Casualty Films Begins Pre-Production on Latest Film “Time Free Dentistry”

NEWS RELEASE Friday, August 07, 2015
San Diego, CA

Casualty Films today announced that Pre-Production for their newest Film “Time Free Dentistry” has begun. All of the Principal Photography is being shot in San Diego. Returning to work together again as a Team is screenwriter Joseph Luna, Director of Photography is Terry Adams, Director Alex Robles and Producer Matt Morgan.

“We couldn’t be more thrilled to make another Film. We’re back!” said Producer Matt Morgan. “As usual, we have another outstanding group of Actors and more than half the Crew from our previous Film “The Brazilian Affair” has signed on again. You know, I think that says a lot about a Production Company when many of the same Crew Members return to work alongside you.”

Morgan also went on to say, “With our team in place, we’re starting Rehearsals in 2 weeks along with several pre-production meetings so it’s all systems go.” The film “Time Free Dentistry” is a Sci-Fi Comedy about a Dentist who experiences a horrible first day at work. He quickly learns how a small, dentist office may change the future of dentistry but unknowingly creates havoc in the office. With the use of proprietary technology, Time Free Dentistry has a device that will change the industry if not the world.

Casualty Films also has the aforementioned film “The Brazilian Affair” due for its World Premiere here in San Diego, the Venue will be forthcoming in several weeks.

Look for more updates coming in the near future.

Official Trailer for The Brazilian Affair

Need a Talented Individual to assist with Social Media for Crowdfunding Campaign

So, as we begin our latest short, Casualty Films is looking for a PA to assist us with the promotion of the film with Social Media in support of the Crowdfunding Campaign (bonus if you’ve done an Indiegogo or Kickstarter!) We are looking for someone who has time to work with us as this is a micro budget film. However, we can give you a stipend which we will be happy to discuss when we met. So, if you have some Mad Skillz with FB, Twitter, Vines, Google+, Foursquare, etc. please reach out to us as we’d love to chat with you about your abilities and any ideas that you might have.

We are a small production company with a core group made up of a Director, Writer, DP and Editor who has successfully funded 2 previous projects with Crowdfunding (Traveling Through Life & The Brazilian Affair) which are now in Post and scheduled for World Premier’s this Summer.

Looking forward to talking soon.

Cheers!

Why Are Hollywood Films So Bad?

I’m sure that I’ll get bad-mouthed for posting this, why bother, right? Well, there is a very telling indicator why Hollywood Films are so bad. There’s absolutely no originality in Tinsel Town. For instance, let’s take One-Sheets (Movie Posters.) Now, I *love* One-Sheets and have some from the 50’s. They’re awesome. But now days, not so much. So, it’s time for show and tell! The following is just how little creativity there really is at the Studios. For your approval, I give you the 15 Over-Used Movie Poster Clichés. http://www.dailyinspiration.nl/has-hollywood-lost-its-creativity/

Do you ever feel like you’re seeing the same movie poster again and again? You probably are. They just recycle these designs:

If your film is a “big independent film” then go with that really loud yellow. This shows you’re a true maverick!

 

A romantic comedy? Heck, have the Woman wear a red dress!

 

For the ultra-dramatic back-shot, how about the tried and true lonely hero/vigilante silhouette? Bonus points for bad-assery if he’s wearing a hat!

Got a horror flick that you want to scare the bejesus out of audience with? Then use the huge, looming eye as the go-to movie poster. Ooooooh, scary!!!

Animals movie posters always use dark blue and have some thin, white text in capital letter. They’re typically seen in a profile shot or from the back. Don’t forget to put in a huge white moon too!

What if your Film is about Justice and Law? Use the blindfold dude!

It’s a Tom Cruise picture? No problem. A side shot of him. He’s got a great profile!

A simple one, if your actors are brave and heroic then super impose text.

Okay, what about a tough-love relationship? Piece of cake, just have them standing back to back!

If your movie is really poignant and touching then just use the silhouette in front of the ocean while faces float in the clouds. Make sure to invoke those pastels too.

If you see a black and white poster with a flaming red blasting out then you can bet it’s an action flick. Expect at the very least…5 explosions.

