tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-392938538177637512024-03-16T00:08:18.803-07:00HOLLYWOOD BOUND AND DOWNA Perspective On Hollywood From Someone Trying To Break InAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00187154242921742584noreply@blogger.comBlogger305125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39293853817763751.post-2158184881380317142015-07-19T15:58:00.005-07:002015-07-19T15:58:38.214-07:00SOUTH BEACH: Trailer and Premiere Date!<div style="text-align: center;">
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00187154242921742584noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39293853817763751.post-58622671462339931252015-04-15T07:19:00.003-07:002015-04-15T07:20:14.329-07:00Directing: Hard Work vs. the #HopeMachine<div style="text-align: center;">
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00187154242921742584noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39293853817763751.post-89613274493333060792014-11-07T05:00:00.000-08:002014-11-07T09:04:25.355-08:00ASSASSIN: Why We're Making an LBTQ Film and How You Can Join Us.<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Why is ASSASSIN an LBTQ film? It's simple really. I feel like we need #BetterRepresentation in film and the bigger studios aren't going to do it. I feel like we need stories with female main characters that has nothing to do with them being female and, with ASSASSIN, I think it's time we tell stories about LGBT and LBTQ characters that has nothing to do with their sexuality. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In ASSASSIN, though the story is about a relationship between two women, their sexual identification is irrelevant to the story. It's not a film about being gay. It's a film about two characters who happen to be gay. <a href="https://twitter.com/allieesslinger" target="_blank">Allie Esslinger</a> from <a href="https://twitter.com/sctn_ii" target="_blank">Section II</a>, one of our partners on the project, referred to this as 'Post Gay.' We're making it because we don't see others doing it but for that to happen, we need your support.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">On October 22, we launched our crowdfunding campaign for ASSASSIN, the second film in the LAX Trilogy. As you remember, we had a less than successful Indiegogo campaign for the LAX Trilogy as a whole back in May. Well, since then, we've learned a lot about what we did wrong and how we could do better, mainly thanks to <a href="https://twitter.com/emilybest" target="_blank">Emily Best</a> and her amazing company <a href="http://www.seedandspark.com/" target="_blank">Seed & Spark</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So, we decided to try again, this time focusing just on ASSASSIN and here we are. It's been two weeks, we're halfway through the campaign and we've raised roughly 23% of what we need. It's good, it's not great.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">They say that you're more likely to meet your campaign goal if you hit 30% within the first week. By that measure, we're not looking so hot -- but we're not throwing in the towel. No, sir.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We need 80% to get greenlit and received the funds. If we don't hit that amount, we get nothing. Thanks to an anonymous matching donor, the past week has resulted in matching funds of $2156, which means as soon as those matching funds hit the campaign, we'll be at 31%. Better, still not great.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We need your support and we want you to join our team. Can't contribute <i>money</i> at the moment. That's okay because you can help by spreading the word about the campaign. Use the following link to support Assassin with three simple clicks: <a href="http://t.co/LRRBOC1vUe">bit.ly/shareassassin</a><span class="s1"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="s1">We're still a ways from making this a reality but as you can see from the pitch video and the video playlist below there's tons of early content for you to check out and enjoy. Our hope is not only make the movie but give you guys an inside look at the making of Assassin as we do it. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="s1">There's lots of cool, exciting things coming up as we ramp up towards production. Considering taking a moment to either support and/or spread the word about the project!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="s1">We've also been releasing some cool content, both about Assassin and making #nobudget films in general. You can check it them out below or on our <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/JCaldwell182/featured?view_as=public" target="_blank">YouTube page</a>.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span class="s1">Thank you for all your continued support!</span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00187154242921742584noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39293853817763751.post-19018593438422834532014-10-20T05:00:00.000-07:002014-10-20T05:00:13.707-07:00Writing a Better Chair: Moving Beyond The Craft of Screenwriting<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.the-blueprints.com/blueprints-depot/misc/furniture/lake-placid-high-back-chair.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="http://www.the-blueprints.com/blueprints-depot/misc/furniture/lake-placid-high-back-chair.gif" height="165" width="200" /></span></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We all know a chair when we see it. However, if someone were to ask us what a chair is, we would all have different answers. Some of us would say that it is a thing with four legs and a seat and a back. Others might say that a chair is a piece of furniture. Still others might claim a chair to be a thing on which you rest.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We all know there are many different shapes and sizes of chairs out there yet they are all classified as a "chair." Movies today are like chairs in that sense. We all know there are many different ways to tell a story, but Hollywood would have us believe otherwise. They would prefer that <i>all</i> stories have the <i>same</i> design.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">They may try to "paint" the story a different color (cinematography), use different wood (characters), make it smaller or larger (length and scope), but it's basically the exact same chair (story) as all of the others. No matter how the details are changed, the story structure stays the same; the design is unchanged (which is probably why you can watch a trailer and feel like you've already seen the movie).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When I first began as a screenwriter, I was not even aware of story structure. As a teenager I worked at a video rental store and had seen thousands of movies by then. I knew what I was doing... copying every single one of them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Not directly, but I stole concepts, story beats, even character traits from the mishmash of films that I loved. The result was an incredible Frankenstein of a story that also could have passed as a thesis from one of my International Studies classes. Go figure.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Still, I was hooked and I wanted to write another, better screenplay. So I started reading.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Google "how to write a screenplay" and within the first 5 results the two things emphasized the most are formatting and structure. To the fledgling writer, screenwriting appears more like a paint-by-numbers scheme than a form of artistic expression. Dogmatic adherence to design is preached and accepted from the start.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And like any good student, I began to focus on that design. Software took care of formatting so I dove into mastering the structure and quickly learned about the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monomyth" target="_blank">Monomyth</a>. You know the Monomyth; aka <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hero_with_a_Thousand_Faces" target="_blank">The Hero's Journey</a> aka <a href="http://sydfield.com/writers-tools/the-paradigm-worksheet/" target="_blank">The Paradigm</a> aka <a href="http://www.savethecat.com/tools/the-blake-snyder-beat-sheet-the-bs2" target="_blank">The BS2</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="text-align: center;">As a beginning screenwriter, you can't miss it. The Monomyth is everywhere. It's given such reverence that I've heard stories about Hollywood execs tossing scripts without a central theme on page 5 and a "dark night of the soul" on page 75 into the trash. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I started referring to screenwriting not as art but as a craft. Every story I imagined, every screenplay I developed had to fit within The Hero's Journey. I struggled to master the subtle nuances of it and over time I've become very comfortable with every step and stage. But I've also run up against its limits and, by now, have almost completely abandoned it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Don't get me wrong, understanding the Monomyth is crucial for every storyteller. But it's simply a first step in becoming a fully competent screenwriter. For those at the beginning of their careers, reading books on screenwriting or taking <a href="https://www.nyfa.edu/los-angeles/screenwriting-school/" target="_blank">a screenwriting course or workshop</a> can really help you develop a basic understanding of screenwriting. And I think that collectively, we as filmmakers can agree that doing so is important. But the Monomyth only one kind of story and there are <i>other</i> types of stories out there. Stories from new voices that will entice and restore a trust in audiences that film isn't bereft of any good ideas -- told in unique and interesting ways.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And yet reality indicates otherwise. A cursory glance at the majority of films being pitched and sold and made today makes it very clear that the same stories are being told over and over again. This is not just a Hollywood problem either. It's across the board from indies to tentpoles. When your story follows the beats of the "Hero's Journey" then you are <i>fundamentally </i>telling the <i>exact</i> same story each time, no matter how differently you color it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So, in my opinion, it comes down to this. Do you see screenwriting as a form of art or of craft?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Obviously, a lot has been said about the <span id="goog_1178880476"></span>distinction between art and craft (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVdw60eCnJI">Great TED Talk about the subject</a>) but, ultimately, I believe that the distinction comes simply out of an adherence to reproduction. If you are making something, be it a vase or a story, in order to look and fit into an agreed upon model, then you are not making piece of art, you are making piece of craftwork.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This is not to discount the value of craftwork. It is a very honorable thing and craftsmen and women provide all manner of amazing goods that we enjoy and cherish throughout generations - like beer.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://walyou.com/wp-content/uploads//2013/10/Snorlax-full-size-bean-bag-chair.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="http://walyou.com/wp-content/uploads//2013/10/Snorlax-full-size-bean-bag-chair.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But art is about putting a personal touch on the basic form. About expressing ones own, unique point of view on the world. About pushing the craft beyond and into metaphor, interpretation and meaning.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Just like everyone knows what a story is, doesn't mean that everyone's idea of a story is the same.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Yet movies remain stuck. Unable and unwilling to pry itself free from the desire to mitigate risk through reproduction of the banal. The audiences have already spoken. We just had the worst summer box office since 2006. Clearly movies are losing the war for everyone's attention.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">What are you going to do about it? Meanwhile, I've got this couch I'm working on...</span><br />
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<i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Travis Oberlander is a writer & producer who also has been working closely with </i><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">CSI:</span><i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> creator Anthony E. Zuiker. Travis co-wrote the cyber-bridges for </i><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Level 26: Dark Revelations</span><i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, the third installment of Zuiker’s digi-novel trilogy. In 2013, he produced </i><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Layover</span><i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, the first in the LAX Trilogy with his long-time collaborator, Joshua Caldwell and in 2014 he wrote and will produce the second installment in the series </i><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Assassin.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In addition to his writing and producing, Travis has over six years of experience managing social media teams, developing digital strategy and overseeing various programs for major brands such as Unilever, Walmart and Beam Global. Prior to that, he launched the award-winning social media division of Media Temple, a leading web-host. Follow Travis on Twitter: @tobewan</span></i></div>
Travishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18039577549716812330noreply@blogger.com32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39293853817763751.post-21657777225380143472014-10-13T05:00:00.000-07:002014-10-13T05:00:00.693-07:00LAYOVER: NOW AVAILABLE<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Seventeen months ago I set out to make a feature film for $6000. A year later, in May of 2014, we had our World Premiere in competition at the Seattle International Film Festival and we were nominated for the prestigious FIPRESCI New American Cinema Award. And today, we are releasing LAYOVER via our own direct distribution platform on <a href="http://www.layoverfilm.com/" target="_blank">LayoverFilm.com</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There, you can rent or download a copy of the film, DRM-free, with various content bundles.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We decided to go with our own distribution because ultimately it was the best deal for us. All the proceeds from the film go to the filmmakers. The investor, the actors, the producers, the crew and myself. Thus, you are <i>directly</i> contributing towards our ability to continue to make films. So help support indie film and get your copy of LAYOVER today.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00187154242921742584noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39293853817763751.post-4010051464142546252014-10-02T05:00:00.000-07:002014-10-02T05:00:05.845-07:00Werner Herzog on "Going Rogue"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Over the past couple weeks (when I had time) I've been reading <i>Werner Herzog: A Guide for the Perplexed</i> which should be recommended for any aspiring filmmaker. I've really connected with his point of view on the subject and reading this book has make clear my feelings on making films and being a filmmaker. It's an incredible book for those who find themselves outside of the fence and I highly recommend it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">One passage I really struck and inspired me. This is what Werner has to say about what it means to "go rogue."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>"Always take initiative. There is nothing wrong with spending a night in a jail cell if it means getting a shot you need. Send out all your dogs and one might return with prey. Beware of the cliche. Never wallow in your troubles; despair must be kept private and brief. Learn to live with your mistakes. Study the law and scrutinize contracts. Expand your knowledge and understanding of music and literature, old and modern. Keep your eyes open. That roll of unexposed celluloid you have in your hand might be the last in existence, so do something impressive with it. There's never an excuse not to finish a film. Carry bolt cutters everywhere. Thwart institutional cowardice. Ask for forgiveness, not permission. Take your fate into your own hands. Don't preach on deaf years. Learn to read the inner essence of a landscape. Ignite the fire within and explore unknown territory. Walk straight ahead, never detour. Learn on the job. Maneuver and mislead, but always deliver. Don't be fearful of rejection. Develop your own voice. Day one is the point of no return. Know how to act alone in a group. Guard your time carefully. A badge of honor is to fail a film-theory class. Chance is the lifeblood of cinema. Guerrilla tactics are best. Take revenge if need be. Get used to the bear behind you. Form clandestine Rogue cells everywhere."</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I mean, how badass is that?!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00187154242921742584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39293853817763751.post-35445959738161634732014-09-29T09:00:00.000-07:002014-10-01T09:54:51.175-07:00Read the Production Draft of DIG<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">With my short film DIG now available to <a href="http://www.seedandspark.com/cinema/dig" target="_blank">watch on Seed & Spark</a> (and a Staff Pick!) I thought I would share with you the production draft of the script along with some shooting notes I made on it. These notes do not contain the full breadth of the work I did to prepare but are really more reminders of things I wanted to exercise, capture or remember in the middle of shooting.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For those of you new to following me and new to the blog my writing, production and post-production process on the film was pretty well documented on here. <a href="http://www.hollywoodboundanddown.com/search/label/Dig?updated-max=2011-02-11T05:00:00-08:00&max-results=20&start=20&by-date=false" target="_blank">Click this link</a>, scroll to the bottom and then read your way up. :-) As you can tell, I have no problem being up open about my process if you can learn something from it (and maybe this isn't worth anything).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But I don't think I've ever actually provided the script for anyone to read. So here you go:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://t.co/bKYo51Yegy" target="_blank">Click to download the production draft of DIG.</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And tweet me your thoughts @Joshua_Caldwell. I'm curious to hear what you think. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The script was co-written by Travis Oberlander and I. However, for the final draft prior to production I went through and revised it "for production." What does that mean? It means moving the script away from something to be read and make it your guide for shooting the film.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">One of the things you might notice is what people refer to as overwriting. Lots of character descriptions, internal thoughts, etc. Well, my thing is this: a script is not a piece of literature. It's a blueprint and moving beyond the idea of a script being for a reader, whatever helps you build the house, do it. The original non-production draft of the script was about 18 pages. This production draft is 26. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Since the script is essentially my blueprint as a director why not put in there everything you need to make the best film possible? Who gives a fuck about "rules?" So, prior to production, I really go through and add in a lot of details I don't want to forget or character description or internal psychology, whatever I feel is necessary to help me make the best movie I can.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There's the reader draft and then there's the blueprint you use to make the film. They're different things. One can be loosely interpreted as literature and the other is really whatever you want it to be so that you, your cast and your crew know what it is you're trying to accomplish.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Food for thought.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Additionally, I posted these on Twitter a while back and thought I would include them. Here's two pages of my shotlists for DIG. You can check them out and compare them to scene in the script.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00187154242921742584noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39293853817763751.post-56551958100667261482014-08-27T09:40:00.000-07:002014-08-27T19:10:57.076-07:00Nicholl V. Blcklst Feedback (Updated)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">UPDATE 8/27/14: With this post definitely gaining some traction, I want to clarify a few things:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1) I posted this following Franklin Leonard's call to post the comments side by side. Objectively, that's what the top half of this post was intended to show, how three different readers responded to my script.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2) The bottom "commentary" part was me musing about my experience paying for the Blcklst evaluation in the first place. I am certainly not comparing, from a feedback perspective, Nicholl vs. Blcklst. As disappointed as I felt about the BlckLst feedback, the Nicholl feedback is pretty much useless (unless, of course, I just wanted to hear how amazing Will and I are as writers, which I didn't). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">3) This tipped off a really fantastic conversation on Twitter about paying for reads, etc, etc and I just want to say that the Blcklst provides a really great service to writers. What I was expecting from a paid evaluation wasn't in line with what evaluations typically provide. I don't want to be the guy saying "Blcklst evaluations are terrible and you should never pay for them." But I did find it to be a waste of money and having done it, probably wouldn't do it again. That's me. I didn't think the feedback I got was worth the money, considering I have other avenues of getting that feedback for free.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And now, to the original post.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">With the Nicholl quarter-finalists receiving reader feedback this past week, <a href="https://twitter.com/franklinleonard" target="_blank">Franklin Leonard</a> of the <a href="https://www.blcklst.com/" target="_blank">Blcklst</a> asked writers to post those comments in conjunction with any evaluations they've gotten from the Blcklst.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My feature script, STATE OF DECEPTION, <u>did not</u> make the quarterfinals of Nicholl but it did come close, placing in the next group of 100 scripts. As such, we received three reads on the script and were sent reader feedback.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So, here we go. Nicholl comments first, then Blcklst. If anyone is interested in reading the script, I'd be happy to pass it along.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Comment 1:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This script brings a personal level of engagement to the political and religious controversy that holds Palestine in it's grip. As children, Aaron, a Jewish boy, and Habib and Sharif, Arab boys, are very close friends. Aaron even goes to jail for several years in exchange for helping Sharif's family. Aaron is released on the grounds of becoming a mole for IDF in Hassad, and discovers his friends are much more dangerous than he ever imagined.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This is a well-done story, adding human faces and emotions to the eternal struggle in Palestine. There is some nice character growth, and depth, which lends itself nicely to the escalating stakes that take place. There is a solid three act structure with scenes heightening stakes and tellings us about the characters. The story is effective in making the story relatable to Western sensibilities, and reminds the reader of all those individuals that are victims of circumstance rather than religious fervor.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There is a certain something about this one that shows talent for making larger issues personal, characters real, and situations suspenseful. This is nicely done, and it works well for me. There's some magic here in the story telling, and while the writing isn't overly descriptive, it's concise and effective.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Normally I want to run for the hills as soon as I see a script set in the Middle East. I have no patience or interest in them usually, and they all feel like the same movie being placed in front of me over and over again. But this script was different. It felt like a story about a man -- it could be ANY man -- who made choices and must now deal with the ramifications. The politics of the movie are kept squarely in the background, which is perfect. The story then becomes about people. And the writer has done a good job of making the people relatable, without sacrificing the arena within which the story is set.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The writing here is really pretty good. The script was a breeze to read, and when the characters spoke in a different language, the writer not only had the translation, but also the original wording -- and scripted it in a way that it never slowed the reader down. The dialogue in general was top notch, and moved at a solid clip. It wasn't overwritten, or underwritten. The structure could have used a little work, though. It felt like the writer let the script breathe just a little too much. Not a ton, but if felt a little lengthy at times. And I often found myself waiting for the next bump-up to happen.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The story here is solid and well thought out, though there are moments when I found myself a little unclear as to what was going on in the moment. The craft was very, very solid. A strong piece of writing. The structure was a little loose as I said above. The characters were very well executed, and their dialogue was (for the most part) top notch. It was an original idea and there was certainly magic floating all around.