tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25335080420107143982024-02-02T14:59:03.261-08:00Moment By Moment - A personal diary and updatesRamblingssss of 3 5 7 a writer/directorrrr on 11 13 17 his mind-maze of aaaaaaaaa &^%$ dreammmm...film...Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11928935091434901387noreply@blogger.comBlogger67125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2533508042010714398.post-90937008413860952942010-05-24T04:15:00.001-07:002010-05-24T04:15:05.271-07:00Dear friendMy dear customer,<BR>I am here to introduce an amazing shopping website to you.<BR>It is http://www.keisk.com <BR>Are you preparing for the apparel of the coming season? Are you keen of the new brands,but lack of money? Please do not hesitate any more. 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I did have to blur the shot so to preserve Danielle’s dignity – hairy knuckles appeal to a very select few.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Beware of radio mikes:</span><br /><br />If actors wear lap/radio mikes – make sure the mikes are turned off when said actors visit the toilets – as we were shooting a scene without an actor (won’t name names) we can clearly hear on the soundtrack someone’s bowel movements – again not a good for decorum – no, it won’t make it to the bloopers reel.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">It can’t/can be fixed in post:</span><br /><br />In general if the shots/performance/writing is crap – it can’t be fixed. On the odd occasion it can. So make sure you have all you need during the shoot.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Get your footage:</span><br /><br />You can never have too much footage. Sure, it is a labor of pain and love to organize and manage clips and files – but the work is worth it. The additional footage does help when cutting the overall picture. Being limited to fewer shots or scenes is very frustrating. You can always cut away additional material – but it is very difficult/expensive to manufacture shots in post.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Make mistakes:</span><br /><br />There are no mistakes only unexpected results (I know this contradicts some of the lessons below - but trust me on this one they are all trues and still hold at the same time). With enough creativity (thinking and courage to leap beyond the obvious); you can elevate things to something above their functional value. This happens especially when a mistake happens and you have an effect you hadn’t intended – e.g. a jump cut. If you look at these with an open mind they can sometimes reveal story subtleties or facts that a more formal and predictable approach may not.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Trust your dreams:</span><br /><br />Your vision unfettered by desires or fears (both brought on by the childish ego) is the truthful artistic expression – seek it in all you do.Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11928935091434901387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2533508042010714398.post-24349833998385283802009-02-24T15:13:00.000-08:002009-02-24T15:15:16.101-08:00interesting article about social mediaThe New York Times none other asks whether<br /><h2 class="entry-title"><a href="http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/24/is-social-networking-killing-you/">Is Social Networking Killing You?</a></h2>Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11928935091434901387noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2533508042010714398.post-12518335627832893162009-02-24T01:12:00.000-08:002009-02-24T01:19:00.680-08:00Trailers...coming soon...Hello fellow travellers.<br />Been working the midnight oil, burning the candle at both ends --- and killing cliques...<br /><br />Anyway - somebody rip this things away from me!!!!!<br /><br />Reday to launch a full Semtex asuslt on your senses - I will be cooking up 30 sec trailers over the next 2-3 weeks.<br /><br />Any wanna be editors that think they can out do me in the psychotic stakes le me know - I'll sneak out some rare footage (quickmovie files) ready to be edited to your hearts darkests desires...<br /><br />Back to the cave...the muse wants more blood...Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11928935091434901387noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2533508042010714398.post-45414858764106882682009-02-23T22:17:00.000-08:002009-02-23T22:19:11.276-08:00Memento MoriSome things have no daylight<br /><br />Edited the ‘memento mori’ monologue last night – one of my favorite pieces.