July 1, 1993
Last night was very profitable. But first, on the home front. No baby. The kid was way over on Dea's left side of her belly and you could feel it's butt. It was so cool. I can't wait until I can hold my child in my arms. Then, it will finally be a part of me. I can't wait.
Anyway, last night I went over to Chris' house and we practiced some different scenes using his Dad's camcorder. The first thing we did was to try a nylon over the lens. One layer was nice. Two layers was like a fog (good to remember for future look). Without a nylon it looked way to crisp - too "video" looking. So, we're going to go with the one layer.
As we practiced with the one layer of nylon over the lens, I noticed just how sensitive the lighting becomes, because at certain angels the light reflects off the nylon, giving it a nice glow. But, due to the reflecting and such it will be very important to match the lighting with each shot. Not an easy feat.
The first scene we practiced was Ed's Garage scene. We tried some different shots I re-storyboarded yesterday and they'll work really well. It was nice to block a scene and practice the shots on video. There are so many things I noticed when watching the video that I'll be able to correct or compensate for when we really shoot, so it'll be a great time saver.
After that scene we quickly placed the camera in the spots for the shots during the first police station scene. Again, this was helpful because I can see what I need to hide, what I need to light, etc.
The last scene we played with was the final attack scene where Nicole becomes possessed by the demon. We made some slight adjustments on some of the shots so they would better give the feel I was trying to get when I story boarded. Chris liked the shots and thought they were well planned out. I was happy to see that they actually worked! Now, I can't wait to actually start filming this thing!
I still have a lot of things I need to do. Last night I realized that I have to buy at least 2 powerful flood lights to show through the garage air holes and I'll also need to get some diffusing material so there aren't any hot spots, but general light coming through the holes. With some baby powder and some powerful lighting, the shafts of light will nicely hide the garage door in the background.
Well, that's about it for now. During lunch I'm going to review the tape we made last night to see if there are any other things I need the take note of before the actual shooting begins.
Oh, one more thing. Rachel Tench (who'll play both Kasey and Caldwell) called to say that she couldn't actually come for the entire week as she had planned because she really needs to work Mon and Tues so she can pay some bills. The weird thing was that she actually felt bad telling me that she couldn't come for the whole week because she needed to work to pay bills! I was like, c'mon Rach, we've been friends forever. Whatever you need to do we'll work around. I mean, she's doing me a favor here. It was sweet for her to call.
Anyway, that's all for now. Maybe more after I view the tapes.
PFB
July 1 - continued Video Notes:
I looked at the video Chris and I shot last night, stopping on certain frames to study the background and lighting situations and here's what I got:
- Need white reflective boards, especially for the train location under the overhang.
- In the Police Station scene, when Eric enters the room and Poole stands into the frame, the lighting should basically be from here:
It looked good on the video, giving shadows, etc. I liked it.
- When Rachel as Kasey sits in the back as Eric and Poole talk, and the shafts of light land at her feet, hiding her face in darkness, perhaps a little back light from the back side like so:
This would make her presence even more visible and we wouldn't lose the top of her body entirely.
- Need this shot:
When Nicole gets possessed and Poole enters the kitchen, Poole should walk up to her and stop, but the camera would continue in slowly. I don't have a shot where he actually stops behind her and this would add to the tension as the audience would know that she's got the knife, etc.
July 2, 1993
Well, Paul and I talked at length yesterday over the phone discussing the way to build a cheap reusable crane. After faxing down a thumbnail sketch and explaining it over the phone, Paul decided to work on a more in depth plan and price the parts for it at Builders Square II. Well, he called me this morning and faxed me up a copy of his plans. They seem solid and the option to expand it even more, making it more versatile, is also possible. Unfortunately, the price tag was around $60, which is a lot more than I wanted to spend.
I know this sounds cheap as shit, but I was only hoping to spend $25. I'm going to see if they have any throw away wood that I can pull from the dumpsters here at Nickelodeon. The plywood alone was the most expensive part of the set-up. I really like the design though. I think it could really work.
Speaking of scamming, it seems everything happens for a reason. I had walked out to my car after work yesterday when I realized that I forgot to put some stuff in Chris Gifford's office for safe keeping. Well, when I came into the building Jeff Wilson was getting into the elevator. I asked him where I could get light diffusing material for the lighting, as Chris Linn and I had discussed earlier. He asked how much I would need, I said not that much, so he proceeded to give me three rolls, one of "spun" which is nylon fabric-type material. The next was similar, except more like a thin, white plastic, used for the same thing. The last was a thick red/amber gel material. He said, "cut off what you need and give the rolls back." So I did. It was another example of the Lord providing. Thanks, big guy.
