I currently have almost 90% of filming done on my new short - I don't want to give plot details away, people will have to figure what it's about when it's done But anyways it was a very hectic shoot, seeing as how my sleeping patterns are during the day, we had to shoot during the entire night.

--Wednesday, August 10th--

My short movie officially entered production at 11:00 PM Eastern Standard time. My eight minute script based around one character and his journey through the night almost two months old. It began when my two friends came over, Tymm, the main character, and Andrew, the Second Unit Director. I had my room set up perfectly, clothes on the floor, beds unmade, a generally, teen bedroom... Adding realism. We entered into our first location and suddenly *quick zoom onto me being surprised* The room had been cleaned, my set was changed, altered to the point from being an angsty teenager's bedroom to a clean room with posters. Unfortunately my mother had taken it into her authourity to clean my bedroom because visitors were over. The first argh. It was a minor annoyance, the camera never really focused on the floor, just the actors, and some minor cut-aways.

The second not-so problematic problem came with the lights, I was planning on using a blue filter to synthesize night... well we couldn't acquire one. Immediately I hade to find another colour; red. My brother commented on how this could turn into a cdomedy just by dressing up my actor as a woman... the redlight district within my room. Nothing too bad, red turned out much better than blue would have, and was great overall.

Sans les tripod, nobody had a tripod on shoot atleast no designated for a a camera kind. Instinctively, it occured to me on:

--Thursday, August 11th--

We were now mid-shoot, leaving my stuff bedroom, for the basement shoot. It was somewhere around 2:00 AM (Eastern Standard Time) I looked into my dining room, and there, an almost godsend, was my mother's mini-microscope with a tripod. Leaping into the glass room I snatched the small scope and savagely (yet not so savagely ) removed the scope from the tripod. With a little luck and some duct tape, we managed to jerry-rig a tripod cam, mainly for use with moving shots, because that's what I like.

We continued shooting, alternating between the pseudo steady cam, and the wall restrict-a-cam that was Tymm's. After a few hours of shooting and playing (Nintendo is an addictive substance). I decided to wait, the next shopts weren't needed or for that matter required until morning. The bathroom could be done at anytime, no windows, no outside light, no problem. The final sequence in my bedroom required the morning, the clean, untainted white light coming from the cloudy day. Even some of the kitchen and outside sequences required it. And we would not settle for some cheap imitation... we were hellbent to wage the next few hours by now it was 4:30 AM sun rises at 5:47, we had no choice but to wait... tough through the sleeplessness my actor was going through. The look on his face fading from awake, and into sleeping... not required for this role, infact being asleep is quite opposite to what he is/what is affecting him.

We watched American History X, my first viewing, interest rejuevenated within my actor, he had seen the movie before and wanted to see it again. A godsend from the movie gods I think. I was surprised while we conversed, my actor, my second unit Director. He (my second unit Director) had been awake for almost 24 hours at this point, and was unwavering, not willing to go to sleep... afflicted with the same disease as me, and the character in my story. My eyes scanned the room once more, glancing to a window.

"HOLY ****ING ****!!!" I exclaimed in a whispering voice. Suddenly their attention drawn to me, away from the commercials that broke the movie. "It's already light outside - quick to the next location,, we must film, and film and film with digital video" I commanded, pointing to the kitchen area... my scarf firmly tied to my head, and my acapulco shirt screaming craziness in colors as I placed it on over my black generic tee shirt. We ventured into the known, into the kitchen... We had to hurry, hurry because the sunlight would soon emerge and possibly wreck the atmosphere. We shot, and shot, and shot some more. Frantically trying to beat mother nature who slowly but surely would eventually do it's thing. We managed to get some creative shots, albeit one very very important one a side view of my actor reaching into the fridge, a shot so detrimental because of lack of using the "inside of object camera view" which is used quite alot on films of this nature. Hell we even got that shot per some one's request.

We scramled to the next setup, the dining room, a tv set littering the table along side my xbox, we threw them away carelessly, the shots were more important than anything at this point. We quickly setup, no separate light source save for the chandelier and the kitchen lights. It worked, I couldn't imagine how, but it did, the most intricate shot in my movie yet, a very weird piece that strikes a nuance with Hitchcock, it wasn't the Vertigo shot (the zolly - dolly in/zoom out) it was sheer composition. Two takes at the most per shot, and we finished working at that setup. We ran to the hallway to get some more shots to bridge scenes.

