TEAM 3 - Faldor / Lance / Owen W. / (Fig)

[Lance]

The weather has been beautiful for filming, haven't shot a single frame...

Filming is planned for this coming Friday at the location furthest from us and I'm just hoping the weather holds. I'll even take slightly overcast.

I managed to build myself a tripod mountable slider dolly so I can get some smooth camera movement out in the woods so looking forward to putting that to use.

This has been an update by some plebeian fuck.

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[Faldor]

I managed to build myself a tripod mountable slider dolly so I can get some smooth camera movement out in the woods so looking forward to putting that to use.

If it's not completely stable you might want to take some alternate takes with a high frame rate of around 1/150 which will give you less motion blur and get better results from the likes of warp stabiliser.

post-stabilisation hasn't been the magical solution many hoped it would be when it was first developed but it does allow you to use a very cheap dolly and get results you'd otherwise need equipment costing three or four figures.

here's hoping the weather holds, The Pacific north-west is the bit famed for its clear skies and warm weather, right?

[Chad Peter]

I managed to build myself a tripod mountable slider dolly so I can get some smooth camera movement out in the woods so looking forward to putting that to use.

If it's not completely stable you might want to take some alternate takes with a high frame rate of around 1/150 which will give you less motion blur and get better results from the likes of warp stabiliser.

post-stabilisation hasn't been the magical solution many hoped it would be when it was first developed but it does allow you to use a very cheap dolly and get results you'd otherwise need equipment costing three or four figures.

here's hoping the weather holds, The Pacific north-west is the bit famed for its clear skies and warm weather, right?

HOW DARE YOU

*goes back to his job of post-stabilization*

[Lance]

If it's not completely stable you might want to take some alternate takes with a high frame rate of around 1/150 which will give you less motion blur and get better results from the likes of warp stabiliser.

post-stabilisation hasn't been the magical solution many hoped it would be when it was first developed but it does allow you to use a very cheap dolly and get results you'd otherwise need equipment costing three or four figures.

I made it pretty rock solid and it mounts to a Bogden head I had, which fits the new Manfrotto tripod I just got, but I'll be sure to grab alternates just in case. It's an hour drive to this location so I'd like to get what I need first go. Is the 1/150 for 24fps@ 1080p to stabilize? I have been setting at 1/50 but haven't tried to get any action or hand held motion shots yet. I will need to though, there will be some running through the woods that I think I have figured out but, then again, Maybe I don't.

here's hoping the weather holds, The Pacific north-west is the bit famed for its clear skies and warm weather, right?

Absolutely.

The real trick around here is the weather conditions change every 10 miles, give or take. I can get a sunburn in my yard then drive to work 7 miles away and get drenched on my walk through the parking lot.

[Lance]

So here i sit, truck loaded with gear and props, ready to head out on location. The sky is bright and mostly clear with a few drifting clouds for effect. I have every thing I need except a bottle of water with a tear away label and a coupl of candy bars...oh, yeah, and my main character who was supposed to meet me an hour ago.

Mother fucker.

[Lance]

Now re-scheduled for Monday. Fucking unpaid talent.

[Faldor]

I recently discovered that paying people doesn't actually solve all your problems, instead of people not being able to commit because of other responsibilities you can end up with people just showing up for the paycheck.

[Chad Peter]

Oh man. Talk about a rite of passage. No filmmaker is truly a filmmaker without being stood-up by an actor at some point. Was this someone that you found through a casting call? A friend?

That sucks, sorry mate. Remind me to tell you about that one time a successful actress told me she couldn't film the scheduled day, "because it's 4/20... duh." The other actress on set that day was fucking furious - maybe more so than I was.

[Lance]

Oh man. Talk about a rite of passage. No filmmaker is truly a filmmaker without being stood-up by an actor at some point. Was this someone that you found through a casting call? A friend?

That sucks, sorry mate. Remind me to tell you about that one time a successful actress told me she couldn't film the scheduled day, "because it's 4/20... duh." The other actress on set that day was fucking furious - maybe more so than I was.

He's a friend/co-worker/20 something young buck struggling with becoming a responsible adult. He rarely dissapoints me so it's all settled.

Not as bad as ditching out on scheduled filming to get baked...You know, when I was smoking pot back in High School, we never needed a pseudo-excuse like "420" to smoke. It was always 420 and you still did what needed to be done. I guess we were just "high" functioning stoners.

Okay, made it out to film! Five hours on the trail lugging around equipment. I've only reviewed about a dozen of the shots on the computer but it looks like I managed to correctly set my white balance, keep most of what i need in focus (no small feat without a field monitor and a stock Nikon 18-55 kit lense in bright sunlight), and nothing looks too over or under exposed so far. I think I have about 85% of this short filmed. I did manage to leave the candy bar in the truck at the trailhead which I needed in the final sequince at the end of the trail...I have a lighter tripod I'll be taking to get that shot.

