Collaboration

Good advice on collaboration:

http://discussion.workbookproject.com/questions/4/what-are-the-biggest-challenges-for-collaborative-filmmaking/20#20

Crash Writing

We've been writing every day for three hours a day since returning from Sweden. Then another hour or so of discussion, depending on how far we have to walk. We've managed to make an entire pass, and the script is in a most beautiful state. The weather says that if we keep this up, we'll be finished by the end of this month. Hope is real.

The brothers break into their house

Christmas Tigger floats up and brushes Do. Do pushes him away. Christmas Tigger brushes him again. Do watches as Christmas Tigger floats toward the back yard fence. Christmas Tigger motions for Do to follow. Do gets up and makes his way to the back yard fence. Christmas Tigger floats over the fence. Do looks through the slats. Christmas Tigger floats toward the back door. He bumps up against the back door, and it swings open. Suddenly, Buddy, a large Golden Retriever, attacks Christmas Tigger and rips him to shreds.
Photo originally published on JosephNils blog.

The Light

I've written several posts about the light. The south tends to lend itself to greenish tints, and this is the look we've decided to go with.

Also interesting is that the light has a different quality in the fall/winter than in other times. The south is usually portrayed during the summer in film. We want to portray the winter because it's beautiful and not usually photographed in film.

The Light

Originally published on JosephNils Blog

Ghosts of films past

From Daneeta's Journal:

Patrick back from Africa, and we've been working on the 2nd draft of the script. Something is missing, but I can't, for the life of me, figure out what it is. We've got great characters, locations and a solid story. But, something is definitely missing.

Both of us are concerned that this will turn into another "Cowboys." That film was five years in the making. More even if you believe like some that it's not finished yet. You hear stories of filmmakers who write their scripts in three weeks (John Sayles). Then, there are those like Richard Linklater who spend years on one project.

What is this rush, though? Is it that I am enjoying the process too much and cannot focus on the end product? Or, is this how it is meant to be?

Update

Been writing steadily for some time now. At least four hours a day. The script is getting better and better, Patrick says...particularly the dialogue. Must get a draft out to readers. Must get feedback. Our plan is to shoot in the fall of next year. That's one year to finish the script, raise the money, go into pre-production and shoot. I think we can do it. Focus!

On another roll. Please send pizza.

Having another writing spurt, which is good. I hesitate to say, however, if this is the one that will result in a finished draft good enough to send out to people only because I've said that before, and it hasn't happened. But, there is a difference this time. All of the work that we've done in the past...all of the work that I thought was just work and not useful...it's all coming back in strength. Maybe I wrote a scene that went one way, and it didn't work, so I threw it out. Now it is coming back in a different way. All of the work has been done. I just need to slot it in and tweak. The process never ceases to amaze me.

I've been writing professionally now for nearly 20 years. This is the first really huge project I've worked on (apart from that novel when I was 13...oh the horror). I think I've been somewhat intimidated by the scope for the longest time. But, on the positive side, I've just kept plugging along, and that is all coming to fruition now. Also, there are several "rules" I like to follow:

I'll take care of the quantity, and the Muse will take care of the quality.
If you get stuck, just back up until it works then move forward from there.
Respect the voice. Trust the voice.
When you get on a roll, just keep riding it no matter what time you have to get up in the morning.

Visual Reference: Dancing

A Relationship with Light

A favorite of ours in terms of light is Terrence Malick's "The New World." Most of it was shot with available light (that is, the sun) and, where necessary, practicals or lamps you can buy at a regular store. There was the scene where John Smith was captured where the DoP poked holes in the top of the structure to get light in. The result is, well, sublime.

There is a lot you can do with light to suggest other worldliness and magic. There is a lot you can do with light to convey emotions: sadness, longing...foreboding.

I like this picture of my godson Daniel. He's back lit by the sun, and because he has light hair, it's as if he is the source of the light. Also, this is one of the few pictures where Patrick caught him off guard, so his expression is real.

Our relationship with light is evolving, and I'm looking forward to developing that relationship more with this film.

Photographed by Patrick Jackson and originally published on Joseph Nils Blog.

Cracking Magical Realism

The hyper-reality of Chalmatia

Photographed by Patrick Jackson and originally published on Joseph Nils Blog.

