Welcome to our community

Be a part of something great, join today!

Log in
  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

I got a case of "The Reds" - a thread for Feature Writer/Directors

I really want to see that movie as well.

Yeah, I think it will be very interesting to shoot in sequence. It gives you all kinds of freedom to change the story as you go. Of course that can be a dangerous thing, too, if you make the wrong choices.
 
Yes, great interview! It's from the Criterion bonus disc, which is available on netflix. I highly, highly, highly recommend it to all filmmakers, and even actors. Glad to know it's on youtube so I can share it with others. Thanks!
 
thinkbug said:
That sounds like a great project, Tom! I think many actors would love to shoot in sequence when they can, as it allows them to develop their characters in a logical, linear fashion. I'm looking forward to seeing The Wind That Shakes the Barley with Cillian Murphy; I read that it was shot in sequence as well.
Click to expand...

Directed by Ken Loach, one of my top most favoritest directors. He gets some of the most amazing performances, often from people with no prior acting experience. Check out Sweet Sixteen. One of his methods is to withhold the script from the actors, only letting them have it for the day they're shooting. The only behind-the-scenes of him working that I've seen is on the dvd of Tickets. If anyone knows of any other footage please let me know.
 
Jaime Vallés said:
Very good thread here. My brother and I are working hard on our next screenplay right now. We'll see when it's finished (hopefully by the end of July). Then it's fundraising time. Woo hoo!!! :glare:

For me, I can't even think of going on location with actors and a crew and not know exactly what the day's goals are, or what words need to be spoken and shots set up. Heck, for our last feature almost every single shot in the movie was storyboarded! When working for cheap, actors and crew need to feel like the director is in control and has a rock-solid plan. The only way I can fit that description is by having a rock-solid airtight killer screenplay as the backbone of the production.

But hey, if not having a script works for some people, then great! If it works, it works, and that's all that matters. The ability to record 2 hours of uninterrupted 4K footage on a RED-Drive may allow for some really interesting improv situations.

Good luck to everyone on this thread writing and directing movies!
Click to expand...


Certainly agree with different strokes etc. My personality is simply that I feel restrained by too much structure. Some is necessary, but when I write something doun, I almost feel locked in... as though I'm through and do not need to revisit. I keep central bits of dialogue on one of those little mp3 flash drive/recorders. I figure the memorable line is all that is essential, and just about any old rubbish can get you to it, and past it. And since I will not be using named, or in many cases, professional actors, I will be able to feed them lines and just keep the Red rolling as we do rapid fire takes. That's the basis for my believing that this camera will put the small budget filmaker on a higher plane.
 
adaml said:
While I think that going to the set without a script is generally courting disaster, I do believe that new forms of filmmaking (filmlessmaking?) will emerge.... I say go with your instincts, just don't bet the house on it just yet and be prepared to modify your approach based on what you discover. Everyone is different, and no one can say what will work for you. Through your work you will discover what your particular talents are.
Click to expand...

Good advice, not betting the house on it. That's why I've spun the house deed off from the farm abstract. When I get the farm paid for, I will then bet the farm on it, though. And if it fails, well, I didn't like farming all that much anyway.
 
I'm re-writing a short movie I shot on the DVX100A and making it into a real 2 hour feature. I'd love to re-shoot it with RED, but RED is still in the fantasy stage for me. However, if all goes as planned, by the time my other big movie idea is written, I will be shooting with RED.
 
i'm rereading some of these posts and i was wondering: why are some of you guys planning on having such big crews (20+)? i like smaller crews, i hate having a ton of people standing around watching me work.
 
Well on a 2-camera RED shoot I guess:

1) Director
2) Producer
3) AD
4) 1st AC
5) Camera 2 Op
6) 2nd AC
7) Sound mixer
8) Boom Op/Grip
9) Key Grip
10) Wardrobe/Makeup
11) Scripty/HD tech

In my case I probably wont even need a scripty.
 
km9000 said:
why are some of you guys planning on having such big crews (20+)
Click to expand...

Actually, 20 is probably more than I will have on hand at any one time, and my ability to feed these people will be a limiting factor. It also depends on what is being shot that day. Other positions include stunt coordinator and crew (for my film), FX supervisor, security personnel, Kraft services, and PAs. So maybe not all technically "crew" but just "involved." I've had small crews (for short films) where the actors doubled as grips. etc. This is a much bigger project and I'm hoping for a smoother experience. (but not expecting it!)
 
The real problem with "getting the Reds" is you try to treat it with "RedUser.Net" which ends up sucking up all the time you thought you would spend writing. it's a catch 22. You feel if you don't spend the time on RedUser, you won't be ready to use the camera when it comes--but if you do send your time on RedUser--you won't get your script finished.

RedUser is the cure for "the reds" but it is way too addictive to be healthy!
 
Victor said:
...2 hour feature. I'd love to re-shoot it with RED, but RED is still in the fantasy stage for me. However, if all goes as planned, by the time my other big movie idea is written, I will be shooting with RED.
Click to expand...

