Hello All,
I wanted to write a quick note about storyboarding or at least about the strategies and theories employed during the task.
Part of the movie watching experience, almost all IMHO, is the image, the visuals of the film. I've studied and produced animation and it's helpful for me to develop the script into images if I think of the characters as abstractly as I would a drawn or 3D character. The camera is a character in the film too and has a language all of it's own. The camera is your best friend in telling your story as it has an exclusive look into your world.
For Example: You can isolate someone, good or bad, by isolating them in the frame. Further isolating them with selective focus, with color, with a Close-Up. The list can go on but I think you get the idea. You could also do the reverse to achieve the opposite result.
If the character needs to be scene as part of a group, you could include several of his friends with him in a shot. They could dressed similarly, style or color or both.
I use over-the-shoulder shots when I need to keep my distance from a character. I use Wide Shots to establish and closeups to isolate. You also want to paint the scene with light and shadows creating direction and motion in the static frame. There should be a sense of balance, even if it is off.
There are wonderful books out there on shot-making and storyboarding. I encourage you to check them out and learn from them. Look under film-making or animation. I found the better books in drawing storyboards for comics or animation. Once you begin understanding the language of film, and of the camera, you'll be able to easily apply the theory behind it and master it.
Brad Ferrell
http://www.angelisdigitalstudio.com/
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Monday, April 21, 2008
What is a Color Script?
That's a good question. It's something I took with me from animation.
What I do is take elements in the scene and assign colors to them. It's a way to control the way the environment and costumes interact and also helps elevate the emotional response of the audience.
For example, in the story, the boy leaves one girl for another. When he leaves, he changes colors and leaves his old color behind with his ex and is represented by another set of colors from then on.
You can have alot of fun with it and again this is something that adds value and costs nothing.
I've got to produce a shooting schedule now. Gotta go.
Brad Ferrell
http://www.angelisdigitalstudio.com/
What I do is take elements in the scene and assign colors to them. It's a way to control the way the environment and costumes interact and also helps elevate the emotional response of the audience.
For example, in the story, the boy leaves one girl for another. When he leaves, he changes colors and leaves his old color behind with his ex and is represented by another set of colors from then on.
You can have alot of fun with it and again this is something that adds value and costs nothing.
I've got to produce a shooting schedule now. Gotta go.
Brad Ferrell
http://www.angelisdigitalstudio.com/
Friday, April 18, 2008
An explanation of my working method.
Although there are tons of books out there and almost as many schools and workshops out there, you've got to develop your own working method or you dont' get anything done. Shooting my last film on MiniDV, it was kind of liberating borrowing elements from Feature Film and Television Production and using them in in the shooting of our micro-budget short.
Meet Me in the Park is being shot in High-Definition Digital Video and I thought it wise to incorporate more elements from the production of Feature Film and Television, the shot list and the color script. What I'm shooting for, by doing so, is a higher production value in our film, a more professional product, and greater economy while working with a small camera crew. Also, I feel this allows me more freedom and control as an artist over the emotional impact of the film.
Storyboarding and creating a Shot List are exercises you can do while waiting to shoot and they don't cost you anything. I say this because I meet a lot of people who don't storyboard or plan. The method of shooting we're going for is going to be quite accelerated, picking up shots and going from shot to shot, moving through in a non-linear fashion. This is the method I've chosen to shoot in as it is going to be the most economical, it will save us time.
Now, if you're telling yourself that's not my style, I don't know how to draw, that's an aweful lot of work, remember, by taking the time to do so I'm giving myself more creative control over the picture, it's content, and the emotional impact of its message.
Film acting and stage acting are quite different and the style I've chosen may make it difficult for the stage performer to adapt. Film acting, in my experience is much more subtle and subdued, and down-right manipulative to the audience. That's alright. We are creating entertainment and art, it's ok to be manipulative. Another free technique that will improve the quality of your production is rehearsal. You can really lay a foundation down for the performances and eliminate all questions during a period of rehearsal. That way when you get to the set, everyone is on the same page and you can get through the shots quickly, everyone seeing the big picture already.
I've done a lot of research on filmmaking techniques of all budgets. The fact that we're producing in HD says nothing about the quality of our work. It does give us an opportunity to acheive a much higher production value level and that opens up new markets for us to exhibit and sell in and that is great.
That's all I can say for now but, I'm looking forward to continuing this on going dialogue, giving you a behind the scenes look at the making of Meet Me in the Park.
