Five days until final output/mastering of Women's Studies.
Post Sound Super Sean Russell and Composer Ryan Sayward turned in their final audio mix early Monday morning. Colorist Aaron Shirley is the last stop and he has just a few more color tweaks and some VFX work to do. Friday, we'll meet to watch it on a big screen to catch any nagging color issues. Also, Sean and Ryan will get a disk tomorrow to check for any last minute audio notes.
It's crazy to think the movie is this close to being finished. It seems like I've been working on it forever. Cast and crew started shooting almost a year ago. (May 29, 2007) Preparations and pre-production had been going on for well over a year before that. For the past two-and-a-half years, my single minded goal has been to get this film completed.
And now it's almost over.
I hear somebody saying, "Don't jinx it!" Really though, even if there was some cataclysmic act of god like Aaron Shirley's hard drive getting obliterated, the film's completion would only be delayed by a few weeks. (Fear not. Aaron, along with everyone else working post, has extensive back-ups.)
My role of late has been largely administrative. There's been a lot of approving things or asking for changes. Sean, Ryan, Aaron, and Editor Jim McGivney have been the soldiers in the trenches getting it done for you and me. They've been exceptional.
If all goes well, and it looks like it will, next week's blog will be the first with Women's Studies completed*.
# # #
(*Keep your fingers crossed. Just in case.)
Showing posts with label post-production. Show all posts
Showing posts with label post-production. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Rally Caps Are On
12 days until final output/mastering of Women's Studies.
Meetings, meetings, meetings.
I've had meetings with various post-production crew members almost every day since late last week. Music mostly, but color got Sunday night out of me. And sound gets some more love today before I head back to hopefully wrap up that fickle mistress music tonight.
It's been a stressful week for multiple reasons. A lot of difficulties, disputes, and delays popped up late in the week. For a couple days I thought that the crew and I were going to have to postpone the final mastering. However, this fantastic crew rose to the occasion and rallied around the project. In fact, they pretty much carried me through the weekend which is rather awesome. Despite my best efforts, these guys just won't let me fuck this movie up.
Where do things stand?
According to an email I received when I woke up this morning, Post Sound Supervisor Sean Russell pulled a seventeen hour shift yesterday "seeding" (putting in place) the first half of the music for Women's Studies in the timeline with his Foley, ADR, SFX, and production audio tracks. Over 120 tracks in all. (!) At the time of this writing, he's catching a few Zzzs before heading back in to continue mixing everything down.
Tonight is my final spot check of Composer Ryan Sayward's music. There were a couple sequences that we both wanted to play with some more. I'll see those tonight and sign off on them. Then, Ryan will head over to studio with Sean and seed the music for the last half of the movie.
I saw the first pass of Aaron Shirley's color correction on Sunday night and it's looking really good. Most of the coloring in Women's Studies consists of simply color matching and balancing, making sure the colors are consistent form shot to shot. There are a couple scenes where we'll use color for effect. Aaron actually worked those out first and it's quite nice. This week is digital Visual FX week. Don't worry. Han still shoots first. Almost all of the VFX in Women's Studies is color based and correctional.
I'm growing old before your very eyes! Less than two more weeks and I can relax . . . a little bit. Okay, no. That's not true. When the film is done, a whole new world opens up.
Meetings, meetings, meetings.
I've had meetings with various post-production crew members almost every day since late last week. Music mostly, but color got Sunday night out of me. And sound gets some more love today before I head back to hopefully wrap up that fickle mistress music tonight.
It's been a stressful week for multiple reasons. A lot of difficulties, disputes, and delays popped up late in the week. For a couple days I thought that the crew and I were going to have to postpone the final mastering. However, this fantastic crew rose to the occasion and rallied around the project. In fact, they pretty much carried me through the weekend which is rather awesome. Despite my best efforts, these guys just won't let me fuck this movie up.
Where do things stand?
According to an email I received when I woke up this morning, Post Sound Supervisor Sean Russell pulled a seventeen hour shift yesterday "seeding" (putting in place) the first half of the music for Women's Studies in the timeline with his Foley, ADR, SFX, and production audio tracks. Over 120 tracks in all. (!) At the time of this writing, he's catching a few Zzzs before heading back in to continue mixing everything down.
Tonight is my final spot check of Composer Ryan Sayward's music. There were a couple sequences that we both wanted to play with some more. I'll see those tonight and sign off on them. Then, Ryan will head over to studio with Sean and seed the music for the last half of the movie.
I saw the first pass of Aaron Shirley's color correction on Sunday night and it's looking really good. Most of the coloring in Women's Studies consists of simply color matching and balancing, making sure the colors are consistent form shot to shot. There are a couple scenes where we'll use color for effect. Aaron actually worked those out first and it's quite nice. This week is digital Visual FX week. Don't worry. Han still shoots first. Almost all of the VFX in Women's Studies is color based and correctional.
I'm growing old before your very eyes! Less than two more weeks and I can relax . . . a little bit. Okay, no. That's not true. When the film is done, a whole new world opens up.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Soothing the Savage Beast
19 days until final output/mastering of Women's Studies.
