It's been quite a while since I updated this thing, and to be honest I've spent more time looking at other people's blogs and profiles on 20sb.net. You're welcome, twenty-something bloggers. The truth is that aside from being busy with the obligatory holiday activities I have been too busy actually doing the work I might blog about to have time to blog about it. But lest my blog be accused merely being a way to talk about "Podunk" while in production, allow me to now provide a brief update.
After the short was finished and sent out and ample time was taken to get away from it I returned to the movie to glean whatever lessons I could from it. I tried to show it to as many people as I could just to get feedback to find out what wasn't working and what did. I heard the same types of criticism repeatedly, which in some ways is reassuring. Often I was told it was a sound issue (we did not have a boom mic on the movie as we were an extremely low budget production. Instead we simply picked up audio directly to my 5D MK2). I've already begun researching mics and sound boards for the next movie I want to make next summer.
I also have the freedom now of being able to write a script until the script is done rather than trying to rush through that aspect of production in order to keep a film festival schedule. I was generally happy with the script for "Podunk" but it could have been altered in some parts and given the time to do so I would have. While scripting last summer I had tried repeatedly to contact the Minneapolis Police Department to no avail. On their website they advertise for ride-alongs if you apply, which I did, but I never heard back. My guess is they either thought that someone applying to ride in a police car because he's a writer developing a script for a crime drama made them skeptical, or they were simply too busy to accommodate. However, in the last month or so I've had the good fortune of making connections in law enforcement. I already have plans for a discussion with one of them the week after Christmas.
I seem to be on a crime drama kick this year, and it holds my interests for a few reasons. One, it allows me to dig in order to get to the meat and potatoes. In college I loved doing research for midterm papers and this feels much the same. For "Podunk" I investigated the economic recession and for my next two scripts I'm researching demographic information for several regions of the country. Besides experiencing a resurgence in the last decade due to such films as "Training Day", "The Departed", and to a lesser extent "The Dark Knight", to me the crime drama offers one the ability to easily discuss critical and relevant themes while in the envelope of an engaging action narrative. Let's face it, action sells.
I have several other script ideas that aren't about crime and their narrative architectures are very different. My question always becomes what do I do with these? Do I finish them and let them sit on my hard drive? Most of them are too large and would be prohibitively expensive to do at my budget level, so it's not an issue of simply going out and doing them. Maybe something will turn up soon...
I've also returned to Final Cut Pro, among other programs, in order to sharpen my technical skills for the next movie. In his "10 Minute Film School" speech, which is actually closer to seven, director Robert Rodriguez said, "creative people can learn to be technical people, technical people can never be creative." I'm not entirely certain it's that bleak for the techies, but the first part is true. And so, I must refine my skills in the tools I need to express my ideas, and that's exactly what I intend to do. I won't make the same mistakes twice, and I'm eager to get back in the director's chair to try it again. I just wish I was getting paid to do what I love to do. Someday, right?
For inspiration, check this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-YpfievjSk
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