End Of The Decade

So. That was 2009. And, indeed, that was the first 10% of the 21st century.

It wasn't quite the successful year I had hoped it would be for me. But neither was it utter failure and despair. However, I am not in a very comfortable state at this point, and I need to ramp up the change and get my life sorted out.

2009 started out pretty well, with a lot of possibility. I had been organising my first short film, Horizon, and was figuring out how I was going to pay for the cockpit prop, and get permission for all the locations I wanted. But for every step forward, something caused me to go two steps back. I lost a lot of confidence in how I was dealing with it, and after a tough decision, gave up on the whole shebang.

However, something else took its place. After a great job at editing Checkpoint, we realised something was missing, and now the booked camera gave us an opportunity. We decided to add in a whole bunch of new shots to the opening sequence, to show some of the detail that we had originally planned on only implying. This meant calling in our main actor, and a few mates to be wranglers and extras, and some equipment and costume hire. We bought a greenscreen, set it up outdoors in the sun, and set to filming around forty shots that would be almost entirely reliant on CG effects and digital compositing to work. I knew it was a lot of work to take on, requiring the creation of all new CG models, and some learning of new techniques, but that was the point, and where the fun would lie. It took the rest of the year, with a lot of interruption and distraction, but I recently completed the last of the shots I was assigned, which I will hand in soon.

Then, not being able to stop ourselves, we came up with a new idea to make films with very little preparation and hassle, to avoid the stress and nightmare of organising things, but would give us an opportunity to learn new visual effects techniques and skills. For example, we might run out to a forest, and film a couple of friends having a sword fight, and we'd edit it together to make it as exciting as we could. Or we'd film an empty road and then I'd model and animate a science fiction hoverbike race. We called it Pick Up & Go and so far we've muddled along with it quite well.

I also moved house, rather unexpectedly. It came at a very inconvenient time, but it led me to a place I like a lot, where I have peace and quiet and a real feeling of independence I've not experienced before. It is a long way from a lot of things I wish it was closer to, but at the same time it's closer to a lot of things I used to be far away from. So that evens out.

I completed my first script in late 2008, and by the beginning of the year I tried to locate people who could give me general and broad feedback on it. I didn't manage to find too many who seemed willing to read it, and the few who did gave only a tiny and incomplete amount of feedback, if they even remembered to reply. That was disappointing. I lost a little bit of enthusiasm and encouragement because of that, but I have attempted to write more scripts all year. None of them have really come together as well as the first one, with huge gaps staring at me in the face, that I am struggling to fill in.

I have no illusions that my first screenplay is a thrill ride that would be a box office smash hit and win awards, if it were ever to be made. I'm really just looking to learn how to improve. There are professionals that will read screenplays and give advice of varying levels of detail, but you have to pay them a sum of money, which I don't have to spare, so that route is currently closed to me. I can, however, get an Agent to represent me. Or so I thought. In fact, the real arrangement is the Agent has to find me, which means I need to already know people who know people in the right side of the Industry, and I can't see how I can manage that magic trick from the arse end of the world where I live. I am quite disillusioned.

I was hoping that after I put together my showreel, I would be in a good position to find work in the visual effects industry. After sending it out, though, I have gotten no response at all (I did get one single acknowledgement of receipt). I can't tell if that's because I wasn't good enough, they weren't looking for anyone at the moment, or some other reason. It is very frustrating to be in the dark, when I was expecting at least a ripple of something to point me in the right direction.

I think I'm being too passive. I think that's what has to change for me. I have to be more proactive in 2010.

Hmm. Is it "twenty-ten" or "two thousand and ten"?

Darn. I have no idea.

Horizon: Fail

Ugh.

Horizon: The Future

I started this short film because I saw others around me making their films, and it looked like a fun creative exercise. I had been afraid to take this step in the past because I'm so bad at making decisions, organising things, and being in charge, so I came up with a story idea that would hopefully have minimal organisation and be a relatively simple production.

Well, for a start, that idea didn't exactly work out the way I intended.

And now the film is in a bit of a crisis state, and it's not a very nice feeling to have things slip out of my tenuous control.

