A Bunch of Brief Thoughts

I didn't accomplish much this week, but I did have some ideas and thoughts I wanted to share.

"The Barrier"

I did a little more work on my revised script for "The Barrier". My progress has been rather slow. I think that is because I'm not really sure how I'll get the film finished. I suspect that I will need to nail that down before I can get energized.

I need to get a better handle on what it will cost and how I can recruit and record the actors. Most of the rest of the work I know I can do on my own in my own time.

Recycled Ideas for Blog Posts

This is my 365th post to my blog. One of the issues I noticed recently is that I sometimes forget that I have used an idea for a blog post and write another post based on the same idea. I've caught myself several times and changed my post, but I probably missed a few.

Blog Posts Unrelated to my Creative Work

In general I've avoided blog posts that are not directly linked to my creative work. Often when I do, I try to link it to my work. Usually not very effectively.

I do have ideas I want to express that I don't see being fodder for a movie or a story. I have posted some of those on my articles page. http://dynamiclethargyfilms.ca/articles/

I do wonder if I should be more open to posts about ideas other than my creative work. There are many problems in this world and I often feel I have some thing to contribute to the discussion. My ideas may not be valuable or useful to others, but I find it helps me to express my ideas.

Things I Wish I Had Said

I, like many people, think of my best come back lines, long after it is too late. Sometimes many years later. This causes some frustration. I have thought that I can draw on these flash backs in my creative work. I used several of these in "The Barrier".

I have never used them as the basis for a project, although I did try a few times. Many of them bring back painful memories. While it can help to exorcise the negative feelings, it can also stir them up.

Midnight Thoughts

I struggled to get to sleep last night. I was obsessed with thoughts about my short story "A Woman Alone in a Cruel World". http://dynamiclethargyfilms.ca/stories/a-woman-alone-in-a-cruel-world/

I came up with a different approach to the same idea. With my mind on fire, I got up and wrote out two short scenes. I think they could be developed into a longer narrative, but I'm not sure I want to revisit the original story. On the other hand, maybe it is a story that is begging me to be written.

$100 Film Festival

The 24th $100 Film Festival is on this weekend. http://100dollarfilmfestival.org/ I didn't go again this year. I haven't been to one since I went to see my film "Contingency" in 2012. My film "Some Days..." was shown in 2013, but my wife had surgery the same day, and that was more important to me.

I have had 9 of my films shown at the festival, and I did start it, so I do have a strong attachment to the festival. While I feel as if I have neglected it, it seems to be doing just fine without me.

This post is a mirror from my main blog http://www.dynamiclethargyfilms.ca/blog

"Some Days . . ." posted on YouTube

The Hundred Dollar Film Festival screened my film "Some Days ..."  March 7, 2013.

I wasn't able to attend, but I have had no death threats since then, so I guess it went over OK.

I have now posted the video on YouTube for all to see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEH4ZY4dmOo

This post is a mirror from my main blog http://www.dynamiclethargyfilms.ca/blog

How to make a Film for the Hundred Dollar Film Festival - Part 7

In the previous posts, I’ve looked at how I made some of my films for the Hundred Dollar Film Festival. In this post and subsequent posts, I will use those experiences to give advice on how to make a film for the Hundred Dollar Film Festival. I will begin with the limitations that technical side of filmmaking impose. This will be important to keep in mind when it comes to the creative side of filmmaking.

Experience

Now that digital video is so much part of the culture, many people do not understand the technology of film as much as people used to. If you don’t have experience with film technology, I encourage you to experiment with film and cameras before you start your film. You may be able to use some of your experimental footage in your film, but don’t count on that.

Most cities have groups like the Calgary Society of Independent Filmmakers that can provide the support you will need to make your film. This can include access to equipment, training, and advice.

If you can find a more experience filmmaker to help you, that can make the process easier for you.

Film Length

I would plan on a film between three and four minutes long. The original rule limited filmmakers to four rolls of colour film, or five rolls of black and white film. This gives you about twelve to fifteen minutes of film.

I know some filmmakers were able to use almost all of the film they shot. More often though, you use only a fraction of what you shot in the final film. It’s common for a feature film to use just one per cent of the film shot. For a three to four minutes long Hundred Dollar Film Festival Film, you will need to have between 20% and 25% of what you shoot in the final film.

