Location, Location, Location

Ok, I'm taking a break from telling you what happened to talk about what is happening. Filmmaking can be very frustrating and very slow sometimes. And this just happens to be one of those times. This is the time where I lament the fact that I have no producer, because having to do everything myself makes it harder and slower to get things done.

Currently, I'm working on getting locations for our next shoot secure, and it is proving to be more difficult than I imagined it would be. I thought I had a place (I need a house), because there was a verbal agreement, but when it came down to it, they reneged, which put me back in the drawing board stage. I've put the word out to various friends and acquaintances, but so far haven't had much luck. I also tried the SD Film Commission, but unfortunately, much of their information is out of date, which means that if I want a certain house, I would have to go knock on their door, which is not something I feel comfortable doing. I know there are people out there that are comfortable doing that, but I am not one of them. Besides, I need what is in the picture, and if the furniture has changed (as it probably has if the phone number has changed), then there's a good chance it won't be what I envisioned.

It's nuts to think I'm getting tripped up on something so elementary as locations, but you know they are everything. And through this process, I'm learning that compromising means that I'm compromising, which isn't good. Anyway, I'm confident that once I get this part taken care of, the rest will be easier, since it ends up being paperwork and paying after the negotiations are complete.

The Red Shoes

After the horse thing, we packed everything back into the house and stopped for lunch. While we ate, we watched the rain come down in torrents, and I don't know about anyone else, but I was wondering was the hell I was going to do if the weather didn't clear up. I was comforted by the burgers and salad my sister and her husband whipped up (because they are amazing and super cool), and by the fact that the top layer of soil there is mostly sand, so if it did stop raining, we wouldn't have to worry about a bunch of mud.

Then Ryan and I talked about the next thing we wanted to shoot, and when it stopped raining, we decided to go with our "curve in the road" shot,
which would require loading up a bunch of stuff into the vehicles and drive to the one we had all picked out. My niece rode along and I donned the wool outfit I inherited from my grandmother (whose vintage clothes are so cool I take any opportunity I get to wear them) and the red shoes I borrowed from the costume department.

I stood out on the curve, waiting for Ryan and George to get everything just right for the camera, and simultaneously watching a big dark cloud coming over the bluff. There may have been some praying going on too, but there may have been some swearing. I don't really remember. However, it did start to rain a bit, and I gritted my teeth and hoped they would shoot it asap. Unfortunately, making films is a slow process, and sometimes it means I have to stand around in the wind or rain or whatever every now and then.

So in the end, we got the shot, and I hope it's going to look cool, even though I was semi-rained-on.

Scene 2: Animals

They say that when making a movie, you should always avoid working with kids and animals. Well, I took their advice and put both in my film. I had some concerns about having a horse in the film; the kind of concerns that involve hooves making contact with glass lenses, but being the cockeyed optimist that I am, I figured we could handle whatever he decided to do. Of course there are some precautions that we took, but if a one ton animal is really pissed off, there's not going to be a whole lot you can do about it. I guess the main precaution we took for this film was to put him in a wide open space far away from anything, and there is a lot of that in Colorado. Pretty much goes for miles, doesn't it?

We also made sure to keep him away from stuff until we actually needed him, just so he wouldn't get fussy. But all in all, Whiskey is a pretty good horse with a very bony back, and he was patient for this shot. His prima donna moves would come later. He didn't kick my DP, which is very nice, even though Ryan and his light meter were all over the place. One thing about directing from atop a horse is that it's kind of like a director's chair, and you can see everything. Plus, people leave you alone unless it's absolutely necessary, because they don't want to get stepped on. The downside is that it's a director's chair with a mind of it's own, and if he decides he doesn't want to stand still while you discuss what the shot is, there's not much you can do about it. Plus, he requires a bit of my undivided attention at times because I also want to make it through with all my limbs intact, which means a certain amount of appeasement must take place. You'll notice our "understudy" horse in the corner (Tex), who also served to keep Whiskey company and be an example of what it looks like to stand absolutely still. While Tex is the most reliable actor for the scene, I still chose Whiskey because he doesn't have any white on him, and I wanted the darkest horse possible. So, true to the bidness, I didn't necessarily choose the best man for the job, but the man who looked the part.

Oh well. Anyway, I think it's going to be a really pretty shot.

Steep Hill & Umbrella

So the first "scene" we shot involved a fairly steep hill and an umbrella. My sister's house sits on a ridge that becomes this steep hill, so that makes it very convenient. What makes it a bit inconvenient is that it is, in fact, and steep hill, and lugging all the equipment up and down, not to mention getting ourselves up and down makes it a bit of a pain in the ass. But I'm the insane director person, and that's what I wanted, so that's what we did. I did have some reservations about it, mostly because I was concerned about the camera falling over and crashing into the dirt (there goes my deductible!), but luckily my peeps are experienced enough to make sure that doesn't happen.


