My favorite Golden Doorknob

The golden doorknobs are one of the Park schools most closely held traditions. It's an opportunity for students, no matter their level of experience, to express themselves creatively, and possibly even take home the gold. Now being a victim of a doorknob killing myself, these films hold a special place in my heart, but there is one film that rises above the rest. Ladies and gentlemen, I'm here to tell you that I believe that "Gerbert the Pervert" may be one of the best Golden doorknob films ever made.

Now maybe it's just because this film is as close to a cartoon as you can get, but I absolutely love the energy of this film. You can tell that they really pulled out all of the stops. Every joke or gag they pull is masterfully executed, and always keeps the audience on their toes. Cinematography and lighting wise things are a little shaky, but I kind of feel as though that adds to the films charm. I don't mind if things aren't up to hollywood standard as long as they work well within their limitations. 

Anyhow, I just really wanted to share this film with you all. There are very few student films that come out of park that I think are at this level of creativity and comedy, so please take a look. 

What I've learned from Filming Dollhouse

So throughout the semester, as the weeks went by and we time and time again had nothing tangible to show for our efforts, I knew that on the day filming Dollhouse was going to be a little hectic. I'm not averse to things getting a little hectic on set, as long as the group is working well as a team and stress levels are fairly low. However if I had to go through this whole process again there would definitely be a few things I'd do differently.

1. Get the Script finished faster:
I like writing a lot, but I've never really written a horror film before so this was perhaps the biggest challenge for me. I've grown to like horror movies a lot over the past few weeks, but I still feel as though their not really in my wheelhouse creatively. That being said I do think that our final script was leagues above the one I originally drafted up, and I have Sam and Anna to thank for that.

2. Get a solid budget together:
We've put a budget together fairly early on, but we had to make some cuts due to a few issues with funding. We wanted to stray away from crowd sourcing since we'd were thinking that we'd like to reserve asking for money from our friends for our thesis films, or if we ever become homeless. I thought that using venmo as a way to move money around would be easy as I could track everyone's contribution and make sure that we never spent more than we needed to . Venmo turned out not being such a hot idea, as only two of our group members actually used it to contribute, and the rest of the groups money came to me through cash. I think in the future I'm going to insist that we use cash exclusively for budgeting, things just get too complicated when I have to track two different accounts at once. That being said I really appreciate that everyone participated in lending some cash. It definitely made crafty a lot easier on me, and I'm just now working up how much I can pay back those who spent some of their own money on the project.

3. Better Group Communication:
The first thing that I got whenever I landed on a set in LA was a detailed rundown of what scenes we were shooting that day, and the shot order we were shooting them in. That did not happen on our set and I think our communication definitely suffered for it. There were times where I wished that had all met to talk more about the creative decisions we were looking to make, there were times when things like a storyboard would have definitely come in handy.

In Conclusion:
I hope that it doesn't come across that I didn't have any fun shooting over the past weekend, or that I don't think we put together a successful project, because that was absolutely not the case. I think everyone, no matter how tired, or frustrated, or hungry they were really brought it on set, and I think our final project will definitely reflect that. Though I didn't play a huge part in shooting the actual film, I had a ton of fun on set  and I hope everyone else did too. I can't wait to see the final cut, and I 'm really happy that this is the last film I'll be a part of here at Ithaca College.

On set experience for Stopover City, pt. 1.

As you know, we did our first shoot for Stopover City this past weekend, and it was an absolute blast. It was incredible to get to see the script I co-wrote come to life with all the components--pretty amazing to think that it all started out as just a random idea between us writers one night. As for on-set experience, it was stressful at times, but I think that overall the work I did was a success so far.

Here's the breakdown of what I thought about how things went in my department:

Positives:

-set decoration, costumes, and props looked AWESOME :-)

-my art squad was so on point and they are all wonderful humans. There were a lot of things to bake and one of them did all of that for me which was a huge time savor. (I am learning to delegate, it's a process.)

