![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
I'm about to go ahead and spend all night writing a paper for Women Filmmakers that was due last Wednesday. Apparently it's a letter grade off per day late. I'm going to write about Sofia Coppola as an auteur. Apparently, also, on Monday, group presentations started and I was not there to present with my group. But what's more is that I did absolutely no work for the presentation, the subject of which was director Mira Nair. In fact, just a few moments ago was the was the first time I had even imdb'd her. Turns out she's Indian. I might have had a lot to say. But I wasn't there. So I don't know.
I've devoted all my time and effort this semester to AVF167. It's all I've really cared about for the past couple of months. Now that production is done, I'm left with an ass fuck of work, some of it overdue, for the remaining classes. Which is not to say I'm done with work for 167, but that it's clear to me now that I have a lot of other shit to do. And I don't know how well my professors will take this as an excuse for poor attendance and workmanship. Maybe I'll let them fist me in the asshole. It's worked in the past.
The movie I wrote is called "Cynthia." It's about Brendan and his friend Jason, both 10 years old, and Cynthia, the apple of Brendan's eye. Brendan is a shy guy and doesn't know how to go about communicating his affection for Cynthia. Jason, who has just inherited a metal detector from his grandfather, wants to help his friend. After school, at the playground swingset, Brendan and Jason are discussing Brendan's problem. Jason is combing the sand with his metal detector and finds a ring. He suggests that Brendan give the ring to Cynthia and tell her that he likes her. The next day, Brendan approaches Cynthia and nervously blurts out, "Jason found this and told me to give it to you." So then five days later, Cynthia comes to Brendan's door, asking him to go for a walk. As they walk, before Brendan is about to confess his love for her, Cynthia breaks the bad news that she has a crush on Jason and makes Brendan promise he won't tell.
But it's not all sad, because when Brendan gets home, Jason is waiting for him with a fistful of Sacagawea gold dollars that he found in Brendan's front lawn with his metal detector. Jason offers to cheer him up with Ralph's Ices, his treat. Fade out (maybe iris in) on the boys walking to Ralph's. I wouldn't know how to go about posting the entire script, but I do have the storyboard available. Here are the links:
Page 1 - Page 2 - Page 3 - Page 4 - Page 5 - Page 6 - Page 7
It's a cute little story, and the kids we got are pretty cute.
Let me tell you about production. Production started the weekend before last, on Friday 4/21. We got all the shots we needed, eventually (29, 1, 10, 3, 2 & 11). They were all interiors inside my house. There were so many people in my house. There was so much equipment and shit too. Fucking mad lights and equipment. Sandbags, apple boxes, c-stands, a lot of equipment all over the place. It was fun. Except for we blew a bunch of fuses because of the lights.
On Saturday 4/22, it rained. About 75% of the shots were set as exteriors. So we missed about half the day because of fucking rain. But we started shooting at 1pm in Studio B at Hofstra (5-9). It was the awesome dream sequence in which Brendan dreams about getting a great motorcycle. I borrowed an old-ass broken motorcycle from my neighbor, which was a fucking pain in the dick hauling all over the place. It must have weighed around 250-300 lbs. But we got it into the studio, set up a screen behind it, and projected a video of driving on the road that John Hanford and I shot a week before with his DV cam. Hopefully, it will look really cool, like in Casablanca or Kill Bill. Also in the studio, we had a shot that mimicked the one in Boogie Nights when Marky Mark introduces Julianne Moore to his Corvette (5). We did tracking shots with the dolly and everything. I wanted a lot of tracking shots for this movie and I think Lauren was losing patience with me because of it. But guess what? It's my flick, biatch. The studio was pretty fun. Except for Alex was sitting on the motorcycle when it fell and almost pinned him underneath. Luckily he jumped off and was unscathed. Also luckily, his mother wasn't there to see our negligence. I felt like a real douchebag. I'm just glad the little guy didn't get hurt. Also we didn't get the side shot on the bike (8). Also, the kids were too shy to even pretend to lean in to kiss each other for shot 9.
After the studio, we reconvened at my house, hoping to be able to shoot something despite the rain. We had a powwow over pizza and it was decided that I had to rewrite as many scenes as possible to change them from exterior to interior. So I fucking did that shit, which sucked. But we made it work as best we could.
