Saturday, July 30, 2011

The 48 in Review

I originally sat down to discuss the 48 in extreme detail, but I lost momentum on that, and other scenarios in my life took precedence. And who knows who would have read such a long, obtuse diatribe anyway. So, I reformulate tonight, and summon my skills of summarizing, and hope for a succinct analysis of the 48. In conclusion, we had a TON of fun. StumbleMuse Productions really stepped up this year, and we produced a 7 minute film called "The Brownward Spiral." Our genre was "dark comedy," and this thrilled me. I sat at my house all day on June 24th, ruing genres, and I kept coming back to Dark Comedy. Maybe it was a divine act of providence, or pure dumb luck, but we pulled that genre. We were given "crayons" as the required prop, the required character was "Don or Donna Hastert, Plumber," and the mandatory line of dialogue was "Where did you go?"

My screenwriter, Matt Williams, did a wonderful job for me on Friday night. He generated two different screenplays, and we moved forward with the second. I appreciated the narrative sense of the second, and it used our resources effectively. It only took 4.5 hours of production to capture footage for a 7 minute film, and my actors delivered excellent performances. In managing a crew of over 30, everyone had set jobs, and that worked nicely. In years past, my main Techs, the wonderful Brothers Vang, had spent all day on our film set, and then would be up all night sorting and editing footage. This got to be a Herculean work load, and I could see their tired expressions more and more each year. Well, this year, they focused on Editing, and nothing else, and that made for a Fresh Editing crew at 7pm on Saturday. The value of such cannot be underestimated. When I reported to Louis Bekoe's house (the editing HQ) at 9 am on Sunday, we had a 7 minute "rough cut" that just popped.

We turned our film in at 6:20, which was a record for me, and we could have turned it in around 4:30. Such was our leisure 48. I will probably never get so lucky again. But it was truly wonderful, and we had more fun than anyone else in Greensboro that weekend. We had a couple of documentary filmmakers, Jonathan Butler and Herb Britt, follow us throughout the weekend, and two pictures of me were put in the Locals section of the Greensboro News and Record. After turning our film in, we Raged it in the parking lot, celebrating each other team's arrival.

Our screening went very well the following Thursday, and we were the next-to-last selection in our screening group. I have always been placed Early in the session, so it was an awesome feeling to be placed near the end. If you believe that they save the Best for Last, that is... I surely believed it. Two weeks pass, and we find out that we were selected for the "Best Of" screening, which was my only goal for the Project. I had said that if we made the "Best Of," I would be proud. I had hoped for a "Best Use of Prop" award for our film, which we ultimately didn't win, but we were awarded a "Best Acting - Honorable Mention" and that was a great feeling, and a great testament to all my actors, who did such amazing jobs.

So, I'm done with the 48 for another year. I've been working on two other films for Louis Bekoe and Cari Hopson, in the meantime, and have other irons in the fire. But after this process, I decided to go back to school and study Medical Transcription, in the name of finding a better job. So that changes my parameters for the next year. I will be producing other films when the time is right, and working on adding another piece of paper to sit beside my Bachelor's degree. I'm excited for the next steps in my artistic and professional life. Life has been a challenge, but worthwhile, and I'm excited for the next steps, wherever it may lead me.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

T-minus 2 Days, 4 hous and Counting...

In the 20 days since my last blog post, I've been fairly excessive in the pre-planning and wrangling of last details. I have gotten permission slips signed for both locations and music release, and my cast and crew are just finally starting to feel overwhelmed by emails. If anything, I err to the side of "over communication" with the film shoots I coordinate. But some people (even on my team) don't even freakin' read their emails, so I have to be careful not to over-correspond. There has even been question amongst the staff this week about WHO was editing. Which was really Funny to me, since I had earmarked our editors early. I even constructed the team in such a way that the editors didn't even have to be on set all weekend, choosing instead to put them to work sorting and logging footage early in the day. I thought that was perfectly clear, but apparently it wasn't. So, even the best communicator can have troubles getting the word out. And if you OVER communicate, nobody responds at all. Such is the fun of managing different people, with differing styles and modes of communication. The trick is "blending" all those personalities into one seamless team. Such is the mark of "good producing." I learn more and more about that with each project, and especially with each 48.

