The Gag Reel for 'The Assassin' is finished! Here it is...
Note: (NSFW) due to language. Also the last 30 seconds of the video has been cut off by YouTube, sorry.
I'm still working on the actual movie. It may take a while since there isn't enough coverage to tell the story as written so I'm doing some juggling to make it work. I'll keep you posted.
____
Friday, November 13, 2009
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Pictures from the shoot
Here are some pictures from Monday's shoot of 'The Assassin' to whet your appetite while I assemble the film.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
It's a Wrap!
Whew. We finished our shoot of 'The Assassin' last night. Many thanks to Doug, Andrew, Scott and Caitlynd.
We had a great time, lots of laughs. Lots of surprises too. Doug really nailed the dialogue. Andrew turned out to be a natural at blocking. Scott kept the boom mike out of the shots and Caitlynd saved us from some mistakes as our script supervisor.
Some of the footage is terrific. Most of it however reveals that we are still amateurs. There are lighting issues, continuity mistakes, and several good takes were wrecked because I missed the fact that someone or something was visible in the background that shouldn't have been there.
The sound is incredible. Scott's boom work, my fancy Azden microphone and the DVX100B's onboard 2-channel recording system gave us very good sound. Not quite professional but definitely top of the line amateur.
I'm trying to cut the pieces into something resembling a film. It's proving to be very hard. Some sequences just don't fit together well. The shot of the Assassin looking at the flash drive in his hand is a total write-off, I have no idea how that's going to play out in the final cut.
I may have to cut the film very differently from the script and what we'd visualized, for the sake of making it work.
The good news is, I've spotted many of our mistakes and have figured out how we'd fix them if we were reshooting. That information will be invaluable during our next shoot. I have no doubts it will be much better. Best way to learn is by trying, eh?
I'm going to try to finish post-production on 'The Assassin' by the end of the month. I'll post some stills later to show you how it turned out.
We had a great time, lots of laughs. Lots of surprises too. Doug really nailed the dialogue. Andrew turned out to be a natural at blocking. Scott kept the boom mike out of the shots and Caitlynd saved us from some mistakes as our script supervisor.
Some of the footage is terrific. Most of it however reveals that we are still amateurs. There are lighting issues, continuity mistakes, and several good takes were wrecked because I missed the fact that someone or something was visible in the background that shouldn't have been there.
The sound is incredible. Scott's boom work, my fancy Azden microphone and the DVX100B's onboard 2-channel recording system gave us very good sound. Not quite professional but definitely top of the line amateur.
I'm trying to cut the pieces into something resembling a film. It's proving to be very hard. Some sequences just don't fit together well. The shot of the Assassin looking at the flash drive in his hand is a total write-off, I have no idea how that's going to play out in the final cut.
I may have to cut the film very differently from the script and what we'd visualized, for the sake of making it work.
The good news is, I've spotted many of our mistakes and have figured out how we'd fix them if we were reshooting. That information will be invaluable during our next shoot. I have no doubts it will be much better. Best way to learn is by trying, eh?
I'm going to try to finish post-production on 'The Assassin' by the end of the month. I'll post some stills later to show you how it turned out.
Monday, September 7, 2009
I'm So Excited!
And I just can't hide it! This time next Monday we'll be shooting 'The Assassin'.
I've booked a room at the no-tell Motel 6 in Burlington. I've also rented my dream camera, a Panasonic DVX 100B from Fotovideo for the night. Cost: $150. Ouch. they actually gave me a deal. The normal rate is $250 a day.
I also bought a cool hockey bag and I've been loading it with equipment. I bought some halogen utility lights, a portable flourescent tube light, batteries, cables, electrical tape, duct tape etc.
I found some cheap toy guns at Dollarama. 2 Law Enforcement Play Kits with guns and handcuffs, a bottle of body wash, and a white lampshade. The expression on the cashier's face; priceless!
Next I need some screen door material for creating cheap diffusion filters for the lights. Also I need to paint and detail the guns to make them look more real. Whew! lots of work.
7 more days!
