I sent Frank about ten email pages of notes on the first cut of the film, and he's already executed most of them and sent me a new version of the film. He works fast.
There are a few things that can only be executed when we're together. Most of the time, a director has to communicate their vision to the DP, the actors, the editor, etc., and assuming communication has been solid, they can execute it on their own without "over the shoulder" directing. But occasionally there's a specific kind of scene or something tricky or specific or stylistic that requires more direct involvement from the director, and we have a couple of those that we'll get to when Frank comes to L.A. in less than a week.
On Friday I spent a little time looking at a couple scenes Frank adjusted based on my notes, and it's always sobering when you realize that a change you wanted just isn't possible because the footage isn't there. "What was I thinking on the set" moments are common for everyone.
Also, we designed a new look for the What If... blog page, it looks a lot sharper and more relevant to the actual story. It's at http://whatifmovie.wordpress.com. I'm also going to be uploading some new exclusive pics there in a day or two.
Nate Scoggins turned in his first draft of the outline for "Riven," and it's exciting to see. I'm convinced it's always best to have screenwriters do an outline of at least ten pages to make sure everyone's on the same page before they write a complete draft of the script that goes in the wrong direction and requires extra work to adjust. Nate wrote a very good outline, but there are a few things we needed to discuss, and now it'll be easy for him to make those adjustments in outline form before he commences the script.
We've been on the same page on everything so far, which is great, even including the music we listen to to get inspired with this story. By coincidence, we're both listening to a ton of Jars of Clay--the movie is about broken souls, and Jars always writes about broken souls, so it's perfect.
Two nights ago I was driving to a conference I was speaking at, and it was 11:30 at night, and I texted Nate to see if he was awake because I'd just gotten inspired with some thoughts about the key scene in the movie. He was, and we ended up talking past Midnight about the story, and it was cool. I actually got choked up while I was describing how the scene could look, which is probably a good sign.
Speaking of the conference, I showed 15 minutes of the rough cut of the movie to about 150 or so attendees, and it went really well. This is the worst the movie will ever look, and it was playing on a cheap screen from a DVD player in a room with sunlight coming in. Not the best venue. But people laughed, were engaged, and I got a few genuinely enthusiastic responses afterward. That was encouraging.
Man, I just tried to say "afterwards" instead of "afterward," and spell check flagged me. I didn't realize "afterwards" wasn't a word. All righty.
Normally I like to write about difficult things, because I want my blogs to be honest, but things have been going pretty well over the last few months, so now it's reading more like a promotional tool for my films. I'm sorry about that!
So much going on right now, I'm trying to find time to write blog entries. Right now it's 2:25 am...I must away...
FIRST CUT FINISHED
Published: September 19, 2009
As I discuss in my latest video blog at http://whatifmovie.wordpress.com, our editor Frank Reynolds has completed and submitted the first edit of the film. This is usually called an assembly and is for the purpose of just seeing the movie put together in raw form. Normally it goes:
1. Editor puts together a rough assembly, just to see all the footage in one piece to see if there's anything missing or scary.
2. Director and editor work to get a first cut done, which is still pretty rough, just to see if the movie plays and makes sense.
3. They fine tune, taking chunks out, working on pacing, etc. After showing it to people, getting some feedback, they...
4. Put a scalpel to every scene, working hard to produce a "locked" cut, before turning it over to the composer.
However, because we don't have a lot of time to submit too many edits, and because Frank is too much of an artist to just sloppily assemble the film together, this first edit is somewhere in between 1 and 2. I'm giving him notes while he's still in New York, so over the next week and a half, he'll produce something closer to #2, and once he gets out to L.A. and we can work together, we'll work towards getting something like #4. After that we'll have a screening to get some feedback before we officially lock the picture.
The saying goes, "The movie's never as good as the dailies (the raw footage), never as bad as the first cut." That's pretty much true. Because of that, I feel very good about this film. The first cut isn't pretty, but Frank did a very good job overall, and the film obviously works. Normally there are some red flags, things that make us think we might have to reshoot or work some magic to fill in gaps, but that doesn't seem to be the case here.
It's currently 2 hours and 15 minutes long. I'd like to cut at least 20 minutes from it, and that's without cutting any scenes. There are some pacing problems in the first third of the film--we simply need to speed it up. There are a few lines throughout that we can cut just because once you see the film and see how the characters look, many times stuff in the script becomes unnecessary.
