The Making Of Demon Father
Part : 1.The Beginning
Talk about making a movie.
Skip forward 1 year.
Still talking.
Ok, skip about 3 more years.
Let's get serious.
Went out purchased, HD camera, Lighting, Backdrops (green/blue screening).
The bank is now nearly empty, but we have all the essentials.
Ok, now we just need talent, props, equipment, costumes, a script.
Been working on a full length script, about 30% complete
Yeah you're right, that's too much for a starter project
I got it. A SHORT!
Ok, a nice simple 10-12 minute short.
2 days of writing and rewriting, I have a doable short
Talent, got ads up everywhere, got to find more places to put up more ads
Now, how are we going to get costumes and props. . . .
LARPers, Great idea, they have it anyways, who knows any LARPers?
More ads up, need costumes, let's throw props up there too
Great news, the short was written with this in mind. we need next to nothing
Luckily for us, we have next to nothing.
So our location is set, a script that will work with it
Why isn't the talent beating our doors down to get in our movie
Update the ads, let's see how this works
Wow. Updated, targeted ads
We have alot of resumes & head shots coming in
We could actually film the movie now and have to turn people down
So we setup a day to do test shooting
Set up a guy who's going to do the sound recording, sound fx, has all the equipment
so I do some basic outline shots, we have to wait til 3:00 for the sound guy
ok, it's 3:30, he's not answering his phone
Wow, 4:00, let's start shooting
Yeah it was painful, 1 script, reading lines, we muddled through it
If you ever get a chance to watch it, try filming 2 people running at you,
while you run backwards
All in all, everything went great, not a lot of rewritting to do
but I guess it's time to start rewriting, sent a copy off to the Director of Photography.
see what his comments are
More lights,
More equipment, more money . . .
So having lighting issues, bought more lights
Barn doors and spare batteries still not in, 2 days to the shoot
When filming a movie outside, there seems to be a 99% chance of rain
4 days before the shoot, we tarped the area, my 30x60 tarp covered most of the important outside shots
Used a couple normal sized tarps as rain deflectors
Worse news, how do we light a scene out doors under a tarp, in the rain?
We'll figure that out today
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Talk about making a movie.
Skip forward 1 year.
Still talking.
Ok, skip about 3 more years.
Let's get serious.
Went out purchased, HD camera, Lighting, Backdrops (green/blue screening).
The bank is now nearly empty, but we have all the essentials.
Ok, now we just need talent, props, equipment, costumes, a script.
Been working on a full length script, about 30% complete
Yeah you're right, that's too much for a starter project
I got it. A SHORT!
Ok, a nice simple 10-12 minute short.
2 days of writing and rewriting, I have a doable short
Talent, got ads up everywhere, got to find more places to put up more ads
Now, how are we going to get costumes and props. . . .
LARPers, Great idea, they have it anyways, who knows any LARPers?
More ads up, need costumes, let's throw props up there too
Great news, the short was written with this in mind. we need next to nothing
Luckily for us, we have next to nothing.
So our location is set, a script that will work with it
Why isn't the talent beating our doors down to get in our movie
Update the ads, let's see how this works
Wow. Updated, targeted ads
We have alot of resumes & head shots coming in
We could actually film the movie now and have to turn people down
So we setup a day to do test shooting
Set up a guy who's going to do the sound recording, sound fx, has all the equipment
so I do some basic outline shots, we have to wait til 3:00 for the sound guy
ok, it's 3:30, he's not answering his phone
Wow, 4:00, let's start shooting
Yeah it was painful, 1 script, reading lines, we muddled through it
If you ever get a chance to watch it, try filming 2 people running at you,
while you run backwards
All in all, everything went great, not a lot of rewritting to do
but I guess it's time to start rewriting, sent a copy off to the Director of Photography.
see what his comments are
More lights,
More equipment, more money . . .
So having lighting issues, bought more lights
Barn doors and spare batteries still not in, 2 days to the shoot
When filming a movie outside, there seems to be a 99% chance of rain
4 days before the shoot, we tarped the area, my 30x60 tarp covered most of the important outside shots
Used a couple normal sized tarps as rain deflectors
Worse news, how do we light a scene out doors under a tarp, in the rain?