I've booked a room at the no-tell Motel 6 in Burlington. I've also rented my dream camera, a Panasonic DVX 100B from Fotovideo for the night. Cost: $150. Ouch. they actually gave me a deal. The normal rate is $250 a day.
I also bought a cool hockey bag and I've been loading it with equipment. I bought some halogen utility lights, a portable flourescent tube light, batteries, cables, electrical tape, duct tape etc.
I found some cheap toy guns at Dollarama. 2 Law Enforcement Play Kits with guns and handcuffs, a bottle of body wash, and a white lampshade. The expression on the cashier's face; priceless!
Next I need some screen door material for creating cheap diffusion filters for the lights. Also I need to paint and detail the guns to make them look more real. Whew! lots of work.
7 more days!
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Two Weeks!
The script for The Assassin is finished. I'm getting really excited. Today I'll be checking out the top two or three hotels on my list. I'll also be buying some work lights and accessories. I'm going to talk to the Hoo-Haws at Fotovideo and see if I can rent a Panasonic DVX100B (camera) from them for the night of the shoot at a reasonable price.
Andrew will be playing the title role of The Assassin. Doug will be playing the heavy dramatic role of Chandler. Scott will be my entire crew. Go Scott! I'll have to make sure there's plenty of Miller Genuine Draft on hand for the shoot.
Next I'll be breaking down the script and making lists of costumes, props and equipment needed. Somehow I need to fabricate a fake handgun with a silencer and not spend any real money doing it. Herm. Water pistol, bristol board and black spray paint perhaps?
Andrew will be playing the title role of The Assassin. Doug will be playing the heavy dramatic role of Chandler. Scott will be my entire crew. Go Scott! I'll have to make sure there's plenty of Miller Genuine Draft on hand for the shoot.
Next I'll be breaking down the script and making lists of costumes, props and equipment needed. Somehow I need to fabricate a fake handgun with a silencer and not spend any real money doing it. Herm. Water pistol, bristol board and black spray paint perhaps?
Monday, August 24, 2009
It's a Date!
It's showtime. On Monday Sept 14 we will be shooting a short film, 'The Assasin - Scene 27'. Scott and Doug are in for sure and I need one more participant. I should have the script printed out by tomorrow and I'll be going over parts, costumes and props in the coming weeks.
We'll be shooting with my crummy Panasonic GS-80. We'll put my nice Azden Microphone and boom pole to the test for the first time. We'll be recording sound wild on my Toshiba notebook.
Hopefully I'll have a location sorted out soon. I'm planning to use a hotel room. It's perfect. A safe, clean space where we can set up and work without interruption. Just have to figure out which hotel around here is best.
Soon you'll have something to watch!
We'll be shooting with my crummy Panasonic GS-80. We'll put my nice Azden Microphone and boom pole to the test for the first time. We'll be recording sound wild on my Toshiba notebook.
Hopefully I'll have a location sorted out soon. I'm planning to use a hotel room. It's perfect. A safe, clean space where we can set up and work without interruption. Just have to figure out which hotel around here is best.
Soon you'll have something to watch!
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Zero Budget
It's not as easy working with no budget as I'd imagined. I've been working extra lately but all the money's been going to pay for all the wonderful equipment I've been buying. Got to get those credit card bills down.
I've also started the Body For Life program. Nutrition, exercise and attitude. All good. Between the program and my extra work hours (and Season 3 of Buffy, damn that was great!) I've been a little distracted.
But I'm still plugging away. I should have a scene ready to shoot by the end of the month. I'm a bit nervous actually. What if after all this learning and spending, I end up sucking as a director?
I guess the only way to find out is to try. I'll be contacting some of you for roles and crew help in the next few weeks. Stay tuned!
I've also started the Body For Life program. Nutrition, exercise and attitude. All good. Between the program and my extra work hours (and Season 3 of Buffy, damn that was great!) I've been a little distracted.
But I'm still plugging away. I should have a scene ready to shoot by the end of the month. I'm a bit nervous actually. What if after all this learning and spending, I end up sucking as a director?
I guess the only way to find out is to try. I'll be contacting some of you for roles and crew help in the next few weeks. Stay tuned!
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