"Minogue Space"
- Thread starter pmark23
- Start date
Marlon Ladd
Veteran
Very cool grabs.
pmark23
Veteran
Over the next few posts I'll go over some of the production details.
STORY:
The script was written around 2005 as an exercise. It took only a couple hours of actual writing, but many hours of thinking and dozens of pages of notes.
I wanted to accomplish two things in just a few pages: Write about a very large and encompassing subject in as few words as possible, and write a dialogue scene that let pure exposition carry the story.
The theme was about love -- love that conquered not just time but space.... and beyond! I'm a huge fan of "Space Opera" (a genre sadly overlooked by the film and print community), so wrote in that form.
The notes on backstory and how their world operates were very long and detailed, and it was a challenge to condense it into a few minutes on screen. Fortunately many of the concepts are ideal for film and a lot was told with just a shot of an object and some sound effects, or a glance from an actor.
How did Kylie Minogue get in there? It was obvious from the start that any story dealing with fractured spacetime and multidimensional beings would have to include Kylie. To not do so would have been naive.
STORY:
The script was written around 2005 as an exercise. It took only a couple hours of actual writing, but many hours of thinking and dozens of pages of notes.
I wanted to accomplish two things in just a few pages: Write about a very large and encompassing subject in as few words as possible, and write a dialogue scene that let pure exposition carry the story.
The theme was about love -- love that conquered not just time but space.... and beyond! I'm a huge fan of "Space Opera" (a genre sadly overlooked by the film and print community), so wrote in that form.
The notes on backstory and how their world operates were very long and detailed, and it was a challenge to condense it into a few minutes on screen. Fortunately many of the concepts are ideal for film and a lot was told with just a shot of an object and some sound effects, or a glance from an actor.
How did Kylie Minogue get in there? It was obvious from the start that any story dealing with fractured spacetime and multidimensional beings would have to include Kylie. To not do so would have been naive.
pmark23
Veteran
DIET:
This is something that took me a loooong time to figure out.
I mostly do documentary and corporate shoots, most of which involve long journeys to very remote and difficult (and dangerous) environments. Shoots become very stressful, and health (particularly the stomach) can suffer. I'm sure all of you know what I mean!
I've found that in order to keep up energy levels, the best way was to follow an almost all-protein diet. During the day I eat only meat (well cooked) and/or eggs, and veggies, in several small meals. Starches and sugars are completely shunned until evening. This means no juices or colas, no rice, bread, potatoes or pastas. I eat whatever I want during the evening meal (as long as there's no shooting that night), which is when I load-up on carbs.
The human body can extract a huge amount of energy from small amounts of meat (the fattier the better! MMMMmmmm!), so you don't need a lot of food in your stomach. If you're accustomed to eating a lot, your stomach may be giving you signals that it wants to eat -- but this is easy to ignore when you're busy.
Even when I'm not running around in with camera equipment and stuck in an editing bay (like the last week), I've found this diet enables me to concentrate for very long periods of time without feeling tired and wanting to nod-off after lunch. The editing for Minoque was very intense -- 5 10-hour days.
I also try not to drink too much water, drinking only what I need (which outside in 45 degree weather is usually a lot!). Too much tends to make you "water dumb" and loose concentration easily. You can see this in the glazed, vacant expressions on the People Who Carry Water Bottles.
This is something that took me a loooong time to figure out.
I mostly do documentary and corporate shoots, most of which involve long journeys to very remote and difficult (and dangerous) environments. Shoots become very stressful, and health (particularly the stomach) can suffer. I'm sure all of you know what I mean!
I've found that in order to keep up energy levels, the best way was to follow an almost all-protein diet. During the day I eat only meat (well cooked) and/or eggs, and veggies, in several small meals. Starches and sugars are completely shunned until evening. This means no juices or colas, no rice, bread, potatoes or pastas. I eat whatever I want during the evening meal (as long as there's no shooting that night), which is when I load-up on carbs.
The human body can extract a huge amount of energy from small amounts of meat (the fattier the better! MMMMmmmm!), so you don't need a lot of food in your stomach. If you're accustomed to eating a lot, your stomach may be giving you signals that it wants to eat -- but this is easy to ignore when you're busy.