That goal can be difficult to meet, so you need to avoid complicated and tricky shots that may not work. Some may see this as stifling creativity, but it can also be a spur to be more creative.

Type of Film

Super 8 film is available in reversal and negative, but as far as I know, you can’t get prints from the negatives. For Super 8, reversal film is the only real option if you want a final version you can project.

In 16mm you can use reversal as well, but I prefer negative. I used negative film for Contingency and then I edited the print for the final film. You can go back to a negative cut and answer print, but that is more expensive. One reason I prefer negative is that I still have that to fall back on if something happens to my print.

Post Production

The approach I have used for the last few films I made was to transfer the images to video and edit them on the computer. Then I used information from the video cut to cut the actual film. That can be tricky to do, and I have used different approaches with each of the films I have done.

On My Next Film, I wrote some of the edge numbers on the print so I could match the video to the film print. This wouldn’t work as well if you want to use the print for your final film.

When I did Contingency, I planned the shots so that the exact cuts were not critical. I only needed to get the length right. The final shot of the film was an exception, but I could identify the correct frames visually.

Sound

Super 8 sound film is no longer available, and 16mm sound requires a much more sophisticated, and expensive, approach. That pretty much limits your options for sound to non-sync sound. If sync is critical, you may be able to achieve that will live sound at the screening.

For Contingency, I created the sound track in my video editing software (Premiere Pro), and then output the sound on a CD. I had a beep on the CD that corresponded to the “2” frame, that allowed the projectionist to do a rough sync. Projects all vary slightly in their run speed, so the sound could be a second or two out of sync. It can vary through out the film.

If you work with non-sync sound, it is best to stay with either music or voice over on the sound track. Sound effects that don’t need to be in sync work as well.

Another option is to have no sound at all. Sound can add a lot to the impact of a film, so a silent film can be more of a creative challenge to make.

In the next post, I will move on to the creative side of filmmaking. Creativity is difficult to explain, but I feel some aspects of the creative process are easier to convey.

This post is a mirror from my main blog http://www.dynamiclethargyfilms.ca/blog

How to make a Film for the Hundred Dollar Film Festival - Part 1

When the Hundred Dollar Film Festival first began, the idea was that you could make a film for under $100. Now, twenty-one years later, is that still possible? In this and later posts, I will to talk about how to make a film for the festival. As I wrote this post, it began to get very long, so I decided to break it up into several separate posts. In this post, I will look at what kind of film I will discuss.

As the deadline for the twenty-first festival looms, this may seem a bit late to talk about how to make a film. But, there is always the twenty-second festival.

What qualifies me to talk about this subject?

I’ve had eight films in the festival over the years, with films in both the first festival in 1992 and the twentieth in 2012. I also started the festival.

The Festival Rules

The festival rules have changed over the years and it doesn’t need to be constrained by the original intentions, but I hope that films made to the original limits will always be welcome at the festival.

When I first came up with the idea for the festival, the kind of filmmaker I aimed it at was someone who had just begun to make films. That was what I was back in 1991. Maybe they were someone who had never made a film, or who had only made a few small films. Their interest would be to learn and develop their skills, and, of course, to have an audience for their films.

I became aware of a different group of filmmakers who were interested in the festival. These were experienced people looking for a challenge, or a chance to have some fun when they made a film. I know that some looked at these films as a way to reinvigorate themselves after a frustrating project.

The challenge came in the constraints on how they could make the film. In the first festival, the cost was not the limitation, as implied by the name. Instead, we set a limit on how much film the filmmakers could use to make the film. The limits were five rolls of black and white, four rolls of colour, or three rolls of sound. With a shooting ratio of 3 to 5, the final films would be 2 ¼ to 5 minutes long.

Can It Still Be Done?

A lot has changed since 1992. Can you still make a film the way it was back then? I believe so, although not as cheaply. Super 8 is still available, and you can make films on 16mm in the same spirit as Super 8. I did that for my film Contingency for the 2012 festival.

I estimate that films made to the original rules would cost $300 to $550. You can still make a film for under $100, if you shot only one roll of film. Shipping the film to the lab and back can cost more than the film and developing!

