Not so black & white.

Life's Ups and Downs

The lame shit you might write in a diary that you hope no one reads, but I'll be posting it here.
There was a time when we didn't have constant access to entertainment, but with the advent of the internet and progress in technology we have almost limitless choice now.

In fact it wasn't that long ago we had just two channels, neither of which started till late afternoon (and both finished at midnight). I'm kind of glad that we didn't have more to choose between though, because I was the remote control at the time. I'd usually sit on the floor near the tv because it was so tiny, but also it meant not having to walk across the room every time someone wanted the channel changed.

Our first tv was a black and white portable, I got so used to watching it I could almost identify colours by their shade of grey (or so I thought). My mam would ask questions like "what happened to detective investigating the case" and I'd be like "that guy in the blue suit framed him". She'd glance at me with a slightly confused look on her face and then back at the screen where everyone was dressed in shades of grey.

Eventually we got a second-hand colour tv that looked like something Ron Burgundy might own, with a rich mahogany finish (but was actually cheap plastic). For about six months we got to see everything in living colour, until the night Roger Moore turned up in 'GOLD' (as usual the films on tv were generally at least ten years old).

So there I was watching Roger do his thing, and it got to the scene where they blow up the mine.
I'm not sure if it was the noise of the explosion, the sudden flash of brightness or just coincidence but just as the mine blew up BANG the tv exploded. For a few seconds I sat there in shock with the hairs standing on the back of my neck, partially due to fright and partially to do with the sudden burst of static electricity.

The white dot at the center of the screen faded away as a small puff of black smoke exited the back of the tv, hailing its demise. I never did see the end of the film, which is odd as it's so accessible with today's technology. Maybe because we have so much choice now it makes the decision on what to watch harder.

Back then you couldn't pause live tv, you could only record one channel at a time, so you had to really invest something of yourself to watch a film. You had to be present in the moment because if you missed something then you might not see it again. If you had to take a piss or make a sandwich, it was like - which do you want more, do you want to fulfill a basic human need or do you want to find out what happens..... (As it turns out most of us would rather feed our curiosity).

Usually I try to finish this up with a point, so here it is.... Next time you're doing something try to be present. Sure you could look at your phone while you also try to watch a film, or message your friends on facebook while you ignore the person who actually chose to hang out with you. But in life you can't rewind to a moment or pause time, and just like watching that old tv life poses the same question "which do you want more" to be present or.....

Keeping it brief this week, not sure about working in a message each week as I don't want the blog getting all "Party of 5" or "7th Heaven" which ever one used to get all preachy at the end.

Chat to you next time

More than just a doormat

Life's Ups and Downs

The lame shit you might write in a diary that you hope no one reads, but I'll be posting it here.
I guess I've always been a bit weird, not in a crime-watch or making furniture out of cats, type way. I mean how I look at things sometimes.

For instance when I was a kid my mam decided to throw out the old mat we had in the hallway. It wasn't anything fancy, in fact it was just a spare piece of the living room carpet. It was dark brown with brightly coloured shapes and patterns covering it. I suppose you could say it was loud, (how loud was it?) let's just say I'm surprised we never got noise complaints off the neighbours, "ba dum tish".

Anyway I got upset when I heard it was in the rubbish, ready for collection. I tried to reclaim it even though it was now wet and stained with other refuse which had spilled over it (for some reason my my mam didn't want me dragging the smelly old thing back inside...but that's enough about my dad).

Seeing as the mat's fate was doomed I decided to honor it with a fond fairwell. I took several slices of corned beef from the fridge (which annoyed my mam when she found out) and sat next to the bin crying and feeding bits of it to my old friend. I knew the mat couldn't eat corned beef, as it didn't possess the necessary digestive system, but its the thought that counts.

I did this because I felt an attachment to it, I didn't want to marry it or any crazy shit like that, but it had been there for so many memories. Wiping snow off your feet at Christmas while the magic still existed, using it as a landscape to play on, greeting you every time you got home with the knowledge that once you stepped over it you could relax and be yourself, and knowing that everyone you loved at that point had came into direct contact with this otherwise meaningless thing.

