The Storyboard Artist - DRAWING BRUCE LEE
September 24, 2008
The past week I had to work on some concepts for some Bruce Lee illustrations. For people that know me, they know that Bruce is my hero whom I loved ever since first seeing THE BIG BOSS (released in the U.S. as “FISTS OF FURY”) some thirty-six years ago.
First thing I did was to make screen grabs (picture from a dvd) from my copy of ENTER THE DRAGON for reference. I made as many shots as I could. Even though a Mac comes with a built in program called “GRAB”, you can’t use it on dvd’s. In that case, there are programs you can purchase that work on dvd’s for image capturing like SCREEN SHOT PRO.
Once I had all the images I needed, I started to sketch out some poses and then compositions. I used my Wacom Cintiq to do the job. (see an earlier blog on Wacom Cintiqs) The drawings came out “okay” , but something was missing. The resemblances were really kicking my ass.
My friend Lawrence Christmas suggested that I NOT draw everything on my Cintiq from scratch, but that I pencil the initial sketches. I find that using a Cintiq is great, as I draw directly on to the screen and I don’t have to scan drawings. The problem is, there is a textural feeling that cannot (or at least not Larry and myself) be duplicated when working with a pencil first on paper to sketch things out.
Doing resemblances to real people is enough of a task. A pencil can get sharp and yet have tooth. The glass of the Cintiq, is just that, glass. There is no tooth and no feel. There is that finite bit of control when doing something extremely fine that I can’t replicate.
When I do storyboards, I can do detailed work in terms of the amount of detail I put in.
When I am doing extremely fine work, (like an illustration)or something that takes an effort like a likeness done in small details, the best thing for me to do was to pencil a few Bruce heads, scan them, and then ink and add them to the bodies I had done on my drawings I had done on the Cintiq in the Photoshop program.
There are people that can do anything on a Wacom tablet or a Cintiq screen, but for my purposes, I will now start my illustrations with the old fashion paper and pencil.
Bruce deserves that.
Tags: Film Blog, Film, Actor, Director, Movie
The Personal Assistant - Sleeping with Chloe (so to speak)
September 24, 2008
Did I get your attention…? Good! 
I apologize for my delay in posting, but just as I had finished writing a lovely post to you last night, as I was cutting and pasting it, I lost it. L I haaaate that. So this is basically what it had said:
Sleeping over at Chloe’s one night soon turned into three. And on the fourth day, I finally said I had to go home, if only to grab some new clothes (I had been wearing various gym clothes I’d found in my trunk up until now). Chloe said she’d be happy to loan me some of her clothes, and started holding way-too-teensy clothes up to my not-as-teensy body.
She did find some of her old maternity clothes that fit me; yay (and I am only a size six, readers!)! So, with one of her ugly maternity frock-type-shirt/dresses on, I finally said I had to get home – my poor fish, Trixie, was probably starving by now. Chloe said she didn’t realize I had a fish (I didn’t, either, readers, but I had to have some alone time! Shh!).
I went home for a while and never loved my super-small studio as much; it seemed huge in comparison to Chloe and Dean’s mansion/hotel of a house, where Chloe barely stopped talking to me the last seventy-two hours or so. I mean, I know she is paying me twice what Dean had, and just to be her best friend (very little, yet so much, work required), but still. I had NO alone time around her. She doesn’t need me; she needs a live-in therapist. Again, this is for just you and I to know.
Finally, after about five texts from her, I returned to her house. She had come up with a “Spying on Dean” plan, saying “Here’s what we’re (“you’re”) going to do, Avery…” She then gave me a printout of Dean’s schedule, with a play-by-play of his entire day. When I asked her if she was sure that she wanted me to do this, go undercover to see if he was having an affair, she said there’s no questioning it. Apparently, she had called the studio the other night to see when he’d finish shooting, and a P.A. told her they’d wrapped hours ago, around 10 p.m. The next morning, she nonchalantly asked him how his night was; he said they went until about 2 a.m., too late to even make their post-shooting margaritas. (Why are cheats such bad liars, readers?!) I really felt for Chloe after she told me this. For a second, I thought he might be off doing some romantic thing for her… but from 10 p.m. ‘til 2 a.m.?! Hmm…
Chloe wanted me to check-in with the set P.A. later that night, under the guise of her having a surprise for Dean, so I need to know when they’ll be wrapping. I was to do this every day, for a week, or two, however long it would take. The more nights Dean lied about finishing on set at one time, and coming home at another, the more Chloe built her case.
Six days into this project, Dean had lied about his whereabouts six times. Poor Chloe… but she didn’t want “our” project to stop there…
Tags: Movie Blog, Oscars, Movie Bloggers, Filmmaker, Television
The Reality TV Producer - DO I NEED AN AGENT?
