As I write this I'm sitting on the set of a film I wrote...

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  • #61
    Re: As I write this I'm sitting on the set of a film I wrote...

    Originally posted by Geoff Alexander View Post
    Ha, enjoy the ride. Another good quote that I heard from someone recently about the process is "The movie is never as good as the dailies, and never as bad as the rough cut."
    Tattoo-worthy.

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    • #62
      Re: As I write this I'm sitting on the set of a film I wrote...

      "As good as the dailies"? Ha. I wish. The dailies are the lowest bar to pass.

      Honestly, the high bar to clear (in this extended pole-vaulting/hurdling metaphor) is that from the page, in your mind as you read it in pre-pro.

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      • #63
        Re: As I write this I'm sitting on the set of a film I wrote...

        Well, I'm pumped again.

        Just came back from the director's where we spent 6 hours going through the latest version of the rough, and I really, really liked what had been achieved. Things flowed, made sense, held interest etc. etc. God knows how they did it in the few days they had, and it can only get better from here. Of course there's still some stuff that if we had our time again (or actually more of it) we'd do differently, but I've gone from thinking it'll be an embarrassment to something that I'll be proud to have my name on. It is amazing how the tiniest things - I'm talking 5 frames in some instances - can make such a huge difference to selling a scene or sequence.

        The next nail-biting wait is for the VFX - they have a mountain of work to do, and it will need to be good. As for the SFX - the sound designer and foley artists should be able to have a huge amount of fun with it. The composer we're in talks with is very, very experienced so that should be a major plus if it pans out.

        So - thanks to the wise counsel from those who told me to not freak out so much about the rough cut. I feel totally different, and it's not even a week later.

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        • #64
          Re: As I write this I'm sitting on the set of a film I wrote...

          That sounds awesome. You seem far more pumped up, even though your enthusiasm has never wavered. Percentage wise, how much would you say has been changed?
          " Don't really like writing. But I do like having written." Vince Gilligan, Breaking Bad.

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          • #65
            Re: As I write this I'm sitting on the set of a film I wrote...

            This is great. Getting to a good place with the "Cut" is a process. Sometimes it's slow and sometimes it's fast. I think every writer should have the experience in seeing the cuts as they progress. It lets them know that the written word is not the end of the process, but just the beginning.

            In my case, I have written and directed 7 shorts and with each one, the first cut was the worst and the final cut was the best, with all the elements in place. It was also great to see what was cut in order to have a cohesive scene. Sometimes that half a page scene was not really needed to tell the story.

            Hopefully I will remember my thoughts and this thread when I see the scenes come in from my first feature that is in edit now. I have spoken to the editor and he is super stoked. He is experinced and we also have an emmy winning composer who wants to do a wall to wall score. He has also seen the raw footage and is super excited.

            Reading 60words go through the process and him getting super excited, gives me hope that my own experience will be similiar.

            Thanks for sharing 60wordsperhour.
            Never let the competition know what you're thinking... and never tell the unseen masses your story idea.

            -- Rule 85, Ferengi Rules of Acquisition (updated by cmmora)

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            • #66
              Re: As I write this I'm sitting on the set of a film I wrote...

              Originally posted by MJ Scribe View Post
              That sounds awesome. You seem far more pumped up, even though your enthusiasm has never wavered. Percentage wise, how much would you say has been changed?
              It'd be hard for me to estimate the exact percentage that had changed - but it really wasn't that much. That's the lesson here - small differences can have a huge effect. It's like the old chestnut about chimpanzee and human DNA being 98% the same. That 2% is all it takes.

              Originally posted by cmmora View Post
              Thanks for sharing 60wordsperhour.
              No problems - glad to do it. I've been following your exploits over on your thread about it: congratulations!

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              • #67
                Re: As I write this I'm sitting on the set of a film I wrote...

                Thanks. It's been a great ride so far.
                Never let the competition know what you're thinking... and never tell the unseen masses your story idea.

                -- Rule 85, Ferengi Rules of Acquisition (updated by cmmora)

                Comment


                • #68
                  Re: As I write this I'm sitting on the set of a film I wrote...

                  Saw the fine cut candidate last night, and I'm still happy. Watched it with the director, the editor and another highly experienced editor (who has done films you've heard of) who has no skin in the game. I'm hoping the latter wasn't just being polite, but she had a really good reaction. I think she was being honest because it wasn't as if she didn't have criticisms and suggestions. I'd be more suspicious if she didn't have anything to say other than some platitudes. We've also had some good notes from interested parties. Some I agree with, some I don't -- but that's par for the course. The director and editor now have a marathon day coming up to incorporate the final changes.

                  Is there stuff I wish was different or we could have rolled again on? Of course. Our schedule was ridiculously tight as explained and every inch of coverage has been squeezed out of what we have. I can't help but fantasise about the stuff we wanted to do but run out of time on -- but I'm obviously too close to the material. It's whether or not the audience misses what we didn't cover that really matters.