On Sunday 4/23, it was still raining, so we had to make a hallway in Hofstra look like an elementary school's. We made a bunch of posters, including a Book Fair one and one that said "Vote Ralph Parker for Prez." I'll give you a tickle to the taint if you get that reference. Sunday was pretty harsh. We were all well aware that we'd need to have reshoots the following weekend, but that we had to get as much done as we could. Lighting this particular hallway was hard, as was lighting the cafeteria. The cafeteria is where Brendan gives. Originally, it was set outside at a picnic table, which would have been 1-2-3. It would have also made it easy to get away with using the zero extras we had. Elementary school cafeterias usually have more than 3 kids in them during lunch time. So that sucks. We'll have to get some sounds of lunch time to make it seem more busy. But I have a feeling it's going to look lame. We also had to beat it out of the cafeteria because a bunch of Churchies were going to have 5 o'clock Mass in the adjacent room. We ended up getting variations of shots 16, 17, 18, 27, and 28.
We didn't have a permit, although we said we did, which was enough for security.
After we wrapped on Sunday, I got really really stoned with Lee, the AD. Real stoned.
So I rescheduled for the following weekend, the one that just past. I worked some magic and was able to get it so that we could finish in two days. That shit was to be tight.
On Saturday 4/29, blessed with great weather, we started at my house. The first shot was of Brendan opening the giftbox containing a motorcycle helmet in the dream sequence. Here is a picture of the helmet I got from eBay:
It was huge and looked hilarious on Alex's little head.
After the kitchen shots (shot 4 turned into two different angles instead of one tracking shot), we had to move outdoors and needed two filters for the lens. We weren't exactly sure how to get two filters on, apparently we needed a different lens hood. But in trying to get two filters into one, Amanda accidently dropped and cracked one. So we were set back an hour and a half, having to go to Hofstra and come back with the right equipment. I was pretty frustrated, but didn't know half of what was in store for the rest of the day. It took nearly an hour to set up each driveway shot (12-14). It involved Brendan and his mom talking in the car before driving to school. Brendan's mom was played by Erica, who was awesome. In addition to being accustomed to movie shoots, her husband is a filmmaker, so she remained patient during the lens filter mishap. I can't stand putting people out of their way, so knowing that she understood what was happening helped me keep cool. When we finally got the shot framed in the driveway, we rolled the first take, and when it came time to start the car, it wouldn't. Because the battery had been in use for about an hour without the engine on while we were framing and getting the glare off the windshield. We switched cars real quick.
Then moved to Fulton Ave. School #8, my alma mater. Took some shots there. Pretty smoothly. And went back to my house.
We decided to shoot the scene where Cynthia breaks the bad news (31-34) a few blocks from my house, where it was scenic and quiet enough. Except for that the fucking house we were next to had a fucking Mass scheduled and all these fucking cars filled with old, clueless people started rolling up and fucking our shit way up. What's with these fucking Masses? What the fuck is Mass?
Wrap Saturday.
Sunday 4/30, we shot at Covert Elementary (19-26). I was most worried was that we'd get busted for not having a permit. What I hadn't expected was that a fucking soccer game was scheduled. So there's a soccer game in the background, which may screw up continuity from shot to shot. Plus it was a bitch finding moments quiet enough, without parents screaming at their kids, to record sound. But the playground kept Alex and Stephen occupied between takes.
After that, it was back to my house to shoot on my front stoop (35-39). At this point, we were at our most tired, the height of our frustration, and coincidentally Alex's patience was worn thin as silk and he was noticably fed up with all the shooting and Stephen's ADHD was peaking. We settled with what we could get. Stephen kept fucking up the lines, but we were running out of film and couldn't keep the kids there much longer. So we got a bunch of messed up takes and recorded his dialogue separately. Hopefully we can finagle something.
Wrap on "Cynthia."
Here are two pictures from the swingset scene, which we shot at William S. Covert Elementary School in South Hempstead on Sunday:
The one on the left is Alex, he played Brendan. On the right is Stephen, who played Jason. This is where they unearth the ring.
Here is more of the crew. We were short handed and without any Production Assistants. The jolly green giant holding the boom mic is Lee, the Assistant Director/Producer. The Asian all in black is Billy, the 2nd Assistant Camera Operator. Holding the reflector behind Lee is Amanda, whom I've written about before, who was 1st Assistant Camera Operator. Behind the camera is Cody, the Camera Operator. And next to him is Lauren, the Director of Photography. And there's me, ogling the action like the pervert I am. Out of sight is Nick, who was mixing sound that day.
This is me running lines with the boys. They were real troopers. It was a cool day, but we all got a little sun burnt. Except for me and Billy, who have more melonin than white people.
And here is a picture of the metal detector I got off eBay:
Before we started filming, I combed the swingset and found 3 quarters, 2 pennies, and a little pendant with Belle from Beauty and the Beast on it! We had to take the batteries out because Stephen kept fucking turning that shit on.
It looks happy, but at the end of the day, we were all ready to kick Stephen in his cute little face on account of his raging ADHD was fucking up everything. The girl who played Cynthia is named Sydney, and she was taller than both of the boys. She was a good little actress.