There's also a key scene that feels out of order right now--it's very important to build a good emotional progression in the story, especially when you're dealing with a main character's emotional and spiritual journey, so you can't have any key emotional beats come too soon. Again, sometimes things happen when you're shooting that can be both good and bad. For instance, let's say someone gets emotional in a scene. In the moment, it's good because it's moving and spontaneous--but when you look at it later in the context of the whole film, it feels out of place. Same thing with comedy--maybe a scene ended up playing more comedically than you intended, and now you have to make that work within the context of the film.
We have a few moments like that, especially one scene, so that'll take a little delicacy to make work.
I'm also a little unsure if the ending of the movie will have as much impact as I want, and that's obviously of VITAL importance, but I think we can make that work.
I showed the cut to the producers of the film at Pure Flix, and they had very few notes, which is a good sign.
We've got to be done by October 19th, because we're screening the film for an audience a few days after that to see how it plays before we officially lock picture and get the composer going. So four weeks to get this all done! Not a lot of time...
DISTRIBUTION DISCUSSIONS
Published: September 4, 2009
We're co-producing this film with Pure Flix Entertainment, a company that is also a distribution company. They focus primarily on straight-to-DVD releases and on a church screening program, and they do distribution and marketing, which makes them a nice fit for us because we don't want to do that. So we know that, at the very least, Pure Flix will be doing a strong DVD release, and we're confident they'll do a great job.
That said, when "What If..." is completed, we'll show it to the big studios to see if they have any interest in buying us out. This is what has happened on all the films we've made so far. As with any independent film (a film financed and produced outside of the studio system), we made the film and then showed it to the studios. For Hometown Legend, Warner Brothers purchased distribution rights; for Midnight Clear, Lionsgate purchased them.
I had a good chat with Pure Flix today, and we're all on the same page. We think What If... has a chance to be special and to do really well, but until we actually see it, we're unsure of how exactly this will all pan out. If a studio wants to purchase rights and release it theatrically, we'll be open to that if we feel they can make it work financially; if we decide we want to release it theatrically, we can look at that option as well and raise some extra money. But either way, we know that we have a strong safety net in the Pure Flix distribution system.
Of course, it's impossible to know what chances the movie has until we see it. So right now the next step is simply for me to work on making a great film. If the film is only pretty good, then our chances for wider distribution are slim anyway. But if the film is great, and people respond very strongly to it, then our options are broadened significantly.
NO PRESSURE, RIGHT?
ON INSPIRATION AND TWITTER...
Published: September 2, 2009
Well, I'm finally on twitter. Sigh. It's going to be primarily geared towards the film stuff, so if you have any interest in getting more frequent updates on what we're up to or little tips and info on filmmaking, find me at www.twitter.com/dallasjenkins. I'll also be posting pics from What If... there that you won't find anywhere else.
Right now, while I wait for the editor to finish the initial assembly of the film, I'm spending time making sure that I'm primed and ready once it's time for me to go in and shape it. That means not only looking at raw footage and re-familiarizing myself with everything that I shot (so that if I don't like something Frank did, I know what the alternative is), but also continuing my work and study with other films and books. Inspiration comes from everywhere--I remember watching Traffic for the first time when I was making Hometown Legend, and it gave us a few great editing ideas for a few scenes.
As I've mentioned, my netflix queue is filled with as many great films as I can think of that I haven't seen. One right after another, trying to increase my film vocabulary and appreciation. All of the great filmmakers of all time have seen every important film ever made; I've got a long way to go, as I got off to a late start because I grew up in a pretty strict home when it came to entertainment. Plus, when I started getting into films, I didn't work as hard as I should have to see the classics.
Today I'll be watching The Manchurian Candidate for the first time, and later this week I'll see The Third Man. I also continue to do a lot of reading; I've discovered that my style and tastes are similar to Frank Capra's (although I'm nowhere in his league, of course), so I'm reading a few books on him. It's important to not only watch the films of your favorite filmmakers, but to find out what they were thinking and why.
I've also created a "What If..." folder on my itunes so that I can listen to the songs that most stir me up for the emotion or story of the film. Because this film is a romantic comedy with a lot of heart, I'm listening to songs that are more sweeping and uplifting and emotional (Snow Patrol has two songs on the list, as does Coldplay--also loving Avril Lavigne's "Keep Holding On" and Taylor Swift's "Change." For my next film "Riven," which is set in a death row prison and is more raw, I'll listen to rootsy/bluesy/country-ish stuff.
Besides being a director, I have to be a business man, so I'm spending a lot of time updating all our websites and keeping marketing going. It's no fun, but it's part of the marriage between art and commerce. Grief, I sound like a jackass.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Friday, August 21, 2009
Updates...