[Lance]

Edited together the first sequence of the new footage which went quite smoothly. There were some focussing issues here and there that I couldn't see until I was able to review the footage fully on my computer but I edited around the problem footage and still think the story and mood come across as intended. It's coming together and I think I'm getting better at this. Still a long way to go before I have a presentable first short film but it's working its way towards completion.

[Chad Peter]

Dude, congrats. Your resolve is inspiring! Get er done! Looking forward to seeing what comes of this. What else is there still to shoot?

[Lance]

Dude, congrats. Your resolve is inspiring! Get er done! Looking forward to seeing what comes of this. What else is there still to shoot?

I have three scenes with support cast, about five or six shots so I'll get twenty or so.

I have three more scenes with my main character, one just because I forgot the damn candy bar. One of those scenes will be pretty involved with multiple angles and setups. Just ran out of time to get those shots on the last venture, we were late for work and still had an hour drive to get there.

And I need to get a couple of fill shots to make one sequince come together.

It may take me far longer than it should but I'll problem solve my way to finishing any project that I feel is worth finishing and i'm having a blast making this happen.

[Lance]

Still working on it.

Would've gone out this weekend but it was in the 90's on the trail and no one wanted to sweat it out.

[Lance]

Due to family responsibilities (main character has his kid for the month of July) and continuity issues (he cut his hair) filming will now go into late summer (late July/ early August). I will be filming every scene without the main character that is left and doing every thing I can for post production without those scenes in the meantime. Over a year in the making, my little 10 minute micro budget short film.

[Faldor]

That's a real pain, still it will be worth it when it's done.

[Chad Peter]

Due to family responsibilities (main character has his kid for the month of July) and continuity issues (he cut his hair) filming will now go into late summer (late July/ early August). I will be filming every scene without the main character that is left and doing every thing I can for post production without those scenes in the meantime. Over a year in the making, my little 10 minute micro budget short film.

haha, fucking hair cuts... it'll get you every time. It's like you're in a film school - year one, in the record books.

Sucks, too. There'll be something else that unexpectedly rears its head as well, but roll with it! Just remember - when it's not fun anymore, close the book on it and move onto the next film project!

[Lance]

That's a real pain, still it will be worth it when it's done.

Fully agree.

haha, fucking hair cuts... it'll get you every time. It's like you're in a film school - year one, in the record books.

Sucks, too. There'll be something else that unexpectedly rears its head as well, but roll with it! Just remember - when it's not fun anymore, close the book on it and move onto the next film project!

If I wasn't loving it I'd have bailed long ago. My only real stress is not being able to go out and shoot the scenes constantly running through my head. I'm so close to having the footage I need.

Still loving it even after packing gear a mile up the trail and back. That tripod and head are not light.

One of the benefits of not having a budget or a set deadline is that I don't have to stress out when things do go wrong, or when I get the footage onto the computer and find out that I missed my focus/over exposed/forgot to set white balance/bumped the camera on that one shot that I thought I nailed so we moved on to the next shot.

It's not easy; but when I see the clean shots I can get from a kit lens that has about half an inch of focus ring movement from end to end while using a 2.5" LCD screen with no sun hood to see what I'm shooting in the field It gives me hope that, once I can acquire a field monitor and some good glass, I'll be able to get even better shots, easier, and faster.

[Chad Peter]

That's a real pain, still it will be worth it when it's done.

Fully agree.

haha, fucking hair cuts... it'll get you every time. It's like you're in a film school - year one, in the record books.

Sucks, too. There'll be something else that unexpectedly rears its head as well, but roll with it! Just remember - when it's not fun anymore, close the book on it and move onto the next film project!

If I wasn't loving it I'd have bailed long ago. My only real stress is not being able to go out and shoot the scenes constantly running through my head. I'm so close to having the footage I need.

Still loving it even after packing gear a mile up the trail and back. That tripod and head are not light.

One of the benefits of not having a budget or a set deadline is that I don't have to stress out when things do go wrong, or when I get the footage onto the computer and find out that I missed my focus/over exposed/forgot to set white balance/bumped the camera on that one shot that I thought I nailed so we moved on to the next shot.

It's not easy; but when I see the clean shots I can get from a kit lens that has about half an inch of focus ring movement from end to end while using a 2.5" LCD screen with no sun hood to see what I'm shooting in the field It gives me hope that, once I can acquire a field monitor and some good glass, I'll be able to get even better shots, easier, and faster.

You said the magic words:

"My only real stress is not being able to go out and shoot the scenes constantly running through my head."

So often I don't hear filmmakers say this... and it makes me wonder - well, why are you making films to begin with? (hint: usually they don't). So good to hear you say that.

[Mike]

Still loving it even after packing gear a mile up the trail and back. That tripod and head are not light.

Dude! This! THIS! This is my film making role - pack mule! I rock at that shit! Lemme know if I can help! And, uh, if it pays...

[Chad Peter]

Still loving it even after packing gear a mile up the trail and back. That tripod and head are not light.

Dude! This! THIS! This is my film making role - pack mule! I rock at that shit! Lemme know if I can help! And, uh, if it pays...

It's true - I've seen Mike haul a heavy ass tripod up and down a snowy mountainside.