I identify with you completely, Victor. And since it will be such a long interim between now and (for me anyway) Red, I ordered another camera (don't want to mention another company's name here, so I will just refer to it as a GZ HD7). This other camera is supposed to do 1920 X 1080i (field rate of 60, I think) video using an MPEG2 Codec and write it to an onboard HDD at up to 30 Mbps. And although I don't know RED, this is obviously no RED. But I think it will give those of us with lesser funds an opportunity to do some work that will prepare us for the days of RED and Roses. You know, the coming salad days when RED means something other than vaginal bruising.
 
All I can say is if you think your script will be ready to shoot as soon as its done...well, good luck. The development process is there for a reason and the need for subsequent drafts with a cooling off period in between is a must. You should have at least two drafts and a polish with coverage by people who aren't going to tongue your privates.

However, for those who ignore this (And enjoy having their privates tongued), at least they won't be burning through expensive film stock trying to figure it out.
 
Torrie said:
All I can say is if you think your script will be ready to shoot as soon as its done...well, good luck. The development process is there for a reason and the need for subsequent drafts with a cooling off period in between is a must. You should have at least two drafts and a polish with coverage by people who aren't going to tongue your privates.

However, for those who ignore this (And enjoy having their privates tongued), at least they won't be burning through expensive film stock trying to figure it out.
Click to expand...

Put me in the Ba-tongua line (Where Angelique Kidjoe is singing Batonga). Also put me in the non-plodding line. My theory is that the best films are created on the set and then in the editing room, not the script writing torture chamber. I doubt anyone alive today will be making a War and Peace or a X Commandments. Plus, if you lumped 600 teenagers together, you wouldn't have enough overall attention span to watch even the first half of a Gone With The Wind, and the youthies are probably a film's most likely audience... especially if you can get an x rating... which is pretty hard to do nowadays. Sure, scripts are important when you go begging, but RED will set you free from the Moneychangers, don't you think?
 
km9000 said:
How can we make revolutionary films? I say, for one, doing so much on our own. Two: Making something that looks 4 times better than Collateral (or whatever), and doing it on a shoestring.

We dont have to raise millions anymore... If we build it they will come... We gotta work fast before theres a glut in the market...

Are you focusing on your script or are you F5'ing?

So this is the first Red Support Group, I guess. :)
Kemosabe
Click to expand...

Just went back and read posts that I previously only scanned, and realized I have been reiterating pretty much what you said in this thread's initial post. I do agree in large part (not the glut in the market part because Pooh Tube has shown us there is an insatiable appetite for content) with your opening post and did not consciously or intentionally plagerize.
 
yes

yes

number6 said:
I do agree in large part (not the glut in the market part because Pooh Tube has shown us there is an insatiable appetite for content)
Click to expand...

ya know, you got a point there... i like how you think! the world is flat and has a long tail. (friedman)
 
number6 said:
Scripps? I doan need no stinkin' scripps!

Reason is, I have most of my storylines in my head. With Red, I will be able to shoot a scene multiple times with differing dialog, then use the best of the lot in edit.
Click to expand...

I will most likely be using non-actors. With RED, I will be able to shoot a scene as many times as needed to get it right. Also, the "actors" will be the only ones on-set getting paid by the hour. Everyone else (like 3 or 4 people) will be shareholders in my corporation, with a percentage of the profit.

Most of the shots will be on greenscreen. If the "actors" don't physically interact with each other, the takes can be shot on different days (works well for availability reasons).

And even more off topic: Since my crew will be really small, I will be using Curt's Mirus head (and dolly/jib?) + remote-, repeatable follow FIZ on almost every shot. As long as the actor stays within the same path for each take, you don't have to use a camera op., ac, etc. for all but the initial setup.

Sorry for the long, off-topic post. I've been without internet for like a week....:angry2:
 
Curran Giddens said:
I will most likely be using non-actors. With RED, I will be able to shoot a scene as many times as needed to get it right. Also, the "actors" will be the only ones on-set getting paid by the hour. Everyone else (like 3 or 4 people) will be shareholders in my corporation, with a percentage of the profit.

Most of the shots will be on greenscreen. If the "actors" don't physically interact with each other, the takes can be shot on different days (works well for availability reasons).

And even more off topic: Since my crew will be really small, I will be using Curt's Mirus head (and dolly/jib?) + remote-, repeatable follow FIZ on almost every shot. As long as the actor stays within the same path for each take, you don't have to use a camera op., ac, etc. for all but the initial setup.

Sorry for the long, off-topic post. I've been without internet for like a week....:angry2:
Click to expand...


I have much the same business model as you, with the exception that I will also "pay" my actors with a share of the film. Every time I am reminded of the Hillary Swank experience where she received an Oscar for her first performance but only about $3500 in pay, my sense of fairplay just explodes. If I ever hit it big, then those who were along for the ride will prosper also. On the other hand, they will lose their time spent working on a failure.

Does anyone have a link to a standard contract for this type arrangement? I have a lawyer friend who also does a little screenwriting, and he claims he has no idea how to word such a document. (Guess I should have offered to pay him) In today's litigious society, lawyers scare me more than even terrorists!
 
I will probably end up having to "pay" my actors with a share of the film too. With the announcement of all the new products from RED, I won't have any money left after paying for all this gear.

I was issued 1500 shares of stock when I incorporated. I was just going to divy up the stock with my co-owners based on involvement. But with actors who are only in for one feature...?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top