There are some new pictures and updates on the "What If..." site, http://whatifmovie.wordpress.com.
Good movie streak...
Published: August 18, 2009
Right now I'm on a streak where I believe the last eight movies I've seen in the theater have been very good. I recommend all of these films for various reasons:
Up, The Hangover, The Proposal, Away We Go, Funny People, 500 Days of Summer, The Hurt Locker, District 9
I think Funny People is very underrated--my wife and I really liked it. The Proposal was surprisingly witty and well-done. District 9 was stunning, you really have to see it to believe it. I was especially charmed by 500 Days of Summer; wonderful movie, surprisingly good message.
Now, some of you might be offended or turned off by some of these films, so please check the ratings or the details of what's in the films before you see them.
Editing has begun
Published: August 11, 2009
It's been a few weeks since I've blogged about the film. I hope you took a look at the videos on http://whatifmovie.wordpress.com.
Since shooting, most of what's gone on has been purely technical. Transferring footage, getting paperwork wrapped up, etc.. I was finally able to watch the footage in raw form, although some of it didn't have sound yet. I have to say, looking at footage has made me more optimistic than I've ever been on a film. Everything looks how I hoped it would, and the performances are just as good as I thought. This has a chance to be really good; hopefully, I won't screw it up!
Frank Reynolds is the editor on this; he came on board Midnight Clear halfway through and did a great job for me. He's out in New York doing the assembly, which is the very first edit of the film. He basically takes all the footage and comes up with a longer version of the film; he tries to make it good, but his primary focus is to simply put the story down and let us see how it all works. The larger adjustments come next, and then the finetuning commences. He'll come out to L.A. for the finetuning. The whole process will take about a month and a half or two months, and then we work on music and finalizing the sound.
Frank has forgotten more about film than I've ever learned, so it's good to have someone who can look at the film from a different perspective and see what he comes up with. As a director, it's important to not be married too strongly to any one thing. A lot of times you fall in love with a moment or a scene because you know how hard it was to get it; but the audience doesn't know or care about any of that, and neither does the editor, so it's important to grasp what he sees.
For the next few weeks, I'll just be catching up on business stuff, watching a few scenes as he puts them together and sends them to me online, watching lots of movies to keep my brain active and creative, reading books on filmmaking for the same reason (right now I'm reading "The Director's Idea," which is great), and preparing to be out of commission again once Frank gets out here.
More to come...
Good movie streak...
Published: August 18, 2009
Right now I'm on a streak where I believe the last eight movies I've seen in the theater have been very good. I recommend all of these films for various reasons:
Up, The Hangover, The Proposal, Away We Go, Funny People, 500 Days of Summer, The Hurt Locker, District 9
I think Funny People is very underrated--my wife and I really liked it. The Proposal was surprisingly witty and well-done. District 9 was stunning, you really have to see it to believe it. I was especially charmed by 500 Days of Summer; wonderful movie, surprisingly good message.
Now, some of you might be offended or turned off by some of these films, so please check the ratings or the details of what's in the films before you see them.
Editing has begun
Published: August 11, 2009
It's been a few weeks since I've blogged about the film. I hope you took a look at the videos on http://whatifmovie.wordpress.com.
Since shooting, most of what's gone on has been purely technical. Transferring footage, getting paperwork wrapped up, etc.. I was finally able to watch the footage in raw form, although some of it didn't have sound yet. I have to say, looking at footage has made me more optimistic than I've ever been on a film. Everything looks how I hoped it would, and the performances are just as good as I thought. This has a chance to be really good; hopefully, I won't screw it up!
Frank Reynolds is the editor on this; he came on board Midnight Clear halfway through and did a great job for me. He's out in New York doing the assembly, which is the very first edit of the film. He basically takes all the footage and comes up with a longer version of the film; he tries to make it good, but his primary focus is to simply put the story down and let us see how it all works. The larger adjustments come next, and then the finetuning commences. He'll come out to L.A. for the finetuning. The whole process will take about a month and a half or two months, and then we work on music and finalizing the sound.
Frank has forgotten more about film than I've ever learned, so it's good to have someone who can look at the film from a different perspective and see what he comes up with. As a director, it's important to not be married too strongly to any one thing. A lot of times you fall in love with a moment or a scene because you know how hard it was to get it; but the audience doesn't know or care about any of that, and neither does the editor, so it's important to grasp what he sees.