Even when I'm not running around in with camera equipment and stuck in an editing bay (like the last week), I've found this diet enables me to concentrate for very long periods of time without feeling tired and wanting to nod-off after lunch. The editing for Minoque was very intense -- 5 10-hour days.
I also try not to drink too much water, drinking only what I need (which outside in 45 degree weather is usually a lot!). Too much tends to make you "water dumb" and loose concentration easily. You can see this in the glazed, vacant expressions on the People Who Carry Water Bottles.
pmark23
Veteran
The Shoot:
The main part of the shoot (80% of the script) takes place in one deceptively simple scene.
After scouting several locations we found this teacher's lounge which seemingly ideal for our purposes.
Of course (as always) despite wandering around the building and asking everyone about any potential noises that could disturb shooting, we ended up with a dancercize class going on next door! I had a brief discussion with the instructor, and well, they'll never find her body.
We brought a dolly and a couple different set of tracks. I had planned several shot to be moving shots, but in editing the locked shots or simple pans were MUCH more effective.
The room had peachy-tan walls (if they were white I wouldn't have shot in there). The room was very bright during daytime. However at night when we were shooting it was very difficult to get a good light level in the room. We had two 1K broads, three 150W Dedos, and a 650W Dedo -- and unless there was a Dedo shining directly into their faces we could barely get close to even 70 IRE.
Behind the bar was a 1K broad lying on the floor, with several screens and an ND gel to cut down the glare. It was bouncing off the ceiling in the bar, and illuminating that corner. There were a couple folds of Opal on it for diffusion. You can see how bright the room is by how dim the Christmas bulbs are -- they're usually quite bright on their own.
The other side of the room had a 1K broad pointed at the ceiling over the actors with no filtering. The 650 Dedo was put in wide position, and shone through an Opal for diffusion. I was going for a hard silver highlight on the actors face, which is why we needed so much fill.
The 150W Dedos were used as eyelights, hairlights, and accent lights. Because we only had three we had to keep relighting as we changed camera position.
In truth the lighting was an almost-disaster. We didn't have enough lights, and not enough people. I would have liked another hour to get the lighting right, but we simply didn't have time. Argh!
I put the mics on stands because there was little movement. The two actors sitting together shared an AKG C1000 hypercardioid, while the one sitting along got a Sennheiser something-or-other. The room had a terrible echo, and the Dedos buzzed like poo, but everything cleaned up well in the edit. I could have made sound a bit better, but didn't have the time (but in general it's quite good.) No ADR was necessary.
The actors memorized their lines a few minutes before saying them. They had freedom to change the lines as needed to make them easier to say. I told them to be aware of the way they deliver a line, and body position, because there was nobody to keep an eye on that (except for me, and I was busy with many other things and likely to forget). All in all they were great and editing was a breeze because of that.
The actors were from a local theatre troupe. It was very hard to get them to not overact their parts (even though this was a scene that needed over-the-top acting). I wanted subtle eye and body movements to tell the story -- and it did. I was able to cut out several lines from the script because they acted the line instead.
I don't have any set stills of this setup, but it was quite simple.
The desk lamp had a 100W (or 150W?) Par spot bulb with a piece of opal wrapped around it. That was it!
A fog machine was off-camera to the right, spitting and hissing poisonous smoke into the face of the actor (non-union). An accomplice held the remote for the fog machine.
The room was a former dance-hall they were in the process of tearing down. The table was in a far corner, and camera was pointing down the empty hall. All lights were off, except for the practical. I gave the actor a black hoodie to wear. The table cloth should have been black as well, but my wife made a dress out my blackout cloth (wtf?), and I could only find dark purple -- which ended up looking awesome.
The ending scenes were shot in the hallways of a local university, while classes were in session so there would be nobody in the hallways (except for freakin' guards and their freakin' jangling keychains!) This part of the shoot also went well, except for the lack of power. We were only able to use fluorescents, and couldn't really get a high enough light level. However it looks dreary enough for its purposes so in the end came out well.
The main part of the shoot (80% of the script) takes place in one deceptively simple scene.
After scouting several locations we found this teacher's lounge which seemingly ideal for our purposes.
Of course (as always) despite wandering around the building and asking everyone about any potential noises that could disturb shooting, we ended up with a dancercize class going on next door! I had a brief discussion with the instructor, and well, they'll never find her body.