Early this morning, I picked up the "master" DV file of the entire film from Colorist/VFX Artist Aaron Shirley and delivered it to Post Sound Supervisor Sean Russell. Up to this point, Sean has been working on the film in eight separate "reels," nine if you count the end credits. Though still in the middle of recording Foley, Sean can now pull his eight separate ProTools sessions into one master session in preparation for mixing which begins next week.
Look! Here's Natalie Apuzzo, our Foley Walker/Artist stabbing melons. Why on earth would she be doing that?
On Saturday, Cindy and I met with Composer Ryan Sayward and for the very first time watched Women's Studies in it's entirety with music. It was a pretty exciting and fulfilling, yet surreal experience. For the first time in a very long time, I felt like I was watching a movie I hadn't worked on. It was a pretty good feeling to get swept up in the mood of the scenes again. After seeing the film more times than I care to count, I've become a little numb to the emotional impact it can have. If you can't tell, I'm really happy with the music.
Ryan has also picked out some "needle drop" songs from local music artists to use as background music in parts of Women's Studies. "Not Alone" by Redshift will be featured at the beginning of the film. "Barcelona" by Soft Complex as well as a remix of their song "Beat the Chill" will also be included.
I feel good about where we're at. Sure, we've still got six weeks of work to do in less than three, but if this was easy everybody would be doing it, right?
Early this morning, I picked up the "master" DV file of the entire film from Colorist/VFX Artist Aaron Shirley and delivered it to Post Sound Supervisor Sean Russell. Up to this point, Sean has been working on the film in eight separate "reels," nine if you count the end credits. Though still in the middle of recording Foley, Sean can now pull his eight separate ProTools sessions into one master session in preparation for mixing which begins next week.
Look! Here's Natalie Apuzzo, our Foley Walker/Artist stabbing melons. Why on earth would she be doing that?
On Saturday, Cindy and I met with Composer Ryan Sayward and for the very first time watched Women's Studies in it's entirety with music. It was a pretty exciting and fulfilling, yet surreal experience. For the first time in a very long time, I felt like I was watching a movie I hadn't worked on. It was a pretty good feeling to get swept up in the mood of the scenes again. After seeing the film more times than I care to count, I've become a little numb to the emotional impact it can have. If you can't tell, I'm really happy with the music.
Ryan has also picked out some "needle drop" songs from local music artists to use as background music in parts of Women's Studies. "Not Alone" by Redshift will be featured at the beginning of the film. "Barcelona" by Soft Complex as well as a remix of their song "Beat the Chill" will also be included.
I feel good about where we're at. Sure, we've still got six weeks of work to do in less than three, but if this was easy everybody would be doing it, right?
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
The Speed of Sound
26 days until final output/mastering of Women's Studies.
Sound has been the name of the game recently. As mentioned before, Post Sound Supervisor Sean Russell and I have been recording ADR pretty much every night for the past two weeks. Yesterday was the last session, though we'll likely have to bring Cindy Marie Martin (Mary) back in for one more night of catch-up.
This week, Sean is editing all the ADR and production dialogue while also adding background ambiance to give verisimilitude to the scenes. Today, he's finishing his Foley spotting session, and will then begin recording Foley and adding sound effects which will take up the better part of the next ten days.
Over the weekend, I'll visit Composer Ryan Sayward and hear the Women's Studies soundtrack for the first time with the movie. I'll give notes and Ryan will spend another week making any creative adjustments needed. Then, Sean and Ryan will get together in the studio and add in the music. Once we all agree that the music, Foley, sound FX, and dialogue are all what we want, Sean will begin the final mixdown.
The energy is high because 26 days is a ridiculously short time to try and get all this done, especially with two people doing all the work. While everyone is a wee bit nervous, we're also very excited. It's starting to come together and isn't half bad either. The end is near, and that's the fuel keeping everyone moving.
Sound has been the name of the game recently. As mentioned before, Post Sound Supervisor Sean Russell and I have been recording ADR pretty much every night for the past two weeks. Yesterday was the last session, though we'll likely have to bring Cindy Marie Martin (Mary) back in for one more night of catch-up.
This week, Sean is editing all the ADR and production dialogue while also adding background ambiance to give verisimilitude to the scenes. Today, he's finishing his Foley spotting session, and will then begin recording Foley and adding sound effects which will take up the better part of the next ten days.
Over the weekend, I'll visit Composer Ryan Sayward and hear the Women's Studies soundtrack for the first time with the movie. I'll give notes and Ryan will spend another week making any creative adjustments needed. Then, Sean and Ryan will get together in the studio and add in the music. Once we all agree that the music, Foley, sound FX, and dialogue are all what we want, Sean will begin the final mixdown.
The energy is high because 26 days is a ridiculously short time to try and get all this done, especially with two people doing all the work. While everyone is a wee bit nervous, we're also very excited. It's starting to come together and isn't half bad either. The end is near, and that's the fuel keeping everyone moving.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
One Month Away . . .
Tomorrow is May 1, meaning the post-production crew and I are basically one month away from our deadline for having Women's Studies completely done.
