Red | White

[Will Clegg]

A man is lost in the snow-covered woods with no idea of how he ended up there. His memory begins to come back to him in flashes, but at the same time his survival gear keeps mysteriously disappearing...

CAST:

Steven Berrebi
Peter Batiamovich
Kimberly Moody


CREW:

Will Clegg - Director, DP, Writer
Steven Berrebi - Producer
Jim English - Composer
Alfio Vitolo - Editor and Colorist
John Cooney - 1st Assistant Camera
Jen Chau - 2nd Assistant Camera
Keith Saversky - Design Consultant
Alyssa Keener - Wardrobe Design
Vesta Goodez - Special FX Make-up
Nicole Appice - Set Make-up and Hair
Brian Arthur - Location Sound
Dan Arthur - Production Assistant


​

 

[Will Clegg]

At long last, here are some Behind-the-Scenes shots for you. All images from the apartment were taken by Frank Keilly (who graciously allowed us to shoot in his pad) and John Cooney (camera assistant extraordinaire) shot the pictures in the woods. Both guys are filmmakers here in Hoboken.

 

[Dustin R. Rogan]

welcome sir!

Rogan

 

[Mark Johnson]

Reserved for comments beneath Rogan's comments.

 

[Will Clegg]

So this is actually my second attempt at a dvxuser fest. I made a TimeFest entry... I just did it on my own timeline. We shot in August and I finished it in October. Oops.

If anyone is interested in seeing that one, PM me. I have it password-protected on vimeo while I wait to hear from some festivals.

 

[Lawsuit_Boy]

Welcome to the party! Good luck with your work. :beer:

 

[stinkpot]

Looking forward to seeing your film. Welcome to the fest!

:beer:

 

[Will Clegg]

Tonight we had a good creative meeting about where this project is going. Steve (the producer) and I have been talking about doing something new ever since we wrapped production on our last short back in September. Here's an excerpt from an email thread:



Steve Berrebi
to me
Oct 23


i was thinking about something in the woods, with snow and nature. limited but decent coverage, some handheld but mostly pan type stuff on sticks. you ever see the beginning of Last Days?


Will Clegg

to Steve
Oct 23

Nope, never seen it. But I'm definitely down to do some winter nature stuff. I have been watching a bunch of clips by this really talented shooter in the Northwest and he has inspired me - check his videos out: http://vimeo.com/pinelakeflms



Will Clegg

to Steve
Oct 23

Now I'm really thinking about a winter-time nature short. We should try to come up with a really good 3 to 5 minute idea, no dialogue, just nature sounds, good photography and one actor (could be you). And then I would suggest that we consider renting some nice PL-mount lenses from Duall for the weekend, and go shoot something kickass.

 

[Will Clegg]

Of course that vimeo site belongs to our own disjecta - I was bored at work and got to looking at some of his work. Made me really want to shoot nature, which is not something I have done with video (have done plenty of landscapes with my still camera).

We started to kick ideas around about a man surviving in the woods, and then Lossfest was announced... and the story took a whole new shape.

I don't want to divulge too much more about the story just yet for two reasons:

1) I am not even halfway done with the script, but tonight's meeting really helped me talk through the ideas I needed to finish the first draft this week, and

2) It has a twist that I don't want to talk about until it is released as a part of Lossfest.


Major decisions to come out of tonight:

- We will shoot in the first or second weekend of February in New Jersey.
- We will rent some real cinema lenses for the outdoor shoots.
- Steve is going to produce and play the lead.
- Sound design is going to be critical, as there will be very little dialogue and possibly no music at all.
- We are going on a location scout on January 3rd and 4th. Look for some photos in this thread around that time.
- Lastly, I am going to make a conscious effort to blog about this production experience as best I can. I must get better at marketing myself - I believe it to be my number one weakness, and while I want this film to be great, I want to make sure that I find an audience for it no matter what.

 

[Will Clegg]

And one more thing: I have actually watched every single entry from each of the last three dvxfests, and rated every film. I didn't comment on most of them (I don't think I commented on any of them last time), but I intend to be a much more vocal member of the fest this time.

I have worked in a silo for a long time - it will be good to open up my process to you all and to learn from you as much as I can at the same time. So please, feel free to ask anything, at any time. Except for what the twist in my story is, cause I'm not telling that.

 

[Will Clegg]

This is one of the more challenging scripts I have ever tried to write. The reason? There is less then half a page of dialogue.

Strangely, it reminds me of the last film I made in college.

I'm almost finished with the first draft. Maybe another hour now.

 

[Will Clegg]

Quick update: the first draft is complete. I have sent it to a couple of people for feedback, but Steve and I have yet to really discuss. I am happy with where it is, but it needs some work.

This project will be more expensive than any short I have made before, which is both exciting and daunting. Hopefully we can squeeze great value out of every dollar spent.

 

[Will Clegg]

Another update:

Steve and I have discussed the first draft at length now, and a couple of other folks have read it and given their feedback. I plan to finish the 2nd draft by Wednesday, and then we will try to lock the script down.

We went location scouting on Saturday and found a great spot for the woods location. Some pics are attached below. A buddy of Steve's owns a farm with 10 acres of land out in Western Jersey, almost in Pennsylvania. Fortunately, he also has a friend who lives about 15 minutes from the farm where we can crash for the weekend while we shoot (it's an hour and a half from Hoboken).