-there were many costumes but I kept it all organized by putting small stickers on them that numbered which scenes they were worn in!!!

-positive relationship with my lovely director, director of photography, and AD. We all understood that each other had a job to do and tried to help the best we could.

Negatives:

-only had ~20 minutes to set up EVERYTHING in the bakery. (holy heck that's not a lot of time)

-was also pressed for time setting up for the bedroom scene...everyone started arriving at my house at 9 AM and the room we were shooting in was rather small so we all had to take turns setting up stuff ha.

-I'm worried about some continuity errors with placement of ash on Hazel's face in one scene, but we have pictures so we can hopefully re-create something similar this Sunday

-someone threw up all in my car saturday after the shoot which wasn't fun at all and kind of threw a wrench in my ability to remain stress-free for sunday's shoot ha ha ha

I am so excited for the last day of filming, and can't wait to see the scenes that our editor has already cut together. Will check in next week with updates on this Sunday's outcome!!

Until then, I'd like to share this precious photo taken on set of the other 2 writers & myself that I love a lot.

On set experience – THESIS weekend 1

The past few weeks I have been working tirelessly on the production design/art direction of my close friend’s thesis film. I am working on this film because a. he asked me to do so back in May and b. it is one of the “on-set designs & experiences” for my independent study in production design. This was (and still is) a serious work in progress for me, since I had never been the key designer on a project until now (someone else had always been telling me how to dress the set and it was their designs). But my friend the writer/director has always been behind the camera, so he didn’t have a super specific vision of what he wanted for the design, it was more of the colors and lights he wanted; the rest he let my imagination run wild.

Even though principal photography was this past weekend, my part started weeks ago, starting with the breakdown of the script to learn more about the characters, in addition to determining a color palate, and figuring out which props & costume I need. Then I joined the location scout process, which included looking at various churches, apartments, and bars. This part was/still is tough for me because I was unable to go to all the original scouts due to other commitments. Thankfully for the apartment scenes I was on the original scout, so storyboarding and planning the design was easier. Planning this upcoming week’s shoot has been more difficult because I haven’t seen all the locations in person—only photos for some of them!

From September 25^th-27^th  we filmed the interior of the characters’ loft- a location that we scouted & secured all the way in Rochester, NY. Keep in mind, this was not even a real apartment (it was a studio that the producers rented on craigslist from this 24 year old who runs a sound recording business) so there was 1 bathroom with no shower, and we were staying there for 3 days and 2 nights!!! Can’t you smell the sweat just thinking about 17 people in a hot apartment for 3 days? (because I certainly will never forget the smell).

me on a giant ladder hanging makeshift "walls" from the ceiling...Innovation at its finest.
Also, I look like I'm descending from production design heaven.

We arrived on Friday evening (I felt like such a soccer mom driving 4 people PLUS all art things in my Rav4) and I immediately got to work. First, I took pictures of everything in the studio so I could put it back the exact way I found it. Then, i took everything off the walls, and moved all furniture I wasn't using to the part of the loft that we weren't filming in. Then I put up the "walls" for the main character's bedroom--there was no real bedroom so we cheated walls with dark blankets (trust me, it looked super dope). Then I set up the design for the computer "room", living room, and the "bedroom". The whole thing took about 5 hours and by the end I was WIPED out. But then we woke up at 6:30 AM the next morning and the set was dressed & ready to go!! We filmed on Saturday from 8 AM to 10:30 PM and Sunday from 8 AM to 1 PM, then it was time to break down the set. That part was difficult because I was exhausted from the weekend's events and it was sad to take apart the set! (Got plenty of pics though, and of course it was all captured on camera for the film ha). 

Overall, I’m really happy with the way my work has turned out so far. With conjunction of the DP, lighting department, and director of course, we were able to accomplish a very beautiful visual for every shot. I’m super excited for this weekend’s shoot, and of course, the final product of the thesis film!