The past two weeks have been almost as busy as the shooting schedule. I've split my time between recording ADR in the studio with Post Sound Super Sean Russell, meeting with Colorist Aaron Shirley about color correction and VFX, and trading emails with Composer Ryan Sayward about music.
Next week Co-Producer Cindy Marie Martin and I start planning for the "post June 2" schedule of festival and review submissions. Cindy will focus on that more than me as I'll be once again splitting my time between Sean, Aaron and Ryan as we near the finish line.
It's exciting, but also a whirlwind. I hardly have time to sleep. Then again, so what? I can sleep in June . . . snuggling a finished movie.
The past two weeks have been almost as busy as the shooting schedule. I've split my time between recording ADR in the studio with Post Sound Super Sean Russell, meeting with Colorist Aaron Shirley about color correction and VFX, and trading emails with Composer Ryan Sayward about music.
Next week Co-Producer Cindy Marie Martin and I start planning for the "post June 2" schedule of festival and review submissions. Cindy will focus on that more than me as I'll be once again splitting my time between Sean, Aaron and Ryan as we near the finish line.
It's exciting, but also a whirlwind. I hardly have time to sleep. Then again, so what? I can sleep in June . . . snuggling a finished movie.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
ADR Scripts + Melisa Breiner-Sanders = Hell
If there's a hell, it's an eternity of writing ADR (Automated Dialogue Replacement) scripts while Melisa Breiner-Sanders stands next to me yelling in a shrill voice, "Where's the blog? Where's the blog? Where's the blog? Where's the blog? Where's the blog?"
Why does Melisa get mentioned so much on the blog? Because she hounds me like she's Ahab and I'm a big white whale. Seriously. She makes Dave Letterman's stalker look as normal as Donna Reed. I'd have her IP address banned from my email, but I'm afraid she'll show up at my house.
(And really, all my mentioning her does is feed the fire of her (self)obsession. I keep telling her that my beastly sexual prowess she finds so irresistible is merely a freak genetic accident and she's going to have to learn to resist it. But you know, she's totally fucking psycho.)
Anyway . . . what is an ADR script, you ask? Well, it looks like this:
(Click to enlarge.)
Basically, the actor uses this script to loop lines that had something goofy in the production audio like airplanes or air conditioners. Or maybe the dialogue didn't come through loud enough because the sound guy was forced to put his mic a hundred yards away to keep it out of the shot. Or maybe I just want to alter the delivery because on set the actor was too busy trying to sleep with everyone regardless of gender instead of focusing on their performance, though I won't mention names. *coughMelisacough*
ADR scripts are pretty tedious to write, especially at this point in production when I've literally seen Women's Studies almost a hundred times. I hope I don't sound like I'm bitching. (Though I'm sure I do.) I actually like posting sound quite a bit. Writing ADR scripts is just more busy work than creative expression.
They're vitally important though. Having scripts with proper time code and scenes makes the process go so much quicker. We don't have to waste time figuring out where the right cue we need is. We can instead focus on picking a drunk Melisa up off the floor and trying to get her to say, "You can't make men into the enemy," without slurring.
# # #
A quick side note:
I read a great piece recently by Lexi Alexander, director of the upcoming Punisher 2 in which she talks about how all her blogs have to go through studio approval. Basically, she doesn't post them very often because she "writes like shit when [she's] being censored."
While I'm sure any studio that might think about hiring me will look at this blog and run in the other direction, I'd like to make two points.
First, I would never publicly talk shit about anybody I worked with unless I was joking. I'm not that stupid, and I wouldn't want six ugly cheerleaders to kidnap and beat the shit out of me. (Melisa of course is the exception. I'm deadly serious that she's crazy and she scares me. I can't prove it, but when I'm dead you'll know I was right.)
Secondly, People don't just want a rosy view of filmmaking or the world for that matter. I went through a brief period when I tried to make everything on the blog happy and wonderful. But you know, sometimes life isn't that way. Sometimes, you're stuck doing tedious work that you don't really enjoy. Sometimes, you even get confused and forget why you're doing something and think you want to quit.
It doesn't mean you don't love what you do OR believe in the project you're working on. I refer you back to my mantra: Nothing worth doing is easy. I think it's the hard stuff people want to hear about. It reminds them that there are other people out there who deal with life's little hiccups.
And crazy stalker actresses.
Why does Melisa get mentioned so much on the blog? Because she hounds me like she's Ahab and I'm a big white whale. Seriously. She makes Dave Letterman's stalker look as normal as Donna Reed. I'd have her IP address banned from my email, but I'm afraid she'll show up at my house.
(And really, all my mentioning her does is feed the fire of her (self)obsession. I keep telling her that my beastly sexual prowess she finds so irresistible is merely a freak genetic accident and she's going to have to learn to resist it. But you know, she's totally fucking psycho.)
Anyway . . . what is an ADR script, you ask? Well, it looks like this:
(Click to enlarge.)