Really, it was a goddamn awesome experience. I'm anxious that it won't come out too great. But really, I did so much pre-production work that I have at least a good script and good storyboard to show for the project as a whole. I hope the footage came out well, but we haven't even given it in to the lab yet.
I should probably write that stupid paper now.
I've devoted all my time and effort this semester to AVF167. It's all I've really cared about for the past couple of months. Now that production is done, I'm left with an ass fuck of work, some of it overdue, for the remaining classes. Which is not to say I'm done with work for 167, but that it's clear to me now that I have a lot of other shit to do. And I don't know how well my professors will take this as an excuse for poor attendance and workmanship. Maybe I'll let them fist me in the asshole. It's worked in the past.
The movie I wrote is called "Cynthia." It's about Brendan and his friend Jason, both 10 years old, and Cynthia, the apple of Brendan's eye. Brendan is a shy guy and doesn't know how to go about communicating his affection for Cynthia. Jason, who has just inherited a metal detector from his grandfather, wants to help his friend. After school, at the playground swingset, Brendan and Jason are discussing Brendan's problem. Jason is combing the sand with his metal detector and finds a ring. He suggests that Brendan give the ring to Cynthia and tell her that he likes her. The next day, Brendan approaches Cynthia and nervously blurts out, "Jason found this and told me to give it to you." So then five days later, Cynthia comes to Brendan's door, asking him to go for a walk. As they walk, before Brendan is about to confess his love for her, Cynthia breaks the bad news that she has a crush on Jason and makes Brendan promise he won't tell.
But it's not all sad, because when Brendan gets home, Jason is waiting for him with a fistful of Sacagawea gold dollars that he found in Brendan's front lawn with his metal detector. Jason offers to cheer him up with Ralph's Ices, his treat. Fade out (maybe iris in) on the boys walking to Ralph's. I wouldn't know how to go about posting the entire script, but I do have the storyboard available. Here are the links:
Page 1 - Page 2 - Page 3 - Page 4 - Page 5 - Page 6 - Page 7
It's a cute little story, and the kids we got are pretty cute.
Let me tell you about production. Production started the weekend before last, on Friday 4/21. We got all the shots we needed, eventually (29, 1, 10, 3, 2 & 11). They were all interiors inside my house. There were so many people in my house. There was so much equipment and shit too. Fucking mad lights and equipment. Sandbags, apple boxes, c-stands, a lot of equipment all over the place. It was fun. Except for we blew a bunch of fuses because of the lights.
On Saturday 4/22, it rained. About 75% of the shots were set as exteriors. So we missed about half the day because of fucking rain. But we started shooting at 1pm in Studio B at Hofstra (5-9). It was the awesome dream sequence in which Brendan dreams about getting a great motorcycle. I borrowed an old-ass broken motorcycle from my neighbor, which was a fucking pain in the dick hauling all over the place. It must have weighed around 250-300 lbs. But we got it into the studio, set up a screen behind it, and projected a video of driving on the road that John Hanford and I shot a week before with his DV cam. Hopefully, it will look really cool, like in Casablanca or Kill Bill. Also in the studio, we had a shot that mimicked the one in Boogie Nights when Marky Mark introduces Julianne Moore to his Corvette (5). We did tracking shots with the dolly and everything. I wanted a lot of tracking shots for this movie and I think Lauren was losing patience with me because of it. But guess what? It's my flick, biatch. The studio was pretty fun. Except for Alex was sitting on the motorcycle when it fell and almost pinned him underneath. Luckily he jumped off and was unscathed. Also luckily, his mother wasn't there to see our negligence. I felt like a real douchebag. I'm just glad the little guy didn't get hurt. Also we didn't get the side shot on the bike (8). Also, the kids were too shy to even pretend to lean in to kiss each other for shot 9.
After the studio, we reconvened at my house, hoping to be able to shoot something despite the rain. We had a powwow over pizza and it was decided that I had to rewrite as many scenes as possible to change them from exterior to interior. So I fucking did that shit, which sucked. But we made it work as best we could.
On Sunday 4/23, it was still raining, so we had to make a hallway in Hofstra look like an elementary school's. We made a bunch of posters, including a Book Fair one and one that said "Vote Ralph Parker for Prez." I'll give you a tickle to the taint if you get that reference. Sunday was pretty harsh. We were all well aware that we'd need to have reshoots the following weekend, but that we had to get as much done as we could. Lighting this particular hallway was hard, as was lighting the cafeteria. The cafeteria is where Brendan gives. Originally, it was set outside at a picnic table, which would have been 1-2-3. It would have also made it easy to get away with using the zero extras we had. Elementary school cafeterias usually have more than 3 kids in them during lunch time. So that sucks. We'll have to get some sounds of lunch time to make it seem more busy. But I have a feeling it's going to look lame. We also had to beat it out of the cafeteria because a bunch of Churchies were going to have 5 o'clock Mass in the adjacent room. We ended up getting variations of shots 16, 17, 18, 27, and 28.
