Production Update #5: Reminder: Shoot again this weekend (SAT 6/26)

Cinematogrspher Bob Sapora and and I just screened 700 feet of dailies. Last weekend's footage looks very good.

We still need 2 more production assistants (PAs) for this Saturday’s Barnyard Bingo shoot.

Confirmed crew & talent:

* Novia Campbell -- talent 

* Ray Phillips -- talent

* Bob Sapora -- cinematographer

* Gordon Masters -- audio recordist

* Jonathan Slade --  writer/director

* Robert Lemieux -- camera assistant

Production Update #4: Shoot this weekend (SAT 6/26)

The first day of filming (6/19/04) went exceptionally well.  Oh, yeah... And it was also fun!

Special thanks, of course, go to:

* Bob Sapora -- for not cutting my head off with the slate every time I said "Okay, just one more shot..."

* Gordon Masters -- for squatting over steaming cow dung in a briar thicket for more than an hour because it was the best place to record audio.

* Novia Campbell -- for sinking up to her knees again and again in bacteria-infested water in a wedding gown. ("Okay, one more time... Now look upset...")

* Charles Crum -- for not allowing me to hold anything important -- like the tape measure, umbrella, ND filter, or slate -- because he knew I'd instantly misplace it (...and for taking a slew of production stills... do I smell DVD cover?).

* Gergely Horvath -- for lugging gear, slating shots, directing traffic, measuring distances, and taking light meter readings without ever once saying out loud "Do these Americans REALLY know what they're doing?"...

So if you missed the fun... Guess what? You get another chance THIS weekend... (See the schedule below)...

Ultimately, we shot 700 feet of Kodak 7246 film at a dozen set-ups, completing roughly 2+ pages of the final script. The film was delivered to Colorlab in Rockville, MD on Monday morning, and film dailies should be ready by Tuesday afternoon for us to view. Keep your fingers crossed -- and think happy thoughts -- so everything will come out as beautifully as it appeared to the naked eye -- or MORE so!  (FYI: All cast and crew are invited to see the dailies when we screen them. Feel free to email me if you are interested.)

Next shoot:  This Saturday June 26, 2004

Crew & talent call #1 (Novia Campbell): 9 am.

Location: Lineboro, MD

Depart for first set up: 9:45 am

First shot:  10 am

* Talia walkby of old Lineboro store

* Talia walkby dusty lane #1

* talia walkby dusty lane #2

Lunch: 11:30 am

Talent call #2 (Ray Phillips): Noon

Resume shooting: 12:15pm

* documentary coverage of Lineboro Volunteer Fire Department’s Barnyard Bingo event (until the cow shits... no kidding...)

Break: 3pm (Phillips released)

Resume shooting: 3:30pm

* Talia walk through field of grass/wheat

* Talia walk along asphalt road

* POV barn roof

* Talia arrives at broken down barn for night

Wrap: 6pm

 Confirmed crew & talent:

* Novia Campbell -- talent

* Bob Sapora -- cinematographer

* Gordon Masters -- production audio recordist

* Jonathan Slade --  writer/director

Once again, we need at least 3 production assistants to make this shoot happen, so please email me by Thursday @ noon IF YOU CAN MAKE THE SHOOT. Responsibilities will include: assisting with props and wardrobe, managing traffic, slating, assisting camera operator & audio recordist.

Also, don’t forget to bring your own homemade Production Assistant Survival Kit: Casual clothes that can get dirty, cheap sunglasses that can get lost or stepped on, hat, sunscreen, bug repellant, bottle of water, a few snack bars, cell phone, black sharpie… and maybe even an umbrella (to hold over yourself, talent or gear if it is either scorching hot or pouring down rain).

Hope to see you there...

Production Update #3: First shoot this Saturday!

Our FIRST OFFICIAL FILM SHOOT will be this Saturday June 19, 2004.

Crew & talent call: 9 am.

Location: Lineboro, MD

Depart for location: 9:15 am

Arrive at first location (bridge off Wolfgang School Road):  9:30 am

First shot (bridge): 10 am

Lunch: 1pm

Resume shooting: 2pm

Wrap: 6pm

We will attempt to shoot most of our script's first 4 pages this Saturday.

Confirmed talent & crew for this day:

* Novia Campbell -- talent

* Bob Sapora -- cinematographer

* Gordon Masters -- production audio recordist

* Jonathan Slade --  writer/director

* Charles Crum -- assistant director

We need at least 4 student production assistants to make this shoot happen, so please email me by Friday noon IF YOU CAN MAKE THE SHOOT...(responsibilities will include: assisting with props and wardrobe, managing traffic, slating, assisting camera operator & audio recordist, etc...)

Things to bring and be aware of:  It will hopefully be sunny, in which case you should be prepared with sunglasses, hat, sun screen, bug repellant, and even umbrella (to hold over yourself, talent or camera op).  Also, you might want to bring your own bottle of water and snack food. We will be shooting in very rural areas, in and around large grassy fields and streams, away from easy access to food & bathrooms.

Dress in comfortably in clothes that can get dirty -- old sneakers, jeans, cheap “dollar store” sunglasses.

Lunch will be provided (of the mostly non-nutritious fast food variety)... and we will also have a limited supply of cold water available on location.

In order to shoot everything we need to on Saturday, we will have to travel light and shoot quickly. In Lineboro, we will pile into as few cars as we can. If you have a cell phone, bring it, but be aware that some of the places we will be filming have little or no cell coverage.

Let's make our first day of shooting on this project a success! Looking forward to it. Hope to see you there...

Production Update #2: Camera Test 6/12/04

The 16mm raw stock has arrived from Kodak and is chillin’ in Bob Sapora’s refrigerator.  This notice is to confirm that we will indeed shoot a camera test this Saturday (6/12/04) from 10am-noon at Bob’s home south of Westminster.

We will be testing the range of our film stock -- Kodak 7246 -- under full sun, full shade, and interior lighting conditions. We’ll also be testing wardrobe, particularly the wedding dress -- and skin tones to see how to best light them with this stock..

Confirmed talent & crew for this day:

Jonathan Slade – writer/director

Bob Sapora -- cinematographer

Gordon Masters -- production audio recordist

Novia Campbell -- lead actress

As I mentioned in my previous email, camera tests are notoriously tedious -- but this will also be an excellent opportunity for students and volunteers to get a feel for what it's like to be on a film crew, and to meet other members of the team. Also, we will finally hammer out some solid shoot dates (so if you come, bring your day planner so you know when you'll be available...)

Hope to see you there...

Production Update #1: Summer film project

Hello, film crew!

Just testing out an email list of folks who said they'd be interested in working on a 16mm film project this summer.

If you got an email, and are not interested in receiving production updates regarding "Cicada Moon," [working title] please email me and I'll remove you from the list.

If you ARE interested -- even in the most miniscule way -- just shoot me a quick email to let me know I'm getting through.

We've just ordered 4,000 feet (2 hours) of Kodak 7246 16mm color raw stock, which should arrive from New York by Friday, May 28.

Cinematographer Bob Sapora and I will probably shoot a quick camera test during the middle of next week to make sure our Arri-SR and its lens and magazines are working properly. (Camera tests are notoriously boring. Still you are welcome to attend. We'll probably take an hour or so and shoot the test in Bob's garage.)

Once we get the test back from the lab -- and everything seems to be functioning properly -- I'll send another email to update you on potential shoot days...

I'm hoping we can get a night or two of shooting in with the cicadas before they vanish for another 7 years -- otherwise we'll have to change the working title to something like "Grasshopper Moon" or "Car Alarm Moon."

The journey begins...