Production Diary 24 – “30 Days and 30 Nights”
on October 2, 2011 at 10:28 pmPosted In: Production Diaries
The epic 30-day Defenseless shoot finally comes to a conclusion.
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Posts Tagged ‘Defenseless Part Two’
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Hey Everyone,
As Ryan and I start gearing up for production on the Halloween Film, director Michael Tucker and our fabulous cast and crew are still hard at work shooting the conclusion to our epic, action-filled movie, Defenseless. Here are a few behind-the-scenes pictures from the Part Two shoot:
Director of Photography Terrance Stewart and Assistant Director Greg Walther slate a shot.
Director Michael Tucker looks over the script on set.
Actor Garrett Liggett, D.P. Terrance Stewart, and producer Ryan McDuffie on the set of Defenseless.
Director Michael Tucker frames up a steadicam shot of actor Max Kleinman…
…then executes it.
–AC
Shooting for Defenseless: Part Two began a couple nights ago at our D.P. Terrance’s studio in Chinatown. (D.P. stands for Director of Photography, FYI.)
After the grueling, often frustrating car chase shoot for Defenseless: Part One, we couldn’t be happier to be off the streets of LA and shooting here, in a controlled location with things like lighting, and bathrooms, and kittens. No, for real, Terrance has a rescue kitten named Lucy and it might be my favorite cat in the world:
But back to Defenseless. You may have noticed that not all of the constraints you voted for were represented in Part One, including “One scene must take place in the rain.” Well, never fear, there will be rain, and lots of it, in Part Two. Rain on film is always a challenge because 1.) We have to create artificial rain, 2.) We have to dump it non-stop onto our actors, and 3.) Filming only at night means our actors are guaranteed to freeze their butts off.
We bought several lengths of garden hose so we can get water from Terrance’s studio out to our shooting area, as well as an adjustable spray-nozzle to get a wide, rain-like shower over the actors. We’re also setting up a “mobile warming station” with towels, blankets, and generously donated space heaters, where our actors can go between takes to maintain a healthy body temperature. Check back soon for a new production diary chronicling the first days of the shoot!
–Alex
Hey all,
A quick update on how things are going here at Finite Films. Ryan and Alex are hard at work writing the Halloween Film based off the excellent constraints you all voted for. As far as Defenseless: Part Two goes, we’re going to meet up with the whole cast this weekend to go over some choreography before we begin shooting on Tuesday. Meanwhile, I am drawing storyboards:
That is an example of two storyboard frames from Defenseless: Part One. Every shot in a movie has to be meticulously planned, and that usually means storyboarding. Different directors work differently. Some just create a detailed shot list but don’t actually draw the frames out; I have always worked best when I’ve drawn out every single shot of the movie I’m making. Whichever method you use, it is this extensive amount of effort put in during the planning stage that makes the movie-watching experience effortless.
These are two shots of the lovely Sophie Green that demonstrate how storyboards can be valuable. It allows me to think about every shot, and decide, for example, if I want to have max’s shoulder in Sophie’s medium-shot (like the shot on the left) or if I want her to be alone in the frame so that we just focus on her (like the shot on the right). It also demonstrates what else goes into making a shot come to life, as these storyboards don’t have the beautiful location, lighting, or performance that makes the final shot come together.
Two storyboard shots from the car chase.
When doing visual effects work, it’s very important to know exactly what the shot will be. It helps to visualize all the elements that will be in the finished shot and helps you think about how best to go about making it all happen.
I’ve run out of mildly-interesting things to say about storyboarding, so I must now return to drawing the storyboards for Defenseless: Part Two!
—MT
(fun fact: Defenseless: Part Two will have more shots in it than the entirety of our first film, You Are Here)
Hey all!
I hope you all enjoy the constraints that are up for voting for the Halloween Film. There are some pretty fun ones (I personally like “one character must bite another character”) and I know Ryan is really excited to direct this one.
While you are all voting on the next constraints, everyone here is hard at work on Defenseless: Part One, which premieres on the first of September. The post-production process for this movie consists of five parts: Editing, Visual FX, Color Correction, Sound Design, Sound Mixing, and Music.
Alex and I locked the edit of the second “reel” on Thursday, which meant that David Sims could begin his work on color correction. Ryan McDuffie and Daniel Clark had already been hard at work at doing sound design on the first reel, in fact as I sit here writing Ryan is across from me with his headphones on, working away on the car chase.
Meanwhile, I’ve been here at my computer corresponding with our tirelessly devoted composer for the film, Bryan Ricker. For those keeping count, he and I have now exchanged 25 emails as he deals with my little tweaks to each of the five tracks of music (totaling over nine minutes) he has had less than a week to produce for this film.
In between those emails, Alex and I have been doing some re-writes for Defenseless: Part Two, which will continue in full swing as soon as Part One releases. This is, indeed, our most ambitious and epic film yet–traits that I feel match the constraints that you all voted on. They were a very challenging set of constraints, and this continues to be a very challenging film. Everyone has poured themselves into it and risen to the occasion, and I think you will enjoy the finished product. We’ve had a lot of fun on this movie, we’re excited for part two, and we can’t wait to see what you decide for the Halloween Film.
– MT
P.S. – Some of the gang on the roof of Terrance’s studio during a break:
And going over a scene with actress Jillian Leigh:
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