I finished editing the final cut of my short student documentary a few weeks ago. Although I haven't written as much about the process here as I had planned, I may come back and blog about the process and post a few "behind the scenes" pictures at some point. I would also like to answer the questions that many viewers have posed. Look for that here. For now, here are parts 1 and 2 (YouTube has a 10 minute time limit so I was forced to break up the video into two parts):
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Saturday, October 24, 2009
A Successful Day of Shooting
Yesterday was an absolute success. I shot at sunrise and for most of the afternoon near Hippie Hill in Golden Gate Park. We had perfect weather, especially for Golden Gate Park, which is often socked in with fog. Danica, my wonderful girlfriend, was kind enough to get up while it was still dark and lug all of my equipment down to the park in our Cabrio for a time-lapse sunrise shoot at Hippie Hill.
Shooting sunrise was challenging for several reasons. First, it was cold enough to see your breath and fairly damp, not the kind of weather that's amenable to standing around for hours. But we bundled up and managed to avoid freezing. Second, it appeared that one of the workers patrolling the grounds in those little park buggies called in the park ranger who approached us stiffly and asked in a gruff voice whether, "we were filming for any particular purpose." I assumed he was asking if we were part of a professional crew or maybe shooting a muckraking exposé. But I replied that I was simply, "shooting some time lapse of the sunrise." This seemed to satisfy him and he drove off in his white pickup. The final challenge was technical: I realized I don't know how to set the F-stop for a sunrise shoot when the amount of light keeps changing. You throw in the additional variables of the gain setting and the exposure and it's tough to figure out how to realistically and consistently capture the sunrise. I'll find out next week when we edit our footage I suppose.
Once we wrapped on the sunrise shots, we went to Whole Foods to pick up the food supplies for my craft services; a mix of various prepared vegetable salads, Thai veggie tofu wraps, and sandwiches. Danica was a big help, especially once we got home to pack everything up for the afternoon shoot.
I won't got into too much detail on the afternoon shoot; you'll have to wait and see the finished product (a mere two or three weeks away). I'll just give you a thumbnail overview. My classmates and the instructor from the school were all right on time and we quickly scoped out our interview spot in the shade near some trees. I had very little trouble finding folks who were willing to talk to us. The weather remained sunny the whole time. And we were not hassled at all by the normally ornery homeless hippies who don't like to be photographed, the SFPD, or the parks and rec folks. All my anxiety was put to rest and I spend the rest of afternoon and evening basking in the glow of a day well spent realizing my weeks of planning. Many thanks go out to James, Svetlana, and Laura.
I couldn't be more excited to begin the editing process in Final Cut Studio.
Shooting sunrise was challenging for several reasons. First, it was cold enough to see your breath and fairly damp, not the kind of weather that's amenable to standing around for hours. But we bundled up and managed to avoid freezing. Second, it appeared that one of the workers patrolling the grounds in those little park buggies called in the park ranger who approached us stiffly and asked in a gruff voice whether, "we were filming for any particular purpose." I assumed he was asking if we were part of a professional crew or maybe shooting a muckraking exposé. But I replied that I was simply, "shooting some time lapse of the sunrise." This seemed to satisfy him and he drove off in his white pickup. The final challenge was technical: I realized I don't know how to set the F-stop for a sunrise shoot when the amount of light keeps changing. You throw in the additional variables of the gain setting and the exposure and it's tough to figure out how to realistically and consistently capture the sunrise. I'll find out next week when we edit our footage I suppose.Once we wrapped on the sunrise shots, we went to Whole Foods to pick up the food supplies for my craft services; a mix of various prepared vegetable salads, Thai veggie tofu wraps, and sandwiches. Danica was a big help, especially once we got home to pack everything up for the afternoon shoot.
I won't got into too much detail on the afternoon shoot; you'll have to wait and see the finished product (a mere two or three weeks away). I'll just give you a thumbnail overview. My classmates and the instructor from the school were all right on time and we quickly scoped out our interview spot in the shade near some trees. I had very little trouble finding folks who were willing to talk to us. The weather remained sunny the whole time. And we were not hassled at all by the normally ornery homeless hippies who don't like to be photographed, the SFPD, or the parks and rec folks. All my anxiety was put to rest and I spend the rest of afternoon and evening basking in the glow of a day well spent realizing my weeks of planning. Many thanks go out to James, Svetlana, and Laura.