I don't know if there is a point to this, I guess if there is it's this... The real value of people and possessions is derived from how you experience them. Whether they are old and frayed around the edges or have no real worth in a capitalist society, don't view anyone or anything as just a doormat.

The Experience

Could be the ultimate guide on how not to create an online presence.
This is my fourth week writing the blog and trying to create an online presence. So far the feedback for the blog has been positive, I'm not sure if I'm using the social networking sites properly though. I read another blog about tips for shooting in low light conditions. It included helpful tips like: 1. Use more lights and 2. Go somewhere were there's more light.... Amazing, how do they come up with it?
Anyway I mentioned that the tips weren't overly helpful and got a response back from a guy who didn't even write the article (he basically just started swearing and arguing). Ah the internet.

The Film

Everything and anything to do with the film, pre-production, fights, cast and crew, fights, budgets, fights and finally the end game (which may contain fights).
Last week I talked briefly about writing the script for NAMELESS, I might go into more detail in the future but for now lets skip to pre-production. This sounds so exciting right, pages and pages of paperwork. 

Okay so we had a 90 page script which roughly equates to 90min (1page = 1min screen time).
We had a budget of just under €5000 and after factoring everything in, our shoot schedule needed to be no more than 16 days.

Myself and Alan Donnelly (the producer) broke the script down by location, actors and sometimes by costume or makeup, then organised the shoot schedule by location. This meant that when we finished with a location we could move to the next one, knowing we wouldn't have to return. In each location we structured the scenes so we could finish with the actors in a similar fashion. That way we'd saved money on travel, location costs, food etc. 

Any props that were needed we either made or ordered months in advance to try and keep costs down. There's garda crests etc in the film so we contacted their press office well ahead of time to sort out clearances. Some of the locations also meant dealing with the OPW, if this is the case you need to make sure your insurance is up to scratch.

Well that's enough of that for the moment, I was planning on going through everything in linear fashion week by week but pre-production is about as exciting as....well what you've just read. So from now on we'll skip to random sections in no particular order.  

Indie 

Thoughts, ideas, experiences and tips revolving around making low to no budget films. 
Also documenting successes and failures along the way.
If you're writing a script that you're planning to shoot or sell, keep your budget in mind. Think about different ways of approaching things, sometimes it can add a whole new dynamic to a scene.

When you're writing your imagination can create anything without limitation or cost, but that epic battle, massive wedding scene or the period piece that requires hard to find costumes and set dressing, all cost money. 

Don't look at it as a limitation though, look at it as a creative challenge. If you feel the story won't work any other way, then maybe write another lower budget script as well. That way you start building up a body of work and have writing samples to show.

Example: A scene set in a coffee shop with 20 extras.

Could it be shot more intimately, just focusing on the main actors and using audio to give the impression of a busy environment. 

What do the 20 extras or location add to the scene (or is it just that it looks cool). 
If the main focus of the scene is the conversation between two characters, what other locations might suit. The more you think about the budget the more creative your approach becomes. 

If you're planning on selling a script that's going to cost millions to make and you're an unknown, chances are people won't be willing to take a risk with you. That's not to say it doesn't happen, it just doesn't happen often. 

If you don't want to scale things back or feel the story can't be told without epic set pieces then maybe think about writing it as a book instead. After all 'Lord of the Rings' wouldn't work as well if it was set in a bedsit in Waterford.....or would it?....no no it wouldn't ha ha.  

Chat to you next week. 

What do you want to be?

Life's Ups and Downs

The lame shit you might write in a diary that you hope no one reads, but I'll be posting it here. 
When Saturday rolled around, all I wanted was to sit down in front of the tv with a bowl of cereal and watch cartoons, but what 8 year old doesn't? As usual though my dad had other plans, generally involving painting, weeding or some other work related activity that didn't include animated adventures.

Now and again on these excursions he'd get a serious look on his face before asking (The Question).
In a job interview type way he'd say "what do you want to do with your life?" Not in a hopes and dreams type way, but in the more practical sense. Maybe it was his generation or upbringing, but he didn't really talk to you like you were a kid, which was great sometimes, but now and again it kind of stressed you out.