This weekend is the 4th of July weekend (which is also Dea's due date) and I'd like to spend some nice time with the wife, enjoy and relax and maybe even get some sun. I'm so white it's scary.
Well, gotta go. Until next time.
P.S.- Need to go to Home Depot tomorrow and check out crane materials.
July 8, 1993
Well, it finally happened. On Tuesday, July 5 at 1:45 a.m. my little girl was born. Dorothea Catherine (aka DC) was born at Arnold Palmer Hospital, healthy as a horse, and as hungry as one too. She is the light of my life and I get excited just thinking about her now.
Now . . . back to the show. I'm creating a shot list based on the storyboards. It'll be extremely helpful as I make sure that everything gets shot. Last night as I laid in bed I thought, if I'm going to rent a doorway dolly for $100, then there has to be a way to build one for under that. I have some ideas. I'll talk to my brother Paul about it.
I have to get back to the shot list. Will write again later. PFB
July 12, 1993
The latest and greatest from the family front is that DC is really cute, sleeps a lot, is a real good baby, but can cry like the best of them.
On the TDF front, I'm having second thoughts about building my own dolly. I can't afford to NOT have it work if we build it. Unfortunately, I can't afford to rent it for all of the days I need it.
July 13, 1993
Well, sorry about yesterday's short entry. Had a lot of work to do.
Anyway, yesterday, as I was leaving Nick., I stopped by Chris Linn's office and after a good round of deserved Disney bashing/horror stories, I explained my concern about building a dolly and how if it didn't work I then wouldn't be able to afford to rent one for the days I need it. Well, Chris' new "office mate" said she had a good friend over at Disney who may be able to let me use one for nothing. If so, then the streak will continue. I have a good feeling about it, so I hope it all works out. I'll keep you informed.
I have set up the shooting schedule on Calender Creator Plus here at Nick. I have all of the shots spread out over about 10 days. If the weather cooperates, all shoud go quite well. I may even be able to squeeze in some other shots if we get ahead of schedule. I just keep praying and the Lord keeps providing.
I watched THE TERM PAPER this morning. It was a lot of fun. The music adds so much to the comedy. Especially at the end, when the Star Trek 3 music is screaming, accentuating the importance of his race to turn it in on time. I really liked it a lot.
Also, I called around for different editing prices. The offline I can probably do for $35/hour on VHS if I really feel as though I need to do it at a suite. I can probably swing that with some home ingenuity and a couple of VCR's. The 3/4" editing will be around 700/DAY!!!!!!! I just gotta keep looking. If I keep praying the Lord will keep providing.
That's it for now . . . PFB
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Thursday, October 08, 2009
The Demon Files Journal - June 1993
June 28, 1993
Well, I'm here at work, doing as close to nothing as one can do and still get paid for it. My boss, Chris Gifford, producer of "Clarissa Explains It All," is on vacation in France at the moment. Fortunately they've agreed to have me work for most of the summer break, which makes Dea extremely happy at the moment.
As far as THE DEMON FILES goes, things are slowly coming together. I still have no idea how I'm going to pay for any of this. I'm leaving that up to the Lord - he hasn't let me down yet. Of course, the biggest thing on my mind is that my wife has yet to give birth to my kid. Everyday we hope and everyday Dea gets more uncomfortable. Please let it happen today!
Chris Linn and I used his Dad's camcorder to record some of the locations yesterday. After scouting out the Orlando bus station for the Miles/Poole scene in the beginning of episode one, we decided to change it to the Winter Park train station. We recorded some different angles and I realized that I'm going to have to re-storyboard the entire scene to compensate for the new location. After the train station we moseyed (sp?) over to Lake Ivanhoe. After reviewing with Chris what shots I wanted, he suggested we use another lake, down the road from where we live. Unfortunately, I don't know the name of this lake, only that it has a nice flat area where we can film the stabbing. It'll be weird, though, cause the lake's surrounded by these beautiful rich people's houses. So, we're gonna have to go in early, film it quick and get out as soon as we can. We'll probably shoot that Saturday morning. I really need a solid shadow for the shot, so I'm going to have to check out the sun's location. I just pray it'll fall into our shooting needs. If not, I'll think of something else, maybe reflecting the murder off of the rippling water on the shore. Something will work.
Last night, while Dea took a late afternoon nap, I went into the babies room and read the script and character of Poole out loud. It was the first time I started looking at the script as an actor. If there's one thing I learned from HOMESICK (actually, there were plenty) is that once you start acting out the script, you have to put the goals as a writer behind you and focus on what works as an actor. The character you wrote may not be the character you act. It seems when the words are spoken and the action starts to come alive, well, the entire script takes on a life of its own. Rehearsing made me want to work with the other actors, reshaping, sculpting the script into something that will work. I can't wait until we read through and discuss the scenes. It'll be quite exciting.
