FEATURE: DEUCE OF SPADES - How I made a period full feature film all by myself on ZERO budget

ESTEBEVERDE said:
Faith,

Have you thought of also doing a Coffee Table book of photos with you and your rigs?

Maybe calendars and digital screen saver as well?

Might be worth it for promotions sake.

Got to admit you give me the sparkles when I see pictures of you and your car.

Stunning to say the least.
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HAHA ! The CAR is stunning. Me, no such luck, I'm old and decrepit LOL... OK, well maybe not "that" old nor "that" decrepit, but no beauty queen Hollywood actress for sure. I do look cool with my rod though, I'll give you that :).

Well, we are going to have a book of the blog, complete with a zillion photos, so others can read about my adventures and how I made this film.

I am thinking down the road 9way down the road LOL) about a double CD case (film + Special features) PLUS the book all in one package.

(yeah Faith - DREAM ON lol)
 
CiPO said:
HI Faith,

are you thinking already about the distribution ? I guess you are going to do yourself "guerrilla" style ? I will be very interested in helping with it for Finland and Sweden countries. I could arrange the translation/subtitles in Finnish and Swedesh plus some ideas about possible bonus material. BUt first let me know if you have any interest :)
THX and keep up with the constant inspiring work you are doing :)
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Yes, the idea of self distributing is appealing to me... And might become necessary anyways, cause getting distribution these days is probably real hard...

So YES, let's talk about this. Help with subtitles would be a MUST and it looks like I now have a nice Sweedish fanbase?? :thumbup:

Email me with your contact info at deuceofspadesmv@aol.com



WEEEHEEEEEE we got the cover !!!!!!!!!!



skanna0001.jpg
 
Excellent .... I just went to check the magazine today but we got still the February issue ;)
It's nice to see always your nice pictures, we got plenty of snow today and quite cold day ;)
Emailing to you now.
CIAO
CIPO
 
Just wanted to take a moment to officially thank fellow dvxuser PERRONE FORD.

He called me yesterday evening and him and I sat down (him in Florida, me in LA) and he walked me through a bunch of GREAT vegas stuff.

I was amazed at:

1- How nice he is

2- How ignorant I am LOL

3- How much there is to learn

4- How much I enjoy learning :beer:


Perrone spent three hours teaching me how to color correct, adjust luminence, compress my files so I can send them to my CGI volunteers via the internet...

Wow I learn so much in one session and all this stuff is so VITAL I can't believe I didn't know about all this stuff before... Goes to show how much of a rookie I still am.

HATS DOWN PERRONE FOR YOUR DEDICATION TO HELPING OTHERS.:engel017:

I love you maaaaan! :thumbup:
 
Let me know, if you need an aditional CGI/Digital Mattepainting volunteer.
I would be glad to help.

Frank
 
Hey, just found this thread. I've only been able to glance through it and watch one of the teasers with the sound off (I'm at work), but it's amazing the quality of work you are doing. I have so many questions, but you've probably answered them on this thread and elsewhere, so I'll just get to reading!

Looking forward to seeing this finished film someday!
 
Beautiful :thumbup:

The quality of light is extraordinary. Of course, the most extraordinary part is the lack of budget and your ability to get the volunteerism.

I'm curious to know about the scene file settings you used on the HVX? Is it shot 720P/24FPS?

And the lenses . . . .

Very nice work :)
 
Deuceofspades said:
Yes, the idea of self distributing is appealing to me... And might become necessary anyways, cause getting distribution these days is probably real hard...

So YES, let's talk about this. Help with subtitles would be a MUST and it looks like I now have a nice Sweedish fanbase?? :thumbup:
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Getting distribution is pretty hard.

Re: Subtitles:

Do you have a Dialogue Script prepared?

You need to strip the script of anything but dialogue and also, it should really be a transcript rather than the original to account for anything the actors said that was different from your original script.

This will be necessary for Dubbing or Subtitles in the foreign market.

BTW - Congratulations on your Cover story and the progress you've made on the film.

-M
 
Hey, just found this thread recently, and wanted to say that I think this looks amazing! The quality is great and the picture is just beautiful! I really admirer what you're doing here! Keep up the great work! Can't wait to see the finished product!
 
You're on the right track, Faith. You should do well as far as distribution is concerned. I think you should be in CANNES this year. Let me know if you want to rent a booth with me.
 
Postmaster said:
Let me know, if you need an aditional CGI/Digital Mattepainting volunteer.
I would be glad to help.

Frank
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You bet! now that I have figured out how to get near lossless compression happen (thank you Perrone :dankk2:) I can send files anywhere.
Robbie up IN Canada is working on adding a red moon rising to my night race scene. THANK YOU ROBBIE!!

Maybe you can help remove headlights in my 1955 dry lake racing scene? It would be right UP YOUR ALLEY hehe... Being that you are into dry lake racing hehe.

I have shots with cars with racing numbers on their doors and they have HEADLIGHTS still on (the owners were not willing to unbolt the headlights and I don't blame them LOL) - this includes ME - my deuce also had headlights on. Some also have windshields on and if they are a roadster they woud have removed their headlights AND windshields both. So I need someone real good with CGI to remove some of the headlights and a windhisled or two ;) so to be period correct and hotroding wise accurate.

AND if anyone is able to ADD more car/crowd in the background of a couple shots then they would be America's new heroes.

Want to give it a crack? Anyone? (no, there is NO PAY this is a NO budget film of EPIC proportions LOL)

Here are some of the shots stills: and I'll add captions to explain what I need:


below: Any car that has numbers on it shoud NOT have headlights. We need to remove them. Note that this is a long PAN (which makes it more challenging.