September 24, 2008
A question I’m often asked is ‘as an indie producer do I need an agent?’ It’s a question I ask myself. Especially after getting off the phone with mine.
Here’s the truth. I’ll make it snappy. ‘No. You don’t need an agent’.
So, this should be a short blog, shouldn’t it? We’ll it’s a …
Tags: Movie, Television, Oscars, Director, Movie Theatre
The Actor - A TRULY VIBRANT AND MAGICAL WONDER
September 24, 2008
Vibrant, friendly, simplistic, peaceful, refreshing, calming, clean, and inviting are just a few words that instantly entered my mind while visiting the natural wonder of Prince Edward Island. PEI is one of the four Atlantic Provinces located on the east coast of Canada, between Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, and is the setting for the well-known novel “Anne of Green Gables,” penned 100 years ago by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery, in 1908.
The book and island are positively recognized around the world, bringing hopeful inspiration and imagination, to people of all ages and backgrounds, much like that held by its title character, Anne Shirley. In fact, one of its biggest draws is with the Japanese. More than 10,000 a year venture to the small island of 138,000 people to visit all the places mentioned in the widely celebrated book.
I was unaware of PEI, Anne, and Green Gables until friends of mine introduced me to the “Anne of Green Gables” movie, based on the book, starring the perfectly cast Megan Follows. It was huge while they were growing up, but I spent a lot of my childhood overseas, something I wouldn’t change for the world, and, therefore, was not familiar with it. So, while being an old discovery for my friends, it was a new one for me, and one reason for our most recent travel destination.
We just spent a very memorable and relaxing week there, renting a beautiful home by the water in Valley Victoria, a remote area about 30 minutes outside of the city of Summerside, and an hour and half from the island’s biggest city, Charlottetown. There we found ourselves amongst some of the nicest and most patient people I have come across since San Francisco. It seems they all wear a welcoming smile daily, which made me happily fit right in.
Our adventure began at LAX where we caught the red-eye that took us to Halifax via Dulles before hopping in our rent-a-car for an hour and a half drive to Caribou, where we boarded the ferry for the hour trip to Woods Island, PEI. The ferry was, until 10 years ago, the only way to get to the island, aside from flying in a small plane, but you can now take the 8 mile long Confederation Bridge across, as well, which we did when leaving the island to head back to LAX via Newark.
During our time there, we were off exploring all that this quiet island has to offer, including seeing the musical “Anne and Gilbert” at the Harbourfront Jubilee Theatre. We wanted to see what acting opportunities and actors exist in the area, since those on the trip were all in the entertainment industry in some form, be it acting or casting.
The weather was simply beautiful, with crisp, breezy and cooler temperatures at night and later in the week, giving it the fall feel we were looking forward to. In LA things stay relatively the same with few clouds and an often barely visible skyline, clouded over by the thicker, gray air called the “marine layer.” Plus, there are no seasons, so our taking in the fresh, clean, wide-open landscape and varying nature PEI has to offer was a true sight to see. Our bonus was that it was also the start of autumn, with the leaves changing.
Speaking of sights, Prince Edward Island has some of the most vibrant colors I have ever seen! These varied from the apricot oranges and rusty, terra cotta reds of the roads and sands to the bright, emerald, forest green trees and lime, harlequin green grass, stretching all the way out to the shining cobalt waters, covered with crystal clear, azure blue skies.
Unique to the area is what is referred to as “magic hour,” adored by filmmakers on the island, which is a small time frame where the light is truly magical, hence magic hour, and beyond picture perfect. The sun reflects golden beams of light off the water, down onto the trees and across the endless fields, leading into the most gorgeous sunsets of periwinkle, coral, amethyst and persimmon!
It was all refreshing, to say the least, and sometimes a get-away with friends is what one needs to recharge oneself, which is exactly what this trip did. I truly enjoyed my mini-beak from cell phones, the Internet, traffic, and smog, among others things. I did not miss any of it, in fact, it slightly pained me to have to turn my cell phone back on, check e-mail, and get back to the reality of LA, when I returned.
All in all, if you have not gotten a chance to visit the area, I highly recommend it and believe you will not be disappointed, but inspired. Those who know me know that I take lots and lots of pictures and like to document my adventures, big or small. This outing was no exception, so, there was no lack of picture taking and I have what I refer to as a picture explosion, with over a 1,000 taken on this trip alone.
My multitude of pictures now can instantly transport us to tranquil Prince Edward Island anytime. They allow me to visually go back to PEI, until I get the chance to drop in again in person. ‘Till then, and until you get the opportunity to visit the island and experience it yourself, I shall leave you will a few of the pictures I took, including some from “magic hour,” which were captured surprisingly well on my new, oh so fabulous Cannon PowerShot SD 1100 Digital Elph.