Here's a list of the things I either need to get or do:
June 30, 1993
Well, on the home front, Dea and I thought last night was the night, but we were wrong. She went to her weekly appointment and was 4cm. Went to the triage, they wanted her to walk around. She walked EIGHT HOURS, but didn't efface or dilate anymore, so we had to go home. Dea was pretty depressed. I'm just aggravated. Anyway, as Dea and I were walking on top of the parking garage at Arnold Palmer Hospital, I came across a way to solve the Ed - Storage Unit scene.
Across from the garage is a bunch of small warehouses/loading docks. Well, I'm going to have Poole get dropped off there then walk over to one of the garages and knock. Then, from the inside of Chris' garage, I'll film him opening/closing the door (with overexposing or back lighting to hide that his front yard is in front of the garage) and use his garage as a whole, as opposed to building flats and only using half of the garage.
If the warehouse doors are much larger than Chris' garage, then I'll try shooting from an extreme angle at Chris' house where you don't really see any garage door, only him standing at one and banging. I'd have to use the extreme angle because his garage door is painted white and the ones at the warehouses are primer brown. My only problem with the extreme angle shot is that, more than likely, there will be background seen and it would be different from the one shot at the warehouse. So, Chris and I are going to fool around with maybe taking a picture of the warehouse that SHOULD be in the background and attaching it to the camera, lining it up with the side of his house. Then, if we shoot from a long shoot, but zoomed in, than the background would then be out of focus. Hopefully the picture attached in front of the lens would have the same looking 'out of focus' and we could basically mask the background that way.
My next concern is, since we are also using Chris' garage for the police station interrogation room, that I'll have to light it much differently. I think, since Ed's storage unit is really just a garage, I'll light that fully. But, with the Police Station shots, I'll only use one or two light sources, creating dark shadows, and perhaps a little more mystery. It'll also hide the fact (we hope) that we're filming in a garage (that also looks a hell of a lot like Ed's place). I especially want to take advantage of the decorative air holes that are in the side wall of the garage. If I can light that well enough and maybe get a little smoke it could add interesting shafts of light while, at the same time, hide the garage door in the background.
My next problem, how to I fill it with smoke? Can't afford a fogger. Oh, the life of the no-budget filmmaker.
I re-storyboarded the opening sequence that used to take place at a bus stop, but now takes place at a train station. I think it will work well.
I checked the sunlight situation at the lake and, unfortunately, the sun rises on the other side of the lake, so I'm not quite sure how I'm going to handle that. I may have to find another lake to shoot it at. You know, it just occurred to me that, perhaps Lake Concord, behind our apartments, may be able to be used. I think the sun will be in the right position for that. I'm just not sure if the buildings and/or trees will keep the sun from shining through. Also don't know if there's appropriate shore line to do the shot as I see it in my head. I may just need to rethink that too! My storyboards are just becoming suggestions at this point. Oh, well.
As I get closer to filming this thing I am studying movies, tv, etc, trying to see, in specific terms, what works and what doesn't. Even though I've always loved movie soundtracks with full orchestration, I am even more impressed as I study, just how much movies can add to a scene. Seemingly boring scenes silent become filled with tension with the steady sound of violins. I'm really looking forward to working on the music with Jack Sloss.
As far as post production goes, I'm not really thinking about that right now. My most important job is to get the damn thing on tape and transfer it to some higher format. What would be ideal (and also a miracle) is if I could some how get Shelly at CPN to let me use the equipment. But, the more I understand how Nickelodeon works the more I think that would be impossible. I mean, you need tape ops, editors, paintbox at times. Just too many people to scam. But, I also don't know CPN's exact set-up. Maybe they have an offline editing suite with lower formats or something. One can dream. I'll just have to see what the Lord provides.
Just talked to Chris on the phone. He suggested perhaps baby powder for smoke. I think I'll try that tonight. I'm going over to his house to check out the garage, maybe play with some lighting and bring along some baby powder. Jeanne Simon, here at Nick., said that renting a smoke machine is not that expensive. I'll have to look into it.
My next problem is the library. Don't know if I'll be able to pull it off here in Orlando. There's a library downtown that's close to home, but I've never been there. Don't know how receptive they'd be to me loading in a doorway dolly and such to film a few quick scenes. I'm going to try and stop by Saturday morning. If the microfiche is located in a back area, perhaps I can fake the dolly part and just sneak the camera in there, or, if they let me, do it in the back where no one would really see. Just have to wait and checkout the layout of the place.
Well, that's about it. Until next time. PFB
Well, I'm here at work, doing as close to nothing as one can do and still get paid for it. My boss, Chris Gifford, producer of "Clarissa Explains It All," is on vacation in France at the moment. Fortunately they've agreed to have me work for most of the summer break, which makes Dea extremely happy at the moment.
