Reel Views

As I’ve mentioned in previous blogs, the most important decisions I make concern who I chose to work with so I am very critical when I’m deciding who my partners will be.  Once I’ve made my decision I stick with it but during the decision-making process itself I am highly skeptical.  I’ve been watching some DP reels this week and I thought I’d share my process. 

First of all, lots of people have reels online which is great for quick reference and sharing with people but sometimes they’re low quality or just small on the screen so I like to get dvds I can watch on my tv.

The first thing I do when I get a reel is to turn off the sound.  I know people spend lots of time picking out the perfect music for their reels, but I want to watch pictures and don’t want to be tricked into liking a fancy but inappropriate camera move just because it times nicely with music that it never paired with in the first place.  But also a DP shouldn’t suffer a harsh judgment because I hate jazz.

I also keep in mind that a reel usually represents the DP’s best work, not his/her consistent level of play.  You’ll usually notice this towards the end of a reel where some of the lower end films are cut into montage because there’s one particular shot the DP loves that s/he wants to include.  That stuff is really interesting too because usually the DP thought long and hard about which of those clips to incorporate so I like to think about why they chose a particular shot.

Once I’ve got a good feeling for the top handful of people I like, and in this pass I also keep anyone I’m iffy about, I then jump on to imdb and look up their credits.  I’ll search for one or two films from each DP that I want to watch.  I’ll choose one of the person’s most recent works and then one other.  I don’t personally watch for my film’s look within their work because if they can light and shoot I want to create a look with them that’s unique to my film.  But sometimes you will need to find something close in order to sell your producers on the choice so I do keep an eye out.

When I’m watching the films I’m looking for shot structure that tells a story, camera moves that feel true to the particular film and individual moments, exciting framing, beautiful lighting and consistent throughout.  If there’s something I don’t like I think to myself, “Yes, but would I let that happen on my set?”  If it’s something I think I wouldn’t notice, that’s bad because clearly the DP didn’t notice either.  If it’s something I know I would pick up on then I don’t worry so much about it.

I read their bios, and find out what other directors they’ve worked with. I also like to find out what commercials they’ve done because spots are environments where the DP generally gets to play with whatever toys they want so they are a good gauge as to what they can do when they have very few financial restrictions.  Not so with music videos which usually tends to be really down and dirty production.

Once I’ve narrowed my choices down to five or so people I’ll send my list to my producer and we’ll begin the process of meeting with everyone.  In those meetings I get to ask them about everything I’ve seen and also get a feel for how we would work together.  But that is for another day!

Searching for Talent

Casting, casting, casting.  Pretty much all I’m doing this week.

My producers and I finally settled on a casting director for the short we’re doing and I absolutely love her. We started working together early this week. At the same time I’ve had to deliver some preliminary casting ideas for my producer for the feature. So this week has been nothing but actors. Actors headshots, reels, interviews, websites and imdb pages. But my favorite new casting tool is Youtube.

Because here’s the unfortunate truth, if you work in this industry you do not have the time to sit around watching shows all day - so knowing every actor you should is just impossible. Which is one of the reasons you work with a casting director. But when my casting director says, “Jen have you seen so & so on such & such? She’s amazing! You’ll love her.” I want to be able to look her up immediately so we can continue brainstorming. I don’t want to wait for someone to messenger a reel or to get her latest film on Netflix. And most importantly, on Youtube I can look up actor’s interviews.

Once you get to a certain level of actors you know that they can hit their marks, memorize lines and deliver some sort of interesting performance. Well, basically, this is true. What I don’t know is what they’re like as people and, at the early stages of casting, that is far more important to me than anything else. As we progress I will certainly want to see tape and meet them in person, but for now I mostly want to know if the person we’re considering has any essence of the character already within them.

I know this is hard for new actors to hear, but here’s the thing, I don’t want to see actors acting in my films. I want to see my characters. And the best way to ensure that, aside from hiring the few true chameleons on this planet like Cate Blanchett and Daniel Day-Lewis, is to find the character in the actor. Casting is like a grand treasure hunt!

So back to Youtube. Jimmy Kimmel does me a massive favor by having all these up and coming actors on his show. I search for actor plus Jimmy Kimmel and viola! I instantly get some glimpse in to the actor’s energy. Are they calm, chaotic, funny, needy, smart, quick on their feet or dim? Of course this doesn’t tell me about the quality of their acting, but it does help me to widdle down a preliminary list from a larger list of talented actors. I can tell pretty much instantly if the actor I’m looking at on Youtube bears any resemblance to the character I’m trying to cast.

Now obviously this is not the only tool I’ll use to cast – that would be insane – but in terms of helping me come up with my preliminary list I’m finding Youtube incredibly helpful. And if it means I see fewer of the wrong people from the start it’s helpful for actors too!

Plate Spinning

I’ve got no idea what it’s like for big kid directors but for me life is a constant plate-spinning act.  Basically, I’ve got a handful of projects at various phases that I’m trying to push forward all at the same time but with different people, money and time.  When one starts moving I focus more energy there until that one stumbles and another takes first position.  Two steps forward, one step back.  It’s a bit hectic but I know it’s working because every day, week, month and year I’m closer to where I want to be than I was before.

And this week was no exception.  As I wrote last week, I was working to sell a producer to take a leap of faith on me and my writer.  Briefly, no dice.  Crash and burn.  Well not entirely and not without possibility, very few things ever really are without possibility, but not a brilliant success either.  In summation, producer wasn’t sold, has other projects that make this feel less important and would rather not take the leap just now.  No hard feelings – I’m bummed because I really do believe she’s the best person for the film but things change, people change and films change so who knows what will happen in a month or two.  I still believe strongly in the film so I have no doubt I’ll get it made somehow.

However, in a highly unusual and nearly perfect balancing act, plate number two spun high and away when a project of mine was announced in the trades earlier this week.  It’s enough to make a person dizzy.  But I have learned my lesson enough times to know better than to start doing victory dances too early.  I’m staying calm and cool until we’re at the wrap party.  As far as I can tell, there’s just no other way to do this and stay sane.

One week excitement, the next disappointment.  One day praise, the next complete nothingness.  No wonder people in this town like speed – the ups and downs perfectly mimic the business.

I really think one of the tricks of this industry is not so much mastering the ups and downs of success and failure but riding through the ups and downs of the emotions that come along with all that.  So many of our hopes, dreams and fears are tied up with our careers that it really is a challenge to separate your self worth from your success.

I don’t really know what the answer to this one is.  I’ve seen people deal with it in lots of different ways with varying degrees of success.  I just hope that as the years go by I can find that balance of making great movies, paying my bills and maintaining good relationships with my friends and family.  Because we all know what the other options look like and to me, none of them seem very appealing.

THE INDIE FILMMAKER

 

In 2002 Jen McGowan gained a place to study in the MFA directing program at the University of Southern California. In 2004 she began production on her graduate thesis film, Confessions of a Late Bloomer.

Jen was honored with a grant from The Caucus Foundation for her work on Late Bloomer and well as a scholarship from Women in Film recognizing outstanding young female filmmakers.

 

Confessions of a Late Bloomer began its festival run at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival and is still screening at festivals worldwide. Some honors for the film include: Best Editing, Creative Excellence, Best Short Film, Best of the Fest and Best Student Film.