The Masters of Cinema.

July 10th, 2006

A perfect opportunity for updating...

7/10/06 06:14 pm

Wow, so much has transpired since we last spoke sir livejournal. :-) We're really, and I mean really, trucking through this film. I'm rather impressed with what we've churned out so far, we're coming up around 41 minutes of a rough cut, and we still have soooo much more to shoot! It's insane, I'm probably going to have to shave off lots of little stuff in the film, but at least it will keep the pace flowing. I'm really excited to get some of the last big scenes out of the way. We shot at Storybook Land last Friday, that was a riot, I knew we'd get in. We've taken care of almost all of the big locations. This Thursday we're shooting the Convenience store scene at Walt's on Tuckahoe, and that is basically our last big location aside from Princeton. We've come so far, there's no turning back now. As the editing piles up, I've slowly been assembling scenes here and there, playing with audio, realizing that it's going to take me about a week to get all the audio whipped into shape. I've begun constructing color presets for each scene, so when I get big chunks of scenes completed I can just pop them into After Effects and apply the colors that I want. It's going to save me a lot of time in the long run. I think the last real challenge Dane and I are going to have with this project is just making the story as coherent as possible. This Convenience Store scene is crucial in propelling the rest of the film forward, so we need to nail it perfectly. We're making good time though, we've only real had about 6-7 real shooting days and I have a good 40 minutes of footage assembled. This summer has certainly been an experience like no other, and I could probably write a whole other screenplay about it. ;-) I hope everyone is getting as excited as I am, because I think I'm going to have something pretty magical by the end of the summer. Stay tuned.

Oh yes, more production stills for your viewing enjoyment.

Anthony meets a clock.

Natalie ready to push someone in the pool.

Shawn sees food.

Anthony and Natalie wandering through giant wheat fields.

Current Location: New Zealand

June 25th, 2006

That's the sound of a movie being made...

6/25/06 09:56 pm

Well kids, we're two weeks into the shooting of "Natalie", and it's been a blast. Everything is turning out fantastic so far, including and not limited to the footage, acting, camerawork, etc. A lot of the sound needs some work, but I was prepared for that. We'll be doing a lot of ADR in the near future. :-) Joy! We've only shot for a total of about 3 and 1/2 days so far, and I have about 25 minutes or so of rough footage cut up in a somewhat coherent way. We are shooting the movie way out of order, so right now I have a hand full of different scenes floating around. I'm very proud of my crew and actors, they are doing a spectacular job, and it's great to know so many other people care about the project and believe in it as I do. Shooting a feature film is definitely exciting, a little nerve racking, and a lot of work. It's going to be awesome to finally assemble a project that's longer than 10 minutes in length, way longer. This coming week we'll be shooting the party scene, using you know who's 22nd birthday as a backdrop. Pretty clever planning. :-)

Why yes, of course I have some production stills of the movie thus far. Enjoy.

Chinese Restaurant - Left to Right - Dave Harrah, Mike DiGiorgio, Jen Merritt, Josh Harrah.

Eddie and Shawn selling their services.

Natalie and Anthony leaving the ferris wheel.

Natalie and Anthony leaving the carousel.

Current Location: Iceland
Current Mood: accomplished

June 12th, 2006

$(^%WoW!&#^$)

6/12/06 11:17 pm

Oh my, we have less than 3 days left before shooting starts! The wait is riveting, seriously. I love how I stumble upon these obscure words that I rarely use in my day to day vocabulary, curious. Anywho, in between relentlessly watching episodes of 24 on DVD into the wee hours of the morning, I've been trying to stay as stress free as possible about the project. I can't just sit around all day and contemplate the project, I'll literally go insane. So I think it's best to stay as calm and lax about the project as possible. These next 3 weeks might just be some of the most tiring, and interesting weeks of the summer. Clear your calendars for June 29th kids, yours truly is not only shooting his movie that day, but he is having a decent sized party for his 22nd birthday. Since I had to miss my 21st birthday last year because I was in the hospital, I really have to make up for it this year. So, it's a bit of a strange setup, because we will be shooting some of the movie first, using the party-like atmosphere I hope to create, then celebrating afterward. Ok, I'll be honest, I need a lot of extras, and I'd love for all of my friends and friend's friends, and friend's friend's friends to be in the movie. :-) So, I probably won't update again till next week, and by then I think I'll have some production stills! Oh snap, production stills.

P.S. I have about 5 t-shirt designs ready. Sheesh, in indie films you have to do everything, even make your own damn clothes. I'll post them up here eventually too.

