Purgatory...

Well, i have two thirds of my movie shot. They are a good two thirds. The sound in the bar is surprisingly good. The shots from Matts place turned out well. I have some good pieces to put together.
My third piece, the cop scene, had some complications. Apparently you have to have an important guy sign a piece of paper to use a real cop, even if theyre youre friends. So that went out the window. And using two lights, one with a blue gel on it, flashing a bounce card back and forth in front of it, i can fake a cop car off the screen.
Since halloween just passed, i know a couple girls with sexy cop outfits. This would have to be approached in a ridiculous manner. I think it can be pulled off, if i get her to wear a black shirt underneath the cleavage and maybe silkings on her legs. Put her hair up, it can totally be pulled off as an awkward semi-hot police scene.
I have a hot chick Jill. I called my ex, she has thespian experience and shes a knock-out. I may not get to film until Monday of Fall break, but i can trade gear with Postal.
The way im building my DVD i can pretty much get the other stuff to almost complete, because they will have to be compressed separatly for the separate DVD menus.

Response to some Responses

I like the ideas of multiple choices. A web of choices rather than a timeline. And im a little hesitant to make it funny, but if i got a green light then i can make some funny. Some more extreme consequences. Not crazy like off a reveene into a pit of fire, but something defining the moment more...

Alot of small little things, like spilling beer on myself or bumping into a pretty girl accidentally...

I want to minimalize the car shots, and the crash scene will be a toughie.

Alot more choices...
did i say more choices? I didnt mean like 50...but maybe with filming about 20 1 minute shots could yield into a nice 15minute piece...

Synopsis

Everything that occurs to someone throughout their existence is a continuation of the choices they made previously. Choices are the guiding factors that take people down the paths that they believe are right for them. The roads one takes is dependent upon the choices made; from the interstate-big decisions to the dirt and gravel-small road decisions. No road is without curves, turns, off-ramps, and detours.

This piece takes you to a night seemingly out of the ordinary, if you want it that way. We open with our two main characters standing around, playing pool, having a drink. Talking about this and that, girls, cars, homework, a good shot. Matt suddenly receives a text message, which says that she has just been pulled over, then a phone call, it says "Melissa," at the same time their server approaches and asks them if they'd like another drink. This is the first choice you are presented with and will define the rest of your evening.
Depending on what you choose, your evening can take many different routes. You can choose to help Melissa and go out into the cruel bustling traffic-filled world with a few drinks under your belt or stay put and ride out the bar scene.

Response to the Test Shots

I believe Matt and I will be able to work up a good natural sounding conversation about Melissa. He lived it so he sort of expresses it in a personal manner. The test shot is just in his livingroom, but the bar scene will work out nicely. I saw a bit of "Eyes Wide Shut" and theres an interesting pool table scene that i may take some ideas from.
The car wreck scene will be tricky.
I need to call RP Tracks to get a night to shoot there, I know them so it shouldnt be a problem.
Meagan will do well as my pathetic drunk girl. Shes gonna have to work on not looking too goofy while shes doing it. A smirk tended to appear. She'll make a fine "woo"-girl.

My friend Off. Bobby White is quite a character. Hes one of those nice guys that shows no mercy in a smart-ass way.

And my camera didnt want to digitize right, so i dont have clips of the test shots ready yet...sorry

10-30

6: Shooting
2 separate shoots.
a. The bar scene, the drive and the way home
I will shot this most likely on the weekend of the 10th-11th
b. The police officer scene
I want to get this shot hopefully this weekend 3rd-4th

7&8: Actors and whatnot
a:The bar scene includes Matt and I. and the ride home Includes Matt, Meagan and I
b:The police scene includes us three plus an officer.
I am goin to try and contact my officer friend to help me shoot. (Bobby)

9:Draw a map...

Choices

Making a Comeback...

