The Making of 'Happy Holidays'

Watch 'Happy Holidays'

First thing's first, watch the video above, then give this a read to learn how it was made (spoilers!)

BACKGROUND

In the summer of 2014, I was talking with a friend of mine (Tim Howell) from work about the idea of doing a short for Christmas (having already done one, and saying what I wanted to say about Halloween with 'The Visitor'). We talked about our love for Chaplin and the old 20/30's silent comedies, and he mentioned he wanted to make a silent movie with the same type of comedy and drama that Chaplin was able to do. We talked back and forth and decided to do a short film that mixed up the two ideas. I developed the script that mixed the two major holidays of December, Christmas and Hanukkah. In 2014, the last day of Hanukkah was December 24th, or Christmas eve, which worked perfectly in creating a short film that celebrated both holidays. In the script I wrote an INTENT (which I do for every script I write) to convey why I wanted to make this film, which included at the end:
 

The film is also meant to show that two people from different backgrounds can work together and be happy. The film is not meant to offend either religion or culture, but rather to show that on December 24^th (Which is both Christmas Eve, and the last day of Haunakkuh this year) have similarities of their respective holidays. Although the may celebrate the different commemorations, they care about eachother and respect the traditions of one another. In our community, understanding of Jewish culture is limited, and the desire of this film is to help educate and accept those form a different background.

Tim broke down many of the jokes, and I came up with the outline of the story. With reshooting of 'The Visitor' done in October, my cameraman Will Patterson and I worked on ideas with Tim to set up preproduction. I created the main character of Jessica because of my short film 'In Memoriam', which unfortunately was never finished. One of the main actors in that movie, Jessika Bower, was fantastic and I felt I let her down by the film never being finished (which was due to scheduling and continuity errors). She did a great job on that film, and I owed her a role to make up for it, so I thought this would be perfect. For writing, we all settled on a very simple premise and locations, we didn't want to make this a big project, but something small and simple. The casting of Jessica's boyfriend was originally considered to be a couple other actors, however because of their schedules and the holiday season, ultimately I cast myself in the role. We decided to break the film down to two shooting days: One day shooting all interiors, and one day shooting all exteriors a week later. In between I could edit all the footage and show the cast and crew a proof of concept of what the film was starting to look like. It's nice to show everyone footage that has just been completed because it builds energy in everyone, and allows for feedback of what works, what doesn't work, what should we reshoot since we are still filming, etc. The goal was to have it out and online by the first day of Hanukkah (just in time for the holidays)

FILMING

The first day was all the indoor filming. Because we wanted to replicate the look of 20's and 30's silent comedies, the goal was that the film would have an aspect ratio of 1.33:1. In terms of setups, blocking, and composition, this leads into a interesting technical challenge. The film was shot in 1.78:1 on digital, and Will and I spent a lot of time working on shot lists and blocking to reflect the idea, and in editing crop it to 1.33:1. We researched a lot of silent comedies like 'City Lights', 'The General', and 'Modern Times' to get a better idea of how they composed shots. Tim was there filming as a technical consultant for silent comedies so we could accurately reflect the films that influenced the film. The moments where Jessica is looking through her phone was a trick that was thought up very early, and we did an early test (click HERE to see the early test) to see if it could work. We wanted to avoid using intertitles that silent films used as a way to modernized the silent comedy, and decided to have the text messages in the frame. By doing this, it was the simple trick of having the character on one side of the frame, and leaving enough room for the text on the other side of the frame. A lot of planning was involved to make sure the timing and blocking worked, and overall I think the trick worked well and kept the audience involved. Many of the jokes when she runs around were preplanned, and Jessica didn't quite understand what she was doing, she totally went for it, and a lot of the jokes were really funny and went well. The one joke that didn't work was that she uses her hair brush as a toothbrush because she was in a rush, however the joke didn't really work, I wish I had an extra shot to sell the joke better. Her running around the living room and the gag of her finding the change in her boot was Tim's idea, and it's one of my favorite jokes of the film.

The second half of the indoor filming was after she comes back from downtown and I show up. To sell that she couldn't afford much, I went to a dollar store and tried to see how much I could get for $15 of Christmas decorations, and we decorated the living room to show that even though Jessica doesn't have much money, a lot of thought was put into it, and it's a really touching moment (the gag of her kicking the dollar store bag so her boyfriend doesn't see it was a joke I came up with a couple days before filming because it was a great cherry on top for the scene in terms of comedy). The menorah box, as well as the large menorah at the very beginning of the film was donated by the Chabad Jewish Center of Barrie, who were extremely kind and supportive of the movie we were trying to make, and educated me on traditions of Hanukkah, what food is served, games played, etc. When filming the dinner scene with Jessica and her boyfriend, I tried to show a nice combination of Hanukkah and Christmas food serving Latkes, while also making chicken covered in oil (to keep with Hanukkah/Christmas traditions), and stuffing. The food was actually being made in filming, which allowed us to kill two birds with one stone by filming and having the food props for eating. The last shot of Jessica and her boyfriend on the couch watching 'Santa Claus Conquers the Martians' (which was never stated, however if you've seen the film you know what there watching) was something planned for a while as it was known as the WORST Christmas film of all time, so something funny would work for both holidays as something they could enjoy. The last scene shot that day was the first scene of the film, with Jessica's family, which was in this case her brothers and family. The actors playing her family was actually the crew  (Tim and Will) as well as Jessika's boyfriend and child. It was nice as making this was really a group project, so it was important to me that everyone who helped had their moment.