Of course, more concept pictures! Here is a poster idea that I really like. Maybe I can blow this up into something usable?

"Le Poster de Natalie"

Again, the higher resolution image can be found over at:
http://s50.photobucket.com/albums/f340/moveyourzig/?action=view¤t=NataliePosterConceptJpg.jpg

Current Location: London

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June 5th, 2006

O, the excitement!

6/5/06 09:43 pm

Wow, less than two weeks to go. Next Thursday, June 15th 2006, is our first day of shooting. I can't believe it! I'm pretty hyped, a little scared, but confident overall. I think I want to approach "Natalie" as just one big short film. One really big short film. We've always done short films so well, so there is no reason we can't pull this big one off. I'm putting Caple in charge of supervising the script and making sure all of the continuity concerns are in check. I don't need objects, costumes, and lines scuffling around without notice, because then when I sit down to edit, it will be a nightmare. The first scene we are doing is the big Chinese Restaurant scene. I'm glad we're doing that scene first because it isn't very difficult and I think it will be a good warm up for all of us. Caple and I met with the owners of the Golden Dragon Buffet(gnarly name aye mate?) and they were completely cool with letting us use the location. They even gave us the best time to come by so we could avoid most of the customer traffic. Awesome.

Dane and I balanced the steadicam last Friday, after about an hour and a half of getting it as perfectly level as possible we did a few quick tests with it. 24 frames per second on a steadicam sure is beautiful. The footage looked so good, I can't wait till I actually get some real footage to edit with. So, I'm seeing the green lights, now let's give it a go!

Oh, of course, more pictures. Again, let me reiterate the fact that After Effects is so damn magical.

"Natalie de Beach 4"

"Natalie de Beach 3"

"Natalie Title Revisited"

Current Location: Chile?
Current Music: Goldfinger

June 1st, 2006

Just a picture...

6/1/06 03:50 pm

I only have a small image that I was toying around with before work today. It would seem that I try to incorporate "Natalie" into every image that I find on my computer. I find this picture to be quite magical. Come on now, let's be honest, who doesn't love the beach?

"Natalie de Beach"

For a higher resolution image, you can go here, where I store all the "Natalie" concept art images.
http://s50.photobucket.com/albums/f340/moveyourzig/

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May 31st, 2006

Gearing up...

5/31/06 08:49 pm

Well, it's down to this, I've got two weeks left to get my shit together and prepare for "Natalie". I've acquired a good deal of equipment, everything that I think we'll need for this epic conquest this summer. A Bogen tripod, a Sennheiser microphone, a trio of lights, etc. I still need to order a decent sized green screen, which will probably be tacked up in my garage. Great place for a studio, your own garage.

I've memorized just about all of my lines. I never realized how easy it was to memorize lines from something that you've written yourself. I find myself fitting into Anthony relatively easy, probably because he's a character based on some of my own experiences. Ha, go figure. As they say, write what you know. I'm glad I stuck to a script that I knew I could pull off relatively easily. The shoots are going to be exciting, especially the big party scene one, which will take place on or around my 22nd birthday. So I'll have two reasons for people to show up and help out. 1. Because it's my birthday damn it and I like to pretend that I have friends. 2. We're filming a super cool movie at my parent's lovely home. 'Nuff said. The party shoot will probably go down around the end of June, maybe early July. As I calculated out the shooting schedule, it's going to be the one of the fastest shot films in the history of film making. Between 15-20 days. That's quick. Although, a certain "Donnie Darko" was only shot in a meager 28 days as well. Curious...

So, it's grind time, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that all of my actors learn their lines vaguely, or at least to the point that they can hold a short conversation on camera. I'm confident in my team, I know we can pull it off. Showing up is 90% of the battle. The other 10% is... yea. It equals 100% ok, that's all that matters. :-)

Oh yes, that's right, I have another image that I was playing with today. I really like the font I've been putting on these images. It's ole Edwardian Script with a heavy glow and blur effect. Which is why the font looks so clear.

"Natalie de Ripple"

It's almost go time kids. :-)

Current Mood: calm
Current Music: Tom Petty

May 22nd, 2006

A lovely day it twas...

