I finished my initial assemble at the end of last week and I was happy with the result. I think the piece has a nice flow, looks good and will hold an audience's attention. I had some post-production changes to make to the look of the piece, but nothing major. I will edit again, but first I have sent the assemble to Kevin McAleese who is going to edit and add to the audio, and provide a score. When Kevin has finished (by next week) I will put the finishing touches to the piece.
Kevin has made an initial appraisal of the audio recorded on the DVT on the night of my shoot. Some of it is usable and some of it he will replace. I've given Kevin responsibility for deciding what needs to be changed and I will sit down with him when he is finished and we'll discuss his work together.
The end is in sight.
Thursday 31 May 2012
Thursday 24 May 2012
The Edit
I finally began the process of editing 'Last Dawn' on Monday and the assemble edit took less than half an hour to complete.
I had prepared as much as I possibly could for the editing process, and had a strong idea of what I wanted to do before I even began the shoot, so editing has been a simple job so far.
I was pleased with the footage when I inspected it. There was some graininess in some of the darker images but it cannot be helped. The most important thing is that the audience can see what I intended them to see. Bearing all this in mind, I have decided not to undertake any reshoots on the piece.
The next step in the process is to export the video and audio of my assemble edit to give to Kevin. He will then add atmos, score and foley, before sending the piece back to me for the final edit and mixing.
I had prepared as much as I possibly could for the editing process, and had a strong idea of what I wanted to do before I even began the shoot, so editing has been a simple job so far.
I was pleased with the footage when I inspected it. There was some graininess in some of the darker images but it cannot be helped. The most important thing is that the audience can see what I intended them to see. Bearing all this in mind, I have decided not to undertake any reshoots on the piece.
The next step in the process is to export the video and audio of my assemble edit to give to Kevin. He will then add atmos, score and foley, before sending the piece back to me for the final edit and mixing.
Sunday 20 May 2012
The Shoot
At midnight on Sunday 13th May we shot 'Last Dawn' at my home in South Belfast. I had anticipated that it would be one of the most difficult shoots I have undertaken to date because of the time of the shoot and the technical aspects involved.
Before my crew arrived, my sound designer Kevin and I spent a few hours recording foley for various parts of the film. This pre-recording went by without a hitch and when we finished it was just a matter of waiting for Annie and James to arrive.
They both arrived promptly and we started straight into the shoot, aware of the time constraints on us.
The first problem we had to overcome was lighting some of the first shots. In my movie, the main character doesn't have any electricity, so we had to cheat candlelight. We had tried to light with candles only in our run through but quickly realised that this wouldn't work. Without the benefit of working lights in college, I had to think of a way to add extra light to each scene so that the character and his surroundings were clearly visible while still maintaining the illusion of candlelight.
I tackled this problem with an ordinary desk lamp that I dimmed by placing a yellow pillow case over it's shade. I had tried this previously and was careful to check that there was no danger that the case would catch fire and that it produced the desired effect.
To doubly ensure that the footage was of the best quality, I connected the Z5 to my tv at regular intervals and made sure it looked good. I was pleased with the footage and I am not expecting to need any major reshoots, although I may decide on some when I begin to edit.
With this problem solved we moved forward and by the time we reached our first break at around 4.30am, we were on schedule. We broke, relaxed, ate and when we returned to work, dawn was breaking.
We had to be even more vigilant and aware of our scheduling for the shots using low light from the sun rising because it would disappear fast.
Our extras arrived at around 6 am and we had them made up in 20 mins, ready to shoot the final scene of the movie. Again, this passed off without a hitch and we wrapped shortly before 7 am.
One of my chief concerns about the shoot was that my cast and crew would tire as the night wore on. I made sure there was plenty of tea and coffee, and food available and tried to keep the mood light-hearted. To everyone's credit, they gave it their all and I was very happy with the way the night progressed. We encountered some minor problems with the equipment such as batteries running low but all were easily solved.
Unfortunately, by the end of last week, the footage still hadn't been digitised, so I asked Stephen to make it a priority and I will begin editing on monday. I should have a rough assemble by the end of the week and Annie and James have said they will make themselves available if reshoots are necessary.
Here's a picture of my Zombies, Colum, Dan and James.
Before my crew arrived, my sound designer Kevin and I spent a few hours recording foley for various parts of the film. This pre-recording went by without a hitch and when we finished it was just a matter of waiting for Annie and James to arrive.
They both arrived promptly and we started straight into the shoot, aware of the time constraints on us.
The first problem we had to overcome was lighting some of the first shots. In my movie, the main character doesn't have any electricity, so we had to cheat candlelight. We had tried to light with candles only in our run through but quickly realised that this wouldn't work. Without the benefit of working lights in college, I had to think of a way to add extra light to each scene so that the character and his surroundings were clearly visible while still maintaining the illusion of candlelight.
I tackled this problem with an ordinary desk lamp that I dimmed by placing a yellow pillow case over it's shade. I had tried this previously and was careful to check that there was no danger that the case would catch fire and that it produced the desired effect.
To doubly ensure that the footage was of the best quality, I connected the Z5 to my tv at regular intervals and made sure it looked good. I was pleased with the footage and I am not expecting to need any major reshoots, although I may decide on some when I begin to edit.
With this problem solved we moved forward and by the time we reached our first break at around 4.30am, we were on schedule. We broke, relaxed, ate and when we returned to work, dawn was breaking.
We had to be even more vigilant and aware of our scheduling for the shots using low light from the sun rising because it would disappear fast.