As far as THE DEMON FILES goes, things are slowly coming together. I still have no idea how I'm going to pay for any of this. I'm leaving that up to the Lord - he hasn't let me down yet. Of course, the biggest thing on my mind is that my wife has yet to give birth to my kid. Everyday we hope and everyday Dea gets more uncomfortable. Please let it happen today!
Chris Linn and I used his Dad's camcorder to record some of the locations yesterday. After scouting out the Orlando bus station for the Miles/Poole scene in the beginning of episode one, we decided to change it to the Winter Park train station. We recorded some different angles and I realized that I'm going to have to re-storyboard the entire scene to compensate for the new location. After the train station we moseyed (sp?) over to Lake Ivanhoe. After reviewing with Chris what shots I wanted, he suggested we use another lake, down the road from where we live. Unfortunately, I don't know the name of this lake, only that it has a nice flat area where we can film the stabbing. It'll be weird, though, cause the lake's surrounded by these beautiful rich people's houses. So, we're gonna have to go in early, film it quick and get out as soon as we can. We'll probably shoot that Saturday morning. I really need a solid shadow for the shot, so I'm going to have to check out the sun's location. I just pray it'll fall into our shooting needs. If not, I'll think of something else, maybe reflecting the murder off of the rippling water on the shore. Something will work.
Last night, while Dea took a late afternoon nap, I went into the babies room and read the script and character of Poole out loud. It was the first time I started looking at the script as an actor. If there's one thing I learned from HOMESICK (actually, there were plenty) is that once you start acting out the script, you have to put the goals as a writer behind you and focus on what works as an actor. The character you wrote may not be the character you act. It seems when the words are spoken and the action starts to come alive, well, the entire script takes on a life of its own. Rehearsing made me want to work with the other actors, reshaping, sculpting the script into something that will work. I can't wait until we read through and discuss the scenes. It'll be quite exciting.
Here's a list of the things I either need to get or do:
- Check out rental places for dollies that can made into doorway dollies.
- Buy high quality Hi-8 video.
- Get an anchor necklace (waterfront shops at Universal?)
- Buy white and black sheets from Salvation Army.
- Get three knives, two of which are identical.
- Guard uniforms?
- For Sale sign
- Polaroid film (continuity)
- Contact paper for Attic Scene
- Flood lights
- Chains for Eric in Prison (Home Depot?)
- Handcuffs (toy shop?)
- Teapot (Salvation Army)
- Scar makeup
- Tea cups
- Need picture for pseudo newspaper article (from PB)
June 30, 1993
Well, on the home front, Dea and I thought last night was the night, but we were wrong. She went to her weekly appointment and was 4cm. Went to the triage, they wanted her to walk around. She walked EIGHT HOURS, but didn't efface or dilate anymore, so we had to go home. Dea was pretty depressed. I'm just aggravated. Anyway, as Dea and I were walking on top of the parking garage at Arnold Palmer Hospital, I came across a way to solve the Ed - Storage Unit scene.
Across from the garage is a bunch of small warehouses/loading docks. Well, I'm going to have Poole get dropped off there then walk over to one of the garages and knock. Then, from the inside of Chris' garage, I'll film him opening/closing the door (with overexposing or back lighting to hide that his front yard is in front of the garage) and use his garage as a whole, as opposed to building flats and only using half of the garage.
If the warehouse doors are much larger than Chris' garage, then I'll try shooting from an extreme angle at Chris' house where you don't really see any garage door, only him standing at one and banging. I'd have to use the extreme angle because his garage door is painted white and the ones at the warehouses are primer brown. My only problem with the extreme angle shot is that, more than likely, there will be background seen and it would be different from the one shot at the warehouse. So, Chris and I are going to fool around with maybe taking a picture of the warehouse that SHOULD be in the background and attaching it to the camera, lining it up with the side of his house. Then, if we shoot from a long shoot, but zoomed in, than the background would then be out of focus. Hopefully the picture attached in front of the lens would have the same looking 'out of focus' and we could basically mask the background that way.
My next concern is, since we are also using Chris' garage for the police station interrogation room, that I'll have to light it much differently. I think, since Ed's storage unit is really just a garage, I'll light that fully. But, with the Police Station shots, I'll only use one or two light sources, creating dark shadows, and perhaps a little more mystery. It'll also hide the fact (we hope) that we're filming in a garage (that also looks a hell of a lot like Ed's place). I especially want to take advantage of the decorative air holes that are in the side wall of the garage. If I can light that well enough and maybe get a little smoke it could add interesting shafts of light while, at the same time, hide the garage door in the background.
