Can Scanner
Well-known member
Hello!
I'm in preproduction on my second feature, The Making Of. It's a mockumentary about a novice producer/director and his ragtag crew trying to make a movie.
We shot two trailers (you can see them here) to aid the fundraising process.
We're scheduled to start principal photography in August.
My first feature, Remote Control Grandpa, was shot with a DVX100A. Learned a TON making it, and now I'm applying that knowledge to this movie!
When I wrote The Making Of, I wanted the whole production and post process to be as painless and inexpensive as possible, so I tried to write the story around places I already had access to. I limited the number of costumes and props we would need (that I didn't already have), and the people involved.
I made sure the available talent complimented the story. For example, there's a character who claims to be a pro DP. As soon as the director realizes the footage doesn't have that Hollywood sheen to it, they discover he's a fake! Which is great for us because we don't have the gear and experience (and time!) to make something really polished visually. (I mean, of course we could, but that's not what the story's about! At least that's what I tell myself.)
For Remote Control Grandpa, we paid a nice chunk of change for the music. This time we're scoring the movie ourselves. We won't pay a dime and the copyrights will be all ours. Now, are we that good at making music? Not really. But in the story, the sole financier cuts the music budget and buys a cheap synthesizer instead. So that's what we're using!
I really planned to take advantage of our shortcomings. We're going for a "content over form" approach.
It's a mockumentary that involves a novice director, a phoney DP, an editor-turned-composer, and melodramatic theater actors, all wrapped up together by a hyper-frugal executive producer who keeps cutting the budget. And the funny reality of it is, the skills of the crew in the story match the skills of the real crew. I'm looking forward to the "Making Of The Making Of" video.
We're shooting with a single HVX200 and two 4Gb cards at 720PN24, editing in Premiere Pro CS3, scoring with an old Yamaha synthesizer and FL Studio.
Some other gear:
Four 1k "mickey" lights
Two 500w "work" lights
A 6x 48" bulb fluorescent light that I built (and works wonderfully if you're shooting at or slower than 1/60 shutter!)
PVC/Rollerblade wheel dolly
The budget is $15,000. This covers cast and crew, props and costumes, food, lawyer fees, and festival entree/attendance/promotion.
Links to the trailers are here. YouTube versions and HD .mov's.
I'd love any feedback you have! Thank you!
Some stills from the trailers:
I'm in preproduction on my second feature, The Making Of. It's a mockumentary about a novice producer/director and his ragtag crew trying to make a movie.
We shot two trailers (you can see them here) to aid the fundraising process.
We're scheduled to start principal photography in August.
My first feature, Remote Control Grandpa, was shot with a DVX100A. Learned a TON making it, and now I'm applying that knowledge to this movie!
When I wrote The Making Of, I wanted the whole production and post process to be as painless and inexpensive as possible, so I tried to write the story around places I already had access to. I limited the number of costumes and props we would need (that I didn't already have), and the people involved.
I made sure the available talent complimented the story. For example, there's a character who claims to be a pro DP. As soon as the director realizes the footage doesn't have that Hollywood sheen to it, they discover he's a fake! Which is great for us because we don't have the gear and experience (and time!) to make something really polished visually. (I mean, of course we could, but that's not what the story's about! At least that's what I tell myself.)
For Remote Control Grandpa, we paid a nice chunk of change for the music. This time we're scoring the movie ourselves. We won't pay a dime and the copyrights will be all ours. Now, are we that good at making music? Not really. But in the story, the sole financier cuts the music budget and buys a cheap synthesizer instead. So that's what we're using!
I really planned to take advantage of our shortcomings. We're going for a "content over form" approach.
It's a mockumentary that involves a novice director, a phoney DP, an editor-turned-composer, and melodramatic theater actors, all wrapped up together by a hyper-frugal executive producer who keeps cutting the budget. And the funny reality of it is, the skills of the crew in the story match the skills of the real crew. I'm looking forward to the "Making Of The Making Of" video.
We're shooting with a single HVX200 and two 4Gb cards at 720PN24, editing in Premiere Pro CS3, scoring with an old Yamaha synthesizer and FL Studio.
Some other gear:
Four 1k "mickey" lights
Two 500w "work" lights
A 6x 48" bulb fluorescent light that I built (and works wonderfully if you're shooting at or slower than 1/60 shutter!)
PVC/Rollerblade wheel dolly
The budget is $15,000. This covers cast and crew, props and costumes, food, lawyer fees, and festival entree/attendance/promotion.
Links to the trailers are here. YouTube versions and HD .mov's.
I'd love any feedback you have! Thank you!
Some stills from the trailers:
