5100 Project...Now With Mine Chase.

As I write this masterpiece, this opus, this great work of art I've decided to tone down the number of updates I give out.  Actually I plan to update only when I have something worth updating.  If I don't take this course of action then I'm writing an update every time I get an idea, change a font or pass wind funny.  We don't need that.  It's not called for.

Anyway, I'm plowing through the (still outlining phase) first draft of the screenplay so there is nothing much to report on that front.  It'll be done when it's done.  As I write one of the cool side effects is the plethora of funny, groovy, cool or just plain crazy ideas I have for parts of the movie.  One of the cool ideas I have is to include a mine car chase toward the third act.

A mine car chase?  You've got to be crazy!  No I'm not.  This is cool as it fits in with the story I'm trying to tell.  It should be pretty neat if I can implement it the way I want.

But, how are you going to pull that off?  Well, I'm not giving up all my secrets but I do have some ideas and if it works (and I think it will) then it will look/feel/taste groovy and be an excellent part of the flick.

Now, back to pounding on the key board.

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When in doubt, use a countdown.

I've just finished working out how the ending of my lil flick is going to go.  Other than timing and few other nitpicks I'm pretty happy with it.  It uses the old cliché of the counting down in minutes of some sort of destruction or catastrophe.

One thing I've been toying with is sharing the story with whomever is reading this.  I'd do this but there are a couple problems I can think of.

1. If everybody knows what the story is nobody will want to see the flick.
2. There is always some idiot who will steal what I put down, copyright it etc and then sue me for stealing "their" idea thus screwing me over.  This kind of crap happens in Hollywood all the time.

I'm not sure what I'll do but I do welcome some sort of input.

Now that I have the ending more or less worked out it's time to start working out the details of the whole story arc plus start developing the characters a bit more. 

I know this movie is going to be a bit silly but I believe that the characters need to be interesting and engaging so people will be interested in them and what happens to them.  Even in a movie like mine where it's pretty tongue in cheek the characters need an arc.  They need to change from beginning to end.  I also want them to be more than one dimensional too.

It's interesting that the creative process is something I both love and hate.  I love it when it flows and ideas are springing from other ideas.  It makes this part of the process much more easier.  I hate the getting into writing mode though.  I'd rather be in shooting mode and getting stuff on tape.  Also, editing and visual effects is fun too.  I do know that this part is necessary.  A script is your road map.  It tells you how to get where you want to go.  I tried shooting a movie with out writing the story down once.  It didn't turn out so well.

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Very rough outline done. Also, things that this movie will incorporate besides a groovy story.

I got the rough outline done this morning but it needs a lot of work.  Still have to adjust events that happen in a time line and the ending needs to be re-thought out and reworked.  The ending needs to be satisfying or people will call foul after investing time in the flick.

Now, about the movie.  If you were to see this flick listed in TV Guide or some other listing the plot line would go something like this:

Intergalactic aliens invade Earth to seek vengeance for a first encounter that went horribly wrong.

That's the gist of the story so now you know the basic arc.  For $1,500 that sounds pretty ambitious but wait, there's more.  The movie will also contain (within it's story) the following:

• A huge, giant ass that shoots out...
• Giant and explosive poo that is destructive to almost a nuclear level that...
• Destroys a city.
• A chase between the good guys and the bads through a massive cave system (think Indian Jones and the Temple of Doom).
• Massive gun fights between the good and bad guys.
• A huge stop motion animated boss fight at the end.
• Lasers!
• An attack on the giant ass (think the space battle in Return of the Jedi)
• and more!

I want this movie to be entertaining.  I don't want it to take it's self to seriously but I also don't want to break the fourth wall.  I also want to play up on more than a few science fiction alien abduction/invasion clichés so I'm working those into the script too.  In short I want the movie to be fun, silly and a joy to watch.  Am I asking for too much?

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The 1500 Project and an experiment in Stop Motion Animation.

As I've been brainstorming this story (I'll get more into story details at another time) I've decided that there should be final, climatic battle against the antagonist and the chief protagonist.  That's hero and villain to the uninitiated.  I want the main villain to be stop motion animated.

Special effects for the sake of special effects is a bad thing and it's true in the case of my little low budget gem.  However, I think stop motion animation would work perfectly for what I'm trying to accomplish.  You see, the story is about an alien invasion of Earth.  I thought it would be cool to have the Alien leader be some big monster looking thing.  I was thinking of modeling him (to a degree) on the Queen Alien from the Alien movies.  Hmm, somehow that fits.

Anyway, he will be big and pissed off.

So, why stop motion animation?  Simple!  I don't want to have to build it in Lightwave or Blender.  I'm pretty good at 3D CGI stuff but organic stuff still gives me the fits.  Hell, I don't draw organic stuff that well either. Heh.  Also, stop motion animation is a pretty retro effect that looks really cool.  It's also accessible to people who want to do a neat visual effect but don't know computers that well.