A quick prescribed doseage of caffiene (Pepsi Cola for product placement's sake) and we jetted to the hall. I called a quick "Action" and while I was walking the camera down the hallway, I heard the distinct sound... The creaking of a doorknob turning... I said it aloud "oh ****" I knew what was happening. I quickly tried to finish the shot as steady as I could, then suddenly my mother opened the door, just as I was to pass that room, thus the shot needed redoing, nothing too major, just a re-shoot of a nigh perfect take - such is life.

We continued, into my bedroom, the hippy scarf on my head removed and placed safely inside one of the cabinets within my room. I gave a quick explanation to my staff. What was happening. And we were off, two cameras, the light 100 and 50% natural, the eerie morning glow eminating from the open windows, reflecting... very nice indeed. Within the hour (time at this point was lost) we wrapped up. Finishing the last shots, acquiring 65 of 67 according to the shotlist... only the bathroom scene remained and possibly some other shots at night. Of course this was not in our minds now, sleep was. We puit the cameras away and played with my transformers (I have a large collection) then my actor fell into the depths of a sleep binge. Me and Andy ran downstairs and played Nintendo, Super Mario Bros. and TMNT--- then suddenly my grandparents arrived, time restored...

It was the day before my the anniversary of my birth, and they had shown up early (9:00 AM) to deliver some gifts... filming was over for now. And I thanked them, "clearly I hadn't had enough sleep" they said in words similar to those. I nodded and they busily left. I ran upstairs, Andy gone upstairs as I had instructed. We then watched the next movie on teleVEE. "Sky Captain and the World of Tommorow" a neo-CGI-noir, a world filled with crazy robots and a pilot reminscent of serials of the 30's with some noir aspects. We couldn't pay much attention... sleep was overcoming now. And we did. The night of shooting over, a success by my terms. I awoke at 1:00 PM (afternoon) filming had left my mind, I was done, we were done. In five minutes my friends were picked up and journeyed into the city, the long journey (I lived in rural Canada). And as I reviewed the footage, and corssreferecned shots and script and shotlist... and "Jesus Christ Man" I commented, I'm not catholic, I am christian/agnostic. I missed the bathroom scene, and now it was too late. Sometime around 11:00 PM at night... But overall it was a success, 65 out of 67 shots. My first film, no real dialogue recorded - nor required. My first film as a Director my first story, (I produced/story boarded/co-directed numerous films a year ago as well this year directed a music video) But this was my first Directorial film, my first story with my characters. I had editted and acted, and this was what I was waiting for. My personal movie, about a thing that affects countless people (again required viewing to find out).

-- AUGUST 30 2005 --

Today I did it, I don't know how but I did it...

I gave in a bought the piece of equipment required, the capture card, the one thing I needed to begin the editting, the last piece of a puzzle to a piece of an even bigger puzzle. Today I did it.

It took around an hour in total to get all of the footage we shot in and on the computer, over-joyous feelings overcame me as I watched the screen, the flickering of the monitor, the footage making it's way from dream to reality, all because of this, all because of the capture card.

---------


Word of advice to anyone in Canada, don't ever buy a capture card at future shop, I asked what was their cheapest, they hit me with "one-hundred 20 dollars sir,"

"oh yeah, what about the firewire?"

"sixty sir"

I walk across the street to Business Depot (Staples) ask them,

"fifty dollars sir,"

"Great!"

I bought it, and nine months earlier a firewire from future shop... Little did I know that the $68.00 firewire card package came with a firewire. Which makes me question, which costed more, the cable or the card, The $120.00 Card at Future Shop, or the $50.00 Firewire cable in relation to what I bought. It made me a bit upset at buying from Ripoff Shop nine months prior, but the waves of angst, the feeling of wanting to throw a brick into their stupid overpriced store, left as I installed the card and transfered the footage...


- Jimb

--SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2005 --

Still the same, the editing blues I guess, no real progress to finishing my baby especially after the unmotivating moment of being slapped in the face by the education system... My film program at my high school, obliterated, leaving one option, one course of action in September, hop the bus to an
"intensive" focus program on film in the city.

