Hey all,

Production on He’s Here has finished! Before I continue any further,  I’d like to issue an apology for the tardiness of this post, these past two weeks have been very busy, as we’ve been working on He’s Here and also preparing for finals. However, I’d be remiss if I didn’t share that I’m now in the process of editing the footage that was filmed over the course of the past two weeks, to come up with a rough cut that will be shown to our professors, and our peers. While I don’t have the dailies on hand, so I won’t be able to post a screenshot of one of the scenes, it looks really good! I’m excited to spend more time over break editing footage to come up with a rough rough-cut, which will be presented the Friday we get back from winter break. I’m even more excited to show it to the film majors who will be in the Film Major seminar, so that those who have not seen the dailies will be able to provide a fresh opinion. But I’m getting ahead of myself. This past Friday, I showed our second round of dailies in-class, and received a lot of feedback. While there are a few shots that may need to be reshot, I was able to incorporate the feedback I received from showing the first set of dailies, and am very proud of the footage we got. I’m especially proud of the camera movement in one of the shots in the first scene, in which I track a Young David running from his house to a tree stump where he proceeds to play catch with a Young Will. It should also be noted that we managed to film outside with snow on the ground and didn’t encounter any problems with the sunlight reflecting off the sun, a problem which is quite common when it comes to snow. All in all, I’m very proud of the work that Kaylin and I have accomplished during pre-production and production, and I’m excited to move into the post-production phase of our thesis. And while there still some work that needs to be done, I’d like to thank our crew as well, for giving up their weekends to help bring this story to life. I’ll be the first to admit that it’s been stressful just making sure that we’ve covered everything, but it’s been incredibly rewarding to see story of Will Ford come to, and makes me further appreciate the blood, sweat, and tears that go into making a movie. I look forward to sharing the final product with everyone once it’s done.

Hey guys,

I’m back with more news about He’s Here. This weekend is our last weekend shooting, which means that we’ll be getting all of the shots that we haven’t already gotten tomorrow, Saturday, and on Sunday. These scenes will include the fight between Young David and Young Will, who will be played by two local child actors, as well as the breakup scene between [older] Will and Lane. These two scenes are very important scenes, as the former sets up the rest of the story, while the latter serves as a plot device, which in turn sets up the final scene. Speaking of which, it dawned on me that I should include a few pictures from the shoot this past week. Before I do so, let me explain the last scene. The last scene of He’s Here is the final confrontation between a few people: Will and David, his deceased brother who still appears from time to time, Will and Lane, who have just recently broken up, and though the two are unable to see each other, David and Lane. With regards to the last conflict, both David and Lane represent different parts of Will’s life. David is a part of Will’s past, who keeps on appearing to haunt him, whereas Lane represents Will’s future, a future where he could go off to college and be a normal teen. When it comes to Lane and David, both Will’s past and future come into conflict in a very disruptive way.

I look forward to sharing more updates with you next week!

Hello again guys,

First off I want to apologize for the tardiness of this post. Last week, we began production on He’s Here, and it was a hectic period. We shot on both Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I guess I’ll give a brief summary of how those days went. 

On Friday, Kaylin and myself checked out all equipment we would need for shooting. Perhaps some of the most notable equipment in the selection we checked out is the Sony FS5 camera, the Atomos Shogun External Monitor, a v-mount batteries, a Lanparte Shoulder Rig, and then a quick release plate. These are especially useful, and you can the set up in the picture below. We did a few test shoots that day, and were able to work out some kinks.

On Saturday, we woke up bright and early for our shoot location, where Lane, the girlfriend of Will, the main character, goes and talks to the Beth, Will’s mother. given that it was the first day of shooting, things were a little hectic, but we managed to get into a rhythm. There were some issues, but we managed to get some quality footage. Later that evening, we started to shoot in the Wright Center Studio, but we ended up spending quite a bit of time figuring out blocking. We ended up reshooting this scene the following evening, as we were scheduled to have that time free.

On Sunday, we filmed the third scene of the narrative in Flowers For You, a flower shop in Mt. Vernon. We got all of the footage that we needed, but however, we are thinking that we’ll need to go back to reshoot due to the fact that grass can be seen outside, and that the story is supposed to be taking place during winter. Additionally, on a day where we where are shooting with child actors, the forecast calls for snow, so we need to make sure there are no continuity errors.