Basically, the actor uses this script to loop lines that had something goofy in the production audio like airplanes or air conditioners. Or maybe the dialogue didn't come through loud enough because the sound guy was forced to put his mic a hundred yards away to keep it out of the shot. Or maybe I just want to alter the delivery because on set the actor was too busy trying to sleep with everyone regardless of gender instead of focusing on their performance, though I won't mention names. *coughMelisacough*
ADR scripts are pretty tedious to write, especially at this point in production when I've literally seen Women's Studies almost a hundred times. I hope I don't sound like I'm bitching. (Though I'm sure I do.) I actually like posting sound quite a bit. Writing ADR scripts is just more busy work than creative expression.
They're vitally important though. Having scripts with proper time code and scenes makes the process go so much quicker. We don't have to waste time figuring out where the right cue we need is. We can instead focus on picking a drunk Melisa up off the floor and trying to get her to say, "You can't make men into the enemy," without slurring.
# # #
A quick side note:
I read a great piece recently by Lexi Alexander, director of the upcoming Punisher 2 in which she talks about how all her blogs have to go through studio approval. Basically, she doesn't post them very often because she "writes like shit when [she's] being censored."
While I'm sure any studio that might think about hiring me will look at this blog and run in the other direction, I'd like to make two points.
First, I would never publicly talk shit about anybody I worked with unless I was joking. I'm not that stupid, and I wouldn't want six ugly cheerleaders to kidnap and beat the shit out of me. (Melisa of course is the exception. I'm deadly serious that she's crazy and she scares me. I can't prove it, but when I'm dead you'll know I was right.)
Secondly, People don't just want a rosy view of filmmaking or the world for that matter. I went through a brief period when I tried to make everything on the blog happy and wonderful. But you know, sometimes life isn't that way. Sometimes, you're stuck doing tedious work that you don't really enjoy. Sometimes, you even get confused and forget why you're doing something and think you want to quit.
It doesn't mean you don't love what you do OR believe in the project you're working on. I refer you back to my mantra: Nothing worth doing is easy. I think it's the hard stuff people want to hear about. It reminds them that there are other people out there who deal with life's little hiccups.
And crazy stalker actresses.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
The Past Two Weeks
Sorry about the missed blog. There was so much going on last week, I completely forgot about writing one. It was Friday before anybody even reminded me that I’d missed a week. By that point, I figured I would just wait until Tuesday.
It’s been an eventful two weeks both personally and professionally.
First off, Cindy and I had a small house fire. Fear not. All is well. The house is still standing. In a nutshell, a surge protector failed to do what it was supposed to, though the fact it had gotten wedged under a couch probably didn’t help. Thankfully, I was home and had the presence of mind to zap it with a fire extinguisher. We were really lucky. It could have been far worse than it was.
The fire burned up a couch and some curtains, singed the floor and did a good amount of smoke damage. While there was more dirt and soot than actual fire damage, it was about a week of dealing with insurance, housecleaning, and getting all the soot out of cat fur. (The cats are fine.)
The lessons: Make sure you have smoke alarms on all levels of your house, test your fire extinguisher(s) regularly, and don’t skimp out and buy cheap surge protectors to save a few bucks.
Anybody who wants to make a joke about me burning down the house to finish paying for Women’s Studies should do so now.
I also spent the past two weekends working as an associate producer with Women’s Studies Director of Photography Aaron Shirley on his long gestating short film project which bears no relationship to the Denzel Washington/Russell Crowe film but is still tentatively titled American Gangsters. We were actually supposed to shoot American Gangsters in the spring as a test for a lot of the techniques and workflow we intended to use on Women’s Studies, but there were only twenty-four hours in each day and something had to give.
Aaron’s Untitled Gangster Short (There, better?) should be finished by mid-April. I’ll post info on where and how it can be seen as it becomes available.
What else? Oh yeah, Women’s Studies!
On Sunday, the chip cooling fan on my computer’s motherboard said “sayonara.” While neither the motherboard or hard drive were damaged, my machine had to go into the pooter shop which has pretty much left me without the means to do much but hope all the department heads are on task AND finally write a blog that’s more than just “Work! Chaos! More soon!”
So where are we?
The past couple weeks have really seen Women’s Studies start to blossom into the movie I’ve always hoped it could be. Make no mistake, there’s still a ton of work to do. However, Instead of worrying about big broad patches on the film that didn’t seem to be working right, Editor Jim McGivney and I have gotten to a point where the tweaks and fixes are only needed on very specific areas.
(Oh yeah, both Jim and I got hit with some Captain Trips level flu/cold over the past couple weeks.)
It used to be I’d watch a reel and see a bunch of footage trying to be something. Now, with each passing day I get a sense of a story, a glimpse of lives unfolding before me. I get wrapped in drama, comedy, conflict and horror. More and more, I feel like I’m watching the beautiful amazing thing we call a movie.
It’s pretty exciting actually.
Next week, I’ll spend some time talking about music, sound, and the first eight minutes of the movie (and the new trailer) we’ll be premiering during Horrorfind Weekend taking place at the end of the month.
It’s been an eventful two weeks both personally and professionally.