---"The Adventure| (&) The Gator People"---


I was doing something seemingly reckless, leaving the safety and security of my school, my preset schedual of Photography, History, Law and Writers Craft... headed for a day-long film program. Some of my best friends were there... that meant production groups, everything was set in place to work.

5 minutes was how long I was there for, a mere five minutes... I was suggested by my best friend to go he said there were openings, my film teachers agreed (they knew the coordinators of this program) The plan of action had worked up to this point, somewhere around 9:00 AM... I walked in and was shown the door, the reasoning: I wasn't on the list. I asked, "are you sure?"

They said, "yes"

"Are you really sure..." I asked again.

"Yes," they finally replied...

And in that moment I was awestruck, dumbfounded at how ze plan had seemingly fall to pieces and not on my part, not on anything I had control of... by some cosmic turning reaction... the teacher coordinator... that bastard-teacher-woman-gator had a vendetta... and to her through those reflecting shades I was a number... I was 21 of 20... the extra man, just a body who owned the equipment, but didn't reply due to circumstances, who couldn't apply because of my security in my own school's program... It was like a bleeding fish in shark infested water, the plan was thrown out the window and lit on fire, burning before my eyes as nuclear warheads collided with it assuring the remains couldn't live on...

I left the school, brushed my self off and was half-way down the road... when I forgot my bag, those sicko-gators probably thought it was a bomb, and I hope they did. I walked back in and grabbed it, acknowledging this to the class as the reason why I had returned and left with five bucks in my pocket... too much for a bus, not enough for a cab...

Looks like I'll be walking this marathon.

It was an hour and half later, and I had left the inner city and was at it's limits, the hot sun blaring on my world, my cd player going through it's hickups along the way. I'd finally made it to the mall near grannie's house and made the call, the call to get me out of here. It was too much distance to walk and make it back home before night fall...

---"The Anvil"---

It was sometime after leaving the program behind, when it came back to stab me in the chest, two weeks later or so...

I received the call that my best friend who didn't apply either, did the same thing and got in...
He was the secret real 21, the one who got in... I was happy for him, but I wanted to commit a first degree offence against the coordinator. I walked out side on that dreary September day, knowing that if I didn't I would scream and yell cursive profanities. I grabbed four Pepsis and sat on a rock, depressed, thinking, not knowing what to feel; happieness for my friend but hatred for the program and it's *****-bastard-teacher-woman-gator demon-thing that ran it.

I sat on that rock for an hour, pondering life and it's hills and valleys, pondering the cosmic magnet that dissuaded that witch from letting me in... The anvil crushed me for that day, it came from MSN and a phone, I didn't know what to do, say or feel, I was left in the wettness of the world, sitting on a bench-like rock, confused times two...

Memories of the past, still relevant in my head, still relived as that bastard-day went on.


---"New Aspirations"---

After being shot twice from those two incidences, the double slap technique, I aspired for something new, to enter the city film festival, my short, this short, still almost done from my last post... But now instead of being just for personal benifice, it has a greater tool, to get me in, so I can dissuade other filmmakers from making the mistake I did, for putting themselves into this program, this deceit... call it revenge... call it not getting my way... but I'm making this injustice known this December...


---"DOORBELL"---

It's October now, and "Insomniac" aka this short hasn't been worked on much, I've been busy elsewhere with other endeavours, projects, being a student, those things. One weekend me and my buddies (who got in) decided to make a film...

I went, travelled back into the city that spit me out, confidence regained since last month, I had more purposes to come back fighing... Don't stay down... Don't let the ****ers get ya as Jim Jarmusch said. Nothing was happening, at all when I arrived... the will was gone, and small arguements errupted... It wasn't until late night, when I and the owner of the house just decided to film him entering his basement, a tour essentially, no real story, no real pre-production, just shots filmed and story formed in post, guerilla filmmaking as it was called. No scipts, no dialogue, improv and direction, directing at the zero-hour, the time when you throw you plans out the window after lighting them ablaze, the time when sheer cafiene-inspired creativity pumps through your veins, when you know you just gotta do something. It was 20-minutes only, 20 minutes in my friends basement, no equipment save for him and my camera, tools at my disposal, story formulating, or attempting to whilst we did it. Filmmaking on demand, like a drug, like an addiction... I didn't care how, I didn't care why, it just had to be done, and had to be done now and had to be done right... no second takes, no need, we were working in a high-maelstrom of creativity and the freakishly eerie atmosphere of his basement... 20 minutes...

