On my way towards set, I felt a mixture of nervousness and excitement. All of the work and effort had led up to this moment. When I arrived on set, everything would be up to me. Luckily, having to pick up our audio guy provided a good distraction.
When I arrived, the crew had already begun to set up. The caterers were just finishing up, and everyone was beginning to work. When our actors arrived, we performed a small rehearsal. There is still no greater excitement then seeing lines you've read and imagined performed by actors. It's something magical that can only be experienced. After our rehearsal, everyone cleared out of the main area to let our gaffer and his crew go to work.
We waited for 3 hours until the initial setup was finished, and I learned a valuable lesson: every set needs one good grip. We had two grips that were not as experienced as I had hoped, and it made our initial set up much slower. I tried to keep the actors loose, go over lines. But all the while, all I could think about was how much time was left and whether I would be able to get everything. We had less than 7 hours, and I had about 15 pages to get through.
After our delay was over, we were finally able to start shooting. We spent the first hour and a half doing our master shot which I only planned to use part of. But with all the blocking, it ended up saving us time further down the line. The longer we worked, the more on schedule we became. Our DP, Martin Moody, worked like a machine with his crew and we were able to quickly change setups with minimal downtime.
We ended up finishing around 6am. We took everything out of the restaurant, and loaded it into our truck. I thanked my cast and crew for an amazing day, and drove back to North Hollywood. I collapsed on the bed and quickly fell asleep. I couldn't wait until I could wake up and get back to set the next day.
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Friday, March 22, 2013
Putting a Scene Together - Part 1
It's been a long while since I've written on my long neglected blog. But things have been busy...very busy. We found a restaurant willing to let us shoot. A small Mexican restaurant in East LA. They agreed to let us shoot for two nights, and make us food. With a location locked, and a crew set everything began to set in motion.
My first choice of cameras to shoot on was an Arri Alexa. But it ended up being out of my price range even with a very generous discount. I had resigned to shooting on a Red Scarlet with cheap lenses. But then arrived a great coincidence. A company I had previously freelanced for just got in their first Sony F55. A 4K camera that, after an in-depth test shoot, impressed both my DP and I greatly. It's ability to handle low-light, and ability to color was absolutely amazing. I was offered an incredible discount, and our DP happened to get his hands on a set of Cooke S4 lenses. Everything was truly falling into place.
Everything was set. This scene was finally about to happen. Months of hard work, scrounging and scraping for cash, was finally about to pay off. Check back later for part 2, our first day of production.
My first choice of cameras to shoot on was an Arri Alexa. But it ended up being out of my price range even with a very generous discount. I had resigned to shooting on a Red Scarlet with cheap lenses. But then arrived a great coincidence. A company I had previously freelanced for just got in their first Sony F55. A 4K camera that, after an in-depth test shoot, impressed both my DP and I greatly. It's ability to handle low-light, and ability to color was absolutely amazing. I was offered an incredible discount, and our DP happened to get his hands on a set of Cooke S4 lenses. Everything was truly falling into place.
Everything was set. This scene was finally about to happen. Months of hard work, scrounging and scraping for cash, was finally about to pay off. Check back later for part 2, our first day of production.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Restaurant Scouting
Now that our fundraiser was over, and we have money to shoot our first scene. It was time to go out and find it. The first scene takes place in a Mexican restaurant. We had one location that fell through, so it was up to me to find another. I enlisted the help Leo: of one of our translators, and a good friend of mine. Leo was getting over a cold, but was still good enough to come out and help me search.
What I was looking for is someplace rustic, kind of worn down, and kitschy. It should be a place that you recognize as a Mexican restaurant immediately from the background. Logistically, we needed someplace that is big enough to shoot in. But also has room to store equipment and have a holding area. The scene takes place at night, so we would require somewhere that will let us shoot overnight while the business is closed.
We started our search at King Taco downtown. We stepped inside, I took one look, and immediately left. Too big and it looked more like a McDonalds than a Mexican restaurant. We stopped at a few other places on Olvera Street, and found a few possibilities as far as look. But after talking to the owners or managers, they would not be able to accommodate us. These are the kinds of places that get a lot of tourists and foot traffic. So they have probably had more than one production approach them about shooting. And for our budget and what we're looking for, they're less receptive to us.
We expanded our search to East LA, and found two very promising restaurants. For those of you who haven't been. East LA isn't as bad as the movies make it out to be. It is a lower class neighborhood. But where we went had well-manicured lawns, and it seemed more like a suburb than the warzone it has the reputation of being. One restaurant gave me the number for the owner to call, and the other was very curious about the project. He said he would just have to get someone to be there while we shot, and would get back to me as soon as he could.