The main location for the film, that we agreed on months ago and had permission to use, was suddenly yanked from under our feet when they found out it was going to be on a weekend, when they have minimal staff on. Only weeks before shooting was meant to start, they told us "No".

I am being evicted from my apartment, right smack dab in the middle, of my pre-production, of a global economic crisis, and of an apartment rental shortage.

The main prop being built, the jet fighter cockpit, has gotten off to a late start, and though there were lots of promises that it would be completed on schedule, I had my doubts, so ideally it needed extra time.

Therefore, to deal with all of those issues, we have postponed the shooting dates. The originals of 21st and 22nd of February have been moved to the 21st and 22nd of March.

Though I came away from this meeting feeling a little bit more enthusiastic than when I went in, I'm still not very confident about the whole thing. This isn't my element, I feel out of place and I hate the lack of control I have. And this is probably how it goes for all productions. While some people deal with those situations better than others, I am not one of those.

So I think this will be the only film that I make all on my own. In the future I will happily work alongside others on their films, pre- and post-prod, but as for being the top dog for an entire production, I don't see it happening again.

Snail's Pace Start To The Year

Even though a year is something of an artificial construct, and even though I am not employed nor have any kind of personal commitments, there's something about the slowdown at the end of a year, that causes an equal amount of slow build up back to speed at the start of a new year.

I have many things to complete sometime in the next few weeks, and yet I feel like I'm not making any progress.

Checkpoint effects are still rendering. It's taken aaaaaages to render the 150 frames, it's been three weeks and still a few days yet to go.

Horizon is beginning to kick in, as new decisions are being made, and some events are being scheduled. Cast, shooting schedule, shot list, wardrobe, camera, all making progress. The rest, things like the cockpit, locations, catering, and the actual shooting of it all, are still to be figured out. Money spent so far - nothing, it's still all only potentially spent.

Pegasus Rampant, my screenplay, has gone through a couple of superficial improvements, like brushing up on descriptive text, and adjustments to dialogue to re-emphasise different character and plot points. And I have gotten some more feedback on it, which has helped me look at some of the things I have done in it in a new light. I've just sent it off to a relative of a friend, who is apparently experienced in the world of entertainment, so may have some special insight. If nothing else it's a new set of independent eyes to give it a once-over.

Money, also known as employment. I am reaching a point where my abundance of spending cash is not as big as it once was, and it's starting to almost reach a point where it's going to be a worrisome and stressful factor that will need addressing. Basically, I may have to get a job soon. Typically this coincides with a global economic crisis that is causing a downturn in employment numbers. Bugger. As well as the fact that I like my life as it currently is, where I have the freedom to live as I wish and do what I like at my own pace, something which, as soon as you get a job, is robbed from you. It sucks I will have to one day say goodbye to this. If only money fell on me from out of the sky - but I can't hope for that kind of nonsense, it won't get me anywhere. So needs must.

All other things. There's lots of stuff going round in my head, that could be fun to do in potentia but I don't know if or how I should begin it all. I ought to finish all of the above first.

It sounds like a lot of things, when I list them out like this, but they are each going at a very stately pace, and some aren't moving much at all. It's an illusion. And I still feel kind of in a daze and lack motivation.

Frankly, I need a kick up the bum to get me enthusiastic again.

Horizon: Casting

As this is my first proper short film, I am finding myself having to make the kinds of decisions that I have long heard about when others do it, but now are inevitably my own to make. It's somewhat surreal, as well as imposing. I'm a little bit worried, but also excited.

Casting has always been something I have been afraid of. When I wrote Horizon, I deliberately eliminated all the spoken dialogue, to avoid the fear of having to deal with bad acting ruining my film, something I see very often. Dialogue performance in an Australian accent always sounds bad to me, and you have to be really seriously amazing to make it work. It's the difference between Neighbours and The Castle; One sounds like lame boring line recitation, and the other sounds like real people. Coupled with the fact that my idea of good acting rarely coincides with what others think is good (a strange situation, I thought), I had to do something, and the answer was to eliminate the need for dialogue at all.