The outdoor filming was done the next week, which created an interesting problem. We saved the outdoor stuff for the very end because we wanted to have as much snow as possible for the outdoor filming to sell that it was the holiday season, and in the shot where Jessica's boyfriend walks into her place, you can see there is snow in the background out of focus. However in the week between filming that and the outdoor footage, we had a warm spell, and all the snow melted, so because we were filming in the beginning of December and we needed to finish this by the first day of Hanukkah, we decided to film everything the way it was. We didn't have permission to film downtown or any of these stores, so a lot of this was footage we shot snippets of or went guerrilla style with Will shooting on an Iphone as Jessika wondered these shops. The actor who bumps into Jessica is actually Tim, and we set it up in a way that you couldn't see him, and in a way thematically it also worked because we were seeing the event through Jessica's perspective and feelings, so seeing the persons face isn't really needed.

Ironically the one place that we could film in, we couldn't shoot on the day. I talked to the manager of Manticore books in Orillia for a scene we had which would have taken place just before the scene where she gives back the money back. In the script it was written as:

CUT TO:

5. EXT. DOWNTOWN – MORNING

JESSICA is walking downtown, looking through windows at gifts that JACK might like, and then seeing they are too expensive. JESSICA walks by a lingerie shop, she stops, looks at it for a moment, then shakes her head and keeps walking. JESSICA then sees JACK walking towards her with his friends.

CUT TO:

6. INT. BOOKSTORE – MORNING

In a panic, she hides into a bookstore, grabbing a book and using it to cover her face as he walks by the window of the front of the store. As he passes, she slowly lowers the book, then JACK looks back through the window, and she hides her face in the book again. After a moment, JACK realizes that it isn’t her, and walks away. JESSICA puts the book away from her face, breathing a sign of relief. Behind her, the manager of the bookstore taps her on the shoulder. JESSICA realizes she took a book from the rare book section, and seeing the price of the book being $150. She very cautiously puts the book back on the shelf, caressing and petting the book as she does, and walks away.

This was going to be the very last scene to film, however when we got there, there was a sign at the door and due to a family emergency they had to close early. It's nothing that we could fault the store owner for, he did allow us to film there, however just sometimes random things happen when you are filming, and although it was a really funny joke and the audience is introduced to Jessica's boyfriend earlier, really you could cut that scene out and not lose anything story or character wise. So we decided not to film it later on.

POST PRODUCTION

 As I mentioned, as soon as the first day of filming was done, I was editing already and trying to get everything done before the release date I had in mind (the first day of Hanukkah). Having all the shots planned out ahead of time, and thinking as an editor when planning the shots, the editing was a very easy process. Because of the short schedule to film everything, there was only a few takes. Once the raw footage was edited together as a rough cut, I cropped the frame to reflect a 1.33:1 image (the final film is actually more a 1.66:1 ratio. Editing knowing you will crop the image allows you to play with the image framing in post production, you can cut off more of one side, zoom and crop, and help allow you to get the perfect compositions for the final film. In the scene where Jack shows Jessica what he got her for the holidays, for whatever reason I didn't shoot a close up of the menorah box, so in editing I just zoomed in on the two shot where Jack opens his backpack, and recomposed it so it looks like a close up, before going back to the two shot. In the final film it looks seamless, while still fitting into the 20's/30's aesthetic.

Once the film was cut together in a rough form, I used Final Cut Pro 7's effects, specifically the color correction to drain the color out of the shots, and used the Stylize- > Bad Film option to create the scratches and film grain. The trick to doing this is for every shot it has to look different. To really achieve the look of old silent films, every shot needs to have different amounts of grain, scratches, hairs, and brightness levels. If you look at silent films that have not been restored (such as public domain films), they have a certain look that really makes the film feel older and worn out. Using this, you can have a freedom to enhance certain shots, or make certain shots more clear. For the outdoor shots, I blew up the brightness a little more than the indoor shots to reflect how the lighting would work for old film cameras, as well as using certain shots that were more emotional moments for Jessica, I added more grain or scratches to help visually display what's on her mind. The final trick was the music. As this film was silent, the music needed to enhance the drama or the comedy of the film to the audience. I researched a lot of Jewish composers, as well as Christmas themes from various composers to add another level to the film. I also used a lot of Tchaikovsky's 'The Nutcracker' for various parts (you can even notice a 'Home Alone' reference when Jessica is rushing around her house trying to get ready, using the same piece of music as when the family is quickly rushing to get ready).

The final product is one I am extremely proud of overall. It was an interesting experiment, something out of my element since I'm usually more of a writer and enjoy developing characters through dialogue. This was something that could develop my skill as a director, and this was a team project. Without Will Patterson, we wouldn't have come up with many of the shot compositions, or had the visual style we were going for work as well as it did; without Tim Howell, we wouldn't have had some of the best jokes in the film, or made sure we adhered to the aesthetic we were using; and without Jessika Bower, we wouldn't have had the great and very funny performance she gave that was the emotional grounding of the film. I hope you all enjoyed it.

Why you should see 'Interstellar' in 70MM IMAX

In a few days, Christopher Nolan's new epic 'Interstellar' comes out, and there has been a big push to see the film in 70MM IMAX film. Very few theatres are equipped in IMAX, and as Nolan's film was shot with 70MM IMAX film cameras, it's important to see the film the way the director intended. Which leads to my experience getting tickets to see it in IMAX:

The Colossus theatre in Vaughan is an amazing place: it's shaped like a flying saucer when you see it, and was one of the few theatres in Ontario to show film in IMAX when it was built. The IMAX screen is about 4 stories tall, it's simply massive when you see it, and looks like a giant square. I had the great fortune to see Nolan's 'The Dark Knight Rises' in 70MM IMAX at the Colossus, and it was probably one of the best experiences watching a movie I have ever seen. It's also the closest IMAX theatre where I live, so when tickets for 'Interstellar' came out, I immediately ordered tickets to see it in IMAX. However, the downside that I soon discovered, is that they switched to a digital IMAX projector, and here's why that is a problem.

