This week, Bryan & I cover the fifth day (of six) of production week on our latest project, IMPULSE. We've decided to format our daily accounts as a questionnaire. Behind the scenes pictures are also included below.
PRODUCTION DATE: November 11, 2009
# OF CAMERA SETUPS: 21
BEST PART OF THE DAY
SCOTT: Sitting back as Chris Masterson and James Serpento exploited their infinite ability to take words and beats and elevate them into cinematic moments. James really stepped into a darker realm whenever he went into character, and it worked beautifully for the film... regardless of how intimidating it was to approach him before "action" and after "cut".
BRYAN: Loved watching Chris and James go head to head for our climax. It was fun navigating each actor’s very different acting style. Each tore up the scene in surprising ways.
WORST PART OF THE DAY
SCOTT: Losing sunlight when we had to execute a pricey on-set special effects shot. The sun had already dipped below the horizon and we literally had minutes before we would be permanently screwed out of getting our shot done. Andrew (DP) did his best to light the scene accordingly, but it still looked too dark through the monitor. We went ahead regardless because, frankly, we had no other choice. Directly after, I thought we had just blown hundreds of dollars on an unusable take... but months later, we were able to resurrect the lighting through our digital intermediate process. So yes, there is a happy ending.
BRYAN: It’s getting harder and harder to name the “worst part of the day”. We’re lucky to be making a movie. It’s all “best”.
BIGGEST CHALLENGE OF THE DAY
SCOTT: Achieving creative satisfaction within the allotted shooting schedule. It's the story of every film production, where you don't have infinite time to get every detail right... you will never been 100% satisfied with what you shot, and you're extremely lucky if you get to 80% satisfaction. This was a challenge every day, and specifically today as we ran out of sunlight.
BRYAN: This day included our first major special FX of the shoot. The Setup: A character in the film is going to be shot. This actor will be wired with squibs and a blood pump. This scene will be shot with a complex dolly shot revealing the FX work. We only have two shirts. Two takes to get it perfect. Two chances for the choreography, performance, and FX to harmonize. The Payoff: We only needed one.
MIRACLE OF THE DAY
SCOTT: The property owners of today's location... and their graciousness for allowing us to shoot in their home. This farm house was the last location to be locked down after promising leads fell through. We cold-called the owners of this great property and they welcomed us in. All 30 of us.
BRYAN: Our D.P. Andrew and gaffer Jon Van Allen really impressed cast and crew with the hotel lighting setup. Andrew decided to eliminate nearly all practical lighting, achieving a natural and intimate look. The Hotel Pattee is inherently photogenic, but I don’t think anyone’s quite seen it like this before.
|
|
Last movie Scott watched: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (George Roy Hill)
Last movie Bryan watched: Casino (Martin Scorsese)