Our extras arrived at around 6 am and we had them made up in 20 mins, ready to shoot the final scene of the movie. Again, this passed off without a hitch and we wrapped shortly before 7 am.
One of my chief concerns about the shoot was that my cast and crew would tire as the night wore on. I made sure there was plenty of tea and coffee, and food available and tried to keep the mood light-hearted. To everyone's credit, they gave it their all and I was very happy with the way the night progressed. We encountered some minor problems with the equipment such as batteries running low but all were easily solved.
Unfortunately, by the end of last week, the footage still hadn't been digitised, so I asked Stephen to make it a priority and I will begin editing on monday. I should have a rough assemble by the end of the week and Annie and James have said they will make themselves available if reshoots are necessary.
Here's a picture of my Zombies, Colum, Dan and James.
Monday 7 May 2012
Shoot Week
It's only 5 days until the shoot and preparations for 'Last Dawn' are continuing.
I spent the weekend sourcing props. It's a job that will take me right up until the day before the shoot but I have located most of the trickier items that I need such as a hatchet, boots, a small radio and rope, and I expect to easily pick up the rest in the next few days.
I'm working from a prop list that I prepared last week. I also scheduled the shoot and will be sending copies out to my crew tomorrow.
I will also book the equipment tomorrow. I've decided to bring one of the new DSLR cameras along because it will potentially help with the low light, but hopefully the Z5 will do the job. It can't hurt to have a second camera anyway.
Kev is busy working on the sound and score, and the crew and extras are up to date on how the shoot stands.
The story is still evolving slightly in my head but nothing that would require a script redraft. I think that having a solid script to work on is essential, but I'll also try and get shots that I think up on the spot. It's a good way to add to your piece, especially when you know that the script is ready even if you don't have any added inspiration on the day.
This is a picture, of my fictional family, that will appear in 'Last Dawn'.
I spent the weekend sourcing props. It's a job that will take me right up until the day before the shoot but I have located most of the trickier items that I need such as a hatchet, boots, a small radio and rope, and I expect to easily pick up the rest in the next few days.
I'm working from a prop list that I prepared last week. I also scheduled the shoot and will be sending copies out to my crew tomorrow.
I will also book the equipment tomorrow. I've decided to bring one of the new DSLR cameras along because it will potentially help with the low light, but hopefully the Z5 will do the job. It can't hurt to have a second camera anyway.
Kev is busy working on the sound and score, and the crew and extras are up to date on how the shoot stands.
The story is still evolving slightly in my head but nothing that would require a script redraft. I think that having a solid script to work on is essential, but I'll also try and get shots that I think up on the spot. It's a good way to add to your piece, especially when you know that the script is ready even if you don't have any added inspiration on the day.
This is a picture, of my fictional family, that will appear in 'Last Dawn'.
Thursday 3 May 2012
The Sound
I've asked a friend of mine, Kevin McAleese, to provide a score for the piece and help with the sound design and recording.
Kevin is studying music technology in Derry and has a ready made studio at his disposal.
Since last summer, Kev and I have decided to help each other out whenever we can to make whatever we are working on as good as it can possibly be. We've discussed what I want from the sound in 'Last Dawn' extensively, and so far I'm delighted that Kev seems to be on exactly the same page as me. It's been fun and informative having a talented sound man to work with.
We've mapped out what we need to record on location, what will need to be done in Foley, and how the score will fit the images. We've even recored some foley already!
Sample Audio to come soon!
Kevin is studying music technology in Derry and has a ready made studio at his disposal.
Since last summer, Kev and I have decided to help each other out whenever we can to make whatever we are working on as good as it can possibly be. We've discussed what I want from the sound in 'Last Dawn' extensively, and so far I'm delighted that Kev seems to be on exactly the same page as me. It's been fun and informative having a talented sound man to work with.
We've mapped out what we need to record on location, what will need to be done in Foley, and how the score will fit the images. We've even recored some foley already!
Sample Audio to come soon!
Draft 3
I've finished what I hope is my final draft of 'Last Dawn'.
I've tried to enhance the theme of solitude and disconnect for the protagonist by adding a little more action. I think that following Abraham as he prepares to leave will really help the audience bond with him more and also understand what his situation actually is.
The Zombies in my new version have been almost written out in favour of the suggestion of Zombies. I approached the draft hoping that I would be able to build a picture of the disaster that Abraham has experienced, without actually being specific about what has happened.
Romero himself used a similar technique - he refused to provide explanations for the Zombies that populated his movies. Romero didn't think it mattered. His mantra was that you didn't need to know why it happened, just know that it happened and deal with it.
I've tried to enhance the theme of solitude and disconnect for the protagonist by adding a little more action. I think that following Abraham as he prepares to leave will really help the audience bond with him more and also understand what his situation actually is.
The Zombies in my new version have been almost written out in favour of the suggestion of Zombies. I approached the draft hoping that I would be able to build a picture of the disaster that Abraham has experienced, without actually being specific about what has happened.
Romero himself used a similar technique - he refused to provide explanations for the Zombies that populated his movies. Romero didn't think it mattered. His mantra was that you didn't need to know why it happened, just know that it happened and deal with it.
George A. Romero Interview
Below is an interview with horror legend George Romero, in which he discusses his career and mentions how the Zombie has evolved to it's current state. Interestingly, Romero feels that their popularity could be down to video games. I think it illustrates my point that Zombie movies have lost their soul and are more often than not, designed to appeal to action lovers.
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