Can You Pay Our Bills?

*cue this song.

The reason I've been getting so involved in our story and constantly editing it is for two reasons. (1) I want it to be as good as it can be (obviously); and (2) I want that Pendleton grant!

Everyone in our group agreed that Dollhouse would be a low-budget film. However, having some grant money would be very helpful. I think that if we want to be a serious contender for the grant, we need to have a grammatically flawless script, which is why I've been working with Theo to edit it. Last fall I took Developing Story Narratives with Julie Blumberg, so I have a good amount of experience editing scripts. I also brought our textbook for that class, The Hollywood Standard by Christopher Riley, back to school with me specifically for moments like this.

After about five drafts (and help from Anna), we've created a story that is more compelling and interesting than it was a couple days ago. Tomorrow it should be ready for storyboarding, which is super exciting.

How we would use our money:

• Gas money - to transport talent, crew, and gear ($30)
• Craft services - food for cast and crew for a 3 day shoot ($70-$100)
• Production design - printing photos, props, room/house decor ($30)
• Wardrobe ($20)
• Gaffing supplies ($25)
• Emergency fund - for when we inevitably have situations to deal with that are unpredictable ($40)

_________________________________________________

Total - $245

I am rounding up to get these estimates, so we may not end up using all of the $245. Any leftover money would be used to submit our film to festivals.

Hopefully our submission goes well and we're awarded some grant money. The next step is for us to focus on pre-production and prep everything that we can.

Danger 5

Danger 5 is an Australian comedy series that is absolutely hysterical. Every aspect of the show makes me laugh. The actors, the set, the script, even the lighting. It is all over the top and over done.

This show is no Breaking Bad when it comes to looks. Everything in the show is done to look cheap and corny. While I understand that this is an approach that most people would hate I think that the show can be views as a good learning tool for students studying film. The show capitalized on low budget... to the extreme. The establishing shows are almost always hand made models, and this is a very cheap way to give a show a very interesting feel. It doesn't work if everything in the film is meant to be taken seriously but not all film needs to be so serious.

Danger 5 is still fun to watch even though it doesn't have crazy animation and locations, and I think that this is something that everyone can learn from. Also its available on Netflix... so check it out

On student films, being strung too thin, and powering through.

If I were to sum up how I've been feeling the last few weeks, it would be the following action done by George Michael in Arrested Development.

Basically, I am straight up burnt out of energy.

I was going to write this weeks blog on one of my favorite films of all time, but I feel as though a ~student film~ journal entry of sorts would be more beneficial to my mental health & self-learning. So if you feel the need for some relatable quips about an overbooked film student, journey on. If not, I suggest you stop reading immediately because I'm about to get very honest.

In the few short weeks that the semester has been in session I have found myself strung more thin than ever. Which, in turn, has turned me from my usual bubbly and patient self into the Grouch, because of lack of sleep and an endless list of tasks.

me in the summer: enough sleep/am less stressed

me the last few weeks; literally disintegrating with garbage!!!!!

Between doing a thousand and one different things plus trying to put my 110% into our fiction field 2 film, I find myself constantly working on some sort of task with no time to stop and breathe. Most pertinent of them all is getting everything done production design-wise for my friend's media thesis film (which we're shooting all next weekend in Rochester!) It’s not that I’m not doing it all, it’s that there’s always something that needs to get done. And I always get it done, but it usually means sacrificing one of the three elements that are key to a college students’ success (and also sanity). That being: enough sleep, good grades, and a social life.

So you see, only:

A. superhumans

B. sleepless vampires

C. those ghosts in harry potter that choose to come back to life(???)

Are the real ones that can achieve the ~trifecta~ of success.

