $129 laser printer. It’s incredibly fast, it warms up in no time, and it was very easy to install using the provided CD under Mac OS X 10.4
If you need a laser printer, this is the one to get.
Mmn, carrots.
Earlier tonight, I put revision three into the hands of the lead. He made some notes to himself in preparation for the upcoming table read.
I spent the rest of the night working on the closing credits sequence in Motion. Why would I waste my valuable pre-production time doing something so menial, something that won’t be needed until at least a month from now?
Just to center myself.
It’s something totally different from everything else I have to do. I was going to spend the night scouting around Palm Beach County, but instead I decided to do this. It helped me de-stress and calm myself down. I also listened to some indie music tracks that made my list of songs I could play during the end credits. I feel it’s important to have a great song kick in after your last shot, just to send the audience away with the right feeling.
Also, I heard from the people working on the poster design, and saw some preliminary pictures they took. Everything is looking good there, so far. Here’s hoping everything comes together on time.
The pre-production panic attack is subsiding. We’re now focused on the week ahead, leading up to the shoot on Friday night. A lot of things still need to happen, but the wheels are in motion.
Pre-production is nearly over. Thank god.
Our schedule is unrealistic. We won’t find a lead actress in time. The script isn’t good. We won’t have enough crew. People will get sick. The performances won’t be believable.
Oh god.
Stay calm.
The budget is looking good, so far.
As you may recall, the budget for this short is $1200. I estimated $600 for the microphone — it ended up being $590 for three microphones. Score. We are using a Glidecam camera stabilizer for the tracking shots in this, which was another $260. That puts us at $850 right now, leaving $350 to purchase everything else and feed the crew.
Now that I type all that, maybe the budget isn’t looking so good.