I've been gone for so long!
Nooo, I didn't get arrested for trespassing. I've just been working hard as hell on the movie. I'm at least halfway done now!
You guys deserve to see the trailer!
I'll get back to following eventually, but for now... there's work to be done!
Thank you all so much for the support.
peace
About
One Man Movie (OMM) is a short, 6-8 minute action flick that is being made entirely by myself. I'm doing the writing, directing, acting, editing, music, graphics, and promotional stuff with no help from anyone else.
And no, I did not build the camera from scratch, write the software, create the fonts, effects packs, nor the characters clothing. Those are all props and tools. What's a man without his tools?
Despite the the short length of the film, it will be weeks (months?) from now before it is completed due to the technical craziness required in order to have multiple characters played by the same person coexist and interact on the same screen. It shouldn't be a problem though. Just time consuming.
This blog will follow my day-to-day experiences on developing and releasing the film, mainly because I need SOMEONE to rant to so I don't leak it to real life people.
I started the project in early September, when I wrote the story and created the musical score. From then until late September, I fleshed out the story, collected props, and finally bought a slightly better camera. Filming began in late September.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Sunday 10/24 - More than Hope.
Last night, I shot the control room scenes in my house, that I've been meaning to do forever. They'll take some time to edit, but once it's all done, it should be another 1 minute completed. 2 out of 7 minutes, guys, that's like almost 1/3rd done!
And I think I found a new replacement filming location. Of course nothing will ever beat the almighty abandoned mine, I will instead film at some old sheds behind the place my mom boards (keeps her horse) at. The old lady who lives there knows me, and I know I can certainly get permission. I spent many summer mornings raking up weeds at this place (still haven't gotten paid, though). This is also where I filmed the split screen/car explosion scene that I keep re-editing and re-posting here.
Aside from that place, there is also a neat little location under a bridge where I will film some of the scenes towards the end of the movie.
Now for content!
How's my green-screening and texture-making look? Good? Good, 'cuz my acting and writing sucks :P
And I think I found a new replacement filming location. Of course nothing will ever beat the almighty abandoned mine, I will instead film at some old sheds behind the place my mom boards (keeps her horse) at. The old lady who lives there knows me, and I know I can certainly get permission. I spent many summer mornings raking up weeds at this place (still haven't gotten paid, though). This is also where I filmed the split screen/car explosion scene that I keep re-editing and re-posting here.
Aside from that place, there is also a neat little location under a bridge where I will film some of the scenes towards the end of the movie.
Now for content!
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Saturday 10/23 -
I spent most of mid-day trying to get inside the abandoned mine. There were a ton of recreationalists driving around in the desert on their quads, atvs, mopeds, whatevs. I didn't want to look suspicious just wandering around, so I hid in a large crevice in the wash. I filmed a little scene in there, to be used much later in the movie than where I currently am trying to film.
Everyone left after like 3-4 hours. It sounds like a long time, but I would've stayed there all day if I had to. If I went home, I'd just wish I could go back. I've been wanting to get in here all week.
So I go just barely into the site from the desert end. I observed the site in front of me for few minutes, and I notice some things. I hear what sounds like metal dragging on the ground, and I see smoke/dust rising up near the front entrance. I go just a little further in and stand behind a bush. Then a white truck that I never noticed before starts driving towards my end! Oh shit! I zip the fuck out of there. (<-- worst sentence in the English language). I jumped over a barbed wire fence, jumped off the cliff-like edge of the wash, and ran across the wash into the desert. All of what would be like a quarter mile of running, happened in a blur. Either I was really fast, adrenaline, or a combination of the two. Then my head cramped like crazy and I knew I was dehyrdrated. I rationed what little water I had left.
Somehow I managed to make it back to the car, and back home in one piece.
I wasted my day (actually no, it's only 3:15 in the afternoon as I type this), and my "super-cool filming location" has been compromised, but at least I don't have to worry about it anymore. I will find another place, and in the meantime, I can work on other parts of the movie.
Bye for now. I'm gonna go edit that little scene I filmed in the crevice.