I hope you too will one day be able enjoy Prince Edward Island…a truly vibrant and magical wonder!
“You never know what peace is until you walk on the shores or in the fields or along the winding red roads of Prince Edward Island in a summer twilight when the dew is falling and the old stars are peeping out and the sea keeps its mighty tryst with the little land it loves. You find your soul then. You realize that youth is not a vanished thing but something that dwells forever in the heart.” - Lucy Maud Montgomery
Tags: Film Blog, , Actor, Oscars, Movie Bloggers
The Genre Director - My Crimes Against Cinema on display at FANTASTIC FEST!
September 22, 2008
Must be brief, because my presence is required at another film festival. It’s a dirty job, but someone’s got to do it…
After a fantastic reception at the Toronto International Film Festival, Mark Hartley’s NOT QUITE HOLLYWOOD will screen at the Alamo Drafthouse as part of Fantastic Fest! in Austin, Texas. I will be there to present two of my Guilty Pleasures that are featured in NQH. The high camp splatter movie TURKEY SHOOT - 1984 meets The Camp On Blood Island and they play The Most Dangerous Game - will have its first big screen uncut presentation in America since New World released an MPAA censored version in 1983.
So for educational purposes, here is a tasteful portrait of an ante-bellum turkey shoot.
Now, by way of contrast, here is the original trailer I made for TURKEY SHOOT in 1981.
I will also be presenting my first narrative movie THE MAN FROM HONG KONG shot in 1974. (Click the poster for Fantastic Fest page.)
It will be interesting to see these action pictures with a young American audience. Good quality action depends on the skill of the stuntman. Many of the films featured in NOT QUITE HOLLYWOOD contain the work of Australia’s greatest stunt pioneer - Grant Page, whose career I managed for its first 5 years. I watched him do a full burn fire gag last month. He’s 69! Still going strong! He gets older; his girlfriends get younger. He is a truly amazing human being.
Here’s a taste of some of his early work.
DANGERFREAKS is available for internet download. More on Grant Page in another blog.
Tags: Movie, Television, Actor, Film Blog, Film
The Digital Expert - RED Retools Scarlet camera
September 22, 2008
One of the cooler products of last year’s NAB has been thrown back into the kiln for a whole new design. So says RED Leader- Jim Jannard over at Scarletuser.net:
http://www.scarletuser.com/showthread.php?t=1047
“We have changed everything about Scarlet because the market has changed and we have discovered a lot of things in the …
Tags: Television, Filmmaker, Film Industry, Oscars, Film
The Dreamer - Working on a movie set, and dealing with the public
September 21, 2008
I responded to a craigslist add for extras for college age looking men and women. I got a response asking if I had a grey suit to look like a conservative business professional. I never wear suit coats, but I picked one up because it was such a good …
Tags: Director, Film Industry, Oscars, Movie, Filmmaker
The Digital Expert - Canon EOS 5D- Digital Still camera with awesome movie mode.
September 21, 2008
Here’s an interesting blog on the Canon EOS 5D which shoots 1080p video using awesome Canon still lenses.
1. The 5D MKII camera produces the best stills in low light that I’ve ever seen - what you can see with you eye in the worst light (such as sodium-vapor street …
Tags: Movie, Oscars, Movie, Movie Theatre, Director
The Digital Expert - Blu-Ray Authoring on the Mac
September 21, 2008
Ok well it’s not full Blu-Ray in DVDSP just yet but here’s the next best thing. To make this work you need a Blu-Ray burner, such as this nice little 6X number from MCE:
http://www.mcetech.com/blu-ray/
You also need a copy of Toast Titanium 9 and then this new HD/BD plug-in for Toast …
Tags: , Film Blog, Filmmaking, Oscars, Film Industry
The Independent Filmmaker - Success!
September 21, 2008
I’m glad to report that my worries last week were totally unwarranted. We had a brilliant shoot on Wednesday and I loved my actors as much at the end of the day as the beginning.
What I had happily reinforced this week is that if you cast properly, and your actors are professionals, they will do their job. And that will make yours a hundred times easier.
These guys were great. Prepared, generous, pleasant to work with, took direction well, kept energy up on a really hot & humid set and just generally did great jobs.
Here are some stills from the shoot…
And from behind the scenes…
And here’s an awful, but funny, picture of me and my DP, Philip Lott, at the end of the shoot day at a nearly 100 degree location.
Yes, these are actually the looks of loving what you’re doing!
Tags: Film, Movie Blog, Director, Movie Bloggers, Filmmaking