Most of the lack of sleep comes from trying to make everything perfect and to please everyone, which is a fatal flaw of mine. It's something that I am trying to work on because it keeps me from getting things done in a timely manner to be honest. But college is all about learning about to balance everything, right? right????? *buries head in the sand*

I'm going to wrap this up to avoid getting whiny. Really the only way to combat these problems are to just suck it up and deal with it, which is the approach I'm taking. Even though the day to day has been quite the struggle, i'm trying to keep a positive attitude (which probably doesn't show at 10 AM in our class, my apologies). Basically I want all the productions I'm working on to the best they can be, and if that means giving up certain aspects of my life then so be it. 

I'm really happy with the way the screenplay for Stopover City has come out so far, and I'm very excited to begin filming my friend's thesis. Things are "chugging along" and I'm "managing" but I suppose this is just the life of a classic Parkie. Now I'm off to do some more tweaking of our film's screenplay with my lovely co-writers. I shall end this post with this:

Go all with everything you have because hard work pays off, as Leslie of Parks & Rec always shows.

Indiewire's Project of the Day

As student filmmakers, I think it's really important that we take a look at new and upcoming independent filmmakers and their current projects. A great way to do this is by checking Indiewire's Project of the Day. Every day, they post another indie project in development that you can learn all about. Each project comes with a Tweetable Logline, Elevator Pitch, Production Team, About the Film, and Current Status. They also often have a clip or behind-the-scenes look at the project, as well as links to their IndieGoGo or Kickstarter page. Today's Project of the Day is "California Dreaming," a comedy/fantasy about an old lottery addict – his fed up wife – a multimillion-dollar jackpot and an armed robbery! While that "Tweetable Logline" didn't catch my attention, their "Elevator Pitch" sure did:

John has been playing the lottery over the last fifty years that he and Molly have been married, but never won. As always, she nags him for wasting money while he watches the draw on television at a diner. But today is John's lucky day! He has the winning ticket and is just about to hit multimillion dollar jackpot, when two robbers barge in for a stick-up! "California Dreaming" is a film about a relationship. A love story about discovering that you are the richest person in the world, as long as you have your loved one next to you!

For more information on "California Dreaming," go to http://www.indiewire.com/article/project-of-the-day-california-dreaming-20140919.

Staying in the loop of upcoming independent filmmakers can be great, but let's be real. We're all thinking it. It'd be sick if one of our projects made it onto Indiewire's Project of the Day. So how do we do it? Simple. Just fill out a form. Indiewire wants to help filmmakers like us get exposure. But there's more. At the end of every week, they ask readers to vote for their favorite POTD and the winner becomes Indiewire's Project of the Week. Then, readers can vote again at the end of the month and the winner becomes Indiewire's Project of the Month. The weekly winner gets a digital distribution consultation form SnagFilms and the monthly winner gets a creative consultation from either Tribeca Film Institute's Director of Narrative Programming or Director of Documentary Programming. Those are some pretty awesome opportunities for filmmakers like us. So what are you waiting for? Here's the form: http://www.indiewire.com/article/projectoftheday

Wrapping of Rat Bastard

We just finished filming our final project "Rat Bastard". It was a long grueling day that started at 9am and went until about 5pm. We finished ahead of schedule! We weren't planning on getting done until 6:30pm, which is nice. We all worked together throughout the day and shooting went pretty smoothly. I loved our actor that played Jeff. He was a great guy, with a great attitude. It can be hard working with college students. We aren't always the most organized, but he stuck with us and had great patience. I'm very appreciative of that. I thought that having such a big group was going to be hard, but fortunately, it turned out that having seven members working on this project was very helpful. We each had a role, and stuck with it, switching here and there when someone needed a break. Having so many of us allowed us to have a few members who worked on script coverage and shot logs, which is a luxury that I hadn't had before. Usually groups are scrambling to do audio, video, and lighting and there are no spare hands to help with anything else. Having script coverage and a shot log helped to maintain continuity, and will make editing easier for Tori when she is sifting through all the footage. I don't have any of the set pictures we took, but we took a lot..... some nice pictures... some not so nice pictures. Lets just say some of us were tired. It was a great experience and I feel like I learned a lot. Hands on experience is the best for me, I learn a lot quicker because I have to! I am extremely tired and am so glad it is over. Great job Rat Bastarders. We did it!