We brought a dolly and a couple different set of tracks. I had planned several shot to be moving shots, but in editing the locked shots or simple pans were MUCH more effective.
The room had peachy-tan walls (if they were white I wouldn't have shot in there). The room was very bright during daytime. However at night when we were shooting it was very difficult to get a good light level in the room. We had two 1K broads, three 150W Dedos, and a 650W Dedo -- and unless there was a Dedo shining directly into their faces we could barely get close to even 70 IRE.
Behind the bar was a 1K broad lying on the floor, with several screens and an ND gel to cut down the glare. It was bouncing off the ceiling in the bar, and illuminating that corner. There were a couple folds of Opal on it for diffusion. You can see how bright the room is by how dim the Christmas bulbs are -- they're usually quite bright on their own.
The other side of the room had a 1K broad pointed at the ceiling over the actors with no filtering. The 650 Dedo was put in wide position, and shone through an Opal for diffusion. I was going for a hard silver highlight on the actors face, which is why we needed so much fill.
The 150W Dedos were used as eyelights, hairlights, and accent lights. Because we only had three we had to keep relighting as we changed camera position.
In truth the lighting was an almost-disaster. We didn't have enough lights, and not enough people. I would have liked another hour to get the lighting right, but we simply didn't have time. Argh!
I put the mics on stands because there was little movement. The two actors sitting together shared an AKG C1000 hypercardioid, while the one sitting along got a Sennheiser something-or-other. The room had a terrible echo, and the Dedos buzzed like poo, but everything cleaned up well in the edit. I could have made sound a bit better, but didn't have the time (but in general it's quite good.) No ADR was necessary.
The actors memorized their lines a few minutes before saying them. They had freedom to change the lines as needed to make them easier to say. I told them to be aware of the way they deliver a line, and body position, because there was nobody to keep an eye on that (except for me, and I was busy with many other things and likely to forget). All in all they were great and editing was a breeze because of that.
The actors were from a local theatre troupe. It was very hard to get them to not overact their parts (even though this was a scene that needed over-the-top acting). I wanted subtle eye and body movements to tell the story -- and it did. I was able to cut out several lines from the script because they acted the line instead.
I don't have any set stills of this setup, but it was quite simple.
The desk lamp had a 100W (or 150W?) Par spot bulb with a piece of opal wrapped around it. That was it!
A fog machine was off-camera to the right, spitting and hissing poisonous smoke into the face of the actor (non-union). An accomplice held the remote for the fog machine.
The room was a former dance-hall they were in the process of tearing down. The table was in a far corner, and camera was pointing down the empty hall. All lights were off, except for the practical. I gave the actor a black hoodie to wear. The table cloth should have been black as well, but my wife made a dress out my blackout cloth (wtf?), and I could only find dark purple -- which ended up looking awesome.
The ending scenes were shot in the hallways of a local university, while classes were in session so there would be nobody in the hallways (except for freakin' guards and their freakin' jangling keychains!) This part of the shoot also went well, except for the lack of power. We were only able to use fluorescents, and couldn't really get a high enough light level. However it looks dreary enough for its purposes so in the end came out well.
HBlack
Underage Member
I like the aesthetics of it. The smoke struck me as being too heavy, but the introductory shots stayed interesting despite being relatively long, which says something about their quality. The dialogue really lost me when they started talking about the space stuff initially, and it took a bit for me to lose that sense of confusion. Ending left a bit to be desired, in that it didn't tie things up enough for my tastes. Acting was good throughout, except for the "where is her mind" girl near the end. The man and woman with the funky shirts fit their roles nicely.
MINOGUE SPACE -- Big ol' Story in a lil tiny space
That's hard to do. REALLY hard to do. I had a glance at your production notes VERY briefly before I posted this and you pretty much told me why I was confused. It's a great experiment, to write about something so massive in so few pages, but with the little information alloted it's nearly impossible to really understand and it might leave some in a place where they don't want to understand. Most of the time we, as filmmakers, only get one chance and we have to make the best of it on all fronts.
Sound's a strong point for sure! I'm in headphones (as always with these fests) and I think the sound levels were fine. The dialog at the beginning was really hard to understand. I know that it's supposed to be recorded, however, the distortion might be a lil thick.