Opening scene...
You see matt and eric sitting at standing around a pool table. Talking.
Just talking about mundane stuff and then it blends into talk about his girlfriend...
Matt: Im just glad to be out and away man, did i tell you what she did the other night?
Eric: Yeah you told me about it, man i dont know what to tell you... She just always kind of been like that. Thats her idea of fun...to not fuckin remember anything..
Matt: Well i like her and everything but it just gets old...i dunno man, i just want my beer and to play some pool
Eric: too bad your not going to win though huh
Matt: yeah whatever (cell phone grabs his attention [buzzes])
He grabs his cell phone and looks at it
He then looks up with an exasperated look
Matt: So uh, melissa just got pulled over...
Eric: Great, again...shes such an idiot. So whats happening?
Matt: i dunno, thats all she said, i guess we're gonna find out later though.

Cut to a scene where matt just took a shot but then his cell phone rings. Now its Melissa on the phone, upset and crying.
Matt deals with it in a calm, irritated manner...then he hangs up.

Matt: Dude we have to leave, the cop told her to get a ride home or shes goin to jail. So we have to go pick her and her car up..
Eric: Dame dude....alright...

Cut to a scene where theyre walking out of the bar talking...
Eric: Dude ive been drinking and were gonna go pick her up from a cop?
Matt: its cool man, we werent there long...he wont notice at all, just be cool.
Eric: Alright dude...lets hope everything goes according to plan...

The next scene will be us arriving at the scene... The cop and Melissa are standing outside of her car talking. Blue lights flashing behind.

Cop: How are yal doin tonight?
Both: Good
Eric: hopin everythings alright
Cop: Oh we're fine she just doesnt need to be out on the road...
Melissa: I wait on him at Mulligan's
Cop: Yeah i know she means well so thats why i decided to give her a chance, we were about to pack up and go downtown...
Matt: Yeah sorry about that, we had to fight our way through the traffic...
Cop: Well we dont want any hurry, dont want anyone gettin hurt. So are yal ok to go?

This is where i can have a number of responses, we just said yeah and went on our way...

Yessir: he lets us go, we drop her off, and go back out
Are we ok to go?: he gets a little suspicious, nothing much, it just gets a little tense...
I hope so: 'what do you mean i hope so?', this is where we could end up riding downtown with melissa.
Oh yeah, how about you?: This is where we may have made a new friend and he ends up goin out with us...

Drawing Board

Ok so i wanted to go in a new direction with my movie. I didnt realize that we only had five week and that this piece should be the best that we can do about what we learned this semester in film making. So a silly piece that may only get watched only by kids on youtube is what i decided not to do....of course i appreciate the fans!
So when thinking of a story i tried to this of a beginning middle and an end...something that happened to me...somethin not over too long of a duration of time...

Jon also gave me a good way to go about the movie... So what characters do i want...? What are they all about?? How do they go about it??

Then i thought of my own methodology along the lines of why is this important? and so what? (a little something fron Canfield)

My friend Matt and I were downtown at the Flying Saucer one night. We were just going out on a Friday or Saturday night...having a drink or two...playin pool. But it had also been long week with his girlfriend. Melissa is a friend of mine from highschool. Shes never been all that bright, kind of a silly girl. She also has the wrong mindset. When she drinks, the purpose is to get drunk, and if she doesnt remember last night, then it was a good one. Well were just pickin about it, talkin shit, playin pool and hes kinda glad to b e away from it. They had decided to do separate things. Well right when it was about time for something to happen, something happened... He gets a text message from her saying that shes been pulled over and kinda left us with that. So now were waiting for something, the mood has changed... She calls after a bit. Luckily she knew the cop, but shes too messed up and either we have to pick her up or shes spending the night in the drunk tank. So now were stuck with this dilema...we've been out drinking...now we have to be the responsible friends and drive to go get her, not only that, but i have to drive her car back for her.

This could go good or bad...it ended up we got an little insightful talk from the cop of course and we took her home. But then we went back out to drink some more.

But Jill suggested that i experiment with alternate endings. I could bring it to a point when the cop asks up a question and the answer could make or break the outcome of the night.

