Brian Parker
Well-known member
Love the locations Michael. Congrats on the upload. Looking forward to it!
Calls From The Führerbunker
- Thread starter Michael Anthony Horrigan
- Start date
Michael Anthony Horrigan
More Cowbell Pictures
The making of: Calls From The Führerbunker
...continued
You can check out the previous segments here....
LOCATION
WRITING
CASTING
Now on to the next segment.
DIRECTING
I'm definitely not a very experienced director. I'm fairly new to this and learning as I go along the way. I have DVXFest to thank for that. One thing I am discovering is that I have a very clear vision in my head of what I want and I'm focused on getting it. I never storyboard, tried but failed again this Fest. I would love to do it though. What I end up doing is spending a lot of time thinking about each scene and making a million mental notes.
Now when it comes to directing actors I also have a pretty good idea of what I want. This isn't to say that I don't allow any improvisation or changes along the way, I do.
I also let me actors ACT. If they have any ideas I'm always very game to allow them to try it their way, they just have to try it my way first.
I've also used takes while editing that were done their way. So I think I'm fairly flexible.
In CFTFB I definitely had a Twilight Zone feel that I was going for. That meant that the film would be lit in an older style (I'll get to that next segment) and acted differently.
An example that comes to mind happened during the first day of shooting, first take actually. Ian and Johni (Chris and Andrew) were doing their scene in the long tunnel that starts very early on in the movie. I called... "whenever you're ready"... I rarely say "Action" ... but I do say it when I feel the need.
Anyway, the camera was rolling and I let them go through the paces of the first scene. When it was over I walked over to them and pulled Johni aside. First take, professional actor, I'm a schmuck with a tiny camera that should just be happy to have him in my movie, and I'm about to already ask for a big change in his acting. :shocked:
It was no fault of his. I had obviously not made it clear to him exactly how I wanted him to play his character. His first run through was a little over the top for my liking. I made a few comments and critiques based on what I saw, what I liked, what I didn't, and what I wanted.
Take 2. He nailed it.
I was completly blown away by how quickly he adjusted and did exactly as I asked while still making the character his own. A true proffesional.
Ian and I have worked together long enough that I think he knows when I ask "One more time with maybe a little more of X"... that's where I'm heading with the scene. He is a pleasure to work with and acting comes natural to him. He also puts a lot into his characters. He did something to help prepare him for this role that I can't yet discuss. I'll comment on that once the Fest is winding down.
It was a pleasure working with both of them. They are both very talented.
Hope you enjoy their hard work.
EDITED TO ADD: Susanne and Jason's experience.
Directing of the German voices
Reading Mike’s script, we had a very clear idea of how the German voices needed to sound. We didn’t write notes before the recording session with the two actors, because we thought it was going to be easy. We especially thought the younger voice wouldn’t be a big problem, because he did not have so much dialog. Once we started the recording though, we were completely surprised. Both needed to be directed quite a lot. Voices can sound in so many different ways. Too slow, too fast, not arrogant enough, too sweet, too weak, too hysterical and so on. Since we recorded both voices together to get a good interaction in the dialog, we also had to pay quite a lot of attention to balancing the volumes of them both. We had to try several times before we got the right volumes without peaking. In the end we did a lot of recording and afterwards edited the best bits of dialog together from various takes.
It was a good experience and taught us that directing voice overs is necessary and a lot more complex than we thought.
Susanne & Jason
...continued
You can check out the previous segments here....
LOCATION
WRITING
CASTING
Now on to the next segment.
DIRECTING
I'm definitely not a very experienced director. I'm fairly new to this and learning as I go along the way. I have DVXFest to thank for that. One thing I am discovering is that I have a very clear vision in my head of what I want and I'm focused on getting it. I never storyboard, tried but failed again this Fest. I would love to do it though. What I end up doing is spending a lot of time thinking about each scene and making a million mental notes.
Now when it comes to directing actors I also have a pretty good idea of what I want. This isn't to say that I don't allow any improvisation or changes along the way, I do.
I also let me actors ACT. If they have any ideas I'm always very game to allow them to try it their way, they just have to try it my way first.
