Basically not a good day! In fact the past three days have not been good.
The camera works fine except that the software that came with it is not compatible with Windows Vista. I went online and downloaded an update for the software. Everything seemed fine until I went to start the program for transfering video to my computer at which time Vista popped up a message saying the software was already running and so I could not activate it. It's not on my tool bar. It's not set to start when I boot up the computer, so I'm not sure exactly what the problem is. It doesn't work is all I know right now. So now I can't transfer the files to my computer for editing. The documentation for the camera says that I should not use another program to transfer the video files from the camera to my computer because I will not be able to edit them using the HD Writer Ver 1.0E for SD1.
So far my video editor of choice (Avid) is not available for Vista.
Also Windows Vista upgraded my video playback and now I cannot play any mpeg video files.
WOW! Windows Vista sure is great! I tried to uninstall the upgrade and could not find it listed anywhere even with a search. I tried to restore to a previous setting. That failed. I can't seem to get rid of the upgrade. It is looking like my only choice now is to restore the computer to the original factory settings in which case I lose all of my data and have to reinstall everything.
Not to mention that it is a very rare program that will run on vista. If it doesn't say Vista on the packaging it's not going to work even with a so called Vista upgrade.
I've had this computer for 3 months and have had so many problems I'm thinking of trashing it and buying a Mac to do the video editing. I am just absolutely sick of Windows Vista. Those Mac commercials you see on T.V. are bang on accurate. Allow or Deny. Maybe in another 3 years there will be some programs that will run on Vista. I can't wait that long to edit my video though.
As for the movie, today I went out and shot some test footage of industrial sites for the intro narration at the begining, but since I cannot edit it I am waisting my time! Maybe I will work on the script a little today to ease my frustrations.
It looks like things are totally falling apart!
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Monday, September 17, 2007
Writing the script
Last Saturday I went to see the basement location. I don't think I can use it. I was told it was about six feet high, but it seemed more like five feet high. Not really suitable for what I need. I think I will have to find a different location or make wall props and I really don't want to do that if possible, because I don't have anywhere to store such huge sets.
I lost one actress as well on Saturday.
On the good side of things, my new camcorder arrived on Friday. It is still in the box it came in. I've been so busy with my job and other things I haven't had time to unpack it. Hopefully I will be able to shoot some test footage on Tuesday. Again it depends on how busy my schedule is.
I'm going to try to make time though.
I've got another page written for the script. I may have to act as four different characters if I lose any more actors. Things aren't looking too good.
I'm using this basic formula for writing the script. These are the basic elements of an event. They usually occur in the order indicated, but do not always start at 1 or stop at 9. Sometimes they are placed in a slightly different order. I say that the event sequence doesn't always stop at nine because of cuts made to another event that is happening at the same time. The event sequence will eventually stop at number 9.
EVENT BLOCK
1: Travel scene and or character development.
2: Something is unusual.
3: A question is asked.
4: A plan of action is formed. A decision is made.
5: Travel scene and or character development.
6: Discovery. "The holly sh_t !" scene.
7: A plan of action is formed. A decision is made.
8: Resolution of problem - climax.
9: Return to a calm state.
The following is the basic script timeline block layout for the entire story. Each of the timeline percentages contain at least one EVENT BLOCK. sometimes more.
TIMELINE BLOCK
Prologue. This is the back story or intro to the Nemesis.
1% Intro to main character.
4% Something is unusual.
5% A question is asked.
8% A decision is made to move the main character to the location.
24% Discovery event 1. "Holly sh_t!" scene.
34% Someone is hurt, killed or abandoned. Main character loses something.
39% Discovery event 2.
51% Discovery event 3.
62% Someone is hurt, killed or loses something very important.
75% Discovery event 4. Main character discovers who nemesis is.
89% Revelation 1. Nemesis reveals himself to main character, why he is doing what he is doing.
92% Revelation 2. Nemesis tells main character or shows main character that he is going to kill or get rid of main character so as to prevent main character from stopping his plans.
99% Climax
99.5% - 100% Return to a calm state.
Epilogue. This is what happens after the story. An event that may indicate a sequel will happen.
I lost one actress as well on Saturday.
On the good side of things, my new camcorder arrived on Friday. It is still in the box it came in. I've been so busy with my job and other things I haven't had time to unpack it. Hopefully I will be able to shoot some test footage on Tuesday. Again it depends on how busy my schedule is.
I'm going to try to make time though.
I've got another page written for the script. I may have to act as four different characters if I lose any more actors. Things aren't looking too good.
I'm using this basic formula for writing the script. These are the basic elements of an event. They usually occur in the order indicated, but do not always start at 1 or stop at 9. Sometimes they are placed in a slightly different order. I say that the event sequence doesn't always stop at nine because of cuts made to another event that is happening at the same time. The event sequence will eventually stop at number 9.
EVENT BLOCK
1: Travel scene and or character development.
2: Something is unusual.
3: A question is asked.
4: A plan of action is formed. A decision is made.