But if it’s comic book-like, then use a high style with a weaponry focus combining black and white with red block text. Much more effective!

The standard person running down the middle of a street should more than likely be blue. And it’s a safe bet that it’s a a thriller type of movie as well.

Now don’t be hating on me because I’m a bit partial to this one. The poster is dominated by faces created out of elements of the film.

And last but not least, SEX!!! Put some shapely, female legs spread in an upside down V and put your protagonist standing under them. Or staring at them. Point your guns at the bad guys through them. A myriad of gorgeous gams, just look at the endless possibilities!

So, why are Hollywood films are so bad?

A Hot Mess

That’s how I would describe the 87th annual Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awards aka The Oscars was Founded in 1927. The notion of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) began with Louis B. Mayer, head of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). He wanted to create an organization that would mediate labor disputes and improve the industry’s image. So, on a Sunday evening, Mayer and three other studio big-wigs – actor Conrad Nagel, director Fred Niblo, and the head of the Association of Motion Picture Producers, Fred Beetson – sat down and discussed these matters. The idea of this elite club having an annual banquet was tossed around, but there was no mention of awards just yet. They also established that membership into the organization would only be open to people involved in one of the five branches of the industry: actors, directors, writers, technicians, and producers. (from Wikipedia)

The Oscars are something that I look forward to every year. A friend mentioned that it’d be fun to have a party to watch it at, I’m sure that I’d like to either attend or hold one myself. We’ll see next year. But I have been watching over the years and wasn’t exactly thrilled with the overall performance. While there were some humorous moments, some of the WTF moments just didn’t sit right with me. The moment that Neil Patrick Harris walked out in his underwear was pretty funny. I thought immediately of “Breaking Bad” star Bryan Cranston but it was also a tribute to Micheal Keaton in Birdman. The balls it took to do that! No pun intended. Not sure I could do it at my age, if I were in a bit better shape, hell ya, I’d be happy to show off my… okay you get the picture… Speaking of Birdman, I enjoyed the movie. And its not a Superhero movie either. As dark comedies go, it was pretty damn good. It’s also a bit ironic that former Batman star Michael Keaton played the titular role of a washed up former veteran of superhero movies vying to find acceptance as a true artist. The editing that made it look as one long take was a pretty amazing accomplishment. If you’ve not seen it, I highly recommend it from the technical standpoint as well as the story. It most definitely deserved the accolades and awards. Too bad Keaton didn’t win. Apparently he had started to take the speech out of his pocket when they announced the winner and then looked down as it went to Eddy Redmayne for “The Theory of Everything” which is one I’ve not seen either but will do so as it comes out on video.

I understand why Sean Penn said what he said because he and Director Alejandro González Iñárritu did the movie 21 Grams, so they have history. Iñárritu said the comment was hilarious. It was just a bit jarring so perhaps I’m losing my sense of humor? lol But I thought it fell flat. Some of the jokes like the one NPH said about “American Sniper” and Oprah made no sense. I was surprised that Clint Eastwood didn’t get any awards for his film. But I did post this on Facebook about Bradley Cooper: “The more I think about it, the more upset I am that Bradley Cooper was snubbed at The Oscars on Sunday. Hear me out. I know Cooper did not portray the kind of character or take on the kind of role that the snobs in Hollywood typically care for–it didn’t fit the traditional “Best Actor” mold. There was lots of violence in the film; he spent most of the movie brandishing a gun, and yes, the character was portrayed as something of a superhero in a situation with much bigger political issues at play that the movie only grazed. But his sensitive portrayal of the scars his character endured–both physical and emotional–brought an unexpected pathos to a character who could otherwise have easily just been a cartoon character. Yes, he used a firearm. Yes, his partner was a little wooden. Yes, the accent was a little distracting at times. But none of those things should have disqualified Cooper from gaining the well-deserved recognition for breathing such life into a character that enthralled us all. You know it. I know it. Deep down in their hearts, the Oscar voters know it. This year’s best performance was Bradley Cooper as Rocket Raccoon.”

