Owner: Tree - The making of a short film URL:http://fundmyshort.blogs.com/tree Join Date: Thu, 24 Aug 2006 12:53:59 -0500 Rating:1 Site Description: A production blog. Follow the ups and down of filmmaking on a budget, from script to screen and beyond. Site statistics:Click here
The Finishing Line 2007-04-25 15:41:15 It's over.
Last week saw all the final finishing touches come together into a completed film. Rushes delivered the effects shots to us. A big thanks to Carl and the gang for fitting little old us in round their busy schedule of high profile film and commercial work.
We also mixed the sound design and music at Fonic. Simon's music and Barnaby's sound design meshed brilliantly to create a wonderful soundscape that really elevates the film to new heights.
Then, last night Tree was shown at the Rich Mix cinema along with the other Tower Hamlets and Hackney funded films to an invited audience of filmmakers and friends. It was a great evening, and like last year, there was a really impressive line up of films. I'm sure all of them will go on to find an audience at festivals around the world.
Its been quite a year, and I have enjoyed making this film immensely. It has afforded me the opportunity to work with some brilliant new pe
The Grade 2007-04-24 18:37:02 On Wednesday, Pete, Liz and myself spend the day in the company of the fantastic Rob Pizzey, who can be found at Soho Images.
As a Digital Colourist, Rob is responsible for grading the film; that is playing with the colours, hues, contrast, and tones that give the film its final look. Rob has graded such recent films as Tideland, Black Book, and Red Road amongst many others, and we were very fortunate they were able to squeeze us in between work on two features.
Before our Grading session Peter and myself had spent an evening in front of Photoshop playing with some images to rough out the look we were after. This proved really useful, as Rob was able to quickly translate that look to our footage with stunning results. (see image above) We where then able to spend the rest of the time being creative with masks, grads, and vignettes.
Being able to grade the film this way means that we now have a very unified look and feel that adds tremendously to the fairy tal Read more:Grade
A New Banner 2007-04-09 19:17:32 A new banner for the blog, and I'm starting to think about a web site too. Read more:Banner
Time Consuming Titles 2007-04-09 19:08:13
It feels like it has taken forever to complete the end credits to this film. So many names to get right, so many people to thank. In the end we have decided to stick with Tree as the title. Nothing else quite fitted.So we were at Soho Images last week placing them against our picture. I had pre rendered everything the night before on my old but trusty laptop, so it should have been just a case of handing over the files and placing them into the time-line, which is what we did very successfully until we got to the end roller and I suddenly spotted the typo "Camera Tranees" A quick correction, and a little wait for the file to re-render and we were back on track though.
Its good to know we are not the only film in the final throws of completion, fellow awardee Lizzy, is also racing to finish her film, which I can' t wait to see.
http://newsfromthebog.blogspot.com/
Read more:Titles
What's Been Happening? 2007-03-13 16:10:09 I'll tell you.
A few weeks ago we did an ADR session with Beth and Clive at Fonic. We were there to recapture the vocal performances we had lost to faulty equipment during the shoot. It was a strange afternoon spent recording all manner of heavy breathing, gasps, squeals, and gurgles.Previous to that Fonic had got Foley Artist Sue Harding to recreate all the countless physical sounds that the characters make as they interact with their environment. These ranged from foot falls on the ground, to the creeky sounds of someone wearing leather jacket.As well as all that, Simon Allen has been writing the musical score which we got to hear. It never fails to amaze me how much music can lift the visuals to a new level. In the next couple of weeks the music and sound will be given a final mix.
Liz and myself have been collating the names of all the wonderful people who have helped us this past year, and adding them to the credit list which I will post her Read more:Happening
Beth Winslet 2007-01-29 22:55:26 It is a bit of a cliche to say it, but Beth really does have one of those smiles that lights up a room, which is a real shame as there was not really much call for smiling in our script, quite the opposite in fact.
In the film, Beth plays a woman in a very melancholy state of mind, but she was able to imbue the character with a real vulnerability and compassion. With no dialog to hang the performance on it could have been so easy to over act the part, but Beth delivered an incredibly restrained and understated performance that, because of it, carries a much greater emotional punch. In short, Beth gave us everything we had hope for in the character and more.
Beth kindly wrote this for the blog:
"When I met Phil and Liz for the first time, They put me through a
tricky improv session (my worst kind of audition!) but using the framework of
the script, for the first time ever, I found myself enjoying it. Then
suddenly i got that scary feeling of 'I
Title Race 2007-01-29 17:36:19 My team Crystal Palace are languishing mid table in the Championship at the moment, so don't worry, this is not a post about football. No, it is about the ongoing search for a new and more fitting title for the film.
Thanks to everyone who have been racking their brains, offering suggestions. The current runners are as follows:SymbolWindfallThe RewardEnclosureThe TreeHeartwood
Heartwood is the clear favorite at the moment by a furlong, but there is still time for late entries. Read more:Title
Supporting Cast 2007-01-28 12:15:26 This is Sykes. Cute isn't he!
Sykes was part of our supporting cast on the film It would be fair to say that he was also one of the most experience crew members, having worked on numerous adverts, TV shows and feature films, with some of the biggest names in the biz.
Having never worked with animals before I was a little worried how it would impact on our tight shooting schedule.I'd be lying if I said he didn't effect it, as even at a greatly lower rate than he was used to working for, we still could only afford to have him on location for 2 days, so that meant that the schedule sort of revolved around him.