There are some further limitations on the films now. Super 8 sound film isn’t available any more. If you want sound, you need to put it on a CD, or have live sound. With pre-recorded sound, you can’t guarantee sync. It is not as easy to get a 16mm film negative cut and printed these days, so you can’t do effects like dissolves or title overlays, unless you can do them in-camera.

In the next post, I will review how I made each of my films. In later posts, I will use my experience to provide advice on how to make a film for the Hundred Dollar Film Festival.

I know that I don’t know everything there is to know about how to make a film, so I would appreciate any comments that build on my suggestions.

This post is a mirror from my main blog http://www.dynamiclethargyfilms.ca/blog

“Some Days . . .” Update - 2012 November 4

I worked on my film “Some Days . . .” this week. I want to submit it for the 2013 Hundred Dollar Film Festival. http://100dollarfilmfestival.org/fest2013/

I originally did the film for last year’s festival, but I wasn’t happy with the image quality, so I withdrew it. I hope I get it right this time.

I took out a camera Tuesday, shot on Wednesday, returned the camera Thursday, and sent the film to the lab Friday. It usually takes about 2 weeks to get back.

I didn’t use up all of the film in my shoot, so I finished off the roll with some experimental shots. Maybe I can use them as a starting point for a new film for the 2014 festival.

The camera I used, a Canon 16mm Scoopic, came with a manual. I’ve used Scoopics for about 16 years and never saw a manual before. I picked up a few useful tidbits from it.

This post is a mirror from my main blog http://www.dynamiclethargyfilms.ca/blog

“Sharkbiter” and “Some Days . . .” Updates 2012 October 28

I wanted to do something more to promote my video Make ’ em Squirm: The Sharkbiter Way video. A couple months ago, I split it up into a dozen or so shorter segments and posted them on YouTube. That didn’t generate the kind of interest I had hoped for.

This week I decided to pull a small (18-second) clip out of it and post it on YouTube as a sort of promo: Billionaire Orville Sharkbiter's plan for election reform. My idea was that people are more likely to pass along a short clip. Then, I hope, some people would go to watch the full video. So far, I haven’t had a lot of response to it. I think I will need to promote it more.

I have started to wonder if my time would be better spent on a new project rather than promoting an old project.

I began work on my new film Some Days . . . for the $100 Film Festival. I made it originally for last year’s festival, but wasn’t happy with the image quality. I went over the materials I had prepared last year this week. Some of my plan notes had gone astray, so I had to recreate those. I also fixed problems with some of the images I want to use.

Some Days . . . is a very short film, so I won’t need the whole 100’ roll of 16 mm film to shoot it. I came up with some ideas for shots that I might be able to use in another film later. Unfortunately, since it snowed last week, and it isn’t likely to melt away any time soon, I can’t do those shots.

This post is a mirror from my main blog http://www.dynamiclethargyfilms.ca/blog

What Do I Work on Next?

Now that I have finished and posted the video version of Contingency, I’m at a bit of a loss as to what to do next. I’ve got many projects I want to finish. If you have some time, I would like to hear your opinion.

When I wrote my New Years Blog, I planned to do updates April 1, July 1, and October 1. I did one update in late March, but did nothing in July. I missed October 1, but now should do.

Some Days . . .

I tried to make Some Days . . . for last years $100 Film Festival, but wasn’t happy with how it turned out. I bought some new film and plan to redo it for next years Festival. The submission deadline is December 1, so I can’t dally over this one too long.

My Most Difficult Case

I should have finished this one and sent it off long ago. There are times when I almost feel afraid to touch it. It shouldn’t take much work, but since it has already taken so long, it is hard to think I am almost done. It seems like I have a million excuses to put it off until another time.

The Crying Lady

I’d written and published this as a short story. I wanted to turn it into a movie with Xtranormal. Partly this was to experiment with Xtranormal to see if I could use it as a tool to develop a project more before I made a real movie. I haven’t done anything on this, but I did something similar with my Make ‘Em Squirm video. Lately I’ve wondered if it would be better to use Then the Phone Rang for my experiment. I think it may be easier to do.

Bright Freedom

I wrote this as a script, but wasn’t happy with it. Over the summer, I converted the script into a novelette. I have a first draft done, but decided to leave it for a while before I do a second draft. I’ve come up with some ideas for the revision and I started to review what I have for revision. The story does need more research before I can finish it, but with a better second (or third) draft, it should be easier to get feedback from other people. The main character is a woman, and since I am not, I really feel I need to get a woman’s perspective on the character.