Yes, I’m being funny and I really loved “Guardians of the Galaxy” as it was space opera at it’s best. The Marvel Studios juggernaut continues unabated, even though it’s not considered award worthy (maybe for Special VFX) but the film was fun to watch. I’m looking forward to then sequel and all the movies that are coming in 2015. Hopefully the Oscars will be a better show next year. You know, if they had Jack Black host? But I’m not sure I’d want to see him in his tighty whities.

Rebel Without a Clue

For those of you who didn’t watch the Oscars, Graham Moore who is the screenwriter for the film “The Imitation Game” said “Stay Weird, Stay Different” when he accepted his Oscar. Don’t worry, I’ll get to that whole Hot Mess (The Oscars) in a separate blog post but I wanted to touch base on what Graham said. Here’s the gist of it:

“In this brief time here what I want to use it to do is to say this: when I was 16 years old I tried to kill myself because I felt weird and I felt different and I felt like I did not belong. And now I am standing here, and I would like this moment to be for that kid out there who feels like she’s weird or she’s different or she doesn’t fit in anywhere. Yes, you do. I promise you do.

Stay weird, stay different, and then when it’s your turn and you are standing on this stage, please pass the same message to the next person who comes along.”

His whole speech I could really relate to; these words meant a lot because I too tried to take my life when I was 15. It was a really difficult time for me. I was confused, out of control and a Rebel without a Clue. It was hard to fit in when you felt like you’re not like others. I wasn’t a Jock, or a Brain or any of these other cool kids.

I was a tall, skinny dork, not the handsome, dashing suave guy that you all know and love. lol For me, it was awkward asking out girls because I didn’t have a whole lot of experience and luck. That eventually changed but I still get a little tongue tied when talking to a woman on the phone asking them for a date now almost 40 years later (yes, I’m dating and I’m 50. Deal with it! lol) It’s a lot of pressure on a guy because we don’t want rejection. For the women, it’s much easier because women have multiple choices as there’s probably more than one guy that she may choose from. But I digress…

Being a teenage was a relatively short time but a lot of those experiences helped to forge who I was. Also a stint in the Marines was a huge advantage. But I experienced some things that made me fell isolated and longing to belong. I won’t go into the details but you know what I’m talking about if you were someone who didn’t fit in in High School. Or you’ve seen TBC. I remember seeing it for the first time, it was actually at a Drive-In Theatre in Orange County and I was dating a young lady who said that I had to see this movie. It was a double feature with St. Elmo’s Fire. Cool huh? I remember that she was very beautiful and it was raining. Other than that, the windows got a little fogged up so that’s all I remember. lol

Like always, Movies have been a big part of my life. Making films is a passion that really gives me purpose and meaning in my life. For me, I would love to do this full time and give up my day job. It would be something that I could do for the rest of my life and have the best time. It’s for the love of story-telling. I love The Silver Screen and I want to add back to the world some of the same magic that I’ve taken from the works of others. I feel like I’m doing something important. I only wish that I had pursed this earlier in my life. I’m not saying that I can’t do it now but I would have liked to have started sooner so that I’d be further along in my Film Career.

While I haven’t seen “The Imitation Game” yet, it sounds like a great film. I hope that someday I can perhaps work on a film that enjoys success and the accolades that has gotten. Maybe next time…

Even Now, Nobody Knows Anything

What is the clinical term that describes people who keep on making the same mistakes and expecting different results? Yeah, it is called “crazy.” Well its easy to see that the economics of Hollywood are just completely crazy. I read recently that Cass Warner, the great granddaughter of Harry Warner wanted to remake “Casablanca” which is in the history of crazy ideas, a crazy idea.

If you don’t believe that there are bad films being made in Hollywood, then I have just 3 words for you: “The Lone Ranger.” They spent $225 million to make it and it was a flop at the Box Office. The website Rotten Tomatoes gave it a 25% which isn’t that great either. I read one of the reviewers who mentioned that this is the very essence of soulless corporate excess and celebrity self-regard. And I haven’t seen The Lone Ranger yet but I have seen Divergence (another Depp vehicle) and it wasn’t great either.