I couldn't be more excited to begin the editing process in Final Cut Studio.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Bird Dance
I caught these birds doing a dance in Golden Gate Park when I was scouting out my shooting locations.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
From Doc Proposal to Pre-Production Package
This week, as we continue to learn about different aspects of filmmaking (shooting outside, recording sound, etc. ~ never use a reenactment!) we have to turn our meager 1-page doc proposals into pre-production packages, by Saturday. I have to admit, it's a bit daunting since the package has to be very detailed and I'm in class for three hours after work every day except Friday. The package consists of: aerial/overhead views of the location; storyboards; a script of sorts (taking into account the Q&A aspect of the doc format); a detailed write-up of each scene and the necessary equipment; a shooting schedule down to the minute with time for travel, setup, lunch, and breaks for the crew; a shot list; and maps and directions for the locations.
To make sure I can storyboard anywhere I go (on the bus, on the train, waiting for lunch, etc.) I picked up a copy of Hitchcock for the iPhone. This little app, although expensive ($20), is amazing. In a matter of minutes you can arrange a series of photographs from your iPhone photo library and then begin describing camera moves, locating subjects, setting timing, and adding notes. If you're curious, they have a demonstration video on the website.
I have to admit, with all the running around I'm doing and the prep work for shooting on location next week, I don't have the energy to blog. But I'll have plenty to say after I shoot my interview subjects and my B-roll. And, the week after next, when we begin editing, I'm sure I'll have a lot to say about using Final Cut Pro and the technology involved in post-production.
To make sure I can storyboard anywhere I go (on the bus, on the train, waiting for lunch, etc.) I picked up a copy of Hitchcock for the iPhone. This little app, although expensive ($20), is amazing. In a matter of minutes you can arrange a series of photographs from your iPhone photo library and then begin describing camera moves, locating subjects, setting timing, and adding notes. If you're curious, they have a demonstration video on the website.
I have to admit, with all the running around I'm doing and the prep work for shooting on location next week, I don't have the energy to blog. But I'll have plenty to say after I shoot my interview subjects and my B-roll. And, the week after next, when we begin editing, I'm sure I'll have a lot to say about using Final Cut Pro and the technology involved in post-production.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
It's a Go
Just a quick note today since I am in a hurry. My classmates and the feature film director who was critiquing our ideas really liked my first idea for a documentary (the one I've been jazzed about) so it's a go! Tonight we talk logistics.
There was a surreal moment last night where one of my classmates pitched a fictional short composed of eighteen scenes. Let's call him Phil. Because it's a documentary workshop, Phil tried to package it as a neorealism piece in an attempt to shoehorn it into the doc approach (although he didn't use that terminology). But it was a fiction piece through and through. Since Phil had traveled from SoCal to do this workshop, it made all of us wonder what he was doing there. Phil's idea was ultimately shot down because it was too ambitious. And we were all relieved since none of us had signed up for a fiction workshop and crewing a fiction piece would require different preparation and an unfamiliar approach.
Did I mention that we all crew each other's shoots? It's a great way to gain additional experience on the set in such a short time.
I am very much looking forward to having a day off tomorrow, from work and school.
There was a surreal moment last night where one of my classmates pitched a fictional short composed of eighteen scenes. Let's call him Phil. Because it's a documentary workshop, Phil tried to package it as a neorealism piece in an attempt to shoehorn it into the doc approach (although he didn't use that terminology). But it was a fiction piece through and through. Since Phil had traveled from SoCal to do this workshop, it made all of us wonder what he was doing there. Phil's idea was ultimately shot down because it was too ambitious. And we were all relieved since none of us had signed up for a fiction workshop and crewing a fiction piece would require different preparation and an unfamiliar approach.
Did I mention that we all crew each other's shoots? It's a great way to gain additional experience on the set in such a short time.
I am very much looking forward to having a day off tomorrow, from work and school.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Brainstorming Ideas
Tonight we pitch our ideas to the class and to the guest filmmakers. I have one idea that has me really jazzed, something that I've been noodling on for a long time (to be revealed when the time is right) and another that is more practical, yet still exciting and interesting. I'm looking forward to getting some clarity and some constructive feedback on my ideas tonight. Given the short time frame (less than 5 weeks now), it's crucial to keep the scope of the project modest and achievable.
Once the ideas is fleshed out a bit more, it will be time to write the proposal, which is the documentary equivalent of a screenplay for fictional movies. We learned about the elements of a proposal last night. I am still anxious and excited about working on my movie. And there is a possibility that my girlfriend would get involved, which would be a great way to stay connected throughout this demanding five weeks where we will otherwise not have as much quality time.
Every step of this process is going to be challenging: writing the proposal, deciding on an approach and a style, shooting up to ten hours of footage, both A-roll (interviews) and B-roll (images to splice in underneath interview audio), and editing the piece together. These days I embrace challenges and actively seek them out. So, in short, I am in my sweet spot and loving every minute of it.