For the next few weeks, I'll just be catching up on business stuff, watching a few scenes as he puts them together and sends them to me online, watching lots of movies to keep my brain active and creative, reading books on filmmaking for the same reason (right now I'm reading "The Director's Idea," which is great), and preparing to be out of commission again once Frank gets out here.
More to come...
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Video Blog...
Check out http://whatifmovie.wordpress.com for daily video blogs from the set of "What If..."
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Things heating up...
30 hours until we start shooting, and so much is happening so fast. Bad news is that we lost one of my favorite locations, but some of the good news is that all of our locations are still great. We did a tech scout today, which is when the heads of each crew department visit all the locations to make sure all the practical needs can be met, and everyone agreed the locations looked and felt great.
I've got an interesting bet going with a few people on the production team. I'm betting that I can keep our "2nd meals" at 3 or fewer for the 15 day shoot. What's a 2nd meal, you may be asking? Every day is supposed to go 12 hours. By law we have to feed people "lunch" at the six hour mark, and if we go longer than 12 hours, we have to feed them at the 12 hour mark. That 12 hour mark meal is called "2nd meal." If you give it, it means you've gone into overtime, which no one likes.
I believe I can keep the production from doing more than 3 second meals in our 15 days, even though our schedule is tight. I'm betting $100 with a few people who believe I'll do more than 3.
Kevin Sorbo and Kristy Swanson got in tonight, and the three of us went out to dinner. It was great. Both of them are really sweet and cool, and it's obvious we're going to have a good and productive time together. When you're going to be in the trenches with people for three weeks, you typically want to like them, and we've got that covered here. Kevin and I are buddies anyway, but tonight was the first time I've met Kristy in person, and she was terrific.
Tomorrow we do some wardrobe fittings to make sure they like their clothes, and I'm meeting with my cinematographer Todd Barron to prepare a shot list for the first week. A shot list is when you literally plan out all the shots you plan to make for each scene, type it up, and give it to the production staff so they can have a decent handle on how long things will take.
More to come...
Cast filling up...
Published: June 23, 2009
Today was my best day of pre-production. Great news all day.
Kristy Swanson is officially booked as Wendy, our lead female character. We're getting quite a cast. Kevin Sorbo plays Ben, the hot-shot investment banker who gets a glimpse of what his life would have looked like had he followed his calling to be a pastor and stay with the right girl. Kristy Swanson plays Wendy, the right girl. John Ratzenberger plays Mike, the angel who gives Ben the glimpse and acts as a guide through the process. And Debby Ryan, big up and coming Disney star from "Suite Life On Deck," plays Kimberly, the older daughter in Ben's "alternate life."
Had a little scare with Disney, as they wanted to make sure it wasn't a "right-wing fundamentalist" movie before they released Debby, but they read the script and were fine. Hearing that news this morning got the day started right.
We're also finding some awesome locations. The opening and closing scenes of the film take place in a bus station, and we're going to turn a huge warehouse into a de facto bus station, which will look very cool. Most times the locations you find force you to compromise in some way, but occasionally you get the cool experience of finding locations that open the movie up even more and give you better opportunities than you thought you'd have.
One week from shooting...
Published: June 21, 2009
Woke up this morning to the news that we've cast our Wendy! The great thing is we got someone who will bring a little name value to the project and has a ton of experience. We'll make an official announcement about all our cast as soon as they're all official.
It all happened very fast, which was cool. Got her the script a few days ago, she said "I'm in" last night while I was sleeping.
Auditioned a girl today for the part of the 6 year old. Sometimes it's good to cast locally (saves money and is easier), sometimes it's better to find someone from L.A. who has more experience and fly them in. The girl today doesn't have much experience, but she's absolutely adorable and could be great. We'll make a decision there in a couple days. I should have the whole film cast within the next 3 to 4 days.
The locations are all coming together; spent some time today with the production designer and art director going through the house where we're shooting all the family scenes. We had to make sure that every scene could be shot there without any problems. For instance, there always has to be enough room for lights, the camera, and all the actors, obviously. So you're not only looking for rooms that have depth, but you're looking for places where you can place the camera that will take up as little room as possible, even if that means the camera being outside the room (shooting through a doorway or window).
Whenever you don't have depth in the film, or enough distance from the camera to the subject, the film always ends up looking cheap.
One thing cool about the house is that it's owned by a couple that LOVES my Dad's books, and they share the values of the film, so they're letting us pretty much do whatever we want. We've already chopped down three huge evergreens in their front lawn, and we're choosing colors with which to paint their interior walls. Most of their walls are white, which never looks very good on film. I'm trying to depict the home life as warm and inviting, so we're looking for light, warm colors. Light browns, greens, oranges, etc.