The lack of any original thought or trying to do something different is what I think is the problem because Hollywood has no idea what its doing. Companies like Disney should stick to Comic Book movies and doing Pirates of the Caribbean Part 32. Trying to revive an old story and make it into another franchise like Pirates was a serious blunder by Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer.

So maybe that’s a “bad” example. Okay, let’s try “John Carter” instead. Same premise, let’s revive a sandals and sword genre that tried to be Avatar meets Star Wars. Not exactly a stellar performance at the Box Office and I’m pretty sure that the audience was left wanting. Come on, let’s not kid ourselves. There’s been *some* great movies but the fact remains that there’s bad ones out there. And if things continue the way they are, which is more than likely, then we’ll continue to see films that don’t have much of storyline, rely on VFX to wow the crowds and look to the bottom line to be the sign of a success. Tragic, boring and unimaginative are words that come to my mind when I think of this.

snip: The Film Business

Even now, nobody knows anything. Business in Tinseltown is as unpredictable as it was 30 years ago

Is that a turkey on your head?

IN 1983, when William Goldman, a star screenwriter, revealed the inner workings of the film-making business in “Adventures in the Screen Trade”, Hollywood was in turmoil. The studios were still reeling from a string of flops, most notably “Heaven’s Gate”, a Western released in 1980 that had cost $44m (a huge sum in those days), ruining United Artists, the studio that made it. Mr Goldman’s book is best remembered for coining the rule that in his industry, “nobody knows anything”: it is anyone’s guess whether a film will be a hit or a miss.

Three decades on, following such big-budget turkeys as “The Lone Ranger” the situation in Hollywood is much the same. Only more so. These days the studios assume that to get people into the cinemas, films must be splashier, so production budgets can run in excess of $300m and cost an additional $100m-150m to market. When Disney’s “John Carter”, an adventure flick, bombed last year, the entertainment giant suffered a $160m write-off. Its studio boss, Rich Ross, was told: so long, and let’s do lunch some time.

As the studios spend ever more on lavish prequels, sequels and “franchise” films, supposedly as a way to reduce risk by backing proven formulas, there is a growing danger that these movies will be nixed by jaded punters. Steven Spielberg, no introduction necessary, reckons that the studios could face “meltdown” if several big films flop at once. Studios are increasingly putting out just two types of film: mega-budget ones that can move the needle for the conglomerates that own them, and tiddlers for under $25m that can do nicely when they work. “Hollywood is like America,” says Kevin Misher, a producer. “The middle class has been squeezed.”

Mr Goldman described how, by 1983, the studios had all but given up developing their own ideas. Instead freelance writers, producers and other outsiders toured Hollywood touting ready-cooked packages, often with the stars already signed on and the script written. Now the studios, having cut their remaining development spending to boost their marketing budgets, are even more reliant on outsiders to design their product; imagine if Apple or Toyota did this. The studios are also looking outside for the money to finance films. A new species of intermediaries, such as Village Roadshow Entertainment Group and Skydance, have sprung up to bankroll projects.

As Mr Goldman described it, studio executives were like baseball managers: “They wake up every morning…with the knowledge that sooner or later they’re going to get fired.” Again, this is now truer than ever. As films’ budgets have expanded, so too has the risk that a flop will end an executive’s career. The past 18 months have seen more executive turnover than usual: four out of the six main studios have seen change at the top. In 1983 studio executives were often failed agents. Now they seem to be businesspeople. For example, Jeff Shell, who took over Comcast’s Universal Pictures in September, is a television boss with no background in film.

Since everybody still knows that nobody knows, studios continue to show early cuts of films to focus groups, to determine how to tweak and market them. But even after a film’s release it remains unclear why it boomed or bombed. Why was “Gravity”, starring George Clooney and Sandra Bullock in a tale about stranded astronauts, one of this year’s hits despite the misgivings of its studio, Warner Bros, whereas “The Lone Ranger” was such a flop, despite Disney’s high hopes for a film starring Johnny Depp?

