Corey Aaron Burkes's Blog, page 5

Game of Chess: The Building Blocks of a Good Film

I have a secret skill that is being tasked at the moment: I can pick film-worthy/talented people.

I can easily run off a short list of folks I cast for little, now non-existent projects I worked on in the past that moved on to TV and major motion pictures. I’m forever saying “I know that guy/girl” on screen. From Episodes of CSI to Marvel movies, I can sniff out someone who will be doing great things even if the project they worked on with me only went ‘so far’ or nowhere.

When I first met these people, it was a no-brainer. They all had the ‘look’ and ‘voice’ and ‘projection’ that just screamed dripping talent. I was blessed to have them work with me and they inspire me every day.

Now, I’m at it again but the process is different.

In the past, doing a short no-budget project with no aspirations further than online visibility produced just those same results: just online visibility.

The goal now, for Predawn and all steps moving forward, is to be seen by a wider cinema industry audience (festivals) and chisel at the professional director/producer title. Professional teams, including performers, to qualify for industry momentum.

Thus the application for SAG union signatory. Find experienced performers; name and semi-name talent to help move the film forward.

However, the majority of the people that submitted for parts, and those that I am ultimately auditioning, are non-union and just as astonishingly talented.

So, I’m at a cross road: keep pushing to find union talent just to hypothetically move the film before the right people at the right festivals — watching time tick by as the right union performer isn’t found yet?

Or hire nonunion talent because my instincts have yet to fail me? Each person I’ve worked with in the past — every last one of them — were non-union at the start.

I know I’m answering my own question and I’ll likely have more opportunities to go with SAG on a higher-budgeted production (which is probably why the union applicants are kind of few and far between).

I read an awesome article by Leslie Lello that really hit the nail on the head with what I am currently going through overall with the SAG-Aftra Signatory decision. It just might be, considering the talent auditioning, and just the timing, I’m not ready to do the signatory thing.

The post Game of Chess: The Building Blocks of a Good Film appeared first on DesktopEpics Entertainment.

Casting on Backstage.com

Like any great motion picture, you need great performers to tell the story.

Casting for Predawn began in the latter half of December 2022 through Backstage.com. This was not the original direction I wanted to go — with early expectations to work with an actual casting director. When this project started, the few goals I set for myself were to come a cut above a generic indie production with a foot in the ‘industry’. Half of that was the guiding decision to become a SAG-Aftra union signatory, which I’ll get to in another posting.

I didn’t want to post around on Craigslist so I thought working with an actual casting director would do the trick. Unfortunately, the one I thought to work with seemed to have ghosted me and time was ticking (you’re going to find the running theme in this whole production, at least until the film is finally shot, are the people that just up and vanish. It’s cool. Not offended. I’ve learned to have redundancy built into everything I do. There is always a Plan B).

The shoot may be in May 2023, but if I didn’t lock down characters now, every second closer to 2023 itself (currently writing this the day after Christmas 2022), I’ll be battling people’s availability. I’m sure the casting director I would have worked with is very busy and I’m not taking it personally.

Turns out, I am very busy myself — I have a schedule to keep — and Backstage has a wonderful casting/audition process. The casting expires on Backstage on January 17th. If you’re reading this after that date, apologies. The posting will be taken down. For the record, this is what it looked like:

Backstage Predawn Casting Post

Here’s the link to the casting notice

Already I’m seeing some of the finest talents I’ve ever seen out there and I look forward to meeting them one-on-one during the audition process scheduled for two weekends in January. I can already tell I won’t need to generate a second round of casting. Based on what has been submitted already, I’ll have the cast settled by February 1st as planned without a doubt.

Zombie 101

There are a number of departments for this short film I would have to do it myself because folks keep vanishing.

I think the irony is hilarious, though. Years back, trying to get a film off the ground, I had no money, and asking people to work with me was like pulling teeth. Now that there is money, people still disappear. Can’t take any of it personally, and maybe they just don’t think the project is a fit for them or the budget was too low. At the same time, I don’t beg and I’m on a schedule.