<br /><br />45 seconds monologue – 45 seconds that took several hours to shoot - it was a dolly on a track shot - we did 11 takes; yes 11 takes (which is a lot since we had at least 5 cameras rolling and typically we did 3-4 takes); 11 takes because of technical problems with sounds - take – dolly move – take - camera move retake – dogs barking, airplanes flying, pigeons cooing retake after retake after retake.<br /><br />Danielle was going blue in the face. Literally, she looks like she is running out of oxygen, out of blood, out of sanity. She’s half angry, half defeated by the whole thing; at the end of each take, her eyes scan the room for support, she forces a smile as she knows she has to go again – the clapper board clap now an unbearable intrusion – as if this is a bad dream she’s stuck in – strapped to a chair having to repeat the same lines over and over again hoping that a dog or a bird won’t destroy the poignancy she’s trying to imbue into the words. [note to self - I can see why there is a movie to be made from the happenings on a film set - the tension is unbearable for us]<br /><br />On that day I thought – what a trouper – what great effort.<br /><br />So last night I edit the scene – I’m excited – I know how to get around all the technical hurdles and discover the wonderfulness of the performance.<br /><br />And it just wasn't there – there’s nothing – no thrill in the camera move (no fault of CHW – camera moves have to fit with the mood of the scenes otherwise…) but worse of all, the performance was - it was...soft.<br /><br />It seemed to be tacked on – like it didn’t belong to the scene or the story…how could this be…? The writing? The performance? The direction? All the above? No matter…I thought, I’ve had to fix worse than this…<br /><br />Worked on it all night: jump cuts, cross-fades, dissolves, compositing - five hours to edit a 45 seconds segment.<br /><br />Ten past midnight - screened it: It just lay there - soft - squishy - lost all its bite – I gave up and went to bed. Restless night – then a flash of insight.<br /><br />This morning at 6 am – went to the edit suite and cut it all out. The whole monologue gone before breakfast.<br /><br />11 takes, all on the cutting room floor. <br /><br />The scene now works.<br /><br />Memento Mori.Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11928935091434901387noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2533508042010714398.post-47632975868291596632009-02-22T14:56:00.000-08:002009-02-22T14:59:35.255-08:00Screen Time<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.3planesoft.com/img/clock_screen01.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 640px; height: 480px;" src="http://www.3planesoft.com/img/clock_screen01.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>90 minutes of screen-time.<br /><br />Above all else - this is a statement for Mr. John Hipwell…who (rightly) had doubted the time of the film following the first read-through (clocked at 45 minutes).<br /><br />I - on the other hand – ‘knew’ that the 75-page script – in my hands would gain length in light of my directorial pace:<br /><br />I love pauses between looks and I know how I’d like to pace actors’ performances; slow-burns, explosive outbursts that careen unhinged and unbridled. <br /><br />90 minutes of screen-time. And this is for a super-tight cut.<br /><br />Still I’m glad for John’s insistence - it was good to have the extra footage in hand – it gives considerable more material to the editor in post.<br /><br />Anyway – I’m on schedule to submit to festivals in 2-3 weeks.<br /><br />I’ll make an announcement closer to the date.<br /><br />Also launching our web-presence then – including footage on you tube, trailers, web commerce, merchandise, soundtrack (composed by Luca X) etc.<br /><br />Very excited…Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11928935091434901387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2533508042010714398.post-39548203560194491552009-02-08T22:02:00.000-08:002009-02-08T22:07:56.770-08:00MbM real title & Web page launchReal title revealed in 8 weeks.<br /><br />Web page launch at the same time - yet to devise the details.Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11928935091434901387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2533508042010714398.post-30651008932131793542009-02-08T22:00:00.001-08:002009-02-08T22:02:30.402-08:00Be cool...Editing the last 3 scenes – I’m excited, thrilled and little scared.<br />Next is actually putting the scenes together.<br />Putting the 30 odd scenes into a cohesive whole.