I think this is going to be a beautiful shot, and it's actually one of my favorites. We shot it at an increased frame rate (50 frames per second, I think) so when I edit it will be slow motion and pretty cool-looking. We also shot it on a funky stock that makes the colors pop (particularly reds), so it will look super cool.

Unfortunately, this shot took forever, mostly because setting up on a steep hill takes a certain amount of care and preparation, but also because the sun kept going in and out of the clouds, which means that Ryan has to re-meter the light to make sure we shoot at the correct exposure. Anyway, that's a lot of mumbo jumbo talk for weather issues. Still, I think it's going to look beautiful, and I'm hoping there's at least one person out there who can name the artist whose painting inspired this shot.

The Beginning

So this is the beginning of our Colorado shoot. We woke up early on Saturday morning to clouds and rain, which is not what I had expected. Anyone who has ever been to Colorado knows that it is usually very sunny there, and there is hardly ever any rain. A healthy portion of Colorado's water comes from winter snowmelt, and August is usually one of the hottest months there. This year, however, the mountains are experiencing more rain than they've had since the sixties, so all the old timer's are now allowed to say "This is like the summer of '64" and things like that. Anyway, as beautiful as it is, with the low-lying clouds and the pools of water on the back balcony, I was somewhat worried when I woke up to this.




We did manage to get everything organized in the basement of the house, and this is what Ryan referred to as "bare bones" equipment, meaning he didn't make me bring anything extra and this was the minimum of what he thought we could get by on. I'll add at this point that all of this stuff required not one, but two vehicles (an SUV and a minivan), and we also required the use of my mom's stationwagon to haul all of the props up there. I usually think of something else when I think "bare bones", but in Ryan's defense, we did use most of the stuff we brought, and would have used more if the weather had been a little more stable. Ah, well, it's better to have more than you need than not enough. For example, we had more equipment than we needed, but definitely not enough sleep. But I guess that's filmmaking. Or at least the beginning of it.

Utah

Today I finished up the last of the errands after getting back from shooting. I took the film to LA on Thursday, returned the camera and all the equipment, the rental, the truck, and got myself a cooler to keep the film in so it doesn't go bad. Lucky for me, film needs to be kept at about the same temperature as wine, so after this is all over, I'll have a fancy schmancy wine fridge too.

So, as I said before, Utah is unbelievably boring, but also beautiful. I eventually had to pull over because I thought I was going to fall asleep (a little something I remember from Driver's Ed: Highway Hypnosis). I also needed the chance to stretch my legs, look around, and reorganize the front seat, which was being overwhelmed by the camera and my production notebook, both of which were indispensible on this film. I also decided to take a couple of pictures so the kids at home could see what the world looks like without stuff in it. Pretty cool, eh?

I also discovered the "curve in the road", which I wish I could have used in my film (even though I already had one picked out). I was cursing the fact that my DP (Director of Photography/Cinematographer) wasn't there, and when I showed him this picture, he said that would have been perfect, but then added, "I would have wanted to take the sign down." He knows I hate it when he says that, because it means more chances for me to get in trouble with the law and so forth. He claims he would put it back, but I have a feeling the DOT would still not appreciate having their road signs messed with, even for the sake of art. I think he also gets a kick out of the face I make, because it's something similar to the look your mom might give you if you say you're going to join the circus or a band or get a tattoo.

So that's just an intro to the trip. There'll be more later, but be patient. I'm still trying to produce the rest of it (and pay for it...hint, hint), so everyone is just going to have to stay tuned. And I promise no more pictures from Utah.

After Sleep

Sometimes I forget how different the rest of the country is. And then I spend a night in Utah, and the kid at the front desk is offering to call a restaurant for me to find out if they deliver, and when he calls back, he lists several places he called, but no one delivers because it's Utah and it's ten o'clock at night. In Cali they would probably just say "I don't know" and hang up. The other side of Utah is that I saw an enormous billboard advertising a sheep festival. I'm not sure what happens at a sheep festival, but it just might be my next documentary.

I've always thought that Utah is a beautiful state. I'm amazed by the colors and shapes of the rocks, and it's comforting to see wide open spaces with no lights or buildings for miles.

Tonight I stay with Ma and Pa, and tomorrow pick up my cinematographer at the airport. George and Jason (whom I've affectionately began calling "The Boys") are staying at a fancy schmancy Marriott in Vail, so I hope they are enjoying it. Tomorrow will be the last chance we'll have for any last minute pre-production planning, and then we'll get started early on Saturday and hope the weather cooperates.

So, if my sister has internet access, I'll try to update on how things are going and see if I can get those pictures to work, and if not, you'll all just have to wait with bated breath for the next installment of "The Drama of Making Drama", also known as "There's a reason they call me the Queen..."

Until after sleep...