My next problem, how to I fill it with smoke? Can't afford a fogger. Oh, the life of the no-budget filmmaker.
I re-storyboarded the opening sequence that used to take place at a bus stop, but now takes place at a train station. I think it will work well.
I checked the sunlight situation at the lake and, unfortunately, the sun rises on the other side of the lake, so I'm not quite sure how I'm going to handle that. I may have to find another lake to shoot it at. You know, it just occurred to me that, perhaps Lake Concord, behind our apartments, may be able to be used. I think the sun will be in the right position for that. I'm just not sure if the buildings and/or trees will keep the sun from shining through. Also don't know if there's appropriate shore line to do the shot as I see it in my head. I may just need to rethink that too! My storyboards are just becoming suggestions at this point. Oh, well.
As I get closer to filming this thing I am studying movies, tv, etc, trying to see, in specific terms, what works and what doesn't. Even though I've always loved movie soundtracks with full orchestration, I am even more impressed as I study, just how much movies can add to a scene. Seemingly boring scenes silent become filled with tension with the steady sound of violins. I'm really looking forward to working on the music with Jack Sloss.
As far as post production goes, I'm not really thinking about that right now. My most important job is to get the damn thing on tape and transfer it to some higher format. What would be ideal (and also a miracle) is if I could some how get Shelly at CPN to let me use the equipment. But, the more I understand how Nickelodeon works the more I think that would be impossible. I mean, you need tape ops, editors, paintbox at times. Just too many people to scam. But, I also don't know CPN's exact set-up. Maybe they have an offline editing suite with lower formats or something. One can dream. I'll just have to see what the Lord provides.
Just talked to Chris on the phone. He suggested perhaps baby powder for smoke. I think I'll try that tonight. I'm going over to his house to check out the garage, maybe play with some lighting and bring along some baby powder. Jeanne Simon, here at Nick., said that renting a smoke machine is not that expensive. I'll have to look into it.
My next problem is the library. Don't know if I'll be able to pull it off here in Orlando. There's a library downtown that's close to home, but I've never been there. Don't know how receptive they'd be to me loading in a doorway dolly and such to film a few quick scenes. I'm going to try and stop by Saturday morning. If the microfiche is located in a back area, perhaps I can fake the dolly part and just sneak the camera in there, or, if they let me, do it in the back where no one would really see. Just have to wait and checkout the layout of the place.
Well, that's about it. Until next time. PFB
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
The Demon Files (1993)
This project was originally shot over a two-week period on Hi-8 back when that was the no-budget state-of-the-art format of choice. As a writing experiment, I wanted to see if I could pull off writing a serial, like the old Captain Marvel, Dick Tracy types of serials from yester-year. So, my brother, Paul, and I hashed out a story about unrelated vicious murders with a common, evil thread. The end result was a 13 part serial called The Demon Files.
I was working at Nickelodeon Studios at the time and my television co-horts loved the serial script so much that they suggested I try to get a pilot made and in the hopes of getting it turned into a TV series. Instead of just giving out a script, I thought it might be more effective to actually shoot a "rough draft" of the first installment, Episode One: THE POSSESSION.
So, I pulled together some of my old acting cronies and got some of my Nick friends to help me out. My wife had just given birth to our daughter and was gracious enough to spend the week of shooting at my in-laws house. The entire budget of the project was $450.00. I was able to edit in the straight cut Edit 3 facility (VHS to VHS) at Nick at night (no pun intended).
Personal Note: My brother and I have always felt we were part of some sort of cosmic creative intuition, because we have often come up with story ideas only to have them made by Hollywood in some other fashion. In high school we, along with others, came up with a story called Lonely Time about a time-traveler trying to change his future by changing his past... then out came The Terminator. We made some satirical commercials on VHS, only to see similar versions on HBO.
And after having shot The Demon Files, I remember sitting in the living room and watching FOX. They had a promo for a new show, with the original episode about a man and a woman investigating unrelated murders which are mysteriously tied together... it was called The X Files. So, I called my friend Chris, who was one of the Producers of The Demon Files, and bemoaned that I was to be, yet again, a day late and a dollar short. But, we kept the name... cause... dammit, we thought of it first! Sure, The Demon Files, in the end, is nothing like The X Files, but the similarities between the original episodes were too eery to ignore.
I was working at Nickelodeon Studios at the time and my television co-horts loved the serial script so much that they suggested I try to get a pilot made and in the hopes of getting it turned into a TV series. Instead of just giving out a script, I thought it might be more effective to actually shoot a "rough draft" of the first installment, Episode One: THE POSSESSION.