The only big hurdle I see is building an armature and actual model alien.  Animation is pretty straightforward if not time consuming.  I have ideas as how to pull this stuff off.  It's fun to let these ideas pop into your head and you figure a way out to make them work.

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Oh this crazy writing stuff. My mind's a blank!

I didn't plan on posting so soon but I've got a bit of writer's block to deal with this and I'm hoping that writing anything, even a post, will get the creative juices flowing again.  So, I've decided to write on writing.  Makes sense doesn't it?

I'm sure I'll post more on writing in the future but right now to eases the bad case of writer's block I've decided to write about my writing process.  The reason why I'm doing this is that I find it fascinating when other creative people write about what they do to be creative and hopefully this will be the same.

Isn't it fascinating that you can have tons of groovy ideas when you are going about your day doing anything but trying to put those ideas down.  Then the moment you sit down to collect those ideas into a coherent form, "POOF", they all vanish into a vaporous cloud of empty, inky blackness.  A void in which groovy ideas are destined to never escape from.  Or, if they do it's under great duress.

My writing process starts with an idea for a scene that might pop into my head.  There are many things that could trigger such an idea such as watching another movie, reading a book, drawing or just day dreaming.  Usually these ideas are nothing more than a concept that I can quickly work out as a few shots but usually not a complete scene.

When these ideas come it's a Godsend as idea begets idea and shot begets shot.  Soon, I'll have a sequence or even a scene mapped out in my head.  These usually give birth to more ideas, shots, sequences and scenes and before you know it I have a very rough outline of a basic story.  Nice, eh?

Of course my problem comes when I sit down to bring this stuff together.  Seems like these ideas are similar to free range chickens, happy and free to wander the plains of your imagination.  But as soon as  you try and reign them in and bring them under some kind of order they flee faster than an order fearing, fast thing fleeing an order inducing ordered person.  It sucks.

When I finally do subdue all my ideas in the form of a rough outline I try to brainstorm off my list of ideas and add sub items explaining everything that happens within those ideas.  Usually these can be worked out into scenes.  Then I try and break things down into shots but I usually try to be lenient as nothing can burn you out more than over analyzing the details.

I don't mind this part too much because as much as I complain about losing ideas and getting writer's block this part can also be fertile ground for new and more interesting ideas.  It's an evolutionary process and it shapes my stories into something that resembles a whole.

I prefer to overwrite, or write to much, and then trim the stuff out that I don't need.  As a matter of fact I try to do that as I find that I have less filler stuff when I write.  When I was first getting started in writing my screenplays I would have my few good ideas and the rest would be filler stuff.  This usually led to a boring story.  Filler usually means you haven't explored your story enough before trying to write down your screenplay.  Of course it's always more interesting to go from groovy idea phase to screenplay phase so you can get to the start shooting movie phase.  I'm impatient like that too.

When I plot out my stories and start writing them I use an excellent open source (free) piece of software called Celtx.  Not only does it let you write down your outline and screenplay but it also lets you put all of your scenes on cards and move the cards around as you work out your story.  I usually don't use that feature to much but I do like to start turning my outline into scenes after I got my outline done.  I guess a lot of writers write a treatment after the outline but I've never done this either.  Personally I think treatments are more for when you are trying to sell your script to someone.  I don't know, I might have to try writing a treatment one day as it may save me tons of grief when it comes to writing the actual screenplay.

When I do start writing the actual screenplay I try not to use camera directions (CUT TO, FADE TO, LOW ANGLE, etc.) as I believe that the screenplay must flow and draw you into the story.  All those "directions" are jarring and likely to bring you out of the story.  Also I believe it's the writer trying to direct the director.  I try to write things that describe what you are seeing so it suggests the shot over using all those directions.  For example:

WRONG WAY

CUT TO MED SHOT of Tom as he shuffles down the hallway.

ANGLE ON his feet as he almost trips from exhaustion.

CUT TO CU of his hand.  Blood runs down his hand and drips off his fingertips.

CUT TO CU of the floor as the blood impacts the floor.

MED SHOT of hallway and blood trail left by Tom.  He has lost a lot of blood.

RIGHT WAY

Tom shuffles down the hallway.  His feet dragging, almost tripping over his own exhaustion.  Rivers of blood flow from his sleeve tracing a trail to his fingertips where the droplets drip off at regular intervals and stain the floor.  He has lost a lot of blood.

Obviously it's only opinion but I feel the second version flows better, draws you into the story better and suggests the shots rather than dictating them.

After I get the screenplay written it's time to put it away for a few days and do some other stuff.  I'm to close to it and I need to get some distance from it so I can think objectively about it.  I then take it out and read it.  It's time to start editing it.  I try and point out the strong and weak areas.  I try and make sure the action flows through out the movie.  I dislike movies that have boring spots so I try to make sure my screenplays don't have them.  With exposition I try to show and not tell.  This is hard and sometimes impossible but I try to work around it.  It's time to rewrite now.  The old adage holds true here, at least for me.  I don't write, I rewrite.