Once the ideas is fleshed out a bit more, it will be time to write the proposal, which is the documentary equivalent of a screenplay for fictional movies. We learned about the elements of a proposal last night. I am still anxious and excited about working on my movie. And there is a possibility that my girlfriend would get involved, which would be a great way to stay connected throughout this demanding five weeks where we will otherwise not have as much quality time.
Every step of this process is going to be challenging: writing the proposal, deciding on an approach and a style, shooting up to ten hours of footage, both A-roll (interviews) and B-roll (images to splice in underneath interview audio), and editing the piece together. These days I embrace challenges and actively seek them out. So, in short, I am in my sweet spot and loving every minute of it.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Our First Class
Our first class was both heartening and disheartening. We found out that we only have to shoot an hour of tape at the most and that our final documentary will likely be between five and eight minutes. Totally doable. But, my idea for the doc, about which I'm getting more and more excited and having a ton of ideas, is going to be challenging because it requires shooting on location in San Francisco. Shooting in San Francisco requires a permit and that can be expensive. So I'll have to think about that and consider getting a permit, or using a stripped down crew (normally there will be five or six people shooting the footage ~ lighting, camera, sound, clapboard, etc). All of my ideas involve shooting outside. And why not take advantage of the fact that I live in such a photographable place?
Last night we started to learn how to use the technology, getting a chance to muck around with the cameras and the tripods. We're going to be using a Sony HVR-Z1U. It's digital and stores the footage on video tape. I'm finally learning about F-stops and aperture, which is how you control the amount of light in the shot.
I'm also enjoying learning the language of film. Like the law, there is a whole new vocabulary. I can already tell that the vocabulary of film is going to be a lot more colorful and fun than that of the law, with its high-falutin Latin and French phrases (res ipsa loquitur, voir dire). Of course, in film, there are technical terms like chrominance and luminance. But there are fun ones too: A "gag" is any kind of gimmick or trick that you work into a shot or a scene; it doesn't have to be funny. And when you playback your first shot on the monitor, you do so to make sure everything "stuck," that it looked and sounded right.
To get in the right mindset, I am currently listening to the endlessly fascinating "Easy Riders, Raging Bulls" audiobook, which a detailed account of the renaissance in American filmmaking that started with Bonnie & Clyde in 1967 and culminated in the memorable films of the 1970s by Coppola, Scorsese, Lucas, and Robert Altman, and produced actors like Robert De Niro, Gene Hackman, and Dustin Hoffman. The chapter about the making of Easy Rider was highly entertaining and has given me a lot of ideas about my project. I highly recommend the book. Now I have a burning desire to re-watch Apocalypse Now.....
Last night we started to learn how to use the technology, getting a chance to muck around with the cameras and the tripods. We're going to be using a Sony HVR-Z1U. It's digital and stores the footage on video tape. I'm finally learning about F-stops and aperture, which is how you control the amount of light in the shot.
I'm also enjoying learning the language of film. Like the law, there is a whole new vocabulary. I can already tell that the vocabulary of film is going to be a lot more colorful and fun than that of the law, with its high-falutin Latin and French phrases (res ipsa loquitur, voir dire). Of course, in film, there are technical terms like chrominance and luminance. But there are fun ones too: A "gag" is any kind of gimmick or trick that you work into a shot or a scene; it doesn't have to be funny. And when you playback your first shot on the monitor, you do so to make sure everything "stuck," that it looked and sounded right.
To get in the right mindset, I am currently listening to the endlessly fascinating "Easy Riders, Raging Bulls" audiobook, which a detailed account of the renaissance in American filmmaking that started with Bonnie & Clyde in 1967 and culminated in the memorable films of the 1970s by Coppola, Scorsese, Lucas, and Robert Altman, and produced actors like Robert De Niro, Gene Hackman, and Dustin Hoffman. The chapter about the making of Easy Rider was highly entertaining and has given me a lot of ideas about my project. I highly recommend the book. Now I have a burning desire to re-watch Apocalypse Now.....
Saturday, October 3, 2009
The Opening Scene
Roll opening credits, uplifting soundtrack. I am about to embark on a five-week documentary filmmaking workshop and really couldn't be more excited. I intend to chronicle the experience here. So far, I have spent part of today buying my school supplies (external drives, video tapes, etc.), which takes me back to the start of the school year as a child in New York, with the leaves turning shades of red, yellow and orange. It rekindles that feeling of a fresh start and the overflowing excitement of exploring uncharted personal territory. I have always loved school and, although they will be intense and sometimes stressful, I expect that the next five weeks will be pure ecstasy. I very much look forward to creating something new in the world, even if only a handful of friends and family ever see it.
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