We'll figure that out today
For reading the making of, we offer you 10% off all of your OFM titles
Simply enter the code RF3WA4GC when ordering from createspace store
Part 2 :The Fund Raising
Now we're getting trained talent wanting to come help
Good news bad news for us, trained talent means, a much better finished project
They don't work for peanuts
So we're looking at funding, major online research
Sent out about 40 emails, let's see if we can get any investments or donations
Put up 250 special limited edition release pre-release dvd/blurays on Ebay
Added a paypal donate button to the website
Once sometimes twice a day posting on my facebook page to drive in more people.
Getting hits, getting clicks
Signed up with Commission Junction as well
Getting some people clicking through the google adsense
No where near enough to fund the entire movie
So, more emails to more people that fund big movies
None of the first people have came through with any funding yet
Well at this point, it's all out of pocket
Several thousand dollars, no investors
When it's all done, it'll all be worth it
May 1, 2011 : Would have been better beating my head against a wall rather then trying to raise funds
Atleast everyone is willing to work for food and deferred
Oh and google closed the account, no explaination why, just "in violation"
So I'm trying to find out what's going on, very uncooperative at this point
I've sent 4 seperate emails, not once has google responded.
This is very sad
So I setup a new account, removed the other ad's I had, and just hope that's the violation
If not, I'm sure they'll delete this one too :(
Part 2.1 The Celebrities
Started emailing famous Canadian Celebrities, if they could sign some autographs for my cast or something nice
maybe it would be better then actually getting paid (or atleast it's better then nothing)
I will only list the ones I received a reply from (I really do appreciate replys)
Whether good or bad, atleast I know if I got a reply, someone took the time to care
First person to write back (unfortunately said no). Miss Trish Stratus
That's ok, she's a busy lady.
It's been well over a week, and still only Trish Stratus has writen back
May 1, 2011 : Been about 3 weeks since the last update on Celebrities, no new news
Part 3. The Auditions
Started setting up auditions.
A few people sick
More people with previous engagments
Working on new days to get everyone in to auditions
Many people still not replied to my email yet
There's still time, no reason to panic yet
April 19 : Round 1 of auditions
Set people up pretty far apart, not knowing how long it would take
20% cancelled that morning with little notice about 40% just didn't bother showing up!
Thanks! It's appreciated
No problem, we'll setup round 2
April 26 : Round 2 of auditions
We know what to expect now, so we put people at 10 minute intervals
Good thing! Again, several cancelled that morning
Let me tell you the best story ever (atleast to me)
Our first person of the day verified the date and time with me
No show. Not the way I want to start our auditions out
One of our later auditions have called to get better directions
So that's good news
Next 2 show up (and were Great)
So, we arranged to take 1 back to the bus route, and pick up our lost one
Go, drop her off, there's no one there to pick up
Call her. "It was raining, I went in to a church
Oh, ok, we're here, we can't make it to you again, sorry, but you have time
Next auditions comes and goes
She's not here, it's a 5 minute walk
Our next audition cancels
Ok, let's go get her
So, 1 of us goes to pick her up (she passed the place)
Get there, she's not there, but there is a car parked in a parking lot
Pull up, yup, looks like her in the passenger seat, pulls up closer
Basically, a 60ish year old woman pulled up to the young girl, and told her how unsafe it was, and that she should get in her car
I admit, it might look "funny" auditions at a old farm house (but that's the location for shooting)
The poor girl, took public transit from Toronto to Courtice, was nervous
And had some old lady basically scare her in to not going to the audition
We do wish her all the best
April 29: Back to now
Setting up a few auditions for the last couple parts we need
Nearly everyone we offered a role to took it
Still very short handed for behind the scenes
May 1, 2011:
So in round 1 auditions, 1 chicken pox cancellation, several "sicks", some no shows
So in round 2 auditions, several "sicks", some no shows, 1 scared away
So in round 3 (which is today), 50% have emailed "sick", no time to set up more
We need 4ish people for some minor background roles still
Part 4 The 3 Days of Shooting
Day 1.
Ok, Friday the 13th, we are filming a horror movie!