Gonna make a few more tweaks to the script based on locations we're finding, and then next week is going to be crazy as the crew and cast start showing up.
Still don't have a Wendy...
Published: June 17, 2009
Man, this is frustrating...we're trying to cast our lead actress but have been failing for over a month. Every time we've got someone, something gets in the way, whether it's schedule or money or some other silly reason. We're less than two weeks from shooting and we don't have a lead girl!
Last night I saw an online audition from a girl in Chicago who was fantastic. I'm driving 3 hours to meet her today, so we'll see if that works out.
In Michigan...
Published: June 16, 2009
I'm in Michigan now, and we start shooting in less than two weeks. Wow. Everything's going quite well, actually. The producers we're working with at Pure Flix Entertainment are terrific; totally on top of everything. Yesterday we drove around looking at and choosing locations. When choosing locations, it's all about the balance between art and commerce. One location looks perfect but has bad sound issues, or lack of parking, or will be too expensive. Another location doesn't look perfect but has all the perks we need. Another important aspect is that you want the locations to be as close to each other as possible. Every time you have to move all the trucks and cast/crew, it takes time and costs money.
We're completing our casting right now. Kevin Sorbo is the lead, John Ratzenberger is Mike the Angel, Debby Ryan (upcoming Disney star) is one of the daughters, and we're about to close a deal on our lead female. Most of the rest of the cast is coming out of Michigan and Chicago, so I'm spending half the day today looking at online auditions for "day player" roles (roles where the person works for one day). Local casting is always an adventure. Sometimes you find diamonds, sometimes you get people like from the opening weeks of American Idol.
I'm going to be video blogging every day from the set, so stay tuned for more regular updates...
Shooting one month away...
Published: June 1, 2009
Right now we're holding auditions for the female lead and are down to a few options. I'm doing callbacks tomorrow; we've seen about 15 women, gotten them on tape, watched the tape a few times, and are seeing a few tomorrow who will read a different scene. This is such an important process--80% of directing is casting properly, so we have to get it right. Never ever ever settle for someone less than your best available option, even for a small role, because a bad performance can kill a film.
We're closing deals on two of our key parts (announcement coming), which is great. With one of the parts, we're getting a great performer, but we had to expand the role a bit to get this person involved. Some star actors are willing to take less money to do a role, but it needs to be worth it for them, which makes sense. We added a few scenes and moments within the context of the film because of the value this person brings to the film, and it looks like it's going to work out. We're very excited.
We start filming on June 29th, and we still haven't really nailed down all our locations, so we've got a ton to do. Scheduling and locations are the hardest parts of a low budget films. You have to schedule so that you can work around the schedules of your actors, but you also have to make sure you're being smart about WHERE you shoot. It's a juggling act. As the director, I've got to constantly make adjustments, because sometimes the Assistant Director (who does the scheduling) or the line producer (who pays the bills) will say, "You can't have this location because it's too expensive," or "We need to make this scene take place outside because we won't have time to go inside," or "Can we lose this character in this scene because we can't afford him on this day?"
I could be a selfish artiste and get riled up, or I could make some compromises and do what I can to work within the limitations I'm given. I choose the latter, because I need to get my film made on time and on budget.
I'm spending some of my time fine-tuning the script, some time working through the schedule, some time auditioning the actors, some time choosing locations, some time talking to the production designers and cinematographer about the look of the film. I'm leaving for Michigan in a couple weeks, where I'll have a little over two weeks to get ready to shoot. It's going to be a whirlwind.
I've got an interesting bet going with a few people on the production team. I'm betting that I can keep our "2nd meals" at 3 or fewer for the 15 day shoot. What's a 2nd meal, you may be asking? Every day is supposed to go 12 hours. By law we have to feed people "lunch" at the six hour mark, and if we go longer than 12 hours, we have to feed them at the 12 hour mark. That 12 hour mark meal is called "2nd meal." If you give it, it means you've gone into overtime, which no one likes.
I believe I can keep the production from doing more than 3 second meals in our 15 days, even though our schedule is tight. I'm betting $100 with a few people who believe I'll do more than 3.
Kevin Sorbo and Kristy Swanson got in tonight, and the three of us went out to dinner. It was great. Both of them are really sweet and cool, and it's obvious we're going to have a good and productive time together. When you're going to be in the trenches with people for three weeks, you typically want to like them, and we've got that covered here. Kevin and I are buddies anyway, but tonight was the first time I've met Kristy in person, and she was terrific.
