So who's shooting a feature?

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Scotness
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So who's shooting a feature?

Post by Scotness »

A while ago we had In My Image and Sleeping On Her Couch -- anyone else got a feature going at the moment - it's fun to watch them develope via web pages and this forum. Anyone got one going or know one that is?

I'm currently putting the finishing touches on the dvd for Hold Me Tight (32 mins HDV) but am in rehearsal for a 16mm sketch comedy feature. We're shooting it over the next year or so - just in little installments. My two 200 foot mags for my R16 are getting repaired at the moment - and I can't wait to be working with them. I plan on overdubbing most of the sound. The camera isn't crystal synched - but I have a synch pulse generator - so I'll use that plus resolving software to get a synched version of the noisy dialogue to overdub too.

I'm thinking of building like a ulitarian set in my backyard so maybe that will help minimise the camera sound being in the open. I want the sets to be semi fake like in the original Monty Python tv series. In fact I was watching the Life of Brian the otherday and I was surprised at how many overdubs and poor production elements there were in it - great material though - and harder times to film in with no digital post production.

I'm pretty hooked on shooting in 2.35:1 as well (even for this) and plan on just cropping the 16mm frame and using spherical lenses. 16mm cropped to 2.35:1 is virtually two super 8 frames joined together side by side, with Vision 2 stocks it should look pretty good - I don't mind a bit of grain.

So anyway they're my plans - anyone else? I'm keen to follow some projects!

Scot
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Re: So who's shooting a feature?

Post by Rick Palidwor »

Scotness wrote: Sleeping On Her Couch
Did you mean Sleep Always?
Rick
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Re: So who's shooting a feature?

Post by steve hyde »

Scot,

This next year I'll be working on two films: a super 8 short and a super 16 feature. The feature will be a TV hour (52:30)in HD and the short will be 6 minutes in SD. We are currently in the research stages of both projects, but the short may have to happen sooner than later given some time/resource constraints that have emerged.
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Re: So who's shooting a feature?

Post by Mitch Perkins »

Rick Palidwor wrote:
Scotness wrote: Sleeping On Her Couch
Did you mean Sleep Always?
Rick
No he didn't -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faV0kQQ2_Ps

Remember, in Sleep Always the couch was not hers, though in real life it actually was. You see?

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Re: So who's shooting a feature?

Post by downix »

I'm beginning work on 1Night, a supernatural thriller. The website for it will be at http://www.seehowtheydie.com
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Re: So who's shooting a feature?

Post by Nigel »

I'm not a writer nor a director but I am in talks with a few that may come together this Fall.

Otherwise, I am on deck to 1st AC at least one feature this Summer.

Good Luck
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Re: So who's shooting a feature?

Post by Scotness »

Rick Palidwor wrote:
Scotness wrote: Sleeping On Her Couch
Did you mean Sleep Always?
Rick
Yeah sorry I did actually -- I'm suffering from lack of sleep myself - so I got my sleeping films mixed up!

Scot
:D
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Scotness
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Re: So who's shooting a feature?

Post by Scotness »

steve hyde wrote:Scot,

This next year I'll be working on two films: a super 8 short and a super 16 feature. The feature will be a TV hour (52:30)in HD and the short will be 6 minutes in SD. We are currently in the research stages of both projects, but the short may have to happen sooner than later given some time/resource constraints that have emerged.
So Steve in aiming for a TV hour does that mean you have a TV contract lined up - over here (Australia) there's not too many stations that would take a one off hour long drama - perhaps SBS would. It's a shame though - is the screening prospects better where you are?

Having said that though I'm going to try Hold Me Tight at some festivals - which will be hard given it's 32 mins

scot
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Re: So who's shooting a feature?

Post by Mitch Perkins »

Scotness wrote:
Rick Palidwor wrote:
Scotness wrote: Sleeping On Her Couch
Did you mean Sleep Always?
Rick
Yeah sorry I did actually -- I'm suffering from lack of sleep myself - so I got my sleeping films mixed up!

Scot
:D
Yes he did. You see, Rick?

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Re: So who's shooting a feature?

Post by dgs8film »

We're shooting a feature call the Urban Horror Trilogy using HDV and Super 8. Hopefully will have a website up soon.....
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Re: So who's shooting a feature?

Post by steve hyde »

Scotness wrote:
So Steve in aiming for a TV hour does that mean you have a TV contract lined up - over here (Australia) there's not too many stations that would take a one off hour long drama - perhaps SBS would. It's a shame though - is the screening prospects better where you are?

Having said that though I'm going to try Hold Me Tight at some festivals - which will be hard given it's 32 mins

scot
No TV contract. It's independent.
I'm working on non-fiction stories in a hybrid documentary style that are the kinds of films designed to be seen on the big screen. This said most will see them on TV and probably not in the United States, but maybe. I am in discussions with a broadcaster in India, which seems promising and also hope to pitch my project at the IDFA forum in Amsterdam late this year with hopes of entering into some partnerships with European broadcasters. I would love to connect with partners in Australia.

Otherwise, I plan to self-distribute the feature on DVD by partnering with a short film and other forms of "extra content" and also seeking non-exclusive distribution partnerships with other distributors worldwide - catch as catch can.

The reason I want to work within a TV hour actually has less to do with TV and more to do with liking the running time. I generally think 90 minutes is too long for most non-fiction films and think 55 minutes is about perfect for the kinds of stories I'm working on. So that is how I arrived at the TV-hour.

Your film at 32mins - is definitely in what is sometimes called "the dead zone" Too long for a short and too short for a feature. Film festivals generally don't like long shorts. They are hard to pair with other shorts and too long to play before a feature. European TV tends to go for 27 minute films and 52 minute.
You may want to trim down to 27 minutes if possible before pushing the film on the circuit.

American Film Festivals like 4 - 10 minute shorts. They are fun to curate for the festival programmers and audiences love them for their brevity and tendency to show case innovative artistry.


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Re: So who's shooting a feature?

Post by Rick Palidwor »

Mitch Perkins wrote:
Rick Palidwor wrote:
Scotness wrote: Sleeping On Her Couch
Did you mean Sleep Always?
Rick
No he didn't -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faV0kQQ2_Ps
Remember, in Sleep Always the couch was not hers, though in real life it actually was. You see?
Mitch
Well good on you Mitch for doing some research before delivering what turned out to be a wrong answer. Nice try.

Scott, I like the minimalism of Sleeping on Her Couch. What did you shoot that on?
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Re: So who's shooting a feature?

Post by Scotness »

16mm - 250D - not the first choice for shooting indoors but I was given it for free.

You're quite right about that 32 minute running time being problematic for festivals etc Steve. For that reason I'm going to do a shorter 10 minute version for festivals and also for high schools. But the actual official version will be the 32 minute one. (There'll also be a 37 minute rough cut too on the dvd -- I like spreading it aorund :lol: )

But anyway it's hard to argue with that blog you found

Image

http://www.lathrios.com/blog/?cat=9

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=18790
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Re: So who's shooting a feature?

Post by steve hyde »

....I know! Matt's graphs are a powerful reminder where the "dead zones" are. Makes me question my logic of producing an hour-long film. I need to do some thinking about that.

And of course don't let these graphs discourage. It isn't as if festivals don't accept films in these dead zones. Of course the statistics are influenced by running time standards more than anything else.
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Re: So who's shooting a feature?

Post by Nigel »

Steve

I think that the PBS hour is really wise. It is a solid time for a couple of reasons. When we cross paths next hopefully I will remember to point you in a few directions--Maybe you already know about them.

Good Luck
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