I'll respond to comments/read your blogs/etc. later, I swear!
Everyone left after like 3-4 hours. It sounds like a long time, but I would've stayed there all day if I had to. If I went home, I'd just wish I could go back. I've been wanting to get in here all week.
So I go just barely into the site from the desert end. I observed the site in front of me for few minutes, and I notice some things. I hear what sounds like metal dragging on the ground, and I see smoke/dust rising up near the front entrance. I go just a little further in and stand behind a bush. Then a white truck that I never noticed before starts driving towards my end! Oh shit! I zip the fuck out of there. (<-- worst sentence in the English language). I jumped over a barbed wire fence, jumped off the cliff-like edge of the wash, and ran across the wash into the desert. All of what would be like a quarter mile of running, happened in a blur. Either I was really fast, adrenaline, or a combination of the two. Then my head cramped like crazy and I knew I was dehyrdrated. I rationed what little water I had left.
Somehow I managed to make it back to the car, and back home in one piece.
I wasted my day (actually no, it's only 3:15 in the afternoon as I type this), and my "super-cool filming location" has been compromised, but at least I don't have to worry about it anymore. I will find another place, and in the meantime, I can work on other parts of the movie.
Bye for now. I'm gonna go edit that little scene I filmed in the crevice.
I'll respond to comments/read your blogs/etc. later, I swear!
Friday, October 22, 2010
Friday 10/22 - Too Confusing
Today was great. I talked to one of the kids who made the video where I learned about that place. Awesome! They go there all the time and park in front and everything! Great :D
and I have almost no homework.
But noooo, I got paranoid about this trespassing business. I looked up trespassing online and it's really illegal anyway, despite how "abandoned" it is, because apparently even "abandoned" property is owned. Apparently people still own their property even when they don't pay taxes on it. And then these people don't care care of it, which just encourages trespassing because people think it's abandoned, and blah...
So I go there anyway, because being a depressed miserable blob for the rest of my life feels about equal to the prospect of getting arrested, at this point, so I might as well take the risk of checking it out.
But I got there and there was an SUV parked outside. The vehicle had an NRA (National Rifle Association) bumper sticker and some other silly stickers like that. I bet the guy would shoot me if I went in there. Especially if I had my fake guns with me. Ugh.
so depressing
I'm going tomorrow morning. Early. I'm parking a mile away and walking there. I'm gonna film, too, after I explore. I will do it all in the same trip and improvise.
doing things alone is so hard.
and I have almost no homework.
But noooo, I got paranoid about this trespassing business. I looked up trespassing online and it's really illegal anyway, despite how "abandoned" it is, because apparently even "abandoned" property is owned. Apparently people still own their property even when they don't pay taxes on it. And then these people don't care care of it, which just encourages trespassing because people think it's abandoned, and blah...
So I go there anyway, because being a depressed miserable blob for the rest of my life feels about equal to the prospect of getting arrested, at this point, so I might as well take the risk of checking it out.
But I got there and there was an SUV parked outside. The vehicle had an NRA (National Rifle Association) bumper sticker and some other silly stickers like that. I bet the guy would shoot me if I went in there. Especially if I had my fake guns with me. Ugh.
so depressing
I'm going tomorrow morning. Early. I'm parking a mile away and walking there. I'm gonna film, too, after I explore. I will do it all in the same trip and improvise.
doing things alone is so hard.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Thursday 10/21 - Nearing Freedom
Finally, I don't have a huge homework assignment to worry about.
But I can't jinx it, and that goes for everything. Last time I had a ton of free time and was in a good mood, I dislocated my shoulder in bed. I'm not religious, but I'm praying that nothing bad is going to delay progress any more.
I drove by "the site" today. Good news. There are two front entrance gates, and one of them is completely torn up. All of the signs are vandalized, and there is a gaping hole (large enough for people, and probably used for just that) in the gate. The other gate looks okay, but was further away from the road. There is an intact "No Trespassing" sign on the clean gate. But hey, if the place wasn't abandoned, then why haven't the owners bothered to fix up that first gate? It's a safe bet that this place is abandoned, but I want to be sneaky until I can explore the whole place.
