Community Project

NickClapper

NickClapper

My greatest regret, during my time on IndieTalk, has been my failure to get a community project off the ground. We came pretty close with the organ lottery project, but it never quite worked out. The past few days has seen a new member trying to get another community project off the ground, but is, I suspect, going to fall into a number of inevitable traps.

I am currently studying for the final exams of my academic career (*sob*) so am just sitting in libraries all day, every day. I'd like something to break it up a little bit (in addition to the couple of projects I am, slowly, working on). So I've come up with a new way to do a community project.

If you would like to participate in this project as a director (or in a shooting capacity), I need the following information out of you:

What actors are at your disposal? [i.e. two men and a woman]
What locations are at your disposal? [i.e. a house, a bar, an abandoned quarry]
Can you record decent quality sound? [i.e. yes]
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Please be conservative with your responses. In order for this project to be realistic and work, I need to be sure that people can (and will) shoot their scenes in the allocated manner.

Once I have a bunch of participants, I will go away and write a short script that incorporates these various shooting units into a single coherent story. I will ensure that no member has more than a maximum of two days shooting (though generally will try and keep it to what can be done in a single day). If you cannot record decent quality sound, I will give you no dialogue to shoot. Everything will be kept as simple as possible (within the constraints of a very tricky project!) so that we have the maximum chance of success.

Additionally, if you are not willing to direct (or arrange the production of) a shooting unit, there are loads of other roles that are required:

Composer
Editor - individual units should edit their scenes but a central editor will put it all together and try and ensure that the editing matches throughout.
Post-sound
VFX - will not be VFX heavy, but we can incorporate some if there's someone who can supply the talent.
Marketing - with so many cooks, would be great to have someone responsible for pushing the film.
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In order to make this attempt as successful as possible, I will only accept forum regulars into the scheme. New members (and I'm talking people who've only been around a few weeks) are welcome to input and help out, but it is of paramount importance that I know people will stick around and see their unit through to completion.

The deadline for signing up is 18th April 2014, giving people two weeks, after which we will allocate two months (and a bit) to complete production of your scenes, meaning a shooting deadline of 30th June 2014. As I have said, should be no more than a day of filming over the course of two months, so if you can't commit to that then please don't!

I really hope this works, and I think it can. Let me know if you have any thoughts and get signing up!

Current units:
David.rhsc (San Francisco, USA)
cheeseandachallenge (Wellington, New Zealand)
Cracker Funk (Richmond, USA)
wheatgrinder
Flicker Pictures (Boston, USA)
mad_hatter (Birmingham, England)
Dreadylocks (Omaha, USA)
Lucky Hardwood (New Orleans, USA)
ChimpPhobiaFilms (Ohio, USA)

Fence-sitting-maybe-merchants:
WalterB
Dreadylocks
sfoster
mad_hatter
ChimpPhobiaFilms
ItDonnedOnMe
jax_rox
Flicker Pictures

Music team
JoshL
mike mcguill

Sound team
mike mcguill

Sound maybes
AudioPostExpert
Alcove Audio

Marketing maybes
RayW

And remember to fill in this form if you want to have a shooting unit in the film!

(Of course, if you're local to an existing unit, why not team up?)
 
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I'm not convinced.
The whole meta thought seems too much of an inside joke than an effective way to percieve the story: the video spreads globally and people react.

It's fun to film people getting disgusted or shocked unexpectedly, but this UFO video goes round real fast, also in mainstream media: it makes no sense to me to make lo-fi ' ambushed watcher videos'.

This way it will just be: people reacting being filmed by somebody without a part in the story.

I think the 'radio text' (which could very well be TV as well: except the San Fransisco radio part) combined with landmarks/skylines AND people's reaction as they watch TV/tablet/smartphone (with earplugs).
We don't need to see any content on the screens (although it would wise to play the UFO video): a couple on a couch in the light from the TV, someone in a subway/train/bus watching on an smartphone. A group of people (both clients and owners) in a take away food store with a TV turning their heads towards the screen in amazement and disbelief. (Anyone up for shooting that? :P ) Someone watching TV during dinner: the fork with food just stays in front of the open mouth: the eater is astonished... (Just some thoughts)

The very beginning to introduce the video needs some work, though. (C&C is already done shooting, right?)
It's far from perfect. As I rewrote Nick's beginning I made the sequence move west from New Zealand through Japan, Russia, Europe to the New World ending on the east coast where the story 'begins'.