We both came off of this creativity high, riding the wave down to normalcy, watching the footage. For twenty minutes, zero dollars, no inherent story or dialogue, it wasn't bad. Meaning to say that it wasn't the best artistic thing we've or I've done, but it was far from the worst.

This was my second short, and it was all improv, no-second takes, no reasons to apologize for a bad take by making a good one, I didn't want that, I didn't need to give in by demanding high-end takes to get something right, this was filmmaking at the speed of though as Robert Rodriguez would say... Instantaenous creation and gratification...

Post was seemingly easy, most of the story was already told and took minimal time, 2 hours for the 6 minutes, 2 more for credits and ending score... now all I need was a score, a universal audio constant to tie the beginning and end together... 99% complete...

I christened it "DOORBELL", no real reasons save for a song I downloaded...



That was last weekend, still need the freaky orchesteral score, and still need to get the assembly machine working on Insomniac whilst my actor lives elsewhere and 2 scenes need taping along with voice over and editing... It'll get done, somehow...


---Jimb

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Mr. Blonde,

- NOVEMBER 21ST 2005 -

"7 Yard Dash"


2:02 in the morning now, resulting from the loss of consciousness a few hours prior, though this was not a bad thing- being that it is easier to work in solitude rather than exposing the process to the world around me. It is also befitting my film revolves around that same subject, insomnia... oh well, we're doing good aparently I filmed the last scene today actually probably 30 minutes ago, without my actor, slight script scribble change and we're off.

It's coming down to the wire now, mere hours before I hit the deadline for the film festival - the finish line banner thingy, a small rope lit on fire, probably made of old film for that matter... and we were racing up towards the bastard, the creative train ready to ram that ****er full speed, ready to blast through that door. There is still work to do after this, we're not there yet, vocal recordings need to be done by me, and some final edits... not much by any stretch for mostly one man to accomplish, small gap to crush, small but important, 7 yards, can you sprint them?

7 yards and we sink or swim, no point in giving up now, no point in drowning yet, 7 hours remain almost... maybe not, and if anything I will crash this submarine into the dock before giving up. Now for the uncomfortable part, a part I enjoyed as a kid, a part which is so simple, but so pride screwing... voice recordign in the middle of night, ventilation ducts open as the vocal piercing will stab at any open ears that have been tuned to the right frequency...

All I can say is goodnight, and goodluck...


(taken from my blog space)



"The KILLING Moon"

Huh, a Donnie Darko soundtrack song... All I can afford in creative output after today...


It was 7:45 AM when I finally finished "INSOMNIAC" all of the editing all of the shooting, all of the writing, gift wrapped in a nice MINI DV tape. Today was the deadline date for the local film festival. I'd been up since 1:00 AM from which I received a three hour nap prior... now in one short barrage of creative artillery I shot my movie through. We'd originally filmed 90% or so of the project in six hours, fast quick tapes, we were cheap too. It came down to the literal wire, for not only me but for everyone at my school. Final off puts were done, final quick edits were made, and either the films made it before 2:35 PM or sunk in late dissaray. I had six or so projects prepped, "DOORBELL" was to be one of them but I stopped driving that ship this morning, unable to get a transfer in time... same with the Adventures of Ron trailers, those missed the ferry by a few mins... oh well, Insomniac was my first narrative film, my first story - my first translation of written people to screen... this was no music video... this was no commercial... this was a small story about a guy with a problem, and in real life the insomniac like nights drove some based on true story juice into the veins of the film. Overall I'm pleased with the efforts, save for the rushed offputs and Windows going into screensaver mode (dropping a UGE amount of frames)... such is the life of a procrastinator... we won the race to the finish, jumping hurdles, dealing with heavy work loads, walking on fire... and we made it to shore safely...

"INSOMNIAC" trailer cut, it wasn't my favourite cut of a trailer I've done, but it had a slow feel, similar to how the movie is - it isn't conventional quick cuts but more flowing in terms of trailer cutting.

"DOORBELL" - finished that picture, I liked it - I think. It happened pretty good for no pre-production, and trying to formulate an idea in post. The only word I can describe it as is... weird... I also did a poster which is sweet, and better than the movie. I'll get it online soon I hope.