I've also used takes while editing that were done their way. So I think I'm fairly flexible.
In CFTFB I definitely had a Twilight Zone feel that I was going for. That meant that the film would be lit in an older style (I'll get to that next segment) and acted differently.
An example that comes to mind happened during the first day of shooting, first take actually. Ian and Johni (Chris and Andrew) were doing their scene in the long tunnel that starts very early on in the movie. I called... "whenever you're ready"... I rarely say "Action" ... but I do say it when I feel the need.
Anyway, the camera was rolling and I let them go through the paces of the first scene. When it was over I walked over to them and pulled Johni aside. First take, professional actor, I'm a schmuck with a tiny camera that should just be happy to have him in my movie, and I'm about to already ask for a big change in his acting. :shocked:
It was no fault of his. I had obviously not made it clear to him exactly how I wanted him to play his character. His first run through was a little over the top for my liking. I made a few comments and critiques based on what I saw, what I liked, what I didn't, and what I wanted.
Take 2. He nailed it.
I was completly blown away by how quickly he adjusted and did exactly as I asked while still making the character his own. A true proffesional.
Ian and I have worked together long enough that I think he knows when I ask "One more time with maybe a little more of X"... that's where I'm heading with the scene. He is a pleasure to work with and acting comes natural to him. He also puts a lot into his characters. He did something to help prepare him for this role that I can't yet discuss. I'll comment on that once the Fest is winding down.
It was a pleasure working with both of them. They are both very talented.
Hope you enjoy their hard work.
EDITED TO ADD: Susanne and Jason's experience.
Directing of the German voices
Reading Mike’s script, we had a very clear idea of how the German voices needed to sound. We didn’t write notes before the recording session with the two actors, because we thought it was going to be easy. We especially thought the younger voice wouldn’t be a big problem, because he did not have so much dialog. Once we started the recording though, we were completely surprised. Both needed to be directed quite a lot. Voices can sound in so many different ways. Too slow, too fast, not arrogant enough, too sweet, too weak, too hysterical and so on. Since we recorded both voices together to get a good interaction in the dialog, we also had to pay quite a lot of attention to balancing the volumes of them both. We had to try several times before we got the right volumes without peaking. In the end we did a lot of recording and afterwards edited the best bits of dialog together from various takes.
It was a good experience and taught us that directing voice overs is necessary and a lot more complex than we thought.
Susanne & Jason
Last edited:
Michael Anthony Horrigan
More Cowbell Pictures
The making of: Calls From The Führerbunker
...continued
You can check out the previous segments here....
LOCATION
WRITING
CASTING
DIRECTING
Now on to the next segment.
LIGHTING
To start off, here's a few examples from my past work when it comes to lighting.
Expect something completely different this time around.
I watched a LOT of old Twilight Zone episodes and other black and white Sci-Fi shows/movies. The thing I noticed the most.... shadows! We try and hide them today unless we want to pull them out for a specific feel or look. Back then they were all over the place and usually from one major light source.
I went this way with CFTFB but I made a few adjustments. First off, harsh lighting! No diffusers were pulled out too often during this shoot. I wanted bright harsh lighting. Usually from multiple sources. That's where I differ from the shows of old a little. When actors walked around I didn't want just one shadow, I wanted multiple shadows in some scenes.
Sometimes I wanted them to cross. Sometimes I just used the harsh lighting as an accent against a dark surrounding, or to light up one side of an actors face but not the other.
Either way, expect an old school look with a bit of a twist.
Cheers,
Mike
...continued
You can check out the previous segments here....
LOCATION
WRITING
CASTING
DIRECTING
Now on to the next segment.
LIGHTING
To start off, here's a few examples from my past work when it comes to lighting.
Expect something completely different this time around.
I watched a LOT of old Twilight Zone episodes and other black and white Sci-Fi shows/movies. The thing I noticed the most.... shadows! We try and hide them today unless we want to pull them out for a specific feel or look. Back then they were all over the place and usually from one major light source.