First some technical background stuff, complete with a handy picture guide to help explain (click here to get a better idea of the differences: Click Here)  IMAX film is an aspect ratio of 1.43:1, or pretty close to a square. Films like 'Interstellar' and 'The Dark Knight Rises' are filmed in IMAX for the big scenes, and also widescreen 2.35:1 ratio for other scenes. When you see it on an IMAX screen, the IMAX footage expands to fill the entire screen, giving the scene an epic feel and scope that the director wants you to have. Now, when it comes to Digital IMAX projectors, they project in an aspect ratio of 1.9:1, so more than 2.35:1, but less than the full image picture. In the picture below, you can see that with a 1.9:1 ratio, you are missing about 25% of the IMAX frame, so really you aren't getting the true directors vision of how the shots and the scene are supposed to look. It's similar to when VHS tapes were full screen back in the day, they cropped the image to fill the TV screen, so you miss a lot of information in the image. On a 70MM screen, such as the one at the Colossus theatre, the Digital IMAX would still have black bars on the top and bottom of screen, instead of filling the huge square. Another interesting thing is that for films like 'The Dark Knight', and 'The Dark Knight Rises' (both shot in 2.35 and in IMAX film) on Blu-ray tries to recreate the IMAX experience by having those IMAX scenes film expand to fit your TV, giving you more information on the top and bottom, the aspect ratio for this is 1.78:1. So basically, if 'Interstellar' gets the same recreation on Blu-ray (which it more than likely will), you will be getting more information in the frame than you would seeing the film in a Digital IMAX theatre.



Now, why would IMAX theatres use Digital IMAX for this film when it should be seen in 70MM? Really the most logical reason is money: 70MM IMAX prints can cost approx $15,000 each, when Digital 'prints' on a hard drive costs only a couple hundred dollars. Now, in terms of quality, it can be argued that IMAX digital projectors are somewhat brighter and have a better contrast than most typical digital projectors (that the film will be projected for in the majority of theatres), however in terms of resolution and quality, they don't produce anything close to 70MM IMAX film. The great thing is that the films website also provides some much needed information regarding the various formats you can see the movie, including Digital and 70MM IMAX projections Right Here. So make sure you get your money's worth (IMAX tickets in general are about $20 each) and see the film the way Christopher Nolan intended you to see it: On 70MM IMAX. There are two theatres in Ontario that are showing it this way, at the Scotiabank Toronto & IMAX theatre in Toronto, and the Coliseum Mississauga & IMAX in Mississauga. Here is the complete list of theatres showing the film in 70MM IMAX in Canada and the United States (thanks to the films website): Click Here

Special thanks to IMAX for responding to my technical questions, and to James Hyder of LF Examiner (for more fun information about IMAX and other Large Format production, distribution, and exhibition, check out there website at: http://www.lfexaminer.com/)



EDIT: So after seeing 'Interstellar' in Digital IMAX, here's my thoughts: 1. The film is fucking awesome. You may need to see it twice to fully understand it (that's not a complaint). The Digital IMAX image was... not the best. The image wasn't as sharp as I was hoping (sorta like watching a DVD compared to a Blu ray: still a good image, but DVD  isn't as sharp and detailed as a Blu ray image. The same goes for Digital IMAX vs 70MM IMAX presentations). The fine details were missing, which sadly since I don't have the ability to watch the movie on film, I don't know if that's a product of the way the film was shot, or the projection. The screen looks like it was cropped from it's 70MM IMAX screen, they may have cut off the top of the screen using fabric and adjusted the projection so the Digital IMAX still looked like it filled the screen for it's IMAX shot footage without creating any letterboxing. On some of the IMAX shots however you could tell that there was part of the image missing due to the cropping.

My Batman comic script (or: Please don't sue me DC Comics) Part 1

I've been a Batman fan since I was a 6 year old kid watching 'Batman: Returns' over and over again and watching the 'Batman: The Animated Series' every Saturday morning (not realizing until I was much older how adult they both were. Did you watch the origin of Two-Face in The Animated Series? That was pretty heavy material for kids. Still a brilliant show though), I loved the Nolan films, I will defend 'The Dark Knight Rises' until I die, and throughout my life, although I never collected Batman comics a lot, I'd always pick up the odd issue here and there. When the New 52 started, a good friend of mine was reading Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo's take on Batman, and he told me about issue #5 where you actually have to turn the comic around and it becomes part of the story and gets into the psyche of Batman through the issue. He told me how awesome the new Batman comic was. So one day I picked up that issue, the one before it, and the one after, just to see what the fuss was about. Annnnnnddddddd I was hooked immediately. The suspense, the psychology, the baddassery, the brilliant artwork and the amount of detail, it was all brilliant. I have every issue and the comic hasn't let me down (If you ever want to get completely freaked out, read Batman #13: The Death of the Family Part 1, it may be one of the top 10 comic books I've EVER read).

Having collected Trade Paperbacks, one of the cool things is that they provide you as a bonus sometimes is commentary by the artists and writers, breakdowns, and you can see how the script became the finished product. If you ever want to learn how to write a comic book, those little bonus features are awesome. If you are reading Death of Wolverine, reading how Charles Soule writes that comic is a great blueprint to how to write your own. At the back of the comic, you can read his script with the breakdowns of the art and get a feel of how the panels are thought up, word bubbles, descriptions, etc. Being a huge fan of Batman, being influenced highly by the current run, and having already written film scripts, a play, and a short story, I thought I would take a stab at writing a comic book story about Batman.