He could ask if were ok to go and there are a number of responses: "yep, thank you very much sir, sorry about everything"; which will set us home free, "ye-(a belch that kinda pauses you for a sec)-ssir"; which might catch his attention and it leads into almost gettin busted, "i hope so"; which would be just a dumb move, and just may get us all in trouble..., "well, were ok for now! hahaha"; which might even end up in him having a drink with us when we get off...

So the alternate ending sounded like a good idea and this sense of going out driving and bar hopping has a sense of normallcy to it until you get caught and your pulled out of your fun reality, but then we just jump right back into it...

Follow up to the script....

I think i want to take a different route...

Blip on the Map

We enter into the scene, looking at a door from a hallway. Then we hear talking and characters enter from the left side of the screen. They’re coming up stairs that the shot is taken over. We hear them in mid conversation.
: No man you would have a heart attack before you even hit the ground. That’s what happened to those people who jumped. They died from a heart attack before they hit the ground.
>But what if it isn’t that tall…and you landed flat…wouldn’t that be crazy to live after that
} Man your brain would hit the inside of your skull so hard that it would be turned into mush. There’s no way.
>Or if you landed straight up
: Then you would break your back…your spine…
| It would impale onto itself…like shatter straight down
: Yeah
>Yeah…crazy

That all takes place getting to the door and then there is a pause in conversation while he is opening the door.

| So what am I gonna do about this project…?
: What project man?
| The fuckin video ive been telling you about
} Video for what?
| For class
}: Oh well yeah
| Yeah what? I Need to figure out what to do
}: I dunno man
| Well im trying to get a shot of just us sitting around and let a conversation happen you know? Like a more in depth sonic.commercial…or sittin around the table on that 70s show. Just set up the camera in the corner and press play…then once something happens I can take it, transcribe it and then we can do close up shots…ya know?
}Oh ok…I mean you could have us talking about….
| Well ya see I don’t want to have a script pre-film ya know? Then its not as funny…

Here is where I want the movie to take its own… Not even sure I want to have that part talking about it…

I want the cuts to continuously get cut shorter and shorter…as we get into a conversation that gets more and more heated then there are more interjections…and finally it comes to someone that ends this flow of thoughts…. I want to catch that point.

Your going to see the overhead shot when everyone interjects. And rotating close up shot during the dialogue. I want the camera to appear low, down on the table, looking up at the subject.

Then the last shot will kind of lock onto the “dunce” and move to a front shot. Move out and then exit the scene.

Falling Review

Id say my stunts were worth it. We took about 40 takes of me falling down. Of course there was a bell curve to the quality of each shot, but plenty of good material to work with.
I went for a linear approach. I wanted to show the fall linearally from all of the different views. And to have this mysterious guy pop in at the end and help me up just kind of added an enigma to the end. The group worked very well and blogged very well to each other.

Im excited to see everyone elses.

Click Here

Another idear again

We were sitting in the living room thinking about movie ideas. It was one of the more interesting conversations...
Everyone was trying to come up with a good idea, but they were also saying the first thing that sounded cool...all of the suggestions, again, trying to top one another, got higher and higher in "oh Yeahssss" And of course the conversation disipated when we brought attention to the conversation.

But i want to film a timeframe and wait for the conversation to emerge. It would be a shot from the corner of a room, with couches and chairs around a coffee table. Once the magic happened i want to go and transcribe the content, give it to the characters and then do close-up shots

A little detail again

THAT whole conversation took place in my friends apartment when we were walking down the stairs to go outside and smoke a cigarette. And it was raining so we were all huddled up under his small 3x4 front porch. Then after the cigarette was done the conversation was over... And we dispersed back inside...

Revamp the details...

Well tonight, i kind of listened outside of the conversation that my friends and i were having. It went from talkin about a girl's flatchulance...to talking about our worst flatchulance stories...and just more in depth stories about them.

It began to develop into a contest...who could gross out who the most. And then at the end of maybe the 10th story, Wesley looks over at the next building and inquires...Wouldnt that be crazy if someone jumped off that building...I bet they would mess themselves. And then it got into the physics of jumping off the building...what would happen.

