Deuceofspades
Veteran
HHmmmmmm... Looks interesting, I'm gonna have to check it out this week when I have a free moment.
(FREE MOMENT ????????????? What that??? )
LOL
(FREE MOMENT ????????????? What that??? )
LOL
FEATURE: DEUCE OF SPADES - How I made a period full feature film all by myself on ZERO budget
- Thread starter Deuceofspades
- Start date
ESTEBEVERDE
Veteran
KEEP THE FAITH ! :grin:
I know that somehow all this hard work will pay off for you and all your fans! :thumbsup:
Deuceofspades
Veteran
WEll, I tell ya, I uploaded the "Last race" scene to vimeo today and watched it and I was intensely filled with JOY. I remembered just how HARD it was to film that scene and all the challenges that stood in my way... And I was so proud that I was able to pull it off somehow and just how COOL the scene now looks... I suddenly became so proud I had a huge smile on my face.
Then of course I noticed the footage looked way too dark and I have to fix that tonight LOL (always something). It looks fine on my PC screen and on a nice TV big screen I tested it last week, but vimeo made it look much darker. I need to compensate brightness for the vimeo clip.
About the scene:
That was the scene that scared me shi*less for two years now... Filming it was the most challenging of all, due to lack of massive lights to light the road, as well as many logistics nightmares such as:
1- where to find a cool car owner that wouuld let me borrow a period correct cool looking roadter worthy of a challenger and allow me to have an actor drive it in a race scene?
2- where to find a stretch of straight road where I could put two actors at the wheels of two old hotrods nd have them drive side by side, at night - with no lights and where cops would not shut down my shoot...
3- how to light a road in the middle of nowhere with NOT A SINGLE LIGHT in sight as far as the eye can see... when I have no money to rent cinema lights... Nor a generator to fire them...
4- I needed about 60 K or more to light this scene - all I had was 6K
5- How to find a place for my cast and crew to sleep on location for 4 nights.
6- How to not get stung by the many scorpions running on the set...
7- How to not freeze to death while filming
8- How to not fall out of one of the cars I was hanging from while shooting?
9- How to not fall to my death from the super tall forklift... While I am standing in a tiny cage that is merely strapped to the forks - and not really "secured" on it.
Ah many takes to tell my (lack of) Grandkids one day
Here are some photos to remember it all:
Deuceofspades
Veteran
few more cool shots:
camping out in the desert with my cast:
One of the props get lost in the trunk of the black roadster and we need that prop for teh scene... We're all looking for it:
After three full nights spent filming, the cast and crew fall asleep on me LOL
It's freezing cold so I'm wearing my old ski suit LOL
"I'm supposed to go al the way up there????" NO WAY!!
camping out in the desert with my cast:
One of the props get lost in the trunk of the black roadster and we need that prop for teh scene... We're all looking for it:
After three full nights spent filming, the cast and crew fall asleep on me LOL
It's freezing cold so I'm wearing my old ski suit LOL
"I'm supposed to go al the way up there????" NO WAY!!
Deuceofspades
Veteran
Actors help with grip work:
Fixing hair does:
Don't laugh" It was MY idea and i got neat shots that way: My crew and cast are worried I will fall. I don't blame them. for some reason I felt 100% safe in there, I was very OK with it, but it was very uncomfortable (too small of a cage to rech and grab my focus whip, reach down and grab my spare lenses etc...)
Chasing cars "in style" heck, if you're gonna chase, might as well do it in a 1935 Ford pick up truck
- It was bouncy which actually realyl added an element of ACTION to the shots.
Having only 6 lights and two small generator to fire them, and being far away from civilization paused MANY headaches. But hey! As long as you have that cofffee maker going, you're OK LOL.
using all our cars to light teh road:
All the cars break down : Batteries DEAD
Fixing hair does:
Don't laugh" It was MY idea and i got neat shots that way: My crew and cast are worried I will fall. I don't blame them. for some reason I felt 100% safe in there, I was very OK with it, but it was very uncomfortable (too small of a cage to rech and grab my focus whip, reach down and grab my spare lenses etc...)
Chasing cars "in style" heck, if you're gonna chase, might as well do it in a 1935 Ford pick up truck
- It was bouncy which actually realyl added an element of ACTION to the shots.
Having only 6 lights and two small generator to fire them, and being far away from civilization paused MANY headaches. But hey! As long as you have that cofffee maker going, you're OK LOL.
using all our cars to light teh road:
All the cars break down : Batteries DEAD
Deuceofspades
Veteran
This little guy becomes our best friend: He's really happy we are here cause our lights are atracting all the moths and he is feasting on them. Fast little fellah' and ballsy too! Came all the way to our feet.
WHAT??? YOU LOST THE WRENCH AGAIN????
Filming the wrench toss is slow mo. the sun is now coming up - I am running out of time.
I DID IT!!
I DID IT!!
I DID IT!!
So now do you understand why I felt this intense JOY when I watched the edited scene this morning??
.
WHAT??? YOU LOST THE WRENCH AGAIN????
Filming the wrench toss is slow mo. the sun is now coming up - I am running out of time.
I DID IT!!
I DID IT!!
I DID IT!!
So now do you understand why I felt this intense JOY when I watched the edited scene this morning??
.
HerzogisGod
Well-known member
dont you find the material you're shooting now is far more attractive than the material you shot at the beginning, say, a year or so ago?
You get batter at something the more you do it...so now, you can light better, you have a command over your camera you never had before...you're just an all around better director/cinematographer.
Im also working on a project that is taking a very long time. Footage from the earlier days, stylistically speaking, bares little resemblance to the stuff being shot now
My biggest obstacle is fighting to the urge to go back and re-shoot earlier scenes
You get batter at something the more you do it...so now, you can light better, you have a command over your camera you never had before...you're just an all around better director/cinematographer.
Im also working on a project that is taking a very long time. Footage from the earlier days, stylistically speaking, bares little resemblance to the stuff being shot now
My biggest obstacle is fighting to the urge to go back and re-shoot earlier scenes
Deuceofspades
Veteran
Thank you thank you
- As I was editing the crash scene last night and watched my actors run their butts off for that one shot, take after take (it took many tries to nail it), I suddenly broke into uncontrollable laughter and couldn't stop. I could hear me yell "ACTION" each take and see them run like bats out of hell and I was running after them with my HVX and adapter in my hands, fast as we could on a dirt road filled with rocks and it was PITCH BLACK... And we did it over and over and over and over and over again... One take I almost took a big header... I am completely insane.But we did get the shot and it looks real neato.
:thumbup:
Deuceofspades
Veteran
Excellent job ... can't wait to see more
BTW: how did you convinced the car owner to let you borrow it ???
All th epeople who helped me did so because they sawe something worthy in my endeavour. It resonated with them and they felt compelled to become a part of the adventure.
David, who owns the red roadster, is a friend of a friend of mine. I can't say that I know David all that well but what he did for the film I will never forget. here is someone generous, selfless who wanted to help make this film happen.
he volunteered his roadster, renovated it, painted it just for the film, put bias plys white wall tires on it and hauled it from Orange Couty all the way to the desert, where he left it at my friend's houise with KEYS for me to use any time I needed it and any way I needed it. And he never asked for ANYTHING in return other than be able to help make this film happen.
HE IS MY HERO...
This was truly a miracle and now his reward is that his hotrod is becoming known the world over. It was the perfect rod for the rival and the two hotrods racing together looked just great - perfect color combo too.
Postmaster
Dark Side of the Camera
Faith, I was following that with great intrest, since you announced it the first time at The Hamb - (my nick is "Stovebolt 6" over there)
I´m so glad you did that, and I´m so glad that you did it exactly that way.
Not only because I drive vintage cars as daily drivers and building my own rod.
Not only because I live a retro live since over 25 years - so I´m a "natural target audience" for your film.
It´s because you did it in that spirt.
Like many poeple these days forgot , what the spirit of Hot Rod is - hauling an old bucket out of the barn and use your creativity and the parts you got, instead of placing big orders at Speedways and Jeg`s. - many poeple also forgot the spirit of indy film making.
Having a zero budget, but a vision. Using your creativity and the stuff you got, talking everyone you know into contributing and helping, just for the sake of it and to make IT happen.
At the end of the day, everybody is proud as hell to be able to bring in his part and bit and time and beeing a part of something wonderfull.
Something that doesn´t look like a school project, but a real movie.
Something he can look at, when he is old and say - look, I was part of that. We had nothing, but everyone did his best and brought in what he had.
In my book, the spirit of indy filming is not only to skip the studio system, but make the magic happen without having the $$$.
You definitely made the magic happen.
Congrats, Frank
I´m so glad you did that, and I´m so glad that you did it exactly that way.
Not only because I drive vintage cars as daily drivers and building my own rod.
Not only because I live a retro live since over 25 years - so I´m a "natural target audience" for your film.
It´s because you did it in that spirt.
Like many poeple these days forgot , what the spirit of Hot Rod is - hauling an old bucket out of the barn and use your creativity and the parts you got, instead of placing big orders at Speedways and Jeg`s. - many poeple also forgot the spirit of indy film making.
Having a zero budget, but a vision. Using your creativity and the stuff you got, talking everyone you know into contributing and helping, just for the sake of it and to make IT happen.
At the end of the day, everybody is proud as hell to be able to bring in his part and bit and time and beeing a part of something wonderfull.
Something that doesn´t look like a school project, but a real movie.
Something he can look at, when he is old and say - look, I was part of that. We had nothing, but everyone did his best and brought in what he had.
In my book, the spirit of indy filming is not only to skip the studio system, but make the magic happen without having the $$$.
You definitely made the magic happen.
Congrats, Frank
Deuceofspades
Veteran
Frank, that got to be one of the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me. Thank you...
Do you get WHEELS magazine in Germany? The film is the feature story in this coming March issue, and my deuce and I are the cover... Nice to see a traditional hotrod steal the show for a change hehe...
Do you know Wolfgang Krewe? He's a buddy of mine, very well known actor in Germany so I hear... And hard core hotrodder. Drive a 30's coupe as his daily driver, rain, shine or snow
Postmaster
Dark Side of the Camera
Wolfgang is a dear friend of mine. We been working together on that
"Smoking Shutdown - German (Belly)Tank on the Salt" project of Rennabteilung.
Actualy I am the official film department (Filmabteilung) of Rennabteilung.
A firend has a WHEELS subscription, can´t wait for that issue.
Frank
By the way, the coupe is a 37 :beer:
"Smoking Shutdown - German (Belly)Tank on the Salt" project of Rennabteilung.
Actualy I am the official film department (Filmabteilung) of Rennabteilung.
A firend has a WHEELS subscription, can´t wait for that issue.
Frank
By the way, the coupe is a 37 :beer:
Deuceofspades
Veteran
Wolfgang is a dear friend of mine. We been working together on that
"Smoking Shutdown - German (Belly)Tank on the Salt" project of Rennabteilung.
Actualy I am the official film department (Filmabteilung) of Rennabteilung.
A firend has a WHEELS subscription, can´t wait for that issue.
Frank
By the way, the coupe is a 37 :beer:
Well if you see him, show him the WHEELS magazine of MARCH (coming up issue) :thumbup: and tell him I say hello!
ESTEBEVERDE
Veteran
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.
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.
CiPO
Well-known member
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
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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