But I also was worried about going through the full audition process when there's no dialogue - how do you audition people for that? Ask them to cry on demand? Impossible. I was painting myself into a corner. The single thing that mattered to me more than anything was that you'd believe the romance between the two characters; accept that they really loved each other. A good actor can do that, but if I'm not auditioning or requiring great actors, then that limits my options - and the answer to that conundrum I set myself was to cast a real life couple.

Crikey, that's a big ask! In my attempt of making things easier for myself, was I really making things more difficult?

We've been working with Alex Sheedy, who is the girlfriend of a casual crew member Andy Scott, on a side project. She's proven herself to be excellent at taking direction, and enthusiastic in taking part in our crazy ideas. To the point where every new project idea Rob and I come up with, we slot her into it, imagining her in our heads to see if she fits. Sometimes she does.

What's that you say? Girlfriend of Andy Scott? Why yes indeed, that's rather convenient, isn't it? Andy is just the right age and look to play a fighter pilot! So I contacted them both, we've discussed it some, and they have signed on.

That's a big weight off my shoulders. I now have my cast, about two thirds of my locations, and most of my crew. All that's required now is to compile a shot list, book some equipment, and commit to actually filming it.

Easier said than done.

Horizon Online

I made a website for my film.

Sometimes the most fun part of a project is the ancillary stuff, which can often take a lot of time that you don't have to spare. It's a common problem amongst new filmmakers that they want to make a film so they can get to have a behind-the-scenes documentary or a DVD with flashy menus, and the risk is they get so caught up with that kind of unimportant yet cool stuff they forget to actually make the film in the first place.

As I am aware of that particular potential pitfall I am risking by doing this, I suppose I can't really let the website be considered properly live yet.

But, typically, I couldn't help myself, and I put this design together anyway. I also tried to be fancy with a couple of funky CSS tricks, like the plane being layered over the top, and the clouds scrolling behind.

Anyway, it's not ready, okay? It's done, but only unofficially.

I shall fill in the blanks as they happen.

Horizon: And So It Begins

I had my first production meeting for my first short film, Horizon, today. I have been afraid to begin something like this for so long, because of the responsibilities I'd have towards the rest of the people involved, and my fear of being unprepared. But now I've committed myself.

It's a story about a Jet Fighter Pilot who looks back on his life and the love he has for his wife. It is a very short tale, set mostly domestically, but with a few visual effects scenes involving the plane in flight. It's not going to win any awards for its sensitive portrayal of a man in crisis, or anything pretentiously moronic like that, but it's good enough as an experiment in my ability to create and complete a film of my own.

Today's meeting was with a few of my friends who have made films of their own, and we talked of the practical elements involved, so that I would go in armed and prepared. Locations, directing, filming, permits, schedules, crew, and lots more, were all discussed and decided. Also, a particularly elaborate prop, or set, is the cockpit of the fighter plane, and we explored our options on achieving that.

I am now reassured that things will be easier to handle than I at first anticipated, and am buoyed up by my friends' endorsement. It should go well.

My next steps include sourcing locations, organising a shot list and schedule, and getting a few more people on board as part of my team. It will be a busy few months, I think.

"Horizon" is on the horizon

Yesterday I appeared to make a commitment to something, unexpectedly.

I was invited to hang out with a few friends, and we talked of many things, most of which had some kind of movie related theme to them. Dags spoke of his next, Flair. Rob talked of him beginning the editing of Checkpoint. Ads had thoughts about the kinds of movies he would like to see made. And I talked about Horizon as though it was actually going to happen.

Until that point, it was a possibility. But after some of the tests I've done being quite successful, and the trust I have that Adam is capable of building the cockpit set to a cool and realistic degree, I can see how this is all within my grasp.

So I now have to figure out a schedule, a budget, a cast, get some costumes and props, find locations, and commit a few people as a crew. The post production is no problem, it's my least worrisome part of the shoot. But everything else needs to be organised, and I am notoriously poor at organising things.

I don't drive. This limits my ability to organise people. I don't have a mobile phone, which makes me difficult to contact - I prefer using email as my main source of communication, which many of the core team are only haphazard at responding to. Therefore I may have to get a phone. It's probably past due, but so far I've gotten away with it. A car is certainly not going to happen, though maybe I should buy a pushbike or something, to at least give me some additional mobility.