And it of course went to the most common and extreme jumping off of building stories. The twin towers. Using them as examples for what happens. Some went into shock and had a heart attack before they even hit the ground. Then it got to what if you made it to the ground...and the possibility of living... But then it was no your brain would hit the inside of your skull so hard that it would turn into mush.

But what if you landed straight up?
Then you would literally impale yourself.
Your back would break
...no it would literally shatter into itself...

But i still need the twist that i want

Movie2

Blip on the Map

I want it to depict just a small piece of all of those in-depth, random conversations that evolve from nothing between friends. The conversations that leave you thinkin about it afterwards...but can rarely brought back up in context. I want you to laugh, i want you to think. Little known facts to spark interest, and a pseudo-destination of the conversation. An ironic ending. Sort of answering America's query for the movie. I want to get a conversation from conception to the denouement. It could be something everyone talks about or something intriguing that only these close few talk about.

Three main characters:
Spencer - Easy going, smart but doesnt lead on to be. Saves his intellect for his wit
Jacob - Set in his ways, does what he does. Smart as well, more for the critique side
David - Smart on reserve, just along for the ride most of the time, but then interjects

Im thinking a mellow 'jam' just going on in the background to just set the mood, something contemporary. Just something these guys would be listening to.
Incubus
Marz Volta
Friends have alot of underground music, probably will pick from that

We enter into the scene with a new question being asked or the question being answered, while leaving enough context to know what was asked. The conversation will develop and a couple of tangents may be taken. But the actors are going to keep doing what theyre doing, just like people sitting around and hangin out. One will go into the kitchen and get something, while yelling another comment from it. An awkward silence could emerge at one point. But towards the end an elaborate thesis will emerge from this and instantly be shot down by a one-liner.

Trip And Fall Comments

So falling down....literally?? Metaphorically...? Positively?? Negatively???

Well pertaining to our time constriction....lets see...
Could be going up some steps and fall-up them which in turn sends you falling down them...so a sense of dual-fall could be interesting...

Falling asleep....while trying not to... A typical class setting... I personally have a personal problem when it comes to sleep. If its knocking...i cant not answer... If im tired and a nap comes on...be it in class or doing homework...it just floods over me and takes me down...

Falling through...a plan falling through...an idea falling through... A big elaborate plan created and then the process of it falling through.

Reviewers

Dad liked it...he didnt have much to say... he doesnt have much of the "artsy" thought to him. But that means he looks at it for what it is. It could probably be cut down even more to attain more interest from what it looks like.

Matt thought it was good. Impressed by the dvd layouts.

Jerimiah also impressed by the DVD layouts

Ideas for Thrice

Runnin low on creative juice...lets see what happens....

• comedy
• laughter
• blood flow
  
• irony
• punchline
• contemporary concepts
• twist
• touché
• 2 character dialog
  
• or 3....
• Two main characters...and one intervener
  

Maybe two people debating on a topic or pointless proportions and then the third guy is the maybe guy...
...I believe that i can tastefully bring pot into this...id hate to just have a stoner video... so i would probably have to interject something positive about it....or show it in a completely positive light>>>>or i don't think pot is ready for the spotlight...

Or how about a spoof on the sonic commercials...Those have a potential for being hilarious...that is actually what im thinking of when im thinking about the touché... The point-counter point on those commercials is ridiculously halarious

Ideally Twilly

I want to make you laugh...thats the best medicine afterall...

In my youthful experience Ive come across some pretty pointlessly-in-depth conversations about the most minute isolated topics ever thought of...

I want to capture one of these, in the act. I want characters to have a rise out of them, getting very emotional about a topic. The idea seems a little vague but thats because it relies alot on the improv... Once the atmosphere loosens up about the camera and microphone then thats when ill hit play, once there are a few topics going around... And then i can take that, get the script and then make some close-up shots...