An option is to have the artist couple as opening for the openingssequence (in case we don't want random people in the first shot). The man is watching a show, she walks in just as the video starts and the video reallt catches her attention, sparks her creativity. (Although we won't show how she yells she is inspired and starts painting. It's just her expression and the almost finished painting in their scene.)
 
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We want a strong opening to shock the audience or rack up the tension.

We could cut back and forth from a view counter of the video, to reactions to the video w/ music. Perhaps we start with "0", then cut to someone watching it on their phone. Cut back and it says "80". Show someone emailing the video. Cut back and it says "1000". Cut to it at the top of a forum. Cut back and it says "45678". Cut to it on a major news site. Cut back and it says "980000". We keep cutting back and forth, there's a musical crescendo, then it cuts out and the title appears. The reaction video thing might work too. It would create some tension and the audience might get interested as to what exactly they're reacting to. Although opening with the UFO video would be attention grabbing and effective. Or maybe starting with a faux news segment, and right before they show the video, we cut to the title. Or perhaps we could start with a blank screen, then we hear a discussion on some NPR-type station. As the discussion between the interviewer and interviewee progresses, we cut to quick flashes of the video.

As a side note, maybe we could release the video beforehand. Not that people will play into it and believe it, but the video might pique the curiosity of viewers and they might go looking for it just for fun. When making a recent short film, I was watching cheesy illuminati videos for inspiration. One of the videos had a description that spread "Upload this video to your account and spread the word". Perhaps each of us could create an account, and upload that video to make it appear like the original video was taken down, and now all of these videos have swarmed Youtube. Also, we could get a semi-big Youtuber to make a reaction video to the UFO video to either release on their channel and/or to use in the film/series. We could also release the alien videos, as well as reactions by regular people before the film is released.
 
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Dreadylocks said:
Like he even needs an excuse to walk around in his high heels. ;)
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Hey, size 11 high heels aren't cheap, so I want to get as much use out of them as I can...

il_340x270.626085116_6h2y.jpg
 
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AudioPostExpert said:
Alcove, I know you expressed a desire to do the sound design for the cell footage, what desire/s do you have have for the rest of the short?
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Sorry it took so long - I've been busy.

What needs doing? Dialog edit? Foley?

And yes, I would like to take a shot at the space ship sound effects; haven't had a chance to do something fun like that in a long time. I'd like the original footage, if possible.
 
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Alcove Audio said:
What needs doing? Dialog edit? Foley?
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Essentially, yes. Ideally I would suggest the following:

Me:
Sound Designer/Supervising Sound Editor
Re-recording Mixer

Alcove:
Dialogue Editor
Sound Effects Designer

Mike:
Foley Artist/Editor

I would take on the sexy job of the Atmos/additional SFX. I'm not sure how much Foley there will be but it looks like there's going to be quite a lot of it, maybe too much for Mike to handle by himself? Having you Alcove (or me) help him out with the Foley could cause difficulties though. Trying to mix together Foley happening at the same time but recorded with different mics/acoustics might be tricky but maybe I'm being a little too picky, and I'd hate to deprive you Alcove of the opportunity to legitimately get your heels out! :) On the other hand, I certainly don't want to compromise the time you have available to do the best you can with the dialogue, which is of course of paramount importance. Maybe we should cross this Foley bridge when we get to it (when we have the locked-off edit). Any comments from either of you regarding this or the suggested roles? How are you Mike with Foley, do you have much experience in this area and the equipment/facilities to do it?