Brad Ferrell
http://www.angelisdigitalstudio.com/
Meet Me in the Park is being shot in High-Definition Digital Video and I thought it wise to incorporate more elements from the production of Feature Film and Television, the shot list and the color script. What I'm shooting for, by doing so, is a higher production value in our film, a more professional product, and greater economy while working with a small camera crew. Also, I feel this allows me more freedom and control as an artist over the emotional impact of the film.
Storyboarding and creating a Shot List are exercises you can do while waiting to shoot and they don't cost you anything. I say this because I meet a lot of people who don't storyboard or plan. The method of shooting we're going for is going to be quite accelerated, picking up shots and going from shot to shot, moving through in a non-linear fashion. This is the method I've chosen to shoot in as it is going to be the most economical, it will save us time.
Now, if you're telling yourself that's not my style, I don't know how to draw, that's an aweful lot of work, remember, by taking the time to do so I'm giving myself more creative control over the picture, it's content, and the emotional impact of its message.
Film acting and stage acting are quite different and the style I've chosen may make it difficult for the stage performer to adapt. Film acting, in my experience is much more subtle and subdued, and down-right manipulative to the audience. That's alright. We are creating entertainment and art, it's ok to be manipulative. Another free technique that will improve the quality of your production is rehearsal. You can really lay a foundation down for the performances and eliminate all questions during a period of rehearsal. That way when you get to the set, everyone is on the same page and you can get through the shots quickly, everyone seeing the big picture already.
I've done a lot of research on filmmaking techniques of all budgets. The fact that we're producing in HD says nothing about the quality of our work. It does give us an opportunity to acheive a much higher production value level and that opens up new markets for us to exhibit and sell in and that is great.
That's all I can say for now but, I'm looking forward to continuing this on going dialogue, giving you a behind the scenes look at the making of Meet Me in the Park.
Brad Ferrell
http://www.angelisdigitalstudio.com/
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Shot List Done.
The Shot List was fun. I numbered the frames from the storyboard and then cataloged them according to location. Each scene now has script, storyboard, and shot list. I've never used one before but I can already see how easy it is going to be to communicate with the Director of Photography. Good tool. I recommend making one on your next short if you're not already doing it. I can see how much work this script calls for now. Some scenes have as many as 20 different shots per sequence.
We've set a date for the auditions now. We'll be auditioning actors and actresses at Blur on May 3rd and 4th. That is going to be fun.
I'm going to do some production design and create a color script for the film.
Brad
We've set a date for the auditions now. We'll be auditioning actors and actresses at Blur on May 3rd and 4th. That is going to be fun.
I'm going to do some production design and create a color script for the film.
Brad
Saturday, April 12, 2008
I've finished the STORYBOARDS!!!
This is a big-deal for me and I did promise you a behind the scenes look at the filmmaking process.
Storyboards...First let me tell you what we've done for the last month and half.
Once I recieved the script from Marina, I read through it a couple of times. Originally, I was waiting on a different script from Marina. I felt, "two lonely people", the original name of the script, was too long and I was looking for something shorter to shoot as it would not take as much time or resources.
I read many other scripts, about 20, before I decided on the script for "Meet Me in the Park." I couldn't find anything of similar quality, so I committed to the length and took on the project.
I took the script and began sorting the scenes into locations. I was budgeting time for the film. Although the script is 18 pages long, it only takes place in 4 or 5 locations. That was good. It's always time consuming to move cast, crew, and equipment from location to location.
After that I started reading through the script to see if there was anything we needed to cut and surprisingly there was very little. The script is pretty tight and the dialogue only needs a little polish.
Then, I began the storyboards, drawing a small thumbnail image of each of my shots and noting the action and dialogue in the scene. Alfred Hitchcock said that his films were basically finished once the storyboards were drawn. At this point I'm still open to interpretation, but I do plan on going through and refining the storyboards on a second pass this week.
Auditions will be held at the end of the month. I want for word of the cast session to get out and that is going to take a little time. I think between Randy's websites and Craigslist I should be able to see about 50 people.
That is where I am at right now. I'll get some information on Randy for the blog. He's a DP and were working together now and I have plans for him to shoot the film. He has a proper HD camera with a 35mm lens adapter. Nice look for the film.
Later,
Brad Ferrell
http://www.angelisdigitalstudio.com/
Storyboards...First let me tell you what we've done for the last month and half.