Heat Wave

This is an idea I had quite some time ago, but didn’t start on it until August. It is a science fiction story. I got about half of the first draft done. I did all the parts where I had clear ideas what I wanted to do. The rest of the story will be harder to do.

Felix

This is another science fiction story that I developed. I reimagined an H. P. Lovecraft story. I think its connection to Lovecraft may be quite obscure by the time I’m done. I wrote some notes, ideas and outlines, but I haven’t started to write the story itself. The end of the story has been a challenge to me. The one in the Lovecraft story doesn’t make much sense after the other changes I made.

The Gladstone Barrier

I wanted to turn one of my transportation planning stories into a novelette, or maybe even a novel. I’ve done some work on how to do that, but I don’t feel particularly inspired by the idea these days.

Web Magazine: The Journal of Transportation Fiction

I still want to do more on my transportation planning stories. The challenge is to come up with an approach that works. When I looked for a place to submit my science fiction story, Pete’s Plan, I came across some on-line science fiction magazines. I thought that might be a way to get some help with my transportation stories. I did get some people express interest in writing stories when I first promoted my stories, so I think it might work.

I find that if I work on too many projects at a time, I never get any done. I don’t like to put projects aside though. Some Days . . . has a clear deadline, so I think it needs to be my first priority. What else I should work on, I’m not sure.

This post is a mirror from my main blog http://www.dynamiclethargyfilms.ca/blog

“Contingency” Now On-line - Please Have a Look

I finally got my film Contingency posted on-line. Please have a look at it and let me know what you think.

I made Contingency for the twentieth $100 Film Festival in 2012. It is a contemplation of how the festival came about. The film won the Best of Alberta Award at the festival. It is a departure from my earlier films.

I put in on YouTube (at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79sPbUoD9zM ) and on my own website (at http://dynamiclethargyfilms.ca/filmlist/contingency/ ). I will post it on Vimeo later.

The film could be quite opaque to someone who isn’t familiar with my previous films. Since some people may be interested, I wrote an article that explains where each element came from, and why. You can read the article here: http://dynamiclethargyfilms.ca/filmlist/contingency/an-explanation-of-contingency/

This post is a mirror from my main blog http://www.dynamiclethargyfilms.ca/blog

“Contingency” Update 2012 October 14

I worked on Contingency this week, but didn’t accomplish as much as I had hoped.

I reviewed the video again. I had thought I would need to tweak the images somewhat, but I was happy with the way it already was. I think I might adjust the contrast on a couple of shots.

Some of the comments people made about the film made me realize that the film won’t make much sense to someone who isn’t familiar with my earlier films. I decided to write an article to post with the film that explains in some detail what each shot and sound is and why I picked it. That took me longer than I expected. I’m still not done.

I still need to decide what to include in my descriptions. In the stuff I’ve done so far, I don’t mention the names of the people who appear. I think I should do that.

I hope to get the film posted in the next few days.

This post is a mirror from my main blog http://www.dynamiclethargyfilms.ca/blog

“Contingency” Wins Award at the $100 Film Festival - 2012 March 11

They screened my film Contingency Saturday night at the $100 Film Festival.

The screening went well. They had a good turn out. They moved the festival this year. The last few years it was at the Plaza theatre, but this year they had it at the Alberta College of Art and Design in the Stanford Perrott Lecture Theatre. The festival was there several times in the past. My wife thought it was a better location for the festival.

The last time I went to the festival I only met a couple people I knew. This time I met about a dozen. I did some promotion of the film, but I only know of one person who came because of the promotion I did. He got the date wrong and went to the Friday night screening.

After the films were finished, they announced the awards. I was very pleased when they announced that Contingency had won the Best of Alberta award sponsored by Calgary Economic Development. That impressed my wife. I got a trophy designed by George Duncan

The host, Nowell Berg (who hosted the first $100 Film Festival) asked me to give a little speech. I said that I knew that while many in the audience were film makers, many others had never made a film. I challenged them to make a film for next year’s festival. I would really like to see that happen.