Now, the thing about writing (at least to me) is that if you are going to write a story, write it like it is the only thing you would ever write. When I was writing my Batman story, I was always thinking "If I was going to write one Batman story, this would be it!" There are literally thousands of issues of Batman in the last 75 years, how is the story I want to tell stand out to that? How can I make it something that's my own thing? There are tons of villains that have been written by many great writers, how can you put your own stamp on The Joker for instance, since that character is just so iconic and has been a villain so many times? So I decided to not focus on Batman fighting some major super villain. I wanted to focus on an aspect of Batman as a superhero that has never really been touched upon. All these times that he's been beating up muggers and stopping basic criminals (the kind that the comics only dedicate a couple panels to), what happens to them, how does that encounter with Batman effect their lives, the lives of their families, what happens once they get out?

So before I keep talking, here is the Batman story I wrote if I could only write one Batman story. Please feel free to provide comments, feedback, let me know if it's good and you liked it,  or if it was so bad it just totally ruined 75 years of Batman for you.

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Page 1.

1.1

ESTABLISHING SHOT of a boy looking through a crack of his bedroom door; This boy’s name is JAMES FELL approx. 10 years old average looking kid. His room is somewhat slumlike. There is a desk, some posters, old toys, however lacking extra things that a kid his age might have: A computer, a TV, posters. This is a profile shot, with the light from the crack of his bedroom door illuminating his face.

JAMES CAPTION: “When I was a boy, I remember my father stopping a man who just stole an old lady’s purse….

1.2

CLOSER PROFILE IMAGE of JAMES face, with the crack of light showing his expression: he is visibly scared.

JAMES CAPTION: He didn’t have to, but later that night when I asked him why he did that, he sat me down and told me: ‘Because it was the right thing to do.’…”

1.3

CLOSE UP reveal a grown up JAMES, now in his mid 20’s. He is looking out a window  (The framing is the same as 1.2)

1.4

FULL SHOT LOOKING DOWN TO THE BANK (ie. SECURITY CAMERA ANGLE) revealing James holding a bank hostage.  James has a pistol in his hand. The bank tellers and customers are on the ground. His pistol pointed at a group of them. Some of the girls there are crying.  The bank is not one of the most glamorous ones in Gotham, but a simple, one story bank. Christmas ornaments are scattered around the building.

JAMES CAPTION: “I‘ve always wondered… if my parents were still alive, if he didn’t take them from me, how different my life would have been?”

Page 2.

2.1

ESTABLISHING SHOT OF THE OUTSIDE OF THE BANK. From outside the bank you can see JAMES looking through the window. The street is full with police cars, officers with weapons drawn, and a crowd behind police lines, watching the situation. It is early December, a light snow is on the ground.

2.2

LEUTENANT BULLOCK is staring at the bank. BULLOCK is wearing his trademark hat, but has a scarf around him. His cold breathe can be seen.

GORDON (outside of panel): What are we looking at?

2.3

COMMISSIONER GORDON arrives on scene, talking to BULLOCK.

BULLOCK: “About a dozen hostages, one gunman. We haven’t gotten the perps name yet. SWAT is 10 minutes away, snipers are setting up on the roofs behind us. No demands yet. The guy’s not even hiding his face. He just keeps looking out at us.

2.4

Small close up of GORDON looking down to the ground.

GORDON: I hate this part of the job.

2.5

GORDON picks up a megaphone.

GORDON (TO THE BANK):  “This is Commissioner Gordon…”

PAGE 3

3.1

INSIDE THE BANK, JAMES is looking out the windows, seeing the police cars. The hostages are behind him.

GORDON (FROM THE STREET): “Let the hostages go…”

JAMES CAPTION “One of my earliest memories was going to the movies with my parents. Every Saturday I would beg them to take me.”

3.2

JAMES looks back at one of the female hostages.

JAMES CAPTION: “We would walk there, it was only a few blocks away from where we lived. We would sometimes take a shortcut through the alleys if we were in a hurry. I was never scared.”

3.3

From the street, GORDON and BULLOCK are behind cars.  BULLOCK has a Walkie Talkie.

BULLOCK: SWAT team’s arrived.

3.4

OUTUSIDE, the front door of the bank burst open: A female hostage is pushed out by JAMES.

3.5

Small - BULLOCK looks at the hostage

BULLOCK: “Grab her! Get her out of the way!”

3.6

Two members of a SWAT team grab the hostage.

PAGE 4

4.1

GORDON goes to the HOSTAGE, who is sitting down near a police car while she is examined.

GORDON: “Are you alright?”

HOSTAGE: “I’m fine. He said…he didn’t want to hurt us. He told me to…to give you this.”

4.2

Small – The hostage gives Gordon a note.

4.3

GORDON opens the note, revealing the text: BRING THE BATMAN AND THE HOSTAGES GO FREE

4.4 From the crowd at the street watching, BRUCE WAYNE is there, looking like a normal face in the crowd.

4.5

Small – BRUCE sees the note GORDON is reading.

PAGE 5

5.1

Inside the bank, JAMES is walking around the hostages. JAMES looks nervous, but prepared. The hostages look frightened, bundled together.

5.2

A hostage from the previous panel, whom JAMES walked past (a man in his early 20’s), stares at the exit sign near the back of the bank when JAMES is not looking.

JAMES CAPTION: “Since their death, I couldn’t get his face out of my mind. He was responsible, he killed them…

5.3.

JAMES is looking out of the window again. The hostage is behind him, noticing that JAMES is not looking at him.

5.4

The hostage begins to run for the exit.

5.5

Small close up - JAMES notices the hostage running.

