FORGE: A Feature Film by 500 Cuts

One thing to consider when setting out to shoot a project is what format to shoot. There are so many options these days, and just as many deciding factors that determine what the “best” medium will be. If you’re at all tuned into digital motion picture acquisition, you’ll no doubt have heard of the infamous “Red One” camera. I won’t go into details in this post, but I will say that I have recently completed a project with this fine piece of equipment, and from a camera persons perspective it was very exciting to work with. For answers to pretty much every Red related question, visit Reduser.net. In the very early days of preproduction, we discussed the feasibility of using this camera, and what advantages it might afford us. In the end we decided to stick with the tried and true Panasonic HVX200. But why?

In simple terms, with this production there are many factors to consider, and all aspects of the production must be taken into account when we’re making decisions. The choice to shoot with the Panasonic HVX has allowed us many advantages over the Red One. First and foremost is the cost. A typical Red package could rent for up to $1000.00 a day once you factor in lenses, support equipment, etc. If you multiply that cost over a 12 day shoot, you can quickly see that the costs would be pretty enourmous for our budget. With our HVX package, not only do we not have to rent it from anyone, but we also have full-time access to it, which is extremely important in the test and prep phase. We can pick up and go shoot tests whenever we want, which is a HUGE help. Furthermore, since we’re handling all of our own post-production, the benefits of shooting for a workflow that we’re already used to will help a lot. As I stated before, I have just recently finished shooting and posting a short film originated with the Red camera. That project, all told, has ended up with almost 500 gigs of material, all for an 8 minute film. Managing the data for a feature film with the Red would involve not only testing a new workflow, but also purchasing more equipment to help us deal with the extremely large amounts of raw data produced. In full-resolution, the Red burns about 2 gigs per minute of footage. Currently, when shooting with 8-gig compact flash cards that means you get about 4 minutes per card. In 720P, the HVX is around 2.5 minutes per-gig, and when usign a 16 gig card, that means about 40 solid minutes of recording time before a reload.

With the HVX, we’ll be shooting all of our material in 720P, which the HVX200 does extremely well. Shooting in this format will also allow us to seamlessly integrate overcranked footage (slow-motion) in the edit. Overcranked footage is not solely useful for “slow motion”, but can also prove useful for green-screen work to avoid motion blur, etc….

Look for more updates about our shooting and workflow setup in the near future!

After a few days of virtually no new information about the project, our lead actor, Luke Clements, called me last night to say he got a part in a new Ben Stiller movie.  We’re psyched for him.  He has a bunch of lines and his character is referred to constantly through the film.  Go Luke!

Thankfully, his scenes will only take a couple days to shoot so he’ll be back on FORGE soon.  I’m glad I got to him before he blew up!

UPDATE:  Here’s the IMDB link to the film Greenberg:  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1234654/

The movie is mostly cast!  Here’s a quick list:

Luke Clements, Alexander Mendeluk, Jeffree Newman, James Sweet, and Austin Healey are in.  I’m going to approach Danny Bruno about a day part.  He’s great, but he’s busy, so I hope he can show up for a few hours.  I will be speaking to Ryan Artists about an actress because even though her part is small, she has to make a big impact when she’s on screen.

The cabin location is in place, and I have almost too many options for the interior lab set.  I’ll try to make a decision by the end of the month.

Lastly, I’m still trying to work out a meal/craft service option.  We’ll only eat one full meal a day and the crews will be small.  VERY small, like 5-8 people per day including cast.  10-12 days.  If anyone has any leads, I’m all ears.

For funding, I’m applying for several grants and hitting up everyone I know (who has a job) to pitch in whatever little they can.  Even a $5 donation will be an immense help.  But hey, if you have that annoying $500 lying around that you can’t seem to get out of the house, I can straighten it out for you.

Contact me at 500cuts[at]gmail.com.  Also, don’t hesitate to hit me with questions about anything.  I’m full of semi-useful information.

The queries have been made.  Anticipation is taking hold, or is that the Fullerenes?!  The Alfred P. Sloan foundation offers grants to non-profits who portray science in a good light.  All of our hopes point to an OK from the foundation but, is there really enough science in the movie?  We think yes, and to make us feel better here is a link to one site that has offered up some inspiration.  Nanowerk.com is an extensive database of nanotech information, they have photos, articles and VIDEOS!  Watch nanotubes form around ionized nickle, for example.

Forge is not just about Nanotech however, it also has Quantum Mechanics thrown into the mix.  To share an opinion, the two technologies go hand in hand.  If you want more opinions, or, if you prefer facts then please contact the Forge project and submit to the tech!

Hello everyone.  Data can be a scary thing, especially when coming hot off the camera, there is a fear of losing all the 1 & 0’s into the either.  That would be fine if it became fullerene, then we could manipulate with our MIND!  However, this is not the case.

