FEATURE: "DOWN AND DANGEROUS" - new update, one year later.

The U Stream Live broadcast is an awesome idea. I had wanted to do something like this for years.

Congrats!

I'll be shooting starting this weekend. No fancy live streaming though.

Keep it going.

-Martin
 
Just read through this thread. Very inspiring. I would have made a pledge solely based on that actor doing imitations. That was stupidly awesome.
 
That's a wrap! I posted the following as an update to our Kickstarter backers...

We've reached the end of our shooting schedule. After more than 30 days of shooting, Down and Dangerous is in the can. I'm very proud to note that this film was made by a core team of six people: Kevin K. Shah, Sam Krueger, Jamie Cobb, Randolph Scott, Erik Reese and myself. Each wore many hats and its on their shoulders that this production succeeded. In addition to their jobs on set, many contributed production gear, props, picture cars and much more. Kevin was almost solely responsible for securing all our locations, often heavily discounted, sometimes free.

Our last days of shooting were near the US/Mexico border with John T. Woods, Paulie Rojas and Ross Marquand. We had an exciting, fun-filled time there and it was nice to celebrate the conclusion of production together. I'm grateful to the amazing cast we've assembled. They are the heart and soul of the movie and should all be proud of their performances. As someone who is rarely satisfied with what he's doing and always pushing to do better, I find myself in the unique position of liking what I see as I go through the footage we shot.

The experience of making this picture is most memorable for all the new friendships we made. The Sabi family still carries its familiar faces, but now plenty of new ones. Many thanks to each of our backers for making this possible. And many more to the cast and crew who came together to make something bigger than any one of us. And in particular, I'd like to thank John T. Woods, who I'd sat down with nearly a year ago over coffee to discuss an idea for a fun little crime thriller. We did it!

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Robert Eldon said:
Congratulations Zac on the Wrap! I hope you can share your experience using the AF100 for this feature film?
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I love our AF100 and am not shy about putting it through hell. She has the scars to prove it – water, rain, fake blood, desert sand, 70mph car mount vibrations and she just keeps on ticking. No glitches, just rock solid and reliable. The Small HD DP6 monitor is a great companion for it. For the shoot I rented the Tokina 11-16mm and man, that lens is beautiful, and fun.

carmount.jpg
 
Zak Forsman said:
I love our AF100 and am not shy about putting it through hell. She has the scars to prove it – water, rain, fake blood, desert sand, 70mph car mount vibrations and she just keeps on ticking. No glitches, just rock solid and reliable. The Small HD DP6 monitor is a great companion for it. For the shoot I rented the Tokina 11-16mm and man, that lens is beautiful, and fun.

carmount.jpg
Click to expand...

Zak, you said you rented the Tokina 11-16mm. Do have to use an adapter for that?

Also, what other lenses did you use, especially for interior scenes?

And what lens did you use for that wicked car mount? Did you have to use OIS?

Again, Congrats on the wrap and can't wait to see some footage or more screen shots!
 
yes, i also rented an adapter that allowed me to adjust the aperture. in addition to that lens, I own a set of Nikons: 24mm, 35mm, 50mm, 85mm, 135mm and 300mm. On the car mount is the 85mm for a CU of the driver. Just before this we did two takes with the 11-16mm so you could see the two occupants, windows open, with the environment wrapping around them as they drove. One of my favorite shots. No OIS. I kinda like the little bit of vibration you see. Probably because I grew up seeing it in the movies I admired at the time.

Robert Eldon said:
Zak, you said you rented the Tokina 11-16mm. Do have to use an adapter for that?

Also, what other lenses did you use, especially for interior scenes?

And what lens did you use for that wicked car mount? Did you have to use OIS?

Again, Congrats on the wrap and can't wait to see some footage or more screen shots!
Click to expand...
 
Our editor has posted some thoughts on evolving her process as she makes her way through her first cut. http://jamiecobb.com/2012/02/the-first-pass/

I am a firm believer that the footage will tell you what you can and cannot do with it and Down and Dangerous has proved no exception to the rule. The more time I spend with this footage the better my understanding of its needs has become. On the last feature, that was largely improv-based, I found that I could really only work with and shape one take because the organic rhythms would change too much and you could see my editorial hand in it too much. But the more time I spend with this scripted material I am discovering that not only can I pull from multiple takes, but that I should.Opening the door to more choices has been freeing yet overwhelming all at the same time. When I’ve been watching the dailies down on this film, I’ll pull the lines that immediately affect me and put them in a separate string-out so they don’t get lost in a sea of takes. I also put them in order and back to back. It can be fun to watch certain lines from different takes go head to head and battle it out.

My first pass of the scene, when I do my selects this way, is inevitably a bit of an editorial train wreck because all of my “favorite” lines often have very little emotional continuity connecting them together. After watching this first pass it is easy to step back and see what isn’t working and why. Then I can pull the pieces that work best with each other, to connect and maintain the emotional continuity, as I dive back in to the footage.