Earlier on, I needed a special effects person to develop the zombies associated with the screenplay. I already knew, based on the budget of the short, I wasn’t going to go the absolute ‘visual’ route. I was going to have to go with an old storytelling method of letting the audience fill in the blanks to what they ‘don’t’ see. Still, there would have to be enough ‘zombie’ created that required someone with talent to make a few things. So, when searching for that person came up blank, I had to take a couple of crash courses.

First thing I did was lock down a subscription through the Stan Winston School. Each and everyday, I’m pouring over the techniques involved to create latex masks, arms, legs, other body parts using tools and chemicals I’ve never used before. I’ve got the time to put into it to figure things out. 

I’m also practically on replay over at the Brick in the Yard website. That’s where quite a few of my supplies come from (if not Amazon). This site has some of the greatest tutorials you can ever learn from.

So, the question can be asked: “Why don’t you hire a professional mask/prop maker?” and my response is, “I tried. No one wants to work with me. No matter what I can afford to pay them.” But that can’t mean I do not do the project at all. Time is on my side and the money I would have paid a professional, I spend it on the Stan Winston School subscription and supplies. I spend a lot of time testing the process and building a battle plan. The image you see on this page is the latest sampling of a molded hand with quick placement of nails/claws to see how it would look. Still got a ways to go but I’m very pleased with the progress. 

Oh, you got to know the story to understand why body parts need to be molded as opposed to a ‘costume’. No one is wearing a mask, or being done up Walking Dead style through makeup. It might be the ‘different direction’ that scares off people.

Shit, if I pull this off, guess who might just have their own prop/mask department in-house.

 

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Cinematography: Blackmagic Pocket Cinema 4K

The purchasing of this camera was one of three underscores that said, “I’m really doing this film”.

Odd thing, it started when at least three cinematographers ghosted me. It all starts well. Interested in the project. They tell me their daily rate. I’m cool with it, the money is there, and then they disappear. Maybe it’s for the best. Looks like I’ll be saving a little money in the long run, anyway.

Without a cinematographer confirming with me, the feeling is maybe this is the one film I am to shoot myself. It’s a short. The budget is manageable. Easy location. Why not learn every aspect of the camera yourself? For goodness sake, I’ve shot on lesser equipment and seen lesser equipment used to get people into festivals.

The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema, however, feels like it was literally made for me. Everything from the quality of shots to the price! I mean, you know you’re in the semi-pros when you drop 2K on a camera that doesn’t come with a lens! It’s crazy but worth it.

Also comes with a studio pro version of Davinci Resolve, the industry standard for color grading and editing. I have been, and still am, an Adobe After Effects guy. Nothing wrong with combining the two for necessary shots. The time I have to understand the learning curve necessary for Davinci Resolve will be put to good use while I test out the camera.

But back on the lens situation. I don’t have any for it.

So, I started renting them from lensrental.com. Some really cool ones fit the camera, giving me time to practice and understand how the camera works. I’ve been on a pretty consistent rotation: rent a lens for a week, shoot random footage during that week, return the lens, and practice editing on Davinci Resolve for a week, then turn around and rent another lens again. Round and round.

Couldn’t imagine doing this on the week of the shoot and just figuring things out later. Nope. Not even close to my ways of doing things. As of now, I’ve given myself a near year of practice every week to perfect things.

I do like lensrental.com a lot and they have more equipment other than lenses. I could have rented the whole same camera; which is actually a thought to do as a secondary backup should I have issues with my own. Redundancy. Backups. Plan B’s. My only issue with lensrental is the cost of a few things I would have loved to rent. For instance, I will have an aerial shot in the film that requires a drone. Just one shot. The rent one for $600 for seven days. For that same amount of money, I could buy one and spend an equal amount of time practicing to get that one shot — which I will do.

I like owning my own equipment when I can. Renting lenses is okay. It’s just that at 3 am in the morning, I turn around and want to shoot something or practice with that equipment and it’s not here. Renting saves on expenses but at the same time use and practice, time is limited to its availability.

Like the BMPCC (Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera), I plan to start hoarding a lot more equipment in-house. I think I can probably hire better people to use the equipment I own on future films down the road (provided they stop ghosting me).