Anyway I'd try to delay my answer by repeating the question "what do I want to do with my life?" (That's a big fucking question for an 8 year old to deal with). In my head I'd think "right now I want to go home and watch cartoons" but that wasn't going to cut it. A few months previous when he'd asked this, I gave an honest answer. 8 year old me thought "fuck it what have I got to lose". So standing there in my big boy pants, I just looked at him all matter of fact like and said "at the moment I'm thinking either a spaceman or something to do with music or film".

Now I should mention my dad is old school. When he asks that question he's expecting a more grown up answer like, "well I was considering becoming a builder because I have a feeling there's going to be a housing boom in the late 90s, but I do enjoy woodwork so maybe carpentry". This would have been perfect, but it wasn't what I wanted to do. So from then on I usually made shit up or pretended I didn't know.

Maybe if "Bob the Builder" had been on tv when I was growing up my answer would have been different, then again I wouldn't have seen it because I was outside getting fresh air like a dickhead.

What's the point to this rambling? Well this is the kind of shit I might write in a diary which is what I promised last week. I guess though if there is a point it's this.The only person who knows what you want to do is you..... (oh lah dee dah look at me getting a message in there).

The Experience

Could be the ultimate guide on how not to create an online presence.
If you're planning on creating an online presence for you project, business etc. Don't do what I did and create a username on one site, only to find out it's not available on the others. Instead use a site like https://www.namecheckr.com/ which quickly lets you check the availability of usernames on various social networking sites. This saves a bunch of time so you can focus on other things like binge watching 'House of Cards' like a lazy bastard.

The Film

Everything and anything to do with the film, pre-production, fights, cast and crew, fights, budgets, fights and finally the end game (which may contain fights).
I guess I'll start at the beginning and go from there. Up till then I'd only wrote short films so writing the script for NAMELESS felt quite daunting. It was such a big project I had to constantly write with the budget in mind, taking into account the amount of locations, actors, props and even the weather. Well we're in Ireland where it rains 360 days a year and looks like rain for the other 5.

What sucks about the writing stage is how long it takes for any real sense of payoff (especially when you're not actually getting paid). It's just you in a room talking to yourself and feeling insecure about your choices. That's probably the hardest part, the voice inside your head saying "what the fuck are you doing" or "you can't do this".

Anyway crazy voices aside, I had a solid idea which I then planned out on postit notes until I had a working structure. Some people suggest writing character bios and treatments before you start the script. Honestly if you feel it helps do it, but the main thing is start writing, then keep writing and eventually you'll have a shitty first draft. Then rewrite it a few more times to tightening everything up.

Once you feel you have a draft ready for others to read, find people to read it. Don't send the first draft as it's probably awful and if it is they won't want to read anything else you write. Also ask for honest opinions, there's no point in hearing it's great if it's dog shit. It's better to find out at this early stage rather than further down the line.

Getting people to read your script can be difficult as you're asking for them to invest time in something. So make sure you send them the best draft possible, as otherwise you're kind of taking the piss. I know that's kind of repeating myself but it's important. (While I'm writing this I'd like to thank my wife Andrea, Padraic Rafter, Kelly Mallon, Tess Masero Brioso, Alan Donnelly and Blaine Rennicks for taking the time to read mine). It meant a lot.

Indie 

Thoughts, ideas, experiences and tips revolving around making low to no budget films. 
Also documenting successes and failures along the way.
Tip: If you have issues coming up with ideas or just want to try it as a fun experiment, do the following. Write a list of 5 objects, 5 jobs and 5 locations, emotions or character traits. Then randomly select one or two from each list, put them together and see what you come up with. 
Example:
Gun, guitar, bottle of water, key, candle. 
Priest, builder, model, farmer, hitman. 
Liar, drunk, psychotic, perverted, sad.
Try to pick the less obvious choices as well, don't think "ohhhh psychotic hitman with a gun". Have fun with it "sad hitman with a candle" or "drunk builder and a perverted farmer with a guitar". 

Sometimes you might get a great idea out of it and other times it's just a good way to get you thinking creatively.


Well that's it for this week, I'm still not sure if I'll write all four sections each week or instead alternate between them as it seems a bit long. Meh  

Chat to you next week.