Finally I just want to say this about how I plot my movies and some about overwriting.  When I plot, get ideas or etc. I feel it's important to know your story.  What is the story I'm trying to tell.  This seems easy enough but I believe it's to easy lose track of what story you are trying to tell.  My philosophy is that if you don't know where you are going with your story then you don't know how you are going to get to the finish.  If I don't have a clear idea of my story I write crap and I write it everywhere.

This is how I write and all the ideas are my own.  They may not be the best way to do things and I don't have much authority in the matter.  I'm not (at this moment) a person who makes my living by writing screenplays.  But, I do think I've learned a few things in the years that I've written my past screenplays no matter how bad they've turned out.

Okay, back to my movie now.  Later.

Posted via email from OttoMoBiehl Productions

Introducing "The 1500 Project". My Own Independent Movie.

Okay, I know it's not a good name or even an original name but it is a name and it's what I came up with in the heat of the moment.

Right now this is going to be a short post just to introduce the project and let people know what it is.  I'll give more details in later posts.

The 1500 Project is my code name for a low indie flick I'm going to produce.

The Story

Back in the late 90s a filmmaker by the name of Mark Pirro produced a flick called Color Blinded.  Not that it's an interesting movie or good movie (I haven't seen it) but the fact that he produced it for a budget of $500.  I'm assuming it made it's money back and more because he went on to make Rectuma and The God Complex.  From what I hear both of these were made for under $1,000 too.

Many people who think of low budget movies think of bad quality stuff that looks like it was shot with Uncle Eddies home video camera.  In other words, poorly acted home movies.  This is true to a degree.  My philosophy is that you can't take a grand and a consumer video camera and turn out a Saving Private Ryan.  You simply don't have the resources to do that.  However, if you shoot something that doesn't take it's self too seriously, shoot more documentary style (The Blair Witch style) and know your gear you can produce something that is charming and fun to watch.

What I'm Going To Do

"The enemy of art is the absence of limitations." - Orsen Welles

I've wanted to be a filmmaker since I've been a wee lad of 12 or so.  There is a certain magic to movies and...blah...blah...blah.  Right, enough with my childhood.

I want to make flicks as I've got stories to tell.  I've had many starts, more than a few false ones, and even a success.  I've fallen into the trap the to many people do when they want to make movies or produce an album or maybe have a career change or whatever.  They sit back in the warmth of their own comfort zone and muse, "I'll make my movie (or other life changing thing) when everything comes together and is just right."  Of course the problem is that things never, ever are "just right".  So, the best plan is to just do it.

The 1500 part in The 1500 Project stands for my budget.  For $1,500 I'm going to make a movie.  Whether it's fun to watch depends on the person.  But, there are prerequisites that I've set for myself on this.  They are as follows:

• It's got to have action and adventure.  This means no boring talky picture.  Sure, car chases, explosions and gun fights are cool but they complicate things.  This is good as it gets one thinking in a creative manner as how to solve these problems.
• Because some of my other favorite (and not so favorite) directors have gotten their start in low budget flick making I'm going to incorporate elements of their movies as an homage.

• Peter Jackson's first real flick was a movie called Bad Taste.  Though he spent about $20k making it the final product ended up costing over $100k.  Hardly low budget.  However the story was the idea of Aliens coming to Earth to harvest humans as food for their intergalactic fast food franchise.  So the central story of my flick will be Alien Invasion.
• Mark Pirro (not in my list of fave directors but still inspirational) produced his movie Rectuma for less than a grand.  His movie is about a man's ass that gets infected/possessed, detaches it's self from his body, grows to an enormous size and goes on a rampage in Los Angeles.  So, you know a movie like that is going to have poop and ass jokes/elements.  My movie will have that too.
• Robert Rodriguez's first flick, El Mariachi, was made for $7k and was a gritty action flick with bloody gunfights.  My flick will have bloody gunfights too.

Did you get that?  Alien invasion with poop and ass jokes/elements and bloody gunfights.  All made for $1,500 or less.

Writing

I have through the years written several screenplays.  I thought about making using one of them to make my flick with but there were a couple small problems. 1) I didn't write any flick about Gunfighting alien invaders ripe with ass and poop jokes or elements. 2) All my previous scripts aren't that good.  Sure I could rewrite them and I will but I'm going to start from scratch with this flick and plot out a new and exciting story.

In Closing

This post ended up being longer than I had anticipated.  Oh well, life goes on.  In posts to come I'll keep a journal about the making of this flick as an attempt to keep my focused and maybe somebody will find interesting to read.  I guess when I'm writing I'll be able to post more as I'll be at the computer more.  When I get to shooting and such I don't know how often I'll get to post.  I'm hoping it'll be everyday as it would be good discipline.  So, anybody who is following this/these posts feel free to comment, ask questions, criticize (creatively of course) or encourage me on.

Now, I'm off to plot.  Talk to you soon.

Posted via email from OttoMoBiehl Productions