5: Travel scene and or character development.
6: Discovery. "The holly sh_t !" scene.
7: A plan of action is formed. A decision is made.
8: Resolution of problem - climax.
9: Return to a calm state.
The following is the basic script timeline block layout for the entire story. Each of the timeline percentages contain at least one EVENT BLOCK. sometimes more.
TIMELINE BLOCK
Prologue. This is the back story or intro to the Nemesis.
1% Intro to main character.
4% Something is unusual.
5% A question is asked.
8% A decision is made to move the main character to the location.
24% Discovery event 1. "Holly sh_t!" scene.
34% Someone is hurt, killed or abandoned. Main character loses something.
39% Discovery event 2.
51% Discovery event 3.
62% Someone is hurt, killed or loses something very important.
75% Discovery event 4. Main character discovers who nemesis is.
89% Revelation 1. Nemesis reveals himself to main character, why he is doing what he is doing.
92% Revelation 2. Nemesis tells main character or shows main character that he is going to kill or get rid of main character so as to prevent main character from stopping his plans.
99% Climax
99.5% - 100% Return to a calm state.
Epilogue. This is what happens after the story. An event that may indicate a sequel will happen.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Making costumes
Making costumes is hard, but worthwhile for the look of the movie. I have a limited amount of different coloured fabrics at the moment, so I may need to buy some more fabrics depending on the design requirements of the different characters I create. I'm keeping the designs simple because I've discovered that my tailoring skills seem to be a little week. Mainly I keep sticking myself with pins, can't cut the fabric straight, and sew horribly. I tend to have to undo some seams because I've pinned the wrong sides together. Making costumes is harder than it looks. Designing them is the easy part. Actually putting them together is hard. Especially since I know nothing about making clothing.
The script for Deathbot is coming along nicely. I now have 11 pages, but I am wondering if I will have enough ideas to make the movie 90 minutes long. I don't want it to get boring because I have scenes that are long winded. This is just the first draft anyway. After I finish it I will read it through and see if I need to make any changes. I have to remember that non of my actors are actually actors, so I may need to keep some of their dialogue short. I figure some people will not even say a single line of dialogue simply because they will be in the background or are too shy or embarrassed to speak on camera. I'll try to get them to say their lines convincingly.
I've been looking for some paint or paper that will glow under black lights, but can't seem to find any in a quantity that I need for a price I can afford. I may have to think of something else to make the bar have more atmosphere. I was going to use the paper or paint to create a design on the walls of the bar. I still need to view the location for the bar. I'll try to do that Saturday.
I'm also thinking that I might be able to use the basement location for another set as well and just redress it to look different.
The script for Deathbot is coming along nicely. I now have 11 pages, but I am wondering if I will have enough ideas to make the movie 90 minutes long. I don't want it to get boring because I have scenes that are long winded. This is just the first draft anyway. After I finish it I will read it through and see if I need to make any changes. I have to remember that non of my actors are actually actors, so I may need to keep some of their dialogue short. I figure some people will not even say a single line of dialogue simply because they will be in the background or are too shy or embarrassed to speak on camera. I'll try to get them to say their lines convincingly.
I've been looking for some paint or paper that will glow under black lights, but can't seem to find any in a quantity that I need for a price I can afford. I may have to think of something else to make the bar have more atmosphere. I was going to use the paper or paint to create a design on the walls of the bar. I still need to view the location for the bar. I'll try to do that Saturday.
I'm also thinking that I might be able to use the basement location for another set as well and just redress it to look different.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Prop design, Equipement, and the script
Today I will continue designing the costumes. What started out as three costumes has ballooned into seven or more. I figure I can mix and match some parts of the different costumes to create new costumes as needed.
The script is shaping up nicely, though with limited resourses it might be somewhat challanging to shoot. I tend to do storyboards and script at the same time so I can remember the camera angles and lighting I am trying to achieve. This will be my first attempt to actually try to light a scene with lights. Usually I just use all natural light. This time I am going to use coloured lights for different effects. Originally I was just going to use coloued gels over the lights to change the colour, but I couldn't find or buy anything suitable to use. Well, that's life living in a small city. It's hard to find the things you need sometimes.
I'm still designing the killer robot as well. I've modified the design a few times now. It is getting closer to looking pretty cool. While I am designing the robot I also think about and design ways to make it move. Since this robot is a prop and not CG I'll have to design it so I can hide the control cables and or rods that I use. I may use a combination of rods and cables. I also have to keep in mind that most likely the robot will have to be operated by only one person. CG would be so nice. It is just beyond me right now. Though I am trained in classical animation.
I think this movie will look a lot better then my and Bill's other movie "The Adventures of Gweedor and Zelbov" available to be viewed on youtube.com. Deathbot is basically just me working on everything. Gweedor and Zelbov was a huge amount of fun to work on. We didn't start out to make a movie at all. It just sort of happened and was the most fun I've had in the past twenty years. I enjoyed it so much I decided to make another movie.