I went this way with CFTFB but I made a few adjustments. First off, harsh lighting! No diffusers were pulled out too often during this shoot. I wanted bright harsh lighting. Usually from multiple sources. That's where I differ from the shows of old a little. When actors walked around I didn't want just one shadow, I wanted multiple shadows in some scenes.
Sometimes I wanted them to cross. Sometimes I just used the harsh lighting as an accent against a dark surrounding, or to light up one side of an actors face but not the other.
Either way, expect an old school look with a bit of a twist.
Cheers,
Mike
Tom Marshall
Actor!!!!!!
Mike, you produce beautiful images, my friend.
I honestly can't wait to watch Fuhrerbunker.
I honestly can't wait to watch Fuhrerbunker.
deedive
Well-known member
Michael Anthony Horrigan
More Cowbell Pictures
The making of: Calls From The Führerbunker
...continued
You can check out the previous segments here....
LOCATION
WRITING
CASTING
DIRECTING
LIGHTING
Now on to the next segment.
CINEMATOGRAPHY
There are many things that go into cinematography when making a movie. What I wanted to focus on during CFTFB was not only the look and feel of every shot, but the movement as well.
In my last movie "The Watchman" I challenged myself by creating a scene where the camera does not move for a full minute of screen time. That's a long time in a six mute short. The goal was to try and maintain the audiences attention and to get them on the edge of their seat towards the end of the scene.
In CFTFB my goal was to move the camera more. I wanted to get back to more dolly shots and try my hand at a few Jib shots as well. I still locked the camera down from time to time but only on occasion. I threw in some hand-held camera work as well, as I tend to do in order to shake things up a bit. Regardless, there is a wide variety of shots in this movie.
I also didn't use any adapters or wide angle lenses. I kind of wish I had used a wide angle in one or two shots but some of the areas we were shooting in were so vast that I found that I could get what I wanted by simply backing off with the camera.
It was also my first time using the Jib and I wasn't very confident with it. For the one day that I had it on site I practiced with it as much as I could. Practice makes perfect. In the end I got some pretty decent shots with it. Some hit the editing room floor (I didn't want to overdue it) but the two or three that I left in worked out quite well.
I love a good dolly shot as many of you know, so look for those. Tried a bit of a different one that you will see early on.
Anyway, expect a lot of camera movement this time around. Not the shaky hand-held kind, it's all fairly smooth. I would tell you my favourite moving shot but I think you'll figure it out after watching the movie.
Mike
...continued
You can check out the previous segments here....
LOCATION
WRITING
CASTING
DIRECTING
LIGHTING
Now on to the next segment.
CINEMATOGRAPHY
There are many things that go into cinematography when making a movie. What I wanted to focus on during CFTFB was not only the look and feel of every shot, but the movement as well.
In my last movie "The Watchman" I challenged myself by creating a scene where the camera does not move for a full minute of screen time. That's a long time in a six mute short. The goal was to try and maintain the audiences attention and to get them on the edge of their seat towards the end of the scene.
In CFTFB my goal was to move the camera more. I wanted to get back to more dolly shots and try my hand at a few Jib shots as well. I still locked the camera down from time to time but only on occasion. I threw in some hand-held camera work as well, as I tend to do in order to shake things up a bit. Regardless, there is a wide variety of shots in this movie.
I also didn't use any adapters or wide angle lenses. I kind of wish I had used a wide angle in one or two shots but some of the areas we were shooting in were so vast that I found that I could get what I wanted by simply backing off with the camera.
It was also my first time using the Jib and I wasn't very confident with it. For the one day that I had it on site I practiced with it as much as I could. Practice makes perfect. In the end I got some pretty decent shots with it. Some hit the editing room floor (I didn't want to overdue it) but the two or three that I left in worked out quite well.
I love a good dolly shot as many of you know, so look for those. Tried a bit of a different one that you will see early on.
Anyway, expect a lot of camera movement this time around. Not the shaky hand-held kind, it's all fairly smooth. I would tell you my favourite moving shot but I think you'll figure it out after watching the movie.
Mike
Jeff Anderson
Custom Title!