<br />Will it still hold?<br />I tried to treat each scene as a jewel in a necklace –<br />Polish each jewel and trust the screenplay did its role of telling the story.<br /><br /><br /><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 402px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 337px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://images.despair.com/products/demotivators/fear.jpg" border="0" />Yet – only pressure turns you into the diamond version of yourself.Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11928935091434901387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2533508042010714398.post-80825517034860198562009-02-04T21:51:00.000-08:002009-02-04T22:01:54.058-08:00Ave Caesar! Morituri te salutantStarted editing day 5<br /><br />The last day of the shoot: Jesus we did a lot of takes. Maybe a few were NG for sound but still…<br /><br />By the end of the week we were firing in all cylinders.<br /><br />The CHW-JH team working like a well-oiled machine with the many cameras; and it was only the 6th day of shooting (we started counting on Saturday at day 0) – only 6 days to get used to working in a new team and in a new way, all the technology - the hurdles of production, etc – 6 days is a very short time.<br /><br />Anyway - there’s little lag between “rolling…mark it…and frame”<br /><br />In earlier days – I find myself scrolling through the scene to discover that<br />The clapper board is somewhere in the middle of the file.<br /><br />But on day 5, it is snap – right there at the beginning of the file and this is take after take after take – it’s relentless!<br /><br />What can we learn from this ladies and gents?<br /><br />The simple and humbling fact that a lot can be accomplished by a team of dedicated individuals passionate about doing their best.<br /><br />My thank you to you again.<br /><br />Anyway – I have 3 scenes to cut – the last 10 %.<br /><br />Next the full assembly when I have another go at tweaking the dream.<br /><br />Speaking of dreams and thank yous - as a show of courage roman gladiators used to shout "Ave Caesar! Morituri te salutant" (Hail Caesar! They Who Are About to Die Salute You).<br /><br />I do not intend to die - neither did the Gladiators - it was more a show of dispassionate cheek towards life and death as they chased their ultimate dream.<br /><br />Here is my dream - reckon 4 more weeks. There are a couple of March deadlines I must make. I have entered the arena – I see the mission before me...Hail Caesar!Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11928935091434901387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2533508042010714398.post-62167426123618944262009-01-27T21:33:00.000-08:002009-01-27T21:45:07.883-08:00Nearly there...<a href="http://www.stenudd.se/myter/images/kaos-mandelbrot-basic.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 340px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 328px" alt="" src="http://www.stenudd.se/myter/images/kaos-mandelbrot-basic.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Very good week of editing the “Y goes berserk scene" for those of you who are geeky about these things it's Scene 30.<br /><br />Yes, it takes me at least a week to get the bulk of the scene sorted – which is par for course really about 8 hrs for 4-5 minute scene. I think - some people claim 1 hr per 1 minute of screen time...which would ma ke me slow - but I enjoy trying out combinations - all for the better long-term - but if does chop up efficiency.<br /><br />The shots were all spectacular – all worked – performances top notch– camera work steady and sure, lighting (hmm – okay but will be better next time – can be fixed somewhat in post). Sound – bit noisy but can fix.<br /><br />Nearly there friends/comrades/amigos/compadres/freund...nearly there... </div>Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11928935091434901387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2533508042010714398.post-79197491581204472502009-01-19T21:02:00.000-08:002009-01-27T21:47:06.968-08:00Delays? What delays?Long time no blog/post dear travellers. Well, I’ve been sort of busy – with what holidays and the rest. Rest assured ladies and gents I was still working on the magnum opus. Every day in fact.<br /><br />Not finished yet – I’m 80% of the way there – I know, I said this before nearly there...- so what’s the hold up Dr Marzella?