Hooray!..... I met some really nice people on a shoot 2 weeks ago..... So it shows that there are some Cool people out here on the east coast after all!
I got booked as a cameraman to work on this directors short film. The Directors name is Jonathan Millet and he is a very nice guy. He came up with this cool short story idea about a guy going to work & finding these boots that transported him into another dimension & time right into the middle of a war!
The whole short was done without any dialogue or any lighting.... We just shot with available light on my digital camera (Sony HVR-V1U)... & I think it came out great. Jonathan hired a DP named John who helped out on the first location of the day, (an office building) and also hired a really nice girl by the name of Crystal Perry that did, Make-up, Wardrobe & PA work.
The two actors Jonathan picked out were really fun to work with & seemed to really give it there all in their performances & we breezed through the entire shoot with no real snags at all. The actors names are Joe Gaudet & Olivia Hickey (all members of the Beanywood community)... They both played the roles of the Office workers.
Jonathan did a great job scouting the two locations. We arrived at the first location (the office building) at 7 AM on a beautiful & quiet Sunday morning only to find out that we were soon surrounded by hundreds of people going to run in a boston marathon!
It took us a little while to realize that we just had to work around all these people who kept getting in the shot. And poor Crystal had no idea that her day would start out with her having to redirect several hundred people trying to get in our way.
but Jonathan got his momentum up & we shot around the havoc of literally hundreds of Unexpected intruders walking by, driving by, walking up to the front door and asking us for directions on were to sign up for the marathon..... It just goes to show you that you can never tell what's going to happen on any given shoot at any time & you just have to keep on shooting & work with what you have.
Olivia Hickey played the role of another office worker coming to work & she looked the part of a young professional business women. (Only later on did I find out that she was only 15 yrs. old!... So she can certainly play a wide age range for any production). Olivia took direction from Jonathan real well & hit her marks & was very nice to work with. A very nice girl with a great enthusiasm for acting & it showed in her performances.
The second location was in Methuen, Mass. Some nice wooded, secluded area that Jonathan picked out for a good jungle scene. Our actor Joe, got all decked out in army gear (including fake weapons, that looked pretty real), while Multi-tasking Crystal put on some War paint make up to get Joe ready for the Jungle scenes.
Joe was great, take after take, keeping up his energy & acting the part, while running around in all that heavy wardrobe.... He never complained once, he actually said he really enjoyed his role & was looking forward to seeing the finished cut of this Short by Jonathan & didn't mind running around for a couple hours because this was such a cool idea to work on.
We ended the day with no mishaps.... Well, only one: (I fell down once while running in the woods for a POV shot... Thankfully my many years of training made sure that only "I" hit the ground hard... MY camera was perfectly shielded by my body that took the fall hard).
Everyone involved had a good time I believe & it gave me a renewed faith in the New England film community..... It was so great working with just a small cast & crew... No Ego's... NO Attitudes..... Just dedicated, talented & happy people. Jonathan said that we got everything he hoped for & then some...
A day well done. We accomplished what the director set out to do in telling his story... We did it on schedule... On budget... And WE EVEN GOT PAID!!!!!!!!!!
I'm looking forward to seeing the finished short once Jonathan is done editing. Thanks again guys & girls for making me realize that there are some really cool people out here on the east coast that are making films.
I hope to meet & work with many more of you out here.
Thanx's
Craig Amabello.... Cinematographer.... X-Hollywood Reject... and happy guy!
FILM FINANCING AND DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP - June 24th, Providence Join other interested filmmakers, screenwriters, investors, entrepreneurs and members of the general public for an engaging presentation at this evening workshop with 5 presenters on topical business aspects of film finance and development. The Brooklyn Coffee and Tea House in Providence again serves as the host for this educational forum. The session is hosted by Film Synergy Magic, LLC, a film development stage company whose goal through such workshops is to provide helpful insight and education about the business of film - particularly film financing -- and to foster and form productive relationships between attending professionals. A ticketed event, Tuesday evening, June 24th (6-10 pm) at the Brooklyn Coffee and Tea House, 209 Douglas Avenue in Providence. (401) 575-2284. http://filmfinancing-ri.eventbrite.com.