Once I recieved the script from Marina, I read through it a couple of times. Originally, I was waiting on a different script from Marina. I felt, "two lonely people", the original name of the script, was too long and I was looking for something shorter to shoot as it would not take as much time or resources.
I read many other scripts, about 20, before I decided on the script for "Meet Me in the Park." I couldn't find anything of similar quality, so I committed to the length and took on the project.
I took the script and began sorting the scenes into locations. I was budgeting time for the film. Although the script is 18 pages long, it only takes place in 4 or 5 locations. That was good. It's always time consuming to move cast, crew, and equipment from location to location.
After that I started reading through the script to see if there was anything we needed to cut and surprisingly there was very little. The script is pretty tight and the dialogue only needs a little polish.
Then, I began the storyboards, drawing a small thumbnail image of each of my shots and noting the action and dialogue in the scene. Alfred Hitchcock said that his films were basically finished once the storyboards were drawn. At this point I'm still open to interpretation, but I do plan on going through and refining the storyboards on a second pass this week.
Auditions will be held at the end of the month. I want for word of the cast session to get out and that is going to take a little time. I think between Randy's websites and Craigslist I should be able to see about 50 people.
That is where I am at right now. I'll get some information on Randy for the blog. He's a DP and were working together now and I have plans for him to shoot the film. He has a proper HD camera with a 35mm lens adapter. Nice look for the film.
Later,
Brad Ferrell
http://www.angelisdigitalstudio.com/
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Other Meet Me websites to check out.
Hi Everyone,
Brad here. I wanted to leave a note telling you about two other websites you can get information about "Meet Me in the Park" online.
http://www.angelisdigitalstudio.com/ - This is the homepage for Angelis Digital. The most recent information about the film can be found here.
www.angelisdigitalstudio.com/film/index.html - This is the homepage for the Official "Meet Me in the Park" page at Angelis Digital. Eventually, we'll post pictures and talk about the filmmaking process here. It will be a behind the scenes look at making a low budget independent film if you're interested.
Check out the links often. We'll keep updating new information as it comes in.
Best,
Brad Ferrell
http://www.angelisdigitalstudio.com/
Brad here. I wanted to leave a note telling you about two other websites you can get information about "Meet Me in the Park" online.
http://www.angelisdigitalstudio.com/ - This is the homepage for Angelis Digital. The most recent information about the film can be found here.
www.angelisdigitalstudio.com/film/index.html - This is the homepage for the Official "Meet Me in the Park" page at Angelis Digital. Eventually, we'll post pictures and talk about the filmmaking process here. It will be a behind the scenes look at making a low budget independent film if you're interested.
Check out the links often. We'll keep updating new information as it comes in.
Best,
Brad Ferrell
http://www.angelisdigitalstudio.com/
A Message From Marina
Hello,
I am Marina Rasnoveanu, the Romanian screenwriter of "Meet Me in the Park". First of all I would want to tell you that everyone who has a dream should watch this movie, because it is the proof that wishes come true. This is "Meet Me in the Park" for me: a hope turned into reality.
I started writing since childhood but only last summer I had the idea of starting writing scripts. Then I realized that in our world you get to someone’s heart easier through images and words. Maybe a book is more romantic, when you read a paper book, not an e-book, you have certain magic feelings, but we should accept the fact that nowadays people are not so willing to read.
As far as my education or studies in the writing field I must say I graduated Letters and Sciences University from my town, Ploiesti, and I didn’t attend any writing courses. This field is not so developed in Romania so everything I learned was from the internet. That was the way I found Brad Ferrell. He post an add on Craiglist and I sent him a CV and a logline. After reading my script he agreed on directing it.
Even if I am so far away, in Romania, our co-operation is perfect and I am sure the movie will be a success. Brad tells me how the things are going and we talk about the scenes and emotions one should bring to the viewer.
I know there are some who believe that a script should be written based on what you know, based on reality, but I belong the category that thinks a movie should make us dream, should make us see the story of life. After watching a movie a viewer should remain with some thoughts or feelings. I hope this impact will have "Meet Me in the Park".
I should tell you how I start writing this script. Last fall I was watching a program about drug addicts and a young man phoned to talk about his experience. I felt him so sincere and so relieved of letting go that part in his past that I understood somehow the behind meaning of such experience. When you are alone or neglected, confused or sad you do meaningful and stupid things even if you are a good person. From that event all started but of course when I started writing other elements came to my mind: love, forgiveness, different worlds etc, things that in the end had the same name "Meet Me in the Park".