First off, Cindy and I had a small house fire. Fear not. All is well. The house is still standing. In a nutshell, a surge protector failed to do what it was supposed to, though the fact it had gotten wedged under a couch probably didn’t help. Thankfully, I was home and had the presence of mind to zap it with a fire extinguisher. We were really lucky. It could have been far worse than it was.
The fire burned up a couch and some curtains, singed the floor and did a good amount of smoke damage. While there was more dirt and soot than actual fire damage, it was about a week of dealing with insurance, housecleaning, and getting all the soot out of cat fur. (The cats are fine.)
The lessons: Make sure you have smoke alarms on all levels of your house, test your fire extinguisher(s) regularly, and don’t skimp out and buy cheap surge protectors to save a few bucks.
Anybody who wants to make a joke about me burning down the house to finish paying for Women’s Studies should do so now.
I also spent the past two weekends working as an associate producer with Women’s Studies Director of Photography Aaron Shirley on his long gestating short film project which bears no relationship to the Denzel Washington/Russell Crowe film but is still tentatively titled American Gangsters. We were actually supposed to shoot American Gangsters in the spring as a test for a lot of the techniques and workflow we intended to use on Women’s Studies, but there were only twenty-four hours in each day and something had to give.
Aaron’s Untitled Gangster Short (There, better?) should be finished by mid-April. I’ll post info on where and how it can be seen as it becomes available.
What else? Oh yeah, Women’s Studies!
On Sunday, the chip cooling fan on my computer’s motherboard said “sayonara.” While neither the motherboard or hard drive were damaged, my machine had to go into the pooter shop which has pretty much left me without the means to do much but hope all the department heads are on task AND finally write a blog that’s more than just “Work! Chaos! More soon!”
So where are we?
The past couple weeks have really seen Women’s Studies start to blossom into the movie I’ve always hoped it could be. Make no mistake, there’s still a ton of work to do. However, Instead of worrying about big broad patches on the film that didn’t seem to be working right, Editor Jim McGivney and I have gotten to a point where the tweaks and fixes are only needed on very specific areas.
(Oh yeah, both Jim and I got hit with some Captain Trips level flu/cold over the past couple weeks.)
It used to be I’d watch a reel and see a bunch of footage trying to be something. Now, with each passing day I get a sense of a story, a glimpse of lives unfolding before me. I get wrapped in drama, comedy, conflict and horror. More and more, I feel like I’m watching the beautiful amazing thing we call a movie.
It’s pretty exciting actually.
Next week, I’ll spend some time talking about music, sound, and the first eight minutes of the movie (and the new trailer) we’ll be premiering during Horrorfind Weekend taking place at the end of the month.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
ADR & the Men Who Love It
I honestly have no time to write a blog. TRUST ME when I tell you that everyone is busy as hell on Women's Studies.
Below is a pic of Stef Williams (Black Widow Burlesque Dancer) recording her ADR.
I love doing ADR. It's like making the movie all over again except all I have to do is sit on a couch and tell actors how to say lines. If that makes me sound lazy then . . . Well, yeah, I guess I'm friggin' lazy.
Below is a pic of Stef Williams (Black Widow Burlesque Dancer) recording her ADR.
I love doing ADR. It's like making the movie all over again except all I have to do is sit on a couch and tell actors how to say lines. If that makes me sound lazy then . . . Well, yeah, I guess I'm friggin' lazy.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Various Updates
Look it's a picture from my vacation!
Two friends and I biked a hundred miles from Key Largo down to Key West. Then I drank myself silly for three days before flying back home with an upper respiratory infection. Awesome times.
But you don't care about that, do you? It's all "Movie! Movie! Movie!" with you people. Bolsheviks, all of you.
What's new with Women's Studies?
--Our own Senator Hamlin, Judith O'Dea, was Pretty-Scary.net's Gal of the Day on Monday. She did this little fright flick back in the late sixties that they're fans of.
--I got the official word on Monday that there will be a Women's Studies panel at Horrorfind Weekend on Saturday, March 29. Time is still TBA, but I'll pass on that information as well as other details when they come in.
--After a multitude of delays, Sound Guru Sean Russell is hard at work sweetening up the first finished scenes of the movie. We'll be scheduling our first round of ADR (Automated Dialog Replacement) in the next couple of weeks. I'm looking forward to getting in the studio with him and seeing how long it takes us to kill each other.
--Editor Jim McGivney is working on the new trailer. I got a sneak peek earlier this week, and I'm pretty excited about where it's headed.
--Aaron Shirley spent last week perfecting an animation of the Women's Studies logo which will be featured in the final film.
--I've heard a good deal of Ryan Sayward's music over the past few weeks, and it's really something special. Maybe I'll give you a taste in an upcoming blog.
I've got about eight thousand things I need to be doing, so that's all you get.
Two friends and I biked a hundred miles from Key Largo down to Key West. Then I drank myself silly for three days before flying back home with an upper respiratory infection. Awesome times.
But you don't care about that, do you? It's all "Movie! Movie! Movie!" with you people. Bolsheviks, all of you.
What's new with Women's Studies?
--Our own Senator Hamlin, Judith O'Dea, was Pretty-Scary.net's Gal of the Day on Monday. She did this little fright flick back in the late sixties that they're fans of.