“Hollywood is always in crisis,” jokes an unusually publicity-shy talent agent. Indeed, his office is in Century City, a district full of high-rises in Los Angeles that was once the backlot of 20th Century-Fox until it had to sell up because of the crippling cost of its 1963 epic, “Cleopatra”. Faced with bankruptcy 50 years ago, Fox might have been better off keeping the property and junking the film-making. The industry’s return on capital has been chronically anaemic. The media conglomerates that own the major studios grouse about the lousy economics of the business, particularly since DVD sales peaked in 2004 and then waned, with consumers shifting to lower-cost rentals and subscription services like Netflix. Technology should have helped Hollywood, by lowering the cost of distributing films, but it has also cost the industry dearly, as film-makers doll up their movies with expensive special effects, and negative social-media buzz kills films before they even open.

How will it play in China?

Thirty years ago Hollywood tried to make films that appealed to “popcorn buyers”: 16- to 24-year-olds who used to go to cinemas in droves before they became so preoccupied by their smartphones. Then they focused on films that would sell well on DVDs for home viewing. At the peak in 2004 the sale of physical media accounted for 48% of the big studios’ revenues in America, according to IHS, a research firm. Since then, the value of their sales has dropped by almost half.

Today Hollywood tries to tailor its products to the tastes of film buffs in big emerging economies, especially China, which is now the world’s second-largest movie market (see article). The farther a film can travel, the better, which means the studios are exporting films with fewer American elements. “Big Hollywood films have no national ideology attached to them today,” says Michael Lynton, the boss of Sony Pictures. Consider Fox’s four “Ice Age” cartoons, which together grossed around $800m. They are set in no identifiable time or place, and the characters can easily be dubbed into local languages.

Hollywood has always been a “caste-system town”, in Mr Goldman’s words. That remains true, but the tiers are shifting. Working in television used to be considered less desirable than unemployment; today it is where most of the money is, so writers, producers and the studios themselves are focusing more on television. As for Mr Goldman, who is 82, he has moved to New York, and is writing a musical. As luck would have it, the big film studios are putting money into Broadway musicals. But as “Springtime for Hitler” showed (Mel Brooks’s musical designed to flop that becomes a smash hit), even here nobody really knows anything.

Corrections: An earlier version of this article mistakenly titled Disney’s flop movie as “Johnny Carter” and gave the wrong release date for “Heaven’s Gate”.

From The Economist:  http://tinyurl.com/p33xd3t

“Life is like a Movie…

Life’s like a Movie, write your own ending. Keep believing, keep pretending. – Jim Henson

It’s always something of a journey when one sets out to make a film so it’s an understatement to say that this has been a great adventure. And here we are, after 3 months of pre-production with another month of production and it’s “In the Can” as they say. There’s these moments in life where you wonder how it all began and why it went the way that it did. In retrospect, I don’t know how or why but I do know this: we wouldn’t be here if it weren’t important. From the beginning, I have believed that there was a reason that 4 guys from different parts of San Diego somehow came together and formed an association that made a 20 minute Action/Suspense Film that took just 6 months to be completed.

For much of the past 10 days, I’ve been in my Editing Studio non-stop as I took off the Thanksgiving holiday week to work on editing. I’m happy to report that I have over 13 minutes of editing completed. Currently, I’m working on getting Picture Lock and if all goes as planned I should have that in the next few weeks. Mostly I’m just doing the edits with syncing the video and audio together on the timeline. If I had another week off from my day job then I could say that this would be done and we’d have Picture Lock in another week so I’ll speculate that it’s going to be a couple of weeks till then. Keep in mind, we’re going to need Color Correction (which I have a lead on for doing this, courtesy of Sue Vicory. Thanks Sue!) and we will probably have an Audio Specialist work on the Sound (not the Music or the Sound Effects, just the Sound in general.) And last but not least is the Special VFX which I’ve been looking at. So far, I’ve got a couple of great shots to put in the Muzzle Flashes. The action came out very well and I’ve done a bit of manipulation with the video so it’s coming along nicely at this point. Late last night, I put aside my mouse, put my feet up, turned off the light and watched the first 13 minutes. The opening sequences are really beautiful to watch as the weather was so nice, the locations were very pristine, quiet and framed well. So it’s truly an amazing thing to watch.