So, in 2 DAYS and 4 HOURS, I will know Genre and Required Elements. I will then scramble through story brain-storming with a small crew, then go outside with my Fire Crew to shoot some footage for StumbleMuse graphics, credits and the like. My crew will be scrambling, I'll be frantic, and everything will be out of control for the first 5 hours of the Project. The competition cannot be WON entirely in the first 12 hours, but it surely can be LOST. I've added some layers to the Friday production for the first time this year, and I hope that it proves to be workable and beneficial. I am adding credits footage and editing to the Friday workload and hoping we'll have more time to "fine tune" the 4 to 7 minutes of actual movie on Sunday. Credits always seem to be an afterhought in the last hours of each 48, and then something inevitably goes Awry. So, I'm hoping to avoid that this year.

But there's always Something... Something always goes awry during the 48. And that adds an edge, an adrenalin rush, a surge of dopamine like no other, once your movie is turned in. Turning a 48 Hour Film Project movie in, on time, is quite a rewarding experience. I hope I have that feeling Sunday, June 26th at 7:30. I wish all the filmmakers good luck during the competition weekend.

Thursday, June 2, 2011

22 Days Until the 48

June must have risen from volcanic ash, as it was the hottest May of my Greensboro memory. It reminds me that Summer is here, and as I sit here, 22 days away from the next 48 Hour Film Project, I marvel on how busy the last two weeks have been. When I last signed off, I was anticipating a 4 day film shoot to bring Hot Pink Jesus 3 to light. That proved to be an ambitious workload, and an incredibly tiring 4 days of shooting. However, I have to hand it to our cast and crew. Everyone showed up, did their jobs, and had great attitudes. We got some amazing footage, and minus one technical glitch that has necessitated a "re-shoot" on June 12th, the weekend went without a hitch. The "Max Diablo's Tits-n-TacoRama" footage was incredibly fun to shoot, and looks excellent so far. Our boy Mikey Cordes (who is directing the StumbleMuse 48 for 2011) has already pieced together a 3 to 4 minute teaser trailer that we'll unveil this weekend at ConCarolinas. Excellent!

So, we wrapped about 85% of HPJ3 in one four day weekend, and have pickup shots scheduled for June 12th. We could make a 24 minute polished movie out of the current footage. We'll still need to do some flashback footage in July sometime, but the Inmates will be putting their karate chops on the footage. Jaysen and I are both very excited to see the newest installment of his obsession. With 1 part of the trilody "done" and 1 "in the can" awaiting editing, we are about 50% done with production of a feature length "grindhouse" movie. No matter what comes of my aspirations in cinema, even if I never make a dime, I'll always be proud of the Mad Ones. We are the ultimate grassroots film-making group. Tomorrow we go to Con Carolinas to screen the Missionary Man, and will also screen "Krampus" as part of the Film Fest. With a reshoot pending and the 48 scheduled later this month, the month of June is going to be Crazy.

I'm Ready for the 48, minus getting signatures for my music and location releases. Early bird registration ended last night, and there were 31 teams registered by then. That's a nice turnout, and there are always a few straggler teams who register closer to the competition. There's a ton of great film makers in Greensboro and someone invariably comes out of nowhere to charm the crowd. I would love for that to be us this year. I'm really excited for what I have dialed up with music, locations, actors, and crew. Hopefully, we'll draw some meaty genre that utilizes these ingredients nicely. If that happens, my crew will bust their ass, and we'll make a film that we're all proud of. If we do that within 48 hours, the rest will take care of itself.


48 Hour Filmmaker: Greensboro 2011

Thursday, May 19, 2011

The Oh-So-Busy "Down Time"

So, at the end of our last transmission, I had mentioned the Krampus film project that I helped produce in January with my man, Louis Bekoe. I can't quite recall if I knew this when I last typed, but "A Killer Christmas Carol" was selected to be part of the Con Carolinas Film Fest. So, we get to premiere the film at the Con on June 4th. I like the idea of premiering it a "Fandom" Con, and am tickled that our almost "campy" little slasher flick will be screened. That will keep us busy on Saturday. The Mad Ones are screening "The Missionary Man" Friday night, then participating in the Film Fest Saturday, awaiting the Rise of the Giant Red Wookie (aka "Krampus"). So, that's great news on the StumbleMuse front...