5.6

JAMES points his pistol at the hostage.

JAMES: STOP!

PAGE 6

6.1

Close up to JAMES face, hesitant.

6.2.

JAMES POV as the hostage is almost at the door. The pistol pointed right at him.

6.3

Small close up at his finger inching closer to pulling the trigger.

6.4

Close up to JAMES face, realizing he will have to shoot.

JAMES CAPTION: I just wanted to see HIM.

PAGE 7 –(7.1 - 7.3 are small shots overlaid near the top of BATMAN’s reveal in 7.4. Panel 7.5 would be near the bottom quarter of the page).

7.1

Small - Gas fills the room.

7.2

Small - Close up of JAMES coughing, unable to see anything.

7.3

Small - Tight close up on JAMES eyes, realizing whose in front of him.

7.4

JAMES POV seeing the BATMAN through the smoke. (*The reveal of BATMAN should take up ¾ of the page, and be epic; BATMAN should embody a look of how JAMES sees him, larger than life, cloaked in his cape, almost like a gothic silhouette. Between PAGE 7 and PAGE 15, the image of BATMAN should slowly be less imposing, more normal looking as JAMES slowly learns the truth)

JAMES CAPTION: THE BATMAN

7.5

Close up of BATMAN’s face.

JAMES CAPTIONED: “I’ve seen that face a thousand times, every time I close my eyes. That face has haunted me for years.”

PAGE 8

8.1

From outside the BANK, the front door bursts open, smoke coming out of it. BULLOCK and GORDON stare at the doors. The hostages run out of the doors.

8.2

GORDON grabs a megaphone.

GORDON (INTO MEGAPHONE, TO POLICE): “Hold your fire!”

8.3

JAMES stares at BATMAN, pistol drawn at him.

JAMES: “It’s you…after all these years…

8.4

CLOSE UP OF JAMES

JAMES: You have no idea who I am do you? You have no clue of the pain you’ve caused me? The life you stole from me. Look at my face, do you even know who I am?!”

PAGE 9

9.1

Close up of Batman, unmoving.

9.2

Same image a 8.2.

BATMAN: “JAMES FELL.”

9.3

Close up of JAMES, in shock, staring at BATMAN.

9.4

Large shot of BATMAN, this time a little closer to JAMES.

BATMAN: “You’re father was Roger Fell. He robbed the First National Bank 15 years ago. I stopped him. “

JAMES: You…remember him?

BATMAN: “He went to prison for three years.  Two months after he was released it was reported he shot his wife before turning the gun on himself.”

PAGE 10

10.1

JAMES is staring at BATMAN, his expression full of intensity and anger.

JAMES: “My father... was a good man. He was a banker.”

10.2

Medium shot of BATMAN, standing in front of JAMES. BATMAN is slowly looking less threatening.

BATMAN: “He was, until the depression hit the city. He was laid off, became friends with a bad crowd who used what he knew to rob banks. “

10.3

A closer shot of JAMES, looking a little defeated at this truth, more angry though, in denial.

JAMES: “My father wasn’t a criminal! He was a good man!

10.4

Two shot of JAMES and BATMAN, behind JAMES. BATMAN is closer to James.

BATMAN: “He hid the truth from you and your mother. Once he went to prison, your mother moved into the Narrows with you.”

10.5

Small Close up to JAMES face.

JAMES: “Stay back!”

PAGE 11

11.1

FLASHBACK to a full shot of JAMES as a child again, in bed, sleeping. Loud bangs are heard from outside his room.

11.2

Close up – JAMES mother bursts into his room.

JAMES MOTHER: “James!”

11.3

JAMES MOTHER tucks him in tight, the banging is heard louder from outside his door.

JAMES MOTHER: “Whatever you do, stay in your room okay? Don’t come out.”

JAMES: “What’s going on mom?”

JAMES MOTHER: “Please baby, just stay in your bed, don’t make a sound. “

11.4

JAMES MOTHER is out of the room, there is a noise of the front door bursting open. JAMES gets out of the bed, looking at the door of his bedroom.

BATMAN CAPTION: “Your mother divorced him after finding out what he did. Once he got out of jail, he found you two. “

Page 12:

12.1

Close up of JAMES looking through the crack of the door, visibly scared. This is the same shot as 1.2

BATMAN  CAPTION: “The neighbors reported there was a loud argument…

12.2

Close up of JAMES looking through the crack of the door, this time his face is in shock. A tear goes down his cheek.

BATMAN CAPTION: “…then a shot was fired. He was screaming after, crying….”

JAMES (silently): …Mommy?

12.3

Close up of BATMAN at the bank.

BATMAN: …Then he turned the gun on himself. You were 10 years old at the time.

12.4

JAMES has the pistol 5 feet from BATMAN’s head.

JAMES: It’s your fault! You killed them! You’re the one who caught my father, who drove my mother to leave him. You’re the one who…who…

PAGE 13

13.1

FLASHBACK – MEDIUM SHOT of JAMES in his bedroom, sitting in a corner, his legs up to his chest and head down, crying.  A police officer comes in the door.

BATMAN CAPTION: The police found you in your room, crying. You never said a word to them. The doctors didn’t understand.

13.2

It is months later, JAMES is sitting in a room of an orphanage, drawing.

BATMAN CAPTIONED:  You were sent to St. Francis Home for Children. For months you didn’t say a word, until one day…

13.3

CLOSE UP of JAMES drawing. 

VOICE FROM BEHIND JAMES: James? James Fell?

13.4

The voice is revealed to be BRUCE WAYNE, ten years younger than he looks in 4.5. This is BRUCE WAYNE in the early years of being BATMAN. This shot should take up 2/3^rd of the page at least. The angle is from JAMES POV, BRUCE looks larger than life.