--I got the official word on Monday that there will be a Women's Studies panel at Horrorfind Weekend on Saturday, March 29. Time is still TBA, but I'll pass on that information as well as other details when they come in.
--After a multitude of delays, Sound Guru Sean Russell is hard at work sweetening up the first finished scenes of the movie. We'll be scheduling our first round of ADR (Automated Dialog Replacement) in the next couple of weeks. I'm looking forward to getting in the studio with him and seeing how long it takes us to kill each other.
--Editor Jim McGivney is working on the new trailer. I got a sneak peek earlier this week, and I'm pretty excited about where it's headed.
--Aaron Shirley spent last week perfecting an animation of the Women's Studies logo which will be featured in the final film.
--I've heard a good deal of Ryan Sayward's music over the past few weeks, and it's really something special. Maybe I'll give you a taste in an upcoming blog.
I've got about eight thousand things I need to be doing, so that's all you get.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
A Turning Point
I've been working on this movie all day today. I'm talking the whole friggin' day. I got up at 7:30am, took a bike ride, ran a couple errands, and by 11:00am was sitting in my office doing all I can to get Women's Studies to the people.
It was a good day. I got a lot done. In fact, once I get through this blog, I'll have hit everything on my "to-do" list for today. That's good too, because I have a feeling the next couple weeks are going to bring A LOT of new items for that list.
See, production reached a turning point today. Our first "picture-lock" scene was released to sound, music, and color about an hour before I wrote this. It's a nice little milestone. I took a moment to sit back and enjoy the accomplishment.
Only a moment, mind you.
Up until now, post has been almost exclusively editor Jim McGivney and I. Ours were the only schedules I needed to be concerned with, and the only needs I had to be aware of. Oh, sure I was fielding music from Ryan Sayward, talking process with Sound Guru Sean Russell, and discussing color balance/correction with DP Aaron Shirley. However, as of today they're down in the trenches with Jim and I.
It's taken a lot of willpower to make this movie happen and it'll take more before all is said and done. The journey to finishing this film is VERY far from over. I'm sure parts of it won't be pretty either.
But hey, at least Jim and I aren't alone anymore.
It was a good day. I got a lot done. In fact, once I get through this blog, I'll have hit everything on my "to-do" list for today. That's good too, because I have a feeling the next couple weeks are going to bring A LOT of new items for that list.
See, production reached a turning point today. Our first "picture-lock" scene was released to sound, music, and color about an hour before I wrote this. It's a nice little milestone. I took a moment to sit back and enjoy the accomplishment.
Only a moment, mind you.
Up until now, post has been almost exclusively editor Jim McGivney and I. Ours were the only schedules I needed to be concerned with, and the only needs I had to be aware of. Oh, sure I was fielding music from Ryan Sayward, talking process with Sound Guru Sean Russell, and discussing color balance/correction with DP Aaron Shirley. However, as of today they're down in the trenches with Jim and I.
It's taken a lot of willpower to make this movie happen and it'll take more before all is said and done. The journey to finishing this film is VERY far from over. I'm sure parts of it won't be pretty either.
But hey, at least Jim and I aren't alone anymore.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Chaos Precedes Transformation
The blog is late because of Melisa Breiner-Sanders. It is 100% her fault that I didn't get it done on time. I encourage you to go to www.melisabs.com, watch her demo reel, and then flood her email with complaints about how her behavior is jeopardizing the production of Women's Studies.
Jim McGivney on the other hand is a rock star. Right now, he's chest deep in the scary world of frame rate conversion, Panasonic's proprietary 24p bullshit, and hard drive space finagling. To boot, He's flying solo on all of this. We unfortunately don't have the resources to get him a proper assistant to help with not only the crazy HD workflow, but also handle all the administrative paperwork as well as the dozens of tiny little things I keep asking of him. Jim's a pro though, so all is good.
I've made it a point not to bother him this week unless absolutely necessary. Oh sure, we BS-ed about Joe Gibbs retiring from the Redskins and the primaries. That aside, I've tried to leave him to work through it in his own way. I've been there, in that place where no one can do anything but offer encouragement. His time of chaos will be a bit shorter than mine was, but I imagine it's just as intense if not more. Jim's frustrations with the the process mirror my own during production. There were times while shooting when I was so caught up in the minutia and technical details of the process, I lost sight of what I was working towards.
Looking back on it, I realize that moment of confusion is a necessary part of the creative process. It's kind of a cliché, but "chaos precedes transformation." I believe you have to lose yourself in the journey to the point where you can't see the path. And once you're lost, you have to dig deep into yourself and find what it takes within you to make it through.
Jim, if you're reading this, I'm very positive about the work you've done so far. Hang in there, buddy. You're almost to the good part.
Jim McGivney on the other hand is a rock star. Right now, he's chest deep in the scary world of frame rate conversion, Panasonic's proprietary 24p bullshit, and hard drive space finagling. To boot, He's flying solo on all of this. We unfortunately don't have the resources to get him a proper assistant to help with not only the crazy HD workflow, but also handle all the administrative paperwork as well as the dozens of tiny little things I keep asking of him. Jim's a pro though, so all is good.
