Editing Workflow

I finally found the settings to make the 4:2:2 footage work in my FCP.  I'll be shooting MJPEG, rather than AVCHD.  It'd be nice if there was a stable 1920x1080 setting in the hack I used, but I couldn't find one.  I'll be shooting 1536x864.  That was the largest 4:2:2 MJPEG I could find.  I don't know how that would stand up to theatre resolution though.

I want to put together the rest of the balloon film.  I shot the dream sequence the other day, -that reminds me, I have to revise my ad at Mandy.  I need someone for the role of the fairy.  Don't know how that's going to film, but I want to try it.  I have to make sure it can stand up to scrutiny.  The redscale looks powerful.  I'm shooting it through two layers of unexposed, developed film.  Gives it a thick quality.

Casting, Ads

The production is getting a wind behind it.  I've put an ad on Mandy, and another on NYCasting.  Also sent an email to Ella.  Still haven't heard from Rachel, but we'll see.  I put an ad for Prudence, and it'd suck to have to re-cast this role, but shit.  It'd suck.  Haven't gotten any responses yet, which I'd depended on, but I forgot you have to wait until they approve the ads.  I'll put one on Craigslist too.  I want to get used to that.

I'm also thinking about the production itself. I know it'd be great if some of the leaves fell off of the trees.  We'd have more visibility in that forest.  But that may also be a weakpoint for shooting at Pelham Bay Park.

Another thing I'm thinking about is the feature itself.  I'm blocking about what to do about Jarrod's role. I got in an argument with the lead, and we haven't spoken for some time.  We'd be working on the production over maybe 3 months, hopefully less, but it'd have to be someone that has some staying power.  I could begin scheduling this, while I'm waiting for  the girls, the only thing is if I wait, I may lose what I have now.  It'd sure be good to wait until there was some overcast.  In the meantime, I can begin breaking down some of those scenes as well.

Notes 6-16-12

I'll need to do better work with my shot order.  Maybe do some research.  I know they say to do all the shots with one a wider lens, then get closer, but that wide simply doesn't tell me enough.  That could be impatience though.  Still, I'm missing shots, that I mean to go back and get.  In covering a scene, I'll have to remember the closeups.  What'd be good if I had two cameras, but of course, then you have a problem of placement.  It takes long enough to place one camera.

Knife In The Water

Watched 'Knife in the Water'  Roman Polanski's debut feature.   Fantastic film.  Yesterday I shot the scene of 'ye arkham balloons', where Hester believes Claire is a beast, torturing Prudence, in the shared hysterical delusion.  My moves are so shaky.  'Knife in the Water' was shot handheld as well, but the shooting is bolt straight.  Well not bolt, but beautifully round and steady.  My moves are so jagged with the pistol grip, most likely because I'm just using the handgrip, as well as what's probably a 135mm lens.

 I need my rig, but I also need a short center post, to really be able to use it correctly.  Nevertheless, since I don't have the money, I'll try an inverted center post mount, with the rig on the bogen.  Be difficult to focus like that.  Unless I can get this lotus sitting position down.  Been getting limber and losing weight.

Also thoughtful about  my color and picture options.  I don't plan on doing it alone in the end, but since I'll need to be able to communicate what I want, I better get some 'looks' and 'moods' going.  Some dude had a basic way of reducing the saturation, and adding it in again with something else.  I'll try a few things in Motion.

The film will have a bare look to it, so it'll be good to get experienced in bringing out the suspense in a bare, non or very little sfx style.  The only element I have like this in the story is Mara.  I like Mara.T
Also, been thinking about changing the name to Anne, not Elizabeth.  Although both could do.  Claire is seeming, maybe maybe not.

I finished putting together part of 'Balloons', the short 'ye arkham maides' made with balloons.  It's challenging, but gives me an idea of what I'm going to need, a way to gain experience and lessons, also a way to hone my workflow.  I'm looking for a way to gain from the experience in a better way, so for now I'm going to use the journal.
 I can see that most of the film would be better served with these Mamiya lenses.  The 4x5 focal length is pretty frame filling with m4/3rds.  The 58 helios that I used for the scene a few months ago is great for a filling medium and perhaps full, but doesn't have the impact of the larger lenses.  Don't want it to get too screen shaky though.

This new layout hasn't helped.  When you come back to something, you want familiarity.  Google changed the interface of the blog post page.  I'll live.  Almost finished with the balloon work.  Been going back and forth to the park, staging sets using balloons.  This way I won't have to try and be van gogh in 60 seconds or less when I'm on the shoot.
I got a minivan for production.  Transferred the plates from the pontiac.  I've got to fill out the forms and all, I'll take care of that this weekend.  Had to get the radio fixed, the lights replaced.  Dude was cool.  Old Haitian family man.  He lives on one street, his large extended family live on the next streets.  They own their houses.  The Haitian was so colloquial, I only got a few words here and there.  It's a Nissan Quest, '94.  145000 miles. Which reminds me, I have to finish filling out the form, and call Geico and cancel insurance on the pontiac.

Just finished painting the door trim.  Natalie had a heart attack about the rust.   Getting ready to take it up to New Paltz.

Balloons

It's back to the woods for me.  I've been going on and off since the shoot.  Took several weeks off after shooting the first scene when my main actress disappeared. One learns.  But I also learned I can reduce the time significantly, by not only having the storyboards, and shot list, but also I'm going to shoot the movie with balloons to mark the placement at the sites.  Give myself more room on the set.   Since the trains have been running awfully, under the guise of massive 'repairs', it takes upwards of 3 hours to get there and back during the day.  Which reminds me, I've got to get out of here.  Anyway I'm going to map scene 4 today.