Production Blog 5

Well, today was the first scouting trip for the still untitled Western film. Phillip and I left around 1:00 pm to scout around Sim, and then to check out Westlake's Paramount Ranch. We found a few perfect locations in Corganville and up Yosemite here in Simi, so here are some pics with the location explained

NOTE: Some of the images are not formatted correctly here on blogspot due to their slim marigins. If you want to see the whole image, open it in a new window.

Corganville Location: Here we found a few areas that were hopefuls for Mordecai's cave. At first, we found a sort of opening between some rocks that we though we could use if we used some camera tricks and cheated the shots.







So we were willing to settle for it, until we kept walking and stumbled onto a perfect spot about a 1/4 a mile ahead.







So that is most likely where we will shoot Mordecai's scenes, with some set dressing of course, such as old maps, lanterns, bed rolls, food and other things of that sort. Theory being, that it was maybe a burnt out bunker or something like that, which Mordecai, the old cowpoke, used as a homestead in the foothills of the mountains. Excellent find.

Next we went up Yosemite Street to check out some of the locations around there. We found the location of the Hangman's Tree and also some more excellent areas of hills and stuff. Check it out.















Next we embarked on a quest to Westlake to find the fabled Paramount Ranch. This place was amazing. We got lost and drove past it by at least 15-20 miles and ended up in Malibu. Hahah, it was hilarious. Anyway here are some pics of this MARVELOUS location. We are crossing our fingers and hoping to shoot our ending shoot-out here.


















































So the deal wiht Paramount Ranch is, that you CAN shoot films there which is a plus, but we think that we might have a problem with bringing "fake" firearms there, seeing as there is a NO FIREARMS rule. We are gonna call the visitor's center and get the complete lowdown, and see if maybe we can weasle our way into bringing guns and using them under supervision, because this is just too good of a location to pass up.

All in all the day was VERY productive. Phillip and I feel very accomplished and more ready than ever to bring everyone a film that they will never forget.

check back for more updates as we come closer to the start of principle photography!

tb

Production Blog 4

As promised, an excerpt from the script. I'm not going to say where this is in the film, but this small scene is what sets up the rising action for the rest of the flick. So without further ado, enjoy a small snippet of the STILL UNTITLED WESTERN!!!

tb



Mordecai studies his old friend’s face. Chase is glaring into the campfire. He is clearly enraged.

Mordecai:
So what’s next Chase?

Chase slowly turns his head to Mordecai.

Slow zoom

Chase:
Do you still have them?

Slow zoom onto Mordecai’s face.

Mordecai:
Yes.

Chase
(Cont’d)
All of them?

Mordecai nods slowly.

INT. Cave-Night

The camera is covered by a heavy leather cloth that is pulled away by chase at the start of the scene.

The shot reverts and we see that the leather cloth was part of a roll. Inside this roll are many, many firearms: Revolvers both long and short, a sawed off shotgun, many smaller pistols and more than enough ammo.

Chase:
Perfect.

Production Blog 3

Production Blog 2

Hey folks, Tim here again with a small update on the still untitled Western. Phillip is on his way to a friend's house via train, so our scouting has been pushed to next weekend. Fine by me, because I still need to finish the screenplay. It's almost finished as I'm getting ready to start the final few pages. I think I'll post some teaser snippets of the script up here if anyone wants to read it.

Anyway, location scouting next weekend hopefully, so expect some pictures and clips of the various areas that we check out.


that's all for now.

tb out

Production Blog 1

Here we go kids. We are underway on the next production. This time around: The gritty, blood-splattered western being developed myself and Phillip Willis.

The script is nearing completion with only around 7-10 pages left, so expect some excerpts in the weeks to come. Without giving any details out about those involved, i would like to say that there is a heavy chance that i will have access to a Panasonic DVX100A, shooting at 24p. This will make the film look just like that: film. 24p is a different frame rate from the standard DVcam, and it will emulate the look and movement of a real 35mm camera. Very Exciting.

Sorry this first production blog is kinda sparse, but don't worry! There is tons of stuff coming up, including screenshots from location scoutings, video journals and much more.

so please check back daily, weekly, or whatever, and find out what is going on in the world of production on my next film.

peace

tim

Mariachi-style and the West

Sorry for the lack of updates. I've been pretty busy with school and stuff. Anyway, i finally got those Netflix rentals out of my house (Raging Bull and Lost in Translation) and was able to get my next 2 yesterday. I got Desperado and A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints.

Desperado is the fallow up to Robert Rodriguez's $7,000 El Mariachi, and let me say that this is one action film that no one should miss out on. The stylized shots and shooting proccess were so elegently described in his book as "Mariachi- Style." This is a style created by Rodriguez which he dubs as, "solving problems with creativity, not money." I whole-heartedly agree with this concept and i think i am going to try to emulate this as much as possible in the coming productions. If anyone hasn't read his book, Rebel Without A Crew, and consider yourself an independent filmmaker, then shame upon you my dear fellow.

In other news, the Western that Phillip Willis and I are developing is well underway, with the script already running around 7 pages with only the first act started. I think i have a knack for brain vomit and just spill everything out onto the pages. This means i might need to do a hefty amount of editing before we get a shooting draft finished. I'm essentially writing the scipt because all Phillip really had was about 7 pages of notebook paper with a rough concept and some dialogue. The rest is on my shoulders. That's ok though, because I really do love writing.

Anyway, that's it for this week. more updates to come next week.

peace

Monday nights

So today i watch Lost in Translation, a Netflix rental that has been sitting atop my entertainment center for a good portion of 3 weeks now, and let me tell you, Craig didn't lie when he described the beauty of this film. Sofia is genius. i'm really beginning to appreciate her style and unique writing abilities that she puts in every film. gorgeous stuff.

in addition to that, i also caught the international trailer for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. gonna be amazing. you can catch that here.

Lastly, i decided to pick up the Death Proof screenplay today from Borders. Genius writing. i love it.

So yeah, mondays do hold exciting stuff indeed. i usually hate mondays. anyways, im off to bed. peace world.


by the way, its good to be in love. inspires you. just thought i'd bring that up!

night



tb