Available Darkness

One of the advantages of having sworn to shooting with really fast lenses (which is as much a hindrance as an advantage, trust me) is the ability to shoot in exceedingly low-light conditions.  The T2i isn't great at low-light but the speed of an f1.4 lens allows, at the very least, some pretty unique opportunities.  

Below are two shots from another section of the short film "Somnolence".  I had tried shooting it earlier in the day but there was entirely too much light at the time.  This is lit solely with the small kerosene lantern in the second still.  I would prefer a little more range, but I can't complain at all about the lens or the camera.  Granted... I dream of a Noctilux to really stretch the limits of sanity.  Also since I prefer having both kidneys intact I doubt I'll ever own a Nocti.  

Editing continues.  Both songs I intend to use are cleaned up and, gasp, almost noiseless.  

Editing: a living hell

Editing is hell.  Truly if there were an area of this project I wish I could pay someone to do... this is it.  As an update - the first 3 minutes are roughly edited.  It looks *amazing*.

The music is fitting well despite the fact that I recorded it over a decade ago.  I do have to clean it up a bit before its ready to be locked in.  And the voice over is going to be re-recorded and synced better.  Despite the paralyzing tedium I must say that it is rewarding to watch this thing come together.  

One of the things I've had to learn is how to slow down.  To say that the first edit was "crammed" is like saying my man cave has a bit of a layout problem.  That "crammed" edit didn't fit the script, the feel, or what we'll call my "vision" (but honestly I want to barf when I use that word).  None of the imagery lasted more than a few seconds and it felt, honestly, like I was editing like Michael Bay.  Anyone that knows me knows that Bay makes me want to stab my eyeballs out with my own teeth.  Something had to change.

Then I decided, on a whim, to cut a trailer.  In doing so (all 15 minutes it took to pick "Tiller's Pre" as the song I would use, throw in footage I hadn't even considered before, and send the thing to Vimeo) I solved the problem.  The new cut is literally EXACTLY what I had in mind.  A decade's old song, a frustrating morning, and a desire to surge on with the the project... that's all it took.  I have shown that first 3 minutes to a few people and their general take on it is what I was gong for.

It feels like the script.  

It feels like the narrator.  

It feels like Somnolence.

Luckily I don't know what I'm doing on TWO monitors

Everyone knows that 20lbs of rig should be raised as high as possible in a high-traffic area of the house.

Have I mentioned how much I love Magic Lantern firmware?

Introduction

Howdy and welcome to Wide Open: A Film Blog.  As some of you know, making a film of any length at all is a massive undertaking.  In recent years the task has become certainly less expensive but no less demanding technically.

My name is Adam Schaefer and I'm a film maker.  That sounds odd.  I'm not sure I even agree with it.  I'm attempting film making.

I am rather particular, as my wife can tell you, but only about random things.  So reconciling the technical demands of making even my very first short film with my own need for very specific things to function a certain way is proving a challenge.  This is all new to me, in a way.  To be sure I have mounds of experience behind a camera.  A still, 35mm film camera.  I would consider the cinematography portion to be my strongest skill, as it were.  Everything else (and the "everything else" is 99% of a film) is where I am flailing almost blindly.

There are plenty of online sources.  Some are useless other are invaluable.  Learning the basics of a low budget DSLR-based shoot is simple.  Applying those basics to your own equipment and experience is another thing entirely.

So what is this blog for?  To share the insanity that is trying to complete something that will "look" simple but isn't.

This first short film is called "Somnolence".  And here is its trailer.

Somnolence: Trailer