Whilst sitting by the river last night and watching tourists sink their feet into the dirty Mississippi, Patrick and I cracked the Magical Realism conundrum. Firstly, there is a lot of controversy over what Magical Realism actually is. Here are a few definitions from Wikipedia:

Magic realism, or magical realism, is an artistic genre in which magical elements or illogical scenarios appear in an otherwise realistic or even "normal" setting.

Matthew Strecher has defined magic realism as "what happens when a highly detailed, realistic setting is invaded by something 'too strange to believe'."^[1]

Gene Wolfe said, "Magic realism is fantasy written by people who speak Spanish,"^[7], and Terry Pratchett said magic realism "is like a polite way of saying you write fantasy".^[8]

For our purposes, we have a hyper real scenario set in the wasteland that is Chalmatia. The magic occurs in the imagination of the child characters. We the audience see what they see in their imaginations until we can no longer distinguish between what is "real" and what is "fantasy."

In the beginning of the story, Destiny is standing on the line between childhood and adulthood. Her imagination is clouded by hormones and worry and a clear understanding that she and her brothers are in a world of trouble. She can only see the harsh reality. But when tragedy strikes, she is able to see more and more into that magic world. And it is that world that saves her and her brothers in the end.

Visual references: The Canal

This is the street that runs past The Canal. The Canal plays a huge part in our story. It is where we see the boys commit a vicious act of violence. It's the location of Destiny's nightmares. It is even where Troy and Benjy fail in their hilarious attempt to steal copper.

Photographed by Patrick Jackson. Originally published on Joseph Nils.

Visual Reference: Village Square

Two scenes take place in Village Square. Patrick took this picture 2 months ago or so. I don't know how much longer these buildings will remain. There have been some rumblings about turning them into mixed income housing, but the Chalmatians are up in arms about that. They are afraid that mixed income housing will attract undesirables. Um. Who do they think they are? In any case, we might have to shoot the exteriors before we even begin principal photography.

Photographed by Patrick Jackson. Originally published on Joseph Nils.

Visual references: Metaphore

This image is representative of the post apocalyptic world of "Chalmatia." Does this world really exist? To some extent, yes. Here it is photographed, and you can see numerous representative images on the Joseph Nils Blog. It is only one dimension taken from the reality, though. Depending on how you photograph things and what you choose to show, you can create whole worlds that the naked eye cannot see.

Photographed by Patrick Jackson. Originally published on Joseph Nils.

Visual references: Factories

The factories of Chalmette feature prominently in the landscape of the script. This is one of the oil refineries. Then there is the Domino Sugar Factory (what Kurt, who worked there, used to call "The Sugar Shack"). When photographed in just the right way and in just the right light, these factories can look like a different world...something even out of fantasy.

Photographed by Patrick Jackson. Originally published on Joseph Nils.

Visual references: Dirty Frames and Contemplative Children

Messy, gritty and dirty frames. Also like the contemplative poses for the children. For this picture, Patrick told Nick to "look at the bee." At first, he was all over the place, but Patrick kept telling him to "look at the bee." Finally, he settled down and looked at the bee.

Photographed by Patrick Jackson. Originally published on Joseph Nils.

Chalmatia

I can't stress enough how integral the Joseph Nils Blog is to our script. The kids have really been helping out by modeling for the photos. In this way, we can pin down the look and feel of the film and also have what I believe to be some really beautiful picutres of my family during this very specific time.

We're kicking around a new name: "Chalmetia." As the script is written now in the first draft, the entire thing except for the very last sequence is set in Chalmette. But, not Chalmette. It's like a hyper-real Chalmette mixed with a magical dream world Chalmette. This place is Chalmetia.

We steal bits of dialogue from the kids as well. When they say something funny or out there, I jot it down. In this way they are really co-authors of our work, and I like that.

Photographed by Patrick Jackson. Originally published on Joseph Nils.

Visual Reference: Christmas

Photographed by Patrick Jackson. Originally published on Joseph Nils.

Visual Reference: The Neighbors

Photographed by Patrick Jackson. Originally published on Joseph Nils.

Visual Reference: Fire in the Kitchen

There is a fire pretty early on in the script. The kids set the kitchen on fire when they try to make themselves breakfast. Nickabob puts the fire out with his hose. What I like about this picture as a reference is that Nick is totally into it. Patrick told him to imagine a huge fire in front of him and that he was charged with putting it out. Look into his eyes and look at his stance. He really believes himself to be putting out a fire. This is something important to think about as well when directing kids. If you can get them in the moment, it will look totally believable on screen.

Photographed by Patrick Jackson. Originally published on Joseph Nils.