BATMAN CAPTION: …another orphan came to see you.

Page 14:

The full page is a montage of images of BRUCE taking JAMES out for the day: Walking the city streets of Gotham; BRUCE buying JAMES a hot dog at a vendor; going to a baseball game; in a toy shop where JAMES picks out a toy.

PAGE 15

15.1

BRUCE is walking with JAMES back to the Children’s home. JAMES stops BRUCE

15.2

SMALL SHOT of JAMES looking down.

15.3.

SMALL SHOT of JAMES looking back up at BRUCE, a tear is in his eye.

JAMES: Thank you.

15.4

JAMES hugs BRUCE, crying.

15.5

BATMAN is standing right next to JAMES, at the bank.  The pistol still aimed at his head.

JAMES: How…how did you know?

BATMAN: I remember every criminal I’ve caught. All of them. Every day, I have to live with what they do when they get out of prison.

PAGE 16

16.1

Close up on BATMAN

BATMAN: Sometimes it’s not easy knowing which ones will still be criminals, or what they will do after they get out. You’re right, it was my fault.

16.2

BATMAN puts his head right up to the pistol.

16.3

CLOSE UP of JAMES reaction of shock.

16.4

CLOSE UP of the pistol at BATMAN’s head.

BATMAN: I know the anger you’re feeling. How badly you want revenge. All your life, the one thing that keeps you going is getting vengeance on who took your family away from you. It won’t help though; deep down that anger will never leave you.

16.5

JAMES focuses his pistol to BATMAN’s head, his expression full of rage and anger.  JAMES finally has the chance to do what he has imagined for years.

16.6-.16.7 (Both small, next to each other)

JAMES expression turns from anger to sadness.

PAGE 17

17.1

JAMES lowers the pistol.

JAMES: “Oh God…”

17.2

JAMES collapses to the floor.

JAMES: “What have I done?”

17.3

BATMAN holds him as JAMES cries. THIS SHOT SHOULD ECHO THE ONE FROM 14.3.

17.4

JAMES looks up at BATMAN.

JAMES: “I’m sorry”

17.5

INSIDE THE BANK, BATMAN looks on as BULLOCK takes JAMES out of the BANK in handcuffs. BATMAN looks at JAMES walking out. GORDON is talking to an officer.

BATMAN CAPTION: “No one should know what that anger feels like. Only those who have experienced it know what it does to someone.”

16.6

Close up of BATMAN looking at GORDON.

BATMAN (TO GORDON): “Commissioner?”

Page 17

14.1

6 MONTHS LATER…

JAMES is stepping out of a taxi, in front of him is a building, the taxi blocking most of the building, including the sign.

14.2

CLOSE UP OF JAMES staring at the building.

VOICE FROM BEHIND JAMES: James?

14.3

The voice is revealed to be BRUCE WAYNE.

BRUCE: I’m glad you came.

14.4

JAMES shakes BRUCE’s hand.

JAMES: Thank you for giving me this opportunity.

BRUCE: “Commissioner Gordon told me what happened at the bank. Batman told him what you went through. The commissioner and myself talked to the judge on your behalf; instead of going to jail, you can serve your sentence here.

14.5

BRUCE and JAMES stare at the sign of the building: ST. FRANCIS HOME FOR CHILDREN.

BRUCE: “To help others like us. Give those children part of their lives back.”

14.6

JAMES looks at the children playing. He is smiling.

JAMES CAPTION “When I was a boy, I remember my father stopping a man who just stole an old lady’s purse. He didn’t have to, but later that night when I asked him why he did that, he sat me down and told me: ‘Because it was the right thing to do.’…”

THE END

Finishing a film one year later: The Visitor

My apologies that it has been a while since I've been on here, needless to say the last few weeks have been busy. First the good news, the project of re filming The Visitor is done, and has been accepted to it's first film festival! Now, I mentioned in the last few posts I'd talk more about the work done to remake The Visitor, and the truth is, not too much. I know i've talked in length about making the film the first time, and here's a link to the original version so you can take a look:

The Visitor original version

Although I was proud of what we made in a short time span, because of some problems I decided to fix up 'The Visitor' and shoot some footage to submit it to the local film festivals. Since the submission dates for the film festivals were in August and early September, unfortunately I didn't have the opportunity to re shoot two out of focus shots of the film that were in the forest. As the film is set on Halloween, the lack of the fall setting and leaves changing color would destroy the continuity. However we could reshoot the inside footage as there were some problems with the effects. Since the house has been painted in the last year, nearly all the footage done inside the house had to be redone. Now, to replicate something that you thought worked really well the first time is next to impossible, it just seems like a imitation, not a carbon copy of the original footage, so I reworked some moments of tension, seen when my character walks in the kitchen (actually that was done on the second day of reshoots, after we reshot it the first time I edited everything, but the downside is that it still didn't work, so we had to reshoot it AGAIN).

The ghost effects allowed me to have some fun with since I've learned a lot in the last few months. There was a shot I wanted that I couldn't do in the original version where my character actually is in the same shot, looking at the ghost of his brother as he sits down. In the original version it was cut around, this time I actually wanted to show it. So in editing I decided to lock off the camera, shoot a clean plate of the living room, a plate of Will as the ghost sitting down on the right side of the frame, and a separate plate of me staring at him as he sits down. In editing, I was able to crop the left side of the frame when Will sits down, as well as the clean plate so he looks like a ghost; and in my plate, I cropped the right side of the frame until they matched in the middle, and so it looked like I was staring at his ghost sit down. I tried the effect for 'In Memoriam' and that didn't work well, but when I did it in this film, I was able to make the seam between the shots invisible.