The major sequence is The Garage Fight (scenes 12 & 13). I anticipate this taking the largest amount of time to edit as that’s where the majority of the action took place. I can’t really say what to expect as I’ve not looked at much of it yet as I’ve been trying to focus on getting the storyline editing done which is my priority. So I’m heading into there this week and I’m optimistic on how things evolve. After that, we have the scenes of the Governor’s office and the ending as well as doing the Voice Overs. That will go quickly as I don’t anticipate it giving me much of a challenge. After what I’ve done so far, the ending parts will be a Vacation.

Overall, I can’t tell you how great this looks. From the way it was lit and the sound (thanks Don & Marci!) to Terry’s expert handling of the camera to give me a lot to work with (thanks Terry!) to all the actors giving it their all. This is something special. I’ve worked on other Shoots before and there were technical issues or glitches or the director and the screenwriter fought like cats and dogs lol. But this one ran like a well-oiled machine. It’s hard to describe what I feel in the moments we captured because they are little bits of time encapsulated forever. I was usually so busy being the Producer with other activities On-Set that I normally didn’t have much of a chance to watch what we were doing. But now I have a front row seat and I’m really enjoying the view.

I can’t wait to share it but that would be premature right now; it’s very rough and I have so much more to do. My focus remains on getting it edited so we have Picture Lock, then we can start doing the fine tuning with the Music Score, Special VFX, etc.

Will keep you apprised of my progress.

Horror Film Wisdom:

HORROR FILM WISDOM:

1. When it seems that you've killed the monster, never check to see if it's really dead.
2. If you find that your house is built upon or near a cemetery, was once a church used for black masses, had previous inhabitants who went mad or committed suicide or died in some horrible fashion or who performed necrophilia or satanic practices, move away immediately.
3. Do not search the basement, especially when the power has just gone out.
4. If your children speak to you in Latin or any other language which they do not know, or if they speak using a voice other than their own, shoot them at once. It will save you a lot of grief in the long run. Note: it's unlikely they'll die easy, so be prepared.
5. When you have the benefit of numbers, never go alone.
6. If you're searching for something which caused a noise and find out that it's just the cat, leave the room immediately if you value your life.
7. If you're running from the monster, you will most likely trip or fall. If you are female you will.
8. Stay away from certain geographical locations, some of which are listed here: Amityville, Elm Street, Transylvania, Nilbog (God help you if you recognize this one), the Bermuda Triangle, or any small town in Maine, especially if it is called Derry.
9. If your car runs out of gas at night, do not go to the nearby deserted-looking house to phone for help.
10. If something bad is chasing you, bear in mind that when you try to start your car, no matter how reliable the vehicle is normally, you'll have to crank the engine over many times before it will fire up.
11. People arriving to rescue you generally get ambushed by the monster, so don't rely on them as your only means of escape. In fact, expect to be surprised and delayed by encountering their flayed corpse at some point.
12. Do not call the police as they are either evil and will turn you in or will not believe you and laugh at you. Either way, you must handle the problem yourself.
13. If you are using a gun to combat the all-comsuming evil, it is a good idea to quickly find a new means of defense, because no matter how much ammo you have, you'll run out just before you kill the monster (unless your name is Ash, in which case, you'll never have to reload).
14. If you have defeated the monster, pay close attention to the camera, if it pans away for no apparent reason at all, get the hell out of there.
15. Skeptics are always proved wrong in some horrible, nasty, painful way. Be a believer.
16. If you are a child, don't panic! Monsters only attack overly horny teenagers. Children can NOT be killed in a movie, only possessed or absorbed. So cheer up!
17. If you've beaten the monster into a bloody pulp and you're sure he must be dead, take the opportunity to dismember, burn, eat, blow up or otherwise utterly destroy him.