Leo was feeling tired, so I dropped him off back downtown. I headed back towards my neighborhood of North Hollywood to look at two more locations. One was too small, but did have the right look. The other was a restaurant that I frequented quite a bit and was my original idea of how the restaurant should look when I was writing.
I asked for the manager, and was told that he would be there in an hour. I returned an hour later, and talked to an older Mexican man who spoke poor English. I explained the project as best I could, and he seemed to be excited about helping us. He asked that I fax him a sheet on Monday explaining what I am trying to do, and would try to help us if he could after talking to his partner. So I left the restaurant feeling very excited.
So far, I'd say my first day of location scouting was a success. We're moving in the right direction, and the pieces are falling into place. Hopefully, I can shoot right near my own neighborhood, and really start to bring this project to life.
What I was looking for is someplace rustic, kind of worn down, and kitschy. It should be a place that you recognize as a Mexican restaurant immediately from the background. Logistically, we needed someplace that is big enough to shoot in. But also has room to store equipment and have a holding area. The scene takes place at night, so we would require somewhere that will let us shoot overnight while the business is closed.
We started our search at King Taco downtown. We stepped inside, I took one look, and immediately left. Too big and it looked more like a McDonalds than a Mexican restaurant. We stopped at a few other places on Olvera Street, and found a few possibilities as far as look. But after talking to the owners or managers, they would not be able to accommodate us. These are the kinds of places that get a lot of tourists and foot traffic. So they have probably had more than one production approach them about shooting. And for our budget and what we're looking for, they're less receptive to us.
We expanded our search to East LA, and found two very promising restaurants. For those of you who haven't been. East LA isn't as bad as the movies make it out to be. It is a lower class neighborhood. But where we went had well-manicured lawns, and it seemed more like a suburb than the warzone it has the reputation of being. One restaurant gave me the number for the owner to call, and the other was very curious about the project. He said he would just have to get someone to be there while we shot, and would get back to me as soon as he could.
Leo was feeling tired, so I dropped him off back downtown. I headed back towards my neighborhood of North Hollywood to look at two more locations. One was too small, but did have the right look. The other was a restaurant that I frequented quite a bit and was my original idea of how the restaurant should look when I was writing.
I asked for the manager, and was told that he would be there in an hour. I returned an hour later, and talked to an older Mexican man who spoke poor English. I explained the project as best I could, and he seemed to be excited about helping us. He asked that I fax him a sheet on Monday explaining what I am trying to do, and would try to help us if he could after talking to his partner. So I left the restaurant feeling very excited.
So far, I'd say my first day of location scouting was a success. We're moving in the right direction, and the pieces are falling into place. Hopefully, I can shoot right near my own neighborhood, and really start to bring this project to life.
Thursday, January 24, 2013
The Circus of Crowdfunding
As of this moment, our Indiegogo campaign is complete. After 30 days of Facebooking, emailing, tweeting, and every other method of online communication. We fell short of our fundraising goal. The total raised was $1,370 which is well short of our $9,000 that we were asking for. Crowdfunding is a weird animal all onto itself. You're relying on friends to part with their hard earned money for a project that they're not involved with. Some of whom you haven't spoken to for years. You kind of feel like your part of some sort of pyramid scheme, or your a door to door salesman.
In the end, we still have enough to shoot one scene which we will do in March. We'll then cut that scene together, and use it for a second round of promotions and fundraising. With the money that we raise, we'll shoot the rest of the film in April. In a way, not raising our budget is a kind of blessing. It forces us to think creatively on how to execute this film. It won't be easy, but it will be worth it.
In the end, we still have enough to shoot one scene which we will do in March. We'll then cut that scene together, and use it for a second round of promotions and fundraising. With the money that we raise, we'll shoot the rest of the film in April. In a way, not raising our budget is a kind of blessing. It forces us to think creatively on how to execute this film. It won't be easy, but it will be worth it.
Monday, January 14, 2013
Pressing ahead
Friday night was our first production meeting of the New Year. Since the launch of our fundraising campaign, everyone has been hard at work raising awareness about this film and attempting to get everyone to donate. We've had a lot of interest, but the results are not what we hoped for thus far. There was a bit of anxiety on my part going into this meeting. What is the next step? What if this project is just a sinking ship, and everyone just wants to jump off?