<br /><br />The delay is due to the fact that I keep f*&^ing around with each scene a million times – then rethink the whole thing and start from scratch. All for the better I hope. Who knows? Does it matter? ‘Cause I’m having tons of fun – the footage…the footage: a kaleidoscope of options and alternatives – it’d be artistic bankruptcy to default to the obvious choices.<br /><br />I even get a thrill at fixing the edit for crappy camera operating and dodgy cinematography – sorry guys, yes, no one is perfect – yet there is a semi-sexual thrill in turning a sow’s ear into a silk purse - steal a look from here cut for a reaction shot from that take trying to miss the crew or a light stand in the background.<br /><br />Anyway – it still holds up!<br /><br />Why do I sound excited?<br /><br />Well – human nature dictates that you do get jaded even by the most beautiful of things.<br /><br />Desensitisation or acclimatisation; pick your scientific terminology.<br /><br />Yet MbM is still intriguing. And a promising thrill-ride.<br /><br />The edit – well yes - we are beyond assembly really – not final cut but a little more than a rough cut – let’s call it a middle cut – is getting there. Still to do sound mix of course but could get there quickly.<br /><br />Anyway – I'm keeping you all in suspense – I hope.<br /><br />March 09 is a doable date...<br /><br />You will be surprised I guarantee that...Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11928935091434901387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2533508042010714398.post-65092705852491998692008-11-23T14:52:00.000-08:002008-11-23T14:54:17.332-08:00How to be an acrobat...Finished assembling/first cut of the opening scene.<br /><br />It holds together very well. And lo and behold the ‘original’ cut assembly wasn’t all wasted – I ended up using large chunks of it and modifying other parts of it to fit into the new whole.<br /><br />“Leap and the net will appear.”Julia CameronPhilliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11928935091434901387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2533508042010714398.post-39065693458940441872008-11-17T15:03:00.000-08:002008-11-17T15:07:49.670-08:00Chaos - Tears - Monsters and Fears<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7l8XT8tZqz41Kf9JkzjQOAhLAIHfMrpyAVZJ5bYv6X12JF2hXEIBBl8ojph_U29fiLiwC6sLc7o4I6GfxtPU_8HlhGl241SYxkY-KZMi1rwMHOJTWEp3D1sfYNGuBWkr2SHStLfmU1GE/s1600-h/chaos_theory_b.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269766444914684754" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 189px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 212px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7l8XT8tZqz41Kf9JkzjQOAhLAIHfMrpyAVZJ5bYv6X12JF2hXEIBBl8ojph_U29fiLiwC6sLc7o4I6GfxtPU_8HlhGl241SYxkY-KZMi1rwMHOJTWEp3D1sfYNGuBWkr2SHStLfmU1GE/s320/chaos_theory_b.jpg" border="0" /></a>I’ve been editing the opening sequence over the week-end. So, yes, I’ve started editing the second last day of the shoot (not counting day 6 since that was a ‘repeat’ of the shoot). Nearly there…<br /><br />Very nervous – this is it – this is how the film opens – I hadn’t watched the scene since we had shot it.<br /><br />Some amazing stuff – Danielle cries on cue - all in close up – even at low resolution you can see several tears welling in her eyes and cascading down her cheeks – this was one take –I worked the whole sequence around it.<br /><br />Her panic and tears are dramatically countered by Luke’s and Chris’ cold and Zen-like manner. Hot and cold. Shocking and arresting. Love it.<br /><br />For a writer/director, it doesn’t get any better than this; this was the way I wrote it – this is the way it was performed and shot – this is how it plays in the edit. I got to enjoy it three times.<br /><br />So I cut - remember we’ve got ten cameras – cut - shot angles – cut - many takes – cut- reaction shots –cut – shouts – cut – screams –cut –ECU - cut– soundscape – cut etc etc…<br /><br />And I made a complete mess of things… not just a little mess but huge utter custard of images and sounds – you’d think I had just got the program out of the box and started editing that day. I’ve been doing this now for over three months – on any other scene I can drive that thing like a F1 car. Usually, I’ve been working with vision from a minimum of five cameras to handling up to 8 to 10 video tracks – I’m a high performance machine.<br /><br />[As an aside – I do not refer to my script as I edit – so the continuity is all in my head and based on the good take.]