Merry Christmas!

Or is it Merry Nondemoninational Winter Holiday?

The Bag Update

Well, we are smack dab in the middle of making our fist short film. After our first day of shooting we edited together a teaser trailer which some of you may have seen. We have received a lot of positive response back from it and even better it has peaked peoples interest to want to know more about The Bag. We submitted the teaser to the local film group that gathers once a month to view local independent short films. So, the teaser will have it’s first “debut” this Thursday.

After our second day of eventful shooting (see Jimmy’s blog) we have a little over half the film “in the can”. Jimmy and I sat down to edit and see if we could convert what we had shot to match the images we had in our heads. We actually completed a rough edit of about the first minute and 15 sec (not editing sound or music) and it really looks good. Well, it’s the way I envisioned it anyway, whether it’s good or not I don’t know. It will probably be a week or more until we can’t get together and finish filming, because of our “real” jobs.

As a side note, I had always wanted my first production company to be named Fitzufilms. Jimmy uses the name Divine Tomfoolery. Since we are working together we have tried to come up with a name that would fit us both. The Bag will be a Fitzufilms and Divine Tomfoolery production but, all films that follow from our collaboration will be called FitzFoolery! Good day, and thanks for reading.

Good Night, and Good Luck - 5 out of 5

It's been a while since I've done a movie review. Mostly because I have been too involved in my own projects but, also because I realized I don't have the talent to articulate my thoughts on what I think and feel about films. But, I couldn't see this movie and not say something about it. Directed by George Clooney, this film tells the story of several ABC reporters (most notably Edward R. Murrow) who stand up against Senator McCarthy during his infamous Communist scare. I really enjoyed this movie and I think it's a great example of good story telling. I was fascinated by this film. It is so simple. There are no gun fights, car chases, special effects and yet I was glued to my seat. Even the sets are simple and redundant, consisted of barely more than the ABC offices and studio. I admire George Clooney for letting history tell the story and being talented enough to tell it without feeling the need to introduce some ridiculous love story to keep us entertained while the real story continues almost in the background (ie. Titanic). After watching the film I gained an admiration for Edward R. Murrow and his colleagues. This is one I would definitely go see before it's too late.

The Making of a Short Film - Part 5

After another meeting with Jimmy and pinning down location possibilities and actors, we took a little time off from work to scout locations. If you haven't already, check out Jim's site for pictures of our scouting trip. The trip was extremely beneficial. It gave me a better idea of how the movie will look and after reviewing test footage (and Jim's pics) too much light may be a problem so we'll have to deal with that. Also, after filming Jimmy in some of the same shots I had planned on using in the film, I decided to make changes there as well. Just one quick trip has solved two potential problems that I wouldn't have known about until the day of shooting or even Later.

After our trip, I toyed with editing our test footage together to see how things would flow and what sound would need to be added. While doing this I received a revelation that our script needed to be changed. I had intentionally made the story very short so that on my first flick wouldn't be too complicated. But, in doing so I had sacrificed essential story elements that had to be added to make the audience care about the character. So Jimmy, being a much better writer than I am, will be handling the revision to the script.

Finally, shooting will hopefully begin this week if Jimmy, myself, and Oliver can coordinate our schedules. I'm very excited and looking forward to actually getting this done. Thank you to everybody who has shown their support and stopped by to read.