This was not an intentional thing
Morning of the shoot, everything is set, looks great
12:00pm, one of the 2 main actresses cancels sent out massive emails, called people
Understudy works that night, too late of notice to have them call in
4pm, we still have no one willing to come and do the part
Show must go on we can rewrite the script, we can change one of the characters to a male role
We have no spare male bodies coming
I got it, we can have twins, yeah, that'll be a easy fix
5pm, our extremely talented leading actress shows up, we ask, yes, she will try and green screen the role
Should be simple we can fix it in post
You can't make a movie with out problems, we can work it out
Ok, so day 1, make up is on set setting up, actors and the actress on set
Director of photography on set
Outside location tarped and dry
We only have 2 flood lights, 1 spot light, and a small on camera light
It's only suposed to be a thunderstorm, we're fine, set up the lights outside
Tarps are ripped, ropes are loosening, everything is saging
We have 2 hours before the rain, we can shoot it
Get the axe, cut the tarps down, lets shoot this and get out of here it's raining hard now,
we're not done shooting, skip to the next scene and pray it stops raining
rains lighter, everyone take 10, and the director will get the lights moved back, Bobby came and helped
TJ came and helped, assuming they didn't stop for a drink or food yet either
Ok, finish filming in the rain
No time to film our intro scene, or the chase scene, our run time will be too low
We are shooting 2 hours behind schedule, but we've cut 2 scenes, so only
a hour behind
Several of our poor actors have been stuck waiting, and they came in early
Thank god they had patiences and understood
Make up team is bored, we have 3 people doing make up, but only 8 people who needed make up all
night get some great shots, some clips are grainy, We'll fix that in post, no problem
We didn't always remember to leave enough room for our twin actress,
that's ok, we'll find a way to fix it in post
We find room to sleep nearly everyone on the set, floor space is always available
Day 2.
Our dual leading actress needs clothes and boots for her alter-ego, let's go shopping
Scheduled to start shooting in the basement at 7pm
Her make up was scheduled to start at 6
7:45, finally starting shooting
Ok, basement scene, make shift lighting rigs, we got hot spots on walls, we got some uneven lighting
we're already behind in the shooting schedule, use the scenes, we can fix it in post
Next scene to start at 9:10, full black out side
Makeup is running alittle behind due to the effects
Everyone take 10
Think 10 turned in to 45
Now let me give you the make up (I scheduled) for the day
4 people needed make up at 6, shooting at 7
Only turned out to be 3 people due to the duality of Nicole, our lead actress
1 of them is a very time consuming part, lots of makeup needed
6:30, Our effected actor should be starting in makeup
7:30 we have 8 actors that just need basic makeup
So we're running behind in makeup, it's a much harder day on them no one else needs makeup until nearly 10
Looks like we needed to give them more time to due the effect and the matching of the previous days makeup
Nothing we can do now, lets push it out, get people on the set
We are running behind, it's nearly 10, we are shooting our difficult fight scene
Push through, do it on the quick side
One of the actresses we had was suposed to only be here for a 5 minute scene, we are so far behind
Ok, we can shoot that scene next
We need more run time, ok, actors and actress, go in here and make up a scene,
GO
That was about the extent of the direction they got from the director,
they did AMAZING (yes it wasn't perfect, but get 11 people to improve a scene with 2 takes!)
had an actress stay in a hotel on day 1, lets shoot their scene now and get them home
So our fight scene got cut and isn't pretty, we'll use what we got, we'll fix it in post
Now, our director of photography started off doing everything right, and we got really far behind
So, he had less time to set each scene, and less to shoot each scene, less takes, we have
to get it filmed
What ever the problems are, it's fine, we can fix it in post
Day 3 (of our 2 day shoot)
Let's start our day cop
Copying all the information from the memory cards to our computer
Memory card 1, all done, memory card 2 is started, got 5 files
Error reading file, ut oh, error reading next file, and the next file put it back in the camera, card is empty
UT OH
ok, we've had this happen before with pictures, we can save it
running program after program after program, no can't save em
Let's get new programs
Hey Stellar Phoenix Photo Recovery found the files, 47 bucks
Gotta have it
Just Nicole on a green screen today, should be a couple hours, we can start at 2 with makeup
Ok, 1 scene we didn't remember to mark and leave room for our green screened sister
fine, in alot of scenes we didn't, but we can fix most of that in post running up and down matching scenes to our angles, this should
work out great not enough room in our green screen room to get enough walking room
That's ok, I'm sure, we can fix it in post
8pm, pizza run
Just 1 last scene to finish
all set, don't know how it'll look in post
But Nicole was great
Any flaws in the movie, was from not having enough time to shoot
We should have had 6 full days scheduled, not only 2
So please remember that when watching, the actors never had a chance to do a rehersal
normally had 1 or 2 takes, and we normally took the 3rd they were underpaid, over worked, and didn't get alot of direction
But they were all well fed
Everyone did an amazing job, everyone had alot of funIt was an amazing weekend, and I cannot thank everyone enough for making it happen