Once the first day of reshoots was done I decided to edit the footage in. However it seemed in the last year I deleted the Final Cut file, which meant I had to completely re edit the film from scratch using the original version and match it as close as I could with the new footage. In doing this I could also cut little frames out for pacing reasons. Some of the dialogue is also taken from the original version, and matched it to the reshot footage.

And here is the final cut I submitted to the film festivals (well, for now. When it becomes fall and it's the one year mark, I'll be reshoot the two out of focus shots). I hope you enjoy, and please provide feedback.

The Visitor Final Cut

The Magic of Editing

There are three different ways a movie is made: In the writing, in the filming, and in the editing. The writer may have a different idea in his mind than the director does of how the movie should look, and the editor may have a different idea than both of them. Unless you are the writer/director/editor, chances are the visions won't match.

Having just finished my (for lack of a better word) 'remastered' version of 'The Visitor' (more on that later) my cameraman came to me, and needed my help with some shots for a film he is making. I had no idea he was currently filming one himself, so of course I would offer to help (I think it's important to help those who want to be filmmakers, to help them out if you have the knowledge and experience to). We spent an hour working on a couple shots, and then he asked me if I would be interested in editing it for him. Having no plans to film anything else until November (more on that when the months progress), I said of course. Having no idea what the film is about, and with no script or plot line, I looked at the footage like it was a puzzle piece without the box that shows the complete picture. This is not an ideal way to edit someone else's film, typically it's a lot better to read the script so you have an idea of the storyline, and then work on an assembly, and work with the director along the way to fine tune it. With this film, it's a series of shots with no real connection or dialogue in the film, which is liberating and frustrating: It allows you to basically create the film wholly on your own in terms of editing, but you have no guideline to go on. I've been working with my cameraman/newfound director on the edit, just so I can have a better idea of what he was thinking during shooting, the themes he was trying to get across, the journey the character goes through, etc. I came up with the idea to overlay the film with classical music themes to accompany the images in order to help create an emotional mood (Some fantastic films have done this, 'The Tree of Life' comes to mind). Currently, after discussing with the director and looking over all the footage, we have come up with a general storyline which allows me to create a film that will have a story while still following the themes he wanted to explore.

Editing is like playing in a filmmakers playground: you can bend space/time; enhance a mood; create an actors performance; through editing you can make the same scene funny or scary or dramatic, just by the way you choose to edit that scene. If you are ever stuck editing a movie, or want to try editing out, there's some great films to watch that are remarkably edited: The Tree of Life, Memento, Requiem For a Dream, Breathless, Lawrence of Arabia, Inception, The Social Network, Bullet, JFK, Black Hawk Down, and Traffic.

RIP Robin Williams

Hearing that Robin Williams passed away earlier today, and the out pour of emotions and impact he had on everyone since, has left me deeply saddened. Very few people had the pleasure of meeting the man (I have not), but it feels that through his films, everyone felt like they knew him. Robin Williams was like the cool uncle: Whenever you were down, just by watching one of his films he could make you smile, feel better, or provide you deep life lessons. 

My first introduction, like many people from my generation, was his voice as the Genie in 'Aladdin'. I was 5 in the time, and I think it's safe to say that his voice as the Genie made that movie. Without his work, the film wouldn't have been nearly as good (it would still be a good film with the great animation and songs, but the Genie made the film timeless). When my dad moved us to basically the middle of nowhere (Kirkfield, Ontario) a year later, we didn't really have much so my dad would tape what was then channel CKVR all night, which had Mork and Mindy on at 3am (I think), so we could watch them the next day. I was educated on the man behind the Genie voice at a young age. After seeing films like 'Hook' (Which I barely remember), and Aladdin 3 (ditto), As I grew up I could have a better grasp of his acting. I remember seeing 'Good Morning Vietnam' when I was about 10, which made me laugh and cry. I didn't expect the film to be serious. As soon as I got into film school, among other things I started watching more of his work, 'Insomnia' (my favorite serious performance he ever did), 'Good Will Hunting' (a well deserved Oscar role), 'One Hour Photo (Proving he could scare the living shit out of the audience), 'Dead Poets Society' and 'The Fisher King' (which would make a great double feature).  I was one of the few people who liked 'Man of the Year', and one of the many who didn't like 'RV'. The last film I saw him act in was back in March when I watched 'The Birdcage'for the first time. If you haven't seen it, my god is he fantastic in it.

I'm sure everyone has their own favorite Robin Williams performance, whether on stage, on TV, or on film. For me, it's a tie between the first scene of Dead Poet's Society, and this scene from Good Will Hunting:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qM-gZintWDc

That one scene just speaks volumes. The performance, the camera slowly tracking, his amazing and well written monologue. He was a force of nature, and his loss to the world is tragic. Depression is a terrible thing to suffer from, and if there's anyone reading this, and you suffer from it, just know that you are not alone. There is always help: Talk to a friend, a family member, a help line, hell send me an email. I can't think of a better way to honor this man's memory and impact than to put one of his films on (one of your favorites), and remember the impact he had on you when you watch the film and look back on it. If it makes you laugh, warms your heart, frightens you, or makes you feel better about the world. A great man has been lost, but he will not be forgotten for entire generations of people.