However, I will be shedding the StumbleMuse label for the next 4 days and reclaiming my main moniker as Mad One Number Dos. Filming commences tomorrow in my bedroom for Hot Pink Jesus 3, and that will be followed by an ambitious 4 day workload. Jaysen has been hard at work over the last 5 months, pre planning, arranging, negotiating, scheduling, losing sleep that he never really had to leverage, all in anticipation of this weekend. This will be an ambitious set. Rather than splitting filming across 2 or 3 months, the Mad Ones will be shooting all Principal photography (95% at least) for a 25-30 minute movie in just 4 days. This has taken a herculean amount of organization, shot list wrangling, and frantic obsession, and you can SEE IT in Jaysen's eyes. So, we shoot that this weekend. We will do a quick "teaser trailer" over the Memorial Day weekend, and then we'll have something NEW to show at the Con. Buzzworthy. I know I plan on catching a few at the Con.

After I conclude the Con, then the 48 will be HERE. I'm "loaded for Bear" this year, and am managing my largest team EVER in this year's 48. I've worked So Hard wrangling the crew, and getting permission for music. I need to see some permission slips signed for Locations. I still need a Gaffer / experienced Boom Mike operator. But that's all still attainable. I have 35 days until then, and I've offered the job to two folks, hoping one will take it. It's a smaller, not very glorious job, but I have TONS of Directors and Producers as it is... Sometimes you need Less Chiefs, more Indians... If one of these two guys I accepts, my team will number 25. I like the synergy of that number.

On that note, I'll close this installment. HPJ3 Looms, but I feel up for the challenge.

Thursday, May 5, 2011

The Rise of Krampus...

It felt so nice to update the blog this morning, that I thought I would strike while the iron was hot, and add a second piece this evening that would explain the goings on at StumbleMuse Headquarters since the 48. Not that any such headquarters really exists, but it does add a certain legitimacy to a purely artful endeavor if you sound "corporate." Since my Mom is my one registered reader, she'll appreciate the air of professionalism. But surely I digress...

In January, I teamed up with a guy named Louis Bekoe to produce a 30 minute holiday "slasher" flick called "A Killer Christmas Carol." It was based on an old Bulgarian myth where Santa Claus had a deviant, twisted twin called Krampus. Santa managed the Nice list, while Krampus managed the Naughty. And as you can imagine, Krampus handles events with a certain hairball inducing, blood spewing aplomb that quite alters the spirit of Christmas.

The script was about 30 pages, and presented some interesting challenges. We worked hard throughout the month of January to produce the screenplay, suffered through some drama coming from Actors (of course), but finished the project on the last day of January. Louis worked hard on editing the film, and the sound is extremely robust and inviting. That's a quality that previous Mad Ones productions have lacked. We have brought on a new sound guru to start working this month on HPJ3, but in the meantime, it was reassuring to see what Louis could do. I'll be working with him a lot in the future, as he has joined the Mad Ones, and will be partnering with me on the StumbleMuse 48 in 50 days.

The film premieres later this month with a screening at Pin Ups here in Greensboro, and with a hopeful screening at ConCarolinas next month in Charlotte. We'll find out about that soon. I am really proud of the work I did, how I managed problems with a professional attitude, and overall, how I contributed to the set in a beneficial, helpful way. It was a different sort of project than a Mad Ones deal, and I earned my pay for sure. Which was nothing. But I do take pride in seeing "StumbleMuse Productions" in the opening titles, and feel that this was a great "sophomore project." Now I am gearing up for the 48, and for busy months ahead.

I registered my team today for the 2011 48 Hour Film Project in June. My wonderful, awesome Executive Producer wrote me the check, and I registered the team immediately. We have 50 days until the competition, and I'm really excited for this year's project. And that will be the topic for next time... Which will be sooner than one year...

The Long Overdue, but no one really cares, Update

So...

