Just had my real time filmschool 101

Maybe this blog entry would b one heck of a complain list of mine. Actually no. Maybe the experience that I had these past few days serves as my realistic filmmaking lessons to my soon to be filmmaking career. I really can't imagine that alot of things had happened to me in just 3 days. I can't imagine why it happened to me all at once...sometimes I'm thinking that maybe the "God of Films" is testing me in someway. And so I just had a real taste of what filmmaking is like...

ISSUE 1:
3 days ago I was asked for an interview for the cinemalaya film festival (WOW i'm gonna be one of the finalist!)...well officially all of us are just "being considered" they sent an email to me with out a "congratulations!" so it means we will still undertake some interviews or whatever. So anyway the interview day comes..again I asked the cinemalaya secretary if I should be bringing something before the interview and as usual she said no. So there I was in the interview, felt like I'm in an interrogation room or something with the Cinemalaya organizers. To cut the story short I was asked to make a short film or few sequences from my script they required me to make some because of my lack of directing experience in narrative films...ofcourse they got a point but the problem was I need to start the production with just 2 days before deadline to finish it!!!! yep 2 DAYS!!!! from the story, production, editing. They want us to make miracles.  I was really shocked and didn't know what to do. But I got no choice it's a make make or break situation...and it's a big one to just break away from it. And so I picked up the pieces of my brain screws...and start thinking....I'm really glad that a good friend of mine who happens to be a director/DOP himself is continuously helping and guiding me...he's a cool guy and he helped me all the way from the camera to some actors/crew and by the way I got no budget for this one. But it was necessary so I spend out some cash for this thing. And so we had formed a small team and contacted the dude who gave me a "friendly fee" for his panasonic P2. thnx joe! and so I was glad that I could start this thing....

ISSUE 2:
The location....the concept for the short film was supposed to be in a school...a quiet empty school...but since they only gave me 2 days to stuff this thing..I couldn't get an exact location for the shoot cause it's weekdays, and during weekdays kids go to school...I tried to contact my formal schools and other schools that would be worth trying but it's almost impossible to get the exact location. And So I went to plan B: change location. And so I also chaged the script 'cause the dialogues are somewhat linked with the dialogue. Oh yeah It was also a pain in the ass. So anyway from the school setting I've decided to change the location to an old abandoned house...ofcourse not necessarily abandoned...we make it work as long as it has the character. But I really had a hard time especially time is ticking away fast...I need to find a suitable location. I tried to call up some of my friends who have some extra space especially i they have an old pad...oh by the way the film concept is supposed to be horror/suspense that's why I needed character settings. SO Anyway I was really glad (at first) when one of my friend offered his house for the prod. my mind was already sailing when I thought everything was going smooth...not until when my friend told me the location can't be used for the prod. Are you kidding me?! it was 11pm and the location is not available!!! The reason behind it was his fucked up brother who never came home suddenly showed up...bossy...and yeah fucked up...that's why my friend could lend me their location 'cause his brother's all fucked up and might mess up with us. Yeah he's that fucked up...well anyway I saw in my friends eyes the embarrassment but he couldn't do anything for the moment. And so in the middle of the night I stayed up texting...calling friends for an old house..man that was a crtical thing...gladly I was given an "allelujah" moment when one of my friends got an old house that they converted the ground floor as office and the upper floor is almost abandoned (perfect!) no more distractions this time and we were good to go for the shoot. It's cool if you're nice and you got nice friends too.

ISSUE 3
the Post....all went well in the production...the staffs and the talents were cool...actually there's only five of us including the talents...you see how rushed everything was...everyone had their shares of laughs...so anyway it's pack up time. I remembered it was arund 5pm when we called it a day. Then it's time to transfer the P2 files to a mac computer, and time to return the cam. so we went to the guys house. returned the cam, paid the rental fee, and got the files from the shoot. So I got home around 8pm. immediately get all the files from my external HD and I was ready to edit the thing...I erased some files from my computer, it takes me 30 minutes, transfering another thirty minutes, doing the rough cute around 1 more hour... so in short it was 11pm everything's doing fine, until I realized that some shots that we took were gone...and those were important shots...again I was completely anxious...again 11pm...the curse hour! Then eventually the missing footages were recorded on the other memory card so in a way I was kinda relieved bu the problem was how to get it, he could send it online because the files ate up around 1.5gb and so I got only one choice...to rushed to his place to grab those files..yeah at 11pm...so anyway I got the files and startediting it. Oh I officially start editing at around 1230am...so officially I got only 18 hours left before submitting the final demo. I hardly noticed the time when I edit...and so it was already 12pm in the afternoon...I said "well I still got 6 hours left" then as hours passed by...it came down to 3pm and the cinemalaya secretary suddenly texted me saying I should deliver the finish thing at 530...man it feels like my lifeline starts to dry out and I haven't finished editing it yet!!! man again I was in a nervous situation...I start walking back and forth when I start exporting and burning the file. Until 4pm comes!!!! 2 hours left....it's gonna be a "run lola run" kinda thing that I'll do....but gladly with my wisdom, agility and strength I managed to submit it on the location!!!! 30 minutes earlier man!!! just beat the buzzer...

So now all I can do is wait. It's now out of my hands, I'm sure I did my best. ALthough there were 1st day shoot jitters but got no choice but just to keep on shooting. And although I'm not impressed with my direction...but still it's an "ok" short film....oh by the way in case if you're curious how much the production was:

talents: (2) php1,000= 2,000  (US$40)
camera: php2,500 ($50)
DOP = friendly meals and commuter's fee! = php 200 ($5)
A.director = friendly meals and commuter's fee! = php 350 ($8)
Other misc. (including transpo) = php600 ($10)

So all in all I spent around  5, 500 = $113


enjoy film making!!!!