So, I pulled together some of my old acting cronies and got some of my Nick friends to help me out. My wife had just given birth to our daughter and was gracious enough to spend the week of shooting at my in-laws house. The entire budget of the project was $450.00. I was able to edit in the straight cut Edit 3 facility (VHS to VHS) at Nick at night (no pun intended).Personal Note: My brother and I have always felt we were part of some sort of cosmic creative intuition, because we have often come up with story ideas only to have them made by Hollywood in some other fashion. In high school we, along with others, came up with a story called Lonely Time about a time-traveler trying to change his future by changing his past... then out came The Terminator. We made some satirical commercials on VHS, only to see similar versions on HBO.
And after having shot The Demon Files, I remember sitting in the living room and watching FOX. They had a promo for a new show, with the original episode about a man and a woman investigating unrelated murders which are mysteriously tied together... it was called The X Files. So, I called my friend Chris, who was one of the Producers of The Demon Files, and bemoaned that I was to be, yet again, a day late and a dollar short. But, we kept the name... cause... dammit, we thought of it first! Sure, The Demon Files, in the end, is nothing like The X Files, but the similarities between the original episodes were too eery to ignore.
Tuesday, October 06, 2009
Our Second Basking in the Son podcast is now online
Please check out our second Christian Film podcast called Basking in the Son! hosted by Dorothea.
You can listen to it over at the Sonlight Pictures Blog website.
You can listen to it over at the Sonlight Pictures Blog website.
Monday, October 05, 2009
Microcinema Flashback - When Your Friends Stink as Actors (2000)
Having shot no-budget flicks before and having been a professional actor for quite some time, I thought I could offer up some practical advice for novice filmmakers working with non-actors on how to get the best performances one can muster using raw, but unpolished talent.
From December 2000...
When Your Friends Stink as Actors
by Pete Bauer
This is a problem we've all faced. You have a great idea for a project. The story is unique and cool and everything, but the only people you can get in your movie for free are your friends. They have many tremendous talents, however, acting isn't one of them. What can you do? Well, here's a couple of suggestions:
1) Do It Anyway - The premise here is you don't give a crap that your friends can't act and you go with what you got. This often happens because, in the real world, sometimes we don't have a choice. It's either use your friends or don't make the film. So, you make the film and pray for the best. The plus side is that you're shooting the flick. The down side is that you'll either have a crappy short, you'll delete most of the dialogue before shooting, or you'll have to do your best to save it in editing. This is the best approach if you're looking at your project as an experiment in film making (writing, directing, style, etc.).
2) Rehearse Until You Puke - Rehearsal, for the most part, is a good thing. Every shoot ends up rehearsing in some fashion, even if it's right before you start recording. But, if you can afford it, setting aside some time specifically for rehearsal can help. For people with semi-talent, this is a good way for them to hone their skills. However, this takes time, which, like money, is usually in short supply. Plus, some people are better NOT rehearsing, because the more they rehearse the more they sound... well, rehearsed... and less believable, less spontaneous. And if you're using real actors (see below), you should hold at least one read-through (where everyone sits around the table and reads the script out loud) and one rehearsal (where you walk them through what's gonna happen and how you're going to stage it). You have to know your actors and their limitations before determining how deep your rehearsals should go.
3) Make an Action Flick - This works because most of the film is action anyway, so you don't have to suffer from your friends trying to act. Because the real problem with non-actors acting isn't their face, but their voice. It's how they sound that makes you buy it or not. Even the slightest hint of "Look, I've memorized this line and I sound like I memorized it instead of just thought of it" pulls the audience right out of the film and makes them wince uncontrollably. So, action films work because your friends just have to run, jump, shoot, blow-up, etc.
Also, try to keep what I call "Arnold Lines" out of your films. These are stupid little lines Arnold S. says that replaces supposed wit with stupidity. Example: Arnold sets a guy on fire with his ass. Arnold Line - "He looks a little hot under the collar." Roger Moore did a lot of these during his stint as James Bond and the series hasn't recovered yet. Only Arnold can pull it off... sometimes. More than likely your friends won't be able to pull it off either.
And it doesn't have to be an action flick. It can be any flick, actually, as long as you structure it with minimal dialogue. Visuals are always better in movies anyway. Which goes to the next option...
4) Mute It - This is my favorite option. Don't have any dialogue at all. This was almost mandatory when shooting in Super 8 and it shouldn't change much if you're shooting in Hi-8 or Digital 8. Granted, it depends on what you're trying to accomplish, but film is supposed to be a visual medium anyway. You can tell ANY story visually. But, it's a lot harder. It's easier to have the girl say, "I love you." It's much harder to show it visually without being corny. But, that's the reason to take out as much dialogue as possible. It forces you to think visually. Plus, you can yell at your friends while you're shooting, telling them what they're thinking at the time. That way they look like they just thought of it because you just mentioned it to them... you walk them through their thoughts so they don't have to. We did this exclusively on JUSTICE. It made shooting a lot quicker because I didn't have to worry about sound interrupting the scene (car horn, airplane, drive-by shooting, etc.). Just act like you're going to have to shoot your movie in a library and then figure out how to tell the story the way you wanted.