5/22/06 07:45 pm

After hanging with the gang last night, and having a gut busting good time watching Brian stumble up every set of stairs and accuse everyone of "having his phone", I decided to get an early start today, because I had several things nagging away at the back of my head. First, I called up a gentleman who runs an independent company in Richland, he wants to see my work, I guess to see if I have what it takes to be in a big company. Of course I have what it takes, what the frick do I look like, a slouch? Anyway, I decided to take the lovely new Panasonic out today and get some footage to play around with later. I stopped off at the convenience store that we want to use, called Country Farms. Very shade, very rundown, perfect for what I need it. It's a decent size inside too, the only problem is that one of the freezers is going to have to be turned off if we shoot in there, it's so damn loud. The gentleman running the register was great, I asked his name but I couldn't remember it because it was very long. He was a little skeptical about what I was proposing, as he should be, you can't just let those damn kids do whatever they want with a video camera for god's sake. But I pulled my ace of spades by telling him that it was a big school project, kinda is I guess, and I'd give him a copy of whatever we ended up using in the video so he could see how harmless the video is. The problem really is that the scene is slightly violent, I mean, it involves a kid getting gunned down outside of a convenience store, not exactly the most peaceful thing on earth, so I can understand the skepticism. I'm going back next week to give him more information, he was really great about it, it went better than I thought. He said he wouldn't charge us anything which was also cool.

I then decided to get myself a little lost and look for this enormous tree that I remembered seeing in the middle of a huge field once. As I recalled, it wasn't too far away from where I live. I was a little off... The field was about 20 minutes away, and there was no where for me to park, the grass was so high I was afraid my car was going to get stuck in the sea of grass. But alas, being the problem solver that I am, I found the sneaky way in and got some great footage. This location is going to add some serious production value to the project. Especially if the grass stays as high as it does. Truly beautiful. I did a little post work on the footage that I shot today, and I'll give you an example of the work involved when I edit. Take a look at these:

The Original:

The Edited

The difference is rather apparent. While the first shot is not bad to begin with, I really like to "explore the space" with color. Pardon my Christopher Walken reference. Dane and I took a trip down to Storybook Land last Friday, and we're definitely using that location as well. It looks utterly fantastic inside there, mere words can not do it justice. Storybook Land is perfect. (You can pat me on the back when the project is done) I also broke down the script on note-cards for myself, it's much easier to memorize that way. Stay tuned kids, the fun is just beginning...

Current Music: Tears for Fears

May 18th, 2006

The puzzle is coming together...

5/18/06 12:40 pm

Haha, the puzzle pieces are almost in their proper places as filming draws nearer by the day. Several topics of good news, I have acquired the camera, which is quite awesome and works beautifully for what we need it. We did go with a Panasonic, but we skipped on the HD. As I weighed out my options I realized it was more important for me to work with something my wallet, and my computer could actually handle. I don't even have ready access to an HD television, so there was really no point for me to get a High Definition camera if I won't even be able to observe the benefits. The picture is still going to look good regardless, and if a company wants HD video we can always up-convert. Unfortunately on the trip around New York that day, yours truly got in a nice fender bender and set himself back a few more dollars. A great start to a big project. :-)

Casting. Casting is finished. I've got just about everyone I need, and I am very happy with the cast. We have a nice array of characters and personalities and I think we're going to turn out a great picture with this team. I still need a handful of extras here and there, but hopefully I can call upon some old friends to mosey on over to the shoots.

The script... Seriously, this time, the script is done being chopped and revised. I've shortened it up by nearly 20 pages, and I am much happier with it. It moves much better, doesn't drag at the end or try to explain the film in the last few moments. I'm glad I did that. The story took a slightly different turn from what I started with, but I feel much better about it.

So, what we need now is: more equipment. Hopefully I can save a buck or two in that department. Secure a few more locations, or just beg them to please let us shoot where we want.

As you probably guessed, I'm pretty excited, and stressed, but more excited than stressed. I just really want to start shooting this monster. Hopefully I can get the web-page up for the film soon and I'll put lots of super cool stuff up there.

Current Mood: determined
Current Music: The Doors

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May 8th, 2006

The hour is nearing...

5/8/06 02:51 pm

Well, a lot has transpired since I've last written on my lovely livejournal. Principal photography(fancy word that big wig directors use) or shooting for "Natalie" will begin in about a month or so. Apparently, upon further research on the Panasonic High Def. camera, there seems to be a slight snag. It requires these little friggen P2 cards. Standard, the camera comes with 1 - 4 GB stick. 4 gigs, that seems like a lot right? Errrr, wrong. 4 gigs allows you to record only 4 minutes of high definition video. Now what the bloody hell is that? These sticks are $600 too, that's just for the small ones. Dear God. Anyway, we had to remap out some of our options, and we're probably going to stick to the original plan and go with the DVX100B, or the Canon XL2, I'm leaning toward the DVX only because I'll be able to edit it seamlessly as I have the appropriate plugins to edit 24p with the Panasonic, and not the Canon. Bah, this is probably rubbish to most of you, but it's important nonetheless.