It is true that I wrote this script so you must think it is my duty to praise it. See the movie and only then you will realize it is about life and about us, about the hidden feelings of thoughts that sometimes are smothered because we might think life is too serious or too hard to let them go, to let them burst.
Marina
I am Marina Rasnoveanu, the Romanian screenwriter of "Meet Me in the Park". First of all I would want to tell you that everyone who has a dream should watch this movie, because it is the proof that wishes come true. This is "Meet Me in the Park" for me: a hope turned into reality.
I started writing since childhood but only last summer I had the idea of starting writing scripts. Then I realized that in our world you get to someone’s heart easier through images and words. Maybe a book is more romantic, when you read a paper book, not an e-book, you have certain magic feelings, but we should accept the fact that nowadays people are not so willing to read.
As far as my education or studies in the writing field I must say I graduated Letters and Sciences University from my town, Ploiesti, and I didn’t attend any writing courses. This field is not so developed in Romania so everything I learned was from the internet. That was the way I found Brad Ferrell. He post an add on Craiglist and I sent him a CV and a logline. After reading my script he agreed on directing it.
Even if I am so far away, in Romania, our co-operation is perfect and I am sure the movie will be a success. Brad tells me how the things are going and we talk about the scenes and emotions one should bring to the viewer.
I know there are some who believe that a script should be written based on what you know, based on reality, but I belong the category that thinks a movie should make us dream, should make us see the story of life. After watching a movie a viewer should remain with some thoughts or feelings. I hope this impact will have "Meet Me in the Park".
I should tell you how I start writing this script. Last fall I was watching a program about drug addicts and a young man phoned to talk about his experience. I felt him so sincere and so relieved of letting go that part in his past that I understood somehow the behind meaning of such experience. When you are alone or neglected, confused or sad you do meaningful and stupid things even if you are a good person. From that event all started but of course when I started writing other elements came to my mind: love, forgiveness, different worlds etc, things that in the end had the same name "Meet Me in the Park".
It is true that I wrote this script so you must think it is my duty to praise it. See the movie and only then you will realize it is about life and about us, about the hidden feelings of thoughts that sometimes are smothered because we might think life is too serious or too hard to let them go, to let them burst.
Marina
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Welcome to the "Meet Me in the Park" Official Blog
Hi,
My name is Brad Ferrell and I'm an independent filmmaker living in Houston, Texas. Hoping to find a short script online I put an ad in Craigslist. I recieved many responses and I decided on a short script called "two lonely people" by a Romanian writer, Marina Rasnoveanu. You'll be hearing more from her later.
I then asked two Producers I know in town to help me with the production of the film, Te-Jui Fu and William Miller III. Te-Jui is also an Origami artist and William and he both have a background in the Art Gallery business, having opened and managed several galleries both here in Houston and in Atlanta, Georgia.
At this point, we are looking to hold auditions in a couple of weeks and then onto rehearsals, and then shooting in May. I will be directing the short film and I look forward to meeting the new talent and helping tell a story you will all be touched by.
Without spoiling the ending of the story for you, "Meet Me in the Park" is both a dramatic and a romantic vignette about a young man named Casey. I'll just leave it at that for now, but it is a story that will touch your heart at the end.
Until later,
Brad Ferrell
http://www.angelisdigitalstudio.com/
My name is Brad Ferrell and I'm an independent filmmaker living in Houston, Texas. Hoping to find a short script online I put an ad in Craigslist. I recieved many responses and I decided on a short script called "two lonely people" by a Romanian writer, Marina Rasnoveanu. You'll be hearing more from her later.
I then asked two Producers I know in town to help me with the production of the film, Te-Jui Fu and William Miller III. Te-Jui is also an Origami artist and William and he both have a background in the Art Gallery business, having opened and managed several galleries both here in Houston and in Atlanta, Georgia.
At this point, we are looking to hold auditions in a couple of weeks and then onto rehearsals, and then shooting in May. I will be directing the short film and I look forward to meeting the new talent and helping tell a story you will all be touched by.
Without spoiling the ending of the story for you, "Meet Me in the Park" is both a dramatic and a romantic vignette about a young man named Casey. I'll just leave it at that for now, but it is a story that will touch your heart at the end.
Until later,
Brad Ferrell
http://www.angelisdigitalstudio.com/
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