Idear Une

::Comedy::
Im thinking about a spoof towards the snickers commercial... Where the guy is sittig eating a snickers at his desk and the strange man in the guitar appears. Except the kid will be working on a mechanical of some sort and getting frustrated with his work...upon asking himself why he got himself into this Kyle appears. Kyle and I are design students and every week we have to recite a quote from some very influential designers. Well, Kyle, to help himself remember these, put them to song with his guitar. So he is going to have a set of inspiring design quotes put to a cheesy string that will help our main character remember why hes doing what hes doing

3 liner

I have a reoccurring theme of longing that happens in my dreams; it is this sense of build up for the big finale. But hopelessness sets in when you start to feel like you won’t make it. Occasionally hopes get up, then suddenly you’re pulled out, alienated.

125

I have a reoccurring theme of longing that happens in my dreams. Trying and trying with fruitless efforts, a sense of hopelessness develops. I am helpless, but I have to keep trying.
I wanted this sense of build up, for the big finale. Hopelessness sets in when you start to feel like you won’t get there. Occasionally hopes get up, just to be let down even harder.
My character wakes up and begins walking through the school. He catches his glimpse of what looks like a person but then suddenly it’s gone, and the lights go out. Something is seemingly around, so he runs. He sees another glimpse upstairs, so he tries to get out of the school. But suddenly he’s dropped back into consciousness.

wake!

I have a reoccurring theme that happens in my dreams occasionally. It feels like a longing, a longing that can’t be reached. Try and try as I might, the object of desire just out of my grasp or just keeps getting further. Soon this starts to develop a sense of hopelessness. It cannot be done and there is nothing I can do about it. I am helpless. But I have to keep trying.
I wanted to convey this sense of build up; you’re waiting for the big finale. You’re waiting, but you just keep waiting. Another obstacle gets in the way, you’re not as close as you thought u were, just something. That’s when the hopelessness sets it. When you start to feel like you won’t get there, and that’s all there is to do. You occasionally get close and get your hopes up again, but you’re just let down even harder.
My character wakes up; it’s dark, the lights are flickering, and he has quite the throb to his head. Not knowing what happened, he begins walking through the school. Well on the first corner he gets to, he catches a glimpse of what looks like a person. Although, when he gets there it’s gone, and then the lights go out down the hallway. Something is around, so he starts to run. He sees another glimpse of someone upstairs, then, he tries to get out of the school, but before he knew it, he was dropped back into consciousness.

Edit and Sound

I cut my piece down by about a minute and a quarter. The sound works well, motions are more implied and the ending isnt quite as bad. I tried to feel myself getting bored with the shots and then cut accordingliny.

Another reply

i really like the camera angles that Mr. Huber has chosen to use. The scene that shows him run in front of the metals studio filmed from down a corridor is exceptional!!! Needs work on lighting though... and Mr. Huber needs a better camera than the shit-box he's using. overall good movie...somewhat enticing, but needs a little more information to help the viewer understand what is going on...

Friendly Reply

interesting cut scenes, i liked the camera angles. at times lighting was very effective and set the mood, towards the end, it was a little off and could have been improved.

Video on Google!

Check it out

Horror Show

My editing needs a few tweaks, but i like the product that i came up with. The final scene with the flashlight is a little rough... The first scenes are good, i like them. But the picture that was in my head throughout the movie is basically portrayed fairly decently on the screen. Music will definitely make the movie more suspenseful.

After the Shot

Well people just arent reliable... First thought that comes to mind. So i thought that i had arranged for a shoot time...but my actor got himself tied up in something else so i became the LEAD ROLE. I also lost my daylight so my movie had to be reworked. Now you start when the character wakes up and is in the intense scene and at the end he wakes up. Filming on a time frame is tough...but thats the idea... My filming went rather smoothly. Im sure there'll be bugs with my shots or whatever but im pretty happy with it.

Lighting... I believe as I use each room im just going to turn the lights off and use our 3 lights to get the effect that i want... I may have the lights flickering on and off at some points.

Electrical Outlets
There arent any outside or in the stairwell
Gonna have to use some extensions

My shooting will most likely take only one day. The timeline is pretty linear, so there wont be too many complications... I do have to figure out what is going to jump out of the bushes at the end... It has to be unrecognizable...some sort of shadowy figure...but so fragmented that you dont have a chance to focus on it...