I really should have updated this a long time ago. As it stands here, I left the events of the last year unlisted on this website, yet the whole StumbleMuse project has taken off. For someone who claims to be a "writer," I really should blog. But the term "blog" is so discordant, as it sounds more like a bodily function, than the writing of sterling prose.

Anyway. We made a film for the 48 last year. On Time. Yay! The film was called "The Hickory Switch," and it was a somewhat charming, cute little flick about a Djinn in a Lamp, and a ClutterBug, and two crazy TV Show Hosts who invade the apartment. Our film wasn't heavy-hitting, but it screened First in BOTH of its screenings. Our film was the first "on time" submission in our regularly scheduled slot, and also the first slot in the "Best Of" screening. So, I was tickled by that, but I realize that you really want to be the LAST movie they show in a particular screening. One of these days, we will be. Still, we won an award for "Best Use of Character" and that was really cool. All of the movies had made these straightforward "clutter coaches." We made 2 TV show hosts, 2 versions of the required character, and even shot a commercial footage which showed on TV at the beginning of the film. We didn't deserve any major award, but we deserved that one, and I was pleased. It was an Honor to make the "Best Of" screening in my directing "debut."

Until about two weeks after the event... That's when one of my old film making cronies showed his manic moron side, and accused me of cheating. He did this because one of the Three Judges was my main film making partner, Mr. Jaysen Buterin. This particular film maker had made a somewhat arty film using projectors to stage scenes of violence. Although he thought highly of his own flick, it was somewhat obtuse, and hard to follow. What made high cinema to him didn't translate to others in the audience. He figured that I cheated. And he was wrong. I purposefully distanced myself from JB throughout the judging process. So, this particular film maker, who will remain unnamed, since I'm Classy Like that, accused me of cheating, and really soured my take on the whole weekend.

So... I never updated this blog... And Here we are... 50 days until the NEXT 48. I have the biggest 48 team I have ever built on hand for this year. Right now, we number 22. In past years, I have managed teams no bigger than 15... So, this is a step up. But with new people, come new hassles. Last year, I had like 4 people Bail on me at the last minute. I'm making sure I have enough to work with this year. StumbleMuse Productions is ready for the 2011 48 Hour Film Project.

I see the Executive Producer today at lunch, and she's handing me the check to register.

Other teams in Greensboro better watch out! We'll be registered before the weekend!

-"Stumbles"

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

10 Days until the 48

So, I've left this blog unattended the last couple of months, as us Mad Ones have been busy. Jaysen has been working on some expansive screenplays, and we have finished "principal shooting" on the first 30 minute installment of the "Gospel According to Booze, Bullets, and Hot Pink Jesus." (part 1 of a trilogy) Filming went incredibly well for that, and we are excited to see what our editors can do with the footage.

My team has finalized nicely for this year's 48 Hour Film Project. Our dear friend, Jesse Knight, has pledged his talents to our group, so that's a definite "coup" in my favor. Jesse brings a calm level-headed demeanor to that set, and I always rally around his calm when facing the "eye of the storm." My cast has been set for months, and my crew has finally all coalesced as well. One of my Production Assistants, Brittany Carroll, has offered us a giant list of possible shooting locales, as her father is a big player in the Greensboro real estate market. Talk about a wonderful addition to the team.

I have been listening to "Wicker" by the Josh Phillips Folk Festival for the last week, and find myself really hoping we pull a genre that can use his music. He was so gracious to give me permission, I really hope that we can spotlight his album accordingly...

So, with most of my details mangled and strangled, not much left to do but plan menus, pull a good genre, and hope for a productive, amazing weekend of filming. Cause if we don't do it, someone else will... I really hope that it's StumbleMuse who amazes and wows people this year...

In an entirely unrelated note, but one which will cause examination later, my partner-in-crime for the Mad Ones, Jaysen Buterin, has been asked to Judge the 48 this year... So, my partner is a judge... I hope our film is Amazing, and rises above any speculation from any other film teams...

But we'll see...

We got the Cast... the Crew... the Locations... the Music... Now I just need some luck when pulling our genre on the 11th.

Until then, my fingers are crossed.