Tomorrow we do some wardrobe fittings to make sure they like their clothes, and I'm meeting with my cinematographer Todd Barron to prepare a shot list for the first week. A shot list is when you literally plan out all the shots you plan to make for each scene, type it up, and give it to the production staff so they can have a decent handle on how long things will take.
More to come...
Cast filling up...
Published: June 23, 2009
Today was my best day of pre-production. Great news all day.
Kristy Swanson is officially booked as Wendy, our lead female character. We're getting quite a cast. Kevin Sorbo plays Ben, the hot-shot investment banker who gets a glimpse of what his life would have looked like had he followed his calling to be a pastor and stay with the right girl. Kristy Swanson plays Wendy, the right girl. John Ratzenberger plays Mike, the angel who gives Ben the glimpse and acts as a guide through the process. And Debby Ryan, big up and coming Disney star from "Suite Life On Deck," plays Kimberly, the older daughter in Ben's "alternate life."
Had a little scare with Disney, as they wanted to make sure it wasn't a "right-wing fundamentalist" movie before they released Debby, but they read the script and were fine. Hearing that news this morning got the day started right.
We're also finding some awesome locations. The opening and closing scenes of the film take place in a bus station, and we're going to turn a huge warehouse into a de facto bus station, which will look very cool. Most times the locations you find force you to compromise in some way, but occasionally you get the cool experience of finding locations that open the movie up even more and give you better opportunities than you thought you'd have.
One week from shooting...
Published: June 21, 2009
Woke up this morning to the news that we've cast our Wendy! The great thing is we got someone who will bring a little name value to the project and has a ton of experience. We'll make an official announcement about all our cast as soon as they're all official.
It all happened very fast, which was cool. Got her the script a few days ago, she said "I'm in" last night while I was sleeping.
Auditioned a girl today for the part of the 6 year old. Sometimes it's good to cast locally (saves money and is easier), sometimes it's better to find someone from L.A. who has more experience and fly them in. The girl today doesn't have much experience, but she's absolutely adorable and could be great. We'll make a decision there in a couple days. I should have the whole film cast within the next 3 to 4 days.
The locations are all coming together; spent some time today with the production designer and art director going through the house where we're shooting all the family scenes. We had to make sure that every scene could be shot there without any problems. For instance, there always has to be enough room for lights, the camera, and all the actors, obviously. So you're not only looking for rooms that have depth, but you're looking for places where you can place the camera that will take up as little room as possible, even if that means the camera being outside the room (shooting through a doorway or window).
Whenever you don't have depth in the film, or enough distance from the camera to the subject, the film always ends up looking cheap.
One thing cool about the house is that it's owned by a couple that LOVES my Dad's books, and they share the values of the film, so they're letting us pretty much do whatever we want. We've already chopped down three huge evergreens in their front lawn, and we're choosing colors with which to paint their interior walls. Most of their walls are white, which never looks very good on film. I'm trying to depict the home life as warm and inviting, so we're looking for light, warm colors. Light browns, greens, oranges, etc.
Gonna make a few more tweaks to the script based on locations we're finding, and then next week is going to be crazy as the crew and cast start showing up.
Still don't have a Wendy...
Published: June 17, 2009
Man, this is frustrating...we're trying to cast our lead actress but have been failing for over a month. Every time we've got someone, something gets in the way, whether it's schedule or money or some other silly reason. We're less than two weeks from shooting and we don't have a lead girl!
Last night I saw an online audition from a girl in Chicago who was fantastic. I'm driving 3 hours to meet her today, so we'll see if that works out.
In Michigan...
Published: June 16, 2009
I'm in Michigan now, and we start shooting in less than two weeks. Wow. Everything's going quite well, actually. The producers we're working with at Pure Flix Entertainment are terrific; totally on top of everything. Yesterday we drove around looking at and choosing locations. When choosing locations, it's all about the balance between art and commerce. One location looks perfect but has bad sound issues, or lack of parking, or will be too expensive. Another location doesn't look perfect but has all the perks we need. Another important aspect is that you want the locations to be as close to each other as possible. Every time you have to move all the trucks and cast/crew, it takes time and costs money.
We're completing our casting right now. Kevin Sorbo is the lead, John Ratzenberger is Mike the Angel, Debby Ryan (upcoming Disney star) is one of the daughters, and we're about to close a deal on our lead female. Most of the rest of the cast is coming out of Michigan and Chicago, so I'm spending half the day today looking at online auditions for "day player" roles (roles where the person works for one day). Local casting is always an adventure. Sometimes you find diamonds, sometimes you get people like from the opening weeks of American Idol.