We'll (you and I Alcove) have to look at how you're going to present the spaceship SFX. Depending on how the cell footage is going to relate/integrate with the rest of the short and if there's a 5.1 mix, there might be some channel and/or other logistics to sort out. Nothing we can't solve, I'm sure.

mikemcguill said:
@APE - I'm on Pro Tools 8
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That makes life a lot easier! I should be able to just import your PT session straight into my master PT session for mixing. Much easier, more accurate and quicker than having to deal with OMFs. It also means there's the option of providing a spotting list as a PT session.

G
 
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I think that a 5.1 mix might be more work than necessary. Ultimately, this short is going to find its home on YouTube/Vimeo (barring a few festivals), so I feel like a 5.1 mix might just make the post-sound process longer and more difficult than it needs to be. Of course, I defer to the sound guys if they think there are good arguments for going the full-hog with a 5.1 mix.

The film is now on IMDB so please can you all submit updates with your cast and crew: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3921170/?ref_=nm_flmg_wr_1
 
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Hi everyone!

Been busy since our shoot last weekend, but here's a little update:

Shoot went very well; we had a great cast and our small crew worked very hard to make our short days. Unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate with us, so did what we could with the overcast day.

Shortened some of our shots and picked up a little extra coverage. Not as many CU shots of actions as I would have liked, but my director is confident about our cut.

More updates in the near future. Added a handful of bts shots taken with my phone to the dropbox link up thread.

I'll try to get some screen caps up for kicks soon.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/uardqb9vx0advdj/AAByw2sTIiC1XOQ2tIZ5vkhla

Link for convenience.
 
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Looking great David!

Shame about the weather, but I'm sure you'll be able to work around it. What with that and the Dutch scene, we've got a brooding stormy vibe going on in the film ;)
 
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NickClapper said:
Ultimately, this short is going to find its home on YouTube/Vimeo (barring a few festivals), so I feel like a 5.1 mix might just make the post-sound process longer and more difficult than it needs to be.
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Although I virtually always have to provide a stereo down-mix as part of the deliverables, pretty much everything I'm asked to do these days is in 5.1. However, for Youtube et al, stereo is the right choice. Stereo would also be the right choice for the majority of low tier, local or regional film/video festivals (although some might allow a 5.1 mix). Mid tier festivals could require either stereo or 5.1 for exhibition (depending on the individual festival) but I know of no high tier festivals which will exhibit without a 5.1 mix.

So, providing none of the festivals you intend to enter allow or require a 5.1 mix, then just a stereo mix would be enough. Unless I hear differently (before audio post starts) I'll/we'll proceed on the basis of creating only a stereo mix suitable for Youtube et al.

G
 
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None of the main UK short film festivals that we might submit to – Raindance, LSFF, Encounters – specify the need for a 5.1 mix.

I'll wait on the others to have a quick look through their list, but I suspect that outside of Sundance, Cannes...etc most film festivals will be willing to accept a stereo mix. After all, Encounters and Raindance are Oscar qualifying festivals and both accept stereo (Encounters even exhibits from DVD if necessary).

ALSO: Ray, any chance you could give me access to the project blog? We've got 14k views on this thread and we're getting some good press attention, so it's probably time to start blogging more regularly and I've got enough time at the moment.
 
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NickClapper said:
ALSO: Ray, any chance you could give me access to the project blog? We've got 14k views on this thread and we're getting some good press attention, so it's probably time to start blogging more regularly and I've got enough time at the moment.
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I think it may be time to give it a bit of a makeover, too. I know for me, at least, the graphics/sizing is really messed up in my browser. Plus I think we can give it a more sleek professional look. Thoughts?
 
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The logo needs a redesign, for sure. My graphic designer friends are all too busy. (And so am I)

(The stand-by button can stay an element, although in a different design and rotated to make it more like a G )

@Nick:
Haven't found any statements about 5.1 for IFFR and New Port Beach Film Festival yet.
Imagine's website is down at the moment.

Good news: the deadline for IFFR is october first. BUT rough cuts are accepted: so if sound isn't completly finished we can still submit as long as it is an almost finished film:)
 
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I did a quick, simple redesign the other week – just the earth, in the darkness, with a lens flare on the fringe and some simple sans serif text. I'll upload it when I get home from work.
 
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