I've made it a point not to bother him this week unless absolutely necessary. Oh sure, we BS-ed about Joe Gibbs retiring from the Redskins and the primaries. That aside, I've tried to leave him to work through it in his own way. I've been there, in that place where no one can do anything but offer encouragement. His time of chaos will be a bit shorter than mine was, but I imagine it's just as intense if not more. Jim's frustrations with the the process mirror my own during production. There were times while shooting when I was so caught up in the minutia and technical details of the process, I lost sight of what I was working towards.
Looking back on it, I realize that moment of confusion is a necessary part of the creative process. It's kind of a cliché, but "chaos precedes transformation." I believe you have to lose yourself in the journey to the point where you can't see the path. And once you're lost, you have to dig deep into yourself and find what it takes within you to make it through.
Jim, if you're reading this, I'm very positive about the work you've done so far. Hang in there, buddy. You're almost to the good part.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Brown Spots
(Can you hear that in the wind? It's the echo of a sad voice crying, "The blog is late! The blog is late!")
We're in the middle of a "break" from Women's Studies until after X-Mas. Break is a relative term as Jim McGivney and I are both down in the trenches doing file maintenance and organization in preparation for the big "footage replacement" phase of editing.
I've lost count as to how many times I've watched the various "rough cuts:" at this point around a dozen. (We're on the second iteration, which reminds me that I need to come up with a good naming system for all the different cuts we'll have.) Sometimes I take notes, but mostly I just watch, trying to forget I know every single nuance of the film. The trick is to get sucked in and carried away. That way the things which are a bit wonky or off jump out at me. I'm still focused on the big picture rather than minute details. (I've heard I'll find both God and the Devil hidden in those.)
Is it good? Well, I think it rocks but I made it so you can't really trust me. See, being the director of a movie is like being a parent. The movie is like my kid and because it's mine, I think it's smart, talented, and beautiful. The truth is that a lot of kids aren't any of those things. Most of them are self-centered, clumsy, and smell like urine. I have to look at the film not as a parent who loves it, but just as any old person on the street. I have to be able to see it for the awkward, piss-smelling brat it is so I can knock some sense into it, show it some manners, and teach it not to piss itself. (Can you see why Cindy and I should never have children?)
And I can. Self-criticism is one thing I've always prided myself on. If something isn't working, I'll let it go. That's really where I'm at in the process now. Taking all the stuff that doesn't matter, isn't necessary, or just any good and getting it out of there. I wrote before about looking at whole scenes to cut, but that's kind of like throwing out an apple because of one brown spot. You just cut the brown spot out is all. The rest of the apple is a tasty treat. Even so, I'm sure there will be a few apples that just can't be saved.
In Women's Studies, most of those "brown spots" are pieces of dialogue that are either unnecessary, redundant, or just plain don't work. It's five seconds here and ten seconds there. It's looking at a scene that's three minutes long and saying, "This really could be cut in half." It's catching the places where the movie seems to gear down just a little too much. Women's Studies is something of a throwback to classic, slower paced horror movies. (I showed a close friend the rough cut and he said that if it was 1970s and I lived in Italy I'd make millions.) That said, there's a fine line between "slow build" and "slow and boring."
I call the process "trimming the fat." What I want is the leanest, meanest movie I can get. Once I have that, then Jim and I can go in and dress it up.
We're in the middle of a "break" from Women's Studies until after X-Mas. Break is a relative term as Jim McGivney and I are both down in the trenches doing file maintenance and organization in preparation for the big "footage replacement" phase of editing.
I've lost count as to how many times I've watched the various "rough cuts:" at this point around a dozen. (We're on the second iteration, which reminds me that I need to come up with a good naming system for all the different cuts we'll have.) Sometimes I take notes, but mostly I just watch, trying to forget I know every single nuance of the film. The trick is to get sucked in and carried away. That way the things which are a bit wonky or off jump out at me. I'm still focused on the big picture rather than minute details. (I've heard I'll find both God and the Devil hidden in those.)
Is it good? Well, I think it rocks but I made it so you can't really trust me. See, being the director of a movie is like being a parent. The movie is like my kid and because it's mine, I think it's smart, talented, and beautiful. The truth is that a lot of kids aren't any of those things. Most of them are self-centered, clumsy, and smell like urine. I have to look at the film not as a parent who loves it, but just as any old person on the street. I have to be able to see it for the awkward, piss-smelling brat it is so I can knock some sense into it, show it some manners, and teach it not to piss itself. (Can you see why Cindy and I should never have children?)
And I can. Self-criticism is one thing I've always prided myself on. If something isn't working, I'll let it go. That's really where I'm at in the process now. Taking all the stuff that doesn't matter, isn't necessary, or just any good and getting it out of there. I wrote before about looking at whole scenes to cut, but that's kind of like throwing out an apple because of one brown spot. You just cut the brown spot out is all. The rest of the apple is a tasty treat. Even so, I'm sure there will be a few apples that just can't be saved.