                  So now on with the score, the sound design and the huge list of VFX shots to churn through. The few finished FX shots that were in there looked impressive, so that at least is an encouraging start.

                  As far as the big reveal of what this magnum opus is, I'll wait until I have the public trailer to link to. I really don't know when that will be as we'll want sufficient VFX in it to set it off, but it'll have to be some time between now and the heat death of the universe. The waiting around is pretty agonising, though.

                  More news when there's news.

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                  • #69
                    Re: As I write this I'm sitting on the set of a film I wrote...

                    This is so thrilling for you 60WordsPerHour!! I can't wait to wait to hear of your passing this gig's next milestone. I bet so far it's seemed like waiting for the "heat death of the universe" on your end of things...

                    Just wondering, how long does it take to create the VFX to set it off and do you get involved in that part at all?
                    " Don't really like writing. But I do like having written." Vince Gilligan, Breaking Bad.

                    Comment


                    • #70
                      Re: As I write this I'm sitting on the set of a film I wrote...

                      Originally posted by MJ Scribe View Post
                      This is so thrilling for you 60WordsPerHour!!
                      Thrilling -- and scary!

                      Knowing the agonies that a pro like Craig has suffered over reviews with a film that has topped the US charts two weeks in a row, I'm probably going to be staggering around like a shotgun-blasted zombie when it comes time to read crits (and hear some of YOUR opinions should you get to see it - eeek!). And there's also the nail-biting over whether or not we'll make certain genre-friendly festivals.

                      But it goes without saying: I wouldn't swap the psychological peril of all of that for the regret of never having at least given it a go.

                      Originally posted by MJ Scribe View Post
                      Just wondering, how long does it take to create the VFX to set it off and do you get involved in that part at all?
                      Knowing how much they have to do, I reckon it will be months (3 maybe?) -- but I don't really have the experience to judge.

                      As for getting involved, my input is minimal to none -- other than the sheer brilliance I've already put on the page, of course.

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                      • #71
                        Re: As I write this I'm sitting on the set of a film I wrote...

                        Always remember, it's much easier for someone to watch a movie and whinge about it online than it is to write a screenplay - and get it produced.

                        Kudos, dude. Keep it up. Australia needs a return to genre now more than ever.

                        Though a bit biased, that's coming from an Aussie genre writer himself

                        Best,
                        Evan.

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                        • #72
                          Re: As I write this I'm sitting on the set of a film I wrote...

                          Can't wait to hear more tangible details about the film. Congrats on coming this far!

                          Agree, waiting sure sucks.

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                          • #73
                            Re: As I write this I'm sitting on the set of a film I wrote...

                            I'm thankful that 60words has shared his experiences with us.

                            I just saw the rough cut of the first 24 minutes of my feature and just as I expected -- a work in progress. Of course, just scratch music, no Foley, no color correction, etc. But it flows well and looks AWESOME. And I know from my previous short's work, that the next cut will even be better. I just reminded myself of this fact and this thread.

                            Thanks.
                            Never let the competition know what you're thinking... and never tell the unseen masses your story idea.

                            -- Rule 85, Ferengi Rules of Acquisition (updated by cmmora)

                            Comment


                            • #74
                              Re: As I write this I'm sitting on the set of a film I wrote...

                              I had an interesting session with the director a few days ago -- we were going through the fine cut making notes for briefing the composer.

                              As we were doing it, it reinforced who "owned" the scene POV-wise and what the prevalent mood was. It might actually be something that can help during the writing phase: perhaps think about what type of music might be playing during a scene, and whose emotions it is emphasising. I'm definitely not suggesting scoring the thing on the page, but it was quite good distilling scenes to one or two sentiments: i.e "wonder", "tension", "panic", mutual attraction" etc.

                              It was also a reminder of how intricate the process is. I hadn't really thought about the music before (nor was it part of my remit or something I have experience with), but it does underline how nothing happens by accident. Someone has to think about this stuff, and it does have a major effect on the finished product.

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                              • #75
                                Re: As I write this I'm sitting on the set of a film I wrote...

                                Originally posted by 60WordsPerHour View Post
                                I had an interesting session with the director a few days ago -- we were going through the fine cut making notes for briefing the composer.

                                As we were doing it, it reinforced who "owned" the scene POV-wise and what the prevalent mood was. It might actually be something that can help during the writing phase: perhaps think about what type of music might be playing during a scene, and whose emotions it is emphasising. I'm definitely not suggesting scoring the thing on the page, but it was quite good distilling scenes to one or two sentiments: i.e "wonder", "tension", "panic", mutual attraction" etc.

                                It was also a reminder of how intricate the process is. I hadn't really thought about the music before (nor was it part of my remit or something I have experience with), but it does underline how nothing happens by accident. Someone has to think about this stuff, and it does have a major effect on the finished product.
                                First off, congrats! This thread has been chock full of great stuff.

                                I think you make a very cogent point with regard to music. I'm actually one of those people who listens to music while writing, and I often choose specific songs for certain scenes that not only help to inspire the writing, but also serve as the kind of music I envision playing during the scene.

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