So the search for actors exploded a few weeks ago, exploded in a good way, as I was tired of putting up flyers randomly and fishing for interested individuals and getting only lukewarm responses. Something led me back to an old site where I had found some decent jobs in film originally, ole www.craigslist.com/. Thank God, Allah, Buddha, your mom, whoever for that site because I got a response for actors and actresses like no other. Then after the enormous waves of response I ended up stumbling onto an actress that had nothing to do with cragslist, and through 6 degrees of seperation I managed to get in contact with her. Amazing what the internet can do, aye? Anyway, two of the characters, Eddie and Shawn, played by the famed Harrah's brothers, if you don't know them, you will know them after this picture have begun rehearsing with the script, and I've only heard positive responses from them. Good, I'm glad I'm not the only one who is enthralled by my own script. :-)

As soon as my money gets transferred, we'll be picking up the camera this week. I've also got a boatload of other equipment to buy, some decent lights, a bigger green screen, a real microphone, a better tripod, a jib arm, and apparently our Cinematographer wants to build a snorry cam(Requiem for a Dream crazy camera attached to the actor's body shots). I can feel the electricity, no, not because my fingers are in the electrical socket, but because we are going to be making some magic this summer.

Oh yea, we are also going to try and bang out(horrible word to use I know) two or three other short films in time for a big film festival that is taking place close to home. It's going down on August 18th I believe, and the website is here: http://www.reelfilmfest.cabanova.com If we manage to shoot enough footage, I want to try and edit together a decent trailer for "Natalie". The head hancho at the festival said that he'd let me show a trailer. Awesome, truly awesome. Plus, we want to walk away with some awards, so we'll probably submit Caple's "Laptop Confidental", found here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6Zyl7MQpck

I'd like to submit "Ming Tran" if I can get the ok from the band, which might be difficult. We want to shoot "Shutter", Dane's short, I'd like to shoot my comedy "33 Cents", which is very funny if I may say, and Caple and his lady are ready to shoot another short.

Finally, we're all getting our asses in gear like we should have been years ago. Big summer for movies folks, big summer. Oh, one more thing, please see Speilberg's "Munich" if you get the chance. The movie blew me away, it's such an important movie at this point in our country's history.

Over and out.
-The Mikey D.

Current Location: In a chair, in front of the computer. Yea, sucks don't it?
Current Mood: energetic
Current Music: Jefferson Starship - We Built This City on Rock and Roll

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April 7th, 2006

In Recent News...

4/7/06 07:41 pm

Hello again aspiring film makers, fellow film makers, dear friends, and people who are just bored and happen to tred across my journal. I blinked twice and to my surprise, it was already April. What is this madness known as time, and why haven't we been able to slow it down yet? This can mean only one thing, in two months or less, give or take, we will begin principal photography on "Natalie". The script is in its' fourth and hopefully final draft of editing. Why is it that everytime I read the damn thing I find something to make it "better" or more "clever"? As most film makers will say, you will never be completely satisified, you have to settle and pull out the best with what you have. That is going to be our big aim on this project. I will be the first to admit that the story probably won't blow everyone away with its originality, new concepts, or big hook at the end, but it will certainly raise a few eyebrows by the way it is presented and the style that we infuse into it. We all know that MYZ has plenty of style, humor, and class, scratch that, no class whatsoever to bring to the film industry. Once we finally get on set and get things rolling I will make a better assessment of where this film is going, and hopefully it will go half as good as I have anticipated.

The search for actors continues, we still have to secure a big audition at a decent location, and it would be wonderful if a certain Shawn Caple could provide me with some headshots that he knows of. We have 3 out of 6 potential parts cast right now, which isn't that bad considering we haven't actually had an "official" casting call. Also, the search for the best possible digital camera is also coming to a close and as it stands now, I am keeping my fingers crossed on getting a Panasonic AG-HVX200FX. You gizmo geeks can take a look at it here:
Panasonic AG-HVX200FX Info.

