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Round Up

Hello there, I have been working for a while now on the burger night rough cut, and finally got something I was happy with last weekend. It was a journey to be on, as I may have alluded to in my previous post.  The footage was shot in 26fps played back at 24fps, which took an absurd amount of time to figure out. The color grading was hard to work around due to the lights and other inconsistencies such as the camera operator/DP not keeping a consistent f/Stop between takes. The footage decent, but not really what I was looking for. The well documented troubles with my first and second DP's quitting led to my time with Gianna being more abbreviated and we weren't totally on the same page. That is ok, it was a learning experience and something I will take in to account on my next project. In terms of editing, I think it cut together nicely, there were a few awkward shots that I had to work around, but I used takes from other bits to help with that. The one area I think this projec...
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Well- That happened.

 Hello again dear reader(s) It feels like a long time has passed since we last spoke, and in many ways- it has. Filming for Burger Night wrapped and a great weight has been lifted from my shoulders.  Getting there was not an easy path. Several crew members dropped out at the 10th and 11th hours, leaving me to curse the infinite void of darkness that is the Atlantic ocean at night. These included my replacement DP (although she was kind enough to find me a replacement in time), my 2nd AC, and both PA's, In the end, it worked out and nine folks came together to make a movie and eat the Moe's catering I ordered for 14. I still have leftovers too! Overall, I am quite pleased with the direction that things took on set, we had a good shoot and it was mostly smooth. The footage looks crisp and I think using the Pocket Cinema instead of the Ursa worked out well, especially considering the size of the room. Sound was mostly good. I think the airport being nearby really put a wrench in ...
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A Month...Time Exists? 5/19

To say the last month has been uneventful would be a total lie/stretch of the truth. During finals week I was so caught up in everything that I forgot to post updates those weeks, but I am back now. So, where to begin? Luie Roman, who was cast as Harrison dropped out literally the day after my last post. This through me for a loop, but I know what issues his family is facing in their personal lives. Thankfully, I went to see the Theatre Dept. Production of "A Murder of Crows" and saw an actor that seemed a good fit. I reached out via a cold email (almost a week later because I was busy), but thankfully he actually is free and has joined! So now, just as it seemed that all was going well, something else came up. My D.P. Dropped out yesterday, as he too has had something unforeseeable come up and has to take care of it. AHHHHHH. Despite the fact I should be panicking, I have kept it together, I polled within the crew already assembled to see if there is anyone else that could f...
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The One Where I Was Three Days Late

Not much has changed, but I have finished a shot list and I am suffering through the storyboards. Something will be turned in tomorrow :)  The networking event on Friday was lucrative! There was an excellent turn out and I think most of the crew is now accounted for and the casting is still mostly done. I found a gentleman by the name of Berger which means he may be perfect for the role, and has an appropriate last name. Its all shaping up! The film I made in undergrad with Van Walker was named an official selection at Longleaf so that has been a big win on a personal level. Hopefully he and I can keep our streak up with Burger Night. 
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March Madness is almost over.

 Well, time has flown. I've gotten several responses to my casting listing, but due to being swamped with projects, etc., my producer and I have yet to go over them, there do seem to be a few prospects.  The cinematographer, I wanted to work with is available and joining us from scenic Greensboro, North Carolina. That being said, I think his availability is slightly short of the full shoot, which means I may need to get creative with the schedule.    It seems lame to say that I am excited...but I am. This week has made it feel more real than the past few, and I think that it's good incentive for me to start working on the shot lists, etc. In other news, I started recording a song that MIGHT be featured on the radio in the film but only time will tell. It will be decided based on how it turns out. 
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Updates: March 17th

 I did far less for my project over spring break than I had anticipated. That being said, further strides have been made. An actor who I have previously worked with (who is great, by the way) has agreed to appear as one of the two leads. For the other character, a flyer has been posted to a Facebook group that has worked well for me in the past, so something good should come from that.  I have worked some on the budget, but it is not finalized. The location is sorted out and the script is essentially done.  I have not begun recruiting crew from the pool of undergrads here, as I am trying to involve a couple hands that have worked with me before. My choice for director of photography is interested but hasn't confirmed with me as of yet, he seems to be leaning towards yes. I was quite pleased with our last film together, which is actually playing tonight at Reel Teal (something else I'm excited about). I don't have any more updates, other than the fact that I am most excite...
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March 3rd-ish

It's always interesting to see the film projects take shape. I've been through so many different iterations of ideas that I had begun to doubt the project I was writing. Then, after switching to the Burger Night idea, I felt freer to write. As it currently stands, I have written the third draft and it is in fairly good shape. Another pass for grammar and continuity will happen at some point during spring break.  When it comes to crew, I'm still figuring that out. A 1st year MA student who lives around the corner from me has agreed to produce, he has a history in theater and TV production so it seemed a logical choice. We have met a few times now to hammer out details of the project, such as locations and props. Our next steps will involve making the budget and looking into funding methods. Spring break is proving to be a good time for me to look at this and get things further in motion.  I have a few ideas for cast and crew, I plan to start reaching out to those people soon...
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