<br /><br />This should be a cinch yet the beautiful designer baby had turned out into a monster… </div><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269766843865667762" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 141px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 176px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWQJugdFC780xVCmP_C6JFv1_Z5947zlYP29r4soNswneA87uvE_8sJYH_KvsN4TmL7EcTW8gks398MtcgkRopW_SL6aGlCBQHh__Ekt3dY_YnqsRghzPjKoMaGPtHrhxYqqRoajIp_GA/s320/Frankenstein.bmp" border="0" />How could this be?<br /><br />What happen I think is that as I worked around the performance I lost track of the logic of the scene – my mind couldn’t recall what happened when and where and…disaster.<br /><br />I looked at it – I’ve been working on this scene the longest of all – tweaking every nuance. Fourteen hours over three days of solid work.<br /><br />My eyes were stinging – my mind was numb. My heart was – well - bleeding lifelessly on the floor...<br /><br />Late Sunday night - I started back from scratch. Yes – threw it all out.<br /><br />Still not there yet – but as is the case, I’m rediscovering the scene and I can tell you that there are more great moments…it rocks.<br /><br />[yet to edit the closing sequence – I will have to watch my step there too.]<br /><br />Nearly there boys and girl – nearly there – I hope I can surprise you all with the finished product.<br /><br />Will keep all posted… </div>Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11928935091434901387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2533508042010714398.post-89197911574682575932008-10-27T23:38:00.000-07:002008-10-27T23:42:17.944-07:00Unafraid of the darkHad a great session yesterday – till 1 am – fantastic stuff...sounds images cuts, cuts, performances...<br /><br />I was enthralled by everything - and I’m tough audience - usually fall asleep watching action flicks (don't ask)...<br /><br />I’m either extremely deluded or I got something special – time will tell.Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11928935091434901387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2533508042010714398.post-34480056173251726352008-10-25T00:28:00.000-07:002008-10-25T00:30:11.064-07:00Sneak PreviewsCHW came over for lunch a sneak previews...if any one's interested in seeing some rough cut footage drop me a line...No i didn't tell him the real name of the film or show him the opening credits(!)Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11928935091434901387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2533508042010714398.post-66267418269026439672008-10-22T17:42:00.001-07:002008-10-22T17:52:10.994-07:00Thanks for the laugh CHWChris (‘Paris’) Hilton-Woods left a message on my voicemail saying cast and crew are at the studio all waiting for me to do pick ups (!)<br /><br />I wish…<br /><br />Anyway – this was funny because:<br /><br />1. We shot a s*&^load of footage…who needs pick ups.<br /><br />2. if everyone was on set – they probably wouldn’t wait for me and go ahead and shoot something; I’d like to think that this is because everyone is so prepared and has a clear idea of what I want as a director – and not because they think I'm an idiot who should not be listened to (!) and that indeed I can make a creative contribution.<br /><br />3. We shot a s*&^load of footage…who needs pick ups.Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11928935091434901387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2533508042010714398.post-46604799625910490772008-10-20T16:04:00.000-07:002008-10-20T16:23:40.816-07:00Over the ½ way markLooking good. Looking very good. <br /><br />Last night I was working my way through day 3 and 4 footage– Crikey we shot a s*&%load…who was the maniac director? Man, I was knackered just logging.<br /><br />Isn’t it interesting? In retrospect you think – good enough take – but on the day –I can get better – or I need better than this – mind you it doesn’t hurt to have the footage for one reason or another (technical (camera, sound), performance (never!), variety)…<br /><br />Day 3 was a particularly interesting day – full of cooing pigeons and barking dogs;<br /><br />What I find interesting – because I never noticed on the day – is to see the actors’ reactions up close before “action” and after “cut”.<br /><br />The shear fury in Danielle’s eye every time we had to cut and go for a further take – is a short film itself - and here I was worried she was too sweet-looking. Hell hath no fury like an actress upstaged by cooing pigeons…<br /><br />To be fair - she wasn’t he only one with daggers in her eyes – I could see fury and rage even in lovely Luke’s visage. Reckon it all improved their performances…<br /><br />The only one to take it on the chin was Chris – unfazed by this or that problem – he just kept putting his performance out…very Zen.