5) Echo It - This is something you should only do if you have no other choice. And, you really have to shoot your project correctly in order for this to work. But, you say all the lines for your actors before they say it. In the acting world, this is called giving a Line Reading and real actors hate it. For example, your actor keeps saying the line "But what about how I feel?" and you want them to say "But what about how I feel?", stressing the action instead of the pronoun (which is ALWAYS a stronger choice). So, what you do is set up the shot, have them look at the other actor, then you say the line as YOU want it to be said and have the actor echo it back to you, saying it over and over again until they get it right. This is much more time consuming, but you can get a vastly stronger performance out of novices if they, and you, have the patience for the process.
6) Go Pro and Pro Bono - This last option is the most obvious. Get real actors. As long as their not affliated with SAG, you'd be surprised how little you have to pay a real actor to act. Many times, you can get them for free. Real actors love to act. Just like any other skilled professional, they'd rather be working on their craft than sitting around doing nothing. So, ask real actors. The easiest way to "audition" local actors is to see their work. If you want to get real actors for little to no money, you have to support their profession, or appear to support their profession. So, go out and see some local plays. Those actors with talent, make sure you stop backstage after the show to tell them how you liked their performance. This is common practice and actors love positive feedback... that's part of why they do the job. Introduce yourself as a director who's throwing together a project. If they show interest (which MOST actors will), tell them about it, tell them the story line, see how they react. But, the most important thing is to tell the truth. If they ask how much it pays, tell them "nothing", but you'll feed them, give them a copy of the finished product and they'll have something that will stand out on their resume.
7) You can also hold auditions. This costs you nothing but an afternoon. When you publicize your audition make sure you state that you're NOT going to pay them anything, but they'll get a copy of the finished product. Actors currently not acting usually have flexible jobs, in case a gig comes up (that's why so many of them are waiters or temps). Working actors usually work everyday but Monday, so, if you can, schedule the audition from Monday afternoon through the evening. Actors are not morning people, so never schedule it in the morning. The worst that can happen is no one shows up to audition. More than likely, however, someone will. And they may be perfect.
As Jason Santo mentioned in one of his articles, in the real world image is everything, so be professional and act professional. Don't hold the auditions in your house, but find a location that looks like you have something to offer. Most auditions happen in empty theater stages or offices, so get access to an office or even use a warehouse or garage. Anything is better than auditioning in someone's living room while you're little brother plays Play Station in the background.
And, remember, whatever promises you make to actors, deliver on them. The acting community is a close knit group. You don't want your name or company given a bad rep or you'll never get any good actors. However, if the experience is positive and they enjoy the process, they'll be back and they'll bring their real actor friends with them.
We all have friends. Unfortunately, we all don't have real actors as friends. So do the best you can. Set yourself up to succeed by recognizing the limitations of your resources (time, money, talent) and utilize them correctly. Remember, it's not about settling for less, but making something out of nothing.
From December 2000...
*****
When Your Friends Stink as Actors
by Pete Bauer
This is a problem we've all faced. You have a great idea for a project. The story is unique and cool and everything, but the only people you can get in your movie for free are your friends. They have many tremendous talents, however, acting isn't one of them. What can you do? Well, here's a couple of suggestions:
1) Do It Anyway - The premise here is you don't give a crap that your friends can't act and you go with what you got. This often happens because, in the real world, sometimes we don't have a choice. It's either use your friends or don't make the film. So, you make the film and pray for the best. The plus side is that you're shooting the flick. The down side is that you'll either have a crappy short, you'll delete most of the dialogue before shooting, or you'll have to do your best to save it in editing. This is the best approach if you're looking at your project as an experiment in film making (writing, directing, style, etc.).
2) Rehearse Until You Puke - Rehearsal, for the most part, is a good thing. Every shoot ends up rehearsing in some fashion, even if it's right before you start recording. But, if you can afford it, setting aside some time specifically for rehearsal can help. For people with semi-talent, this is a good way for them to hone their skills. However, this takes time, which, like money, is usually in short supply. Plus, some people are better NOT rehearsing, because the more they rehearse the more they sound... well, rehearsed... and less believable, less spontaneous. And if you're using real actors (see below), you should hold at least one read-through (where everyone sits around the table and reads the script out loud) and one rehearsal (where you walk them through what's gonna happen and how you're going to stage it). You have to know your actors and their limitations before determining how deep your rehearsals should go.