Not too long ago I was asked the question "Who's your favorite director?" This was in response to my admission to an interest in filmmaking which was, in itself, a response to another question, "So, what's new with you?"
To be honest, I didn't know how to reply to that. My favorite director? Well, of course, all filmmakers have favorite directors .. or do they? I couldn't really come up with one, and when I answered that I didn't really have a favorite, he seemed surprised and very incredulous. The more I tried to explain, the more I felt unsure of myself. There are many directors whose work I admire, but I can't say that any one is a favorite over another. I can't say with certainty that I've seen all the films of those directors either, and there are some films I love without being more than vaguely aware of who the directors are.
I'm drawn to the films of M. Night Shamalyan, Tim Burton, Stephen Speilberg, Ang Lee, Yimou Zhang, to name a few. I like some of the films directed by Alfred Hitchcock, Hayao Miyazaki, Ridley Scott, and Blake Edwards, too. I like the limited number of movies I've seen from Guillermo del Toro, Peter Jackson, Stanley Kubrick, George Cukor, Robert Wise, but a favorite director? I couldn't say.
Why am I drawn to one movie or the other? Sometimes it's the story, sometimes the writing or the acting or the cinematography. Sometimes it's each piece fitting so nicely together as a whole, and sometimes it's the director who makes it all shine. And so I think, for me, it's the storytelling that brings me back , the particular way of telling the story, the point of view. It can be the story itself or the acting or the directing or the characters or all of the above.
When I was a child, the question would've been answered with hesitation .. George Lucas. After my disappointment with the prequels (and I liked the prequels but realized Lucas no longer held the esteem he once did with me), I've come to the conclusion that the story succeeded despite his best efforts .. although his direction made the story into what it was, it was the story itself that I came to love, the characters in that story that drew me in .. there was something lacking in the way the story was told in the prequels & that's what I'd found so disappointing. Was it the fault of the director, the screenplay, or something else? Was it simply a particular preference of mine?
So what do you think? What draws you to a particular film or a particular genre? Do you have a favorite director, or are you like me, perplexed at how to adequately answer that deceptively simple question?
So here's my report from the the set of This Side of the Truth, the new Ricky Gervais movie shooting in Lowell (written and directed by Ricky Gervais and Matt Robinson, starring Ricky Gervais, Jennifer Garner, Rob Lowe, Louis C.K., etc. I had a little part in a scene that shot last Friday.).I had 9:00 a.m. call, which was great (6:00 a.m. calls are not fun). I had a few bites of bacon 'n' eggs 'n' home fries before I was called in to hair and makeup. I was done with all that by 10:00, but my on-set call wasn't until 11:3o. So I popped over to my trailer (the "honeywagon") and got settled in.Now, the "rider" on my contract specifies some very extravagant amenities that I require if I am to perform at my best. The most important? Two bottles of Poland Springs water and an extra tiny sink (I like to feel giant in my trailer). And fancy paper towels that I think were made from sandpaper and rusty nails.I also require a very tiny piece of foliage in my trailer. I call it a tree and feel EXTRA giant. (seriously, this was in my trailer. I don't know why.) As I said, my on-set call wasn't until 11:30. They weren't actually ready for me until 12:30. So I hung out in my trailer with some weirdo. (But seriously, I was treated great by the ADs, PAs, wardrobe, and everyone else. Especially craft services...mmm...snacks...)
So, it was time to shoot. This was a short but big scene. Over 200 extras. The other actors in the scene were great. Remember the Seinfeld episode "The Pilot" where they're shooting the TV show? With a TV versions of George, Kramer, and Elaine? One of my cohorts was Elena Wohl, who played "TV Elaine". She was great to work with. Also in the scene were Nathan Corddry (real nice guy), who you might know from "The Daily Show", Roz Ryan (she sings in her trailer), and co-director Matt Robinson had a cameo. And, of course, Ricky Gervais (very funny--check out his blog at www.rickygervais.com/thissideofthetruth.php).