That’s all for now. I look forward to posting tomorrow night.

Hey all,

I wanted to give you one more update before leaving for break this afternoon. The title for our thesis has changed once again, but this time it’s for good. Instead of Truck Down Lane, the thesis project is He’s Here. Production on our thesis begins on Friday, November 30th, which is 2 weeks from now. Once Kaylin and I finish class, we’ll checking out equipment, and then setting up to shoot later that day. 

This past weekend, Kaylin, myself, and Jace, our set designer, built a bedroom in the Wright Center Studio. Below is a picture of what it looks like. There’s still more that needs to be done, but we’ve since moved a desk, a bookshelf, and a bedside table into the studio. We still have a few more props that we’re looking for, and have tasked our crew with keeping their eyes peeled for with props that we still need. All in all, we’re really happy with how it looks.

Over break, Kaylin and I will be finalizing a few more things, but we’re excited to start shooting after break! Stay tuned for even more updates in the following weeks.

Hey guys,

It’s time for another weekly update. Things are starting to ramp up, as production on our senior thesis begins at the end of this month! For the most part, I already have all of the gear that I’ll need for post-production (external hard drive, SDXC cards, etc.) and am finalizing the shot list and a few other things. Additionally, Kaylin and I will be meeting with Chris Ellsworth and Professors Gregory and Tazewell to look over the studio space, as we plan to build a dorm room or a bedroom for the scenes where it is just Will and David in the room. Below is a picture of the space taken in 2017 when the Wright Center first opened its doors. 

In short, now is the time to finalize everything, so that when production starts on our thesis, we have everything figured out.

Otherwise, I’m still working on finding visual inspirations for Truck Down Lane. Given the fact that this film is a psychological thriller, I figured I would revisit one of my favorite psychological thrillers, David Fincher’s Fight Club. Now you may be curious as to why I chose to revisit Fight Club instead of choosing one of the many psychological thrillers out there. The answer is simple. In Fight Club, the unnamed Narrator suffers from insomnia and dissociative identity disorder, which results in his becoming partners with a shady character named Tyler Durden, who pushes the Narrator to do things that that Narrator himself never thought he was capable of. 

To sum it up, the role that Tyler Durden serves is very similar to David in Truck Down Lane. Both characters ultimately push their counterparts to act in irrational ways, while ultimately bringing about their demise.

Hey guys, it’s me again. I’m back to share that just yesterday, Kaylin and I had our first preproduction meeting with one of our professors. In the meeting, we discussed workshopping the story as well as where to find child actors for a scene in Truck Down Lane where Will and David are still children. After that meeting, I realized that I need to start working on the revised shot list and the storyboard. While these are not hard tasks, it’s crucial that I set aside ample amounts of time to think carefully about how to visual tell the story of Truck Down Lane. Additionally, I’m looking into how to build a set in the Wright Center Studio, which is where we’ll be filming any scene that takes place in Will’s bedroom. I’ve yet to hear back the Technical Director as he’ll be able to share the procedure of how one should go about building a set in the studio, but I’m sure I’ll hear back soon.

Otherwise, it’s been a busy week. This past Sunday, I was crewing on another film major’s shoot. While it was a successful shoot, working outside in the cold was a buzzkill of sorts, but that was all remedied with a quick stop to the bookstore to pick up some gloves.

Other than that, I’m currently looking at WD (Western Digital) external hard-drives, as their products are well-reviewed and are supposedly guaranteed to keep anything stored on it safe. This is exactly what I need when it comes time to start uploading footage to make sure it’s safe, and will be incredibly useful when it comes time to edit.

Hey guys, I’m here to share some exciting news. The screenplay for Truck Down Lane has changed once again, and this time it’s looking like it’s going to be for good. As with any screenplay, there may be a few minor changes, but it is mostly finalized.  I’ll be sure to update you in any subsequent blog posts. Also, as a result of this change, I’ll need to go back and revise the shot list so that it accurately reflects the changes made within the script.

Secondly, Kaylin, Lindsey, and myself had auditions for our thesis this past Tuesday. While I don’t want to go too much into detail out of respect for those who auditioned, but everyone who came out really gave it their best go. If you’re one of those people and reading this post, I want to thank you for coming out and giving it your best shot. We have callbacks scheduled for next Saturday, and I look forward to seeing those of you who’ve been called back.