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This was a solid script, and even though it's not my cup of tea per se, I really did enjoy it... and that should say something.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Blcklst:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Strengths:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Settings are rich, colorful, and bring to life locations which are, for most people, simply familiar names in the news. Meticulously researched. Aaron deals with plenty of conflict, both physical and mental. Moments of tension, action, and violence keep the pace moving. Character relationships are strong and believable, especially Majed and Aaron. Action is clear, violent, and intense.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Weaknesses:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Once they arrive in Gaza, it slows a great deal and meanders for too long. Though Gaza is well represented, it hurts the momentum built up to that point. Overly happy, unrealistic ending, with everyone living at the beach in the epilogue. Some of the research is forced in with monologues and characters telling Aaron things he should already know about the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. Underwhelming, action oriented climax, whereas it could have been something personal and tense.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Prospects:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A good story with strong writing, but due to the Middle Eastern subject matter and principals, it's a tough sell for audiences who get enough of this struggle in the news. But the writers deserve plenty of attention for the crafting of this intelligent, entertaining story.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Now, the evaluation I purchased from the Blcklst was the first time I had ever done it and to be honest, I was underwhelmed. While the weaknesses highlighted by the commenter are definitely right on, I don't know, it felt like it wasn't worth the $50. I feel like I could have had a friend read it and give me the exact same feedback. I wasn't looking for high praise but I guess I was looking for more detail? A deeper critique of the script? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It did make me far less likely to pay for an evaluation again because I just don't think it was worth the money. Clearly, others feel the differently and have gotten feedback that greatly helped them improve their script (and not that this won't) but I have too many other options that provide a more detailed response for free.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Curious to hear from others who may feel the same way. Have you purchased feedback from The Blcklst? What was your experience with it?</span></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00187154242921742584noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39293853817763751.post-58980206946607304152014-08-22T10:53:00.002-07:002014-08-22T10:58:11.325-07:00Thoughts on Short Films<div style="text-align: left;">
Last night, following a screening of short films at a festival, including my own, I had some thoughts on what I saw, which I "ranted" about on Twitter. For those who missed it, I created a Storify of the tweets which I've embedded below. Enjoy!</div>
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<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="no" height="750" src="//storify.com/Joshua_Caldwell/joshua-caldwell-on-short-films/embed" width="100%"></iframe><script src="//storify.com/Joshua_Caldwell/joshua-caldwell-on-short-films.js"></script><noscript>[<a href="//storify.com/Joshua_Caldwell/joshua-caldwell-on-short-films" target="_blank">View the story "@Joshua_Caldwell on Short Films" on Storify</a>]</noscript></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00187154242921742584noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39293853817763751.post-41624015361902845682014-08-18T00:00:00.000-07:002014-08-18T16:16:15.174-07:00GUEST POST: @MysteryGrip on Film School<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>The following is a guest post from the person behind the </i><i><a href="https://twitter.com/mysterygrip" target="_blank">@MysteryGrip</a> account on Twitter. Last week, he/she ran a series of tweets regarding whether or not one should attend film school. I thought it was an intelligent argument and told her/him I'd be glad to host a blog post on the topic if they wanted to expand on their thoughts. So, without further ado, here's MysteryGrip on Film Schools.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Before we start I wanted to thank Joshua Caldwell for inviting me to write this piece. His Blog and Podcast embody the spirit of this article and are perfect examples of the free resources available to those who are interested in the film industry.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Thanks for having me, Joshua. And thank you for the work you do with “Hollywood Bound and Down”. And with that said...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>What do I mean when I say, “Film School”?</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">To me, “Film School” means any two to four year undergraduate program that results in a major or diploma in “Film”, “Communication”, “Fine Arts”, or some combination of these terms. I also am referring to Masters Programs like the 2 to 3 year MFA degrees that USC offers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My opinion doesn't apply to Business and Law degrees relevant to financing, marketing, and legal jobs; short term continuing education courses; or specialized training and seminars.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>So... Can “Film School” be a good thing for you?</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Absolutely. If you WANT to go to film school then you should definitely go. It can be a fantastic life experience; be a great source of knowledge; and can provide networking opportunities that may open doors for you down the road.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">BUT, do you NEED to go to Film School in order to break in or have any measure of success?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">No. You do not.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Pack your bags and come on out. Your life is waiting for you here in Los Angeles. (Yes, there are other production hubs, but Los Angeles will always be “Hollywood” to me.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Quite simply, it comes down to “WANT” versus “NEED”. And I think this is an extremely important distinction when you are deciding if you should spend many thousands of dollars (10s of thousands for some schools) and commit years of your life to a formal program.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">FULL DISCLOSURE: I have an undergraduate degree (which I don’t use), but I never went to school to study “film”. And in my twenty plus years in the biz, no one has ever asked me for my credentials. Nor have I wanted to see anyone else’s. We’re all too busy trying to make a movie.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Think of Film School like Military Boot Camp and movie making like being deployed in a war zone. Your training will help, but nothing can prepare you for the real thing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>So… Why don't you need to go?</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For those of you that want to work “Below-the-Line”, i.e. shoot, pull focus, grip, gaff, production design, sound mix, drive, edit, production manage, costume, makeup, coordinate, AD, and so on; EVERY ONE of these crafts can be learned on the job.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Yes, you can learn the basics in school. But, to really learn and grow into a skilled professional, the best classroom is a legitimate film set, production office, or post facility.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Let’s look at the Grip Department as an example. School MAY teach you the basic equipment and an overview of the Grip Department. But, it won't teach what we truly do.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">School won't teach you how to rig cameras, build towers of truss, assemble and operate cranes, push dollies, tie knots, rig up high, operate and master the enigmatic C-Stand, find the best places to nap, be first in line for lunch, or the many hundreds of other things we do.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Ironically, I got my start working on other peoples' Student Films; their tuition, my classroom. From there I graduated to ultra-ultra-ultra-ultra-low budget projects. We had one bottle of water from which we all had to drink. (Okay, there was more water. BUT, IT WAS WARM!)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Meager food options aside, we had more equipment and more opportunities to try new things and learn new skills. Also, there will almost always be a few veterans on these projects who are happy to share their knowledge and teach you a few tricks.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">From there I began to get higher paying jobs until one day I got into the Union. Now, I work on your favorite movies and TV shows. I date supermodels, drive a Ferrari and sleep on a bed of cash.* By financial standards, I have “made it”.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">*(have a wife; drive a sensible car; not a millionaire, but am debt free AKA no student loans)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The example of the grip department can be applied to every other craft. You want to be a DP, grab a camera start shooting. Buy books, experiment, shoot a short. Want to design costumes? Intern at a costume house, sketch, shadow professionals, work on any project you can.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Start at the bottom working for free, learn the craft, and if you’re good at what you want to do then you will progress. People will want to bring you on the next job or refer you to others.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">However, hard work is not a guarantee for success. You MUST also have a modicum of talent in order to succeed. Although some manage to fail their way up the ladder, but that is another topic.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>“What if I don't want to work Below-The-Line”?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Maybe you don't want to be a makeup artist, FX guy, DP, or prop guy. Maybe you think the mind numbing repetitive drudgery of being a grip is not something you would wish on your worst enemy. (This would not be an entirely unfair assessment.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You know that you want to be a writer, director, or producer and nothing else will do. Well, I am here to tell you that you DO have the option of jumping head first into the deep end.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">That said, for producers and directors, I would HIGHLY recommend that you spend time on film sets in as many positions as you can before you make your first movie. This will be essential experience that will help you become better directors and producers.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For directors, the benefit is learning what the crane and dolly can do to better design your shots; what it takes to do a stunt; how long a reset takes with a lot of elements and so on. If you know what the crafts can do you will know what tools you have in your tool box.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For producers, the benefit is learning what gaffer tape costs, what the Best Boy does, what a forced call is, and that you need sunscreen for Day Exteriors and heaters for Night. Knowing what everybody does and what everything is a major step in becoming a successful producer.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But, if you're ridin' hell for leather and you just GOTTAMAKEAMOVIERIGHTNOW! then go do it. It will probably be harder because let's face it; you have no idea what the fuck you're doing. But, that's okay. Not knowing should not stop you from trying.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Want to produce? Get together with a writer and a director and put together a project. Your first one will be fantastic tragedy of mistakes. Your second one will be better. Rinse repeat until you are Jerry Bruckheimer. It's a reductive example, but still a valid one.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There are so many people out there wanting to shoot something, but have no idea how to do it. Be the person that makes it happen for them. They learn, you learn. Maybe one day in the future you are both sharing the stage accepting an award.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If you want to direct, make a short that is proof of concept of your feature or pilot. There is so much access to equipment and software that didn't exist when I was coming up. You can shoot movies on your phone and cut them on your laptop.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">With crowd funding sites like <a href="http://www.seedandspark.com/" target="_blank">Seed & Spark</a> access to financing has become easier. It's not a guarantee. Some projects won't resonate or if you half ass your campaign then no one will donate. But, if you “sell” a story that people want to see then you stand a good chance to get funded.