In Women's Studies, most of those "brown spots" are pieces of dialogue that are either unnecessary, redundant, or just plain don't work. It's five seconds here and ten seconds there. It's looking at a scene that's three minutes long and saying, "This really could be cut in half." It's catching the places where the movie seems to gear down just a little too much. Women's Studies is something of a throwback to classic, slower paced horror movies. (I showed a close friend the rough cut and he said that if it was 1970s and I lived in Italy I'd make millions.) That said, there's a fine line between "slow build" and "slow and boring."
I call the process "trimming the fat." What I want is the leanest, meanest movie I can get. Once I have that, then Jim and I can go in and dress it up.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
The Little Things
I gave Fangoria.com exclusive pics for their piece about wrapping Women's Studies because I'm a shameless brownnoser. Go see Tara Garwood's Judith get all gory and Kelley Slagle as Naughty Nazi Nurse Diane. Also featured are is a pic of Mundy Spears (Sharon) as well as a shot of Cindy Marie Martin (Mary) and James A. Radack (Zack).
# # #
Things have been all over the place with Women's Studies this week. In fact, I've had a hard time focusing because instead of having a few big issues to think about I have a whole lot of little ones. Little is a relative term that doesn't mean unimportant. In fact, one could argue that all the items on the current Women's Studies agenda are vital in setting the tone for the next few months.
A sampler:
--Editor Jim McGivney and I met this weekend and drank a lot a beer. While doing so we hashed out a two month plan for sculpting the Women's Studies footage into something that resembles a movie. Jim's first order of business is just getting the footage slapped together in approximately the right order. I've seen various scenes and while they look great, it's difficult to gauge how everything fits together as a story. Once that's done, Jim and I will attack the whole film for issues of pacing and rhythm, which I'll argue is one of the most important aspects of this film. Too fast and folks get confused. Too slow and they go to sleep. From there, the real work starts with us getting into specific scenes and sequences. I'll also be able to set dates for sound, music,and color to be able to work with the footage.
--We have a reshoot this weekend for a scene that had a few issues the first time around. "What? Reshoot?!? Disaster!" No, not really. Reshoots are a part of the process. Even the big boys do it once they start to see the big picture. Frankly, I'm delighted that there's only one scene that needs to be redone.
--Cindy and I are also trying to wrap up a lot of the unfinished paperwork from production. That means paying our bills and getting our books in order both financial and production-wise.
--Part of wrangling post-production is setting deadlines. Most of our deadlines will revolve around festival entry deadlines. I've spent some time looking at festivals and trying to find ones that would be a good fit for Women's Studies.
--I've also rested which has been well earned. This past week especially, I made a conscious effort to eat well, take timeout for myself,and get in bed early. I've also rediscovered the nap who was a wonderful friend I don't want to lose touch with again.
--Finally, I've tried to get reorganized on the blog again. I've got some some cool stuff planned, and I'm once again going to have the time to give it the love I want to. Stay tuned. While the next few months aren't going to be the breakneck, wild times we had during production, there's lots of excitement regarding Women's Studies. You don't want to miss it.
# # #
Things have been all over the place with Women's Studies this week. In fact, I've had a hard time focusing because instead of having a few big issues to think about I have a whole lot of little ones. Little is a relative term that doesn't mean unimportant. In fact, one could argue that all the items on the current Women's Studies agenda are vital in setting the tone for the next few months.
A sampler:
--Editor Jim McGivney and I met this weekend and drank a lot a beer. While doing so we hashed out a two month plan for sculpting the Women's Studies footage into something that resembles a movie. Jim's first order of business is just getting the footage slapped together in approximately the right order. I've seen various scenes and while they look great, it's difficult to gauge how everything fits together as a story. Once that's done, Jim and I will attack the whole film for issues of pacing and rhythm, which I'll argue is one of the most important aspects of this film. Too fast and folks get confused. Too slow and they go to sleep. From there, the real work starts with us getting into specific scenes and sequences. I'll also be able to set dates for sound, music,and color to be able to work with the footage.
--We have a reshoot this weekend for a scene that had a few issues the first time around. "What? Reshoot?!? Disaster!" No, not really. Reshoots are a part of the process. Even the big boys do it once they start to see the big picture. Frankly, I'm delighted that there's only one scene that needs to be redone.
--Cindy and I are also trying to wrap up a lot of the unfinished paperwork from production. That means paying our bills and getting our books in order both financial and production-wise.
--Part of wrangling post-production is setting deadlines. Most of our deadlines will revolve around festival entry deadlines. I've spent some time looking at festivals and trying to find ones that would be a good fit for Women's Studies.
--I've also rested which has been well earned. This past week especially, I made a conscious effort to eat well, take timeout for myself,and get in bed early. I've also rediscovered the nap who was a wonderful friend I don't want to lose touch with again.
--Finally, I've tried to get reorganized on the blog again. I've got some some cool stuff planned, and I'm once again going to have the time to give it the love I want to. Stay tuned. While the next few months aren't going to be the breakneck, wild times we had during production, there's lots of excitement regarding Women's Studies. You don't want to miss it.
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