Yes, it's a $7,000 camera, and no I won't be paying that much for it... :-) If all goes well, I should be able to fanagle a nice discount for it. Which means we can shoot on High Definition and at 24 frames per second. This is as close to film as I can possibly get at this point in time without spending $20,000 for film stock. If the discount situation falls through, I'm going to invest in a Panasonic DVX100B, which is much cheaper, not High Definition, but does shoot in 24 FPS. For those of you who don't understand the frame rate infatuation I have, 29.97 FPS is standard for most digital camcorders. This is all fine and dandy, but it's not really cinematic in that it speeds the picture up a noticeable amount. That's almost 6 frames faster than film. If a film's cinematography is done remotely well you usually don't even notice camera movements because the movements are so subtle and smooth. The difference is truly night and day when you compare the speeds.

So once I get the actors pegged(not with a baseball or anything), and when the camera I want is in my hands, I can sleep a little better at night. Until then I have been contemplating this project day and night. I guess this is what first time directors often do when they are very serious about getting a project made. I figure, shit, there are all those terrible films out there that look like no thought or effort was put into them. At least I will have the satisfaction of knowing that I put a year of thought and effort into my own film, so something magical is bound to happen.

Here's another image I was messing with the other day. It's the same shot of the little pond in the woods, with some slightly different coloration and ripple effects.

And here's some nuclear sun thing I did using some distortion effects.

Current Mood: contemplative
Current Music: Flaming Lips

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A Whole New Journal...

4/7/06 07:17 pm

I have a habit of forgetting the passwords to my journal, or I think maybe someone might have changed the password on me... Either way, I've made a new one. I'll start this one where I left off on the last one.

Well, since I'm terrible at keeping this blasted journal up to date, I've decided to use it for something a little more productive. I'm going to be updating this journal with information about the feature film that MYZ/Shattered Glass is going to be working on this summer. I've decided to take up writing about the project because I've started to become very obsessed with this film, so much so that I've begun talking to myself. Sure, that's normal; it's called determination, or schizophrenia.

First and foremost, let me say that the project is going well, the script is(in my opinion) as tweaked as it can possibly get. The script is titled "Natalie" and should be filmable over a period of two or three months with a few re-shoots here and there. Yes, I know I know, everyone keeps telling me, "Michael, you must be crazy! A feature film with hardly any budget, non-union actors, and an amateur script!" Yes, the film has a very small budget, (less then $10,000) we will be casting all non-union actors, but I wouldn't consider the script amateur, I think I've written/directed/acted enough shorts to have a slight feel on how to make one of these bloody independent films. My logic is this, sure, I could do what I did last summer, work my ass off day and night, barely see my friends, get nothing accomplished creatively, become deathly sick again, and feel shitty. Or, I could say, "Fuck it", throw my cards down on the table, swing the baseball bat, whatever you want to substitute carpe diem with, and just do what I've always wanted to do, make a damn film and get out of this shitty rut of terrible retail jobs. If I don't try it this summer, I may never be able to make a film, because after I graduate next year, I have to start looking for real work. So what better way to spend one of my last summers at home then taking advantage of it and making a film!? Right? Yes, it will cost money, yes, it will be hard, but it will be worth it. There's a chance that this film could be a big break for all of us involved.

Oh, the script, you want to know about the script, well I'll tell you about the script, think of it as a cross-over between "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind", "Donnie Darko", and "What Dreams May Come". There is a lot of jump cutting and bizarrity(word?) as seen in "Eternal Sunshine", a similar alternate reality premise visa vi "Donnie Darko", and an interesting coloration/paint technique I'm playing around with similar, but not nearly as good as the work seen in "What Dreams May Come". So, if you want to get an idea of how ridiculously tripped out my film is going to be, see these films. They will 1.) Blow your mind. 2.) Let you know how psychotic I am becoming. 3.) Make you think. And that's all I'm trying to do. Construct a film that is thought provoking, confusing, does not tell you how to think but has some closure to it as well. Interestingly enough I smoked no weed to come up with "Natalie".

Anyway, I'll give you a little niblet of where I'm going with the film. Here's a rough tagline, synopsis, and concept image to wet your appetite. Enjoy.

Taglines: I can believe infinitely. (or) The mind can believe infinitely. (or) This is my story; I'll remember it however I want to.

Synopsis: As fate would have it, on the same day young Anthony meets the girl of his dreams, his life comes to an end. With an infatuation that transcends time and space, Anthony finds himself caught between his own memories and the afterlife. As his existence slowly fades into darkness Anthony discovers that everything he needs is already inside himself, and that the end might just mean the beginning.