June 21, 2007

Wrong and Write

Here is our film...Wrong and Write. Created for the 2007 48 Hour Film Project!

Required Elements:

• Character: Tetley Fairfax, writer


• Prop: Conference badge


• Line of dialogue: Well, if you must know, my father told me.

Written, filmed and edited between Friday June, 15 and Sunday June, 17.

June 17, 2007

Completed

Our 48 Hour Film Project is complete. Jason spent all of Sunday editing Saturday's footage, adding music, tweaking scenes, polishing it to a high gloss - as much as time would allow. We finished up around 6:45 PM and I rushed the freshly burned DVD down 51st street to Lexington and caught the 6 train. I arrived at the drop off point, the Pourhouse, at 3rd and 11th Street with 11 minutes to spare.

Thanks to everyone that helped out to make this happen! Our cast and crew really the best. Everyone was so enthusiastic and creative throughout the whole process. It was a really great experience.

Less than 12 hours to go for 48 Hour

We are in the final stretch now. Jason and I were up until 2AM writing the script on Friday; spent all of yesterday shooting scenes and then dumping the video before creating a rough cut last night. Today is devoted to polishing up the edits, adding music and additional audio. Deadline is 7:30 tonight. I think we're going to make it.

June 15, 2007

Keep your Eye on the Donut

The other day during a particularly crowded morning commute, I was trapped in some severe people congestion while trying to climb up the stairs from the subway platform at the Rockefeller Plaza station. You see, for several weeks, one stairway has been closed for repairs so when both an F train and a B or D arrive at the same time it causes a backup at the opposite staircase -my staircase- of impressive proportion. The crowd is thick and tightly packed together as we all try to squeeze up the stairs at the same time. It is a slow and arduous process.

Anyway, as I steadily shuffled my way across the platform towards the foot of the stair - careful not to step or be stepped on - a grizzled old man leaned into me and whispered conspiratorily, "Looks like everyone is rushing for a donut!" Naturally I was alarmed but I maintained my cool. What did he mean? Was this some code or form of corporate-speak that required action on my behalf? He didn't look like the executive type for sure but by the way he stared at me expectantly it was obvious that he was looking for some sort of reaction, affirmation or response - and soon. Thinking quickly, I looked him back in the eye, smiled grimly and nodded. With this simple acknowledgement I hoped to convey this: I understand and agree with you, old man. Clearly I am on your side. However, let us speak no more about this lest we betray our position to our enemies.

This seemed to satisfy him and I was able to merge into the crowd and disappear.

June 12, 2007

Four days until 48 Hours

The countdown has begun and this Friday the 48 Hour Film Project kicks off. Jason and I have been steadily moving the pieces into place and preparing as much as we can to start writing, shooting, and editing starting 7PM Friday the 15th.

The film project is the crest of one of my busiest weeks ever. I returned from Vermont on Monday, looked at my schedule and realized I am booked solid far into next week. As we cobble together our film offering I will also be juggling a class that starts this Thursday, band rehearsals for a show next week, a show at the bowery I bought tickets for and my regular drum practice in the East Village. I feel my eyes widen at the mention of it, but actually writing it down here makes it all seem a bit more manageable. Certainly that is a good strategy - organization. Today's tip: get organized.

June 07, 2007

New Coffee Mug

My WNYC coffee mug arrived yesterday thereby consumating my membership. I christened it this morning with delicious delicious coffee.

June 06, 2007

Radio Lab in Tanzania

If you haven't been checking it out already, you should read some of the posts that Ellen has been uploading from Tanzania! She's over there covering the Global Ted Conference until tomorrow and then she heads out to Bukoba to do a bit of investigative reporting. Read up! It's good stuff.

June 04, 2007

24 Hour Film Project

I have committed myself, a friend and several volunteers to the 48 Hour Film Project, an international film competition where the contestants are prescribed a character name, a prop, a line of dialogue and a genre, then given 48 hour to write, direct, and edit a 4 to 7 minute film. Sound like fun? I think so. I'll let you know.

Tonight my partner in film production, Jason, and I attended a meet and greet of the New York contingent where several of the previous years winners were screened. I can't say that we met and greeted too much, but we did learn a lot from what we saw from last year's entries. Lots of good stuff. Surprisingly good productions for the limited time allotted.

Impressive submissions were presented from across the county in the genres of silent film, animation, family film, and mockumentary - all preceded by info cards that detailed the particular required prop, character and script line elements of each. The most improbable was an entry from Paris in the Western genre. Trust me, it totally worked. My other favorite was a mock documentary about homeland security forces arresting Canadian Geese. Genius.

In the end I think this event bolstered our confidence (which is good, very good). The competition obviously rises to the challenge and the best of the lot produces some very impressive fare - but we are reasonably confident that we too can produce a fine film under these contraints. As confident as our yet untested team can be.

I think that at the end the result we will be very positive. We will have completed a short film and certainly learned a lot about the process. Whatever happens I am prepared to have a good time. That's my new rule. I will keep you all updated as the action unfolds.

June 03, 2007

Zombies

If I were to be menaced by zombies I think that I would much prefer the traditional slow-moving zombie to the hyperkinetic super rage zombie.

For the record.