3) Make an Action Flick - This works because most of the film is action anyway, so you don't have to suffer from your friends trying to act. Because the real problem with non-actors acting isn't their face, but their voice. It's how they sound that makes you buy it or not. Even the slightest hint of "Look, I've memorized this line and I sound like I memorized it instead of just thought of it" pulls the audience right out of the film and makes them wince uncontrollably. So, action films work because your friends just have to run, jump, shoot, blow-up, etc.
Also, try to keep what I call "Arnold Lines" out of your films. These are stupid little lines Arnold S. says that replaces supposed wit with stupidity. Example: Arnold sets a guy on fire with his ass. Arnold Line - "He looks a little hot under the collar." Roger Moore did a lot of these during his stint as James Bond and the series hasn't recovered yet. Only Arnold can pull it off... sometimes. More than likely your friends won't be able to pull it off either.
And it doesn't have to be an action flick. It can be any flick, actually, as long as you structure it with minimal dialogue. Visuals are always better in movies anyway. Which goes to the next option...
4) Mute It - This is my favorite option. Don't have any dialogue at all. This was almost mandatory when shooting in Super 8 and it shouldn't change much if you're shooting in Hi-8 or Digital 8. Granted, it depends on what you're trying to accomplish, but film is supposed to be a visual medium anyway. You can tell ANY story visually. But, it's a lot harder. It's easier to have the girl say, "I love you." It's much harder to show it visually without being corny. But, that's the reason to take out as much dialogue as possible. It forces you to think visually. Plus, you can yell at your friends while you're shooting, telling them what they're thinking at the time. That way they look like they just thought of it because you just mentioned it to them... you walk them through their thoughts so they don't have to. We did this exclusively on JUSTICE. It made shooting a lot quicker because I didn't have to worry about sound interrupting the scene (car horn, airplane, drive-by shooting, etc.). Just act like you're going to have to shoot your movie in a library and then figure out how to tell the story the way you wanted.
5) Echo It - This is something you should only do if you have no other choice. And, you really have to shoot your project correctly in order for this to work. But, you say all the lines for your actors before they say it. In the acting world, this is called giving a Line Reading and real actors hate it. For example, your actor keeps saying the line "But what about how I feel?" and you want them to say "But what about how I feel?", stressing the action instead of the pronoun (which is ALWAYS a stronger choice). So, what you do is set up the shot, have them look at the other actor, then you say the line as YOU want it to be said and have the actor echo it back to you, saying it over and over again until they get it right. This is much more time consuming, but you can get a vastly stronger performance out of novices if they, and you, have the patience for the process.
6) Go Pro and Pro Bono - This last option is the most obvious. Get real actors. As long as their not affliated with SAG, you'd be surprised how little you have to pay a real actor to act. Many times, you can get them for free. Real actors love to act. Just like any other skilled professional, they'd rather be working on their craft than sitting around doing nothing. So, ask real actors. The easiest way to "audition" local actors is to see their work. If you want to get real actors for little to no money, you have to support their profession, or appear to support their profession. So, go out and see some local plays. Those actors with talent, make sure you stop backstage after the show to tell them how you liked their performance. This is common practice and actors love positive feedback... that's part of why they do the job. Introduce yourself as a director who's throwing together a project. If they show interest (which MOST actors will), tell them about it, tell them the story line, see how they react. But, the most important thing is to tell the truth. If they ask how much it pays, tell them "nothing", but you'll feed them, give them a copy of the finished product and they'll have something that will stand out on their resume.
7) You can also hold auditions. This costs you nothing but an afternoon. When you publicize your audition make sure you state that you're NOT going to pay them anything, but they'll get a copy of the finished product. Actors currently not acting usually have flexible jobs, in case a gig comes up (that's why so many of them are waiters or temps). Working actors usually work everyday but Monday, so, if you can, schedule the audition from Monday afternoon through the evening. Actors are not morning people, so never schedule it in the morning. The worst that can happen is no one shows up to audition. More than likely, however, someone will. And they may be perfect.
As Jason Santo mentioned in one of his articles, in the real world image is everything, so be professional and act professional. Don't hold the auditions in your house, but find a location that looks like you have something to offer. Most auditions happen in empty theater stages or offices, so get access to an office or even use a warehouse or garage. Anything is better than auditioning in someone's living room while you're little brother plays Play Station in the background.
And, remember, whatever promises you make to actors, deliver on them. The acting community is a close knit group. You don't want your name or company given a bad rep or you'll never get any good actors. However, if the experience is positive and they enjoy the process, they'll be back and they'll bring their real actor friends with them.
We all have friends. Unfortunately, we all don't have real actors as friends. So do the best you can. Set yourself up to succeed by recognizing the limitations of your resources (time, money, talent) and utilize them correctly. Remember, it's not about settling for less, but making something out of nothing.
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