Dark Design Pictures

Secret Lives: CUPID’S BLOODY VALENTINE

I’m the first one to tell you I am a stats whore. Every morning I check to see what the web site stats are, and now I check my YouTube stats. Over the weekend I checked the ServerBeach YouTube Farewell video which broke 3k views. My other short films not doing as well, but they are getting some views. When I checked the stats this morning I was rather shocked. In the span of 2 days the video jumped from 3000+ views to 4000+. Holy crap! I’m sure the cNet article helped out a bit. I’m sure this isn’t a big deal to most people, but as aspiring filmmaker this the first time I’ve created something that has received this much exposure. So what the hell!

Yesterday CNet posted a blog story by Stefanie Olsen. When you get a chance take a look.

As a director:
- Good actors are consistent actors, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
- If an actor isn’t consistent make them consistent.
- And if you can’t make them consistent get a closeup, your editor will thank you.
- Always have something to cut away to. Again your editor will thank you.
- Never ignore a shot on your list even if you think you don’t need it.
- Make a shot list!
- Always have a backup plan.
- If a shoot goes to smoothly, you’re going to get fucked somewhere in editing.
- The worse shoots make the best movies.
- Good lighting and good audio will make a bad actor look good.
- Bad lighting and bad audio will ruin your movie no matter how good your actors are.
- Alway be your own DP if you can get away with it.
- Know when and when not to say “Cut”.

As an editor:
- Editing your own work is a breeze. Editing some else’s is a nightmare.
- If first you don’t succeed cut away to something else.
- Make sure your director/DP always gets room tone!
- If you don’t have the shot you are looking for you can always fudge it with a reaction shot and a voice over.
- After Effects is your friend.

As a DP:
- The shots that you film will always be better than some else’s.
- Make sure you have more footage than you need.
- No matter how trivial a cut away shot may come in handy during editing.
- Make sure your director cares about the audio and lighting. If he doesn’t, make him care.
- Alway get a close up of every actor. Your editor will thank you.
- Never use some else’s tripod. If you don’t have one get one.
- Never loan out your gear unless the person borrowing it knows that if it comes back in any other condition, they will pay with their life.
- When you have gear everyone wants to be your friend.

This weekend was a bit of a bust. I didn’t do any writing and I only edited Crosshairs for about 2 hours. I was mainly recovering from my work week. The wife left for a business trip yesterday so I wanted to spend as much time with her as possible. On Friday, I talked to Jason my trainer about the feature script I’m working on. He really liked it. He said it’s till rough, nothing new there. He told me I should read this book called “Save the Cat” by Blake Snyder. He said it would help with how to structure a script and roughly what should be happening on what page. It was a bit of an eye opener. In a good way. I’ve always felt kind of lost when it came to writing a script. This puts in a whole new perspective. The first thing he talks about is the Logline. The Logline is a one sentence answers the question “What is it?” If you can’t answer the then you don’t have a movie. The Logline for Keith Wants Revenge is “A 20 something slacker decides to get even with everyone that is making his life hell, mean while his high school rival seeks to get even with him”.

The Crosshairs editing has been getting easier. I’ve noticed that it’s easier to edit the scenes where I’ve had more control over the lighting the audio and the shots. Different filmmakers have different styles. I just happened to like mine a little better. Boy that sounds really fucking arrogant. I don’t think I’m goods gift to film making. Not by any stretch of the imagination. But I do think that when it comes to lighting and micing a scene I do a good job. And my cinematography isn’t bad either.

This week I plan to keep reading “Save the Cat” and editing Crosshairs. I’ve also been talking to Scott Greenberg about buying his light kit as well as his track dolly. I’ve had come up with the idea of renting equipment to filmmakers. Yes it would also benefit me to have them. But I want to find a way to pickup some extra cash to fun my movie projects. We shall see. I’m going to get the light kit today.

I miss the wife.