<br /><br />It is a strange feeling making a film I get to spend so much time on my own - writing first, then reliving it all in the editing.<br /><br />I still miss production and the shoot – not as bad as previously – I don’t have ‘withdrawal symptoms’ – but I am itching to go at it again…I will have a first draft script by X-mas.<br /><br />There, scoop.Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11928935091434901387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2533508042010714398.post-64062638146004657242008-10-14T17:41:00.000-07:002008-10-14T17:44:38.267-07:00In the end - it all works...The other night I thought that a particular card (the 'leading' Red camera none other!) had not been digitised (Nooooo….)<br /><br />Yeah, I know why would I think that with such an efficient and reliable onset postproduction crew? Well – to cut a long story short – all the other cameras recorded the card/shots – Blue and Green had the card and the log book had it recorded but the red Card was nowhere to be found on my hard drives…And I was certain I had transferred all the cards across to the Firewire HDD (see this <a href="http://momentbymomentpm.blogspot.com/2008/08/technical-virgin-discovers-desire.html">post</a>)<br /><br />I then checked the original slave drives and lo and behold it was there.<br /><br />Anyway – it was a painless exercise to then import the folder and edit.<br /><br />Again, I’d like to thank all those involved in designing the system – it wasn’t perfect – and may do it differently next time - but things in the post have worked out well so far.Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11928935091434901387noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2533508042010714398.post-62086282283069424282008-10-13T20:58:00.001-07:002008-10-13T21:00:45.392-07:00Somewhere between 1/3 and ½<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW51o2hevBELc12n03Z_FmQCZ8lGnKUxcvN4wSTTvJbxOXFw2KDoAsyNNYundrR_sAN-LpTnEhDP5yiFa18tAPKfHRfIu2o0_hib2EiFIHIoSVKO3ZJsEiZMy9LpSUVXVwlLIJCLaWhus/s1600-h/06A2%20Waxing%20half%20moon,%20Alexis%20Creek_550.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256854039240663922" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW51o2hevBELc12n03Z_FmQCZ8lGnKUxcvN4wSTTvJbxOXFw2KDoAsyNNYundrR_sAN-LpTnEhDP5yiFa18tAPKfHRfIu2o0_hib2EiFIHIoSVKO3ZJsEiZMy9LpSUVXVwlLIJCLaWhus/s320/06A2%2520Waxing%2520half%2520moon,%2520Alexis%2520Creek_550.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>The mid point is fast approaching – I don’t know if this is a meaningful milestone – but I’m making it...<br /><br />Everything is working really well – in fact, it will be interesting to go back and revisit the earliest scenes now that I’ve gained more experience with the material and the process.<br /><br />I always knew I was going to play with the material but I never realised how much fun it would be.<br /><br />Editing is more like a performance, or even sport – you cut and move and use material like a footballer uses the ball and the arena – you guide the eye at will – sometimes you hang on a performance longer - other times you shift focus on purpose – then you lay down sounds effects and play with their levels…enchanting.<br /><br />Anyway – getting to the halfway mark of the assembly/edit.<br /><br />A great place I tell you – after the shoot I was in a real funk – withdrawal symptoms from not being a set with all the creative decisions - was dreadful...<br /><br />Editing replenished me - it’s a great feeling – it renewed the pleasure of working creatively… </div>Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11928935091434901387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2533508042010714398.post-32144968836337819992008-10-06T22:25:00.000-07:002008-10-06T22:40:35.211-07:00The weight of silenceSound and silence are very powerful in the edit. This is probably a banality to some – I was certainly aware of the theory -yet it is not until full immersion into the material that one can appreciate the power of sounds and its counterpart: silence.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5254280771319916818" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCzDDppIe63ym6Q13DNYtg3d96cYYx2aK5dq0aeQIU8ql_blBJuQWOvN4EZM3qub1k-yRxhkvRdEw7t6q1nUP1QhMpTkAaUGwl3gRNee-4wdVUVZbXLrlLRzonmNmFpqlutstdmwJFDUQ/s320/lrg_sound.jpg" border="0" /><br /><div></div><div>For me another discovery was that the silence between dialogue gains a whole new weight/meaning now that I’ve introduce even the barebones of the soundscape. </div>Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11928935091434901387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2533508042010714398.post-66994456953857528312008-10-02T22:35:00.000-07:002008-10-06T22:41:01.455-07:00Laughing During Sex - What is the sound of fear?Working on the soundscape<br /><br />Not the obvious screams and squeals and horror movie staple – I’m talking about those undefinable and intangible sounds that inexplicably grate against your bones.<br /><br />Those sounds that sink their teeth into your soul.<br /><br />Anyway – these are elusive since we all carry personal baggage.<br /><br />One man’s nightmare is another man’s joy. E.g. I had a friend whose girlfriend would laugh uproariously every time she and he had an orgasm (See how this pays off on the title of the post?). Now – some (many?) men would find these peals of laughter a little ego-deflating – an effing nightmare! Yet he thought it was the sweetest most romantic thing she could do with him – anyway – back to MbM soundscape…<br /><br />Been working on the soundscape – no, haven’t completed the picture edit yet but the plan was to do the two contemporaneously (try saying that three times when you’re really tired…) -<br /><br />Anyway, Soundtrack Pro 2 is a dream as it allows the monitoring of the sounds across the 7.1 points, so I’ve been playing with sounds coming from the room at various points and panning and other effects – I’m like a child with his first bicycle…<br /><br />In any case – I’m designing the soundscape then editing the visuals against it…<br /><br />Very interesting effects…Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11928935091434901387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2533508042010714398.post-46098550773445064682008-10-01T16:10:00.000-07:002008-10-01T16:13:27.078-07:00Learnings from the film editing trenchesHere’s what I learnt last night:<br /><br />Some actors are so precise in their actions (hand, leg and head gestures), that no matter what material you use (shot days apart and out of continuity) – you can cut it together effortlessly.<br /><br />Others replace the discipline of precision with the discipline of enriching the performance and not one take is the same (I’m exaggerating blocking is blocking but compared to the ‘precision actor' there is a vast divergence) – but their offerings mean that with hard edit work one can create a performance that has greater nuances. Others are somewhere in between. I won’t name names – it’s irrelevant…<br /><br />But when this opposite forms of discipline happen at different times in a shot/scene not only it’s easy to edit them together – but also the shot/sequence sparkles and cracks with drama.<br /><br />It’s when things happen simultaneously - you need to cut across performances to have a shot sequence that holds. Great challenge – and when it works - it’s pure bliss (relief?).<br /><br />I wonder - how does one direct these talented individuals for the camera? Multiple takes? Multiple Cameras? Or does one just let them roam free?<br /> <br />I certainly found that ample coverage provided a solution.<br /><br />Speaking of coverage, lo and behold the same is true of other creative especially the camera operators - this is very apparent when see the same take from multiple angles – even the fixed camera have their own personalities (!)<br /><br />Each cameraman with their own style – very much like the actors – some are precise in frame and operation – others are more fluid and seeking the new.<br /><br />I guess I shouldn’t be so surprised but I find it always interesting that each mind see things - and thus reacts - differently.<br /><br />Appropriate for a film about perceptions…Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11928935091434901387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2533508042010714398.post-19358262698030041832008-09-30T17:48:00.000-07:002008-09-30T17:53:12.404-07:00Editing and other lovesEdited way passed my bedtime last night – got caught in the excitement of it all - everything clicked – the camera work, the direction – oh yeah - and the performances(!)<br /><br />The edit is reaching a point where the film in my mind approaches (and becomes) the film on the screen…which is a special and unique place to be for any film maker.<br /><br />I was tempted in sharing some footage with you all – but I’m going to be selfish and hang on to it for a little longer…in good time though I will have a cast and crew screening…Philliphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11928935091434901387noreply@blogger.com0