I'm basically starting from scratch equipement wise since I do not even own a camera. I've ordered a Panasonic AG-HSC1U 3CCD HD camcorder. It is now on back order naturally since the online store apparently didn't have any in stock.
As for lights, if I was smart I would have bought some on E-Bay, but I was feeling cheap and went to the local surplus store and picked up some clamp lamps that swivel. They'll work. I bought three. I'll have to prop the lights pretty close to the action since the only bulbs I could buy are a little dimmer than I wanted.
I will also be attempting to do a couple of green screen shots for the movie since it will be impossible to do the shots any other way.
The main thing right now is to finish writing a script that is good. Wish me good luck on that one!
The script is shaping up nicely, though with limited resourses it might be somewhat challanging to shoot. I tend to do storyboards and script at the same time so I can remember the camera angles and lighting I am trying to achieve. This will be my first attempt to actually try to light a scene with lights. Usually I just use all natural light. This time I am going to use coloured lights for different effects. Originally I was just going to use coloued gels over the lights to change the colour, but I couldn't find or buy anything suitable to use. Well, that's life living in a small city. It's hard to find the things you need sometimes.
I'm still designing the killer robot as well. I've modified the design a few times now. It is getting closer to looking pretty cool. While I am designing the robot I also think about and design ways to make it move. Since this robot is a prop and not CG I'll have to design it so I can hide the control cables and or rods that I use. I may use a combination of rods and cables. I also have to keep in mind that most likely the robot will have to be operated by only one person. CG would be so nice. It is just beyond me right now. Though I am trained in classical animation.
I think this movie will look a lot better then my and Bill's other movie "The Adventures of Gweedor and Zelbov" available to be viewed on youtube.com. Deathbot is basically just me working on everything. Gweedor and Zelbov was a huge amount of fun to work on. We didn't start out to make a movie at all. It just sort of happened and was the most fun I've had in the past twenty years. I enjoyed it so much I decided to make another movie.
I'm basically starting from scratch equipement wise since I do not even own a camera. I've ordered a Panasonic AG-HSC1U 3CCD HD camcorder. It is now on back order naturally since the online store apparently didn't have any in stock.
As for lights, if I was smart I would have bought some on E-Bay, but I was feeling cheap and went to the local surplus store and picked up some clamp lamps that swivel. They'll work. I bought three. I'll have to prop the lights pretty close to the action since the only bulbs I could buy are a little dimmer than I wanted.
I will also be attempting to do a couple of green screen shots for the movie since it will be impossible to do the shots any other way.
The main thing right now is to finish writing a script that is good. Wish me good luck on that one!
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Sept. 09, 2007 Movies are so Cooell or Making movies the Cooell way
Day one of the blog.
Six days into preproduction on the movie Deathbot.
That is just the working title for now. However the way things go that will probably end up
being the title of the movie.
The movie is about a killer robot. Blood, guts, and gore! I really like bringing creatures to life in
my movies. It is always thrilling when something works. Incedentally, this will be an old school
type of movie with props as this is all I know how to do at the moment. Limited cast. Limited
crew. At least one person. Me.
Location scouting:
I was at a wedding last night and I thought there were so many people there that someone
must have a basement that would be usable for a scene in the movie. This is basically a next
to no budget movie so locations and actors are at a premium. Very hard to find. So I thought.
I asked around and found about six people willing to act in the bar scene of the post apocalyptic
new world of the movie and a possible stone walled basement. Dark and dirty. It is actually the
basement at my brothers home. I have a vague idea of what it looks like, but I really have never
seen it. Not that I can remember anyway. It will have to do. All I need to do now is dress it to
look like a bar from the desecrated future. Make costumes for the actors, find props etc...
Hopefully everything will work out. I will go view the location soon and then do some idea
sketches for the bar. Basically I want it to look old and decrepid. Dusty and dirty.
Six days into preproduction on the movie Deathbot.
That is just the working title for now. However the way things go that will probably end up
being the title of the movie.
The movie is about a killer robot. Blood, guts, and gore! I really like bringing creatures to life in
my movies. It is always thrilling when something works. Incedentally, this will be an old school
type of movie with props as this is all I know how to do at the moment. Limited cast. Limited
crew. At least one person. Me.
Location scouting:
I was at a wedding last night and I thought there were so many people there that someone
must have a basement that would be usable for a scene in the movie. This is basically a next
to no budget movie so locations and actors are at a premium. Very hard to find. So I thought.
I asked around and found about six people willing to act in the bar scene of the post apocalyptic
new world of the movie and a possible stone walled basement. Dark and dirty. It is actually the
basement at my brothers home. I have a vague idea of what it looks like, but I really have never
seen it. Not that I can remember anyway. It will have to do. All I need to do now is dress it to
look like a bar from the desecrated future. Make costumes for the actors, find props etc...
Hopefully everything will work out. I will go view the location soon and then do some idea
sketches for the bar. Basically I want it to look old and decrepid. Dusty and dirty.
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