With FORGE we will be shooting on the HVX and recording  to the P2 cards.  This will allow us to begin post production as soon as the first card is filled.  My job will be to gently take the loaded P2 card and introduce it to a card reader.  Once the two have joined I will suck the data clean off, immediately scenes will become fully available and editable.  Working with redundant drives will give us confidence to begin editing scenes together on the fly.  Soo SODERBERG!

More details on hardware and software are on the way.

I met with Ellen from Film Action Oregon yesterday.  FAO has a setup they call “Project Partners” where project donors can submit donations through FAO’s non-profit organization.  It’s a great way for filmmakers to offer their funding sources a tax-deductible option.  In addition to handling screenings and events for the Hollywood Theater here in Portland, OR, FAO also runs filmmaking seminars for young people.

Ellen and I sat at Hollywood Wine & Espresso and chatted about the project while I ate an excellent caprese salad and she sipped her chai.  While being very optimistic about our chances, Ellen was careful to point out that FAO doesn’t just herd projects through (I’m paraphrasing, of course).  They have an application and selection process so you need to be organized and prepared.  Their goal is to help serious filmmakers see projects through to completion, but they don’t have the time or the resources to hold hands the whole way.  So get your act together, boy!

Pat will officially graduate from the Art Institute of Portland in two weeks.  He has a great eye, and isn’t afraid to run-and-gun which is how I like to shoot.  Working fast doesn’t mean a shot has to look shoddy.  Pat will bring quick decision making and great motion photography to the project without the posturing and attitude that accompanies so many talented young people.

Here’s his reel:

Demo Reel, 2008 from Patrick LaValley on Vimeo.

About a week ago Co, Alex, Luke, Jason and myself headed up to our Brightwood Oregon location to do a quick screen test. This test was beneficial in a variety of ways, not only for the actors and for Jason, but also for myself. This screen test allowed us to begin to see how this scene will look in the final film, and provided a platform to try out lighting, framing, color correction, and a variety of other things that will eventually help us to formulate a cohesive film. Our shoot schedule will be tight so it helps to make decisions about the film prior to the “day of”. From here on out expect to see more tests like these as well as storyboards, animatics, and pre-visualization animations. The goal of all these tests and up-front work is to make our production run efficiently, and minimize complicated decision-making on-set, which is especially important when working on a tight schedule.

A few tech specs…

Camera: HVX200, 720P, 24FPS

Letus Extreme, Nikkor: 50mm 1.4, 105mm 2.5, 135mm 2.8

1.2k HMI, bounce cards for fill.

In previous experience, I’ve found that working with the Letus adapter effectively gives me a camera with a sensitivity below 200 ISO. It takes a lot of light to expose properly using the adapter. By necessity, we usually end up keeping the aperture pretty wide open which isn’t ideal for a variety of reasons. A wide aperture creates a very shallow depth of field. In essence, the area that’s “in focus” on the image plane isn’t very deep. This becomes a problem when you consider that while shooting we must manually keep our shot in focus. Moreover, a very wide aperture is usually not the ideal for any lens, which leads to the overall picture having a soft feel despite everything being dead on. Part of the testing process for this shoot will involve figuring out the best way to light so that I don’t have to shoot “wide open”. So far, the plan is to use strong one-directional lighting sources that will allow me to put all my eggs in one basket, and therefore allowing me to stop down

As you can see from the footage, our setup here is pretty simple. No fancy dollies, no jib moves, no elaborate lighting rigs. This “lean and mean” approach allows for fast setups and minimal lighting changes between shots.

Until next time!

-Patrick

We had a mini production meeting today at the Red Square to just frame out the commitments we’ll need from various people.  We’re doing this full Kubrick style crew-wise… super lean.  Some crew will need to be there everyday, others only one or two days.  Some days it’ll be 10 people on set, but most days will be more like 6.  If you’ve never seen A Life in Pictures, you should check it out.   There’s these great production photos on movies like Full Metal Jacket where there are dozens of tanks, soldiers, and helicopters, but only 7 or 8 crew people.  Great stuff.  Anyway, once the script is closer to a finalized state, we’ll break it down and figure out the day-to-day scheduling.  

As it stands, week 1 (May 4-8) will be at the Brightwood, OR location and week 2 (May 10-15) will be the lab interior.  Getting through 20 scenes in four days sounds kinda crazy, but there will be minimal lighting changes through the scenes, so we’ll bang stuff out as fast as the actors can get their takes.

Just scored an 85mm Nikkor lens for $100 on ebay.  The Letus adapter can use the old beater non-AI lenses that people are unloading because they don’t have auto focus.  Looks like it’s in great shape.

I think the economy is helping us because video gear heads are liquidating their gear.  I also picked up a barely used Sennheiser ew112 wireless combo for $350.  $500 new on sale!  Good one.  I think that’s all we’ll need for additional equipment.   But who knows?  Some deals are too good to pass up.