I'm going to be video blogging every day from the set, so stay tuned for more regular updates...
Shooting one month away...
Published: June 1, 2009
Right now we're holding auditions for the female lead and are down to a few options. I'm doing callbacks tomorrow; we've seen about 15 women, gotten them on tape, watched the tape a few times, and are seeing a few tomorrow who will read a different scene. This is such an important process--80% of directing is casting properly, so we have to get it right. Never ever ever settle for someone less than your best available option, even for a small role, because a bad performance can kill a film.
We're closing deals on two of our key parts (announcement coming), which is great. With one of the parts, we're getting a great performer, but we had to expand the role a bit to get this person involved. Some star actors are willing to take less money to do a role, but it needs to be worth it for them, which makes sense. We added a few scenes and moments within the context of the film because of the value this person brings to the film, and it looks like it's going to work out. We're very excited.
We start filming on June 29th, and we still haven't really nailed down all our locations, so we've got a ton to do. Scheduling and locations are the hardest parts of a low budget films. You have to schedule so that you can work around the schedules of your actors, but you also have to make sure you're being smart about WHERE you shoot. It's a juggling act. As the director, I've got to constantly make adjustments, because sometimes the Assistant Director (who does the scheduling) or the line producer (who pays the bills) will say, "You can't have this location because it's too expensive," or "We need to make this scene take place outside because we won't have time to go inside," or "Can we lose this character in this scene because we can't afford him on this day?"
I could be a selfish artiste and get riled up, or I could make some compromises and do what I can to work within the limitations I'm given. I choose the latter, because I need to get my film made on time and on budget.
I'm spending some of my time fine-tuning the script, some time working through the schedule, some time auditioning the actors, some time choosing locations, some time talking to the production designers and cinematographer about the look of the film. I'm leaving for Michigan in a couple weeks, where I'll have a little over two weeks to get ready to shoot. It's going to be a whirlwind.
Friday, May 8, 2009
Final script changes...
We're wrapping up the contract stuff and have already begun sending the script to cast potentials. We've chosen an editor, cinematographer, and a composer, so we're on the fast track. Right now the biggest decision is location. We've been planning on shooting in L.A. all along, but Michigan has become a possibility.
Michigan has this program where if you shoot a film there, you get a 42% tax rebate. Basically, 42% of your budget comes back to you in cash; they do this because they're trying to entice filmmakers to spend money in their state and increase tourism and interest. So we're flying out to Michigan in the next few days to check it out and see if we can make a good low budget movie there.
I'm also doing some work on the script; the script works well now, but I want to make some changes that will make it even more enticing to our core audience, as well as make sure the movie doesn't feel too much like other movies in this vein. The story is about a man who gets a "glimpse" into what his life would look like if he had made a different choice--a la 17 Again, 13 Going on 30, Family Man, It's a Wonderful Life, etc.. We want to honor the genre but also make sure there are unique twists, so I'm working on that now.
Michigan has this program where if you shoot a film there, you get a 42% tax rebate. Basically, 42% of your budget comes back to you in cash; they do this because they're trying to entice filmmakers to spend money in their state and increase tourism and interest. So we're flying out to Michigan in the next few days to check it out and see if we can make a good low budget movie there.
I'm also doing some work on the script; the script works well now, but I want to make some changes that will make it even more enticing to our core audience, as well as make sure the movie doesn't feel too much like other movies in this vein. The story is about a man who gets a "glimpse" into what his life would look like if he had made a different choice--a la 17 Again, 13 Going on 30, Family Man, It's a Wonderful Life, etc.. We want to honor the genre but also make sure there are unique twists, so I'm working on that now.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Big Hollywood Article
I just wrote an article for the growing and popular website "Big Hollywood," entitled "Why Are Christian Movies So Bad?" You can read it here. It's already gotten over 200 comments, so join the party.
Solved the ending to my film...
Published: April 16, 2009
The key to an audience-pleasing movie is a great, uplifting ending. On this film, I've been focused on being more audience-friendly than I have been in the past, so we had an ending that was ultra-happy and whatnot. Unfortunately, it didn't really make a lot of sense, so I've had something in the back of my head bugging me about it. Fortunately, a great conversation with a filmmaker friend of mine birthed an idea that is both uplifting and realistic, so I'm excited.
It's so important to surround yourself with people who will challenge you, who will say "no" as often as "yes." Encouragement is great, but if one really wants to improve, having a group of friends who will tell you what's wrong and needs improvement in your projects is essential.
On another note, well-known author Angela Hunt just wrote a really nice note on her blog about Midnight Clear:
The other night I had some time to kill, so I opened my Netflix queue to see if there were any "instant" movies I could watch online. I discovered "Midnight Clear," and I knew it was based on a book by my pal Jerry Jenkins, so I settled back to watch it.
An hour and forty minutes later, I was bawling like a baby. The story concerns at least five characters whose lives intertwine, even momentarily, on Christmas Eve. To its credit, there are no miraculous conversions, angelic visitations, or heavy sermons . . . instead we see one Christian man doing what's right because it's right, and then we see how his actions multiply and bless the lives of other people in need of a loving touch.
This is a lovely film, produced and directed by Dallas Jenkins, Jerry's son. Stephen Baldwin stars, and does an excellent job. Excellent production values, too.
So look for this movie wherever you buy or rent DVDs. It's available at Amazon.com, too. I think you'll like it a lot. Uplifting . . . and you don't have to wait until the Christmas season to enjoy it.
~~Angie
Getting closer? Maybe?
Published: April 14, 2009
Last month I said I hoped we could get done within a week. I'm saying the same thing now. We finally were able to get in a room and discuss the contract stuff face to face, and it was a great meeting. As I said before, I'm always going to go this route--get in a room, address every question/concern until you're done. Now we're at the legalize stage, and hopefully that won't take too long.
Nothing's ever as simple as "We like each other, we want to work together, we agree on the basic terms." Someday, perhaps a miracle will happen and it'll be that simple.
I continue to try to watch 3-5 movies a week, which is something I think every person in film should do. Sounds obvious, but it's amazing how much of a difference it makes in your understanding of cinema and film language. It makes me a better filmmaker. Last week I saw Tootsie (2nd time), Terms of Endearment, and Some Like It Hot. I really think Terms of Endearment is overrated, Some Like It Hot is terrific, and I think that Tootsie might be one of the best films ever made. Truly amazing.
Solved the ending to my film...
Published: April 16, 2009
The key to an audience-pleasing movie is a great, uplifting ending. On this film, I've been focused on being more audience-friendly than I have been in the past, so we had an ending that was ultra-happy and whatnot. Unfortunately, it didn't really make a lot of sense, so I've had something in the back of my head bugging me about it. Fortunately, a great conversation with a filmmaker friend of mine birthed an idea that is both uplifting and realistic, so I'm excited.
It's so important to surround yourself with people who will challenge you, who will say "no" as often as "yes." Encouragement is great, but if one really wants to improve, having a group of friends who will tell you what's wrong and needs improvement in your projects is essential.
On another note, well-known author Angela Hunt just wrote a really nice note on her blog about Midnight Clear:
The other night I had some time to kill, so I opened my Netflix queue to see if there were any "instant" movies I could watch online. I discovered "Midnight Clear," and I knew it was based on a book by my pal Jerry Jenkins, so I settled back to watch it.
An hour and forty minutes later, I was bawling like a baby. The story concerns at least five characters whose lives intertwine, even momentarily, on Christmas Eve. To its credit, there are no miraculous conversions, angelic visitations, or heavy sermons . . . instead we see one Christian man doing what's right because it's right, and then we see how his actions multiply and bless the lives of other people in need of a loving touch.
This is a lovely film, produced and directed by Dallas Jenkins, Jerry's son. Stephen Baldwin stars, and does an excellent job. Excellent production values, too.
So look for this movie wherever you buy or rent DVDs. It's available at Amazon.com, too. I think you'll like it a lot. Uplifting . . . and you don't have to wait until the Christmas season to enjoy it.
~~Angie
Getting closer? Maybe?
Published: April 14, 2009
Last month I said I hoped we could get done within a week. I'm saying the same thing now. We finally were able to get in a room and discuss the contract stuff face to face, and it was a great meeting. As I said before, I'm always going to go this route--get in a room, address every question/concern until you're done. Now we're at the legalize stage, and hopefully that won't take too long.
Nothing's ever as simple as "We like each other, we want to work together, we agree on the basic terms." Someday, perhaps a miracle will happen and it'll be that simple.
I continue to try to watch 3-5 movies a week, which is something I think every person in film should do. Sounds obvious, but it's amazing how much of a difference it makes in your understanding of cinema and film language. It makes me a better filmmaker. Last week I saw Tootsie (2nd time), Terms of Endearment, and Some Like It Hot. I really think Terms of Endearment is overrated, Some Like It Hot is terrific, and I think that Tootsie might be one of the best films ever made. Truly amazing.
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