I definitely understand that we all have to start somewhere and that the process of editing is to refine and refine and dig deeper each time. But I couldn’t stop thinking if there was a way for me to speed up the process and skip this first editorial pile up of a pass. Or at the very least, lessen the gap.
And then today the most perfect and timely tweet came my way from GlenMontgomery:



And right there I had my answer, if I am more thoughtful to why I am choosing any given line from the beginning, give it more thought than it’s my “favorite” delivery, but really think about how each line serves the story and the character from the beginning, I should be able to create that organic rhythm sooner. It appears I was asking the wrong question. My selects process is strong after all, but it’s what I do with it from there that needs sharpening.

I’ve been cutting Down and Dangerous for almost a month now and I have about 35 mins of rough cut so far. Despite my use of the term “train wreck” in this post, I assure you that the movie has been shaping up nicely and I can’t wait to share it with you all.
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We have a first cut!

https://www.facebook.com/zakforsman/posts/108584439278444?notif_t=like



This week Jamie Cobb (editor, co-producer) finished her first draft edit of Down and Dangerous. We finally have the movie in a form where it can be watched beginning to end. I say "finally" but Jamie has brought us to this point remarkably quick. From January to April, she has been incredibly disciplined working on the cut five days a week for 7 to 10 hours a day. She's been moving at a breakneck pace, while leaving no stone unturned creatively. The running time of this cut landed at 103 minutes.

Last night we screened the film for its producer Kevin K. Shah and its lead actor John T. Woods. This was Kevin's first time seeing... anything, as he opted to wait until he could experience it as a whole. Here are some of his comments from an email he sent later that night:

"Not to over do it, but after thinking about it a lot more, I'm just increasingly speechless.

I'm blown away by the action Jamie, which is a huge hurdle, because it allows us to revel in the quieter/intense scenes that much more. (knowing/trusting the action keeps coming). I love the pacing of the story. it keeps moving, and you've taken some great moments and let them play out as well.

Since you've now reached the end, going back will reveal even more in the first half as to what can play out or be condensed. If the film shortens, I would imagine it would come out of the first half, but there was never a place where I was wanting a scene as a whole to move a little faster. That to me, is miraculous for a first cut.

Each of the characters were strong, and I was never searching a scene for who to pay attention to. Sound mixing the dialogue is going to make this movie pop. Storytelling felt natural, and linear and the emotions for the most part felt consistent. I think those previously mentioned beats before the last lines near the end of certain scenes may be something to look at, as you also do it elsewhere to great effect.

If you want more specifics/final thoughts later, I'd be happy to. But Jamie and Zak, it's working really, really well as a movie, as something original, and as something extremely polished looking with great acting."

- KEVIN

I am extremely proud of the work everyone has done, from the cast to the crew. And cannot wait to share it with you. I've begun working on a trailer and a new poster. But the road ahead really begins with a second pass on the edit, addressing notes we've made along the way. Then, we'll put it in front of a selection of our backers as well as some of our peers for additional feedback before locking the picture edit. From there, we move into scoring, sound effects editing, sound mixing, some visual effects work and final color grading. Our aim is to have a finished feature film in September, a year from the close of this Kickstarter campaign.

In the meantime, all perks that can be distributed have been sent out (if you didn't receive something, please let me know). Most recently, our distributor, Vanguard Cinema, provided 72 DVD copies of my first movie HEART OF NOW that we shipped to all the backers who selected that perk. Shot at the end of 2007, it's a very different style of movie than DOWN AND DANGEROUS and proved to be an incredible education for me in terms of working with actors and making a feature length motion picture. It thrills me to no end that HEART OF NOW will be screening in Cannes on May 19 at noon at the festival's Marché du Film market in an effort to generate some international sales.

Looking ahead, you can follow me on Twitter or the official movie hashtag #DADmovie for little developments and anecdotes throughout the rest of post-production. While any major updates will continue to be sent through Kickstarter.

And as always, thanks to our backers for this wonderful opportunity to make a motion picture. I set out to do something my dad would be proud of. Seeing it now from beginning to end, I know that he would have loved it.
 
Congratulations. Reading through this thread has been an inspiration. I am really looking forward to seeing this movie.
 
Making a film is no small effort. Making a feature film is for the clinically insane and extremely passionate. A feat like this always has to be respected and commened for the sheer dedication it takes to make this happen. Creative vision is one thing, but to bring it to life on screen takes a hugely complex machine of people, time, effort, love, red bull and just a hint of crazy. Well done to every single person who contributed to this film. Indie films are where we learn and grow and forge our visions into a back-lit reality in the hope of playing it before the masses in festivals side-by-side with the big boys films. Budget never makes a film. Film makers make the film. To see this come to life is a beautiful thing, and I hope every single person on the cast and crew is happy with their contribution to cinema.

Like you, we completed a film in 2008 and it's now doing the rounds with our sales agent. We are just about to set out on another cinematic journey to make our second feature film, and your post has been nothing but inspiring. Thank you for sharing this with all of us, and I wish you the best of luck wherever you take it. Passion deserves success. I hope it comes to you all in truckloads.

Christian
 
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