FEATURE: "HEART OF NOW" – a film by SABI

Billy Pilgrim said:
Zak ..... you've been a real inspiration, in more ways than one. I sincerely mean that. No bullshi*.
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Just for the record - add me to that list, Zak.
As Billy said - No bullshi*


Zak Forsman said:
...after i return, if i can be a resource for you in terms of sharing what we did and how we did it, i'd be more than happy to disseminate a little "ultra low budget filmmaking" information.
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I'm looking forward to your thoughts on the whole process, once you get a chance to take a breath and relax a bit.
 
first, check out my new avatar in honor of Matty_g, first class camera op. my "eyes" on the battlefield.

and thanks to everybody for the kind words. before production began, Marion Kerr and myself were interviewed by Backstage West (the article is really about her, I was there to talk about why I cast her in Heart of Now) and that should go to print sometime this month. I have two other interviews about the project coming up and will post links when those are printed/podcasted.

Billy Pilgrim said:
Now how about some of that "ultra low budget filmmaking advice"?
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YES!! fire away, I will answer any questions to the best of my ability!
 
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okay, don't get too excited, it will be months before we have a final cut. but i've already started testing out some color grading options, here's a taste...

here are the ungraded and graded versions, in that order. The graded version was pushed toward yellow, midtones lifted, blacks crushed, grain added and sharpening applied.

nowtestungradedlq6.jpg

nowtestgradedmz5.jpg
 
funding was a combination of self-financing and private investors. the cast was paid guild minimum under the sag ultra low budget agreement of $100/day while most of the crew worked for practically nothing. their rewards were in the form of on set experience (for most, this was their first or second production out of film school) and the opportunity to collaborate on a project where their own creative contributions would be greater than they are typically used to. had we paid everybody a full rate, sag scale, rental houses, etc, the budget would have been just under $400,000. but we pursued donations and "breaks" everywhere from catering (Chipotle gave free food, others discounted to $8/per person, etc) to equipment rentals, essentially getting everything for a month but only paying the cost of a single week's rate, sometimes for a single day's rate. this takes a lot of time to negotiate and most was handled by Kevin, my business partner and producer on Heart of Now. but we had 2 and a half months of preproduction for that very reason. everything starts with having a "donation letter" which you can read here...

This letter is to humbly request your participation in our microbudget feature film.
Some facts about this project:

1/3 of all profits from this project will be donated to charity and charitable organizations.

This is a microbudget film that fosters a deep collaborative spirit between all artists involved – from cast to crew.

The Story: Heart of Now is a modern family drama about the universal brokenness of our daily lives and charting a course to forgiveness. Ultimately, it’s a spiritual story for those without faith – with the hope that one can find love and meaning in their life.

Among those involved that are working for free or minimal deferred pay: Members of the cast, the producers, the director, writer, director of photography, production designer, line producers, editors, costume, make-up, post-production personnel, and many of the crew & production coordinators all are working on this project for free, minimal deferred pay, expenses or guild minimums only.

There is very little money, most of it is from the pockets of the filmmakers themselves - but we are all passionate about this project – and so we come to you for your help.

Your contribution will be greatly appreciated and will go directly to a worthy artistic endeavor. We hope that your contribution will come from a place of sharing and creative spirit. We hope the results of this experiment will make its way into a marketplace starved for meaningful films.

Thank you for your time and your consideration. If your donation happens to be a check, you can make it payable to Sabi, LLC. All contributions in the form of food (meal for 10-12 per day), water, equipment, any gifts for the cast, and all blessings are welcome and appreciated!

For more information please feel free to contact the filmmakers directly at
(213) 534-3782 or info@sabipictures.com

Sincerely,

Zak Forsman, Kevin K. Shah, Jamie Cobb and Sabi Pictures
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I plan to recut the first "webisode" of behind the scenes to incorporate interviews we're shooting with cast and crew, but for now, i bring you: "INSIDE HEART OF NOW"...


Webisode One - "The Very Heart Of It"
Zak Forsman (writer/director), Marion Kerr ("Amber")
and a minimal crew begin production on "Heart of Now" with a series
of "pre-shoots" in the weeks leading up to principal photography.
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Brandon Rice said:
I checked it out... looks like you went very natural for your cinematography/lighting on this one...
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I'm a minimalist when it comes to cinematography. I have a real problem with anything that looks "lit". I rarely had more than two lights set up for interiors, and always with heavy diffuson. Countless hours went into planning and testing the lighting design achieved thru practicals before supplementing them with a silked kinoflo or Chinese lantern. for exteriors, I do what Tak Fujimoto does, I lay down bleached white fabric on the ground around the actor to bounce sunlight back up at them. It works subtley and gives "transparent" results. And that's what's most important to me, that it look as though I just happened to be there at the right moment. I wont roll camera until i can look at the monitor and say it looks real. What that means for exteriors is you have to spend a day at each location to watch what the light is doing on its own. I did that and scheduled shoots to hit those ideal times of day. A lot of work goes into making something look like you got lucky. Boiled down, my philosophy is to light for the space, the environment, not the actors.
 
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