But like a true star he is, when he was called on to perform, he did his stuff, hit his marks, and made everyone smile.
Now for some sad news.
One of our other supporting cast came crashing down during the high winds that lashed the country last week.
This tree played a small but significant role in the film and it was a real surprise to see it uprooted.&n
Gummy Bear Dance 2007-01-17 16:05:13 Ok bear with me here...
There is a rather infectious/irritating (depending on your point of view) viral animation clip spreading across the Internet at the moment called Gummy Bear Dance
. Its in the crazy frog mold and once you've heard the song it will burrow into you brain like a parasite.
Your humming it already arn't you!
What's this got to do with TREE?
Well my friend Peter Dodd designed and animated the cheeky little bear, that has been seen by some 5 million people at this point. You should check out his site if you have a mo.
Yeah, but what has this to do with TREE?
Oh. Well Mr Dodd is the first person to come up with an alternative title for the film. His suggestion is "WINDFALL" which is not bad at all.
New Title? 2007-01-15 14:20:57 Ain't it always the way, you wait round for ages then two post appear at once!
TREE is the working title of our film, but now is the time to start thinking seriously about finding a more appropriate name to encapsulate our film. It's a problem have been thinking about for months, and was hoping that inspiration would hit. Sadly it has not.
So if anyone has a suggestion - feel free to comment.
It needs to be memorable, poetic, concise, and convey the idea of "crossed paths" without being to on the nose.
Read more:Title
, New Title
Cast & Crew Screening 2007-05-01 16:27:02 We are trying to organize a date and venue for the Cast and Crew screening at the moment. It won't be until the beginning of June, but we'll email everyone once it's confirmed.
Stay Tuned.
Read more:Screening
Movie Mogul Fund 2007-05-17 13:34:41 I got a email from the fellows over at Movie Mogul
Fund today, promoting their web site which has now gone live.
The idea behind the site is to build an online community based funding scheme for Short Films and Low Budget features.
Their mission "is to create the ultimate resource for filmmakers and film
lovers alike. Not only a film fund, but also a place to network,
showcase, develop new skills, get your films made, and kick-start new
careers."
It sounds like a great concept, and I really hope it works.
a D.O.P's P.O.V 2007-07-06 09:55:49 It's been a while since I last posted. We still have not had the cast and crew screening! Sorry Everyone.
However I'm very pleased to bring you a guest post from our Director of Photography, Peter Ellmore, who gives an indepth account of the work methods and choices that went into making TREE.
------------------------------
PRE -PRODUCTION
During prep for ‘Tree’ director Phil Dale and I looked at a variety of shooting options including several High Def cameras and Digital formats. We kept coming back to film, as it seemed the best choice and the most workable option for us. Ultimately, the film had a very modest budget but we were determined to get a very cinematic look. The great thing about a film camera is that you can pick it up and shoot. No need to worry about cables, computers and wires. As the film takes place entirely in a wood these were major considerations.
FILM STOCK
I tested four film stocks – opting for faster stocks as we were shooting under
Encounters Film Festival 2007-08-07 07:50:43 Been a bit busy of late shooting a new film, as well as a camping trip in Dorset, but came back today to this great news. TREE has been selected to screen in competition at this years Encounters
Short Film Festival
.
‘The UK's most important short film festival’ The Guardian
Encounters
2007… presenting a major celebration and leading competitive showcase
of short film from around the globe. A unique forum for emerging talent
and established industry alike designed to nurture creativity and
innovation.
13th International Encounters Short Film Festival
Wed 21 - Sun 25 November 2007
Watershed, BristolBig hugs to everyone! Well Done.
www.encounters-festival.org.uk/
This time last year... 2007-10-04 10:09:12 ...We we shooting our film. There is a definite smell to Autumn and I think its the wet leaves. I caught a whiff of it the other day and it brought back the memories of that weeks filming a year ago.
And as a nice present to mark the passing of a year we were one of only a handful of films to be Highly Recommended in the Turner Classic Shorts competition this year.
Congratulations to the six finalist.
Read more:last year
This time last year... 2007-10-04 10:07:00 ...We were shooting our film. There is a definite smell to Autumn and I think its the wet leaves. I caught a whiff of it the other day and it brought back the memories of that weeks filming a year... Read more:last year
Encounters Film Festival 2007-08-07 07:38:56 Been a bit busy of late shooting a new film, as well as a camping trip in Dorset, but came back today to this great news. TREE has been selected to screen in competition at this years Encounters
Short Film... Read more:Festival
a D.O.P's P.O.V 2007-07-06 09:32:06 It's been a while since I last posted. We still have not had the cast and crew screening! Sorry Everyone. However I'm very pleased to bring you a guest post from our Director of Photography, Peter Ellmore, who gives an...
Movie Mogul Fund 2007-05-17 06:34:41 I got a email from the fellows over at Movie Mogul
Fund today, promoting their web site which has now gone live. The idea behind the site is to build an online community based funding scheme for Short Films and...
Cast & Crew Screening 2007-05-01 09:21:26 We are trying to organize a date and venue for the Cast and Crew screening at the moment. It won't be until the beginning of June, but we'll email everyone once it's confirmed. Stay Tuned. Read more:Screening
The Finishing Line 2007-04-24 11:24:51 It's over. Last week saw all the final finishing touches come together into a completed film. Rushes delivered the effects shots to us. A big thanks to Carl and the gang for fitting little old us in round their busy...
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