AND there shoud have been about 150 cars on that lake that day in 1955 - we coud only get 15 period correct ones - so we need more in the far background getting vintage photos of dry lake cars/ crowds in the far far background not a problem if you need the element to be added.

Screengrab%20SCTA%20Image15.jpg



Would love to see these cars without headlights too - this is also a pan

Screengrab%20SCTA%20Image18.jpg



one shot of Johnny's run - the deuce CAN'T have headlights whle running - must remove

Screengrab%20SCTA%20Image25.jpg



there are a few more shots, but you get the idea...
 
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jasonthewho said:
Hey, just found this thread. I've only been able to glance through it and watch one of the teasers with the sound off (I'm at work), but it's amazing the quality of work you are doing. I have so many questions, but you've probably answered them on this thread and elsewhere, so I'll just get to reading!

Looking forward to seeing this finished film someday!
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Yes, read the thread, lost of info already shared but if you have more questions i would be very happy to answer. This is what these threads are all about, sharing the experience :)
 
I´m in for doing crowd and rod multiplication.

But for the headlights... hmmmm

......actualy I have to confess, I have no idea how to achive that without looking crapy - despite all my knowledge in tracking, rotoscoping and other dirty tricks.

Sounds like a major PITA.

Frank
 
Lighthouse said:
Beautiful :thumbup:

The quality of light is extraordinary. Of course, the most extraordinary part is the lack of budget and your ability to get the volunteerism.

I'm curious to know about the scene file settings you used on the HVX? Is it shot 720P/24FPS?

And the lenses . . . .

Very nice work :)
Click to expand...

yes :) I posted that info on the thread already but I know it is a LONG thread: In a nuttshell

Shooting 720-24PN with 35 mm prime Nikon lenses - 24,35,50,55,85,100 mm

but hardly EVER use 50mm (I think I used that lense like ONCE in the entire movie. I don't care for it. It's uninteresting)

I really need to look at my scene files, I am just so busy I gorget when I am home and when I am on the thread, I am at work and don't have my camera in front of me. Maybe I'll need to make me a reminder in my i-phone or something LOL. (at work now)
 
Martay said:
Re: Subtitles:

Do you have a Dialogue Script prepared?

You need to strip the script of anything but dialogue and also, it should really be a transcript rather than the original to account for anything the actors said that was different from your original script.


-M
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Good suggestion! See? I learn something EVERY DAY. Yeah, we did deviate from the script more than once LOL, usually I update the script after the shoot but I slacked here and there... :)

So I will work on a Dialogue Script and then what?

How do you guys go about getting subtitles? And about doing it yourself?

thank God I have fans across the world, all hotrodders are wanting to help, so getting script translated not a big cost issue, but how good wil the translation be? I dunno LOL and will not be possible for me to double check...

:huh:
 
davidlh said:
Hey, just found this thread recently, and wanted to say that I think this looks amazing! The quality is great and the picture is just beautiful! I really admirer what you're doing here! Keep up the great work! Can't wait to see the finished product!
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Thank you everybody for your kind words :)).... It makes sleeping in chunks of 4 hours more barable....

Currenlty my schedule is as follows:

MOn - Fri: wake up at 6AM - edit until 8AM throw some clothes on and zip to dayjob (rats) - get out of day job at 3PM - zip back home - fire up computer again and edit until 7 PM - take a nap - wake up at midnight and edit until 4 Am - go back to sleep until 6 AM...

SAT - SUN - edit non stop ...

OUCH
 
filmman said:
You're on the right track, Faith. You should do well as far as distribution is concerned. I think you should be in CANNES this year. Let me know if you want to rent a booth with me.
Click to expand...

if I can gather the funds by the next AFM, you bet :thumbup:. if a few of us "carpool" the booth space we might be able to afford it...

We, the little guys, should UNITE hehehehe...

REVOLUTION - Power to the people. Let the Big film studio heads roll

(hey, I'm French,what do you expect LOL)
 
Postmaster said:
I´m in for doing crowd and rod multiplication.

But for the headlights... hmmmm

......actualy I have to confess, I have no idea how to achive that without looking crapy - despite all my knowledge in tracking, rotoscoping and other dirty tricks.

Sounds like a major PITA.

Frank
Click to expand...

I did it the HARD way on 2 shots. probably lost quality too but it was not noticebale when we watched it on several very LARGE TV screens.

I took each frame, snaps a screengrabs at full res and photoshopped the darn htings out. all 128 photos

:eek:

Yop.

the only problem I ran into (cause it was a very elaborate shot, with lots of details on my roadster) was a "shimmering" effect cause each photo was ever so slightly different when I use the clone tool to readd the side panels, the reflections etc... Each shot took 5 to 8 minutes to alter.

yes, a MPITA

But since the dry lake is VERY HOT, and so is the hotrod, then the "shimer" can be justified by HEAT WAVES passing in front of the surface...

I should post that shot to see if you guys think it is acceptable or not.

most peole never noticed my FX but that's because they weren't necessarily "looking" for it, they didn't know abotu it, watched the scene and when i told them I had removed the headlight in post they went like: "REALLY????"

But I can see it, and so will you...

Also due to the HUGE amount of work involved I only snapped every other frame (dropping to 12 fps) but that did not seem noticeable to me. Movement is still smooth.

maybe I WILL post thaht shot and see what you guys think.
 
Faith:

Have to ask, you are a filmmaker, hot rodder and have amazing drive and tenacity. What is your day job? Just curious.

Dan
 
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