Pre-shoot nerves...

G

gorillaonabike

So we are shooting in a week and a half and I am already regretting absolutely everything! I regret choosing a pretentious, artsy short. I deeply regret writing something which is so plotless and abstract - my second short has a story but the story in this first short is so pretentious as to be almost incomprehensible.

I am terrified it is going to be terrible. In fact, I know it is going to be terrible. It is artsy, pretentious and my first short with an untried and untested crew and actors. If I was choosing a formula for failure, it would be this.

WHY AM I DOING THIS? Why aren't I doing something more worthwhile like, like knitting or helping little old ladies with their shopping.

Maybe I should have given it all up and done something more rewarding with my life. Anything must be better than this...

AAARGGGHHHHH!!!!!!

* Feels better *

Sorry, just needed to vent...
 
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gorillaonabike said:
In fact, I will get the second short shot before putting the first on Indietalk as I am confident the second has a good little story with a little urban mythology thrown in.
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You're clearly a more experienced filmmaker than me so grains of salt and not even two-pence here, but unless schedules demand it you might consider waiting for constructive feedback on this short and take those perspectives with you to your next shoot. Otherwise whatever you fall victim to in the first will...
 
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gorillaonabike said:
I think you mean wait until my editor has to edit a 3 camera angle scene... :)

My editor is my ace up the sleeve but I don't think I'll have him long. He will be joining the professional ranks soon but I reckon I'll have him for my second short which is significantly more mainstream with little things like a 'plot' and a 'story.'

In fact, I will get the second short shot before putting the first on Indietalk as I am confident the second has a good little story with a little urban mythology thrown in.
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You should show the first one here too, and get advice on any thing that should be edited out or cut differently, before doing the second maybe. But I fell your nerves. I don't know how others deal with it, especially when your crew looses interest a couple of weeks before shooting and you got to do everything yourself even though, they were much more qualified for it. Don't know how others put up with it, but I guess you just got to let the ends justify the means sometimes and roll with it.
 
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harmonica44 said:
You should show the first one here too, and get advice on any thing that should be edited out or cut differently, before doing the second maybe. But I fell your nerves. I don't know how others deal with it, especially when your crew looses interest a couple of weeks before shooting and you got to do everything yourself even though, they were much more qualified for it. Don't know how others put up with it, but I guess you just got to let the ends justify the means sometimes and roll with it.
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Just to give you an idea why I'm not asking for more help on here, even if I am successful, this short is likely to bore the pants off 90% of the people looking at it because, for a start, it's an abstract, artistic short with no recognisable plot. There is a plot but it's abstract enough to possibly be unintelligible or just too pretentious to watch. Already, that description puts me off watching it and I wrote it. I just hope that in the 10% of people who might like it if I can shoot it include stunningly beautiful billionaire heiresses who will throw themselves at an aspiring film maker.

Also, I did not want help in the concept or structure as from my pianistic background, I designed it as an etude. This is a piece of music which allows the pianist to practice certain elements while playing a recognisable tune. So it's not just a short, it's a practice piece so I can bring together a group of film makers to shoot something and an opportunity to make mistakes. The second short is really going to be more interesting (hopefully) and the third might have an outside chance of being OK.

And if you really want to know how pretentious up my own @ss I am with regards to the structure etc..., I designed it to fit with the overall form and structure of Rachmaninov's Prelude in C Sharp minor although naturally my visual, Westernised, modern interpretation of this fantastic piece written in 1892.

D"mn that was tedious to write but you can kinda understand why I'm not really reaching out there for help with this one, particularly as it is my first real short and will probably be really, really bad and stupid (why did I choose abstract ideas as my first short). My second is completely conventional and has a plot, characters etc... but the first is four actors and at best, an abstract plot, story. Now where did I put my beret and copy of "how to be a pretentious @sshole for Dummies..."
 
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gorillaonabike said:
I designed it to fit with the overall form and structure of Rachmaninov's Prelude in C Sharp minor although naturally my visual, Westernised, modern interpretation of this fantastic piece written in 1892.

D"mn that was tedious to write... but the first is four actors and at best, an abstract plot, story. Now where did I put my beret and copy of "how to be a pretentious @sshole for Dummies..."
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Sounds perfect for something I'd like to swipe and put on my fowleggs youtube page! :D

Channel a little Fellini or Dali action going on and Viola! Absurdity in a can! Er... on a chip? A drive. Yeah. That.

GL
 
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gorillaonabike said:
Just to give you an idea why I'm not asking for more help on here, even if I am successful, this short is likely to bore the pants off 90% of the people looking at it because, for a start, it's an abstract, artistic short with no recognisable plot. There is a plot but it's abstract enough to possibly be unintelligible or just too pretentious to watch. Already, that description puts me off watching it and I wrote it. I just hope that in the 10% of people who might like it if I can shoot it include stunningly beautiful billionaire heiresses who will throw themselves at an aspiring film maker.