We decided that we will probably have to go guerilla style for another main location, and we are still trying to figure out how to shoot in an ambulance with real EMS technicians. Should come together soon. We shoot in a little less than five weeks, and we're in pretty good shape right now.

 

[Will Clegg]

2nd draft is complete. We're waiting on some feedback and then the break down begins. I'm getting very excited for this one.

The look will be similiar to "Last Days," "Gerry," or "Paranoid Park." But with a thriller twist to the plot. In the snow.

 

[Zak Forsman]

2nd draft is complete. We're waiting on some feedback and then the break down begins. I'm getting very excited for this one.

The look will be similiar to "Last Days," "Gerry," or "Paranoid Park." But with a thriller twist to the plot. In the snow.

great sources of inspiration there, as far as i'm concerned. looking forward to your film. :thumbup:

 

[Will Clegg]

Thank, Zak. Unfortunately for us, herbalmedia will be only be entering one short for LossFest - but maybe for the next fest we can come up with two or three to match Sabi (seriously, that is impressive that you guys are producing so much).

 

[Michael Anthony Horrigan]

Nice location pics! Good luck with this one.

MAH

 

[Will Clegg]

UPDATE TIME:

The third draft is complete. This will be the final draft as we move full steam ahead into pre-production now. I hadn't anticipated writing a 3rd draft, to be honest, as I was pretty satisfied with the 2nd draft. After a few long emails from Steve and some serious thinking, I really revamped the script in this 3rd draft. It is a much better vision all the way around, and now we are not going to have to do any guerrilla shooting, as that location has changed completely.

--

Camera tests next weekend. I have been going back and forth, back and forth - I can't decide if I want to shoot with my M2 or not on this one. There are some scenes that will definitely have the adapter, but the bulk of the film that will be shot in the woods (see location photos) doesn't exactly demand it. In fact, I have been thinking that the deep focus of the bare HVX might be great. I would just rent some good ND filters and try to shoot at around a 1.7 or 2.0 most of the the time so that the focus isn't too, too deep.

But then I started thinking - well, this is stuff is going to be outdoors in the middle of the day. I could use the M2 and stop down to a 5.6 or 8 on the adapter and get a decent depth of field, and record nice bokeh in the background. Especially now that I have the new cinescreen in there which transmits more light.

Eventually (today) we decided that we should head back to the location next week to shoot some camera tests. It's a 90 minute drive each way, but hey, gas is cheap again, right? I will post some footage from my tests here next weekend - maybe you guys can help me decide. I will be using my Nikon glass for the tests - but still may rent some Zeiss PL-mounted lenses for the actual shoot.

--

I got a new toy. Check it out here. It's a Lensbaby Composer - a tilt shift lens that I plan to use in two scenes for very specific shots. I ordered it today, should come in next week so I can do some testing with it. It's a Nikon F mount - which is why I may end up just shooting this film with my Nikon lenses. I don't think I want to fool around with changing lens mounts in the cold while the cast and crew is waiting. You have to take apart the M2 to do that, and that seems like risky business in the middle of the shoot. If you don't know what a tilt shift lens does. there are tons of examples of it in still photography here. Also, watch the beginning of the film The Diving Bell and the Butterfly to see a great example of it in motion picture photography.

That's all for now. Script breakdown time.

 

[Will Clegg]

UPDATES:

Shooting dates have been moved. We're now planning to shoot one night in Hoboken next weekend, and then the majority of the shoot will take place February 21 and 22. Doesn't leave a lot of time for post, but we have decided that we really want this short to have a life outside of this fest, and in order to make it the best that we can, we need a little more time to prepare. This may mean that I will be in a big rush to finish the 6 minute cut for dvxfest, but so it goes.

Tilt-shift lenses are effing sweet. I got my Lensbaby in the mail on Monday, and it is a fantastic addition to my kit. I will certainly be using my Nikon lenses for this film so that I can easily incorporate this Lensbaby Composer (which has the Nikon F mount). Next short I will rent some Zeiss cine glass.

We have a set dresser. This is important to me, as I feel it often gets overlooked on many low-budget films (especially mine), and the set dressing can be just as important as the lighting in your mise-en-scene. Our set dresser is a buddy of mine who works on a lot of commercials in the NYC area, and he will bring a fresh perspective to the project. It has mostly just been me and Steve bouncing ideas around, with limited outside feedback.

The next location scout is Sunday - we're going out to shoot some video with and without the adapter (though now I am pretty much sold on using the M2). I will also shoot some stills, and possibly will try to get the poster shot for the film. I'll be sharing all of this when I get back on Sunday (ok, maybe Monday, since the Super Bowl is Sunday night).

I'm anxiously awaiting the Redrock annoucement today. Particularly to see about the upgrades to the adapter. I expect a new adapter to be announced since Brian said as much, but I am hoping that there will be an upgrade path for current M2 owners. Specifically, I am hoping that there will be an add-on to the front elements that will allow me to collimate the adapter without opening it up. Brian hinted at this to me privately a while ago, but we'll see later today. I hope I can get any new items in time for the 2/21 shoot!

 

[Richard J. Johnson]

This is shaping up to be my type of movie. can't wait to check it out.