In the meantime, I’ll admit that I won’t be able to get as much done this weekend as I would like to. This is due to the fact that it is Parents Weekend here at Kenyon. I’ll be spending time with my parents during what could very well be one of their last visits to the Hill.

I’m happy to inform you that Love, Death, and Change is now Truck Down Lane. My partner, Kaylin, has changed the title of our project in another draft of the screenplay. In other news, here are some screenshots of the Truck Down Lane shot list that I put together. Keep in mind that it’s a first draft, but it’s a great start. You’ll notice that some columns, specifically the lens    and day column, are blank. The reason for that is that I have yet to decide what type of lens to use in all of the shots, and I won’t fill out the day column until we cast actors/actresses, and figure out their availability. Until those one, or both, of those respective things happen, their corresponding columns will remain blank.

As for some of the acronyms under the Type of Shot, I’ll explain some of those. MCU is an acronym for Middle Close Up, which is a close up of the subject, but shows everything up to the subject’s mid-upper body. Another acronym is the MS, which is the Middle Shot. This shot shows the subject’s upperbody. WS/LS are acronyms for Wide Shot/Long Shot, which shows the subject’s entire body in the frame. CU is short for Close-Up, which is also known as a reaction shot. This shot is a close-up of the subject and allows for the viewer to really get in the character’s head. OTS is short for an Over-the-Shoulder shot, which is primarily used for when two characters are having a discussion. Finally, the abbreviation POV is short for a Point of View shot, which allows for the viewer to not only get into the subject’s head, but also is useful in seeing what the subject sees. I’ll see you next week with more updates.

Hey all, I’m back with more information regarding the production process of Love, Death, and Change. I’m aware that I promised a tentative shot list for this week’s post, but unfortunately the shot list will not make an appearance until next week. The reason for this is that on Tuesday, Kaylin and I met with one of our professors to workshop the screenplay, and we came away with some great notes that Kaylin hopes to incorporate into the story. While she’s doing that, I decided that I would wait for the next copy of the screenplay before I sat down to draft up a shot list for the film. Due to the fact that I mislead some of you, I apologize deeply and hope you’ll find it within yourself to not only to forgive me, but to continue coming back each week to read updates on LDC.

As always, I’m still looking for inspiration for the project. Due to the heavy workload that I have this week, I’ve been unable to watch anything. That being said, I plan to rewatch M. Night Shyamalan’s The Sixth Sense, as the story is not only somewhat similar to that of LDC, but I’m certain that it provides some insight on how to cinematographically portray character who perhaps aren’t real. Along with the The Sixth Sense, I’ve been looking for a film that revolves around the relationship of two brothers, and have decided that I should watch the film adaptation of one of my favorite stories, Norman Maclean’s A River Runs Through It. For those of you not aware of the story, A River Runs Through It is a semi-autobiographical novel about Maclean and the relationship he had with his own brother Paul. Along with a quick picture of the shot list I’ve promised you, I’ll be sure to put some pictures of The Sixth Sense and A River Runs Through It up. That’s all for now. I’ll see you guys next week.

P.S. Visit Kaylin’s website here.

Hey all, I’m back again to give you an update on what I’ve been doing. It’s been a slow week, but that’s not to say that no progress has been made on LDC.

This past week, I hoped to come up with a prospective shot list to show Kaylin, so that she can she what I have in mind, but just so we can start to envision, but I’ll be sure to have a draft by the end of the weekend. While it may seem early to have a shot list drafted, it’s never too late to narrow down how I want to visually tell the story found in LDC. Additionally, by having a draft of a shot list, I can start to sit down and work on a tentative storyboard, which will further allow me, and Kaylin, to home in on the how we want to narrate theLDCstory.

Outside of pre-production for Love, Death, and Change, I’ve continued to search for shows which might serve as inspiration for LDC.During my search, I’ve watched a few films this weekend, and while they weren’t bad films, they unfortunately didn’t make the cut to serve as inspiration for LDC.Despite the slow week, I was able to watch the second season of Netflix’s American Vandal, and was well worth the watch. If you haven’t watched it, I highly recommend it. Despite the ridiculous premises of the show’s two seasons, the story is quite good and I can almost guarantee that once you start watching the show, you’ll have no choice but to finish it.

That’s all for now. In my next post, I hope to put a quick clip up of the shot list. Stay tuned for that.