Shooting went well. A bit cold, though. We got most of the shots without any problems. But then the rain came. Back to the trailer for me. And lots of waiting. And drinking coffee. And chatting. And looking for good snacks because lunch wasn't until 4:00 and we were getting hungry. But mostly a lot of sitting in my trailer, hiding from the rain, staring at the wall. Which reminds me. ALWAYS bring a book or newspaper or crossword puzzle with you when you go to a shoot. I, of course, had not planned for this. So I stared at the wall. A lot. And listened to my belly rumble.The rain let up briefly, but Jennifer Garner had just popped by, so they shot a quick scene with her. I was in my trailer at the time, but I hear she did fine without me.
Finally it was lunchtime. At 4:00 (I think they call that dinner in some places). Yummo. And more rain. And more waiting. And then they sent me home without shooting anything else. Sort of anticlimactic, I know. All in all, I had a great time, met some great people, and can't wait to do it again.
A few weekends ago I had my first opportunity to be on set for the short film that I alluded to many months ago. It was an amazing but exhausting experience. And if it was that way for me, I can only imagine how it was for everyone else!
I joined Paige S. as production assistant for the weekend and helped a bit moving furniture around and dressing the set with the art director. Only two of the main cast (Karen and Brandon) were on set the first day, but the next day Brandon was there along with close to a dozen extras. Yet everything happened pretty much on schedule, and I have to say that every person there was very professional and took his or her roles in the production seriously. Everyone seemed to have a good working relationship. I would love to work with any of them on future projects. The hours were really long (especially for the director as she was up late every night problem solving for the next day's shoot), and it was *so* hot & dark on set while shooting, but every single person took it in stride. Not one complaint was heard, and spirits were surprisingly high.
Having worked briefly as a PA on another short I'd already come to realize the importance of sound. Now I understand, too, the importance of lighting and of craft services! Not that I understand sound or lighting (too much technical info. for my brain to absorb), only that I am amazed at the way the light changes the look & mood on film (or in this case, DV). I'd always been aware, but it's completely different to witness the transformation in front of you. And we were lucky to have artist Irvin Stafford serving up lunch on Saturday. The crew were still speaking about Irvin's burgers the next day. Good, plentiful food and the availability of water, soda & coffee definitely helped keep everyone energized throughout both days.
Watching, in person, the set up of a scene and then watching it unfold (both on monitor and in front of the camera) was more informative and educational than reading what someone else has written about that process. It's incredible the amount of detail that a director has to keep straight in her head (and the lack of sleep she gets). Props to Sharifa for being organized enough to do all of that (and then some). Someday I hope to direct a web series I've been planning, but I realize I'm not quite ready for that yet. There is a lot of preproduction that has to be done! (I've finally started writing the story out; that's a start at least.)
For now I'm enjoying the learning process on Sharifa's film. In one scene sheets and a pillow had to be straightened between takes. So I get to add pillow fluffer to my resume. ;) I had the opportunity to help with makeup as well. Applying makeup to cover up tattoos can be unsettling if you're not sure what you're doing. Luckily, it looked great on camera!
I saw a final cut of THE GATEWAY MEAT, filmed in Massachusetts. I appear in the film, I get brutally murdered and got to write my own death scene. Unfortunately my face is bound up with duct tape and we shot for 8 or 10 hours and I couldn't see and was covered in cold fake blood all day. The DVD will be out soon. The film is AMAZING- oh my god- so gory! I was only in a small part and did not see the script so knew nothing about the plot of the film or anything about it except my scenes.
Also out soon on DVD:
Countess Bathoria's Graveyard Picture Show, which debuted at the Fantasia Film Fest, and which I co-wrote.
I am writing for The Independent Magazine website and will be interviewing Jeremy Kasten, director of the upcoming remake of The Wizard of Gore.
I have an interview in the next Girls and Corpses magazine with Erik Ruhling, author of Infernal Device, an illustrated book of torture devices.
Although I put it aside months and months ago it looks like my script A Fistful of Anger may be optioned.