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Writers, write. A lot. All the time. Every day. Then get solid feedback from people. Not your parents, a significant other, or anyone who's going to give a “Gold Star” read. But, people who are willing to constructively tell you, “This sucks. Here's why.”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">School can teach you 3 Act structure, the Hero’s Journey, story arcs, character arcs, subtext, and all the technical buzzwords that go into writing a technically proficient script.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But, it can’t teach you how to write well. To create great characters that people remember. To put your story first and action second. How to put life and soul into your work. Or how to take notes or accept help. You only learn that by doing it repeatedly, growing each time you do.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>What if you want to learn, but don't have the money?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There is so much FREE FILM SCHOOL out there in the form of blogs, podcasts, websites, and industry professionals on Twitter. (I'll link some of them at the end of this piece). And hundreds, if not thousands, of books. Many of which can be borrowed from a friend or library.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Ultimately, if you truly are an artist who has the drive to create then you will. If you were meant to write, direct, produce, shoot, costume, grip, cater, design, pull focus then you will. You will do whatever you have to because you can’t imagine a life where you don’t.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But, I feel obliged to warn you, many of you will not win the Hollywood lottery. You know the one I mean. The one where you accept the Oscar, marry the actor/actress, have a zillion dollars and ride off into the sunset in your fantasy car.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In fact, many will fail and ultimately quit. Some will do okay, others pretty well. But, only a few will win that lottery. It really all depends on your personal goal for success.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Brutal truth, school or no school, the Entertainment Industry can, and most likely, will be difficult, frustrating, and depressing. At times, we're just carnies with better catering.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But, it's not all doom and gloom. It can also be wonderful, fulfilling, and inspiring. I imagine that's why you're reading this article. A film or show touched you in some way and now you just have to be in show business. And that’s fantastic.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And if you're crazy enough to join this circus then you will see and do things others only dream about. You never know where this business will take you.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But, wherever you go, you don't need a diploma to get there.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>A FEW of the MANY Blogs, Podcasts, & Websites (Twitter Folk are too numerous to list)</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Some of these are specific to a craft. And some of these provide attitudes and philosophies that can be applied across the board. All are good.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://www.anonymousproductionassistant.com/" target="_blank">The Anonymous Production Assistant</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://theblackboard.blcklst.com/" target="_blank">The Blackboard</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://www.blcklst.com/" target="_blank">The Blacklist</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://thebitterscriptreader.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Bitter Script Reader</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://briankoppelman.com/" target="_blank">Brian Koppelman</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://www.bobsaenz.com/blog/" target="_blank">Bob Saenz</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://chickswhoscript.com/" target="_blank">Chicks Who Script</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://www.davidbordwell.net/" target="_blank">David Bordwell's Site on cinema</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://www.dougrichardson.com/category/blog/" target="_blank">Doug Richardson</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://gointothestory.blcklst.com/" target="_blank">Go Into The Story</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://www.hollywoodboundanddown.com/" target="_blank">Hollywood Bound and Down</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://johnaugust.com/" target="_blank">John August & ScriptNotes</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://kenlevine.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Ken Levine</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://nofilmschool.com/" target="_blank">No Film School</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://www.seedandspark.com/" target="_blank">Seed & Spark</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://bit.ly/1kGUuzI" target="_blank">“So you want to be a writer?”</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://bit.ly/1t6wrdS" target="_blank">“Why Paul Thomas Anderson Dropped Out of Film School”</a></span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00187154242921742584noreply@blogger.com110tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39293853817763751.post-36743248360325368232014-08-03T05:00:00.000-07:002014-08-06T10:19:54.490-07:00Live-Tweet: COLLATERAL 10th Anniversary<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>8pm on Wednesday, August 6th, 2014.</b> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Join <a href="https://twitter.com/BittrScrptReadr">Bitter Script Reader</a> and I as we live-tweet a screening of COLLATERAL on the 10th anniversary of its theatrical release. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We'll be using the hashtag #Collateral10 for all of our tweets.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Never seen COLLATERAL before? First of all, how? Second, join us for your first time. Watch it every year? Contribute to the experience with your own insight and responses. This is a chance for fans of one of the best films of 2004 to get together for this one time event.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Looking forward to it. And you better show up, or we're sending Vincent after you.</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00187154242921742584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39293853817763751.post-88035586533148270692014-07-30T05:00:00.000-07:002014-07-30T05:00:05.764-07:00Comic-Con 2014 Recap<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This past weekend I had the awesome opportunity to attend the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con as both a panelist and a fan. My panel wasn't until Saturday but since I got a four day pass and found a place to crash I decided to make the most of it and go as much as I could -- which only ended up being two days, but still...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Perhaps my biggest regret is not making it down to SD Thursday night for the epic Kings of Con party thrown every year by Daniel Alter (<a href="https://twitter.com/DAlter007">@dalter007</a>) and Umberto Gonzalez (<a href="https://twitter.com/elmayimbe">@ElMayimbe</a>). I had a late dinner that was too important to miss or cut out early from and so #Kingsofcon became my first Comic-Con casualty. Still, gives me a reason to go down next year.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">DAY 1:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This being my first time at Comic-Con I just didn't know what to expect. And what you get is a mass throng of 130,000 people within a (roughly) square mile. And 60% of them are cosplaying. It's an all out assault on the senses. Super crazy and super fun. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I picked up my badge and met up with RESIGNATION producer Alex LeMay (</span><a href="https://twitter.com/thealexlemay" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">@thealexlemay</a><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">). Travis (</span><a href="https://twitter.com/tobewan" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">@tobewan</a><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">) was meeting us down there as well. While waiting and people watching in the lobby (saw the best cosplayer ever -- some Wolverine wannabe with butter knives duck-taped to his hands) I connected with my buddy Ryan over at Dolphin Entertainment. He was in town to debut some of the new Max Steel movie they're working on. We all headed over to the Mattel booth to check out the the Max Steel suit and watch a signing with the stars.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CC4vxhgjkkY/U9fdt-WgALI/AAAAAAAACPs/3bTgPYfeZyc/s1600/IMG_5525.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CC4vxhgjkkY/U9fdt-WgALI/AAAAAAAACPs/3bTgPYfeZyc/s1600/IMG_5525.JPG" height="400" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Max Steel Suit</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">At the end of the day, Comic-Con is much like any other trade show -- just more insane. There's stuff to look at everywhere. If you're ever planning to go I would say you have to give yourself more than a day. The first day is just taking everything in and trying not to explode. It's madness and you can only take so much before you need a break.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Following Max Steel, I took a quick walk through the DC Comics booth where they had all of the Batman suits up for display, including the new cape and cowl from Batman V. Superman. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dark Knight Batman Suit</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Batman V. Superman Cowl</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If I'm being honest, I think the DARK KNIGHT suit is still the best but that's me. At one of the booths they had a full Dark Knight leather motorcycle suit. If I was still riding I might have considered it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I connected with BitterScriptReader (<a href="https://twitter.com/BittrScrptReadr">@BittrScrptReadr</a></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">) and Brian Scully (</span><a href="https://twitter.com/brianscully" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">@brianscully</a><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">) but as they just got there, I wasn't sure I could dive back onto the floor at that moment.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I needed a break but outside it was hot and muggy (I actually had rain on my drive down earlier). I headed over to #NerdHQ at Petco Stadium to check out what the deal was. Basically, they take over a large part of the stadium. It's free to the public and you can hang out, play video games, watch panels, buy food or, like me, just sit in the bleachers in the shade and relax. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">#NerdHQ (<a href="https://twitter.com/thenerdmachine">@thenerdmachine</a>) is run by Zachary Levi (<a href="https://twitter.com/zacharylevi">@zacharylevi</a>) and all proceeds benefit Operation Smile (<a href="https://twitter.com/operationsmile">@operationsmile</a>). I reached out to Missy Peregrym (who is now married to Zach) and found out she's in town at the event. We met up and she brought me down to the green room for all the panels. We caught up for a bit, met Nathan Fillion (<a href="https://twitter.com/NathanFillion">@NathanFillion</a>) and then I met up with Travis and we headed over to grab dinner and drinks with the Pemberly Digital and New Adventures of Peter + Wendy cast and crew. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">That night, Travis and I headed to the #NerdHQ industry party. Saw Timmy Spielberg (heyo!), ran into Tiffany Brouwer (<a href="https://twitter.com/tiffanybrouwer">@tiffanybrouwer</a>) wandered around drinking a Coors tall can and then took off for my hour long drive to my buddies place (seriously, book your hotel early, kids). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Day 2: I got back down to Comic-Con around 11am and headed on to the floor. I wanted to walk around a bit and check out the merchandise and comics. I decided to pick something up while I was there, maybe a comic, wasn't sure. I mean, I had to make a purchase, right?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I found myself at the Big Wow Comic Fest booth and ended up buying an issue of Detective Comics #395. In addition to being pretty solid quality (VF+) and having a cool cover, this issue is notable for two reasons: 1) I believe it was the first issue drawn by Neal Adams and 2) it marked a turning point in the Batman comics series from the campy influence of the Batman TV series to a more darker, grittier tone. That felt appropriate for me. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">To top it off, Neal Adams was at Comic-Con signing books so I headed over there and had him autograph the cover. Pretty cool, huh?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">After walking the floor a bit, I headed back over to #NerdHQ to watch a panel Missy was going to be on about badass women. Appearing alongside her was Yvonne Strahovski, Rhetta, Jennifer Morrison, Sophie Turner and Ming-Na Wen. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It was awesome. Great panel, Rhetta is HILARIOUS and everyone was saying how this was one of the best panels they had done. I've embedded the clip below. Give it a look.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">After that panel, it was time for my own. I headed over to room 24ABC in the convention center. I was joined by Alex LeMay, Jay Bushman, Lara Hoefs, and Jeremy Azevedo for a panel moderated by Gayle Bass. Missed it? You can check out the highlights here thanks to Travis:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://storify.com/teamsmarthouse/sdcc2014-legit-fanfic-panel-w-joshua-caldwell">Legit Fanfic: How Fan-Made Content Is Good for Audiences, Filmmakers, and Hollywood</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We got to present a short case study on our film RESIGNATION and hear from other creators and facilitators of the fan fiction world. What? You haven't seen RESIGNATION yet? Well, I just so happened to have embedded it below.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Afterwards, by 9:30pm I was trying to make a decision on whether to stay another night or head home but with at least an hour drive to my buddy's place, only to then head home Sunday morning, I figured I might as well slog through it get back that night. In retrospect, I would have loved to walk the floor again Sunday morning but as my mom says, "You have to save something to do when you come back."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And I do hope to be back.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00187154242921742584noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39293853817763751.post-57947111852612337102014-07-14T05:00:00.000-07:002014-07-14T10:05:48.370-07:00Comic-Con 2014 Panel: Legit Fanfic: How Fan-Made Content Is Good for Audiences, Filmmakers, and Hollywood<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'm very excited to announce that I will be appearing on a Comic-Con panel to talk about my Superman short film RESIGNATION (embedded below). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I will be joined on the panel by:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">ALEX LEMAY, producer of RESIGNATION and Executive Producer at The Shadow Gang. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">BERNIE SU, Emmy-winning creator of THE LIZZIE BENNET DIARIES, WELCOME TO SANDITON and EMMA APPROVED.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">JAY BUSHMAN, Emmy-winning producer of THE LIZZIE BENNET DIARIES and WELCOME TO SANDITON.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">STEVE PETERS, executive from 4th Wall Studios and 42 Entertainment. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">JEREMY AZAVEDO, Head of Programming at Machinima.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The panel, titled "Legit Fanfic: How Fan-Made Content Is Good for Audiences, Filmmakers, and Hollywood," will </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">be a conversation about how filmmakers are premiering high-quality fan films that catch the eyes of millions -- and the movie industry, too.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We'll be discussing the evolution of fan-made content, how it's important to filmmakers, and why comic publishers and film producers are watching.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If you're going to Comic-Con this year (it's my first time) I hope you'll stop on by and check out what we have to say. It's schedule for Saturday, 7/26 from 8:30 to 9:30pm in Room 24ABC. Hope to see you there!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://sched.co/VXoQ62">Click here for programming schedule for the panel</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And to get you even more excited, watch RESIGNATION below:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00187154242921742584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39293853817763751.post-60352679720989203682014-07-09T04:00:00.000-07:002014-07-09T06:34:28.231-07:00Writing Life: Multiple Projects<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://rack.3.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE0LzA3LzA3Lzg5L0ZyZWVsYW5jaW5nLmRhMGMzLmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTk1MHg1MzQjCmUJanBn/016d03f8/ad7/Freelancing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://rack.3.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE0LzA3LzA3Lzg5L0ZyZWVsYW5jaW5nLmRhMGMzLmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTk1MHg1MzQjCmUJanBn/016d03f8/ad7/Freelancing.jpg" height="223" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image: Flickr, <a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/candlescents">Kathy Ponce</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">At present, I am currently working on five different projects in various stages of development. I'm rewriting a feature I'm attached to, prepping a feature to shoot in winter, prepping a short film I'm shooting in the next couple weeks, co-writing a feature I hope to shoot in the winter/spring, and writing a treatment for a company that (I hope) turns into a script writing assignment. Not to mention another feature I'm up for, any commercials or industrial videos I'm working on and figuring out distribution on LAYOVER.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Not to mention, as you may or may not know, in December 2013 I became a father. I have an amazing seven month old who doesn't like to take naps or go to bed and is already crawling and standing up.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I have a dream someday about being able to focus on one project at a time but as a young filmmaker working freelance, it behooves me to juggle several projects in the hopes that one will "go."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As such, I am always looking for ways to increase my productivity and make it easy for me to switch between projects, especially ones that are so wildly different in tone. I'm still working on it but I've figured out a few things that help me work on multiple projects at the same time:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I know that writers often hate confining their time to set hours but with multiple projects you don't have the luxury of drifting from one to the next whenever you want. The smartest thing you can do is set up a weekly schedule in a calendar that lays out what you should be writing and when.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In general, my day looks like this:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">6/7am: Wake up. (Depends on how Austin was the night before.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">6/7 - 8am: Coffee. Breakfast. Take dog for a walk. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">8am - 1pm: Babysit Austin so wife can work. He'll generally take one nap during this time. During these hours I will respond to emails, read the news, respond to Twitter or FB, look for Twitter or FB post ideas, look for blog ideas, and so on. No major writing going on but I'm always thinking.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1pm - Lunch. Sometimes at home, sometimes a lunch meeting.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1pm - 5pm: Writing/Meetings/Phone Calls. I prefer to get some writing done here but as my mornings are generally occupied, I often have to schedule meetings and calls during this time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">5pm - 7pm: Cook and eat dinner.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">7pm - 11pm: Writing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">11pm - 12pm: Read.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">12pm: Bedtime.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Obviously, this can vary quite a bit depending on what's going on but it's a schedule I tend to aim for each week.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Then, within those writing times, I schedule out which project I should be working on depending on the priority and where my head is at. Not all of them have hard deadlines, some do, but I'm also not in a position to just finish them whenever either.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>COMPARTMENTALIZE</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This may go without saying but keeping each project in its own little world, be it a Scrivener project, Dropbox folders, or the multiple desktop screens on a mac really allows you to focus on that one project. I'm easily distracted so this is a big thing for me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For a long time I would jot down thoughts and ideas and write by hand in a notebook. I like the process of handwriting and I just couldn't get in to the whole Evernote thing. The problem, however, is that a notebook is linear and when you're working on several projects the notes jump from project to project (I don't section out my notebook). So, when you're going back and reading through them, you might stumble on notes for something else and suddenly your mind is thinking about THAT story.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I've recently started using Scrivener and what I love about it is exactly this: everything related the particular project you're working on is contained within its own project file. No more hunting for a file in Dropbox or via email. It's all right there and available to you <i>within</i> a single window (for the most part). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If you haven't checked out <a href="http://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener.php">Scrivener</a> it's a pretty powerful tool. I haven't yet used the Scriptwriting feature and I'm not sure if I will or not, but for development its a really incredible tool. The program costs $45 but they offer a 30-Day trial to see if it'll work for you. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">MUSIC</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Working on stories that are wildly different in tone, it's sometimes hard to get in the mood to write, especially if you're going from a love story to a psychological thriller. To help move from one thing to the next, especially <i>within</i> a writing period or the same day, I create music playlists for each project. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For the love story I might be listening to music from THE SPECTACULAR NOW, FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS and others. For the psychological thriller, I call up music from UNDER THE SKIN, ONLY GOD FORGIVES, etc. If you're familiar with these scores then you know how incredibly different they are. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It immediately gets my head into the game and allows me to more easily shift between stories that are very different from each other.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">DON'T WORRY ABOUT WRITING WHEN YOU'RE NOT</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When you create a schedule for your writing, what you're also doing is creating a schedule for when you're NOT writing. Now, as writers, I know we're always writing and always thinking. And that's okay. Time away from the computer is a good thing. When you're doing other things, your mind can still be at work on a problem and often is. That's why people always say they came up with something in the shower. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But what I'm talking about here is <i>worrying </i>about the writing. And what I mean by that is when you're not writing you're puttering around feeling like you should be writing. I'm guilty of this. For the first couple days I was babysitting Austin in the mornings, I would stress about the fact that I should be using this time to write and I would get frustrated because WHY IS HE NOT GOING TO SLEEP?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I had to change my perspective and attitude on the manner. Besides seeing my time with my son as an opportunity, I also told myself that because I had scheduled the writing time for the afternoon and evening, writing will get done, and what I should do right now is just play with my son. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We all need a break, even when you're working on multiple projects. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'm sure there are far more "hacks" for writing multiple projects at one time. What are some of yours? Be sure to share below or on Twitter @Joshua_Caldwell.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00187154242921742584noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39293853817763751.post-36303747864891542702014-06-23T05:00:00.000-07:002014-06-23T09:19:33.701-07:00Shooting on 35mm Does Not Equal 'Cinema'<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I want to be really clear about something: a lot of really shitty, forgettable, unbelievably terrible movies have been shot on 35mm. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There seems to be this suggestion out there that storytelling and cinema are only possible by shooting on 35mm and/or projecting on 35mm and it just couldn't be further from the truth. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Is the RED or Alexa better than 35mm? I don't know. Maybe? Not yet? That's for other people to argue over. But we've only been shooting moving pictures for 120 years. Of those, digital has been used for only what? 10? Maybe a little more. That's less than 8% of the entirely of "cinema's" lifetime. Where will digital be in 110 years?