It's so contained and most of the shots are so tight that you don't notice the walls, that was a good choice. I think the excessive white/peach colored walls are DANGEROUS.
It's lit, I can see a lot of detail. What happens if you take one of the several different plot devices in the short and turn it into one all its own? Does it work? Just a question to get the mind stirrin'. Something to use for the next short is what I'm gettin' at.
Thanks for puttin up!
That's hard to do. REALLY hard to do. I had a glance at your production notes VERY briefly before I posted this and you pretty much told me why I was confused. It's a great experiment, to write about something so massive in so few pages, but with the little information alloted it's nearly impossible to really understand and it might leave some in a place where they don't want to understand. Most of the time we, as filmmakers, only get one chance and we have to make the best of it on all fronts.
Sound's a strong point for sure! I'm in headphones (as always with these fests) and I think the sound levels were fine. The dialog at the beginning was really hard to understand. I know that it's supposed to be recorded, however, the distortion might be a lil thick.
It's so contained and most of the shots are so tight that you don't notice the walls, that was a good choice. I think the excessive white/peach colored walls are DANGEROUS.
It's lit, I can see a lot of detail. What happens if you take one of the several different plot devices in the short and turn it into one all its own? Does it work? Just a question to get the mind stirrin'. Something to use for the next short is what I'm gettin' at.
Thanks for puttin up!
pmark23
Veteran
Thanks for the 'view.
The story is based on two separate feature-film ideas -- one a modern-day "space opera" to out-do all space-operas (the few that there are). The other a quiet and moody Kaufmanesque story about a guy who could take over people's minds but is too timid to do anything purposeful with his powers. I mashed the two together into 7 pages.
The story is based on two separate feature-film ideas -- one a modern-day "space opera" to out-do all space-operas (the few that there are). The other a quiet and moody Kaufmanesque story about a guy who could take over people's minds but is too timid to do anything purposeful with his powers. I mashed the two together into 7 pages.
Arrik
Well-known member
This was my PM to pmark23. I have to watch the film again to validate my thoughts on it, but I laughed a few times during this thing. It so weird, its great. I love your main actors. I think your title is amazing. I love how my writer looked at me when i told him to watch "minogue space." He didnt dig it as much as I did. He didnt take very well to the confusion, but I think that the confusion adds to the hilarity. I guess the problem with this kinda a flick (for festival purposes) is its so left field that it isnt a safe play. That said, I'm glad you entered.
Ted Arabian
Member with Ladder
Hey pmark, Congrats on your film!
I must say that I was confused through most of it... but it tied together nicely at the end.
A very interesting and unique film, to say the least. You have a very creative mind for sure. I would like to see you put some of that creativity in the shots. Not that there is anything wrong with what you did... but for such an interesting piece, I wanted interesting footage. Just my opinion.
I don't know what the future holds for our clothing... but I hope that I never own a shirt like that guys! :grin:
Well done!
Best,
Ted
I must say that I was confused through most of it... but it tied together nicely at the end.
A very interesting and unique film, to say the least. You have a very creative mind for sure. I would like to see you put some of that creativity in the shots. Not that there is anything wrong with what you did... but for such an interesting piece, I wanted interesting footage. Just my opinion.
I don't know what the future holds for our clothing... but I hope that I never own a shirt like that guys! :grin:
Well done!
Best,
Ted
Mark Johnson
The Dude Abides
This is what makes these fests so vibrant and valuable. Man, when people stretch and experiment it just totally motivates me. I remember awhile back when the infamous MovieMaster appeared on the scene. Nobody was ever sure whether he was a tongue-in-cheek creation or the real deal. Suffice it to say that most of us who saw it will not forget his "flying tupperware" scene. In the end, no matter what you thought of his film or even him, you had to appreciate him.
So, here this little piece of space-time shows up and completely puzzled me but made me really glad you entered. I'd love to see you devote some serious time to preproduction and let some of this creativity flow in a bit more channeled and directed approach. Good job, man.
So, here this little piece of space-time shows up and completely puzzled me but made me really glad you entered. I'd love to see you devote some serious time to preproduction and let some of this creativity flow in a bit more channeled and directed approach. Good job, man.