After the screening, several people came over to me to say they liked my film. That makes me feel good. I get a screening fee for the film. That makes me feel good too.

I haven’t decided what to do with the film next. Ordinarily I would look into getting some distribution of the film (Moviola showed My Next Film), but that requires I get releases for everything on the screen, and that would be a nightmare to do. I've lost touch with some people and I never did know the names of some other people. I haven’t decided what to do with My Next Film either.

I do feel inspired to make another film for the festival.

This post is a mirror from my main blog http://www.dynamiclethargyfilms.ca/blog

“Contingency” Update 2012 March 4

I got the picture and sound done for Contingency this week. I used a CD for the sound. It is very hard to get perfect sync with that arrangement, but I think it should be close enough. The projector I used varied between a little fast to a little slow.

I took the film and CD into the CSIF office Tuesday. The festival will screen it as the first film on the Saturday night (March 10). The screening starts at 7:00 p.m. in the Stanford Perrott Lecture Theatre in the Alberta College of Art and Design (1407-14 Ave NW). More information on their website: http://100dollarfilmfestival.org/fest2011/

Melanie Wilmink, who runs the festival, told me she’d like me to record more information about the start of the festival. Back in 2003 (year 11 of the festival), I wrote a short history of the festival for the CSIF’s newsletter. I’ve posted it on my website now http://dynamiclethargyfilms.ca/articles/the-history-of-the-100-film-festival/ Melanie also posted it on the CSIF blog. http://csifblog.wordpress.com/2012/02/28/the-history-of-the-100-film-festival/

Over the next few days I plan to do some promotion of the festival, and my film of course.

This post is a mirror from my main blog http://www.dynamiclethargyfilms.ca/blog

“Contingency” Update 2012 February 26

I made good time on Contingency this week. I had it ready to take into the film festival office Friday, but then I got the extra film I shot delivered Thursday. Most of the new shots looked very good, but a few were disappointing. My sloppiness I’m afraid. I got most of what I wanted, so I was happy. There was only one shot I debated about using.

I felt the new shots were an improvement on what I had.

I tried to refinish the film Friday. I got all the new shots in, but the recut film is longer. It was only about three seconds, but I need to adjust the sound a little to make it fit. I didn’t have time to do that Friday.

I asked for an extension to get the film ready and they said I could bring it in early next week. I don’t think I’ll have a problem with that.

They have started to promote the festival and posted a “review” of my film on-line. csifblog.wordpress.com/2012/02/22/more-100-film-festival-reviews-by-tim-zak/ It is only one line long, but he is nice to me.

I showed the film to my wife and she said nice things about it.

I’d reshot my film Some Days . . . as well, but I had accidentally jarred the camera when I was shooting and the image was off center. Other than that, it looked very good. I decided that it wasn’t ready to show. Next year for sure!

This post is a mirror from my main blog http://www.dynamiclethargyfilms.ca/blog

“Contingency” Progress Report 2012 February 12

 

I worked on my film Contingency most of the week. Some of the shots I had in the film were not as good as I would have liked, so reshot them. During the first part of the week, I set up or arranged the images I needed.

Wednesday I went downtown to pick up a camera from the Calgary Society of Independent Filmmakers. They moved their office just before Christmas and it was my first time to visit it. They have far less space now, but I think they have it more efficiently laid out. I believe they plan for this to be temporary. Temporary can last longer than permanent though.

I shot Thursday. It was a long day and slow work. I had to move the camera and tripod around, but fortunately, I didn’t need to use any lights. Even as it was, my cracked rib gave me a lot of pain. I tried to reshoot my other film, Some Days . . . , as well, but I’m not confident I’ll have a final version from that.

Friday I returned the camera. I sent the film to Niagara Custom Lab in Toronto http://www.niagaracustomlab.com/. I hope I get it back in time to get it ready for the festival. The time is tight though. In the past, I knew Rick Doe, who ran the film lab here in Calgary, would give priority to a project if you asked for it, but not for a 100-foot roll.

The $100 Film Festival accepted both Contingency and Some Days . . . this week. I told them that I didn’t think Some Days . . . would be ready. I have a version of Contingency that I feel is good enough to show, so even if the new film isn’t back in time, I can show it.