I want to film some scenes in my garage, but I'm waiting for a time when both my parents will be out of the house. These scenes should complete another 30 seconds to 1 minute of the movie, nearing me 20%.
This weekend, I will begin massive filming on "the site" as long as ^all of the above gets finished. I can't wait.
peace.
But I can't jinx it, and that goes for everything. Last time I had a ton of free time and was in a good mood, I dislocated my shoulder in bed. I'm not religious, but I'm praying that nothing bad is going to delay progress any more.
I drove by "the site" today. Good news. There are two front entrance gates, and one of them is completely torn up. All of the signs are vandalized, and there is a gaping hole (large enough for people, and probably used for just that) in the gate. The other gate looks okay, but was further away from the road. There is an intact "No Trespassing" sign on the clean gate. But hey, if the place wasn't abandoned, then why haven't the owners bothered to fix up that first gate? It's a safe bet that this place is abandoned, but I want to be sneaky until I can explore the whole place.
I want to film some scenes in my garage, but I'm waiting for a time when both my parents will be out of the house. These scenes should complete another 30 seconds to 1 minute of the movie, nearing me 20%.
This weekend, I will begin massive filming on "the site" as long as ^all of the above gets finished. I can't wait.
peace.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Wednesday 10/20 - More Real-Life Delays
Sorry, I've had lots of homework lately so I'm once again behind schedule and am neglecting the blog and my followers. Actually, I don't have lots of homework, I've just had to memorize a 31-line-long monologue from a Shakespeare play for English. Hopefully I'll be free tomorrow, but my other classes have had a suspicious lack of homework this last few days, so it's likely I'll be ambushed by other assignments. Not stupid ones like this one though.
I AM done memorizing the assignment, but I have to retain the knowledge for another 15 hours, so I can't really read other things (your blogs) for now.
peace.
I AM done memorizing the assignment, but I have to retain the knowledge for another 15 hours, so I can't really read other things (your blogs) for now.
peace.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Monday 10/18 - Maybe it IS abandoned!
I finally found out the address of the location. What was especially confusing is that the internet says there are 3 different businesses there. A landfill, a business that produces sand or gravel, and a place that specializes in "stone-crushed" and "broken stone mining."
I took the advice of fellow blogspot-er, Crunky (thanks Crunky) and checked the county website to see if the property taxes at this address have been paid. If I'm reading this correctly, they haven't paid property taxes since the first half of 2007! Hurray. With all this proof of it being abandoned, I decided to talk about it with my parents. They're cool with it. I think my dad's actually gonna drive me down there sometime. I'm so sheltered :3
abandoned = good
I don't think the other side of the wash, where that old car was, is abandoned. I haven't actually checked that address' tax records, but I forgot to mention yesterday that I saw a horse being kept in a stall there, so there's definitely a human living there or checking by regularly.
Hopefully I can start filming there by Friday. Before then, I will try and film some indoor scenes that I've been putting off/unsure of exactly how to pull off. I just need to wait for both my parents to leave so they don't have to hear my shitty acting.
peace
Rough draft of explosion.
I took the advice of fellow blogspot-er, Crunky (thanks Crunky) and checked the county website to see if the property taxes at this address have been paid. If I'm reading this correctly, they haven't paid property taxes since the first half of 2007! Hurray. With all this proof of it being abandoned, I decided to talk about it with my parents. They're cool with it. I think my dad's actually gonna drive me down there sometime. I'm so sheltered :3
abandoned = good
I don't think the other side of the wash, where that old car was, is abandoned. I haven't actually checked that address' tax records, but I forgot to mention yesterday that I saw a horse being kept in a stall there, so there's definitely a human living there or checking by regularly.
Hopefully I can start filming there by Friday. Before then, I will try and film some indoor scenes that I've been putting off/unsure of exactly how to pull off. I just need to wait for both my parents to leave so they don't have to hear my shitty acting.
peace
Rough draft of explosion.
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