Mike the lighting in this is looking awesome. Really really like I'm seeing so far. Would love to see some BTS/lighting diagrams when you get the time. Looking forward to watching this one.
Michael Anthony Horrigan
More Cowbell Pictures
Thanks, man.
Much appreciated.Mike, you produce beautiful images, my friend.
I honestly can't wait to watch Fuhrerbunker.
Thanks. Glad somebody is reading them.
LOL! Thanks.
money shot!
Michael Anthony Horrigan
More Cowbell Pictures
Susanne G.
Well-known member
Thanks Mike for let us part of your making of!
rogar-Happy(DBG): I appriciate especially your description of directing and lighting. You wrote that you didn't make a story board, but do you didn't also make a shot list? Without my shot list I can't work. The shot list is my cornerstone during shoot when there are so many other things to think about.
Very interesting of your lighting description I found the work with less or more shadows. :thumbup:
Susanne
Michael Anthony Horrigan
More Cowbell Pictures
Thanks, your help was invaluable. You both did great work on this for me. I couldn't ask for more.Thanks Mike for let us part of your making of!
I appriciate especially your description of directing and lighting. You wrote that you didn't make a story board, but do you didn't also make a shot list? Without my shot list I can't work. The shot list is my cornerstone during shoot when there are so many other things to think about.
Very interesting of your lighting description I found the work with less or more shadows. :thumbup:
Susanne
And, no. No shot list either. I look at the next scene in the script that I want to shoot and all the sleepless nights and mental notes come flooding back. On occasion, I'll see something on the set that I like and inspiration hits.
I really should do storyboards though. One day.
Glad you like the write ups.
Thanks,
Mike
Michael Anthony Horrigan
More Cowbell Pictures
Today is the big day!
Good luck! I can't wait to see what everyone has done this Fest. Looks like it's going to be a great one.
Cheers,
Mike
Good luck! I can't wait to see what everyone has done this Fest. Looks like it's going to be a great one.
Cheers,
Mike
Marlon Ladd
Veteran
All I can say is, wow. I thought the film hit the theme right on and the musical score was great. YOu had some great cinematography in here as always and I particlularly liked the dolly shot of the guard at the beginning. The acting was right on and it was an excellent story and very detailed from the voices on the phone to the main character scribbling on the notepad. The color (B&W) really set the tone too. I could really see this on TV. It was very entertaining and one you can watch over and over. Haven't watched any others at this point, but we'll see if anybody hits the theme this well.
Good job.
Good job.
Michael Anthony Horrigan
More Cowbell Pictures
Thanks guys!
Much appreciated.
Everyone else, from here on please use a SPOILER warning if you are going to post any spoilers.
I'm off to watch some entries.
Much appreciated.
Everyone else, from here on please use a SPOILER warning if you are going to post any spoilers.
I'm off to watch some entries.
Last edited:
I loved the older gentleman you cast in the film. Both your actors were great, but Mr. Shoe was exceptional. Great production values. I loved the premise (if I'm interpreting it right) but didn't really dig the way you turned it into the story. I watched it twice, and I still don't really know what you were going for. Great production values though--in this respect it certainly felt like it could have been a modern-day TV broadcast of Twilight Zone.
Mike Manning
Well-known member
Mr. Mike!
Yours is my favorite thus far! (and will probably remain my favorite..hehe)
Love the story and the twist at the end. I think you nailed it.
The only thing I'm not sure about (and maybe if I watch it again, it'll clear itself up for me) was what the main characters motivation was for getting on the phone in the first place. Something happened in the bathroom and he got all pissed off... I wasn't quite sure why. Like I said, I'll watch it again.. I think i just missed something.
Great work man!
Yours is my favorite thus far! (and will probably remain my favorite..hehe)
Love the story and the twist at the end. I think you nailed it.
The only thing I'm not sure about (and maybe if I watch it again, it'll clear itself up for me) was what the main characters motivation was for getting on the phone in the first place. Something happened in the bathroom and he got all pissed off... I wasn't quite sure why. Like I said, I'll watch it again.. I think i just missed something.
Great work man!