I'm going to use one major character, one minor and a handleful of stand-in-non-responsive-bodies...there might be some light powdering to make them look deader.
The minor character will be in for barely a minute at the beginning and for a bit at the end as a dead body
The extras will be around for about a minute as well before they disappear.
My main character Jacob is going to have to fake a fall onto the printing machine...
More to come....

My character:: Jacob

Jacob shows up at the school that day a little impatient. When he pulls up in his spot he comes to a skreeching halt. He slams his door. He gets all of his supplies out in a haste. He locks his doors and starts heading for the school only to soon remember that he had forgotten something in the car. A small but straw-that-almost-broke-the-camels-back obstacle for Jacob. He b-lines it to the printing-press room. He has alot of supplies hes taking with him so its hard to hold it all. He sees a few people on the way but he doesnt really say much, just gettin wheres hes going.
He enters the rom where Robert already is...and vents a little bit. He describes how he wants to be in-and-out, knock this work out realy quick...but then thats when he gets a little more than he bargained for...Boom...

This is a comp-scene-by-scene that I took. This is path that I want my character to follow. I'm pretty sure im gonna kill all of the lights when i shoot and use our light kit for what light i need.

Manipulating Time...

Deja vu...or wishing for deja vu

Hoping for that second chance....hoping so hard that it happens...but deja vu yeilds the same outcome...

Ok so....helplessness is scary right...? And what is wrong with the horror movies of today that can't be fixed with technology? What oh what in our time do we have to be afriad of?? Monsters? Mutants? Creepy little kids with problems? No...all we are scared of today is fear itself...the idea of being scared. Horror movies today show you what you are afriad of but then once you see it...you realize that it isnt real and couldnt happen in reality. The old school scary movies could scare without cursing, nudity or the best gore scene.

So theres nothin that you can do about it...you want to help but theres nothing there that can be helped... You are helpfulless. Everyone is gone..or everything is gone...or you are gone and stuck.

Im picturing waking up...beginning out of the loop. Like waking up late and not knowing what went on in your slumber.
Lets say we start out at the school...a loud noise happens. The subject is with someone who darts out at the first sign of the trouble...you try to hastily catch up but slip and are knocked out.
One awakens disoriented...lets say the fire alarm is going off. All over the building are signs that something big has happened or come through the school. You hear noises but once you reach them...there is nothing there. Maybe you even get attacked but it is so quick and swift that you still dont see what it is... It could be random accidents... Maybe there are a few people laying around...but they are dead or in a coma of some sort...
Being a short video is nice so i can get right to the point...
So since you cant do anything at the school you try to leave... But once you get outside there is a erie calm... like your being watched...or stalked...
And right when some sort of movement occurs the tape goes out. The viewer does not get to see what it was...so therefore it could be anything... They can leave scared and that thing that popped out at the subject could very well be waiting on them. It could be a fictional monster or it could be a Pit Bull out loose...you dont know...
All you have to fear is the fear.

The straw that broke the camel's back.

That final push over the edge. I want to capture that. Being told you've been cheated on. That final hour of homework where you start to hallucinate. Not being able to hit the brakes in time.

Helplessness...all you can do is sit back and watch.

I think i want to do the break-up one. Because personally i have never had so many emotions running through me at one time than when i was told that. I had just gone through a break-up with whom seemed to be a pretty good person that just happened to have some minor character flaws. But after gettin out of it scott free one of her friends or ex-friends thought that it would be a good idea to let me know.

But just the feeling of helpnessness...theres nothing i could do except boil my blood. I just had to sit back and watch the sun go down...the day went on.

Gettin up late for a final...theres nothing you can do without manipulating time....All you can do now is race whats left...

Time travel...fixing a mistake...fixing the stock market rather....

Being there when something happened...

Hmm.....

Eric Huber
Graphic Design
MCA
August 28, 2007



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I am completely diving into something new here.