weekend eighteen: all 'bout the josephs

So when we started this Indie project, Divine Manipulation of the Threads, there was every intention of making it a comedy about a bunch of idiots trying to steal 70 million dollars. The storyline and the dialogue held a certain "Soderbergh" cool ala Out of Sight and Ocean's Eleven. I loved the idea of being able to play in this world of danger... yet have it actually be strangely comical. Well, one night the cast and crew were out celebrating after a full day of shooting and someone said, "You know what would be funny? If we had, like, a Broadway Musical in the middle of the film." There was a tsunami of drunken laughter that billowed to the high lofts of the rafters towering overhead. The mere idea of these oddly loveable characters singing and dancing in the middle of the picture (for no other reason that laughable entertainment and supreme idiocy) held some kind of sway within the hearts of the actors and filmmakers alike.
I mention the background on this idea of note because this weekend... we filmed the aforementioned "Broadway Musical Daydream Extravaganza Delirium." Originally, I didn't think that it was going to happen... but I'm quite glad that it did. Sunday was another windy day in downtown Memphis, however, we were quite lucky that the shoot didn't require the capture of sound. Lip-synching to the pre-recorded song would be good enough.
Friday had changed the temperatures to a bastard cold cutting edge that only tightly bound leather would serve as a formidable barrier. However, there was promise that Sunday would be a comfortable 62 degrees. Thankfully... the weathermen were right and Mother Nature kept her word... at least for the earlier hours of Sunday.
With the hurdles of weather playing in our favor, the next obstacle was the flood of "extras" canceling for the shoot. Friday, Saturday, and early Sunday morning were riddled with phonecalls, text messages, and e-mails from people that couldn't schedule the event it. I cannot and will not complain about any of these cancellations, people give us their free time... and thankfully having everyone there wasn't completely necessary. I will admit, however, that my heart started to sink. I truly thought that we were going to be left with three people and a sad testament to the original idea of a comic musical number.
When I arrived to the shoot location, my fears were put to rest when a fair number of our regulars showed up to "play movie" once again. One thing that I do so dearly love about our troupe of actors in Memphis is that there are those that you can always count on to participate. I've got a great group of people working with the company... and that's why we have formed, THE RUSTED SUN FILMS FAMILY. Basically, anyone that shows us heart, gives us their sweat and honest time is part of this ever growing family. For that... I say thank you.
Now, we really had a blast Sunday. I have never shot a "musical" sequence... but you wouldn't be able to tell that it was a first. The shoot was hilarious. Everyone was wired and ready to go for whatever stupid idea was served on the platter and did so without question... and maybe a chuckle. Joe Smith truly shined in his role as "Pooch" while mime-singing, dancing, and creating the music that made it all possible. The hard work is paying off boys... the hard work is really paying off. I have to give a giant "THANK YOU" to each and every one of you that showed up to film this weekend. You really made it happen.
We still have to put in a re-shoot before I can bleach my hair and continue on with the tail end of the production shooting schedule. The days of endless movie madness will soon come to an end... on the forefront, anyway. The grueling weeks of post-production will follow with rough-cut edits, re-edits, sound polishing, color correction, stylized post, test screening, and paying to get the final product PRESSED onto DVD.
I will share with you one thing that I learned from our experience with DVDs... don't burn them yourself. There are all sorts of issues that come up when you burn DVDs yourself. Spend the time and money to have someone press them professionally. It will save you a massive headache and will turn out a superior product. Yes, it will cost some money... but it's worth every penny. Trust me... I know... I can show you the receipts of last year's experiment in homemade DVDs.
Oh, did I mention that there's still a "making of" documentary that we have to complete? Yeah... I forgot about that one too. By the end of this project and the opportunity to reflect on exactly what the hell happened in 2005, I'm pretty sure that I will not be able to recognize the "old Bevan" in direct comparison with the "new Bevan." ...With an exception of the gray hairs, of course.
-B