Oh and there's this..... apparently we aren't the first to make a film with this title. Enjoy?

One shot- director reflection

      

      Last Saturday, I shot my one shot film in my apartment and for the most part, the shoot went really well and I was pleased by the efforts of my group members and actors. Admittedly, I planned my first shoot at the last minute and my original location fell through. Because I was not able to shoot at Hammond Health Center, I was forced to find new actors, write a script, and find a new location within a few short hours. I was very disappointed that my first location fell through, but it was my fault on behalf of bad planning and last minute decision making. My new script was not a reflection of my best work. Fortunately, my actress was great and did an excellent job of bringing an emotional aspect to my seemingly cliche script and develop Liz's character. When it came down to the actual filming, my teammates worked really hard. I think that my lighting was very blown out and could have been more subtle. After color correcting in post, darker lighting worked much better with my story and the actions of the actors. 

        As i watched my film in class, I realized that I could have used more camera movement and that my shot was very static. I think that the strongest part of my piece was the acting. i was really pleased with Talia's delivery and think she did a great job of portraying Liz's character. The weakest part of my film was definitely the lighting. It was very weak and did a poor job of representing the high emotion involved in my production. I aslo think I could have chose a better location. My apartment is very bare and does not seem lived. I should have concentrated more on art direction to make a stronger character presence in the home. By using an off campus house, my location would have had more character and would have seemed more natural for the script. 

        As far as my role as a director, this is actually the first project I have worked on as a student that allowed me to fully direct my actors. I think that I did a really good job directing my actors. I realized it is extremely important to know your script and the types of emotions you would like your actors to portray. I also learned that blocking is important when directing. I found it difficult to make the actions of my actors appear natural and struggled to emphasize the importance of the actors physical interactions with the location and set. As a director, you need to know your script, how you would like your production to be portrayed, and the physical and emotional actions you want from your actors. I really enjoyed directing. 

    Overall, I am really pleased with how my production turned out and learned a great deal about production value, directing, and location scouting. I really enjoyed this project and look forward to using these skills for later projects. I learned that post production can greatly increase production value and that is extremely important to maintain the same settings you shot with while exporting. The production of Palmer, was the first time I have felt fully involved in each aspect of a production.

-Brie

One shot story- Palmer

As you guys might remember from class, my one-shot story was undeveloped and I had no direction about where to take this project. After racking my brain for the past few days, I have finally developed my story idea. I am open to suggestions, so please comment and tell me what you think.  At this point, I am worried that the story is a little cliched.

A young man in his early thirties is on the brink of his life. Palmer is recently married, has a child on the way and has finally achieved professional success. He is in good health, works out regularly, doesn't smoke and rarely drinks. One day goes to see his doctor, Dr. Amadi, for a regular check-up. The appointment is going accordingly. The doctor checks his vitals and for obvious lumps and bumps. Everything is going well. Palmer explains to him that he has been experiencing shortness is breath and it is becoming increasingly difficult to breathe. Dr. Amadi scans Palmer's lungs, as Palmer waits nervously on the table for the doctor to process the lab results. The doctor walks in the room, as if he is carrying the world on his shoulders. Palmer's stare is blank. The doctor places his hand firmly on Palmer's shoulders as he zones out into space. His life that was just beginning now had a dim and unpromising future.  This was the beginning of the rest of Palmer's life.

My plan for the shot is to avoid dialogue and represent the severity of the situation only with actions. I want the set lighting to be dark with the exposure of the outside world displayed through natural lighting. I want to portray a real-life feel. The setting will be early afternoon. I want to concentrate on the contrast between Palmer's dark and dismal world and the bright and promising outside world.