Well, I’m nearly there… with only a few days to go before the deadline I’ve entered the final stretches of the edit. This is all I’ve been looking at for the past week, and my eyeballs are starting to go square.
I quite enjoy editing, but this has been an intense process as I originally expected to spend more time on the post production and less time on production… however, as I keep saying, documentaries can be unwieldy beasts.
On a separate note. For anyone interested in a bit of lady-spotting, google street view in Dublin has made the job kinda handy. You don’t even need to leave your couch. Here’s a shot of my favorite lady house, and a link to have a poke around the neighborhood yourself!
Hey sorry for the lack of updates regarding Handheld Horror Take 6. We shot last week and all went well thanks to a great cast and crew. We laughed, we cried, we nearly got trampled by a luas.
Now comes post production. I’m considering bringing the star wipe out of retirement.
Sunday morning. 7 am Busaras, for me this normally means a bleary-eyed, caffeine swilling, commuter moment. But not Sunday 3rd Oct 2010, when the fantastic folks, who are Busaras [ big thanks to the fab Lynn Cullen!], have allowed us to shoot in this great space. I’ve always loved this building so it’s a real buzz for me. And when we get dancing, it’s a magical, crazy moment. An iconic Dublin building transformed into a dancefloor, The Fantastic Sox Dancers, twenty five extras and our actor Myles Purcell giving it loads [ Thanks Garbo Productions for getting me such a talented and gung-ho cast!]. We are rocking out and everyone in the queue is getting into it. Robert Hamilton and his mates in the glass control area are giving Travolta a run for his money. This is the moment I’ve had in my head since the go get. And it’s happening! Wild. Class. Donncha O’Dea, uber choreographer, you did me proud!
My documetary is pretty simple in that it is just exploring the “mystique” of that figure of a lady that appears in so many windows throughout Dublin. Pretty much the entire visual element of my film is in the can, but it’s getting the interviews I want are still proving difficult. Perhaps approaching people as if you’re asking them to take a moment for Concern while wielding nought but a camera phone is where I’m going wrong. This week the plan of attack is to take along my EX1, just for show…
And what to expect visually? Here’s what I’ve been working with so far…
I have also managed to update and edit a lot of the public Google Map that I discovered people had been updating with “Lady sightings”. Now that we’ve street view, she might be even easier to find!
View The women in the windows in a larger map
Hey, rock chick moment finding myself first thing on a Saturday morning with Larry from Soundhire. I getting a portable amp for the shoot. I want to know if it will be loud enough. Not a problem for Larry. He strolls outside, plugs us in and blasts out Me, Baby [ our song for Ray-Thomas McLaughlin Band] .It’s loud. Good and loud. But hey, this is Dublin and the passersby are cool to it. Even Larry’s dog is cool. Rock on.
And in the rock vein, check out the funky alter ego of our director Ferdia who is the legend that is Rocky de Valera!
Quick update from Handheld Horror Take 6. All is going to plan, (if the plan is hurtling off a cliff in a burning jeep).
I’m meeting my producer, Liam Ryan, to discuss how we can obtain Bruckheimer level special effects for the price of a coffee in town. To be fair though coffee is incredibly expensive so we should be able to pull it off.
Not much else to add so here is a video of a baby I know having an existential crisis about being in the state of “baby”. It was shot on the Vivaz so it is somewhat relevant.
That’s right, when in doubt just show a video of an animal or infant doing something cute. In fact we might just jettison our script and film puppies trying to climb a steep stairs.
Just an update from one of the Darklight short films, Handheld Horror Take 6. (It’s not a serious drama!) We are prepping to shoot on the 4th and 5th, with all the glorious and usual last minute panic that comes with it. Stuff like the Phoenix Park want how much to film there? What do you mean Brad Pitt isn’t keen? My helicopter is going to be how late?
Adding insult to injury, I’ve just given my awesome Vivaz phone to my DP in order for him to get familiar with it prior to the shoot. It’s the equivalent of being shown a bright, beautiful future, only to have it ripped away from view and then being kicked in the crotch for added effect. My old phone is sitting smugly in the corner as if it new, all along, that I was playing above my station.
I’m going to go have a cry and then get working on the shotlist.
Hey all, just an update from one of the selected ‘Free Your Film’ competition winners. My name is Jessie and I’m working on an experimental documentary shooting throughout neighborhoods in Dublin.
The Lady of the Northside
I’ve had nearly two weeks to properly have a go of using the Sony Ericsson Vivaz as my shooting device. The phone is small and sleek, and having easy access to the memory card with the USB flash drive adapter makes downloading the files a breeze. Plus the files import straight into Final Cut Pro without issue. Yay.
I am still getting to grips with using such a lightweight device as a camera – it’s easy on the wrists, but tough to steady on a windy day – perhaps I can just make the wobbly-ness part of the overall look of the video. I have actually ordered some phone lens accessories to give the film a more interesting look, check this site out! http://photojojo.com/store/awesomeness/cell-phone-lenses/
Right… I’m off now to meet a plaster moulder. Let’s see what gems of knowledge he can give me about the famous figure I am trailing.