A commitment like this, having to rely on other people, and they have to rely on me, is a scary prospect. It's a challenge I'm not confident I can step up to the plate for, even though at least 50% of what is required, I've demonstrated in the past that I'm capable of. The money doesn't bother me too much, though I'm not going to spend up big. But the time, and the effort, should have a pay off. If I want these people to help me, then I should follow through. I should do it for them, as well as for me.

Horizon isn't a particularly amazing story, as far as it goes. It's short and has a questionable ending, there's no dialogue, and it doesn't have any funny bits, in fact it starts out quite hopeful and then is rapidly destroyed by tragedy. But that's not important - what matters is I have to make my first short film.

I have some organising to do.

A Quiet Week

I haven't been doing much lately. Not anything worth sharing, anyway. I volunteered to do some video compression for Dags, so that his movies will be viewable online, and some artwork for MPS to use in his pitch for an amimated TV show. But aside from that it's been pretty low key, and all personal stuff of no great consequence.

I'm finishing the textures for the jet plane, just to put that aside, and trying some compositing tricks to animate 2D pics of clouds in such a way as to make them look convincingly 3D.

I will also be experimenting with how to perfect greenscreen keying, from a book I just bought which is really cool and hopefully will be useful. There's so much to After Effects and compositing work that I am still trying to figure out, or am afraid to try, like expressions and colour correction.

And someone just contacted me, as I was recommended by a friend as a website designer. This site will be a promotional site for an actor/presenter, so hopefully should have a few nice graphical elements to it.

More plane!

I'm testing out textures, but haven't applied them yet. In the meantime, here's a nice dynamic angle.



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TIME PASSES

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Okay, now that some time has passed and I've worked on the textures some more, it's interesting how this happened. I was working on some finer details, and getting somewhat frustrated at its lack of realism, so I was afraid I'd not be able to do it, or I'd have to cheat and use photographs or something.

But I was looking at a reference photo and saw something that gave me hope. The keys to believable textures are scale and getting that randomised "used" appearance that everything, even brand new things, have, and the way to get that is to put in fine, but random, detail. And the real planes are covered in that kind of thing, what with them being very active and fiery machines.

However, how do you "make" random stuff when you're doing it by hand in a digital image program? After all, by its very nature you are being unavoidably regular and repetitious, even though there are hand drawn elements. The key is to spend a lot of time copying and pasting and merging and changing colour and reversing and flipping and inverting and skewing and distorting and putting layer over layer over layer at different opacities and colouration.

Which is how I added this dirt layer onto the jet plane.


In this pic it's still unfinished, you can see the sharp edge where it stops which will be where the "side" textures will be placed.

3D Jet Plane

I can't help myself. Whenever a new project comes along, I tend to drop anything I'm doing midway through, and leaping over to the new thing eagerly. I am not supposed to be making models of Jet Fighter Planes, but that's just what I'm doing.


I had an idea for a short film, trying to make something simple and with minimal work involved. This seems to be a hard thing to do when you're a visual person like me, as it's a lot more involved than I had hoped. Anyway, it's got a lot of 3D visual effects in it, including a fighter plane.

Here's a clip of it. Careful, blink and you'll miss it.

Digital Sunset

Amongst the many distractions I find myself constantly finding excuses for, I occasionally actually do something that achieves a result. This is a rare and treasured thing, so I post today's for posterity's sake.

I was writing a script today, for a short film I may actually make this time (don't hold your breath), and I was considering the opening shot, which is a helicopter shot of the ocean with a jet fighter screaming into view. Knowing that I don't have access to a helicopter, the shot would have to be either stock footage or a digital composite. The jet fighter is already confirmed to be digital anyway, so why the heck not the ocean too? So, I thought to myself, can I make a convincing digital 3D ocean?

I found a tutorial, then tweaked the settings to suit me. This image is my first attempt.


I think it came out pretty well, though it's a little too regular and digital. The finished shot will be moving, and the eye will be drawn to the jet fighter, so perhaps it will work out after all. I shall also be adding some additional features to give it some life; convincing clouds; some land; maybe some birds.

Something like this.



It gives me confidence that I will be able to achieve something good.