This post is a mirror from my main blog http://www.dynamiclethargyfilms.ca/blog

“Contingency” Progress Report 2012 January 29

Both Contingency and Somedays were accepted to the $100 Film Festival this week. I felt good about that. I’m sure that they accepted the films on the merits and it had nothing to do with my starting the festival. I decided to withdraw Somedays because I was so unhappy with the image quality. I can redo it for next year’s festival.

I made good progress on Contingency this week. I finally got all my clips ready and taped them together. There are a few things to do before it is ready to show. There is one clip that I think I’ll trim down a bit. Otherwise, I think it is about ready. I’d still like to redo some shots, but I’m not sure I’ll be able to.

I want to make a few changes to the sound track too, which should be easier. I want to have short clips of people talking about randomness, uncertainty and so on. I have a few, such as one from Steven Jaye Gould, but I’m having trouble finding more. I plan to add Trudeau saying, “Just watch me”. I watched a bunch of stuff of Marshall McLuhan, but didn’t find anything that I felt fit. If you know of anything please let me know.

This post is a mirror from my main blog http://www.dynamiclethargyfilms.ca/blog

“Contingency” Update - 2012 January 22

I made some good progress on Contingency this week. It was slow going because of my back and arm pain. I’ve collected all the shots I need for the film. I still need to trim a couple shots, but the rest are ready.

I found some alternative clips that I think I may want to use. In particular I found some test footage I’d done to convert Weekend in Calgary from Super 8 to 16mm. I only have part of the film, but for the clip I want for Contingency it would be fine.

I am still concerned about the image quality of some of the shots. I don’t have anything that would be a direct replacement, and I’m not likely to get a chance to reshoot them in time for the festival. I have started to consider a recut of the film to eliminate those shots. I’ll need to redo the sound, or add some other images, which I’m reluctant to do. On the other hand, the theme of the film is how random events affect how something turns out, so changes at this stage would be appropriate.

I use an old 16mm movie viewer that I picked up years ago in my editing. Part way through the week the light stopped working. I don’t know if I can still get a replacement bulb. I tried to work around it, but then I noticed that the power cord looked like it might be broken. It was identical to a cord I have left over from an old computer, so I tried that. That fixed the problem.

Most of the equipment I use is getting quite old and nearly impossible to replace. Every time I use them, I worry that it may be the last time they’ll work. I had a similar experience when I did The Fence. Every time I went to take another shot, I worried if the fence would still be there. Someone removed it a few years after I finished the film. They built a condominium on the site. I had an unexpected reminder of that this week when the condominium was evacuated due to flooding.

This post is a mirror from my main blog http://www.dynamiclethargyfilms.ca/blog

“Contingency” Progress Report 2012 January 15

 

I slipped on some ice on January 5 and that really threw a spanner into the works as far as my film goes. Didn’t do much for my arm and back either. I cracked a bone in my arm and a rib. Recovery has been and will be slow. They say it could be six weeks or more.

I don’t have my film Contingency ready to show at the $100 Film Festival yet and with my injuries, it will be difficult for me to get it ready.

I have all the shots I need, but I want to redo some of them because of poor image quality. I’ve asked a couple of people for help, but haven’t lined up anyone yet.

While I wait, I’ll create an edited film version of the movie with the shots I have. At least I’ll have something I can show.

This post is a mirror from my main blog http://www.dynamiclethargyfilms.ca/blog

Films Submitted to the 20th $100 Film Festival

This week was the dead line for entries into next year’s $100 Film Festival. I submitted my two films just in time. Somedays . . . is a short one-gag film. Contingency runs longer and is an experimental film about the history of the $100 Film Festival. I hope they are accepted.

I still have some work to do before they are ready to screen. I have until March to get that done. Some of the shots I did turned out poorly and I want to reshoot them.

My plan was to do the 16mm films in the same way that I would have done a Super 8 film, but use the work print. I could still go back to a negative cut or transfer if I wanted to later. Now I’m starting the think it might be better to use the CSIF’s optical printer. That would give me a complete negative of the film, so I could do multiple copies.

I’ve never used the optical printer myself, but I went to a workshop on it. I think I can figure it out, although maybe I need to find someone who has to give me some guidance.

The CSIF is closed until January, so I have some time to plan where I go from here


This post is a mirror from my main blog http://www.dynamiclethargyfilms.ca/blog

Book Review, “Somedays . . .” and “Contingency”

I made progress on three projects this week.