Also, I did not want help in the concept or structure as from my pianistic background, I designed it as an etude. This is a piece of music which allows the pianist to practice certain elements while playing a recognisable tune. So it's not just a short, it's a practice piece so I can bring together a group of film makers to shoot something and an opportunity to make mistakes. The second short is really going to be more interesting (hopefully) and the third might have an outside chance of being OK.

And if you really want to know how pretentious up my own @ss I am with regards to the structure etc..., I designed it to fit with the overall form and structure of Rachmaninov's Prelude in C Sharp minor although naturally my visual, Westernised, modern interpretation of this fantastic piece written in 1892.

D"mn that was tedious to write but you can kinda understand why I'm not really reaching out there for help with this one, particularly as it is my first real short and will probably be really, really bad and stupid (why did I choose abstract ideas as my first short). My second is completely conventional and has a plot, characters etc... but the first is four actors and at best, an abstract plot, story. Now where did I put my beret and copy of "how to be a pretentious @sshole for Dummies..."
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Well I don't know anything of it, so I will wait and see. But it's still good to ask for help. Especially with only a week now till shooting, if you think of anything.
 
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Nerves are normal... just make sure you have it written down so you can proceed as planned.

Your discription makes me quite curious.
It can turn out to be really intriguing (or even good) of it can be considered crap :P
Experimental stuff is a good way to learn dealing with the medium: it takes you away from the normal prozaic way of telling things and leaves you with shape, color, sound and (visual) rhythm.

Anyway: send it to the International Film Festival Rotterdam. There is always an 'exploding cinema' section with experimental stuff.
I always try to go and watch some of this experimental stuff: some things are bad, boring, same same or even like my own work (when I was a student I made some experimental stuff as well: I could post one of my gradution films, but it's probably NSFW, lol). But some things have really cool ideas or insane visuals.
 
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try not to look at it at an "artsy" presperctive...remember what Obie-one told Luke!

Look at it as a business/resume angle. Its already set in motion an things need to get done....while you are shooting you can adjust. But in preproduction get thaose details locked down as much as you can. All said and done its a learning experience. Even if the shoot goes to hell in a a hand bag (whoa good title! I GOTS DIBS ON THE TITLE!!!!lol) you will have alot of collartial for the next project like stock footage and possable actors and cew (for thoes you like) and such...but keep at thoes details because you will forget something or something will go worng....just prep yourself good luck and try to enjoy the shoot as much as you can.

and by the way, i lived in St pete fl...well i still do sort of....and the Dali museum does take abstract films from independents. They do have showing of indepentend flims that reflect what Dali did. Dali actually dabbled in flim a bit so when its all done and finshed contact them.
 
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I am absolutely exhausted. 90% of the shoot completed with three more hours to go on two, separate days. We were all absolutely sh@gged by the end of the day on Saturday - totally f@cked - so intense. My muscles were aching from camera work (we had two cameras with two different rigs) and learned loads. It was unbelievably intense all the way through. Sunday was 90 minutes - easy, quick and simple.

We now (a little too late) have taken a giant leap forward and have an understanding now of what can / can't be done. Just wish we'd known some of this stuff before shooting but hey, hindsight is a cruel mistress and this is all the stuff you can't learn online. Just gotta do it and see what happens.

My editor thinks there is enough salvageable footage that the short will probably be OK. It won't be wow, but it should be solid. It's in his hands and his hands are absolutely awesome. Don't get me wrong - it won't appeal to 90% of the population but that's down to the content and it's my call to do it this way. I can create something artistic.

And some of the crew are awesome. Terrified about how it will turn out but, well, we'll see...
 
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i'm filming tomorrow, had to change my actress on thursday, weather looks bad. will have 4 hours to film it, have to film and do sound at the same time as using a glidetrack on my own.
keep changing my mind on shots, meh. nobody will watch it anyway :D


you even have an editor lol, what a luxury that would be.
 
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LastSunsetFilms said:
i'm filming tomorrow, had to change my actress on thursday, weather looks bad. will have 4 hours to film it, have to film and do sound at the same time as using a glidetrack on my own.
keep changing my mind on shots, meh. nobody will watch it anyway :D


you even have an editor lol, what a luxury that would be.
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Editor, makeup, sound recordist, DoP - I had a load of people turn up. I even had actors. Useful things, actors...
 
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dlevanchuk said:
carefull with that statement ;) it bit me on the butt a few times..
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It's film making humour...

Seriously, we screwed up in a couple of areas due to fatigue. The further on in the shoot we got, the more exhausted we became. We also got some of the tools wrong.

However, the beauty of an artistic short is if we screw anything up, we can just call it 'art.' :)

Yes, it was meant to be out of focus - honest! It's the new, artistic look...
 
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