Cliff Wildman
WildMember
if you're goal was to make me feel like someone zonked me on the head and it transported me back to the acid days of the 60's... you succeeded 
surreal, bizarre, risky and creative. keep that up and keep honing the skills!
had to come back and add --- have you ever seen the jimi hendrix movie, "under the rainbow bridge"?
I don't know why but this keeps coming back up in my mind as far as the feel here. if you haven't seen it, check it out!
surreal, bizarre, risky and creative. keep that up and keep honing the skills!
had to come back and add --- have you ever seen the jimi hendrix movie, "under the rainbow bridge"?
I don't know why but this keeps coming back up in my mind as far as the feel here. if you haven't seen it, check it out!
Last edited:
Michael Anthony Horrigan
More Cowbell Pictures
Crazy!
This was actually really cool! Trippy... but cool.
Very interesting style. In a couple of shots it looked like somebody stepped in front of a light or something, not quite sure.
This was good though. I loved the payoff!
Nice work!
Cheers,
Mike
This was actually really cool! Trippy... but cool.
Very interesting style. In a couple of shots it looked like somebody stepped in front of a light or something, not quite sure.
This was good though. I loved the payoff!
Nice work!
Cheers,
Mike
pmark23
Veteran
Thanks everyone.
Hopefully the confusion is Lynchian! If your reaction is a laugh and a "WTF?", then I consider that a success.
They key shot is when it appears to cross the line for the guy's monologue (when the music starts). The shot actually pivots on the younger girl, so isn't technically crossing the line, but you're following the guy so it isn't obvious. It's meant to show induce the same confusion the girl is facing. I put a light on her face so she's lit a bit brighter than the others. There was another shot pivoting back to her, but I cut it in order to get some time. It was tricky to plan and I'm still not sure it worked as intended.
There are a couple points that could have used tracking shots -- should have used them. I also wish we could have spent more time on lighting.
Hopefully the confusion is Lynchian! If your reaction is a laugh and a "WTF?", then I consider that a success.
They key shot is when it appears to cross the line for the guy's monologue (when the music starts). The shot actually pivots on the younger girl, so isn't technically crossing the line, but you're following the guy so it isn't obvious. It's meant to show induce the same confusion the girl is facing. I put a light on her face so she's lit a bit brighter than the others. There was another shot pivoting back to her, but I cut it in order to get some time. It was tricky to plan and I'm still not sure it worked as intended.
There are a couple points that could have used tracking shots -- should have used them. I also wish we could have spent more time on lighting.
Chris Messineo
Veteran
"Will it hurt?" "Very much."
This definitely felt very Lynchian - well done.
The young actress has a wonderful face.
This whole piece felt very surreal and while I doubt I understood it all, I really enjoyed it.
This definitely felt very Lynchian - well done.
The young actress has a wonderful face.
This whole piece felt very surreal and while I doubt I understood it all, I really enjoyed it.
Gohanto
Veteran
If that's your goal, then it did certainly work perfectly for me. I liked the music and the story was one of the more unique ones I've seen. Acting was a little bit stiff, but the dialog was kinda unnatural by its nature which I'm sure made it difficult. It wasn't overly distracting though.
The opening shots were very interesting and nicely done. And the costume design was very interesting.
jmc
Well-known member
This is so close to brilliance, I had to come comment as soon as I finished watching. I love space opera, and I really like when the story leaves you a bit confused about what their talking about, since you really would be confused if dropped into another dimension.
That said, however, I think that the beginning is too confusing and could have been streamlined to serve the same function with less confusion. There are little things here and there that bring the quality down a little, but when the music starts and he talks about the places he's been...that was amazing. Great musical choice. And the ending is just great!
That said, however, I think that the beginning is too confusing and could have been streamlined to serve the same function with less confusion. There are little things here and there that bring the quality down a little, but when the music starts and he talks about the places he's been...that was amazing. Great musical choice. And the ending is just great!
Blaine
Mr. Hollywood
Well, this was definitely out there. I am really not sure if I liked it or not. Probably going to have to view it again to find that out.
I'm not a fan of Lynch and this does have a Lynchian feel...good for you, bad for me. You obviously got what you were going for, so I give you kudos for that.
I'm not a fan of Lynch and this does have a Lynchian feel...good for you, bad for me. You obviously got what you were going for, so I give you kudos for that.