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Some of the greatest films ever made were shot on 35mm simply because THAT'S ALL THAT WAS AVAILABLE AT THE TIME. It wasn't a divine gift from God. Digital is in its infancy and 50 years from now we'll probably be saying that some of the greatest films every made were shot on digital.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Now, I'm not against 35mm. I'm not one of those digital prophets who speaks about the "death of film." Fact is, I've never had the opportunity to shoot on 35mm, yet I've been making films for 12 years and have worked on a huge variety of projects. Why is that? It's simple. I've never been able to afford it. If I could have, I would have definitely done so. (I tried many times to make it work for the budgets I had but to no avail.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It would have been much harder for me to develop my talent and skillset and experience without the low/no cost of shooting digital. I always held out hope that I would one day be able to shoot a film on 35mm but in the past decade that opportunity has become less and less likely. Not because I don't want to but because the wind has shifted during that time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Honestly, I'm thankful for it. I appreciate the fact that I can shoot really great looking films for very little. I love that fact that I have a wide variety of cameras to choose from based on my budget. LAYOVER would have never been possible without the 5D. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'm honestly passed the point of lamenting the death of 35mm. I really appreciate that there are filmmakers trying to keep it alive and my hope would be that it remains a viable format for years to come. And I still have hope that I might be shooting a project of my own on film. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But we're no longer dealing with VHS or 60i digital. The cameras today are incredible and have their nuances, just like films stocks. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">'Cinema' is to experience something profound -- a story and/or characters that move you, take you beyond the dark room you're sitting in. It is not the method by which that story is created. I'm not trying to dismiss the work of cinematographers who have created indelible images using film -- but I also don't think it's right to discredit the work being done in digital by (many of the same) incredible cinematographers. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A novel is no less moving or profound if it was written on a computer vs. a typewriter. A photograph is no less important whether it was shot on digital or on film. The method by which a story is 'produced' does not add to or subtract from it's quality. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There is so much more to 'cinema' and storytelling than the format and to suggest that it's only possible on 35mm is both narrowminded and wrong. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But that's me. Leave your thoughts below.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00187154242921742584noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39293853817763751.post-63880360131797372522014-06-03T05:00:00.000-07:002014-06-03T05:00:00.595-07:00Why I'm Raising Money for the 'LAX Trilogy'<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/help-us-complete-the-lax-trilogy/x/7262313">Contribute now</a> to help make the LAX Trilogy a reality.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A year ago this weekend I wrapped production on my first feature film <i>Layover</i>. We marked that one year anniversary with the film's World Premiere at the 2014 Seattle International Film Festival. We sold out both of our screenings. We're nominated for the New American Cinema award. We're having our LA premiere at the 2014 Dances With Films festival where we are also in competition for the Grand Jury prize. This is all just the beginning.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Layover</i> is the first first in a planned trilogy we've dubbed the LAX Trilogy -- a series of three films that all begin with a main character arriving at LAX and taking off from there.</span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hw-R60TKqqU/U41bL8LsBSI/AAAAAAAABpM/rV8WAEVav1o/s1600/layover02_corrected.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hw-R60TKqqU/U41bL8LsBSI/AAAAAAAABpM/rV8WAEVav1o/s1600/layover02_corrected.jpg" height="640" width="432" /></a></div>
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<i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Assassin</i><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, the second film, is about a female assassin who meets and falls in love with another woman while hiding up in the San Bernardino mountains after a job goes wrong.</span></div>
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<i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">X (Ten)</i><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> is an epic romance telling the story of one man's journey through love and life and the ten women who have made up his past relationships.</span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7OdM28g3WNA/U41bBADfQPI/AAAAAAAABpA/usaHkRN5pvw/s1600/ten_final.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7OdM28g3WNA/U41bBADfQPI/AAAAAAAABpA/usaHkRN5pvw/s1600/ten_final.jpg" height="640" width="432" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Sounds exciting, right? Well, even with the great success we've had so far with <i>Layover</i> no one is rushing to hand us a blank check. And we want to keep making films. We want to keep making films that are female driven. We want to keep making films that tell the stories that studios and even the major indies aren't making. Stories about people. Stories about emotions and relationships and complicated characters.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We need your help, either through contributions or through spreading the word. We're raising $50,000 to make the next two films. While that's a giant leap from what we spent on <i>Layover</i> it's still a very, very small amount of money but we're not going to be able to get these films made unless we reach our goal.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I hope you'll consider helping us out in any way you can.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/help-us-complete-the-lax-trilogy/x/7262313">Contribute Now to the LAX Trilogy.</a></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00187154242921742584noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39293853817763751.post-65321244996302039832014-05-01T09:29:00.000-07:002014-06-02T17:14:51.006-07:00Layover: World Premiere and Official Selection - 2014 Seattle International Film Festival<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3lvTJkT1kGk/U17FjAX3N2I/AAAAAAAABkY/NGZJV0XEKSE/s1600/v1_SIFF_OS+Laurels_LAYERED+11_22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3lvTJkT1kGk/U17FjAX3N2I/AAAAAAAABkY/NGZJV0XEKSE/s1600/v1_SIFF_OS+Laurels_LAYERED+11_22.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I could not be more excited to share this news with you.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Layover</i> has been invited to have it's World Premiere in competition at the 2014 Seattle International Film Festival! The film will be featured in the Catalyst Program and will be competing in the New American Cinema competition.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The New American Cinema competition is one of the most eagerly awaited programs in the festival, and represents films that SIFF programmers feel are among the best U.S. films of the festival.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">From the official SIFF program: </span><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"Gorgeous and hypnotic, writer-director Joshua Caldwell’s feature film debut, <i>Layover</i>, invites favorable comparisons to the early films of the French New Wave. Needing little more than a beautiful woman, a mysterious man, and a fast motorcycle to conjure the experience of fleeting youth,<i>Layover</i> is an exercise in visual storytelling that will make you remember why you fell in love with the movies."</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The New American Cinema competition is a juried competition featuring a selection of U.S. films without domestic distribution currently in place.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Each is chosen on the basis of its original conception, striking style and overall excellence, and the jury is comprised of members of the foreign press, the FIPRESCI. SIFF is only one of 4 US festivals with a FIPRESCI Jury, and the winner will be announced at the Golden Space Needle Awards Brunch on June 8.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The film will premiere on May 30th at 7:o0pm at the Uptown Cinema, followed by an additional screening on May 31st at 2:30pm, same theater.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For tickets and more, be sure to visit the <a href="http://www.siff.net/festival-2014/layover">SIFF Layover Page</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I will also be featured on a panel of my fellow Catalyst filmmakers. More on that to come.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For both myself and Travis, being Seattle boys, it's very excited to be premiering our first feature film at our hometown film festival.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Consistently named one of the top five film festivals in the country, SIFF screens an eclectic selection of the best new international features, documentaries, and U.S. independent films and is the largest and most highly attended film festival in the United States with an audience of more than 155,000 attending in 2013. The 25-day Festival presents more than 400 films from over 70 countries. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There will be a ton more announcements to come, including another film festival, so check back here or at <a href="http://layoverfilm.com/">Layoverfilm.com</a> for updates.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Lastly, we wanted to share with you the Official Poster for Layover. Designed by artist <a href="http://www.adammaida.com/" target="_blank">Adam Maida</a> we couldn't be happier to be represented by a true piece of art that fully captures the essence and spirit of the film. </span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oWnAKUstjSg/U17BU4xSeWI/AAAAAAAABkM/ZgHgxYxaLV8/s1600/layover02_corrected.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oWnAKUstjSg/U17BU4xSeWI/AAAAAAAABkM/ZgHgxYxaLV8/s1600/layover02_corrected.jpg" height="640" width="432" /></a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00187154242921742584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39293853817763751.post-17411171480029255172014-04-28T05:00:00.000-07:002014-09-14T11:13:10.958-07:00Some Thoughts On DSLR Filmmaking<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-a5FAcWb0joM/U13kAezLeTI/AAAAAAAABjs/8rZNeH5Oqws/s1600/Joshua_Directing_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-a5FAcWb0joM/U13kAezLeTI/AAAAAAAABjs/8rZNeH5Oqws/s1600/Joshua_Directing_01.jpg" height="211" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>I'll preface this by saying I'm sure you guys already know A LOT about what I write about below -- in fact, probably more than I do. My point in writing this is to describe how I've made DSLR filmmaking work for me at a very high quality level.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I've always been a DIY filmmaker -- going all the way back to my years in high school, writing, directing, lighting, editing, sound mixing (I don't act and I don't compose the score, neither falling into my skill set) -- mainly because either 1) there weren't skilled people around to help me or 2) I couldn't afford to pay them. I did a lot of in college as well, but around that time I started transitioning out of doing everything and finding people better than I am to take on some of those roles. I met some great collaborators that way and found some great success with the resulting projects. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">During that time, it was easier to be a DIY filmmaker. Shooting mostly on DV, you often lit and composed your image to be exactly what you wanted to be, instead of shooting it flat and waiting for color. You just didn't have the latitude to push the image too much and shooting RAW meant you were shooting film (and spending a lot of money). It was also simpler equipment wise. I owned an XL2 and could shoot great stuff with it right out of the box. In college, I got fancy and started using the P+S Technik Mini35 adapter with cine lenses but other than decreasing your depth of field, you still shot the image close to how you wanted it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">After college, things started changing. HD was becoming a big thing but the formats and codecs were all over the place (not that it's gotten less simple today) and the technology started moving so quickly that it no longer made sense for me to purchase cameras and support equipment. Instead, I looked to renting the latest and greatest. As a result, I also moved further away from DIY and more into just being a director and writer (though I still had to edit). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I loved that period of time because I got to focus on what I really wanted to focus on: working with actors, composing the shots and telling the story. And I got to shoot with a variety of cameras: HVXs, REDs, DSLRs, Canon C300s, Alexas, and more. But mounting projects allowing for that take time, cost money and are pretty sizable productions. Because of that, in order to shoot these things, I needed money. It was difficult because I didn't have the means to just go and do something (a short, spec commercial, YouTube web series, whatever). I was always limited.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I also began to realize that the bigger cameras weren't necessarily better for my style of filmmaking. I like to shoot handheld, and long takes with a lot of movement. It took time to reset, you had to light before you changed your shot, etc. It wasn't conducive to speed and ease which is what I really wanted.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Enter the DSLR. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I was a camera operator (in addition to co-producing and editing) on Anthony E. Zuiker's second digi-novel series <i>Dark Prophecy</i>. What is a digi-novel? It doesn't matter anymore. Point is, we shot a little web series connected to a book. To move quickly, our DP William Eubank (director of this summer's Focus Features release <i>The Signal</i>) suggested we use Canon 5Ds. And we did and I loved them. Despite my issue at the time with the tinny electronic-ness of the image, they were compact, worked amazing in low-light, and still provided an HD picture with incredible shallow depth of field. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Last year, when I was looking to shoot a no-budget feature (<i>Layover</i>) I immediately thought of the Canon 5D mk ii, for a couple reasons: 1) I didn't have the money to rent a camera, so I had to go with what I had access to, 2) I knew several people that owned a Canon 5D and 3) I wasn't going to have the ability to do a ton of lighting and would be shooting largely guerrilla style.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I had a DP on the film but I shot 99% of the movie (mostly because we didn't have an onboard monitor, much less a video village, and it was easier for me to just shoot it myself and see exactly what I was getting). The problem, however, was that I wasn't really paying attention to the settings, color balance, etc. I was but I wasn't being meticulous about it. But I was okay with that, it was part of my approach to the film -- just doing it. And we didn't shoot Cinestyle (a setting that flattens out your image, allowing for better color correction, it essentially creates a LOG-like setting) so what I was shooting was pretty much the image I was going to use. I also shot the majority of the film on the Canon 24-105mm IS 4.0/L lens -- which is a GREAT lens, the image stabilization allowed for me to shoot it handheld without a rig (it eliminated hand shake) but it's a f4, which means you need a pretty good amount of light. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">After I left my executive job at Zuiker's to go out on my own as a director, I knew I was going to need my own camera. Rather than drop a huge chunk of change on a Canon 5D mk iii and have nothing left over, I bought the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Canon-Digital-Camera-3-0-Inch-EF24-105mm/dp/B009B0MZG2/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1398661746&sr=1-2&keywords=Canon+6D" target="_blank">Canon 6D</a> -- which is exactly the same camera, with the same full frame sensor, it just lacks some of the more professional photography features. Fine. It also came with the 24-105mm lens and the Canon 50mm 1.4 which is a great lens as well. With the money left over I was able to buy an onboard monitor, handheld rig with mattebox and follow focus and an eye-cup viewfinder for the LCD screen on the back of the camera (on board monitors with DSLRs are a little janky).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Rather than drop $2000 on a RedRock rig, I found <a href="http://www.adorama.com/FPDSLR1.html" target="_blank">this one from Adorama</a>, costing a fourth of the amount and yet it's still incredibly high quality. I would highly, highly recommend it for DSLR shooters out there. (Want to save even more money? Check out their coupon page <a href="http://verified.codes/Adorama" target="_blank">here</a>.) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I've more than paid back my investment in the camera with the jobs and projects I've used it on. And I've gotten far more comfortable with the post/color process as well, now choosing to shoot in Cinestyle and color later. One of the things I learned was that you want to over expose your image in Cinestyle by a stop. That gives a good amount of latitude to work with in your color suite, because you can always crunch the image down, but it's really hard to lift it back up out of darkness.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The other thing I did was hack the 6D to use the Magic Lantern software. This software (and warranty voider) gives you a lot more control with a ton of additional features, including shooting RAW. I don't use the RAW option much because on my 6D it can only go up to 720p, not 1080p. But features like Focus Peak, Crop marks for 2.35:1 and slightly bumping the bitrate are ones I use on the daily.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">One of the newer things I've gotten into is lenses. While the still photography lenses are great, they're not really made for video and I've notice a sharpness issues sometimes. So, I recently purchased the<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rokinon-CV35-C-Aspherical-De-Clicked-Fixed-Non-Zoom/dp/B008X1C1DC" target="_blank"> Rokinon 35mm T1.5 cine lens</a> and the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rokinon-CV85M-C-Aspherical-De-Clicked-Compatibility/dp/B00A61RWIG/ref=pd_bxgy_p_text_y" target="_blank">85mm T1.5 cine lens</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I've already shot two projects with them and the results are incredible. I'll still probably use the 24-105mm due to the IS but these lenses are really great and definitely add a more cinematic look to your image. Are they the best lenses? No. But I'm not in a position to drop $4k on a Zeiss DSLR lens, especially when a number of the reviews suggest that you can't really tell much of a difference. They're good glass and add quality.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Finally: color. I've never been a colorist. Once it moved out of the DV world and we were in to LOG and Final Cut Color and RED footage and DaVinci I was threw up my hands. I wanted to find someone else to handle that and for a while I did. But it got to the point where I couldn't ignore it anymore, especially on some of these projects that didn't have the budget for a colorist. Plus, I was seeing some cool coloring being done and I wanted to figure out how to do it. I started collecting images off of Pinterest and playing in Photoshop and trying to figure out how I could apply that look to video.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">That led me to BlackMagic's DaVinci Lite suite, a free color correction program from the makers of the BlackMagic cinema cameras. I worked with a gaffer/colorist on a couple commercials I shot and when I went over to his place to look at the color I started talking to him about it -- asking him how to use it, what LUTs are and how to use them. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Now, I am by no means a master -- but I've found myself starting to get it, mostly through YouTube videos and blogs. Last week, I directed and shot some commercials spots and decided to use my 6D, shoot in Cinestyle and then color in DaVinci. I had at my disposal natural light, a china ball and some LED panels. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I was pretty happy with one of the spots, coloring wise, and even finally learned how to use power windows. The four images below are from the shoot. The top one is the original image as shot and the bottom one is the final color.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">While DSLR doesn't tend to provide the same level of resolution as the RED or Alexa or even the C300, I'm okay with that. I look at it like this: 1080p DSLR is like 16mm (albeit, with a full 35mm sensor) and the RED and Alexa are like 35mm. It can be an aesthetic choice, one that I embrace. I think too much is made over the whole resolution game. And while, yes, both the 6k RED and Alexa images look amazing, there's a lot that comes with getting those. For a run and gun filmmaker like myself, DSLR (16mm) is a little more manageable while still delivering stunning results.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This is all to say that I'm really enjoying the process of learning and figuring out how to do things on my own. It means I get to create and execute my own projects when I want to. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As an extension of <i>Layover</i>, I'm planning what I call the LAX Trilogy. A series of films that begin with a character arriving at LAX -- all very different stories with different characters. Layover was an experiment executed largely on a whim (that's an understatement) but it was do first, think later. I'm really excited to bring the lessons and skill sets I've learned over the past year to the next two films in the trilogy, shooting this fall, winter and spring.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00187154242921742584noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39293853817763751.post-9909470107568210992014-04-16T05:00:00.000-07:002014-04-16T15:44:38.991-07:00Layover: Official Trailer<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For those of you who have been following LAYOVER's progress here on HBAD, I am very pleased to premiere the Official Trailer for the film. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We have a lot of exciting things coming up, including a festival announcement and the debut of our fantastic poster, designed by artist <a href="http://www.adammaida.com/" target="_blank">Adam Maida</a>, so keep checking back for more updates, OR, better yet, 'Like' our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/layoverfilm" target="_blank">Layover Facebook Page</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Love the song in the trailer? Then check out artist Melody Riffs' <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/lamelbelle" target="_blank">YouTube Page</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Leave a comment below and let me know what you think of the trailer.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00187154242921742584noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39293853817763751.post-44162731932036580342014-03-21T05:00:00.000-07:002014-04-06T10:24:02.693-07:00New Short: RESIGNATION<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Some of you may have seen my latest short film <i>RESIGNATION</i> floating around. If you haven't (which is much more likely) I wanted to take the opportunity to present it to you here on Hollywood Bound & Down.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Here's the simple YouTube version:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Or you can watch the immersive version through the Multi-pop player. If you do, </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: center;">I would highly recommend that you expand to the full screen experience or watch the film on the main website </span><a href="http://resignationsuperhero.com/" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: center;">ResignationSuperhero.com</a><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: center;">. The width of the blog just doesn't allow for the full experience and at the least, throw in some good headphones.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: center;">Enjoy!</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00187154242921742584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39293853817763751.post-164847793861308592014-03-18T05:00:00.000-07:002014-03-22T10:11:02.988-07:00Joshua Caldwell 2014 Director's Reel<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="" src="//player.vimeo.com/video/59465343" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe> <a href="http://vimeo.com/59465343"><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 18.200000762939453px; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; line-height: 18.200000762939453px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span>Joshua Caldwell Director Reel 2014</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user688052">Joshua Caldwell</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For those of you who might be discovering this site via Twitter or because of the launch of my latest short film <i>RESIGNATION </i>I thought I'd provide you with a quick tease of my work as a director.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Enjoy.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00187154242921742584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39293853817763751.post-28760783345936316632013-10-25T05:00:00.000-07:002013-10-25T05:00:12.801-07:00Dig: HollyShorts Monthly Screening Series<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ycE5QO0jrvk/UmnDqPX3f6I/AAAAAAAABek/EGdlhjQGQaM/s1600/HOLLYSHORTS_Monthlies_poster_Chinese_Nov+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ycE5QO0jrvk/UmnDqPX3f6I/AAAAAAAABek/EGdlhjQGQaM/s640/HOLLYSHORTS_Monthlies_poster_Chinese_Nov+(1).jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'm proud to announce that from short film <i>Dig</i> has been selected to screen at the HollyShorts Monthly Screening series. The film will be shown on November 6th, 2013 @ 9:30pm with a Q&A to follow. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You can purchase tickets <a href="http://bit.ly/17gzsPU" target="_blank">here</a>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This may be the last time to see <i>Dig</i> on the big screen. Having played at the Chinese 6 theaters twice before (HollyShorts 2011 and Dances with Films 2011) I can say that it's an awesome experience. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For those of you new to my blog or the podcast, I welcome you to join us for a night of short films.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00187154242921742584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39293853817763751.post-20439414548923893302013-09-26T05:00:00.000-07:002013-09-26T05:00:04.059-07:00Layover: The Editing Process - Part 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I would love to be debuting a trailer for <i>Layover</i> to you right now but alas -- it cannot be. However, in the image above you'll see the Final Cut Pro timeline for the full film, all 88 minutes of it. (Yes, I'm still using Final Cut Pro 7.) I got the assembly cut at the end of July, watched it, <a href="http://www.hollywoodboundanddown.com/2013/07/layover-editing-process-part-1.html" target="_blank">posted about it</a>, and then set to work fine tuning and doing the next pass. Due to development on other projects and the fact that Will is not being paid, it's taken us a while to get to that second cut. We probably could have gotten it done sooner if we had treated it as a true second cut and just gotten scenes close to good rather than really going over them again and again. But I don't work that way. Probably why I tend to not do a lot of passes. Three to four at the end of the day, mostly because by the time I get to a full second cut, I've gone over all these scenes several times, making changes as I do.</div>
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Which is also why it took us a little longer to get to the second cut than it might normally. For the most part, the editing went smoothly but there are definitely some monster dialogue scenes that took some finessing to get them into place. As I mentioned in my previous post, my films tend to be like puzzles, with only one to three ways scenes can be put together. I don't shoot A LOT of coverage and it takes some trial and error to figure out how these things can be cut together.</div>
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One of the more interesting aspects of diving in was the French language. I often had to consult my script to find out what exactly was being said and make sure I didn't miss any lines (I won't know for sure until I have some French speaking friends give it a look). But ultimately, as I thought I would, I found myself paying much more attention to the performance, to the nuances, to how this reading of a line changes the tone of the scene. This happens anyway but I got to remove the text portion of the experience. My goal was to find a way to sell this without having subtitles. That someone might get it even if they didn't get exactly what was being said.<br />
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After much tinkering, I finally put all the sequences together in order to show Travis, my producing partner. I wanted his thoughts before anyone else's. At first, he tried to read the script along with the film since I hadn't added subtitles yet (by the way, anyone know a better and not-expensive way other than manually doing it myself?) but eventually gave up. I was incredibly nervous about showing him. After all, it was through him we got the investor to fund the film and I know he had a big stake in it as well. The last thing in the world I'd want to do is let him down. But at the end of the day, he really liked it (sans subtitles) and mostly felt it needed some tightening in scenes. He thought all the performances were great and right on and that the film felt far larger than it's meager budget.<br />
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Even though I feel pretty confident about this cut there's still a lot of work to do. There are some sections of the film that require music, and specifically require cutting to music (non-score) before I can lock. So, we're working with a music supervisor as well as a singer/songwriter to find and develop songs for the film. I'll need some semblance of that before I can fully lock.<br />
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Right now thought, my job is to go back through and do another pass, tighten and fine tune so that I can start showing people. I need to have a French screening first (saving time on doing subtitles) and then clean up what I can before possibly showing distributors or sales agents. Plenty to keep me busy. My hope is that we've locked picture by the end of October and I can then send it off to sound and scoring.<br />
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Oh, and cut a trailer so I can finally show you guys something from it.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00187154242921742584noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39293853817763751.post-38917536888087917232013-08-25T05:00:00.000-07:002013-09-25T21:41:16.662-07:00The Podcast: Hollywood Bound & Down<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/joshua-caldwell/id692417004?mt=2" target="_blank">Subscribe to the Hollywood Bound and Down Podcast on iTunes</a>.</div>
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Well, here we are. A couple of months after I first mentioned it, I'm finally launching my podcast for Hollywood Bound and Down and I couldn't be more excited. The podcast is very much an extension of the blog and aimed at young and aspiring filmmakers, actors, executives, representatives and below the line crew members. My goal is to interview those people working at all levels of the industry from assistants to directors and at various levels of success, from those who just caught their first break to veterans bearing war wounds. </div>
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From the beginning of this blog, I've always tried to present a first person account of breaking in to Hollywood. That said, I've obviously fallen a little short on content since its ambitious beginnings. I hope that the podcast, which will have a new episode every Sunday, will help fill in some of those gaps in between posts. </div>
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I've also realized that while I think a first person perspective can be valuable there are so many other people working in this industry that are 1) much smarter than I am and 2) much more successful. And I want to highlight that. Without shortchanging you on writers and directors and actors, I want to present you with stories from executives, assistants, costume designers, cinematographers, editors, managers, agents and more. </div>
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These are in depth conversations, some of them running over an hour and a half, but I hope you'll subscribe to the show and join me on this journey.</div>
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I was incredibly fortunate to sit down with <i>Rookie Blue</i>'s Missy Peregrym and talk about her career and even more lucky that this gets to be the first episode. I hope you guys enjoy it and please provide any feedback in the comments section. </div>
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And if you like the show, be sure to leave a rating and a comment on the iTunes page. And many thanks to my wife, Danielle Caldwell, for designing our awesome logo and thumbnail.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00187154242921742584noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39293853817763751.post-69810275675734457082013-07-29T05:00:00.000-07:002013-07-29T14:32:57.532-07:00Layover: The Editing Process - Part 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">An interesting fact for anyone who wants to upload it to the <a href="http://pro.imdb.com/title/tt3034016/" target="_blank"><i>Layover</i> page</a> on IMDbPro.com, this is the first film I've directed where I wasn't also the editor. It's been a long time coming. I've often said that the reason I've never worked with an editor before is that I haven't found one as good as me who also works for my price: free. That is, until now. The time has come (thankfully) to promote from within and Will Torbett, a longtime assistant editor of mine, got the job. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As happy as I'm sure he was, little did he know the world of pain he would be soon entering. That said, he sucked it up like a man, doubled down on his French language and set to work. And last Monday he delivered the first assembly of <i>Layover</i> in to my waiting hands.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As I sat down to watch I was reminded of the text from an LA Times Roundtable I read a few years back. Several nominated directors were sharing their experiences and they came to the topic of an assembly cut:</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Tom Hooper: I think it's an extraordinary thing when you watch your first assembly [of the roughly edited movie], the film always has become something slightly different from what you thought…</span></i><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />Aronofsky: The worst day of my life, every time.<br /><br />Affleck: Way worst.<br /><br />LATimes: In what way?<br /><br />Aronofsky: When you watch an assemblage, you just know you're getting drunk that night. It's just a miserable experience. Because you realize you have so much work [to do on it].<br /><br />Lisa Cholodenko: And you have no idea if it'll ever be there.<br /><br />Aronofsky: And you really thought you did better work. You thought you did better stuff. And it has nothing to do with the editor. It just takes time and time to refine, because you're so far away from that final mix where you're really putting on that final sanding, the final shellac.<br /><br />Coen: It's always funny because we cut our own movies and I feel exactly the same way.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I always try to remind myself of this as I'm working on projects, that it's really no different an experience for me than it is for the best directors working in the business. It's a tough thing to watch because you're not watching the version in the movie that you've had in your head this whole time...or even the version you think you shot. You're looking at A version and that's it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Now, I was really expecting the worse (not because of anything having to do with Will, this feeling isn't because of the editor) but at the end of the day, I saw a lot of potential in it. It was really nice to have been able to step away from that assembly process where I probably would have been maddeningly pulling my hair out. Especially because the way we shot this just did not allow for a lot of careful consideration of each shot. We really just locked and loaded and got what we got.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The other thing I've kept in mind is that I've noticed, as I myself have gone through assembly and editing my own films, is that they are a puzzle. Despite all the coverage for some reason, there's only 1-3 ways my films can be cut together. They're really meant to be seen as a puzzle in the editing stage and it's about finding the right cut, the right take, the right piece of music to make it all come together. So, it's just about getting to that point.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Besides all the mistakes I made as a director, all the cuts that aren't quite there, the scenes that appear to be a disaster, what I saw in there was a pretty good overall story, a journey, a character arc (I think...it was all in French without subtitles, so I could be making this up). I saw something really interesting and I saw a lot of stuff to work with. Now it's time to do just that.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'm thankful to have found a partner at this stage of the game.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We've managed to generate a lot of interest in our little film, from managers, agents, producers, actors, sales agents and more in the last couple weeks, based on nothing more than a four minute showreel I cut together (which I will not debut publicly since it's pretty much the plot of the film in four minutes). Now we just want to make sure we live up to those expectations. I think we can get there.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In the next couple weeks, you're going to see a lot more news about <i>Layover</i> and a few other projects coming your way -- including the official trailer for <i>Layover</i> sometime in the next couple weeks. So stay tuned and keep checking back.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In the meantime, here are a few of the first official images from Layover. Let me know what you think of the stills!</span></div>
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