How to make a film in a day - Making of 'The Visitor'

NOTE: First, watch the short film before you read this, so what I say has context:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9oh5uZqrEg

It was 2013, I've always wanted to do a film based around Halloween, I think it is a lot of peoples favorite holiday (if it classifies as one), and there is something in the air around Halloween that makes people just love it: The atmosphere, the candy, the ability to dress up, to scare people and be scared, the fall colors of that time of the year, there is something magic to it. It is my favorite time of the year and I wanted to make a film that encapsulates why it is my favorite. With all the films and stories about Halloween, it is hard to come up with something original, so I wrote a script that played with the (for lack of a better word) superstitions and traditions about the day. It was mid-October when I came up with the script, and I wanted to have it ready for people to watch in time for Halloween. I talked to my cameraman, who was willing to also be in it, and we spent an afternoon and part of an evening filming it.

In order to get it done in time, I wrote the script so it could be all shot within the span of the day, very minimalistic to film, and to have it focus on atmosphere (which is what some of the best horror films do). The goal wasn't to make it the next big film, but something small, no budget, and enjoyable. We shot everything outside first, in a park in Orillia. The bookmarked beginning, although a cliche now in film, I did on purpose specifically to have the viewer hooked: Who is this person, what does the note say, whats the box about, why is he hiding it? The first scene's goal was to create suspense and hook the viewer. Shooting in the woods was surprisingly easy to do, you have a freedom of coming up with a lot of shots and ideas, however when you only have an afternoon to film everything, every shot has to service the story you are telling. The pictures inside the box are all from my cameraman and myself, family members, relatives, etc.

The stuff inside the house is actually in my place; it's always great to use your surroundings if you are making a film, if it's set in a house, use your or a friends home (whatever works best for the film). For the carving of the pumpkin, I don't know why but I wanted the first knife shot where I hold the knife in the air before cutting the pumpkin to create a little bit of tension since you don't see what it is being used for. I don't think it worked well (the music really helped, more on that later). The shot where I put the knife down, and the camera comes around me and I notice the knife is now on another table I wanted done in one shot specifically, so the viewer doesn't think it's just a cheat. There is something more scary about having it in one shot than in cuts. The shot took about 15 times to get right, and the cameraman actually takes the knife out of frame and puts it on the table as he moves the camera around me. It was very tricky to do, but it works well to build suspense. The shot of taking the Jack Lantern outside, putting it down and having the candle blown out I love because of the slow tension it builds. Although it does go a little long, the slow pace of it works well with the film, and I love the shot.

As soon as my character sits on the couch, the one problem I had as a filmmaker is I have no idea how to show that the character is looking at a picture on his laptop. Something so simple to show is mindblowingly hard to have it interesting, so I just screengrabbed the picture and put it in the editing. I think it's probably the one thing I wish I could figure out a way to do better in the whole film. Using 'Night of the Living Dead' was fun because A) It's a great classic of horror; B) It's public domain, meaning anyone can download, watch it, or use it, and the soundtrack worked well with the film (plus I don't plan on making any money on this short, so it's fair use). Using a film's audio to build tension is a little bit of a cheat, but I enjoy it. As my character walks into the kitchen, I didn't want it to be something spooky at the beginning, but to start it off normal and once the strange sound comes in the suspense builds, and then the knock on the door (which I don't know works in the short, it probably would have been better to have a shot of the door). The shot of the kid as I open the door is actually the pumpkin wearing a mask, and my cameraman talking, which I know sounds horrible, but worked quite well, although that shot you can tell takes place during the day which is a huge continuity error.

With the end, shooting the character as a ghost is actually simple for low budget filmmaking: You need to have the camera locked off on a tripod do the shot of the actor, then once he leaves, keep the camera rolling with a clean plate, and in ending you just overlay the two shots and bring down the opacity of the shot of the actor, so you can see though him. It's a good basic trick for doing ghost effects, and in another post I'll show you how you can do a more complicated ghost shot). The only problem of writing the film is there there is no dialogue fore 80% of the film, until the climax which is exposition heavy because it needs to be. The reason my character can his character is because with the traditions of Halloween, the spirits of the dead walk the earth, and to keep spirits out of your home you have a Jack O'Lantern outside. When my Jack O'Lantern is blown out, he has access to my home, with the amulet acting as a beacon of sorts to attract only the spirits of the dead that you know. So if you have the amulet, and it's Halloween and your Jack O'Lantern is blown out, you can see the spirits of those you have lost. The idea of the pictures was that the box and the amulet has been around for decades, and everyone who uses it puts a picture of the family member they saw again and hid it in the woods for someone else, which is why the pictures look very aged, having old and young people in them. I honestly don't know if all of that came across well or clearly, and really it would have benefited from having a shot of me putting a picture of him and I in the box before I hid it again, but since it was on the computer, I couldn't think of a way that would happen, which is where the idea of the note came from. I will admit my acting isn't that great (my cameraman's acting is quite natural though which I really liked). And the last scenes going back to the beginning with the forest, now that the audience has the context, has a less ominous music and tone, adding with the voice over (which not to praise myself, I thought was a perfect way to end the film), to really have the story resolve itself.

With all the filming done, I spent the rest of the night and most of the following morning editing. The great thing about the internet is that it is a great source of free stuff. Royalty Free Music is great to have music in your movies, and it is where I got all the music from my film, and the music perfectly sets the tone for every scene, build suspense, and in some cases allowed the viewer to get into the characters mindset. Since the film has no sound or dialogue, the music played the most important role to convey the mood and the tone I was trying to set. A main reason why I didn't have much sound is that, by using the internal mic on my camera, the sound makes dialogue hard to hear and usually gets background noise, the sound of wind, and generally makes having sound in your film terrible (If you can, get an external). I felt that the lack of sound adds to the film though overall. In the end, I had the film online with a couple days to go before Halloween, which was a great accomplishment, and overall quite positive feedback. I always wanted to take more time to redo certain things I didn't have a chance to correct for Halloween 2014, which I am finishing now. In a future blog I'll do a post on the final version of 'The Visitor'