I published a pseudo book review. It is an idea I’ve been toying with since I began work on Line of Taxis. The story is about a guy I call Orville Sharkbiter. When I did Line of Taxis, I changed his name to Orville Stark-Lieder. You can hear him mentioned at the end of the film on the radio. I would describe him as “the boss from hell”. I’ve had some good feedback on it so far.

http://authspot.com/short-stories/book-review-sharkbiter-the-secret-to-success/  or http://dynamiclethargyfilms.ca/blog/?page_id=761

I got the film I shot back for my $100 Film Festival film this week. I was disappointed with how some shots turned out, so I want to reshoot them. The dead line for submission is this coming Thursday, so I’ll have to live with what I have now.

I actually have two films now. Somedays . . . is a very short gag film that plays around with the SMPTE Universal Leader. I had the idea several years ago, but I didn’t want to make it because I thought it would be difficult. I came up with an easier way to do it, so it wasn’t much extra work to shoot it on the same roll I shot for Contingency.

Contingency has evolved a lot since I started to work on it. Originally it was meant to be a sort of history of the $100 Film Festival, in part modelled after Man with a Camera. Now it is more about how things didn’t have to happen the way they did. I keep getting new ideas for the film, which is a good sign. Although, with only a few days left before the deadline, I need to stop at some point.

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$100 Film Festival Film Update – 2011 November 13

My film is closer to completion now. I’ve even given it a title: Contingency. Not really that original, but descriptive none the less.

My original plan was to include some shots of me editing some film on at Steenbeck at the CSIF. They are moving at the end of the month, so the time was tight. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get in touch with the guy I wanted to help me, so I came up with a plan B.

I will used some outcuts from my earlier films. That is one reason I picked the new title. I think this forced improvisation will make for a better film. I pulled out some of my old Line of Taxis files to see what I have that I can use. It looks promising. I documented my more recent films quite well. Some of my older films are not, so I am not sure what I have.

I shot another roll of film with a few more images I wanted and some titles. I wanted to include shots from my earlier Super 8 movies and I don’t have 16mm blowups I can use. I do have digital versions of those films, so I shot short bits of them off the computer screen.

I included two films that I did before the $100 Film Festival. The Smiling Corpse was a film I did back in 1974. In many ways, it was the original inspiration for the Festival. I copied two “cool” shots from the film. I can only include one of them though. The other film I used was Extra Special Care, which I did as a student project at SAIT in 1989. It was another example of the type of film I had in mind for the festival.

While I was at it, I short another short short film I call Somedays I just Can’t Get Started. If it turned out OK, I’ll submit it to the $100 Film Festival too.

I mailed the film to the lab Friday. I have some “Exposed Film” tape that I use to wrap the exposed film, but I couldn’t find it. Until, of course, after I’d gone and used some other tape. I still have quite a lot of tape and I don’t think I will find much use for it now.

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$100 Film Festival Film Update – 2011 October 30

I got the film I shot for my $100 Film Festival Film back this week. It looks good to me. I still have some more shots to get. Then I can move on to the edit.

I’ve started to think about what kind of sound track to do. I can’t do sync sound, but some kind of voice over or music would work OK. The first idea I had was to have a cacophony of voices and have individual phrases and lines popup into the foreground.

I’ve had a good idea about the images I want for a while now, but now I have to give more thought about the point I want to make. For a long time now, I’ve wanted to do a film about contingency: what happened didn’t necessarily have to happen. Just by chance, I got a shot that conveys that idea quite well. That makes me think this could be the film where I do it.

The original suggestion I got from Howard Horwitz was to do a film about the $100 Film Festival. My idea of contingency works well with how the festival came about. If you read the article (http://www.bukisa.com/articles/137107_the-history-of-the-100-film-festival ) I wrote about the festival you can see that there were several times where I might have dropped the idea before I proposed it.

I wanted to use a quote about contingency from Stephen Jay Gould. I was sure I had recorded it, but I can’t find it now. I’m tempted to record it with someone else, but I feel that would be cheating. Maybe I need to come up with my own line to convey the same point.

This post is a mirror from my main blog http://www.dynamiclethargyfilms.ca/blog