We didn't have a permit, although we said we did, which was enough for security.
After we wrapped on Sunday, I got really really stoned with Lee, the AD. Real stoned.
So I rescheduled for the following weekend, the one that just past. I worked some magic and was able to get it so that we could finish in two days. That shit was to be tight.
On Saturday 4/29, blessed with great weather, we started at my house. The first shot was of Brendan opening the giftbox containing a motorcycle helmet in the dream sequence. Here is a picture of the helmet I got from eBay:
It was huge and looked hilarious on Alex's little head.
After the kitchen shots (shot 4 turned into two different angles instead of one tracking shot), we had to move outdoors and needed two filters for the lens. We weren't exactly sure how to get two filters on, apparently we needed a different lens hood. But in trying to get two filters into one, Amanda accidently dropped and cracked one. So we were set back an hour and a half, having to go to Hofstra and come back with the right equipment. I was pretty frustrated, but didn't know half of what was in store for the rest of the day. It took nearly an hour to set up each driveway shot (12-14). It involved Brendan and his mom talking in the car before driving to school. Brendan's mom was played by Erica, who was awesome. In addition to being accustomed to movie shoots, her husband is a filmmaker, so she remained patient during the lens filter mishap. I can't stand putting people out of their way, so knowing that she understood what was happening helped me keep cool. When we finally got the shot framed in the driveway, we rolled the first take, and when it came time to start the car, it wouldn't. Because the battery had been in use for about an hour without the engine on while we were framing and getting the glare off the windshield. We switched cars real quick.
Then moved to Fulton Ave. School #8, my alma mater. Took some shots there. Pretty smoothly. And went back to my house.
We decided to shoot the scene where Cynthia breaks the bad news (31-34) a few blocks from my house, where it was scenic and quiet enough. Except for that the fucking house we were next to had a fucking Mass scheduled and all these fucking cars filled with old, clueless people started rolling up and fucking our shit way up. What's with these fucking Masses? What the fuck is Mass?
Wrap Saturday.
Sunday 4/30, we shot at Covert Elementary (19-26). I was most worried was that we'd get busted for not having a permit. What I hadn't expected was that a fucking soccer game was scheduled. So there's a soccer game in the background, which may screw up continuity from shot to shot. Plus it was a bitch finding moments quiet enough, without parents screaming at their kids, to record sound. But the playground kept Alex and Stephen occupied between takes.
After that, it was back to my house to shoot on my front stoop (35-39). At this point, we were at our most tired, the height of our frustration, and coincidentally Alex's patience was worn thin as silk and he was noticably fed up with all the shooting and Stephen's ADHD was peaking. We settled with what we could get. Stephen kept fucking up the lines, but we were running out of film and couldn't keep the kids there much longer. So we got a bunch of messed up takes and recorded his dialogue separately. Hopefully we can finagle something.
Wrap on "Cynthia."
Here are two pictures from the swingset scene, which we shot at William S. Covert Elementary School in South Hempstead on Sunday:
The one on the left is Alex, he played Brendan. On the right is Stephen, who played Jason. This is where they unearth the ring.
Here is more of the crew. We were short handed and without any Production Assistants. The jolly green giant holding the boom mic is Lee, the Assistant Director/Producer. The Asian all in black is Billy, the 2nd Assistant Camera Operator. Holding the reflector behind Lee is Amanda, whom I've written about before, who was 1st Assistant Camera Operator. Behind the camera is Cody, the Camera Operator. And next to him is Lauren, the Director of Photography. And there's me, ogling the action like the pervert I am. Out of sight is Nick, who was mixing sound that day.
This is me running lines with the boys. They were real troopers. It was a cool day, but we all got a little sun burnt. Except for me and Billy, who have more melonin than white people.
And here is a picture of the metal detector I got off eBay:
Before we started filming, I combed the swingset and found 3 quarters, 2 pennies, and a little pendant with Belle from Beauty and the Beast on it! We had to take the batteries out because Stephen kept fucking turning that shit on.
It looks happy, but at the end of the day, we were all ready to kick Stephen in his cute little face on account of his raging ADHD was fucking up everything. The girl who played Cynthia is named Sydney, and she was taller than both of the boys. She was a good little actress.
Really, it was a goddamn awesome experience. I'm anxious that it won't come out too great. But really, I did so much pre-production work that I have at least a good script and good storyboard to show for the project as a whole. I hope the footage came out well, but we haven't even given it in to the lab yet.
I should probably write that stupid paper now.