Train Kept a Rollin’…

Just an update from the Set of “The Brazilian Affair.” It’s been a couple of really productive shooting days. We resolved an actor issue prior to the shoot beginning on the following Saturday and have got 3 out of the 4 shooting days completed. Our final day of shooting will be Saturday, November 22nd at the other location in El Cajon. We started up on Saturday for our 2nd day and it was a pretty busy day; we have been shooting approximately 3 pages a day which seems like it’s a bit of a slow pace. However, with setting up the shot, lighting, sound, it starts to eat up the time, but it’s absolutely critical.

Our DP has all the tools he needs and has been masterful in his photography. We’ve got some spectacular shots and I can’t wait to get to them in Post. Mostly I’m running around the “Compound” where we were shooting at as it’s a pretty big spread. I’m either getting Actors to Makeup or taking them from Makeup to the Set. Since they gave me a Walkie Talkie I’m pretty much guiding the Cast/Crew as they arrive. I’m also handling Craft Services as well so making the trips into town for food was just part of the job. I’m really good at stretching our money and we had some great meals. Usually I’d take someone along to help and keep me company as it’s about a hour round trip. Picked up sandwiches from a Deli in Lakeside for lunch and NY Giant Pizza for Dinner. The happiness and well being of my Cast & Crew is paramount to me. A happy crew is a productive crew.

The hosts have been just the best you can imagine. They’ve nicknamed the place “Olivers’ Last Resort” which is so apropos and it’s just a filmmakers Paradise. The views of the hills and Lake Vincente are spectacular, there’s a putting green, driving range, Helipad, Pool/Jacuzzi and all the accoutrements that come with a house like this. We were given pretty much free reign to do what we needed utilizing the available amenities and taking over the garage as our base of operations. We shot by the Pool, in the House, we even got to use the Master Bedroom for the Makeup Artists area. It’s such an amazing place with the most wonderful and fun hosts. But we’re done shooting at this location. Leaving was bittersweet, we loved it there but we’re sad that it’s over.

The shoot overall was great on Sunday as well. We had some of the closing scenes and there was a lot of Blood to add to the actor but it worked great. I was exhausted by the time I got home on Sunday night at 10pm and had to get up for my day job at 5am. Even though it’s a bit grueling for me, it’s worth as I’m so happy that the shoot has been just flawless. It’s amazing that we haven’t had any major difficulties, technical or otherwise. We’ve had a couple of miscommunications but other than that, it’s been just bliss to film this. There’s just been so many coincidences that it can’t be all chance. How could some many things go right? I kept expecting it to rain or that we have something get broke. But the Cast/Crew have been amazing. The DP and I were talking about how we’ve pushed ourselves on this project. Originally it was supposed to be an easy screenplay and instead we ended up with a 19 page epic. We’ve gone way past where I thought we would be and by testing ourselves and our limits, we are seeing what we can accomplish which has been tremendously rewarding and a little terrifying all in the same moment.

There’s been these serendipitous moments that have become pretty much the norm. We had a minor crisis that involved one of our actors and due to some restrictions that were placed on us by a certain Guild (you know who you are…) we had to replace the actor. What they were telling us would have effectively killed our film and for us to have to abide by their restrictions would have been suicide both financially and artistically. I told the Cast & Crew that we agonized over the decision for several days but in the end it was a choice that we made and stand by. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. Or the one. So with the advent of Social Media and with me becoming more familiar with how to use it, the replacement process was pretty simple and effective. Within 72 hours we had found our replacement. He did a bang up job, fit right in with us in “The Wild Bunch” and gave us some of the more humorous moments in the film.

We have one more day of shooting this Saturday from 3pm till midnight and then the principal photography is done. We’re hoping to have the editing done by the end of January and screen it at the Wrap Party on Saturday January 24th if all goes well. Speaking of editing, I’m doing all of the normal editor duties as well as the Visual Effects/CG, etc. It’s not really my forte when it comes to color correction and we want to farm this part of it out. So, we are going to need a Colorist or Color Correction specialist.

I jokingly refer to this post with a line from a song that was originally done by Tiny Bradshaw as there are newer renditions of it from the Yardbirds and Aerosmith that were done. But I think this project is like a Tank that keeps on rolling. It’s just unstoppable. Can you believe it? 😉

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posted on November 18, 2014
by casualtyfilms
filed under Uncategorized