These thoughts ran through my mind as we waited nearly two hours to get a table at a sushi restaurant (apparently that's how long it takes to push two tables together). After ordering, we began going over our fundraising efforts and what else we can do to get this project made. It then became clear that I was working with a team that is fully intent on keeping their foot on the gas. That everyone really wants to see this project made.
Even though we're still far away from our fundraising goal. We couldn't be more positive. Everyone left the restaurant with a feeling that we will see this through to the finish. No matter what it takes, everyone will keep pressing ahead.
These thoughts ran through my mind as we waited nearly two hours to get a table at a sushi restaurant (apparently that's how long it takes to push two tables together). After ordering, we began going over our fundraising efforts and what else we can do to get this project made. It then became clear that I was working with a team that is fully intent on keeping their foot on the gas. That everyone really wants to see this project made.
Even though we're still far away from our fundraising goal. We couldn't be more positive. Everyone left the restaurant with a feeling that we will see this through to the finish. No matter what it takes, everyone will keep pressing ahead.
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Why Spanish?
While shooting the teaser my actress Marcela (who plays the part of the kidnapped Inez), asked me why I wanted to make a Spanish language film? My response should have been immediate. I could have mentioned about wanting to talk about immigration, and the troubles that are going on in Mexico. Or that Hispanics are a vast market that this story could appeal to. But none of those were the real reason I wanted to do a film in Spanish, or a foreign language. So it made me begin to think. Why indeed do a Spanish language film?
Being a biracial kid, my mother always made a point of teaching me about the various cultures that I was descended from. I often visited my Latvian grandmother, spent time with my African American relatives, and learned about my Native American heritage as well (apparently I'm Blackfoot Indian. And yes, that's a real Native American tribe). So my interest in foreign cultures began at a young age.
I was taught a few Latvian words, but my father never bothered with anything more than that. I wanted to try learning a foreign language, and there was a Spanish language class after class hours at my elementary school. I went once, and was instantly hooked. I loved finding out what other people called English words in their native language, and how sentences were strung together. I left my elementary school, but continued to learn Spanish until the 6th grade. I wish I had kept up my studies. It certainly would be helpful now that I'm making this film.
But why a film in Spanish? I want to present this story as authentic as possible. There are many films featuring character from other countries, but very few present them authentically. Usually it's just an outline based on generalizations. The first step in creating a real character, in my mind, is having him speak the language he would naturally use.
Being a biracial kid, my mother always made a point of teaching me about the various cultures that I was descended from. I often visited my Latvian grandmother, spent time with my African American relatives, and learned about my Native American heritage as well (apparently I'm Blackfoot Indian. And yes, that's a real Native American tribe). So my interest in foreign cultures began at a young age.
I was taught a few Latvian words, but my father never bothered with anything more than that. I wanted to try learning a foreign language, and there was a Spanish language class after class hours at my elementary school. I went once, and was instantly hooked. I loved finding out what other people called English words in their native language, and how sentences were strung together. I left my elementary school, but continued to learn Spanish until the 6th grade. I wish I had kept up my studies. It certainly would be helpful now that I'm making this film.
But why a film in Spanish? I want to present this story as authentic as possible. There are many films featuring character from other countries, but very few present them authentically. Usually it's just an outline based on generalizations. The first step in creating a real character, in my mind, is having him speak the language he would naturally use.
Monday, January 7, 2013
An Introduction
Fair Trade is the story of an undocumented immigrant struggling to turn his life around. Cesar fled from northern Mexico, escaping a life as an employee of the La Familia Michoacana drug cartel. His life as an undocumented worker is hard. But in this hardship he has found a sense of joy and freedom. One night, he is confronted by a Federal Agent who presents him with a unique offer: if he helps the agent commit suicide, Cesar will receive a green card.
The concept for this movie came about during the Christmas of 2004. While living in Chicago, I had been watching weeks of evening news covering two stories. One was the case of Terry Schiavo where two sides of a family argued over whether a woman diagnosed as being in a prolonged vegetative state should be taken off life support. At the same time, massive immigration protests were occurring nationwide by undocumented residents struggling to attain legal rights. From this the story of Fair Trade was born.
I wrote it a few months later intending to shoot it the next year as a short film in it's native language of Spanish. It was shelved, then found again, then rewritten, put away again, and then finally brought back for good. After being in Los Angeles for 3 years, I decided this now the right moment to make this film. A crew has been nearly assembled, a teaser has been shot, and we are raising funds as I write this. For those who choose to follow along with me, I'll share with you every pitfall and triumph. Please support us on our Indiegogo page. And in the end, we will have all made something truly special.
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